dirty paws [closed]

As the sky melted from orange into night’s dark, heavy blue, Thrushnose led Stag through the undergrowth, her striped tail standing tall to give him something to follow. Though he probably knew the forest’s winding paths as well as any ThunderClan warrior, having a guide never hurt. That, and walking in front gave her a chance to think without having to carry a conversation. An apprentice fresh from the nursery was a blank slate; Stag couldn’t have been more different. Thrushnose didn’t know what her own mother had taught him, much less what he’d picked up from Asylum, and she didn’t want to waste time rehashing things he could already do with his eyes shut.

The sea of tree trunks gave way to a small clearing. There, Thrushnose turned on her heel to face Stag, her expression thoughtful. “The easiest way to do this would be a patrol, I think,” she said slowly. It made more sense in her voice than it had in her head. “That way, you can show me what you’ve already learned; we’ll work on the specifics after. Does that sound good?”

Stag eagerly followed Thrushnose through the underbrush, keeping his eyes on her tail as they traveled through the underbrush. He wasn't given much of an explanation before they set out, all he knew was that she would be testing what he had learned from Batbite. He was mostly excited, a new mentor meant new experiences, but he was also a little bit nervous. Hunting still wasn't one of his strengths, he knew that much, but he also knew that his skills had significantly improved since he was initially apprenticed. He hoped that Thrushnose would be able to recognize that.

Suddenly, Thrushnose turned around to face him, briefly startling him. Looking past her he saw a small clearing, assuming that would be where they'd begin. He perked his ears as Thrushnose spoke, giving her a nod once she had finished. "That's good, yeah. I suppose I'll go ahead and try catching something, then?" He guessed, once again shifting his gaze to the clearing behind her, hoping that he would be able to catch sight of prey. To his luck, he did, spotting a shrew near the edge of the clearing. Beginning to pursue it, he walked past Thrushnose, keeping his pawsteps light; the last thing he wanted was to scare off the shrew before he was close enough to catch it. Keeping himself low to the ground, he watched it with wide eyes before launching himself into the air, directing his paws toward the rodent. He was almost certain that he would catch it. Almost. His paws landed just beside the shrew, and even though he took another swing at it once he had fully landed, he still couldn't catch it before it scurried away. "Rats!" He cursed, pawing at a tuft of grass that grew taller than the grass around it. "Yeah, my hunting still isn't the greatest." He said, averting his gaze. "I hope to improve that, though!" He added, his voice showing more enthusiasm. If he wanted to become a warrior soon, he needed to show that he was ready to put in the effort.


Stag unsuccessfully tried catching a shrew, costing 03 SP

Stag:
77/80 SP [-03]

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Thankfully, Stag agreed to her suggestion; he seemed excited about it, if anything. Thrushnose nodded. “You hunt something, and…” Pausing, she glanced around the clearing for a good vantage point. One of the nearby bushes had a large bare spot at its base… That could work nicely. She flicked her tail toward it. “I’ll watch from there.” As he set off, she wriggled beneath the leaves as quietly as she could and settled down to observe.

Stag misaimed his pounce; his second, desperate swing fell short of the shrew as well. But as far as Thrushnose could see, he knew how to carry his weight in a crouch, how far he could spring, how to keep his tail from dragging on the ground. That was a start. More than a start, honestly. Straightening up, she padded across the clearing to meet him. A hint of pride warmed her voice. “Your approach was good. Walking quietly is one of the hardest parts of hunting here.” Though that didn’t hold true everywhere, ThunderClan’s territory was a veritable minefield of loose twigs, roots, and foliage; even though he’d missed his target, Stag deserved some sort of recognition for navigating it. “Just don’t be afraid to get closer if you need to.”

Rustling from afar drew her ears toward it one at a time. Stag didn’t need a full demonstration…but no harm could come from adding to the fresh-kill pile. Besides, she’d called this a patrol, hadn’t she? Thrushnose gave a wave of her tail, a signal to stay back and watch, then started across the clearing in a low crouch, her gaze fixed on the thin pink tail of a wood mouse. She didn’t get as much stage fright about hunting in front of apprentices anymore—but if she was just a little more careful to keep her steps silent or to ensure she stayed downwind, well, that was for her to know. At last, she closed in. Her paws came down on her prey, and she killed it before it could squeak an alarm. With a quiet sigh, the tabby she-cat trotted back, laying the wood mouse near the bush she’d hidden under before fixing her eyes on Stag. ”Try again.”

Thrushnose attempted to catch Rodent, using 3 stamina. Success!

