ThunderClan Territory

[Polaris]

Originally Posted by Puddletail

@wolfnight (sorry it took me a while to post this)

Padding out of the camp entrance, Sycamorerain smiled as he heard the sounds of the forest coming to life, and saw the sunlight peeking through the tree canopy, casting interesting patterns on the ground. Turning around, he checked to see if Mossheart had decided to follow him. And when he saw that she had, he stopped and waited for her to catch up, scanning the nearby area to decide where they should go. "So, where do you want to hunt? I know that the Tree of Murmurs usually has a lot, but some cats hate going there. I don't really care where we hunt though, as long as we can catch something." He paced around a little, warming himself up as he waited for the other warrior's response.

@Puddletail (It's fine! Don't worry about it!)

As she followed Sycamorerain out of the camp, she sighed deeply, letting the sounds of the forest calm her. She loved the forest. It always seemed to be alive to her. Birds chirping, bushes rustling, trees swaying in the wind. She gave him a tiny smile as he turned to check if she was following. She thought for a moment before meowing, "I think the Tree of Murmurs is fine." She started to pad in the direction of the tree, still taking in the sights, and sounds of the forest.

[dino.]

[ @Beau ]

Buckbranch grinned down at him. This first session had gone so much better than he thought it would have gone. He'd imagined himself accidentally striking Cormorantpaw too hard and potentially injuring him, but it had turned out to be fine. It had been a pretty good day.
He fell onto his back so that his paws pointed up toward the sky, then he laughed. "I'd love to see the day in which you finally overpower me," he chuckled.
He rolled back over on his paws with a grunt. "I'd say it's high time we head back to camp, huh?"

[dino.]

[ @Ombre Party ]

Minnowthorn couldn't stop her brows from twitching. This apprentice was already proving to be a pawfull and she couldn't believe she'd been the one assigned to her. With a quiet huff, she glanced down at Sweetpaw. "If you can be quiet for just a moment, I MIGHT be able to explain," she growled. "We'll be starting out with tracking, and then move on to hunting."
She then turned toward Sweetpaw, and a hint of a smile finally flickered across her muzzle. "Go ahead and count to thirty. I'll go hide somewhere, and then you can try to find me using any signs that I've left behind or by following my scent. Hopefully a combination of both." She was already backing toward the underbrush, preparing to leap out of sight.

[Puddle~]

@wolfnight

Approaching the clearing in which it lay, Sycamorerain stared up at the evergreen which loomed over the trees in the immediate area. The rumor which accompanied the tree didn't exactly faze the warrior. He was one of the cats who just believed it was the wind making strange noises in the branches. besides, it was quite a beautiful sight, accompanied with the delicious smells of squirrels and birds. His voice low in order to avoid scaring off the prey, he opened his mouth to speak. "How should we go about this? Maybe one of us can make a loud noise on one side of the tree and the other will catch all the prey that rushes out the other side? Or perhaps you have a different paln?" He attempted to peer through the leaves of the tree, spotting multiple nests. It looked like there definitely was quite a bit of prey here. If they went with his plan, a lot of the prey would likely get the chance to escape. So maybe it wasn't the best idea. Hopefully Mossheart had some other idea.

[Polaris]

Mossheart padded after Sycamorerain and looked up at the big evergreen as they arrived. She had heard the rumors that the other cats said about it, but she ignored them. There was a lot of prey here, so why waste it? The tree looked beautiful. Patches of sunlight shone through the trees, making patterns of sunlight on it. She sighed in awe as she looked at it. She hadn't been to this part of the territory in a while, so she had forgotten the beauty of it. She looked at the tom with an amused expression. "If I scare them to you with a yell, you probably won't catch a lot, because so many will be running at you. Also, if you only catch a little, all the prey in the forest will already know that we are here." She was amused that he hadn't thought his plan through. Meanwhile, she sat down and thought for a moment. "Why don't we find some prey first. I'll pounce on the ground next to it, making it so it will run towards where you are hiding." She stood up, her tail held high in the air, satisfied with her plan.

