First Time For Everything [Violetpaw]

Graywind led Violetpaw from camp, keeping the sudden anxiety she felt as concealed as she could. Sure, she had trained hard and earned her name, but an apprentice already? It wasn't expected, and the old doubts that she might not be good enough after all were starting to creep in. But if that were the case, then Thornstalker's training would have been for nothing. And Graywind had confidence in both her mentor and leader. If she wasn't cut out for this, she would still be a 'paw. Telling herself that helped a bit.

"We'll be doing a bit of hunting today." Graywind talked to distract herself, and to give Violetpaw an idea of what to expect. "You can hear it already from here, but we're almost at the moonlit creek."

"The creek splits off from the river, which is our border with Riverclan." She began to explain, "It runs through a decent stretch of Skyclan territory, and is one of the best places to catch prey. They need water just like we do, especially with the days growing warmer." Her paws slowed to a stop, with the creek just visible through the trees ahead.

"Now, the hunter's crouch... I'm not good at explaining, honestly... You might have a better time watching a demonstration." With that, Graywind dropped into the crouch, "You want your paws evenly spaced, and your tail, shoulders and head more or less in a straight line like this. It might feel a bit strange, but you'll get used to it after a bit of practice."

Violetpaw had no real grasp on what to expect from her first training session, but happily followed her mentor across Skyclan territory regardless. She listened intently to everything Graywind told her, nodding silently at every new piece of information. As they approached the creek, the sound of trickling water grew louder, the stream cutting its way through the rocky forest. Rays of sunlight bounced from the ripples, making it sparkle in the green-leaf haze. Violetpaw found it unspeakably beautiful, but was careful to not lose her focus as Graywind started talking to her.

It came across her mind then that her mentor wasn't fully confident in what she was doing. Violetpaw hadn't considered that she was probably Graywind's first apprentice, and so made it her mission to prove to the warrior that she was great at was she was doing, which would be a comfort for both of them. The white apprentice carefully inspected the demonstration in front of her, and did her best to replicate it. "Like this?" She asked, taking no effort to mask the eagerness in her voice.

"Yes, like that." Graywind nodded, then paused. "Be careful of your tail and paws. Your tail brushing against something, or accidentally stepping on a needle can create noise, and prey that spots movement will also be startled." Keeping her own crouch, Graywind took a few steps forward, trying to show how she kept her tail still and off the ground, and kept her paws carefully spaced for balance.

"Now, what can you smell? Prey out here will smell a bit different than what you're used to seeing on the fresh kill pile... Fresher, I guess? And the wind is blowing toward us right now, that's a good thing. Means our scent won't carry towards prey that's up ahead." There was squirrel and at least two types of bird nearby, and Graywind wanted to see if Violetpaw would be able to pick up on them.

A thought occurred to her then, and Graywind glanced back at her apprentice, trying to keep her uncertainty off of her face. "Uh... Would you rather I demonstrate catching something before you try? Or do you want to try yourself first?" Stars... Thornstalker had always made it look so easy. Graywind wasn't sure if she was moving too quickly or not.

Violetpaw found herself smiling immediately at Graywind's response, and was careful to lift her tail slightly. She was beginning to tire and lose balance in the unfamiliar position, but willed her feet to stay stuck to the ground, having to dig her claws in slightly to prevent her from toppling over. With a little adjustment from her mentor, however, the apprentice spread her paws apart slightly and soon felt more stable.

In an attempt to find prey, Violetpaw straightened out of the hunting crouch and closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she tried to pick up the right scent. But there were so many familiar and unfamiliar scents mingling together in the air - trees, earth, the cool water, herself and Graywind - that she struggled to find the right one. Although she took her time, eventually she caught the sent of last night's evening meal. Squirrel, fresher than prey of the fresh-kill pile but recognisable nonetheless. Excited, Violetpaw's eyes shot open. "Squirrel!" She whispered, "Over there somewhere." She made a vague gesture with her head at the surrounding area, opposite to the creek.

