Strong in the real way (c)

Sageroot couldn’t help the smile on her face as she padded through the forest with her new apprentice.

“Now, Lakepaw,” she purred. “We’re going to practice hunting today. But first I want to tell you something, I speak Feral. We can talk in whichever language you prefer. Now, show me your best hunting crouch. I don’t expect perfection, I just wanna see what you already know.”

Forest Speak
Feral Speak

Lakepaw galloped alongside Sageroot; he was still smaller than her. But knowing his parents' size, he hoped that one day he would be taller than the other cats! Then he could protect them more easily. Lost in thought, he had kept walking when Sageroot had stopped. Realizing his error, the new apprentice scrambled back towards his mentor. "Sorry! I, uh, got caught up looking at the forest." Certainly not dreaming about growing up already. Nope, not at all. "I figured that out when you spoke Feral at my ceremony..." He laughed, shaking his head. "Honestly, I'm under the impression that any cat can speak feral unless proven otherwise." His amber eyes blinked up at Sageroot.

With as much finesse as he could muster, Lakepaw settled into a crouch. His body felt too odd as if it didn't fit him right. As a result, the weight distribution in his crouch centered more forward than on his hindlegs as necessary. "I feel like a duck." Lakepaw murmured, gazing down at his paws to figure out how to place them. His siblings were infinitely better at this than him. His dark ears flicked back in displeasure as a stray thought crossed his mind: Sageroot regret taking him on already?

Sageroot chuckled. “Whoops, forgot about that. Yeah, a lot of ThunderClan speak both languages now. The other clans don’t, though.” Looking at Lakepaw’s posture, she smiled. ”Lean back just a little,” she mewed. ”I didn’t have great posture at your age either, no worries. We’ll figure this out together. Now, most warriors will scent the air or the ground to find their prey. I can’t smell very well, though, so I listen instead.”

Sageroot fell silent and stood still, eyes shut and ears perked. Suddenly, her ears swiveled to the left as she pinpointed a faint rustling. She ducked low into a crouch and began stalking her prey. Suddenly, she leapt into a bush. After a couple rustles, the pale tabby reappeared with a mouse in her jaws.

”This wasn’t the cleanest kill. Normally, a single bite to the back of the neck is enough but I couldn’t get a grip fast enough this time. It happens.”

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Forest Speak
Feral Speak


He followed his mentor's advice, settling weight more into his haunches. It did not feel correct, but he hoped it would resolve itself with more training. The apprentice watched Sageroot carefully, watching her movements with a careful eye. Then, the deputy vanished in a flash, leaving Lakepaw to stand upright, ears perked to where his mentor vanished. "Woah! You made it look so easy." The young tom inspected the freshly caught mouse. Suddenly determined to do something similar despite his awkward hunting crouch, the apprentice turned away and galloped a few tail lengths deeper into the forest. "My turn." He whispered, dropping into his awkward crouch and tasting the air; the young apprentice searched for something else to hunt.

It took him a bit longer than his mentor, but the scent of another mouse had him dropping into a crouch, spotting it amongst the stalky branches of a bush nearby. Eyes locked on it's form, he lept. To Lakepaw's great pleasure, he landed on the mouse with both paws, his weight pinning the creature to the ground. It squealed in shock for a moment, but he quickly ended it's warning call with a bite--as Sageroot had advised.

A satisfied hum filled his chest, and the tom bounded back towards his mentor, about to showcase his prize before--the tom's big paws caught up with him and his excitement. And...well... the apprentice face planted bowling himself over. Letting out a squeak of his own, Lakepaw untangled his paws and lept back to his feet. "S-Stupid paws!" It was too late. He was embarrassed again.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

“Hey, no worries!” Sageroot chirped. “Look, you caught your first prey! And look at it compared to mine. You made a better kill than the deputy! I remember training your uncle Wiggleworm. He had really big paws when he was your age, too. I bet you’ll be as big as him someday!”

Forest Speak
Feral Speak

His mentor's comforting words let the apprentice relax. He was frustrated about his own body and found it hard to adjust. But..."Really? He echoed, recalling his uncle's massive form. Easily two or three Lakepaws stacked on top of each other. Or maybe he was overestimating—either way. "And you trained Wiggleworm?" He purred and excitedly bounded closer to Sageroot. "What was he like? Was he a good apprentice? What did he struggle with the most? Will you show me all the cool moves you showed him?" The questions spilled out from him without the apprentice even thinking. He could be as big as Wiggleworm? Where to even start with training?

Sageroot smiled at the young tom’s enthusiasm. “Yep, he was my first apprentice. I was his second mentor, though. He’d already been training for a while when he lost his first. He was like you in many ways, but he wasn’t very confident back then. His old mentor had been mean to him, and he didn’t think he mattered very much. I told him that his life is important, and that being different is okay. There’s still some cats who can be pretty mean. Don’t let them get to you, okay? If someone says mean things to you, you can tell me and I’ll take care of it.”

Forest Speak
Feral Speak

Lakepaw nodded sagely. No cat had ever made fun of him, at least to his face. Indeed, his constant fumbling was cause for amusement, but no cat had pointed it out. The wonder at Wiggleworm's rough start caused him to get momentarily lost in thought. His uncle didn't let his old mentor's behavior continue to bother him. Maybe it even made him stronger? Maybe, his embarrassment at his clumsiness would make him stronger. Somehow. Shaking his head, the apprentice looked back at Sageroot. "No cat has bothered me yet." He was at least happy to inform Sageroot of that. "I'll try to handle it on my own, but if I can't, I'll talk to you!" Here is to hoping the other cat will talk it out.

"What's next, Sageroot?"