Let's Get it Started [closed]

Marigoldmask shook out her fur as she sought out her apprentice. It was more than time enough for them to work on some training, and with the gathering having passed, it was now the perfect time. Poking her head into the apprentice's den, the molly called out. "Emberpaw! Let's start training." She called gently. Even if it was definitely time for some of the apprenties to be getting up for their duties, she didn't want to be the one to wake them. Facing an angry, sleepy apprentice was one of the last things that the molly wanted to do. Memories of her days being the spicy apprentice that hated to be woken up floated to her memory, and a gentle chuckle left the feline as she recalled those times. It had really been a long time ago.

Waiting by the entrance of camp, Marigoldmask purred warmly when Emberpaw would approach. "Ready? As we get going, I've got one question for you. What prey do you notice SkyClan eats the most?" It'd be best for her apprentice to at least know what she'd be looking out for.

Marigoldmask let out a proud purr at her apprentice's answer. It certainly was one of their most-consumed items of prey, and may as well have been, with squirrels practically holding the position at a tie. But what had the molly even more prideful was the reasoning that Emberpaw had come to. "Yes! We also eat squirrel just about the same, for that very reason. Most of our prey comes from the trees for the exact reason you gave. Good job!" The pride in her voice was immeasurable. When she had begun training, it wasn't something she had ever even thought about. To see her apprentice already having paid more attention than her? It made the molly quite proud.

"We will be starting with hunting today. It's one of those skills that will always be vital, and takes a little bit longer to hone because it's not always... exactly based off of instinct. We will be having to be a bit careful because of two-leg traps still being around, but we should be okay. It's actually good hunting practice too, because you need to mind your paws when hunting." Marigoldmask continued to explain, dropping her voice to be just a bit quieter in preparation of not disturbing any prey. "A loose twig or even leaves can give away where you're at. Because it's leafbare, there might also be a few predators around... but I doubt it this time of day." It was early enough in the morning, they'd hopefully still be slumbering. The chill would have certainly froze quite a few of the unwelcomed faces she typically saw.

Bringing them to a cluster of rather thick trees, the pale molly signaled with her tail for them to come to a halt. "We can practice here. Thick trees often hold a lot of prey, and they make it easier for us to climb with our claws. I'll try and show you once - then you copy. Keep a close eye on how I move my body, especially my paws and tail." In the snow, Marigoldmask simply looked like fallen leaves that were peeking through the ground. But on the trees? She stuck out like a sore pawpad. "See that hole in the tree? There's likely to be a squirrel in there. I'm going to climb it, and then dart in to catch it." Marigoldmask's voice became soft as she motioned to the hollowed-out portion of one of the trees, the smell of squirrel eminating from it and into her nose. It made her belly rumble, which in the she-cat's opinion, was the perfect drive to hunt.

Gliding up the trunk of the tree, the molly kept her body as flush to the bark as she could without her fur snagging and causing the tree to creak. She also kept her paws close, but her forelimbs slightly more stretched out than her hind legs. It was to keep power in them for when she was ready to pounce, and her ears even flattened against her head to make herself slimmer. But the molly didn't waste too much time climbing, getting to the point she could swiftly thrust her body into the hollowed squirrel nest. It looked as if a white blur suddenly dipped inside, and with the squeak! that came from inside, it was clear Marigoldmask had been right. There was in fact a squirrel.

Moments later, the mentor reappeared, climbing her way back down the tree with the dead prey in her jaws. Landing into the snow with a soft crunch, she set the kill at the base of the tree, smiling softly to her apprentice. "It might take some time to get used to climbing, or catching prey on tree limbs. That's why I look for holes in the trees - it's much easier to make that your target. Skyclan cats are usually big enough to block the prey's escape too, so it makes catching them even easier. Would you like to give it a shot?" She gave a confident look to Emberpaw, reassuring her apprentice silently that she certainly believed in her abilities to successfully catch some prey.

Marigoldmask attempts to catch a squirrel. Success!
115 / 120 SP (-5)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4