the trail to somewhere [closed]

Emberleap paced in front of the apprentices’ den, pausing every so often to angle an ear toward the entrance as if listening for signs of life. Half a lizard hung from his mouth. He had to be vigilant tonight, full and alert, for the sake of safety as well as Duskpaw’s training. The rogue scent may have faded from ShadowClan’s borders, but Emberleap didn’t buy it. After all the damage they’d done, they couldn’t just—just leave. Batglow’s kidnapping aside, it seemed too good to be true—and therefore, until that feeling faded (or until it was proven right), he wouldn’t let himself be anything less than his best. Besides, if tonight’s lessons went well, he and Duskpaw would more than make up for what he’d eaten.

Gulping down the last of the lizard, he glanced up to see the sun had vanished. Perfect timing. He took a deep breath and stepped into the den at last. Dark though Duskpaw’s pelt was, it stuck out next to the other apprentices’ stripes and blotches. “Duskpaw,” Emberleap called over the sea of nests, “it’s time to head out. Meet me outside when you’re ready, okay?” As he opened his mouth again, a twitching tail caught his eye. He'd been too loud. With an apologetic flick of an ear, he backed out of the den to wait under the darkening sky.

Duskpaw slowly pushed himself up as he heard Emberleap's voice calling out his name. He shook his head in an abrupt manner, sitting up and grinning. He was still slightly tired himself, but he was determined to not let that interrupt his first training session. Paw by paw, he carefully made his way through the apprentice den, fortunately not stepping on any tails, or ears of other apprentices. His pelt seemed to just blend right in with the darkening sky. To him, that seemed like the best trait to have as a ShadowClan apprentice. No prey would ever spot him blending perfectly into the shadows like that.

His vibrantly green eyes scanned outside for Emberleap, peaking his head out the corner of the den. Spotting him almost immediately, he purred, padding foward and standing in front of him. "It's my first training session! I'll try my best to do well, Emberleap!" He spoke lively, though quickly softened his voice down.

Duskpaw was ready, and he wouldn't let anything interrupt his lessons... Or so. He hoped for the best to happen.

Duskpaw’s head popped out of the den, and Emberleap stifled a sigh of relief; he didn’t know what he’d do if one of his apprentices insisted on sleeping in. The early (late?) hour hadn’t dampened Duskpaw’s enthusiasm. Though it didn’t completely wipe away Emberleap’s worries, the knots in his stomach loosened. “Just remember, you don’t have to be perfect day one,” he meowed lightly. “We’ve got lots of time. Now follow me—and don’t wander off, the marsh really isn't worth trying to swim in.” With that, he made his way through the thorn tunnel and onto the marshland, glancing back to make sure he hadn't lost his apprentice along the way.

Far enough from camp that the cat-scents wouldn’t scare off any prey, Emberleap stopped. Fortunately, this area wasn’t as muddy as most of ShadowClan’s territory (though to call it “dry” would’ve been generous); hunting was complicated enough without having to worry about slipping. After a glance around to make sure he hadn’t missed a rogue or worse lurking in the shadows, he turned to face Duskpaw. “We’ll start with hunting. Or, um, a hunting crouch. This is how it looks—” As he spoke, he flattened himself out, hovering just above the muddy ground. “You need to be low enough that you’re out of sight, but not so low you’re touching the ground. So when you find some prey, you crouch like this, get as close as you can, and then pounce.”

Before he could demonstrate what a pounce looked like, however, something rustled. Emberleap’s ears twitched. His voice dropped to a whisper. “It’ll make more sense if I show you.” He approached his target one careful step at a time, painfully aware of Duskpaw’s presence, until at last he saw it—a little brown mouse rooting through the grass. Emberleap went still down to the end of his tail. Then he launched himself forward, paws outstretched. His teeth sank into the mouse’s neck before it could squeak, and he stumbled back with his catch clutched tightly in his mouth. I caught it. He blinked. I caught it! Sure, he was better at demonstrating things than explaining them, but he’d still been worried about making a fool of himself in front of his apprentice. “That’s how it works,” he said through the mouse's fur as he looked back to Duskpaw, unable to push the smile off his muzzle.

