Oriolepaw nodded, slowly feeling more comfortable as Sootfur assured him that he’d come into his own fighting style naturally. After his experience with him at Wisteria Falls and in the medicine den, the apprentice was sure that Sootfur cared deeply for the well-being of the ‘paws in his Clan.
Given that, he wouldn’t tell Oriolepaw anything if it wasn’t true. He rose to his paws, giving a single lash of his tail. “Okay. Let’s try it, then.” He wasn’t sure if he should make the first move, so he decided to let Sootfur decide.
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Fadingstar is currently RiverClan's leader. He has an open den policy; his den can be found here. If you have any questions or concerns about RiverClan, or any plots to propose, feel free to leave me a VM or DM! Please do not take my characters' IC opinions as reflective of my own.
Last edited by occultation; February 22nd, 2023 at 04:55 PM.
Sootfur led Shrikepaw through the undergrowth. Muskrat Mire.
He turned to the orange and white spotted apprentice, a serious expression showing on his face as he stayed alert for any sound or movements in the background. "Stay behind me. We will avoid Muskrats as much as possible, got it? Let's search for smaller, less dangerous prey."
Sootfur was actually curious of these weird animals that he'd never seen, but he was also aware of their dimensions and long claws. It recalled him of the gopher he'd been able to catch with much difficulty and a few scars during his assessment, at Giant's Rest. The gray tabby certainly didn't want to put the young cat unnecessarily in danger, especially in leaf-bare when herbs were so few.
He flicked his tail as a signal to walk silently, scanning the surroundings with his mouth open to catch up some trail scent.
»»————- ☀︎︎ ————-««
[ @FireSandwich (We have an extension until 25th Feb!)]
Shrikepaw nodded, following along closely behind the warrior. His ears pricked, the young apprentice paying attention to the noises around him with what little energy he had. He heard a small scuttling sound and stopped, flicking Sootfur with his tail. "Think there's something over there," Shrikepaw whispered, jerking his head towards a clump of grass.
Sootfur nodded approvingly. He had already scented the trail, and it seemed that a squirrel was having a little meal on the ground. Thank Starclan the nuts fall on the ground, otherwise we wouldn't ever see them!
"Can you tell me what it is?" He wanted to give Shrikepaw the opportunity to catch the first piece of prey and bring it back on his own, but he needed to know what prey he was stalking first. "Be careful. It's very close to that tree behind." He whispered in Shrikepaw's ears, nodding in that direction to let him know that if he wasn't careful, the squirrel would disappear as fast as a rabbit.
Sootfur was pleased when Oriolepaw calmed down. The young tom had seemed a bit anxious at first, and the gray tabby couldn't guess what on earth the reason may be, but he needed an attentive and concentrated apprentice right now.
At Oriolepaw's signal, Sootfur braced himself and tensed his muscles, ready to dodge or parry any attack. "Now, try to hit me. You can take a moment to think about that, so don't feel any rush." He suggested the black and orange apprentice with a friendly smile.
"Remember. Wits are as important as muscles, and strategy is never to be neglected." He signaled with his tail that he was ready, and waited patiently for the apprentice to make the first move. He followed his body carefully, every tiny movement flickering like an alarm in his gray-blue eyes.
Wolfpaw kept his eyes and ears alert as he followed the warrior - Flameheart, if he had her name right - into the forest. This was his first time in the territory after initially being taken into camp by Sparrowstar. Some of the scenery looked familiar, but he wasn’t familiar enough to definitively say he knew where he was, or even necessarily how to get back to camp from here. He supposed that was why he needed to leave camp with a chaperone.
One would think that after being confined to the singular space of the junkyard for his entire life Wolfpaw would tolerate being cooped up in camp well - unfortunately, he had been finding it more difficult than ever to stay put after tasting the vastness of the forest. It was wild just how big the world was. Plus, it seemed this was a good way to ‘evaluate his skills’ which he had gathered to mean they wanted to figure out what he could do.
His paws flexed in the frosty soil and he looked to Flameheart, waiting for her instruction. He could do some basic hunting (after all he would have starved in the junkyard if he hadn’t learned how to catch rats and grasshoppers) but he wasn’t sure what else they would be looking for. What else did a cat need to know how to do? Fighting, maybe. Wolfpaw didn’t know if he could classify himself as a cat who knew fighting - he was good at running and evading, but actually throwing the blows was something he was inexperienced in.