@Puddletail

[Pluto]

[ @Slushie ]

Sweetpaw let out an exasperated huff as she barely managed to shut her maw. Ooh, but look at that- Her thoughts broke off as her mentor's movement flickered in the corner of her eye and she turned her head to look at her mentor. She noticed the flicker of a smile across her muzzle and Sweetpaw beamed back, happy to get a smile from her however small it was. She nodded, eyes narrowed with a sudden concentration before she looked at her paws and shut her eyes hard. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5..." She began counting irregularly, speeding up and slowing down but mostly going slightly faster than one normally would counting. She was just too excited! This was new! Fun! Sweetpaw had to resist from doing a happy wiggle dance while she counted. Ooh, I bet I'll be the best apprentice ever! But no more wiggle dances. I'm not a kit. She remarked in her head.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Beau

Howlspark blew a breath out of his nose, thinking about his response. This surely was a sensitive topic for many of the diehard clan loyalists, but Howlspark himself was much more of a free thinker. Maybe it came from being born a rogue. Still, it was an important conversation that he wanted to carefully consider before spouting any opinions. Howlspark hopped up a branch and scented the air for squirrel, not really paying attention to the smells that reached him. Keeping his eyes flickering through the beautiful, calming expanse of forest, Howlspark replied evenly, “yes. Or, rather, the opposite, but I think I know how you feel still. I came to Thunderclan at the age of 19 moons. Before that , my life was an abundance of freedom. The cats I knew didn’t understand my decision to join a clan, but I’d been needing some structure for awhile. I really felt like it was the best option for me. I guess what I’m saying is that I know what it feels like to hear a call leading you away from what you know.” He finally turned his yellow eyes on the other tom, “but only you can know if what your feeling is a call or a curiosity.” Perhaps he’d answered more than Jaggedhawk had wanted, but it was a question that Howlspark felt specifically well qualified on which to offer an opinion.

Jaggedhawk sat on the branch he was on, face twisted into a frown as he listened to what Howlspark said. Expression softening, the tom gave a shrug once the other warrior had finished speaking. "I suppose I really don't know. It's like... I want to go and get out of here, there's nothing holding me back from doing so, yet I still feel a hesitation." Jaggedhawk tilted slightly on the branch, dangling precariously close to falling off. Then he stood in one swell swoop, balancing lightly on the branch once more as he padded along it's length. "I love seeing new things and learning about everything, and I suppose clan life is just too... restricting for that. But clan life is also all I've known, so I'm not sure if I could do it. Go out and travel and live on my own that is." The silver tabby turned his face towards Howlspark once more, a little more confident as he continued speaking. "But... I think I could do it if I just tried. Just leapt into it, y'know?"

Originally Posted by TeamRiverRipple

@RedHead

[ frosttraining ]

Frostpaw could feel fear tighten the edges of her throat. What exactly was this hunting technique? And why was Cheryybubble.. laughing? Had Frostpaw done something to upset her? And Cherrybubble was just getting revenge, by sending her up into a tree to die? Taking a trembling step forward, Frostpaw gazed at the sturdy tree. It seemed to stretch up for ages.

"..."

[frosttraining]

"Do you need a boost?" Cherrybubble asked as Frostpaw hesitated, tilting her head to the side in question. "I promise you're not going to fall and get hurt... too badly at least. This is a good practice exercise! And with this hunting technique I'm going to show you you'll surpass the other apprentices very quickly." Cherrybubble gave the young cat a nudge with her paw, trying to be somewhat encouraging but growing impatient. "Up the tree we go slow-poke."

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Arie

-- @RedHead --

{ Doetraining }

Doepaw was slightly nervous. This would be her first time out of camp after her hunting accident which had ended up horrible for the young molly. Getting eaten by woodpeckers whose nest she'd apparently approached. That had not exactly been a nice experience. But now she was here.. Standing on the edge of Thunderclan territory, just outside of and taking in deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She had to be brave, she had to conquer her fear... But that was all to easily said and she still felt her body shake as she contemplated going out in the forest. She had to become a warrior though, she had to and in order to do that, it meant going out into the forest. She didn't know where Flintspirit was, but he'd told her he would meet her around here... It wouldn't hurt to take a few steps away would it? Could she even do it? What if she couldn't... She had to try. And so she just shuffled her paws out a bit. A bit. A small step. She could do it. She could. She could do it! With that she took a small jump but froze when she heard something crack and looked around, all of confidence fleeing out at an instant; but then she scented Flintspirit's clear distinctive scent. Ears flicking around she berated herself... She should've heard his approach. "Hi...We...doing...hunting... today?"

