A Dance and a Wriggle [c]

Much like her first day out of camp as an apprentice, the sun shone down incredibly bright, an uncomfortable warmth settling over the Forest as little cloud cover could be found. Despite this, the bicoloured molly remained insistent on wearing her raccoon pelt, especially knowing how much the little russet she-cat she would be taking out of camp today adored it. Minkpaw, her apprentice, would be exploring some of RiverClan's expansive territory today, and Grebedance had figured it would be best to set a destination for Sunningrocks, despite the inevitable burnt paw-pads from the reflected sun. A soft purr made itself comfortable in her chest as she headed to wake Minkpaw, almost as excited as the apprentice was during her warrior ceremony.

She paused outside, tail swishing along the dried earth beneath her, voice raised just loud enough to rouse a potentially sleeping molly, "Minkpaw! It's Grebedance, let's head out!"

Wiggles. Nothing but wiggles. She was all. wiggles.

But who could really blame her? Minkpaw was the second of her siblings to get apprenticed, and she had gotten the best mentor ever! There was really only one cat in her mind who would've been better, and that would have been Auntie Perch. But she was the leader, so getting her as a mentor was super unlikely. Even then, Grebedance came so close, she could barely even call it a contest! Her mentor was even better, because if something did happen, hopefully her mentor wouldn't tell her mom right away. When it came to Perchstar, Poppyshine was basically her partner in crime, so anything could be told at any moment. She didn't want to make it seem like she was always failing in training!

Through some will of the stars, the young she-cat had somehow managed to drift off to sleep. Curled up into a tight ball, it unwound the moment she heard her mentor's call. Springing to her feet, she made sure her nest was tidy and her pelt wasn't too disheveled before appearing outside of the apprentice's den, sitting and looking up to Grebedance with a big grin. "Good morning!" Minkpaw greeted kindly, following wherever it was her mentor began to go. All that kept running through her mind was how she absolutely had the best mentor. Grebedance being a new warrior makes her an even better mentor too. Because she'll remember all of her training best, and know just what she needs to teach me!

The excitement that wafted off the young molly was so strong it was like Grebedance had been slapped in the face with it, but she found it was quite infectious, quickly sharing a wide grin and bright eyes. "I am going to take you to the best place in the whole territory today! You get three guesses, but you have to follow me to guess!" With that she turned sharply on her heel, raccoon pelt shifting slightly with the sudden jolt of movement, but she was wise enough to try and walk slightly slower to account for the newly made apprentice's shorter legs.

As they followed the stream to Sunningrocks, Grebedance relished in the sunlight, memories of her first day out swimming in her mind. She thought back to learning to hunt with her kin, and obtaining her pelt, wondering if she should do the same for Minkpaw; briefly glancing at the russet molly as if to size her up. She felt a weird pang of concern in her stomach, realising that attempting to take down and skin a predator - or even a particularly big prey - would be rather dangerous with only herself and her apprentice. With that, the bicoloured warrior shook away thoughts of Minkpaw receiving a pelt, deciding that could be something they do later when Minkpaw (and herself) had a bit more training and experience.

The stepping stones to the landmark appeared before long, and she hopped neatly across, looking over every so often to ensure that her apprentice hadn't fallen down and been swept away by the strong current the river was currently experiencing. Landing on the smooth rocks, she wandered a little downstream, settling down and beckoning for Minkpaw to join her.

"Now, this is Sunningrocks. You may be able to smell it, but the other, stronger scent here is ThunderClan's. This is our territory, but we share a border where the stone ends." She gestured vaguely behind her, to where the thick forest overlapped the stone. "You are never to cross that border without good reason. This is the longest patch of peace this land has seen in quite a few moons, and I don't want my apprentice to be responsible for ending that." Grebedance looked seriously at her protégé for the briefest of moments, before returning her attention to the water in front of them.

"Anyways, moving on from the boring stuff, let's catch something to show Poppyshine! Listen to me, and do what I do, okay?" Her voice was chipper, but inwardly she felt rather concerned she wouldn't be able to adequately pass on the skills that were mostly intuition and instinct.

"Sit just far away enough that you can reach, but that your shadow isn't cast over the water," Grebedance positioned herself like so, paw hovering slightly off the ground. "And wait. Catching anything requires a certain amount of patience. And stillness," - The warrior was very aware of Minkpaw's wiggling- But with the right amount of both, you'll see movement. And that's when you strike!" Her voice was full of glee as she arced a paw through the slightly warmed water, claws extended for the flash of silver she saw a moment ago. Fortunately for her, her alabaster paw passed through the water with ease, scooping out a quick moving minnow, splashing Minkpaw slightly with cool droplets.

