Showing the Sights [C]

Acornstem was lost in thought as she sat at the base of the Highrock, tail steadily thumping on the snow as her mind raced for an answer to the complex question of how one was to train an apprentice who couldn't hear. Any advice - any warnings - she could offer would mean nothing to Hopepaw. She could train by example, try to coax her into performing a hunting crouch but how would they tackle fighting? How could they spar if Hopepaw couldn't be told it was just for pretend - what if it lead her to not realize that other cats could be a threat? She could at least learn the borders by smell but she wouldn't understand what it meant - why they were to stay on one side or even what borders to stay away from.

There was no simple answers - she couldn't grasp how Hopepaw saw the world and there was no real way to communicate her to get those answers. It was a reality she had never truly considered and she would have to be open and mindful how to go about this all... And despite how daunting it all was, the deputy couldn't deny the excitement that sent a shiver down her spine. Well, sitting around would solve none of her questions! Pushing herself to her paws, she headed towards the apprentice den, poking her head in to scour the nests for where Hopepaw was sleeping. Spotting her, she weaved her way in and gently prodded the she-cat awake. Once Hopepaw was aware enough, she motioned for her to follow her with a jerk of her head, before she turned to give the apprentice time to gather herself.

Oddly, realizing that she no longer slept with her mother and siblings made Hopepaw excited. No more crowded nursery, and a soft bed of moss just for her...! Without her littermates kicking her sides, Hopepaw was able to get a nice long rest. Of course, until another cat woke her up. With a tired but startled trill, her eyes blinked blearily up at the cat who had touched noses with her yesterday. She seemed nice enough. Though, why was she waking Hopepaw up now?

A moment or two passed before the new apprentice rose from her nest and followed after this other cat. It seemed the other cat wished her to follow. But this early? The apprentice finally bounded over to the other she-cat, blinking expectantly.

Acornstem stood nervously at the camp entrance for Hopepaw to follow her, shifting back and forth on her paws as she struggled for a better idea of how to handle this. How much did Hopepaw know - how much did she understand? The deputy couldn't fathom what it was like to live in a world without noise, how it would change ones' perception. It was like the apprentice was living in her own world, wasn't it? A word that only their actions could effect, their words literally meeting deaf ears.

Her ears perked as Hopepaw made her way over, giving her an apologetic look before she paused... And waved a paw between the both of them, trying to signal that the two were linked in a way before she turned and headed out of the camp. Leading her apprentice up the slope and into the forest proper, she frowned softly as she considered how to go about training hunting. She suppose her best shot would just to...Show it? She came to a stop, waving her tail for Hopepaw to likewise pause before she turned and dropped into a hunting crouch.

Her mouth briefly parted to speak before she caught herself - right, there wouldn't even be a point would it? However, after a few heartbeats she decided to do it anyways. "Copy me," she meowed, keeping her voice barely a whisper seeing how the sound of it wasn't what mattered. She stalked forward, keeping her movements slow so that Hopepaw could get a good idea of them before she sniffed the air.

She soon caught the scent of a squirrel, locating it among the nearby roots. With a flicker of her head, she attempted to draw Hopepaw's gaze in the direction of it - so that she knew what to look for before the deputy started to stalk forward towards it before she felt close enough to risk a leap. The squirrel's ears twitched as its head quickly shot up to stare at her, leaping onto the trunk as she came down on it. By the time her paws had hit the ground and she could redirect to chase it, it was long gone in the branches and she let out a soft huff. Well...That was far from the showing she would have liked - with a failed catch, would it impact Hopepaw's understanding of the situation any?

She shook her head before she turned, padding back to Hopepaw before she paused and circled a paw in Hopepaw's attention - trying to encourage her to try it out herself... And so the deputy could get an idea of what Hopepaw had made of all of it hopefully.

Acornstem attempted to catch a squirrel and failed, costing 5 stamina.

Acornstem:
70/70 HP
155/160 SP (-5)

The member 'Honey Badger' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Leaving camp! Hopepaw cast a hesitant glance around the camp just as she was about to exit. No cat was stopping her. Some seemed excited for her. She blinked a few times, remembering the times Father stopped her from heading up the rocky slope that led out of their home. None of that now. She lifted her tail with unknown confidence and bounded after the older cat. They walked awhile, and Hopepaw hurried to take in all the sights. These were the trees she could see over their walls of thorns. Hopepaw tasted the air. Earthy smells of moss and herbs barely peeked from the ground. The apprentice marveled at the smells and sights, her attention returning to the same cat she followed.

It seemed she wanted Hopepaw to watch. The other cat's eyes flicked in one direction before looking back at her for confirmation. Her siblings did that often! Hopepaw nodded, watching Acornstem crouch. Excitement raced into her chest. Oh! She usually played this game with her siblings! They hunted moss just like that all the time! Blue eyes shone with glee. Maybe this cat was her New Sister! More cats to play with! Hopepaw was moments away from taking the first jump toward the moss just beyond a patch of snow in front of New Sister when a shape shot across the forest ground. Instinct kicked in, and the small apprentice lunged after it. A squirrel! That's where the food came from. The clan has to play catch with the animals. If the prey loses, they become food!