"I think I can do it. Well, I want to try please, but if you think it would be better to show me first then do. But I'm pretty sure I can do it." No matter how hard she tried to be confident in what she was saying was true, Violetpaw still sounded unsure, but was still trying her hardest to show Graywind that she could do it, and also that her mentor's teaching abilities were better than she believed. She quietly crept forward towards the scent, and was happy when it seemed to grow stronger as she neared. Before long, the squirrel's grey fur caught her attention from where the little animal stood frozen on the forest floor. Violetpaw resumed her hunting crouch from earlier and padded towards it, careful to keep her tail above the ground.

Once near enough, the apprentice pounced, not unlike how a kit would try and trap a leaf between their paws. Much to her surprise, her claws dug into the squirrel. With some difficulty, she eventually killed it by hitting the prey against the ground, wincing as the little animal took its last breath. Nevertheless, pride shined in Violetpaw's eyes as she carried her catch back to Graywind. "I did it! I did it!" She said, surprise evident in her voice. When the moment of celebration was over, she glanced again at her bloodied catch. "Is there a better way to kill it? I really didn't like that but I was too busy being surprised it actually worked and didn't want it to get away." She asked her mentor, a kit-like empathy creeping into her voice. For prey, really Violetpaw? How are you supposed to be a decent warrior now?

Violetpaw used 3 sp to catch a squirrel. Catch was successful!
[57/60]

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Violetpaw was quick to correct her form, and Graywind nodded as she sought out prey. She found the squirrel first, "Yes, good." Graywind nodded. She could sympathize with the uncertainty in her apprentice's voice, but if she thought she could go after it, Graywind wasn't going to stop her and would watch.

Still, as she watched, hr own anxiety threatened. What if her hunt was interrupted? Should she have started with battle training first? Before Graywind could think on it too much, Violetpaw had leaped for the squirrel.

...Oh, Starclan. She didn't know how to-

The kill wasn't a clean wasn't the cleanest, but it would have to do. Graywind tried not to wince. "Bite at the throat, or you can use your paw to snap the neck of smaller prey like some birds and mice." Why hadn't she explained that first? "That was good, though. You'll get the hang of it. Not many catch prey on their first attempt. I think we'll- Hold that thought, actually." Movement had caught her eye, a bird with mottled brown feathers picking at something on the ground. It hadn't noticed the commotion of the squirrel's death, and being able to watch might help her apprentice better than her awkward explanations. Graywind dropped into a crouch and stalked toward her target. Once close enough, the pale warrior leaped forward, using a paw to trap the bird in place as her teeth caught it by the throat.

Graywind turned and padded back to her apprentice, setting her catch on the ground. "We can bury these to come back for them later. It'll keep them from attracting predators."

Graywind attempted to catch a bird for -3 sp, catch was successful.
117 / 120 sp

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

The praise brought a wider smile to the apprentice's face as she examined her mentor's technique, immediately taking notice in the way she smoothly killed the bird, a well-practised motion for the warrior. She nodded at Graywind's instruction and kicked dirt over her mess of a squirrel, happy to move on and hide it from her sight.

Just as Violetpaw was about to question Graywind on where the next target would be, the scent of mouse caught her attention. The white apprentice froze, her ears pricked for sounds of movement. Hoping her mentor was watching, she crept towards the creature, paws ready to pounce. She had the image of how Graywind had killed her prey in her mind, eager to make improvement on her previous catch.

However, the mouse was much smaller than the squirrel, and the rodent slipped through her claws before she got the chance to kill it, having hesitated too long whilst considering how she would do the deed. Disappointed, Violetpaw returned to her mentor, head hung. "I'm sorry Graywind, I was distracted trying to remember what to do. I panicked and it got away." Maybe the first successful catch was just a fluke, beginners luck or something else of the sort.

