Training for Two [Burrpaw]

"Alright, Burrpaw, I'm going to start off with the basics of teaching you how to hunt. You'll catch something on the ground before we move into the trees, though." Birdsong's tone was cheerful as she led the apprentice from camp, though now that the ceremony had concluded, Birdsong felt her stomach churn with anxiety It wasn't long ago when she'd been an apprentice herself, she'd never taught anyone before.

Coming to a stop, she turned to face Burrpaw, then dropped into a hunter's crouch, explaining as she did so, "You need to keep your shoulders, hips and tail lined up straight, like this. You don't want your tail to drag on the ground, but you also don't want to wave it around and scare off your prey because they saw your shadow." She held the pose for a few moments, allowing him to look at how she was crouched before trying it himself.

"It'll hurt a bit and might take time to get used to. Balance is important, as is watching where you step. You can scent, hear and see prey, and they can do the same for you."

Burrpaw strolled behind his mentor. There was something about trees that captivated the young willowy tom, trying not to get lost in the canopies overhead while his mentor talked. "I bet we could take on anybody with all these trees, we'd pounce on top of them! Fall from the skies like birds, they wouldn't see it coming!"

Unfortunately, he was getting into a rather awkward growth spurt, and felt a little clumsy already. And then Birdsong dropped into a crouch.

He leaned heavily on his front paws while lining up his back paws, feeling himself scrunch like an accordion. His tail flopped wherever it felt like at first, then straightened out behind him. He took a deep breath, feeling it stretch his torso as he entered a similar position as Birdsong.

"Uh... like this?"

"I'll be teaching you to fight, too. We're the only clan capable of using trees to have such a large advantage over other clans." There was a note of pride in her voice, Birdsong reflected, that almost sounded like Ravenclaw. Birdsong wasn't the keenest on actually fighting, but apprentices needed to learn, and Burrpaw seemed to be eager to do so, at least.

Rising from her crouch, she gently nudged the apprentice with a paw. "Good first attempt, keep your tail a bit lower, but not so low that it can brush the ground. Your balance will improve in time, too." He was in the middle of a growth spurt, it seemed, but he'd have time to practice.

"Now, do you think you can pick up any scents of prey? I'll stand downwind from you to make it a bit easier." Burrpaw could use his hearing and sight to pick up signs of prey as well, but recognizing scents was important. You could often smell predators and prey alike before they came into view or made noise, and learning a fresh scent from stale, older scents was just as important.

He grimaced as he was being corrected, but had to admit that the adjustments that his mentor made were more comfortable.

She asked him to scent for prey, and he opened his mouth to get a full picture of the air. Most of it was the soil, the earthy tang after a rain. But there was something that vaguely reminded him of the fresh kill pile. Something dusty, to his left, although he couldn’t place the scent to any particular animal.

His head swiveled as he took another deep breath, and he slunk towards a thicket of trees. The smell was getting stronger. Perhaps it was a bird?

Burrpaw muttered, almost soundlessly, “Do you smell that too?”

Birdsong nodded in approval as Burrpaw took a few steps while holding the crouch. He caught on to things quickly, and Birdsong allowed herself a soft smile at that.

"Good." Birdsong breathed out, voice hardly more than a whisper so as not to startle the prey they were scenting, "Go for it"

Her approval was what he needed to trust the process. Silent, soundless. Heartbeat in his throat. He didn’t even know what exactly he was going for.

Until it took flight.

A medium sized bird fluttered down towards the ground. He was a foxlength away. Its plumage shone in the sun, unaware of Burrpaw.

He sprang, claws out, hoping to connect with his prey.

The tom grabbed the bird, quickly biting its neck. Burrpaw looked to Birdsong and meowed, “Birdsong, I did it!”

He took another look, and it was a rather plump dove. He grinned from ear to ear, looking to his mentor.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

Birdsong watched as Burrpaw stalked closer to his prey, forcing herself to remain still despite the nervousness running through her. He was a first-time apprentice, she a first-time mentor, and she wanted him to succeed. Birdsong had seen a few hunting trips end up with goose or other predators needing to be fought off, and she hoped that the same thing wouldn't happen today.

"Well done, Burrpaw! And on your first try, too." Birdsong grinned as the young tom turned back to her, the dove dangling from his jaws. "put it between those roots there and kick some dirt over it. We'll continue hunting for a bit before we head back to camp." Pointing out the roots in question, the young warrior scanned the trees for more signs of prey. A blackbird was on a branch above, and Birdsong figured it would be good for her apprentice to watch how Skyclan cats were most effective- hunting in the trees.

