First time apprentice, first time mentor

Primroselight padded across camp to the apprentice's den, now forever thankful for the less-crowded camp. She had began to grow accustom to at least the layout of Riverclan's camp, but she didn't think she could ever get used the endless busy warriors and apprentices milling around the clearing. At least here she knew all her clanmates well enough that they wouldn't try and start a fight if she accidentally bumped into them. Poking her head into the apprentices' den, she called softly out to Graypaw. "Graypaw, it's time to train!" It certainly hadn't taken the cream she-cat long to realise that her apprentice needed to lighten up a bit. Being serious was useful in its place and all that, but apprenticeships were for fun! To have adventures!

She waited patiently for Graypaw to join her, and when she emerged, Primroselight continued in her cheery tone. "Good morning! Are you hungry?" she asked, indicating the fresh-kill pile with her head. 

No matter how ready Graypaw was to begin training, it wasn't difficult for her to sleep through the night. She wasn't the type of cat to let her excitement be a hinderance to anything. Her dreams were, as usual, forgettable and out of reach. The moment that she woke from her slumber, any memory of the content of her dream evaporated. Simultaneously, she blinked the sleep out of her eyes and hauled herself to her paws to meet Primroselight outside of the den. Now that she had a proper apprentice name and a mentor, Graypaw could learn about everything. SkyClan's territory was probably bigger than she imagined it to be. The hunting crouch, the borders, battle moves, types of prey... she was going to memorize every last bit of it. When her mentor came into view, the young she-cat stopped to address her.
"Good morning, Primroselight." The gray cat greeted the warrior, putting on a quick and stiff smile.

Eating before a training session would probably be the wise decision to make, but Graypaw could wait. It would be much more satisfying to sit down to a meal if she had already caught her own prey first. She gave the fresh-kill pile a quick glance before returning her attention to Primroselight.
"Not really, I think I want to learn how to catch something before I eat anything." The she-cat admitted as her gray tail twitched back and forth.

What should I teach her first? Primroselight thought as she lead her apprentice out of camp. She was originally planning to tour the territory with Graypaw, but weighing out the odds now... Maybe it wouldn't be the best idea. The forest still lay ashen a destroyed in some places, along with the scent of fire. Even though she knew that she'd have to get over it eventually, the young warrior preferred to avoid the more charred parts of the territory. Not only that, but the foxes the scouting patrol had chased off could still be lurking somewhere: especially in the least-explored parts of the forest. She also thought that if Graypaw's mindset was that she didn't want to eat when she couldn't catch prey, her apprentice would soon go hungry. It was probably a joke, but Primroselight still didn't know the she-cat well enough to be sure.

Before long, she paused in a small clearing. She was fairly familiar with this part of the forest, or at least confident enough that she wouldn't trip over too many tree routes. "Ok, so first thing for catching prey," she began, casting her mind back to her first training session with Smokefeather, "The hunter's crouch." Clearly displaying the position, she stayed there long enough for Graypaw to see her form. "Do you want to try it out? Remember to keep you tail and belly low, but still just off the floor."

Graypaw followed her mentor out of camp for the very first time without another word. She had never laid her eyes upon the immense stretch of land that SkyClan claimed as their own. The faint scent of ash gingerly touched her nose, causing it to twitch. Tall trees, a forest feature that her Clan was known for, were scattered around the land. Small birds occupied a few of the thin branches. Their shrill songs made her ears stand rigidly on top of her head. Eventually, she would know how to make her way up the branches in order to catch one all on her own. The Leaf-fall breeze was crisp and chilly, and it wasn't as still as the air that straggled inside of the camp. The apprentice looked down at her paws as her pads pressed against the cold earth. The territory was nothing that she thought it would be. It was better. Her yellow eyes shone as she placed her focus back on Primroselight.

Graypaw flicked an ear once the two of them reached the little clearing. She had seen apprentices practicing their hunter's crouch in camp multiple times, but she had never stopped to try it herself when she was a kit. There was probably a lot more to perfecting the crouch than simply squatting down. The gray she-cat took a moment to study Primroselight's form as she lowered herself close to the ground. It was her turn to give it a try. The bi-colored apprentice let her slender form slowly drop towards the ground. She hurriedly lifted her tail and let it hover slightly above the terrain. Graypaw supposed it would be counter-productive for her tail to drag noisily along the ground whenever she tried to catch prey in the future. After taking an instant to steady herself on her paws before looking back over at her mentor.