Violetpaw used 3 sp to catch a mouse. Catch was unsuccessful!
54 / 60 sp

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

"Some prey are a harder catch." Graywind mewed, "And you are learning. It takes a lot of practice, and not even warriors will catch everything." That was a lesson that Graywind had taken some time to fully grasp as well. She didn't want her apprentice to beat herself up over missed catches, not when she was so young and this was her first real outing.

Still, Graywind considered her apprentice's words thoughtfully. "Do you think you'd like to try sparring, instead? It might help you grow more comfortable in leaping after or pinning prey down effectively." Of course, Graywind was a fair bit larger than a mouse, but being able to hold an opponent down without having to think too hard about it would translate to prey... Or so Graywind hoped.

Violetpaw forced herself to believe her mentor's words, but was happy to move on topic from her recent failure. "Yeah, sure!" Wanting to show off her limited knowledge on sparring, the pale apprentice position herself opposite Graywind and tried to centre her balance so she wouldn't be knocked over as easily, despite her small size. "What do I do first?" She asked once she was comfortable in the position.

Although she knew this was just a spar for training, a thought crossed Violetpaw's mind - if she couldn't stand the sight of a squirrel who met a bloody end at her own paws, how in Starclan's name was she supposed to be a decent warrior? The apprentice tried to shake the worries aside, because (as far as she was aware) Skyclan wasn't currently at war with any other clan, so the chance of her actually having to fight another cat were slim. Slim, but never impossible. Violetpaw would cross that bridge when she got to it.

"Like with hunting, you want to keep a wider stance so you're more balanced. Keep yourself lower to the ground, because it'll be harder to be knocked over or lose your footing." Graywind began to explain, "Tuck your chin to protect your throat. Keep your tail close, as opponents can grab that and use it as leverage." She added, "This isn't a real fight, so our claws will be sheathed. What do you think you would start out trying to do?" Graywind hadn't frequented the nursery much, but she assumed that Violetpaw had play-fought her brother or one of the other kits before. That would help a little, but otherwise, she wanted to get a feel for where her apprentice's head was at before jumping into the sparring practice.

Violetpaw ducked slightly, just as Graywind instructed, also tucking her tail and chin in. It was strange how different and yet similar it felt to the hunting crouch. Just like most kits, the apprentice had play-fought plenty of times with her brother when they were younger, and now she understood how that translated into warriorhood. She carefully considered her first move, inspecting her mentor who was in the same position as herself. "Uhm... make it so you're on your back? Because then if you're pinned it's much harder to fight back. That's how Alderpaw usually wins our fights." However, Violetpaw wasn't beaten easily by her littermate, and had used her slightly smaller stature many times to escape and pin him in return, usually ending their tussles with a gentle cuff around the ear.

"Yes." Graywind nodded, "We develop strong legs from climbing trees, and that helps us pin opponents down. If they're expending energy trying to get out from beneath us, that's less time they spend attacking and will tire them out faster. Ideally, you'd be the one to surprise your opponent, too, but that won't always be the case. And if your opponent is larger than you - too large to pin down easily - the best thing you can do is make them fight to keep their balance. It's a distraction and while someone focuses on regaining their footing, it's much harder to attack." She explained.

"Otherwise, fights mostly come down to who can do more damage first. The belly is soft and not well-protected, though if you're trying to slide beneath your opponent to get to it you run the risk of getting tangled up with their legs too. The neck can be used to control head movement and prevent someone from biting while minimizing what they can do with their claws. Make sense?"

Violetpaw listened as closely as she could, praying to Starclan that she would be able to remember all this information at a time she would truly need it to defend herself. There was lots to know, but most of it made enough logical sense that it seemed reasonable enough to the young apprentice. "Yep, all good!" She said cheerily, immediately wishing she had asked more questions. No, no she would be fine. Protect your belly, don't get caught, make them lose their balance, teeth and claws bad to be near you. Everything was going to be fine.