The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
Welcome to WCC! Here are our latest announcements:
Activity checks take place on the 1st of the month. If you miss one activity check, make sure you do the next one!
Leaf-fall is finally here, and with it, the promise of colder, crueler, days ahead.
Gatherings take place on the 1st of the month; keep your eyes out for a staff member's post!
Please feel free to hit up any staff member if you have any questions!
((OOC: Hunting System and Battle System. Rolling a 10 on the hunting dice will trigger a predator, and as this topic takes place at night, Shadowclan cats get a passive +2 to damage dealt with attacks. As I've set this thread in the pine grove, hunting rolls will have a +2 chance of succeeding- The chance of catching a rabbit becomes 1-5, instead of 1-3, for example.))
Mistyfalcon reluctantly uncurled himself from Murkystrike, taking a moment to give himself a quick grooming before he slipped out of the warrior's den, stepping outside to what felt like a wall of humidity as the last of the sun's rays faded from view. His ears flicked back in dismay for a moment, not at all enjoying the humid greenleaf weather. At least it wasn't so unbearably hot at night when Shadowclan was most active. That didn't change the fact that Mistyfalcon was tempted to crawl back into his nest, but he'd promised Mothpaw that training would begin tonight, and so it would.
Mistyfalcon padded towards the apprentice den, ducking his head inside the entrance and scanning the crowded den for his apprentice. Finding her calico frame in the gloom, Mistyfalcon called out to her softly, trying not to disturb the other sleeping apprentices as he did so.
"Mothpaw, time to get up." And with that, Mistyfalcon stepped away from the entrance to wait for her.When she made her way out of the den, he offered the apprentice a nod. "I'll be teaching you to hunt in the pine grove today." In greenleaf the pine grove teemed with prey, and being relatively solid ground made it an ideal spot to hunt and train new apprentices. He turned, flicking his tail for Mothpaw to follow, and led the apprentice out of camp.
Mistyfalcon led her through the territory, finally coming to a stop near the edge of the pine grove, and turned to face his apprentice. "Alright, to hunt, you'll need to know the hunter's crouch. Legs bent slightly, shoulders, back, hips and tail in a line-" As he spoke, Mistyfalcon dropped into the crouch to demonstrate, holding the form so that Mothpaw could watch before attempting to imitate it for herself. "-and always be aware of your surroundings. Prey can smell, see and hear you just as you can it. Stepping on leaves, or the movement of your tail, even a change in the wind's direction can alert them to your presence before you get close enough to pounce." He wasn't usually so talkative, but for an apprentice he needed to make that effort. Learning was best done by watching others, but explanations were just as important to truly understand how to hunt and fight.
"Alright, let's see you try, now." Explanation complete, he nodded at Mothpaw.
((OOC: You can roll the hunting dice with your first post or I can demonstrate how with Misty, first. Up to you ^^))
Mothpaw had followed Mistyfalcon from the camp into the woods, her first time out! She tried to keep calm and be respectable, limiting the amount of bouncing and looking around she was allowing herself. She couldn't help the twitches and flicks of her tail as her amber eyes took in her surroundings. Her home, her Clan, her legacy in a way.
She listened intently, trying to keep her eyes on her mentor and to stop them from flitting around the Pine Grove. Hunting! Providing for her clan, doing something useful rather than mewling away in the nursery like she had been doing not so long ago. She wasn't a helpless kit anymore!
As she sunk down into what was her best approximation of the hunting crouch though she realized that might not be 100% true. She wasn't completely useful yet. She was pretty sure she had her legs bent right, her belly almost brushing the ground below. It was hard to keep the rest of her body in line though, especially her tail. It was still twitching with excitement.
"Mistyfalcon, would you mind demonstrating for me again? Maybe on actual prey!" She tried not to sound too excited at her request, but she had wanted to see a cat hunt for as long as she could remember!
[OOC: Could you show me how the hunting dice/mechanics work? Thank you!]
((OOC: To roll the hunting dice, you need to first preview your post, and then when you scroll past the text box there will be a bar with the name 'Dice roll.' There's a small button on the right of that bar with a + sign, and clicking that will expand it. Select 'hunting dice' from the dropdown and submit the post. Depending on the result of the dice roll [depends on the prey you attempt to catch and the season- currently we are in greenleaf] you reference the table in the hunting system [linked in my first post.] Each attempt to hunt will cost you -3 sp whether sucessful, unsuccessful or a predator [10] is rolled. There's also a hunting tutorial that explains things in depth.))
Mistyfalcon offered the apprentice a quick smile. She seemed interested in exploring the territory and eager to get start on training. He'd felt the same way when he had been apprenticed to Vinetail so long ago, and he hoped for her sake that that enthusiasm wouldn't fade so quickly as it often did.
