misty bubbles [training]

Mistwalker had poked her head into the apprentice's den earlier in the day. It felt weird, approaching the den that she had just spent so long sleeping in, only to now approach it not as one of the cats who crowded in, but as a warrior now summoning one of them for training. She'd learn to sleep through most of it. Aided either by whatever lingering herbs she'd had from Sandyshell, or even just simply the fact that she slept that soundly. "Bubblepaw, let's begin our training." The molly called, her ear flicking away a summer-time bug.

As they had found themselves out in the territory, the new warrior turned to her new apprentice. "We'll be starting with fishing today - it should be nice and easy. Riverclan is special, because we are the only clan that will hunt and eat fish. We hunt land prey too, but the fish are what make us special." Part of her hoped to not encounter any predators. Particularly a weasel. Slippery little buggers. "How do you think you would catch a fish?" She wanted to hear her apprentice think through the motions first before they did anything - wanted to learn what Bubblepaw's instincts told her.

Mistwalker could hear the sound of the water before they got there, but a quick pass through a bundle of reeds had them directly at one of her favorite places to fish. The stream wasn't too high, a perfect location for them to hunt without fear of drowning. Sure, kits were taken to the broken pools to begin swimming from a young age, but she found herself wanting to be safe rather than sorry. Sandyshell wouldn't appreciate her returning to her den so soon for such a silly reason, especially with the whispered death of her sister having been from the waters they claimed their namesake from. So, she would practice some caution. Starting with learning how to fish. Plenty of the scaled prey swam through the place she had chosen, large enough to still be a good meal even for one of the warriors.

A small chuckle came from the warrior at her apprentice's response. She hadn't considered that one. "Truth be told, I haven't seen any cats catch a fish that way. It may work, though." The mental image of executing such a movement played in her head. It had its merits, with the only true issue being the idea of getting her face fully wet to blindly snap at scales. Perhaps in a deeper body of water, diving beneath the surface to catch it would make that the best plan. "Usually, we use our claws. Hovering by the edge of the water, like so," The molly motioned Bubblepaw closer to where she stood with a curve of her tail and nod of her head. "and we wait for a fish to come by our path. Keep an eye on where your shadow is - if it goes over the water, it will scare them away. But fish don't look up, so if you hover, you'll be just fine." Her nerves were growing. The last hunting attempt she had made didn't end as well as she would have hoped, but a true scan of the water showed it to be rather empty, aside from the fish that darted past.

"When a fish comes close enough, dive your paw in and hook it onto the shore. They'll try and flop back in - but that's when you can use your teeth and bite just behind its eyes." Triumph tinged her tone as the molly gave a solid nod. "Why don't you try?"

The warrior studied her apprentice carefully through her blue gaze, her feathery, silver tail only ever flicking at its tip to show her own concentration. It was much more out of keeping an eye on her technique than her safety, but that didn't mean the new warrior failed to keep one ear towards the river. One set of whiskers, one half of her body. Already, it seemed somewhat difficult to keep the balance of safety and training. They lived in a forest that was harsh at the best of times and cruel at the worst, so it was nigh impossible to be able to do anything without accepting there would be some risks. As her apprentice seemed to hone in on the waters below, it let Mistwalker's gaze trail over to do the same, following for when a potential catch would slip by.

Should Bubblepaw have not been able to recognize which set of scales were ripe for the taking, the bicolored molly had the command right on the tip of her tongue. Just as her maw had parted to begin to give the instruction, it seemed her apprentice herself possessed the intuition necessary to know when to go for the strike. An approving twitch of Mistwalker's whiskers were the first sign of her praise as she launched that fish into the air, followed by a gentle chuckle at the stunned apprentice's moves to finally end it.

Pride shone all throughout Mistwalker's features the moment her apprentice looked towards her, the wide smile on her maw being accompanied by a dip of her head. "Like a true Riverclan warrior. Technique will come to you with time, but your instincts are perfectly razor-sharp. Good job!" It was easy to deliver the praise. It assuaged some of the warrior's own fear about her ability to teach, especially when it came to being able to properly convey instructions.

"Once you catch a fish, it's important to keep it somewhere a predator won't dart out. The shadow of rocks is a good spot- like those right next to us." Mistwalker guided, letting Bubblepaw proudly carry her catch to the stones not two tail-lengths over. "I think you could catch another one. Go ahead and try, and we can take them both back to camp after. Pick one you think would be extra tasty." Her voice hinted at a small challenge for the apprentice, hoping it served as encouragement. She knew some didn't particularly enjoy challenges, but something told her it'd help motivate Bubblepaw. Silently, the mentor hoped she was correct in that observation.

Mistwalker's pride certainly mirrored that which shone on Bubblepaw's face. Her apprentice certainly seemed to be a natural, and a solid nod of approval indicated that the mentor herself recognized it. "Fantastic job, Bubblepaw. I think you might just be the best fisher in Riverclan, but don't tell my mother I said that." The molly had leaned forward to give her jest, whispering it as if it were some dark secret to keep tucked within the tufts of fur that covered Mistwalker's body. With a mischievous sparkle that twinkled in the back of her gaze, the molly went to go pick up the other catch her apprentice had made. "I'll carry one, you can carry that big one. Come, let's go show off just how good you are at fishing." She nodded, before leading her apprentice back towards camp. It was a good beginning, one that certainly told the mentor that things were going to be okay. Even if she wasn't entirely sure what the best way to guide and shape Bubblepaw would be... it would be alright. Yes, it certainly would be.