cresting the next ridge [c]

Ridgecrest sat like a silent sentry beside the apprentice den, watching the sun rise. It was Peonypaw’s first day of training and he was determined to ensure that everything would go smoothly for the timid apprentice. He wouldn’t wake her too early, but they couldn’t start training too late either… with a soft huff, Ridgecrest shrugged off his worries and padded silently into the apprentice den, nudging Peonypaw softly with a large paw.

“Time to wake, Peonypaw. I’ll be waiting at the camp entrance.”

The tabby tom made his way to the entrance, sitting beside it with his tail coiled around his paws and trying very hard to look… nice, he guessed? The scars and nicks adorned his pelt certainly weren’t doing him any favors, but he remembered being a horribly timid kit, and then an equally nervous apprentice. If there was anything he could do for Peonypaw, he would- the main goal here, he decided, was to increase the apprentice’s confidence by less… drastic means than his own.

…StarClan, he hoped Peonypaw had actually woken. Maybe he should’ve stayed to make sure? Oh gods, he really hoped she’d woken- was that her trotting out now?

Peonypaw awoke with a yawn as her new mentor woke her up. She couldn't believe she was an apprentice, and even had a mentor. She was very shy with ridgecrest as he was new to her but she decided to try to get over it. She slowely padded out of the den, wondering what her mentor had planned today.

As peonypaw stepped out of the entrance she noticed ridgecrest, he seemed to be trying to look nice but she couldn't understand why. Was it the scars? Her mother had a very bad face scar as long as peonypaw could remember. Scars never bothered tbe tiny calico as she just gave the tom a big smile, trying to let him know he didnt have to do what he was doing.

W-what are we doing?" She mewed quietly trying to get her voice louder but failing. So far she could only be her normal voice around amberpaw and her mother, but she hoped to soon change that. First she would get used to her mentor, then the rest of camp.

The she-kit asked a question in a faltering voice. Right. Step one- confidence. Ridgecrest was sure everything else would fall into place once that vital ingredient was added. He dipped his head in answer. “I thought I’d let you choose what we do first today- hunting, or learn the borders? I know you might want to learn to fight, but we can do that some other day. These two are the most important.”

Hopefully the sudden choice wouldn’t pressure her too much. “There isn’t a wrong answer, you know- this isn’t a test or anything. I just thought it might be nice to be able to choose.”

Gods knew Starlingflare hadn’t been worth horse-dung as a mentor, but Ridgecrest was determined to be different. They could do a quick loop over the borders today or focus on getting the basics of hunting technique down- either way, they could probably sneak a little hunting practice in. Fighting practice, though, he was determined to leave for another day. If they ran into a predator, he was fully capable of taking it down.

Peonypaw thought about the choices for a few seconds before concluding she would like to know more about the area. What happened if she got lost during the hunting, she decided against it to be on the safe side.

B-borders please." she mewed a bit more loudly this time as she was sure on her decision. She knew this would be great bonding for her as it would help her be less shy around her mentor.

Ridgecrest dipped his head once in a quick nod, then stood, leading the way out of camp and purposefully walking somewhat slower than usual. He doubted a new apprentice would appreciate a quick pace; it was more important for her to be able to observe and ask questions. “Alright. If you have any questions, feel free to ask ‘em. We’ll just do a quick loop around the borders so you can get an idea of the other Clans’ scent- pay your best attention and you’ll do alright. No-one’s sending a new apprentice off to mark the borders alone, and it’s generally pretty clear which side to stay on; ‘sides, no warrior’s gonna attack a new apprentice just a fox-length over the border. The worst you’ll get is a scolding, but I doubt that’ll happen.”

Their first destination was only a quick walk through the woods- the distant, sun-warmed boulders of Snakerocks. Ridgecrest gave it a wide berth as they skirted the clearing’s edges. “Snakerocks. Lotsa little wrigglers, there- don’t hunt there in green-leaf, too many snakes about. If you want to, I’d suggest waiting until leaf-bare, when they’re all sleeping and slow.”

They passed under the spreading branches of the Great Sycamore- a brief mew to tell Peonypaw it’s name, and then the distinctive sounds of the Thunderpath screeched in the distance. Still a ways away, Ridgecrest paused, just able to glimpse the acrid surface between the trees. “As long as you’re my apprentice, Peonypaw, I don’t want you within two fox-lengths of that thing. It’s a Thunderpath- loners call it a road, and don’t you think those ca- er, monsters are stuck to it. Sometimes they’ll come flying off. Not worth the danger- and, ‘sides, that’s ShadowClan’s marshes on the other side. Nothing good comes from over there. If you can smell that muddy scent, under the asphalt- er, black stone, that’s ShadowClan.”

He led the way along through the bracken, parallel to the Thunderpath but far enough away from it that the screeching faded to a distant murmur. Finally, as the sun rose high above them, they came to the very edge of ThunderClan territory. Not far away, the four oaks of Fourtrees could be seen. “You might be able to tell this is the end of our territory. That’s Fourtrees, over there- you’ll see it next Gathering, more ‘n likely. Alright. We can take a break, here- maybe practice some huntin’, if you’d like- I could show you the ropes real quick, afore we head off.”