"Alright, there's a blackbird in the branches, you'll watch me before I let you into the trees yourself." She mewed quietly, then slunk towards the base of a nearby tree. Nearly silent, the gray tabby leapt upwards, claws digging into bark as she pulled herself onto a sturdy branch. Then Birdsong made her way towards the bird, skillfully leaping from branch to branch. Closer and closer, until she landed squarely on the branch the blackbird had been perched on, claws pinning feathers. Birdsong nipped the bird before it could react, then made her way back to the ground, landing lightly and turning to her apprentice.

"Careful now, Burrpaw. I want you to follow me into the trees first, then once you're comfortable leaping from branch too branch, we'll see about catching something." She mewed once her blackbird was buried. Birdsong strode toward the base of a tree, then leapt upwards, settling on a sturdy, low-hanging branch to wait for her apprentice.

Birdsong attempted to catch a bird for -3 sp. Catch was successful.
157 / 160 sp

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Grinning, he buried his quarry. Burrpaw stared in the trees, watching her float between branches and getting her own blackbird.

She mentioned teaching him how to do the same, and it made him nervous. “Alright,” he meowed, more confident than he felt. His own paws felt weird after the growth spurt he was having, and he was praying to StarClan that they would not make good on his nerves.

The tom readied himself and leapt towards the tree. His claws made a tacking noise, clacking into the bark. He grimaced, realizing that his mentor was soundless when she ascended the tree.

He pulled himself up, looking rather clumsy. He looked back to her, waiting for her orders.

Birdsong watched Burrpaw make his way into the trees, and he reminded her very much of her first outing with Ravenclaw. She had been nowhere near silent or graceful, either, but she had improved. Burrpaw would improve as well, in time.

"Good, Burrpaw. It'll become easier with practice." She mewed. She stalked along the branch, and spoke softly. "Balance is important, and so is judging distances. Always aim for sturdy branches that look like they'll hold your weight. After the fire, many branches are weaker, but they're generally easy to spot. Branches are strongest near the tree trunk, so don't be overconfident and try to land near the end of a branch-" As she spoke, Birdsong leapt to a branch that was adjacent to the one she and Burrpaw were standing on... Just in time to catch the warm brown of feathers moving towards him. Immediately, Birdsong spun and leapt back to where her apprentice was, feeling the sting of talons digging into her shoulder. With a grown, Birdsong sprang and knocked the owl into the trunk of the tree, claws pinning it in place.

"Slash at the exposed underside, if you can." She huffed out

Owl used Talon Strike on Birdsong for -10sp, dealing -10 damage.
Birdsong used Leap and Hold on owl for -10sp, dealing -9 damage. Owl is pinned for THIS turn.

Birdsong
35 / 45 hp (45 - 10)
147 / 160 sp (157 - 10)

Burrpaw
20 / 20 hp
80 / 80 sp

Owl
41 / 50 hp (50 - 9)
110 / 120 sp (120 - 10)

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

He watched the she-cat leap towards another branch, and a tangle of feathers flew towards his face.

“Great StarClan—”

Burrpaw sprang to her on the opposite side, and reached his claws and slashed the big bird on its stomach. The bird was writhing and it would only be a matter of time before it broke the hold.

Burrpaw used Belly Rake, dealing 7 damage and costing 10 SP!

Birdsong
35/45 HP
147/160 SP

Burrpaw
20/20 HP
70/80 SP

Owl
34/50 HP (41-7)
110/120 SP

Birdsong hadn't gotten as secure of a hold as she would've liked on the owl, and the thrashing bird was quickly able to break from her grasp. While it was struggling to regain it's wings, Birdsong reared back, slashing at it in a flurry of claws.

"Good, Burrpaw." She panted. This was not how she had intended to start combat training with her apprentice, but he was quick to follow her lead.

Owl is no longer pinned.
Birdsong used Rear-Up to Slash for -15sp, dealing -11 damage.

Birdsong
35/45 HP
132/160 SP (147 - 15)

Burrpaw
20/20 HP
70/80 SP

Owl
23/50 HP (34 - 11)
110/120 SP

Burrpaw felt the owl come loose, and that scared the everliving snot out of him. He had no idea how Birdsong kept her composure.

Almost freezing in the moment, her voice jarred him back. So the tom slashed again with his front paws, claws out.

Burrpaw used Front Paw Strike, 6 damage and costing 10 SP!

Burrpaw
20/20 HP
60/80 SP

Birdsong
35/45 HP
132/160 SP

Owl
17/50 HP (23-6)
110/120 SP