For A Glory Worth Defending[C]

Subject: For A Glory Worth Defending[C] Tue 25 Jun 2024 - 19:27

Gold is in our blood

Snakepaw's first hunting lesson, and the first lesson Leopardwind would ever hold. Careful planning had taken place the night before after they returned from their tour around the territory. Hunting would be the first thing taught, there was no question about that. As the most basic and common skill, it was important that Snakepaw master it as swiftly as possible so that he may begin serving his Clan in ways more than merely caring for the queens and elders. But how would he go about this lesson? Rapidfire had not had the chance to teach him much; he had picked up the skill as a kit through constant observation and badgering of older clanmates and late nights training the skill. He wasn't sure if the case would be the same for Snakepaw, however. Perhaps a simple run-through of the basics-- scent, track, crouch, chase and kill-- with a visual example would suffice. Certainly, Snakepaw would be able to get an idea from there, and any more errors would simply be combed out with additional practice.

The black warrior beckoned his apprentice forward, allowing the two of them to now stand in the center of the clearing he had chosen. Cool wind rustled the long grass around them, carrying with it the scents of the moor. Good, he'll make use of it when teaching Snakepaw how to scent rabbits in the breeze, as well as how to stay downwind. Burning sulfur gaze focused on the white apprentice, and a stern set of instructions were given: "Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and ready yourself to learn. If you think you know anything; you now don't. Let me know when you have prepared yourself, and we will begin."

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Quillsplash | Bird / Tom / ShadowClan T5 Warrior / #802318
Leopardwind / Tom / WindClan T4 Warrior / #cc9900
Milkkit / Tom / RiverClan Kit / #dbc6ad

Character Profiles | Open Litter

Subject: Re: For A Glory Worth Defending[C] Wed 24 Jul 2024 - 18:42

The night before, Snakepaw's paws felt nearly worn raw from their first sweep through the territory, and he fell asleep the moment his body settled onto his brand new nest. That he'd had the foresight to make it before they left, he felt glad, shoddy as it was as his very first attempt making his own nest. The bone white apprentice, still dusty, slept deeper than ever, a night utterly dreamless and peaceful. The following morning was not nearly so quiet, but he spent it carefully grooming yesterday's remnants away. Looking back at his nest, he frowned at it, regretting his hasty slumbering as now he had to make it all over again. 'There is still some time until I meet with Leopardwind again.' This time, he gathered more moss, fluffy seeds, and bargained with a warrior for their freshkill's feathers. This time, when it was put together, it looked nice enough that he told himself he would always groom before he slept in it. At this point his prior engagement came calling, and he swiftly moved to follow his mentor back out into the territory.

-

Snakepaw stood with his mentor in a small clearing, a place where the grass wasn’t so tall that it blocked their view of each other. Absorbing his mentor’s words, he took and half step back, taking a breath and brushing aside his thoughts for the moment. After sine silence, he replied, “…I am ready for your instruction.” If the tom weren’t younger, he’d be giving his mentor an even, patient stare.

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{help me update the wcc family tree!}
Harebounce | Redsun | Snaildance | Snakepaw

"Close your eyes, I'll be here in the mornin'."

Subject: Re: For A Glory Worth Defending[C] Thu 8 Aug 2024 - 3:32

Snakepaw did not take long to ready himself. Leopardwind offered his apprentice no praise or comment for it, for they had neither the time nor the need to acknowledge what should have been a given. In fact, Snakepaw should have been ready the moment they left Camp, but that would come with time, he was sure.

With a flick of his tail to signal for Snakepaw to remain silence, Leopardwind took a few steps away. He scented the air, feeling the familiar scents of heather, morning dew and rabbits rush up to greet him. He then turned to address Snakepaw, his voice cool and patient as he began the lesson proper. "As you might have figured out by now, WindClan territory is a land where anything really blocks the path of the wind. If one screams from one end of the territory, there would be a chance that a patrol on the other end might hear them, if the wind was to carry the scream to them. It's empty, and anything you do can be spotted by anything at any moment. There's nothing to hide your pelt or your paw steps, nothing to conceal your approach. If you attempted to stalk something, chances are it'd find you before you were even a fox-length within reach. No, the method of hiding will get you little here in WindClan."

"As such, our ancestors have adapted to this way of life with a clever strategy. Rather than stalk our prey, we run with the speed of the wind, cornering our prey in pairs or running after them, and we catch our fresh-kill that way. It's worked for many generations of cats, and I've no doubt it will fit you just as easily. WindClan blood runs in you, after all." Leopardwind paused in his speech to regard Snakepaw. Lanky, with the lithe build of any proper WindClan warrior. Just as he had stated, Snakepaw would likely find no trouble in traversing the moorland.

"Scent the air, Snakepaw. Listen to the wind. What can you hear? What can you scent? And what do you do with this information?" Snakepaw would, surely, have enough brain in him to figure some things out for himself. Leopardwind found no reason to spoonfeed his apprentice when he could very well find out himself.

「R」

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Quillsplash | Bird / Tom / ShadowClan T5 Warrior / #802318
Leopardwind / Tom / WindClan T4 Warrior / #cc9900
Milkkit / Tom / RiverClan Kit / #dbc6ad

Character Profiles | Open Litter

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» It's Worth It [C]
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