"How's this?" She asked, tilting her head.

At Graypaw's question, Primroselight straitened herself up into a sitting position. How was she meant to know if her crouch was any good? But then an idea struck her. She would pretend to be the prey - well, not really, but listen instead to the apprentices hunting crouch. "Sorry, but can you just take a few steps forward in the same position? It's just an idea I had to check if your crouch is right." Hopefully this works, she thought. The young warrior would hate it if her blindness hindered the young she-cats training. However, it was good that Primroselight's hearing was so sharp, so she could easily imitate the prey: if she could hear pretty much anything, whether it be a brush of fur or a carelessly placed paw, the prey would be sure hear it as well. 

The she-cat silently watched Primroselight as the older warrior sat down to think for a moment. All the while, the she maintained her hunting crouch. She, in all honesty, had no idea how her mentor able to train her while being blind. Graypaw found it to be admirable to say the least. Primroselight must've been a commendable warrior if she was able to train another cat while being sight-deprived. Upon receiving new orders, Graypaw glanced up at her mentor and tightened her stance.

"Oh, sure." The gray apprentice responded.

She took a moment to double-check her crouch and ensure that there wasn't a single bit of her that touched the ground, except for her paws. Graypaw made an effort to not drag her paw along the ground as she stalked towards her mentor. Making any noise would ineffective while hunting because the prey would be given a clear hint that they're being trailed. Since prey was smaller and naturally closer to the ground than cats were, hearing the sound of a misplaced paw or a tail lightly dragging along the terrain was most likely simple for them to detect. Graypaw took another silent step forward before pausing and giving her attention back to Primroselight.
"Was that alright?" She thought that she had done a decent job, but this was only her first time. There might've been something that she missed somehow.

(ooc: Do you know the hunting system? If not, I'm happy to answer any questions!) 

"Wow! that was perfect, well done!" Primroselight said in surprise, shocked at how easily Graypaw had picked up the basics of hunting. Just like what was necessary, she didn't hear a peep from the young she-cat whilst she was practising. "I guess it's time to move onto real prey then." Now that her apprentice had pretty much perfected the crouch, it was time to put it to the test. She strayed a few paces away, extremely conscious of the fact she was with a cat with little to no battle training - Primroselight and Smokefeather had run into a goose on their first trip out. Graypaw would need defending if anything bad happened, so she was careful not to get caught up in the hunt.

Opening her maw, she scented the air and caught a trace of squirrel. It had been a long time since she had eaten squirrel, as they were rare in Riverclan's territory and in Twolegplace. She whispered to Graypaw, not wanting to scare away her prey, "Watch me carefully, I'm going to go after that squirrel." She singled with her tail to where she thought the fluffy-tailed mammal was. It not only carried a clear scent, but also was making small rustling noises as it searched through the still ashen forest for food. She dropped into a hunter's crouch and slowly crept towards it, making sure she was being a good demonstration for her apprentice. Before long, it was near enough for her to reach (although quite far away) so she pounced. Her powerful haunches, a signature trait in her clan, propelled her further than most. Maybe a little too far.

Rather than landing as she had planned with her paws trapping the squirrel, she overshot the leap and gave the prey time to escape. She growled very quietly in frustration: how was Graypaw meant to learn if her mentor couldn't catch anything? It reminded her of the hunt she had hunted with her mother in the beech copse of Riverclan territory. They had been out a while and through the entire trip, and the only thing Primroselight managed to catch was a goose. Maybe she would have better luck next time. Hopefully. She padded back to where her apprentice waited for her, and, slightly embarrassed, explained where she had gone wrong. "Well, maybe don't do it exactly like that." She said, trying to sound light-hearted. "Make sure you don't do what I did - time and judge your pounce before you do it." Nearby, she heard a wood pigeon singing. It sounded as if the song was coming from the forest floor, hopefully making it an easier catch for Graypaw. "Do you want to have a go?" she said, still keeping her tone low so she didn't scare it away.

