coute que coute [open-ish]

"Fine then, you can stay here and starve Aphrodite, just because it's cold doesn't mean you can't hunt!" Ares looked disdainfully toward his smaller sibling, annoyed that she would even say such selfish things. If she never learned to hunt, she'd just be a burden, and that wouldn't do. They couldn't just take the easy way out forever. The scent of prey suddenly caught his nose, and his glare turned to curiosity as a golden pelt came into view. "Dad!" Ares scrambled over to the entrance to look at the food he brought. He wasn't sure if he had seen a rabbit before, but he sure had now. His first objective, killing one for his father, the biggest he could find. He moved to follow just behind Anastasia, his sister beating him to the punch. He'd learn to hunt the best prey they'd ever seen, he would be the best!

Aether returned Astraeus's grin with one of his own. "Ok, maybe it isn't real prey, but my point stands!"

Another voice had spoken up, suggesting a game instead. Aether couldn't imagine why. "It's cold in here too. At least hunting will warm us up! And who would want to eat a dung pile?" Apparently Apollo did. And he was not the only one disgusted by it.

Then the scent of rabbit hit him, and Aether turned to follow it, only to be blocked by Klaus. "Alright! We were just asking Ma to hunt, this is perfect! Except Aphrodite is scared-." He didn't even get all the words out before the others started heading off, and Aether scurried after them.

Klaus shook his head, mostly to himself, hearing the conversation that was ongoing. If Aphrodite didn't want to come with them as a group, then she would hunt with Klaus later on. She might find out that she didn't want to be under individual scrutiny.

"Everyone comes along. If you don't learn to hunt, then you will learn to starve. You can come if you want to Tarot. I think it would be good for them to learn from both of their leaders." He didn't look behind him to see who was following. Whoever wasn't participating would be marked out on Klaus's mental list. Once they were far enough away from camp that the details of it were barely visible, Klaus slid into a smooth hunter's crouch to demonstrate it.

"This is the proper way to crouch." He said, fully diving into the lesson. He hoped Tarot would watch who was paying attention, who got it right the fastest, etc. Klaus had to do his best to act like he was giving out a casual lesson, when really this was going to help him determine where to place everyone.

Aphrodite better have followed.

"In leaf-bare, there is snow on the ground which makes it easier for some of you to blend in and others not so much. Scents are harder to pick up since snow is basically water that froze. You'll have to rely more on hearing and keen observation to find prey in situations like this." He stalked forward with ease, moons of practice showing through every smooth movement of his legs and the rigid perfection of the crouch.

"You can find signs that prey has been nearby by looking at the snow at least. Tracks and anywhere that was soiled will give you an indication of what is around and where it was going." He crept right up to a bunch of squirrel, rabbit and bird tracks and nodded at them.

"This season is especially harsh... so hunting prey is difficult. I want you all to try anyway. Focus on squirrels and rodents. Your Skyclan blood should aid you in catching the squirrels, in theory. If it doesn't work out, we may pay the clans a visit. Show me what you can do."

And with that, Klaus reclined into a sit and was ready to observe his kits. "Go for a swift kill, a bite to the throat or side of the neck. If anything happens, we'll all be here to help each other."

Tarot nodded as his friend accepted his offer of help, following up behind whatever procession of kits came with them to watch their backs. As they wanted further into the territory he kept a sharp eye on their surroundings, ears perked and alert. Eyes narrowed slightly he paced around the group, keeping an eye on all the kits to gauge their base level of talent.

Klaus gave out instructions, and Tarot followed up with his own tidbit of info. "Remember, if you see your target, always remain downwind of them, meaning make sure any breeze is blowing at your face, not from behind you. If you don't do that they may catch your scent." His tail twitched slightly as he summoned up what information he could give to assist the Klaus-spawns in their fight for survival. "After you master the basics I can show you one of my special ways to catch a unique type of prey that can be found commonly. They're an untapped food source for most cats, even clan cats I'd assume."

With that tantalizing bit of knowledge now dangling in front of them, he stood back to watch their progression. He'd help and give out tips when he could. The 'unique' prey wasn't cats, hunting cats would fall into fighting lessons more so than hunting ones. No this was a source of prey he had worked around the obstacle of getting to in his 60 moons of life. He had also found a way to make it easier for cats to snag fish without having to be in Riverclan, but that tactic was rather useless in leaf-bare. He'd show them that little trick when water was available.

No this tactic he was offering could feasibly be used in the winter as well, you just had to know your stuff. Perhaps this winter it wouldn't be able to be utilized as much because he hadn't had enough time to prepare, but he could still share the knowledge.

"Also, always be sure not to get tunnel-vision when you hunt, it makes it easier for enemies to sneak up on you. Always be aware of your surroundings."

Yes, Tarot supposed it wouldn't be as bothersome as he thought to teach these Klaus-spawn.