Hopepaw lunged over a bush, landing beside a large patch of snow. The squirrel had stopped on a short oak tree. If Hopepaw was quick enough, she could grab it. For just a moment, the apprentice marveled at how the creature blended in. If she wasn't looking for it, she may have missed it. Remembering the pose that New Sister entered before jumping, the apprentice did her best to copy it. Only after glancing down at her paws did Hopepaw realize how much she stood out against the muddy ground. Frowning, she shifted to be closer to the snow, hoping she seemed similar to the snow rather than the fact she was a cat. Her turn!

With a quick leap, the apprentice sunk her teeth into the neck of the squirrel and her claws into the bark. Holding herself there for just a moment, the prey wiggled for a moment before losing to Hopepaw in their game of chase. She glanced back towards New Sister with eyes filled with glee. Pushing off, she landed on the muddy ground, splashing her white pelt a brown around her paws. It didn't seem to bother her, as Hopepaw held up her prize towards New Sister.

Hopepaw attempted to catch a squirrel and succeeded, costing five stamina.

Hopepaw:
15/15 HP
25/30 SP (-5)

ooc: Physically, Hopepaw isn't disabled aside from hearing. But technically, she still is disabled, so unless stated otherwise, I'll give her the lesser stats.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

A purr of relief escaped Acornstem as Hopepaw quickly showed the natural instinct for hunting - getting an idea of what was meant to do as she managed to track and catch a squirrel. She couldn't help but wonder what the apprentice thought of the entire thing as she approached, leaning forward to give Hopepaw a lick on the head as the young she-cat held out the squirrel in pride. She nodded her head as she drew back, turning away as she tasted the air. There was still prey about, but it was clear that Hopepaw had managed the basics. It wouldn't be easy to teach her how to refine her hunting talent, but she seemed to have had a knack to realize to hold herself closer to the ground and perhaps she would do better slowly fixing her own stance as she learned and grew.

It now raised the question of what to do next. ...Well, once she got the hunting basic down she would often go into battle training but there was a bit of a worry in her mind on that front. Sure she could likely start a spar with the apprentice, she would likely gather it was like a play fight but what if that soured her perception on battle as a whole...? What if she failed to realize what a true fight would be, thinking any hostile action was just the start of a spar...? ...No, she would need more time to dwell on that so... She turned back, finally accepting the squirrel from Hopepaw and motioned for the apprentice to follow her again.

This time, she lead her deeper into the forest until the trees started to give away and a black path started to peak from between the bushes. Dropping the squirrel among the roots, she lead her apprentice a few steps closer to get a better look at the Thunderpath before she raised a paw to stop Hopepaw from taking any steps forward. Once she was certain that she had gotten the order not to move any further, she drew a paw across the snow at their feet to make a line. She dipped her head in the direction of the Thunderpath, then at the line at her paw. Putting one paw on the side closer to them, she nodded as she flickered her tail to signal the both of them, before she raised a paw to-

She froze as the ground beneath her started to shake, a familiar growl starting on the horizon. Her ears pinned back as she crouched, using her tail to cover Hopepaw and likewise push her lower to the ground as growl started to grow into a roar and the shaking of the earth grew stronger in turn. Finally a monster darted past them, here and gone in a blink of an eye before the noise started to fade. She huffed, slowly allowing them both to stand once she was certain that the monster was gone. She finally put her paw on the other side of the drawn line, giving a strong shake of her head - hopefully that, along with the well-timed monster would be a strong enough warning to not cross it.

The gentle lick to her head made Hopepaw practically glow with pride. New Sister was proud of her! In that case, maybe she could catch every squirrel she saw! They couldn't run away from her; she was too fast. Leaving the heavy prey to New Sister, Hopepaw followed her side by side. Her long, fluffy tail was held so high that the tip of her tail curled forward, leaning over her back. The confidence didn't stop when they approached the darkened stone road. Hopepaw could smell the odd odor from where they were, and it was rancid! She scrunched her nose and observed New Sister drawing a line in the snow.

Her head tilted. Wracking her brain for what it could mean, Hopepaw wasn't quite sure. But, the urge to jump on the pile of flat, fresh snow took over, and the apprentice turned away. Only for the ground to begin to shake and New Sister to press Hopepaw to the ground. Hey! That's not fair! New Sister is too big to get a surprise attack! Letting out a squeak, she rolled onto her back, ready to throw some kicks before the rumbling became too much to ignore. She straightened up to her paws, ears flicking in various directions. Was the wind picking up? Why was the ground purring? She could feel it like Mother or her siblings did. But the forest wasn't alive--

All thoughts were dashed from her head as a blast of wind and a dark-colored... thing sped past. The shaking (most certainly NOT purring, Hopepaw decided) had gone from bone-rattling to still in a matter of seconds. The wind blustered the apprentice, flinging her long fur into disarray. But Hopepaw herself crouched on the ground, pressed into New Sister's side. Blue eyes shone wide in absolute horror. The stench. The shaking. The size. It could have swallowed her whole and dashed away before New Sister could react! Was it going to come back?

The ground may have stopped shaking, but Hopepaw had not. Fear tingled down her spine. New Sister knew it was coming long before her. As Hopepaw went to stand, her legs failed her, and the apprentice dropped back into a crouch, eyes locked on the distance ahead where they had last seen that thing vanish.