Primroselight used 3 SP to catch a squirrel. Catch was unsuccessful!
127/130

The member 'khamosa khristmas' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Primroselight's praise pleased Graypaw greatly. Her whiskers twitched with satisfaction. That had only been her first try, and she had somehow miraculously managed to narrow down her form to an effective hunting crouch. Well, the true effectiveness of her crouch was yet to be tested. She could only imagine how incredible it would be if she managed to catch her first piece of prey on her very first day of training. The flame of determination that flickered within her was now a raging firestorm. It was, at last, time to catch real prey. The apprentice figured that Primroselight would be going first to show her how it was done. That would give Graypaw a chance to watch her mentor. In all honesty, she wouldn't mind watching her mentor a hundred times if it meant that she would able to catch something on her first try. Hunting was a hit or miss. Surely not every warrior or experienced apprentice caught every bit of prey that they stumbled upon. While it did require a great amount of skill and proper form, it was also somewhat up to chance. Graypaw recognized that failure was necessary in order to learn, but failure also wasn't a good feeling. She wasn't the type of cat to be embarrassed by an error. In fact, slip ups made her desire to learn increase immensely.

Remembering to remain silent for the sake of her mentor's prey pursuit, Graypaw sat down and observed. The she-cat didn't even want to blink. She had never watched a warrior participate in the act of hunting before. Every few moments, she would nod and make a mental note to herself on what to do when it was her turn. The squirrel that Primroselight was locked on to was quite big, and its careless rustling noises managed to reach her ears despite how far away she was sitting. The she-cat's gray ears rose as the warrior lept towards the squirrel, paws outstretched and ready to catch it. It was a miss. Graypaw found herself glancing down at her paws as her mentor returned. She hardly knew what to say. Primroselight had caught more prey than Graypaw had in a lifetime, so the apprentice didn't feel thrown off by her mentor's mistake. Plus, she still found it to be admirable that the warrior was hunting while being blind.

Graypaw lifted her head once she was invited to make an attempt at catching a bird. The pigeon was positioned near the base of a tree, pecking around near the trunks in an attempt to find a sliver of food to eat. It wasn't difficult to push down any excitement that she felt in that moment to the back of her throat. She knew that it was time to focus on being serious.
"Alright." She whispered to Primroselight, letting her mentor know that she'd be making her first effort at catching prey.
The apprentice recollected everything that she had learned as she silently and swiftly dropped down into a hunting crouch. Her tail and belly remained above the ground as she tracked down the oblivious, little, hungry winged creature. Her paws met the ground as she pulled herself forwards, and yet no sound was made. When she felt as if she was a reasonable distance away from the pigeon, she paused for a moment to calculate a jump.

This will work. It has to, Graypaw thought, narrowing her amber eyes.
Without a second thought, the she-cat jumped. In an instant, her paws came crashing down upon the fragile body of the pigeon. After nipping its neck and watching the life drain out of its black eyes, the she-cat's heart began to swell. She looked over at Primroselight for feedback, but quietly gasped once she remembered the cream warrior couldn't see. She lifted the bird by the neck and carried it over to her mentor. Its winged body hit the ground with a faint thud as she dropped it in front of Primroselight.
"I caught it." Was all she said.
Her enthusiasm remained below the surface.

graypaw successfully caught a bird! It cost her 3 sp.
77/80

The member 'verychuu' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

"Well done!" Primroselight exclaimed at her apprentice's success. She may've bee slightly annoyed that Graypaw had managed her catch and the warrior hadn't but she was definitely not a bitter cat - at the end of the day, it was prey for their rebuilding clan, and she was training a future warrior who would hopefully go on to have many more successful hunting trips.

"Make sure you bury it so we can come back to it later. It doesn't have to be completely covered, just put it the roots of that tree and kick some dirt over it." Once she had finished instructing Graypaw, her nose twitched slightly. Bird? Her tone dropping suddenly, she whispered to her apprentice, "I'm aiming for that thrush." Slowly she crept towards it, ears swivelled forward to pick up any sounds it made and jaws parted slightly as she locked onto the scent. A few steps more... Soon it was in reach. She pounced, hoping for the best. Her claws hooked into the bird's wings as she landed, dragging it towards her. She cut off its cries with a small nip and picked it up in her maw. Happy that this time she had been successful, she padded back to Graypaw, thrush in tow. Quickly she buried it before moving on.