Peonypaw followed her mentor throughout the territory learning so much. She got new scents, scenes, and even sounds she had never heard of before. Peonypaw was terrified but also fascinated all at the same time. As they got to the Thunderpath peonypaw froze as the constant roaring scared her. As they walked away once the information was given, Peonypaw let out of breath she didnt know she was holding.

Once they were at fourtrees they took a break. I could show you the ropes her mentor said and she was so excited. She didnt think she was even skilled enough to hunt but maybe watching her mentor would teach her a lot she didnt know. "Okay!" she mewed excitedly.

Ridgecrest grinned slightly, encouraged by his apprentice’s enthusiasm. It seemed she’d been enjoying her first day out so far! The large tom nodded, opening his maw to scent the air. “First, you’re gonna wanna smell about, see what you can scent and recognize from the fresh-kill pile in camp. Once you do- well, there’s different strategies for different prey. Generally, though, you want to approach lightly from downwind. Lemme see what I can scent.”

There was the distinctive scent of squirrel not far off in a thicket, but Ridgecrest elected to leave that to his apprentice. “I’m just gonna demonstrate on a bug so we don’t scare off anythin’ before you can try. Scent the air- what do ya smell?”

A small cricket on the leaves nearby caught the tabby tom’s attention. Sneaking forwards, large paws ghosting across the ground, Ridgecrest paused, wiggled his haunches, then sprung, pinning the small creature easily. “Once you catch your prey, just bite at its neck, alright? Go on, give it a try.”


Ooc: Here is the hunting system,, and here is the tutorial!. If you have any questions feel free to PM me- basically, you choose a prey type, choose the hunting dice (visible under the preview post option) and then post! Then you edit your post to reflect whether you caught your prey or not. If you roll a 10 and don’t want to RP the predator, no worries- just PM me and I can do it!

Roll for bug; success!

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Peonypaw watched as her mentor hunted a bug with perfect ease. One day she would be that good at hunting, but for now she had to practice. Peonypaw opened her mouth a tiny bit to help get a better scent of the area. As she caught the familiar scent of a squirrel nearby, she got into a crouched position, the one her mentor used.

As the calico she-cat spotted the small creature eating, peonypaw stopped before getting too close. When the squirrel lost its attention in its food, Peony struck! Before the creature could react it was too late, Poenypaw had already landed on it, claws unsheathed, as they went into the creature. To make sure it died, she bit the neck like her mentor said, then lifted it with her mouth. Poenypaw padded towards her mentor with a big smile, she had successfully caught her first prey!

Peonypaw has found a squirrel and pounced! Littlekitten rolled a 6, peonypaw succeeds  
57 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Ridgecrest watched carefully, appraising his apprentice’s moves with warm green eyes. Her crouch was good- she’d done well copying him, smaller paws ghosting across the leaves. He noticed the squirrel a moment before Peonypaw did- would she see it? Apparently, yes, and the apprentice was smart enough to be patient and wait until the perfect time to strike. A good pounce, and a sharp bite to the neck; not a bad job!

“Great job, Peonypaw!” Ridgecrest praised with a warm purr. “We’ve done a lot already today, so why don’t we take a quick break? You can enjoy your first piece of prey before we set off again, an’ we can go over some more talky stuff.”

The tabby tom stood and stretched, glancing over their surroundings quickly, just to ensure they wouldn’t be ambushed by some opportunistic predator. “I bet you already know the Warrior Code, huh? Any elder can fill you in on anythin’ you forgot, so I’ll jus’ tell you some of the tips I’ve picked up. First up- don’t chase squirrels inta trees unless you want to end up on the ground with a bump the size of a robin egg on your head. Second, don’t go out of camp alone until you’re a warrior, an’ even then, stay away from the borders if you’re not on a patrol. Too many rogues about. Third, know that those older than you probably know better.”

Once Peonypaw had finished her meal (yes, elders and kits were to be fed first, but he was the mentor here and they hadn’t eaten before leaving), Ridgecrest twitched his tail. “Ready to go?”

OOC: Sorry its short,Didnt really know what to put Peonypaw nodded as she licked her mouth to clean the blood off. She got to her paws ready to continue on after the nice meal.

Ooc: no worries lol

Once Peonypaw had finished her meal, Ridgecrest led on with a toss of his head, deeper into the bracken and away from the clearing that surrounded Fourtrees. “Comin’ up is the Owl Tree. You might’ve heard stories from the elders about an ancient leader, Owlstar, who learned to hunt as silent as an owl after watching the birds that nest here hunt every night. Personally, I think that’s mouse-brained. Goin’ out alone at night is a recipe for disaster, and owls would just as soon hunt you as a mouse. Not bad hunting, though, but remember there’s more ‘n’ likely a roost in the tree sleepin’ the day away, at least until some fool wakes them with a yowl.”

The trickling of the river could soon be heard through the trees, and the two cats came out onto the sandy bank. Across the waters, RiverClan’s marshy, wet territory could be seen. Perhaps if Peonypaw strained her eyes, she could make out the distant figures of a RiverClan patrol. “The River. Our border with RiverClan- can you scent them from across the water? Don’t go too near- it’s a right fierce current, and there’s no need to get too close to the water. Ahead of us is Sunningrocks- good hunting, but it belongs to RiverClan and there’s no need to annoy them. That away is Sandy Hollow- good training spot but we’ve had enough for today. Let’s head back, unless you’ve any more questions?”