First Day:

As promised during Cherrypaw's apprentice ceremony, the warrior had awoken the she-cat early so they could head out and begin her first day of training in the fresher hours of the day. The heat usually made it difficult to focus. He hoped that he could help Cherry adopt the habit of waking up early. He was an expert at that, after all. Besides, it was a rather good skill to have. Helps one get tasks done faster. Efficiency was something he usually strived for.

"Alright, Cherrypaw. Let's stop here. As promised, we'll be hunting today for you first lesson. Most of the prey should be starting to come out of their dens but before we can try to catch some, I have to teach you the necessary skills you'll be needing."

After arriving to a decently spacious clearing in the territory, Kestrel had stopped them both so they could begin the lesson. He stood in front of the ginger-furred apprentice as he prepared the first steps. Once she was ready to begin, he started to speak again, "First thing you need to know is the hunting crouch. It's the move most commonly used to catch prey that's on the ground. Watch and listen to me closely as I demonstrate and explain. You'll be trying it next. Don't worry if you don't get it right the first time. I'll help you correct any mistakes." After that, he turned sideways so Cherrypaw could see the entire length of his body. It was the best way she could get a full visual.

Afterwards, he dropped down into a crouch. His tail was lifted slightly off the ground, paws positioned evenly for efficient stalking. "The main things you need to focus on for the hunting crouch are the positions of your paws, making sure your tail doesn't drag on the ground, and trying to distribute your weight evenly amongst your paws. Your paws need to be spread apart like this so you can make careful yet even movements towards your prey. It's also so you don't make noise by having your fur ruffle together. Distribute your weight evenly onto your paws, making sure you don't lose balance. It helps lessen the noise your pawsteps would make as you move. Most apprentices have trouble with this part. It can be a little tricky finding the right balance so you don't become lopsided. Finally, keep your tail off the ground, not too high for anyone or anything to notice but enough so it doesn't drag on the ground as you sneak and create unwanted noise. Just try to position it like I have it here and you should be fine." The tom remained in that position a little while longer before rising up and turning forward to address Cherrypaw again. "You try now. Remember all that I've explained. If you need any help or need me to show you again, please say so. I want you to get it as close as you can before moving on to teaching you how to move in that position." The brown and white warrior nodded for his apprentice to begin as he stood and waited, eyes ready to evaluate the she-cat's attempt.

Cherrypaw followed Kestrelswoop out of camp. She was tired from having to wake early, but grateful for the cool early morning. Training in the hot, mugginess of the day would be much worse. Kestrelswoop soon stopped in a clearing and Cherrypaw sat down. She listened and watched to his explanation for the basics of hunting. Right, paws spaced out, weight distributed, and tail lifted. I can remember that. Her mentor stood up soon after he finished explaining and told her to try. She padded towards to center of clearing, imagined Kestrelswoop’s crouch and tried to mimic it. Her paws felt awkward underneath her, and her mentor soon told her to space them out more. She moved her paws out more, but now felt unbalanced. She kept moving her paws around and shifting her weight until she was comfortable. She was soon reminded by Kestrelswoop that her tail was too high and quickly fixed it. After waiting like that for few more heartbeats, Kestrelswoop told her that she could stop. Cherrypaw got up and was relived, she was getting a bit tired holding it. She walked back over to where he was and waited for his next instructions.

It took a little while for her to get it right but it overall, it had gone rather smoothly. Kestrel was impressed with Cherrypaw. So far, she showed promise and she listened well. "Next thing we'll be doing is moving while doing the hunting crouch. You'll also be learning some useful tips on how to hunt specific prey you might find in our territory. Be aware that some of these techniques are more advanced so you'll have to practice them quite often to improve." he said with a flick of his tail. The tom once again dropped into the hunting crouch perpendicular to the she-cat so she could have a clear view. "Alright pay attention to how I move." He slowly began to sneak forward, paws making very minimal noise. "Make sure you keep your claws in until you're ready to pounce so they don't rustle the ground." The warrior stopped and wound his haunches. After a few moments, he leaped forward, unsheathed paws outstretched as they came down upon a stick.

