The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
Welcome to WCC! Here are our latest announcements:
Activity checks take place on the 1st of the month. PM a staff member with the completed form if you missed it.
Newleaf is finally here, and the Clans hope to find reprieve from the tough Leaf-bare.
Gatherings take place on the 1st of the month; keep your eyes out for a staff member's post!
Please feel free to hit up any staff member if you have any questions!
Subject: Fresh Start [Mallowpaw] Tue 30 Jan 2024 - 19:15
The clan had stopped for the evening, as long shadows crept across the snowy ground. It wasn't Skyclan's territory, and it was unfamiliar and unnerving, but Stoneheart thought that she might be able to get at least some of the basics of training started with Mallowpaw today. She wasn't sure of where to start really, with this being her first apprentice... But she would try.
"Hi Mallowpaw," The fluffy tabby mewed as she approached the younger cat, "I think we'll try learning to hunt today. What do you think? Not many trees here, or I'd teach you how to climb instead." Oh, how she longed for the familiar territory of home... But the snow-covered mountains would only be temporary.
MALLOWPAW ! Hunting! Mallowpaw wondered what mystical powers warriors had bestowed upon them that enabled them to read the minds of young cats. He'd been hoping his first training would be exactly this! "Oh, yes!" He chirped excitedly, his paws just leaving the ground when he bounced up.
He swung his head around, his eyes raking the expanse of white around them. There was so much snow out here... He was completely perplexed now. "What are we hunting, Stoneheart?" The better question was how; he held his tongue instead of asking that. He knew a good SkyClan warrior could hunt in any condition, but this wasn't the territory he'd grown up in, nor was it the forest that they were allegedly returning to. He was a far cry from a seasoned SkyClan warrior... Mallowpaw was a fish out of water right off the bat and felt his fur heat up with anxiety.
He didn't want to return to the Clan empty-pawed...
Mallowpaw's excitement was refreshing when so many of the clan were tense and tired. Stoneheart smiled at her apprentice, paws coming to a stop and turning toward Mallowpaw as he questioned what they would be hunting. "Birds and squirrels are our usual fare... I think we might have the best luck with birds out here. The mountains aren't what I'm used to." She began, then dropped into a crouch with her paws spread evenly and head lowered, tail in line with her shoulders and back and hips. "Before we get to actually hunting though, you need to know how. Try to emulate this. It might feel strange, but you'll get used to it. Posture is important, and so is balance."
MALLOWPAW ! Mallowpaw watched as Stoneheart demonstrated for him, his neck stretched out with an intense curiosity. This position looked familiar to him; it was the same crouch he used with his denmates in the nursery when they were playing, or when he was prowling towards a particularly interesting moss ball. Of course, his crouches then had been far more unrefined than Stoneheart's... It still had gotten the job done. He swung his head from side to side to get a proper grasp of his mentor's form and attempted himself.
It certainly felt strange, just as she had predicted. Mallowpaw fought the urge to raise his rump in what was likely a playful bow and managed to get it partially right. His back was straight and he tucked his paws in, but he stretched his neck out awkwardly and his tail lashed behind him noisily. He hadn't noticed yet, far too excited to learn to care. "Am I doing it right?"
"Almost, a good first effort though. Try to keep your neck and head a little straighter, you don't need to stretch so awkwardly." She mewed, "And be mindful of your tail, prey will see it waving about." It was an easy mistake to make and she had seen plenty of apprentices who weren't mindful of their body accidentally alert prey to their presence. "When you move, you'll want to be careful of where you step, too. Brushing against foliage or accidentally snapping a twig under your paws will create noise." Not that there was much of either here in the mountains, but the snow and barren landscape was a different challenge.
"Now... Take a look around. Do you see anything? Smell anything? Live prey smells a bit different than what's on the fresh kill pile, but it should still be recognizable."
MALLOWPAW ! Mallowpaw sucked in a deep breath. He'd made a mistake the first time, that was fine. No cat ever got their hunting crouch perfect the first time, he was sure. He forced himself to stifle his disappointment, not wanting to reveal any sort of negative emotion to his mentor. He didn't want to dwell on it either. He would have more opportunities to work on his hunting crouch soon, he was certain.