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

Emberleap
50/50 HP
117/120 SP (-3)

---

hunting system wrote:

The first step of hunting is choosing what prey you’re going to hunt from this list. Listed beneath each type of prey are the numbers that will result in a successful catch, organized by season and Clan, with the current season written in bold. For example, in this post, Emberleap is trying to catch a mouse. Since he’s a ShadowClan cat hunting in leaf-fall, rolling any number from 1 to 8 would be a successful catch, while a roll of 9 or higher would be a miss. (Rolling a 10 always results in a miss and a predator encounter, in which case you have to pick and fight one of the predators on this list (the second post in the “Hunting System” topic). Normally, the person who rolled the 10 plays the predator; if you happen to roll one in this topic, though, I can play it for the sake of showing you how these encounters usually go!)

Now it’s time to actually roll the dice. Once you’ve written your post, hit the “Preview” button at the bottom of the screen. Below the text box on the next screen is the menu that will give you access to the dice rolls, labeled “Dices Roll #1.” Click on the menu and choose “Hunting Dice” from the list of dice, then make sure the number of dice used is set to 1. If your post is finished, hit the “Send” button. Two posts will appear—first yours, then one from Mistpelt showing what number you rolled. (If you want a better visual for how this works, a hunting tutorial can be found here.)

After you see your roll and determine whether you caught or missed your prey (or encountered a predator), all that’s left is to edit your previous post to reflect the result! Regardless of what number you roll, your cat loses a certain amount of stamina (-5 SP in leaf-bare, -3 SP in all other seasons) for each roll of the Hunting Dice.

That’s it for the hunting system! As one last note, any roll that doesn’t result in a predator encounter will count toward your hunting requirements, even if you miss your prey!

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 3

Duskpaw nodded, carefully following his mentor through the new places he had never been able to see before. Before Emberleap could properly demonstrate a pounce for him, the sounds coming from the rustling grass immediately caught his attention, and it seemed to have caught his mentor's, too. Within just a few seconds, the warrior had already grasped a brown mouse in his jaws. A look of admiration gleamed from his eyes, wanting to do the same. Already seeing how it's done, he briefly revised it through his head, then crouched down. It wasn't the best crouch, but it would perhaps still do for a fairly new apprentice.

His eyes scanned the area around him, sniffing carefully and inspecting each corners of the marshy-like place that he could find, or check of. Then, another fast rustle from beneath the grass caused his ears to perk up. He crouched down lower, and lower, until he could finally see the rodent. With claws unsheathed, he leaped foward, somewhat in a slightly clumsy manner, and pounced down to the rodent in front of him from just a fox-length away. As soon as his fangs sunk deep in the rodent, he killed it in a single bite; just like how Emberleap did. Holding it surely in his mouth, a wide grin beamed from the corner of his maw. He did it in just a single bite without a sound. "I did it on my first try!" He trilled out muffled mews. Then showing the mouse he had just caught in his mouth to Emberleap, pride flowed through himself.

Duskpaw attempted to catch a rodent. It was a success!

Duskpaw
20/20 HP
57/60 SP (-3)

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 2

Duskpaw’s ears twitched. Hurriedly laying his mouse in the grass, Emberleap opened his mouth to ask if he’d heard something; the crouch Duskpaw sank into answered him. Careful to stay downwind and out of sight, he bit his tongue and settled in to watch Duskpaw’s approach. He held his breath as the younger tom pounced—but he had no reason to worry. Duskpaw straightened up with another mouse in his jaws. A hint of a purr colored Emberleap’s voice as he rose. “You sure did. Good job keeping it quiet, that’s really important.” Already he could tell Duskpaw’s posture needed some work, but he didn’t have the heart to take the wind out of his apprentice’s wings. He started toward where he’d left his mouse. “Now we just need to hide that before something tries to steal it.”

No sooner had he said that than a solid mass slammed into him. Emberleap struck outward on instinct; his claws snagged on ragged feathers. Only then did he realize he was bleeding from a fresh set of scratches along his side. Swallowing a hiss, he glanced around to get his bearings. There was Duskpaw, who, fortunately, seemed uninjured…and then there was the thing that had attacked him. Though its talons were threatening, the owl attached to them seemed oddly frail. Maybe it had lost most of its prey to the rogues. Whatever its reasons, Emberleap didn’t particularly care. “Be careful, that’s an owl!” After a moment’s consideration, he added, “Go for the wings if you can.” That would keep Duskpaw away from the talons.

Owl appeared! Owl used Swoop on Emberleap, dealing 9 damage and using 15 stamina.
Emberleap used Front Paw Strike on Owl, dealing 9 damage and using 7 stamina.

