teach a cat to fish (closed)

Today, Kitespring was going to take Violetpaw hunting. Fishing in the river would probably be the best thing to practice, and later on she could teach her land hunting. Scanning the apprentice den, the experienced warrior searched for her apprentice. Noticing her awake, Kitespring smiled. "Hey, Violetpaw?" she said. "Are you ready to learn to fish?" Wait, she could very easily say no, couldn't she? Stars, I hope she doesn't say no.

Wait. If she says no, I can teach her land hunting. That's fine too.

The thought comforted Kitespring as she waited for her apprentice's response.

Violetpaw stopped mid-lick, her eyes flicking up towards her mentor. "I sure am." The apprentice shook out her pelt and bounded over towards her mentor, touching her nose to Kitespring's shoulder. "Scarletpaw taught me how to swim very well, so I'm confident I can handle fishing." She stuck out her chest in pride. Her older brother had been interested in teaching her ahead of time, and it's thanks to him that she felt leagues above the other apprentices already. Even if some of that was her overconfidence.

Bounding with large steps alongside Kitespring, they made their way to the river. "Who was your mentor so long ago?"

Kitespring smiled at Violetpaw. "Well, you don't need to know how to swim to fish - though it is helpful to have tucked away. I'll explain it a little more once we reach the River." Flicking her tail, the experienced warrior took her apprentice to the river.

When Violetpaw asked Kitespring a question about her mentor, Kitespring nodded. "My mentor was Otterdance. He taught me a lot about hunting and fighting, and... honestly, the world would be so much different if he didn't exist." The warrior let out a sigh. "Otterdance volunteered to sacrifice himself to help bring back StarClan to help drive the Dark Forest away. He... he was stronger than most cats gave him credit for. Still give him credit for, honestly." She barely thought of her mentor's sacrifice herself, but she still remembered how it impacted the five clans, and how the world would have been different if he didn't volunteer.

Padding to the edge of the river, Kitespring smiled. "If you want, I can tell you more about it after I teach you fishing," she started, preparing to demonstrate. "First, stretch your paw all the way until it's fully submerged in the water. That's the range you need to be at to be able to swipe a fish onto." The russet she-cat dipped her paw fully into the water as an example, before pulling it back up. "You unsheathe your claws to try and hook the fish from underneath it, then scoop it upwards to try and catch it with your jaws. Let me give you an example."

Sighing, the russet she-cat waited for the fish to appear. She might have scared them off for now, but she felt like they would come back... eventually. "The big, important thing about fishing is patience," she continued, trying to turn this into a lesson. "It might take a long while for a fish to come close enough for you to reach, and that's normal. Don't overstretch, because you might scare the fish away, or even worse, fall in."

After an egregious amount of time, the russet she-cat noticed a fish swim in fish-catching range, before swiping down and hooking the fish from underneath it, before grabbing it with her mouth. Placing the flailing fish down, the russet she-cat smiled at Violetpaw. "Now it's your turn," she said warmly. "And don't worry about being perfect, just do your best. If there's something you don't get, I can help you."