"That's the basic way of using the hunting crouch. Different prey will require you to either shift your stance a bit, move to a different spot entirely, or change how you'll pounce. Sometimes you'll even have to chase after your prey if you've alerted it in some way. For example, a mouse will hear you before ever seeing you or smelling you. To overcome this, you'll need to put a bit more weight to your hind legs and keep your front paws very light. As you move don't press too hard down but instead shuffle as quietly as you can toward the mouse." As he spoke, he demonstrated the altered crouch. "For birds, you'll also have to step quietly but don't feel down if it flies away quickly. They're very easy to spook and a harder prey to catch. If you do manage to scare it before you can even pounce, leap up as high as you can and drag it down as it begins to fly up. Make sure to keep a good hold on it with your claws." The warrior leaped up suddenly with his claws out as he showed off the move. "It'll take practice to get it right so it'd be best to either manage to catch it before it notices you or be as quick as possible to pounce on it as its spreading it's wings." Kestrelswoop explained as he settled down. "Squirrels are the most common prey we have here and normally the regular hunting crouch should suffice when catching them. However, if one notices you, they'll run up a tree as quick as possible. It's why we usually have to learn how to climb trees as apprentices. For that scenario, if you're dedicated to catch it, you'll have to chase after it and run up the tree beside it and try to either knock it back down or have it climb down itself. Knocking it down is your best bet. The fall should stun it just enough for you to get back down and kill it. If it runs down on its own, there's a very good chance it'll just run up another tree before you even have a chance. Also, try to be faster than it. They're speedy little things." The warrior padded over to a tree and proceeded to scamper up it, stopping at a low branch. He then carefully climbed back down and returned to his prior spot. "You must be careful when dealing with climbing. It can be dangerous for inexperienced and experienced cats alike."

"Alright. Let me demonstrate one of the moves in action before you give it all some attempts. I'll try to find a prey nearby. Be as quiet as you can and follow me but not too close." he instructed as he turned away and began to walk in a random direction, senses alert and scanning for any potential prey. It didn't take too long for him to spot a mouse. The warrior turned back and had Cherrypaw stand back. He dropped down into the hunting crouch and shifted his stance until he was sure his pawsteps would make the least amount of noise possible, keen eyes never leaving the critter. He paused at a safe distance and wound up his haunches before pouncing, claws ready to grab the prey.

As usual, the brown and white tom was successful and he easily caught the mouse. He killed it in one bite and returned back to his apprentice, catch secured in his jaws. Once he reached her, he dropped it down and smiled softly at her. "Alright, now you try some of the moves I taught you. Once I tell you you're ready to try hunting real prey, you can begin to scent the area for anything you can catch. Be sure to also use your eyes and ears and not just your smell. I'll try to stay back so I don't disrupt but I'll be ready in case you need anything." The tabby warrior backed away and nodded for Cherrypaw to begin.
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Kestrelswoop was successful in catching a Mouse costing 3 SP.

Kestrelswoop:
50/50[HP]
117/120[SP] (-3 SP)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Cherrypaw watched and listened to all of Kestrelswoop’s instructions on hunting. There was quite a lot, but she would be able to do all of that when she was a warrior. After some time her mentor spotted a mouse and signaled for her to stand back. She watched as he crept forward and leapt at the mouse, killing it. He soon padded back to her and told her to try. Cherrypaw went back to where she standing before and dropped into a hunter’s crouch. With a few minor adjustments, she began to slowly creep forward, trying to make sure the her pawsteps were as quiet as possible. Her mentor gave a few suggestions as she made her way across the clearing. Once she got across, Cherrypaw turned around and tried to do the variation for hunting birds. She had a bit more trouble with this one, but did fairly well. She started to practice pouncing, and, after a while, Kestrelswoop told her that she could try hunting real prey. Cherrypaw pricked her ears and lifted her nose to the air trying to catch any scents. She heard small steps to the one side of the clearing, it sounded like a mouse, but a little bit smaller. She dropped into a crouch and carefully crept closer. She spotted the small creature next to a tree, and Cherrypaw hid in some nearby ferns. She bunched her hind legs underneath her, ready to pounce. Cherrypaw leapt, unsheathing her claws midair, and trapped the creature under her paw. She quickly reached down and bit it’s neck. She picked up her prey and padded back to Kestrelswoop. Cherrpaw dropped catch and asked, “Was that good, and what is this thing?”

Cherrypaw attempted to catch a vole, it was successful!
57/60 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2