Thrushnose
70/70 HP
147/150 SP (-3)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Stag smiled at Thrushnose's praise, but he made sure to pay attention to any advice she gave him. At the flick of his mentor's tail, he backed away, getting the message that she wanted him to stand back and watch. His amber eyes followed her pelt as she walked past him and into the clearing, studying her form as she lowered into a crouch. The slight movement of a mouse at the corner of his vision caught his attention, and he soon realized that's what Thrushnose was after. Within a mere few heartbeats Thrushnose had pounced on the mouse and finished it off, it's limp body now finding a place between her jaws. "Woah."

In response to her directions, he nodded, his gaze immediately landing on a squirrel across the clearing. The way he did the hunters crouch was very similar to Thrushnose's but, he tried his best to mimic what he had seen her do anyways. Creeping over the grass, he took Thrushnose's advice into account and moved a little bit closer to the squirrel before pushing himself off of the ground and bringing his paws down toward the squirrel like he had seen his mentor do to the mouse. Somehow, the squirrel didn't notice him before his claws met it's body, and he landed on it perfectly. After a swift bite to it's neck, he picked it up and raise his head. "I got it!" His words were muffled through he squirrel's fur, but the sparkle in his eyes was clear. Padding back to Thrushnose, he placed the squirrel next to the mouse she had caught.


Stag successfully caught a squirrel, costing 03 SP

Stag:
54/60 SP [-03]

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Tucking herself into a different hiding spot, Thrushnose watched Stag’s second attempt. He made his approach like before, but crept a whisker closer—and when he pounced, his paws struck home. A blink, and a squirrel hung limp from his mouth, dispatched with quiet, practiced efficiency. Thrushnose shook some leaves out of her fur, her mouth turned up at one corner. “You sure did.” She made to flick his shoulder with her tail, hesitating just for a heartbeat before making contact anyway. Asylum or not, he was still her apprentice. “Good work. Keep that up, and you’ll be a warrior before leaf-fall.” A few steps away, she paused. “…Why did you decide to keep training here, anyway?” Maybe it wasn’t her business, but it rarely hurt to ask.

Unfortunately, the forest didn’t give them much time for conversation. A lizard burst out of the bushes and hurried right through the heart of the clearing, unaware of the two cats watching it. Thrushnose wordlessly slipped back into a crouch. She jumped, claws outstretched—and talons caught on the mess of scars across her upper back, sending her crashing to the ground with a yowl. ”F-Foxfeathers,” she coughed as she tried to regain her footing. When she looked up, she discovered that the lizard had vanished, replaced by a furious owl with its wings spread wide in a play at intimidation.

Thrushnose attempted to catch Lizard, using 3 stamina. Success, but…
Owl appeared! Owl used Swoop on Thrushnose, dealing 9 damage and using 15 stamina.

Thrushnose
61/70 HP (-9)
144/150 SP (-3)

Stag
20/20 HP
54/60 SP

Owl
30/30 HP
75/90 SP (-15)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Stag puffed his chest out when Thrushnose spoke. It made the tom happy to hear his mentor mention his warrior ceremony, but he was caught completely off-guard by the next thing she said. "Oh, well..." He began, trying to find his words. The reason why he was still in Thunderclan had sat in the back of his mind for moons, only rarely making and appearance in his train of thoughts. He almost felt like he had found a family in Thunderclan, almost.

Neither of them continued to speak, though, as a lizard scurrying in front of the two snatched their attention, letting them fall into silence. Thrushnose pursued it and Stag watched. He focused on Thrushnose's stance, unaware of the shadow rapidly flying toward her until it's claws raked across her back. "Thrushnose!" While with the Asylum he had dealt with predators like this before, so he flew into battle without fear, even if he would come out wounded. Claws outstretched, he leaped toward the owl, swiping at one of it's wings. This was his strength, his element, the thing he knew best. The apprentice landed on all four paws and began circling the owl from a distance to be sure that it wouldn't attack him from behind while he was talking to his mentor. "Thrushnose, are you okay?" From what he could see her wounds didn't need urgent attention, but he asked anyways. His eyesight wasn't the best in the dark anyways. "If you can still fight I think we can take this owl, maybe we can bring it back to camp afterwards." He spoke quickly, knowing it would only be a matter of time before the owl would strike again.


Stag used Front Paw Strike on Owl, dealing -06 HP and costing -07 SP

Stag:
20/20 HP
47/60 SP [-07]

Owl:
24/30 HP [-06]
75/90 SP

Thrushnose:
61/70 HP
144/150 SP