Anastasia listened quietly, her paws quivering with excitement as her father spoke, followed by Tarot. Her eyes lit up with glee at the prospect of something special, something that would set her apart from her siblings. They were all great, in their own ways, and she loved them in her own way, but being part of such a large litter with such little available for food was certainly making it difficult to stand out. This was her chance though. She dropped into a stalk, trying to mirror her father. For several heartbeats, she shifted her weight and moved her tail, looking over her shoulder and adjusting until she was confident that her pose matched his. Then she turned and looked at her paw prints, noting the minimal scent lingering in the tracks, and the way that her weight had indented the snow. Would their prey look the same? Or would they be able to walk on the snow? She blinked, weighing her options before stepping out away from the group in a direction of a small slope. As she got a couple tail lengths from the group, she dropped into that same crouch, taking a couple steps before looking back at her paw prints. Nothing that they were deeper on one side, she dropped back into her crouch and shifted her weight so it was more even, checking once more and flicked her tail happily when the depth of her prints matched up more. Continuing on in her carefully balanced crouch, she slowly peered over the edge of the slope and froze. There, only a few tail lengths away, was a squirrel crouched on the snow. She could barely see the prints leading to it - she would have to take a closer look. Tarot's words echoed in her mind, and she drew her head back to figure out where the wind was coming from. It was coming from the side, so she gingerly circled around slightly to where it was behind her, careful to not let her figure appear over the edge. When she was finally content with her placement, she began to stalk forward, placing each foot down slowly to avoid making any sound. Grateful that the squirrel wasn't too far, she kept her eyes on her target while her ears swiveled, checking for any more noise around her. Not sensing anything amiss, she darted forward, aiming for the squirrel's throat. Snow burst around her as she landed.... and then emerged with the squirrel hanging limply from her jaws. A purr rumbled in her chest, but she quickly looked up and around, making sure that there was no immediate danger before padding back to the group, her catch held with pride. When she returned, she laid it down in front of Klaus and Tarot, backing away before looking up at them. "What can I do better?" She mewed softly, searching for further guidance.

Anastasia attempted to catch a squirrel, catch was.. Successful! -7 SP.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Aoife's stomach rumbled lowly at the sight of the rabbit, and immediately wanted to learn how to catch something like that herself. Maybe she wouldn't enjoy hunting as much if it were her only job, but none of her litter had been assigned anywhere yet. Either way, it would still be good to learn. As usual, Aphrodite wasn't interested, but it was her loss. She would have to learn sooner or later, and now seemed like a good time.

She watched every movement her father made, trying to picture herself doing the same. Although often a little wary of Tarot, she was still eager for what he had to say, and hung on to every word. She let Ana go first, watching her sister carefully. Clearly she was a natural at hunting, which wasn't the best sign for Aoife.

Straying away slightly, she caught scent of a mouse, tiny but making enough noise to also be heard. The snow muffled her paw steps as she crept closer, trying to mimic what she had seen moments before. She pounced, not as neat or technical as her sister, but the mouse still found itself trapped between her paws. Relishing in her quiet victory, she returned to Klaus and Tarot, placing the prey down and waiting for criticism.

Aoife attempted to catch a mouse. Catch was successful!
93/100

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Ares listened to both his father, and Tarot, as they left the safety of their nest and camp. He watched everything, and learned as much as he could on the fly as Klaus explained what they needed to do. He tested out his stance for a moment, crouching low to the ground, paws sinking in to the snow as he stood there. Satisfied with how it felt, he stood once again, smelling the air. There was... something that was food? It was hard to tell sometimes with all the snow, and he hadn't had much experience.

So the tom began approaching whatever it was, trying to stay light on his paws, and downwind of what it was that he scented. The closer it got, the more he gathered. It was a mouse out in the snow! Maybe it had a den in the ground, or it had gotten stuck out there when the latest snow had struck. It didn't matter why it was there, what mattered is that he wanted to catch it! Ares crouched low, and stalked forward. It was then that he dropped into the snow, hitting a particularly deep patch. He struggled to get up and out as the mouse scampered away into the deeper snows.

With a low growl, Ares dug himself out. He would get something, he had to. Or else he wouldn't be eating tonight.

Ares did not catch a mouse! -7 SP

lets try rolling the dice again

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Aether relished the thought of joining in on a hunt, so it was a surprise he was not the first one to begin racing after his father. Still, he had the opportunity to show off what he could do, how fast he could learn. That had to count for something!

For once keeping his mouth shut as Klaus and Tarot spoke, listening as they told the kits what was proper hunting technique. It would have bored him normally, but he wanted to get this right.

Finally, the kits began to split up, Aether himself having spotted a bold in the underbrush. It was a scrawny little thing, but it would feed him. Padding softly, the snow muffling his pawsteps, until he leapt, snapping the creature's neck.

"Look, Pa! I caught something!"

Aether caught a vole, costing 7 SP
Aether
40/40 HP
93/100 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

He nodded at Anastasia. She did well, took each instruction in a stride, very promising. You did very well. I don't have much criticism to give. You seem like a natural hunter. Polish your skills more and you'll likely be an expert in no time." He glanced at Klaus, seeing if his friend had anything to add, before shifting his attention to Aoife.

"A fair job, Aoife. The technicalities will come with time, and you did catch something. Be sure to keep practicing your crouch and pounce and soon enough it'll come naturally." He commended, expression calm, almost laid-back, yet still attentive.

Ares was not as lucky as his siblings, which was fair, he was a larger feline, and that came with extra weight, great for getting into scuffles with predators and enemies, not so great for hunting."Be sure to always test how deep the snow is with each step. You'll have to do something similar in any other season as well to avoid stepping on twigs or dead leaves. While hunting, you have to split your focus between your movements, and your prey until it comes naturally." he dipped his head to the larger kit. "It will come with time, just keep practicing."

He'd let Klaus speak to Aether, the kit was looking for his approval more than Tarot's. "I'll demonstrate myself actively hunting, if you wish to watch feel free, but, even I may not catch anything. Hunting is always a game of chance." He glanced back before continuing deeper into the forest, ears perked, paw steps soft, and downwind.

Eventually, he caught the scent of birds, following the trail he came across a single pigeon. Crouching low after testing the snow, he kept an eye on it, waiting for its back to turn to him so he could strike.

When it did, he crept forward, then froze as the hunt was interrupted by the snapping of some underbrush nearby.

The sound sent the bird into the air before he had a chance to snag it. Huffing, he straightened, seeming unconcerned about the failed hunt, and immediately moving on to the next scent he could catch. "Sometimes, nature may not be in your favour... but that's no time to give up." He commented, words a bit light with amusement.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8