She finished it with a swift bite, licking the water off her maw and pushing the fish with a paw behind her, away from the currents of the water. Internally, Grebedance was incredibly grateful that she managed a catch and spared herself the embarrassment in front of her apprentice. She grinned at the molly, taking a step back, watching her with careful eyes. "Now you try! And don't worry if you miss, or get nothing-- that's what learning's all about!"

Grebedance successfully caught a fish!
Grebedance:
30/30HP
77/80SP (-3)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Minkpaw's excitement only seemed to triple the moment Grebedance revealed the plans for the day. Somehow, she managed to keep her paws on the ground and only going forward. Somehow. At being asked to guess, she could only tilt her head to think. "Well, all of Riverclan is pretty great, but... Is it the rocks we share by Thunderclan? I think I heard Sleepypaw mention them!"

The moment they got there, her ears and tail perked straight up. It certainly looked like an amazing place. The smooth, flat rocks looked like the perfect place to lay down, even in the Greenleaf heat. She followed dutifully behind Grebedance, her leaps somehow making up for any shorter strides she'd have to take. It was as if she was like a mink itself, hopping in little arcs to get around. As she settled beside her mentor, a keen gaze looked up and nodded. "I'd like to keep coming here. So I won't dare cross it." She promised. It was such a cool place! If she caused a war, would that mean that Riverclan could no longer come here? It was a thought she didn't want to even dare to continue to ponder. But, the she-cat took the time to deeply inhale the woodsy scent that sharply contrasted the one she knew to be home. Respect it, Minkpaw. She told herself, almost hearing her mother's voice.

Once more, the apprentice was pulled from her thoughts as her mentor once more called out what they were going to do. Oh, how she'd love to bring something back to her mother! Yes! She was tempted to follow directly next to her mentor, but instead, the she-cat kept a few paces back. She wanted to fully be able to observe just what it was she was being taught. Her eyes widened, but only so she could better study Grebedance.

Wonder filled her eyes as Grebedance scooped the fish up with ease, only blinking as the water landed on her muzzle. "Awesome!" She cheered her mentor on. Not that she needed it... but she couldn't help it! Now it was her turn to try. Suddenly, her chest felt tight and stomach felt odd... She didn't want to fail her mentor!

Padding up closer to the water, Minkpaw made sure to position herself as Grebedance said. Close enough she could reach, but far enough her shadow didn't go over the water. She even turned her body a little bit so even if her shadow did show over the water for a moment, it'd be tiny. Keen eyes watched for any sign of movement, and the second she saw it, her paw darted into the water. Only for... uh-oh.

That wasn't a fish, that was a snake!

Minkpaw felt that tight-knit feeling only squeeze as it landed angrily on the rocks, looking up at her with a sharp hiss! Out of pure reaction, her claws then went towards the snake, aiming to claw at it. Of course, understandably, the snake wasn't much of a fan of that, its slippery body recoiling to strike right back at Minkpaw in turn.

A snake has appeared!
Minkpaw used front-paw strike, dealing 6 damage and costing 7 stamina.
The snake used Serpent Strike! It dealt 6 damage and cost 10 stamina.
Serpentine Movement is active - The next hit misses!


Minkpaw:
14 / 20 HP (-6)
53 / 60 SP (-7)

Grebedance:
30 / 30 HP
77 / 80 SP

Snake:
9 / 15 HP (-6)
65 / 75 SP (-10)

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

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'Effect Dice' : 4

For a moment, there was delight, shining scales finding their way out from the cover of the water -- except, wha--?

A snake!

Her tail bushed out and her back arched, claws sliding out immediately as she watched her apprentice strike at the snake, and then be left with blood in turn. "Minkpaw! Get back, please!" Her voice remained light and friendly, but her eyes were narrowed at the scaled creature spitting malice back at the mollies. She noticed the blood welling up from an attack she had not seen, and Grebedance felt more concern bubble in her stomach, instinctively jumping forward with her teeth bared.

The snake, true to its nature, wriggled out of her reach, body coiling up in a defensive position once more, poised to attack when either of them faltered. Her teeth snapped shut over nothing and she growled, bouncing back easily on well-trained paws.

"Good catch, Minky! I've never seen a snake from these waters before!" The bicoloured molly flashed her apprentice a grin, claws digging into the stone beneath once more. This wasn't today's plan, and this wouldn't be enough for a pelt -- but perhaps Grebedance could separate a tooth from its maw as a present for her russet apprentice?

Grebedance used Snap! Missed due to Serpentine Movement (-7 SP)
Serpentine Movement is inactive, the next attack will hit!

Minkpaw:
14 / 20 HP
53 / 60 SP

Grebedance:
30 / 30 HP
70 / 80 SP

Snake:
9 / 15 HP
65 / 75 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3