Flintspirit had padded out into the territory soon after Doepaw had, coming up beside her, not noticing her small freeze-up. He simply gave her a smile and flicked his tail in greeting, before giving a confirming nod. "Yep, hunting today. But don't worry, we won't be going up in the trees. I barely like doing that myself. We're going to be using the good ol' stalking technique today." Flintspirit then waved his tail and began padding forwards, taking a turn down a small and more windy path that lead towards the thickest, most central part of their forest. "Now tell me. Do you know about the different ways your supposed to stalk different prey? Such as... what's the difference between stalking a mouse and stalking a bird?"

[Arie]

Originally Posted by RedHead

Flintspirit gave Doepaw a small nudge, glad that she'd been listening to his instruction, but also wanting to let her know she's been doing well. "Don't worry, things just take a lot of time to learn. You'll get it eventually." He meowed, before turning a bat as he began to think of the next move, head tilted. "Alright so for this next one, you're going to want to-" Flintspirit had begun to walk forward so he could give himself some more space again, but was tripped by who he could only assume was Doepaw, and his momentum flung him forward and down onto the ground as he lost balance. "Well." He laughed, coughing up a bit of dusty earth that had gotten in his mouth. "I could say you've definitely learned something here, as have I." He sat up, flicking an ear as he gave Doepaw a raised eyebrow stare. "I've gotta keep my eye on you at all times during training." He laughed, getting to his paws. "But I think that should wrap it up for today, do you feel like you've learned something?"

{ Doetraining }

Doepaw was mildly happy. She'd managed to do what she'd set out to accomplish and had even gotten praise for it. Making her way back to Flintspirit she sat down, but then when he asked about wrapping it up, she stood up again shaking her fur. "I.. learned...that... big...cats.. fall.. harder... and...make...more...noise...than smaller... cats." She let out a soft laugh at that and nuzzled him a bit with her small head. She liked her mentor... he was fun and he taught her how to react to things and always made sure to think about how she might react and learn when it came to her blindness. Although she disliked being treated as an invalid, sometimes it was nice when others helped make things easier for you, and she really appreciated it. "I learned.... that...you... can.. fell... larger cats... if you're...smart.... And...that... it.. doesn't...matter..about...strength... if...your...target...is...distracted." She was happy with that because that had been what she had learned. And so, with the lesson finished, she slowly and carefully made her way to the exit of the cave, easily knowing where it as from the bright light she could feel against her eyes.

[Arie]

Originally Posted by RedHead

Flintspirit had padded out into the territory soon after Doepaw had, coming up beside her, not noticing her small freeze-up. He simply gave her a smile and flicked his tail in greeting, before giving a confirming nod. "Yep, hunting today. But don't worry, we won't be going up in the trees. I barely like doing that myself. We're going to be using the good ol' stalking technique today." Flintspirit then waved his tail and began padding forwards, taking a turn down a small and more windy path that lead towards the thickest, most central part of their forest. "Now tell me. Do you know about the different ways your supposed to stalk different prey? Such as... what's the difference between stalking a mouse and stalking a bird?"

{ Doetraining }

Following Flintspirit through the territory was nerve wrecking. But sticking close to her... pa, made it slightly easier for her to focus on where she was walking instead of panicking about the what ifs and ifs in general. She was safe with him, and especially now that he said they we're going climbing, it would be a huge relief. She was glad not to go up into trees, it hadn't exactly gone well the last time. When they finally made it to a small clearing or so it seemed to Doepaw, was a bit nicer. She didn't know how they were going to hunt here, but she would not question his judgement nor ideas without any reasonable counter argument. When he asked her the question though, the apprentice wrecked her brain, trying to search for memories. "A mouse... will hear... you...before...it...sees you... So...you...gotta...be...light...on your...paws. A bird.." she shook a tiny bit but took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself before focusing back on the question. "A...bird... will see... you. Before..it...hears.. you."