Emberleap
41/50 HP (-9)
110/120 SP (-7)

Duskpaw
20/20 HP
57/60 SP

Owl
21/30 HP (-9)
75/90 SP (-15)

---

battle system wrote:

To start, here’s a basic rundown of the battle system rules. The battle system is turn-based. You can only use one move per turn (unless otherwise stated in the move’s description), and must wait for your opponent to post with their turn before you can attack them again. (In predator encounters, the predator only acts on the turn of the person playing it.) Combatants continue taking turns until one either flees or runs out of HP or SP, ending the battle.

A chart listing all moves and how much damage they do/stamina they cost is here. Your rank determines which moves you can use and how much damage they deal; Duskpaw, being an apprentice, can only use moves labeled “App” and below (and deals App damage), while Emberleap, being a Tier 3 Warrior, can use all moves labeled “Tier 3” and below (and deals Tier 3 damage). Moves use the same amount of stamina regardless of your cat’s rank.

There are three types of moves. Standard moves are ordinary moves and can be used as many times as you want. Special moves have special effects, such as pinning or stunning an opponent. Each special move can only be used once per opponent, and you can’t use two different ones in a row; they must be separated by a standard or situational move. Situational moves, as the name suggests, can only be used in certain circumstances. The effects of these moves vary greatly; the “Description” section beside each move explains how and when it may be used. As a note, certain moves require a dice roll to determine the move’s effects, such as how many turns it lasts or if it successfully deals damage; this works the same way as the Hunting Dice do, where you roll and then edit your post with the result.

Lastly, every Clan or major group has two Group-restricted moves, sometimes referred to as Clan moves (listed here). One is a passive that takes effect automatically and requires no stamina to use; the other is a special or situational move. You can only use the Clan/Group-restricted moves of the Clan/group your character first became an apprentice in. (Duskpaw has access to ShadowClan’s Clan moves, Night Finesse and Mud Slap; Emberleap does not, since he began his training elsewhere.)

Duskpaw purred with delight as he nodded, and quickly burried the mouse under the secure ground. Though as quick as the satisfaction entered his body, the owl's sudden attack have quickly startled him just as much, too. The sight of Emberleap's fresh injuries made his eyes lit up with cautiousness, and he stood his ground, ready for an attack. "Go for the wings if you can." He heard, and immediately switched to focusing his gaze onto the owl's wings. The apprentice crouched down, then leaped up once he collected enough staminia for so with a proper aim. His claws outstretched to slash at the owl's wing, and he heard an awful, high-pitched shriek coming from it as he did. The owl seemed to be knocked off-balanced for a brief while, though it quickly recoiled back into the air, flapping it's wings in a somewhat more awkward manner.

He hit it! Though he knew better than to get excited too soon. Duskpaw knew that the owl would definitely go for him next. The apprentice readied his stance, paws firmly held on the ground, and eyes sharply focused. He wasn't just going to let it attack Emberleap and himself, not on his first training session! His eyes darted over to the warrior, waiting for a sign to attack next. After all, the warrior must be much more experienced than him in combat.

Duskpaw used Jumping strike on Owl, dealing 8 damage (4+3 from Owl not focusing on Duskpaw, +1 from Night Finesse) and using 7 stamina.

Emberleap:
41/50 HP
110/120 SP

Duskpaw:
20/30 HP
50/60 SP (-7)

Owl:
13/30 HP (-8)
75/90 SP

Duskpaw sprang into action, fearless as only a young cat could be. A screech split the air as his claws sank into one of the owl’s wings, and Emberleap winced despite himself, ears going flat. That commotion had probably scared off every sensible animal within earshot. So much for hunting lessons. He glanced at their previous catches. They couldn’t come back with just two mice for the prey pile… If only he hadn’t taken that lizard before they’d left! “We’ll just have to kill it,” he murmured. Food was food, and he’d never known anyone to turn up their nose at fresh bird meat.

With an uneven flap of its wings, the owl swooped low toward Duskpaw—who was staring right at it. At least one of them was paying attention. “Look out!” Emberleap called, hobbling to meet his apprentice as the owl kicked. Heartened, it struggled back toward the sky. It didn’t get far before a set of mud-stained paws clattered against its head and sent it crashing down to earth with another squawk. “There we go—” Digging his claws into its injured wing, he looked to Duskpaw. “You can—you can kill it! Just like the mouse.” It wasn’t exactly the same, but the younger tom had proven himself to be a quick study so far, and Emberleap couldn’t pull together a more thorough explanation with the owl flapping wildly beneath him.