"It can seem difficult at first because your body isn't used to it. It'll become easier with practice." He mewed, sinking back into the crouch himself. He held it for a moment before parting his jaws slightly, breathing in and untangling the scents of the pine grove. The twolegs had been at their tree-cutting, but their scent had faded somewhat. They never, ever stayed past sundown, and as such, most prey kept well-hidden during the day. At night the grove came alive with the buzzing of cicadas, and mice scuttled to and fro.
And there was also the scent of rabbit. Not the typical Shadowclan catch, but if he missed, that would also be a lesson for Mothpaw. Even experienced warriors didn't catch all of their prey. He crept towards the creature in silence, paws light on the ground as he was careful to avoid making any noise. He approached from downwind so that his prey would not scent him, and when close enough, pounced.
His claws met soft fur, and Mistyfalcon quickly nipped the rabbit's throat. A clean kill, the rabbit hadn't gotten the chance to let out a squeal or attempt to thrash. Shadowclanners were not dogs who played with their food and let it suffer before the kill.
He buried the catch between the roots of a pine, then padded over to his apprentice. "Think you're ready to try? The area is filled with mice and rabbit this season."
Mistyfalcon attempted to catch a rabbit. Catch was successful! 277 / 280 sp
With a slight nod Mothpaw resumed her hunting crouch, taking in a deep breath and listening. She could hear the little feet of a mouse a few trees over, hiding in the slight undergrowth at the base of the tree.
She lifted her feet lightly, hoping not to scare it off. She knew it was unlikely she would catch prey her first try, but she had to at least give it her best.
Once she was close enough where she knew she could leap and pin it, hopefully, she took in one more deep breath and launched herself at it.
The mouse scuttled away as she did, and an eerie sense settled over the calico apprentice.
Mothpaw attempted to catch a mouse. Failed! Mothpaw: 77/80
[OOC: KJ, 10 means predator... Do you wanna show me how that works? lol).
((OORC: Battle system tutorial - I'll be controlling the predator so you don't have to worry about rping both a predator and your own cat/keeping track of turns. Rolling an effect dice works the same way as rolling a hunting dice, and it's only needed for special moves like leap and hold, dodge and fight, teeth grip, etc etc.))
Mistyfalcon watched as his apprentice scented for prey, and gave her a small nod of approval as she picked up on the mouse he'd heard scuffling about. Her form had improved from her first attempt already, which was good.
Unfortunately, Mothpaw wasn't the only one that wanted that mouse. His head snapped up as movement caught his eye, and Mistyfalcon leapt forward, claws flashing as the owl dove. He managed to knock it away before it reached Mothpaw, and didn't intend to allow it any chances at sinking those sharp talons into his apprentice's fur.
"Slice at it's belly if you can, but don't take risks." He called to his apprentice. Truthfully he would have preferred she stay back entirely, but he also understood just how valuable fighting a live enemy was as compared to merely sparring with a clanmate. Of course, that was only the case when apprentices had a bit of training under their pelts first... And it looked like Mothpaw would be getting some hands-on training tonight.
Mistyfalcon used Run-and-Tackle on Owl for -10 sp, dealing -13 damage. Owl was unaware, +3 bonus. Night Finesse is active, +2 to all attacks.
Mothpaw took one second to take in the shock of the situation, of seeing Mistyfalcon knock away the predator. Mothpaw's brain clicked back into place as the shock left her, though the fear was still very much still there. Was this something they could take back to the clan.
"Lets get it Mistyfalcon! Imagine how many mouths this will feed!" she yowled as she flung herself at it, not knowing if they would even be able to carry it back to camp.
She used her claws, raking them across the owl's belly.
Mothpaw used Belly Rake on the owl for -10 sp, dealing -9 damage.
"Good," Mistyfalcon mewed, rearing up and slashing at the owl with practiced ease. The owl struck at his shoulder, but the talons were hardly a forceful blow and he was able to shrug it off for the moment. It could have been the adrenaline and needing to protect his yet-untrained apprentice, but it also could have been the way the owl faltered beneath their blows. Mistyfalcon was far from a new warrior, and seasons of work had given the lean tom a deceptive strength.
"I would have rather we sparred before getting into combat training, but the owl will be appreciated back in camp." Mothpaw was doing well so far, and the owl's feathers might make for nest-lining if she wanted them. Otherwise he was sure the elders would appreciate them.
Owl used Talon Strike on Mistyfalcon for -10 sp, dealing -10 damage. Mistyfalcon used Rear-Up to Slash on Owl for -15 sp, dealing -17 damage. Night Finesse is active, +2 to all attacks.
Mistyfalcon's encouraging words made Mothpaw even braver as she lunged forward at the owl, knowing it was almost done. Mostly because of the work of her mentor, who was a fantastic warrior.
"Take this bird brain!" she hissed at it as she slashed with one of her paws, claws stretched far out.