Stoneheart had praised his effort as well, which put him at ease to some extent... but when she continued? He understood it was a gentle reminder to be quiet or he'd scare all the prey away. He'd been told that before as a kit when he'd yelped a little too loud, scolded once by a cranky elder. There was his anxiety creeping up on him and he pushed that away, too. Expecting failure brought failure, and Mallowkit certainly was not a failure. "Got it, Stoneheart. I'll remember." He promised and straightened himself out.
He closed his eyes, tilting his chin towards the sky and sniffed lightly a couple of times. A warm, airy scent filled his senses. The aroma was familiar, but he couldn't quite place exactly what it was. An avian of sorts, but what kind? "I think... I think it's some sort of bird?" Blinking his eyes open, he scanned the snowy terrain. Off in the distance a little wren fluttered down from a barren tree sapling, hopping about in the snow. "There!" He breathed out, shrinking back in the same instant for fear that it would spot him.
A deep breath from Mallowpaw said he might have been feeling something, probably embarrassed at the reminder, if he was anything like she had once been. Stoneheart didn't know him well enough to say either way, and to her what mattered is that he tried again. He seemed determined, as any true Skyclan cat would be.
She waited as the apprentice closed his eyes and got his bearings, his answer was less sure now, but that was alright. "You got it." She nodded at him, a slightly smile tugging at her mouth at Mallowpaw's assessment. "In time you'll be able to recognize them faster, and tell different types of birds from each other too." She added.
"Think you're confident enough to try catching it? Or would you rather a demonstration?" She asked, keeping her voice soft. She would try not to startle the bird as they talked, even if it was some distance away.
MALLOWPAW ! Mallowpaw straightened up again, his ears swiveling forward towards the wren. Stoneheart had given him options... Either he could go for the wren on his own, or she could demonstrate. His paws tingled and he told himself it was excitement rather than the frigid terrain beneath him.
If he went to catch it on his own, it could show initiative. If he caught it, he could show it off in camp and tell Yewpaw all about how he'd caught his first piece of prey on the first try! Honeypaw would probably be proud of him, too... But if he missed, he'd look like a fool and would have bitten off more than he could chew.
If he let Stoneheart show him, it was as simple as watching her to see how it was done. He would learn something else from her.
"I want to try by myself, if that's okay." Mallowpaw decided, looking up at the fluffy she-cat for permission. His eyes were hard with determination and he could feel a renewed sense of energy rippling through his growing muscles, fueling his newfound determination. He'd never been a very driven cat, much preferring to play about with denmates or take a nap if he wasn't daydreaming. Since befriending Yewpaw and leaving the lake, however... Mallowpaw wanted to pull his weight. "I think I can do it."
Subject: Re: Fresh Start [Mallowpaw] Sat 3 Feb 2024 - 16:01
Mallowedpaw seemed to think it over before deciding to go for the bird himself, and Stoneheart nodded. "Go for it, Mallowpaw." She would stay where she was and hang back. She did not want to risk being a distraction or accidentally scaring the prey off. Stoneheart sat, nodding once more at her apprentice in silent encouragement.
MALLOWPAW ! Mallowpaw internally stomped down his excitement. If it came out now, he'd scare away his precious bird! If he was going to lose it, he'd rather lose it when he was actually stalking it.
With a nod of his head after Stoneheart gave her approval, he lowered his body down into another crouch, reminding himself of the advice she'd given him. A self-conscious glance at his tail told him he was keeping still. That was good! So he inched forward, wary of the way he set his paws down into the snow, and doubly wary of whatever may be beneath it. Just his luck to step on a stick...
But stars above, he'd done it! Not stepping on a stick, but catching the bird. Just barely, but he'd managed. He leapt a little too early and the wren had started to fly off. Panic flared in his chest and he gave it another go in the half second he had to spare. A proper SkyClanner jump into the air and he managed to hook his claws into the little thing, bringing it back to the earth. In a heartbeat, the deed was done and he whirled around to look at Stoneheart with a wren dangling from his jaws. Suddenly it was like the snow was barely there, as he bounded back through it with little effort, squeaking like an excited kit, his words muffled by his catch. "Stoneheart! Stoneheart, I did it! Did you see?"