She trusted Graypaw to locate her own prey this time, and sat down, intently interested in the she-cats hunting progress. If she could take to hunting so quickly, Graypaw would do wonders as a warrior. Even though Primroselight slightly dreaded having to teach her to fight (as battles were her least favourite thing, and she wasn't very good in them). But the time would eventually come around, and the warrior was willing to do nearly anything to help her apprentice learn.

Primroselight used 3 SP to catch a bird. Catch was successful!
124/130

The member 'khamosa khristmas' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Graypaw made sure to follow her mentor's instructions. She carried the pigeon over to the trunk of the tree where she had originally found it and kicked some dirt over it. When she returned to her mentor, Primroselight was already planning to go after more prey. She looked over at the thrush that the warrior would be going after. Hopefully, Primroselight would be able to catch this one. The apprentice stayed silent again to prevent making the bird aware of her existence. She studied the warrior's form once again. Graypaw figured that there was always room for personal improvement, and it wouldn't hurt anybody if she tried to improve her crouch even though she had caught her own piece of prey. She watched as the cream she-cat pounced and successfully landed on top of the thrush. A tiny smile appeared on her maw as Primroselight buried the bird and headed back to where she had been sitting and observing.

Her amber eyes glittered as she rose to her paws. Before, Primroselight had found the pigeon for her. This time, she would be tasked with locating her own prey as well as catching it. She tipped her nose up ever so slightly and focused on separating the scent of potential prey from the other scents of the forest. The mouse that she would be hunting had its back facing her, so it would be easier to track down.
"I'm gonna go after that mouse." She whispered to her mentor to inform her of her whereabouts before setting off in pursuit of the little rodent. She never tore her gaze away from the mouse as she lowered herself down into the hunting crouch and brought herself towards her prey in complete silence.

Graypaw finally felt like she was close enough to the small gray creature to make the jump. She paused for only half a moment before springing straight towards the mouse, stretching her front paws out so that she could capture it. Her shadow loomed over the little creature as she jumped towards it, causing it to panic and hurriedly make an escape before she could catch it. When she hit the ground in the spot where the mouse had been, the smallest of huffs escaped her jaws. That attempt had been careless. Catching the bird had made her feel a bit too confident and caused her to slack off a bit this time. There was no room for irresponsibility when it came to hunting. Empty-pawed, she padded back towards Primroselight.

"I missed. I guess that makes us even."

The member 'verychuu' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

"I guess we are!" Primroselight said cheerfully, glad that Graypaw didn't take failure badly: after all, mistakes were one of the best ways to learn, especially for apprentices. So far, the warrior was enjoying spending time with the young she-cat, training and preparing her. Each success (and failure) was rewarding in its own way, so no wonder why Smokefeather was constantly training apprentices. Her mother had a special talent for always keeping young cats busy, whether they were her own assigned apprentice, one, like Dustpaw, who had lost their mentor, or any idle cat around camp. It had been a while since Primroselight had been properly relaxed, and just content with spending time with a clanmate in her own territory, even if the forest wasn't fully healed.

Confident that Graypaw would be able to continue the hunt without Primroselight breathing over her shoulder the whole time, the warrior turned to her apprentice. "I trust that you can carry on by yourself. Don't stray too far, but I'll be hunting nearby incase you need help." Apprentice instructed, the cream she-cat lifted her head to pick up traces of prey scent. But something else caught her attention.

Owl.

She had a little warning from the scent, but not enough to react properly. "Owl! Graypaw! Get back!" The large bird swooped down from its position in the sky, claws outstretched towards Graypaw, who was about a fox-length away from Primroselight. It slashed the young she-cat's back, and the blind warrior heard her apprentice cry out in pain. Rushing to defend her, Primroselight leapt at the distant bird, bowling it over. She may've been strong, and wanted to keep Graypaw out of danger, but she didn't think that she could fight it alone. "Graypaw! Try raking its belly while it's distracted!" Hopefully the she-cat would be able to follow her instincts and fight through the pain, even though she was asking a lot of the pretty much untrained apprentice.

Owl used Talon Strike on Graypaw, costing 10 SP and dealing 10 damage
Primroselight used Jumping Strike on Owl, costing 20 SP and dealing 10 damage

Primroselight
40/40 HP
110/130 SP [-20]

Graypaw
10/20 HP [-10]
80/80 SP

Owl
40/50 HP [-10]
110/120 SP [-10]