Owl used Talon Strike on Duskpaw, dealing 7 damage and using 10 stamina.
Emberleap used Upright Lock on Owl, dealing 10 damage and using 20 stamina.

Emberleap
41/50 HP
90/120 SP (-20)

Duskpaw
13/20 HP (-7)
50/60 SP

Owl
3/30 HP (-10)
65/90 SP (-10)

As Emberleap has warned— Duskpaw instantly felt a burning sensation as the owl lunged forward with its talons, slashing him across the back left thigh. He held back a pained hiss, though before he could attack it again, Emberleap had already did. The warrior had held it down tightly with his paws, and he knew the warrior wanted him to be the one to land the final attack. With a determined nod, the apprentice opened his jaws, revealing his sharp fangs— and dived torwards the owl's neck. As his jaws dug through the owl's neck, he snapped his teeth shut, and he heard the owl shriek again as it gave a final thrash.. Then fell completely limp. Once he made sure that the predator was finally dead, Duskpaw sighed in relief, and released his jaws from the animal.

"I.. did it?— Emberleap, I did it!" He beamed, nearly forgetting the fresh wound on himself. Though looking at his mentor, Duskpaw's smile faded, slowly morphing into a frown. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice more hesitant now. He took a look at the warrior's wound, then lowered his whiskers. As he moved forward, a stinging pain from his back thigh caught him to be aware. It hurted. It was unlike anything he ever felt as a kit before, as now it was from an actual battle. Though instead of feeling pained, he felt rather.. proud? The tom felt proud for being able to help his mentor defeat a predator. Plus, he earned a battle scar! The wounds just needed to be treated, then he'd feel just fine.

Duskpaw used Snap on Owl, dealing 6 damage and using 7 stamina.

Emberleap
41/50 HP
90/120 SP

Duskpaw
13/20 HP
43/60 SP

Owl
-3/30 HP (-6) DEAD
65/90 SP

Duskpaw acted quickly, burying his teeth in the owl’s feathery neck. Its thrashing peaked, slowed…stopped. Emberleap, exhaling for what felt like the first time since the owl had appeared, stepped off of it and sheathed his claws. It was over. They’d protected their prey and themselves, and had something substantial for the prey pile because of it. Duskpaw’s uncertain voice broke through the relief before it could sink in. “Oh, uh—I’ll be sore for a while, but it’s nothing that won’t heal. What about you? Can you walk all right?” Concern creased Emberleap’s face as he leaned over, peering at the wound. Was it deep enough to scar? “I really thought your first battle would be, you know, a sparring session… You did well, though.”

The mottled tom straightened up and took a sharp breath. Though his scratches stung as the night breeze brushed across them, they were shallow enough he could treat them himself. Maybe even so shallow he could leave them alone. He had half a mind to, considering how low ShadowClan’s herb stores had to be running after the past few moons’ chaos… Emberleap’s gaze slid back to the gash on Duskpaw’s thigh. No, that wasn’t a lesson he wanted Duskpaw picking up. He sighed. “As much as I wanted to get more hunting in, we’ll be better off going to see Basilpaw, I think. There’ll be more prey tomorrow night.” That was non-negotiable; still, he found himself watching his apprentice's expression, wondering what Duskpaw would make of heading back to camp early. He hated to cut their first training session short, even if it was the safest choice.

"Yeah, I can walk alright. It surely does.. hurt though." He nodded, convinving himself to believe that. "Well, um," He paused, "If the injury is deep enough, at least I'll get my first battle scar though!" He grinned. "And thank you. It's alright if it's not a sparring lesson at first, accidents can happen." Duskpaw spoke to his mentor. He kept his spirits high and postive, despite the hunting assessment not going very much as wanted. He successfully caught his prey, sure. But the predator attack wasn't necessary.. supposed to happen.

"That's true." He wanted to continue hunting, though he knew it was best not to stretch the injury on his thigh further on. It would turn into something more painful than now. His face showed slight disappointment, but it was soon covered by his usual bright expression. "Let's head back then?" He asked. Not wanting to forget the prey that he have buried just earlier, he went over to the spot, and dug it up. The tom grabbed it in his jaws, then quickly padded back to Emberleap, waiting for him to lead them back.