Mothpaw used Front Paw Strike using -10 sp, dealing -8 damage.
With another blow, the owl crumpled to the ground with blood oozing from the wounds that Mistyfalcon and Mothpaw's claws had inflicted. Mistyfalcon leaned down, teeth snapping at the owl's throat to ensure it wouldn't move again. Blue eyes turned to his apprentice, checking to see if she'd been hurt in any way. It didn't look like it, and Mistyfalcon was relieved.
"Well done, Mothpaw. We'll take it back to camp along with whatever else we manage to catch." He turned his head, giving his shoulder a quick lick. The bleeding was already slowing, though he was sure that Rookfire would have something to say if he saw the gash in his shoulder.
"We can head back to camp now if you'd like, or you can try to catch something else. We'll have to move a bit farther into the pine grove, though. Too much noise scares off prey." He'd leave the decision up to Mothpaw. She seemed okay, but if she was shaken, he'd rather let her spend the rest of the night in camp. He'd rather not overwhelm his apprentice on her first day of training.
Mothpaw wasn't afraid anymore, she was exhilarated! An owl! On their first time out of camp!
"May I catch one more thing, then we can head back to camp? I don't want you to wait too long if you need to see Rookfire... I'll be quick!" she promised, lightly bounding a few steps away, deeper into the pines where hopefully the prey wouldn't have heard the skirmish with the owl.
She listened carefully, picking up the caw of a crow on a low branch of a tree. It flitted down to the ground, pecking at something in the pine needles below. She knew ShadowClan didn't usually hunt birds, but she figured she'd give it a try. They had just caught an owl after all!
She lifted her tail, checking to make sure if there was any breeze it wouldn't blow her scent towards the crow... Could crows smell? She wasn't sure, but better safe than sorry.
One pawstep at a time she crept forward, doing her best to keep her tail still and her belly from touching the pine needles below it and rustling them. She knew she wasn't perfect, but the crow hadn't picked up on her yet.
She threw herself towards it, slipping a bit on some pine needles, and by the time she had caught her footing it had flown off.
"Darn, maybe we should just take the owl back for now?" Mothpaw suggested. She was a little upset that she had lost the crow, but think about the stories she could tell the other apprentices about helping Mistyfalcon fight and kill an owl!
Mothpaw is attempting to catch a crow: Unsuccessful.
"Go for it. My shoulder has stopped bleeding, I'll be fine to combine on." With that, Mistyfalcon fell silent as Mothpaw looked for more prey, not wanting to hinder her attempts. She'd chosen to go after a bird, and Mistyfalcon arched an eyebrow at the choice. He'd never actually seen one caught by a Shadowclanner before, much less caught one himself. If she pulled that off, it would be an impressive catch.
"Birds are a difficult catch, even for those with experience." Mistyfalcon said, padding over to the apprentice and lightly resting his tail across her shoulder briefly. "Be careful on the pine needles. Your form is improving, though." He added. If she really wanted to go back to camp he had no problem with it, though he didn't like seeing the discouraged look in Mothpaw's eye.
Taking a deep breath and taking the hunting crouch one more time Mothpaw looked for more prey.
A few bounds away the crow had landed near some other trees, and though Mothpaw had heeded what Mistyfalcon had just said, if the crow was still nearby shouldn't she try again?
Trying not to get her hopes up she crept towards it once again. she did notice it's beady eyes were seemingly looking around, as if she had spooked it and it was now being more cautious.
Inch by inch she got closer, Mothpaw decided to go the long way around so she could come at it from behind. Her paw steps light, and making sure she surveyed the ground ahead for clumps of needles she could slip on, she was finally close enough to strike.
Right before she was about to leap it fluttered away, as if deciding it's time in the pine trees was over.
"That's alright," Mothpaw said, talking to herself as much as she was Mistyfalcon. She flicked her tail in a different direction. "I bet there's a mouse over there I can catch!" She bounded lightly towards the way she had pointed, hoping she had chosen a good area and that Mistyfalcon would follow.
Mothpaw is attempting to catch a crow: Unsuccessful.
![Learning Skills [Mothpaw] Mothpaw-Transparent](https://i.postimg.cc/9rQ7zNQK/Mothpaw-Transparent.png)
![Learning Skills [Mothpaw] Lilypaw-Transparent](https://i.postimg.cc/GHCDrhWL/Lilypaw-Transparent.png)
![Learning Skills [Mothpaw] Rabbitkit](https://i.postimg.cc/V06kspWF/Rabbitkit.png)
![Learning Skills [Mothpaw] Mistpe10](https://i.servimg.com/u/f80/12/50/89/25/mistpe10.gif)
![Learning Skills [Mothpaw] Sig2](https://2img.net/h/i105.photobucket.com/albums/m235/Nightshade302/siggys/sig2.gif)
