Learning the Ropes [Frogpaw]

Mistyfalcon padded across camp, ducking beneath the entrance of the apprentice den and searching the gloom for his newest apprentice. The den had become a bit more crowded recently, but after a moment he was able to pick out her bicolored form among her denmates. "Time to go, Frogpaw." He called, loud enough to reach her ears, quiet and pointed enough to hopefully leave the other apprentices undisturbed. Once he saw her stirring, he backed away, sitting as he waited for her to exit the den.

"Alright," He mewed, once she'd joined him outside the den, "I'll be showing you around the territory tonight, and we'll see about a bit of hunting practice, as well." He padded toward the camp entrance, flicking his tail for the apprentice to follow. The moon was just visible through the dark pines, and the marsh was mostly quiet save for the occasional hoot of an owl and the soft rustle of the wind against tree and plant. The scents of prey occasionally criss-crossed their path as they headed to a spot not far from camp, and Mistyfalcon stopped, turning to face Frogpaw. He wouldn't waste her time with frivolous conversation, and intended to jump right into explanations of the basics.

"Okay so, hunter's crouch-" He began, then dropped smoothly into the crouch he'd named in demonstration. "Legs bent, spine, head, shoulders and haunches held in a straight line. Hold your tail low, but not too low. Keep your paws spread evenly for balance. While we hunt at night, our prey can still see and hear just as well as we do. Make sure you're aware of your surroundings to avoid brushing against a stray plant or slipping on pine needles, and keep your tail still to avoid casting unwanted shadows. The wind can alert you to prey just as it alerts us to them, so always try to stay downwind with it blowing towards you." He'd long since grown accustomed to the strangeness of the position, seasons of hunting had meant Mistyfalcon found it just as natural as walking now, though he knew apprentices were likely to find it quite the opposite.

"Try this, and once you get comfortable, I'll show you how to catch prey. It feels strange at first, you'll get used to it and will get better with practice." He'd hold the crouch to let her observe, he'd found that it was helpful to show demonstrations to go along with the explanations. If she was confident enough in her crouch to go after prey on her own, he'd work with that as well. Frogpaw had seemed a bit nervous at her apprentice ceremony, and Mistyfalcon hoped the nerves didn't last too long.

((OOC: Hunting System, Hunting Tutorial and Battle System. Rolling a 10 on the hunting dice will trigger a predator and if that happens, I can take on controlling it for you until you get used to the system, if you'd like. If you want I can demonstrate a proper hunting roll with my next post, or you can roll the dice with your post first.))

@Mistyfalcon

Frogpaw finished setting up her nest in the front corner of the den. There weren't as many nests there, probably because the entrance was closest to cold air, but Frogpaw didn't care. She preferred to have her space. She followed Mistyfalcon out of the den and into the territory in silence. Her green eyes were blown wide with both curiosity and nervousness.

The black she-cat watched as he dropped into a hunting crouch, observing his movements carefully. As he stood up and looked at her expectantly, Frogpaw slowly lowered her stomach to the ground, flattening his tail as he had instructed. Her posture was a bit awkward; it was obvious she was quite nervous and stiff.

"Uhm... I don't think I'm doing this right," she mumbled.

Ooc: Would you mind demonstrating the dice? //

Mistyfalcon moved to her side, eyeing Frogpaw's form. She wasn't quite comfortable with it, but in time she would improve, he was sure. She just needed practice. "Ease up a bit... Your belly shouldn't be brushing the ground." He instructed calmly. It would do no good to snap at her or be harsh because she hadn't gotten it right away. He thought back to his own apprenticeship with Vinetail... What a miserable mentor he had been. Mistyfalcon had resolved to treat his own apprentices better than that.

"I'll try and catch a mouse... Seeing it in action may help." He said after a moment's thought.

Mistyfalcon's jaws parted slightly as he scented the air. The scent of mouse was quick to catch his attention, and dropping back into his crouch, he stepped away from Frogpaw, paws silent across the cold earth as he tracked the mouse towards the base of a tree. While his ears were tattered and torn, they were still sensitive enough to pick up the faint scuffling of the rodent as it searched for food. A few steps closer, and Mistyfalcon's muscled bunched. He pounced, trapping the mouse between his paws as he sank his fangs into the creature's neck. He turned back to Frogpaw with the mouse dangling from his jaws and padded over, setting the fresh-kill into a small hollow that he then carefully scraped some pine needles and dirt over. "We'll bring it back to camp when we're done. Think you're ready to try?"

Mistyfalcon attempted to catch a mouse. Catch was successful!
157 / 160 sp

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 7

Frogpaw blinked gratefully at Mistyfalcon. She was relieved that he instructed her calmly and without yelling at her. She had been afraid of getting a mentor who was impatient. She felt the tension leave her chest and she eased, her fur no longer standing up uncomfortably. Watching him lower himself and pounce on the mouse, Frogpaw got an idea of what she needed to do.

“I think I’m going to try it,” she replied, green eyes narrowing in determination. The black apprentice dropped into another hunting crouch, this time keeping her stomach further from the ground. Her limbs were no longer as stiff, and she felt more natural with this posture.

“Is this better?”

Frogpaw adjusted her stance, saying that she thought she was ready to try, and Mistyfalcon nodded. "Much better," He said. "Now" He began, "See if you can locate prey. Mice, shrew and lizards are plentiful, and are easier to catch than birds or rabbits. There's a few around here. When you pick up the scent of one, go for it. I'll keep out of your way."

Nodding, Frogpaw waited until Mistyfalcon had stepped back to sniff the air for signs of prey. While inexperienced, she did know what prey smelled like so she felt confident in her ability to find something she could hunt. She smelled mostly pine and marsh water, but under the thick plant scent, she could pick of something vaguely animal-like.

The apprentice tentatively raised a paw and stepped forward, going extremely slowly as not to make the noise of crunching leaves. She scented some more and took more steps, figuring out the relative area the creature was in. ‘He made it look so easy,’ she thought.

She spotted the rodent scuffling around some dead leaves, and she got as close as she could. Readying herself, Frogpaw sprang forward, trapping it in her paws. She had a flustered look on her face as she clumsily bought it to her teeth to dispatch it. It wasn't the cleanest kill, but it was her first hunt! Frogpaw beamed with pride.

//Ooc: Rolling to catch a rodent//
//Edit: Hunt successful//

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 5

True to his word, Mistyfalcon kept back as Frogpaw searched for prey, a silent observer. First hunts, in his experience, tended to be interrupted by predators more often than not, and if that should happen tonight he'd prefer to interfere before that could happen. For once it seemed that this wasn't to be the case, and Mistyfalcon watched as his apprentice stalked after one of the several rodents that were in the area.

"Well done, Frogpaw." Mistyfalcon praised as she managed her first catch. A bit messy, but that was the way of things as a fresh apprentice. Her skills would improve with time and more practice.

"Bury that and we'll come back for it. Let's see if we can catch a bit more before heading back to camp."

((Sorry for the wait! If you'd like we could continue hunting, or I can force a predator encounter so that Frogpaw can get the battle req.))

//OOC: I don't really think Frogpaw is ready to face off against a predator just yet. Maybe they could practice battle moves or just continue hunting? It's up to you.//