First Steps on a Long Road (C)

It was the day after Otterpaw's apprentice ceremony, and though Ashflight had barely slept that night for his excitement the tom awoke full of energy and enthusiasm for the day ahead.  So far it had gone well; the two had set out from camp a little after dawn, following the course of the river down to the WindClan border before turning back into their territory, following a zig-zagged path between various landmarks and hunting spots and even passing by the Twoleg Farm, though Ashflight refused to linger there.  Finally, their path ended at the Sunningrocks, warm and welcoming after a long afternoon of trekking through the snow, but relaxing would have to come later.  "And here we are, the Sunningrocks!  We recently fought a battle here against ThunderClan when they tried to claim the stones for their own, but we were victorious.  However, they're not just a nice spot to sunbathe, look over there."  Bending down next to Otterpaw and pointing his tail, he showed the young tom where a robin was taking a sip of water, a mouse was nestled in a crack in the rocks, and a small carp was swimming in a shallow pocket of the river.  "Prey love it here too, both land and water.  Which makes it perfect for our next task; do you want to learn how to fish first, or how to catch land prey?"  It was important for Otterpaw to know both, especially when the river froze over completely, but he had always appreciated as a young cat when he had been given choices.  It had always helped him to feel more independent, in control of his own life, and he wanted to do the same for Otterpaw.

With pep in his step, Otterpaw traversed RiverClan territory alongside his newly named mentor, Ashflight. The brown and white tom has heard plenty of stories about how the tom was Ivystar’s son, and had heard unfortunate rumors about his time with the Asylum. Otterpaw thought perhaps Perchfall would be his mentor, or maybe even Jaystar… But he was stuck with this odd tom, it seemed. He pretended like it didn’t phase him at all, but he secretly envied those with mentors in positions of power. He’d make it work, though.

Eyes filled with wonder, the tom watched as the glittering, nearly iced over river twinkled before them. At Ashflight’s question, the tom responded with ease, ”Fishing, obviously. What kind of RiverClan apprentice doesn’t know how to fish, right?” Despite his excitement, Otterpaw made his was towards the edge of the ice slowly. He knew he was on the heavier side opposed to some of his sisters and fellow apprentices, so he knew it’d be best to err on the side of caution until Ashflight taught him exactly what to do.

Ashflight let out a purring laugh, nodding his agreement to Otterpaw.  "Very true.
It's important to know how to hunt lots of different kinds of prey, especially in leaf-bare, but we do have a reputation to uphold."  Leading the young bicolored tabby tom to the edge of the river, Ashflight found the shallow pool where ice had not yet fully taken over.  There was no need to break the growing sheet of ice, however, as he could already see several fish swimming under the surface.  Crouching with his back paws holding firmly to the bank and front paws ready to strike, turning so that his shadow barely touched the surface of the water, he eyed Otterpaw and meowed in a focused tone.  "Fish are very cautious creatures, it's important to keep your shadow off of the water so you don't scare them.  Hold firm to the bank, you don't want to fall in, but keep both front paws available to grab the fish.  That's the basic technique."

A young carp was swimming close to the bank, though not the biggest fish it would definitely feed a kit or apprentice.  Ears pricked and eyes concentrated on his target, Ashflight quickly flashed out with a paw and hooked his claws into the fish's soft flesh, holding it long enough to swoop in with his other paw and haul it out of the water, where he finished it off with a quick bite to the back of the neck.  When the fish stopped flopping, the gray-furred tom looked up and smiled at Otterpaw, gesturing to the river beyond.  "Your turn.  The fish will come back to this spot shortly, but you could also find a new fishing hole or make one of your own."

Ashflight caught a Carp!
30/30 HP
73/80 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

”I’ll learn that stuff later. Fishing is more important!” Following Ashflight around the bend of the river, Otterpaw dropped into a low crouch and watched the tom’s every movement, down to each flex of his claw. ”Got it,” Otterpaw whispered as quietly as he could, while still remaining audible. Then, with a quick swipe, a fish lay motionless on the group before them. The fish within the small, clear pool scattered in each direction, leaving nothing but a disturbed mix of sand and water behind them.

Otterpaw’s face lit up when Ashflight allowed him his own turn, simply nodding and quietly moving a few tail-lengths away, where a small clearing in the ice had formed. He could see the shadows of fish moving beneath the ice nearby, and crouched down, making sure to note Ashflight’s technique in keeping both paws available. He teetered over the edge of the shore slightly, trying to keep a steady balance between beinng close enough to reach, but not too close, so that he didn’t scare any prey away. Just as a fish swam within reaching distance, Otterpaw unsheathed his claws and just barely snagged a fish underneath the scales, pulling it out of the water and nipping it near the neck, just as his mentor had done. He looked back to him with pride, the fish hanging limp in his jaw. ”I gof if!” He mumbled past the fish, eyes shining with pride.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

Ashflight couldn't help his smile at the sight of Otterpaw's bright, excited face; he could still remember his own first hunting trip with Stormbringer, had he worn the same expression?  He hoped so, watching a young cat begin down the path of their life filled his heart with such overwhelming joy.  Lowering himself into a laying position, Ashflight watched closely as the brown and white youngster copied his instructions, nodding approvingly at his stance, noting how careful he was being for a first-time fisher.  He had been impatient himself, wanting to jump into action at the slightest movement, but Otterpaw showed restraint and maturity.  He wasn't surprised when his apprentice made the catch, purring happily at the good-sized fish that he now held in his jaws.  "Very good catch Otterpaw, you'll be a pro in no time!"

Padding over to a patch of snow and creating a little hole with his paws, Ashflight placed his own fish in the little cooler and gestured for Otterpaw to do the same.  "The snow will keep them fresh until we return to camp."  As he was about to return to the river however the flutter of wings caught his attention, and Ashflight watched as a temptingly plump magpie floated down to land on the Sunningrocks.  Flicking his tail to Otterpaw, a wordless request to watch and learn, the stocky gray tom began slowly creeping forward across the stones towards the bird.  His pawsteps were hard to conceal however on the rough ground and the dappled bird detected him, taking flight with an indignant squawk back towards ThunderClan territory.  He was disappointed, a bird that healthy in leaf-bare would've been quite the meal, but as he walked back towards Otterpaw he simply shrugged.  "Worth a shot.  Catching land prey is difficult, especially on the rocks.  Let's continue fishing, shall we?"

Ashflight failed to catch a Magpie
30/30 HP
66/80 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6