Well That Happened [c]

Aether had an apprentice. That was a thought he could not quite wrap his head around. Briarthorn definitely seemed to have a lot more faith in him than her mate did to give him her own kit, that was for sure. Bloodstar had found himself a good mate, that was for sure. Maybe he should get to know Briarthorn a little better. He could definitely use some connections.

Right now, though, he needed to focus on training. And for the first time, it wasn't even his own. He never actually trained another cat before, so it was once again very weird.

"Alright, Nightpaw, let's start with ground hunting then move up into the trees. A lot of the prey here is going to be down low, scavenging or drinking from the creek, so I want to see you try to catch one."

Was he throwing Nightpaw into the fire like Bloodstar had done to him? Yes he was. Did it occur to Aether that he was also an adult at the time of his training with Bloodstar? Nope! They would just have to see how this went.

Nightpaw pranced alongside his mentor, fur slicked down and groomed well, though perhaps not to his mother’s standards. He was excited to begin his training, especially with a cat who had such a cool name. Surely, if he had earned a name that cool, he was the best mentor Nightpaw could’ve hoped for! So, needless to say, Nightpaw felt a need to impress him. He wasn’t quite aware how new to warriorhood Crimsonflame was, but he probably wouldn’t have cared regardless. So, when they stopped and Crimsonflame began to soeak, he stopped and absorbed each and every word.

Wait… He wasn’t gonna tell him what to do? Show him techniques? Nightpaw’s brow raised in confusion, but he felt like he couldn’t let Crimsonflame down… So he simply nodded and turned to begin searching for some prey. Soon enough, his gaze settled on a nearby squirrel, digging for nuts, presumably. A smidge of nervousness settled in Nightpaw’s chest, but he refused to let it affect how he performed. On clumsy legs, he shoved himself forward. Though he stumbled a bit, he managed to snag a few claws on the pelt of the smaller creature, and he quickly bit down on its neck, thinking that must’ve been the easiest way to do this. With the limp squirrel between his jaws, he turned to face his mentor. ”Thid I tho it thight?” He mewed, muffled by the fur and mass he still carried.

Nightpaw successfully caught a squirrel! -3 SP!

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

The way Nightpaw looked at Aether in that moment, the older tom felt himself choke up. For a moment, he saw himself, a small kit in one of the harshest leafbares ever seen. A small vole clenched between his jaws.

"Look, Pa! I caught something!"

He had been so proud of himself. It had been his first catch, and all he had wanted was for his father to tell him he had done a good job. He never did, though. They had merely gone on with the lesson, as though nothing had happened.

That couldn't happen again. Aether may not have been able to tell how poor of a father Klaus had been until it had been too late, but he was able to avoid making the same mistakes. With a smile, he dipped his head to Nightpaw.

"Good job! Now you get to tell every cat that you caught your first piece of prey all on your own! Now how about we straighten out that approach so you can catch even more? Watch me."

Crouching down low, Aether stalked towards a bird that was picking at seeds that had fallen on the ground. With one last look at his apprentice, making sure Nightpaw was watching, the tom made his move.

With a swift bite to the neck, Aether had taken down his prey, dropping it at Nightpaw's paws. "See? Think you can do that?"

Aether caught a bird, costing 3 sp

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

Nightpaw could sense something off in his mentor when he presented the squirrel to him, and Nightpaw thought nothing of it because it was soon overcome by a smile. Ear to ear, he grinned, even with the piece of prey still between his jaws. Dropping the limp thing at his paws, he nodded and watched closely as Crimsonflame demonstrated a better approach to hunting. ”Oooh, I see. You gotta crouch low so you can push forward more. That makes a ton of sense!” Leaving the squirrel with the bird Crimsonflame had caught, Nightpaw nodded, going off in the opposite direction on a new mission: perfecting his crouch.

Then, Nightpaw saw it. The plumpest, most delicious looking sparrow he’d ever seen. It was perched on a fallen twig, almost as if it were waiting for him to catch it. Flicking his tongue over his teeth, he set his sights ok his new target. The fluffy tom dipped low, almost letting his belly touch the forest floor as he crept toward the sparrow. When he was close enough to confidently make the catch, he pounced, landing right on top of the bird and quickly biting it’s neck, just like his mentor had done. He turned around and quickly found Crimsonflame, dropping the bird gently at the older tom’s paws. ”How was that one? Better, right?” He mewed, excitement clear in his tone.

Nightpaw successfully caught a bird! -3 SP!

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7