Mallowpaw is attempting to hunt a bird. 53/60 SP [-7]
Last edited by Grohiik on Sun 4 Feb 2024 - 6:50; edited 3 times in total
Mistpelt
Characters : Mistpelt Clan/Rank : RiverClanWarrior Number of posts : 15106 Age : 30
Subject: Re: Fresh Start [Mallowpaw] Sun 4 Feb 2024 - 6:44
The member 'Grohiik' has done the following action : Dice roll
'Hunting Dice' : 1
______________________________________
♪~Founder/Owner of WCC~♫ ~Forever a RiverClan Warrior~ ~Please pm Administrators with queries as I'm not active~
Subject: Re: Fresh Start [Mallowpaw] Sun 4 Feb 2024 - 13:33
Stoneheart watched intently as Mallowpaw dropped into a hunter's crouch and began to stalk his target. He was conscious of his tail - good. His form had improved already, and would continue to do so as he trained. His leap came a little early, but the apprentice thought quickly and managed to salvage it with an impressive leap, bringing the bird down.
Stoneheart smiled as he came bounding back to her, "Well done, Mallowpaw! You salvaged that well." Stoneheart purred at the sight of the bird he carried. "Here, we can dig a hole and come back for it... Actually-" She paused, remembering something from her own training, "Do you know why we bury our catches?"
MALLOWPAW ! The feathers of the wren were buffeted by Mallowpaw's heavy breathing, flying in towards his face over and over again. He set it down on to the snow to get a good breath of air in without having the tantalizing scent of prey tempting him. All the while, he was purring helplessly. He was far too proud of himself, but kept a reminder in the back of his head that it was simply luck. He salvaged it... Next time he would do better. Practice made perfect.
As the young apprentice pondered the question Stoneheart gave him, he scooped pawfuls of snow out of the way to make a hole as directed beforehand. "Not... Not really." He admitted reluctantly, offering a sheepish laugh in turn. "Sorry, Stoneheart." He truthfully didn't even realize he was supposed to bury his catch. What good would it serve out in the snow? Warm prey became cold prey! Gross.
Stoneheart had not expected Mallowpaw to know the answer to that question right away, in truth. It wasn't something usually explained to kits, and even some apprentices went without ever really knowing why clan cats did things a certain way.
"Burying prey helps hide the scent of it from other animals. Fresh-kill tends to attract scavengers as well as predators, so you don't want to be carrying it around with you while you're out patrolling." She began, "The scent of blood on the wind isn't something you can salvage if prey smells you, either. In greenleaf, burying prey in a shaded, dry place will help keep it fresh a little bit longer too. In leafbare, hard-packed snow like this can insulate and keep it fresh, as well."
MALLOWPAW ! Mallowpaw looked all around him as Stoneheart explained. He couldn't see anything that looked particularly predator-like or smell anything alarming, but he supposed they liked to come around when least expected. Predators, like himself, didn't exactly want to reveal themselves to prey when they were hunting. If they were here, it made sense that he couldn't see them.
He nudged the wren into the hole he'd made, packed snow over it loosely and nodded. He'd have to remember this place when they were done. "Okay! What next?" He patted the snow pile lightly. "Do I get to try again? I'd love to see the look on everyone's faces when they see how much fresh-kill we bring back!" Mallowpaw purred, his eyes shining brightly. "I can brag to Yewpaw about how great my mentor is!" He paused a moment, looking at his paws. It didn't last long enough for Stoneheart to say anything back to him, and he spoke quickly as though he were self-conscious about his words. He'd felt a bit guilty, in truth. He was so eager to show that he could catch something that he hadn't taken the opportunity to learn! "I should probably let you show me the proper way to hunt, too."
![Fresh Start [Mallowpaw] Mistpe10](https://i.servimg.com/u/f80/12/50/89/25/mistpe10.gif)
![Fresh Start [Mallowpaw] Sig2](https://2img.net/h/i105.photobucket.com/albums/m235/Nightshade302/siggys/sig2.gif)