[ right now i’m thinking mostly just some hunting practice so flame can get a feel of how he hunts and what he knows, but we can throw some sparring or something in their if you’d like ]
Flameheart
Flameheart hadn't planned on going on a walk until a little later, but she wanted to see what kind of skills Wolfpaw had to offer ThunderClan herself. She knew Sparrowstar probably knew what sort of skills this former outsider had, but was there any harm in double-checking? The young Keeper didn't really think so. Besides, she'd really just see where Wolfpaw was at in regard to his hunting skills. And who knows, maybe the young tom would be able to learn more than just how ThunderClanners hunted in the thick undergrowth.
"I know we didn't speak properly at the meeting, nor did I even give you a proper introduction to who I was- but I'm going to fix that. The name's Flameheart. I'm the youngest Keeper in ThunderClan, but you don't really need to know that. What you do need to know, however, is how to survive. One of the skills required is hunting. We hunt an assortment of prey such as squirrels, birds, mice, voles, and... that's about it. Why don't we do a little bit of show and tell, hm? I tell you what to track down and hunt, and you show me your skills. Do you agree?" she raised her brow and sat down on a smooth rock, eager to see how the young apprentice would respond to her challenge.
Sparrowstar might not agree with what I'm doing, but I have to see where he's at in regard to education and survival. ThunderClan depends on these future generations, and Wolfpaw is a part of one of those generations.
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Characters
Crow (Purrks: Heightened Perception, Agatha Kitty, Hulk SMASH, Dreamwalker)
Ravenhawk
Sootfur nodded approvingly. He had already scented the trail, and it seemed that a squirrel was having a little meal on the ground. Thank Starclan the nuts fall on the ground, otherwise we wouldn't ever see them!
"Can you tell me what it is?" He wanted to give Shrikepaw the opportunity to catch the first piece of prey and bring it back on his own, but he needed to know what prey he was stalking first. "Be careful. It's very close to that tree behind." He whispered in Shrikepaw's ears, nodding in that direction to let him know that if he wasn't careful, the squirrel would disappear as fast as a rabbit.
Shrikepaw studied the area and the scent, judging carefully. "Mouse? Or maybe squirrel. If it's squirrel we gotta be careful of the tree." He thought he remembered something about how you're supposed to stalk mice, but he wasn't sure. This was his first patrol out, after all.
ೃ⁀➷ @dino.|| sorry this took so long to start!!!
The bobtail traveled through the snow, a small trot in their steps as they glanced around. Specifically lingering on the large two large trees that had eventually fused into one. Asterdance could only ponder on how something so.. peculiar could happen. What were the chances?
Throwing their head back to glance at the Bumblebreak - the cat they had decided to drag out of the camp with them today - they flashed a toothy grin. "Thanks for coming with me, it can get .. erugh, stuffy staying all up in there for days. Still don't like leaving it alone, though, " Asterdance shrugged, briefly mentioning their .. more intense discomfort traveling alone. In their defense, death makes you cautious, okay? .. well, as cautious as they could be.
Asterdance kicked the snow with a soft sigh, "Noot too sure what we can do out here though. We could hunt, or talk - eH, dunno bout what, we could climb the trees, " They babbled off, beginning to slow down in their steps as an idea flashed through their mind. A mischievous glint. "Or. OR, " With a wiggle of their eyebrows, they turned around to face Bumblebreak properly.
"You want to play a game?? I know, a GREAT game, and we can do it right here. You up for it, ?"
bumblebreak === >
Bumblebreak trotted after Asterdance, peering at their surroundings. She hadn't been to Giant's Rest in a long, long time; the massive, fused tree was just as impressive as ever.
She bobbed her head as her companion spoke, flashing them a grin in return. "No problem. I hate being cooped up, too. It sucks 'n I get it." In all honesty, she was just... glad to be out here with Asterdance. Odd as it might sound, the other warrior made her feel at ease, more so than anyone else in ThunderClan. Their last clearing playfight had pretty much sealed that.
Game... GAME. She rounded on Astersance immediately and swatted a pawful of snow in the direction, aiming for their face, before she bounced back, grinning mischeviously.
Hunting, right, he could do that! Beastwatcher could totally Do that!
First of all he had to Scent out a Prey trail, which was easy in the forest. he took a deep breath and took in the scents of the Forest. the scent of vole tickled his nose. crouching down he creeped towards the smell as he tracked the critter down. spotting it nibbling on some old foliage he sprang forward and killed it in one blow. a good catch, he'd burry it here then come back for it.
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Pet's name: Zeki Of The Frozen Dawn
Last edited by Toya Todoroki; February 23rd, 2023 at 07:28 PM.
Hunting, right, he could do that! Beastwatcher could totally Do that!
First of all he had to Scent out a Prey trail, which was easy in the forest. he took a deep breath and took in the scents of the Forest. the scent of vole tickled his nose. crouching down he creeped towards the smell as he tracked the critter down. spotting it nibbling on some old foliage he sprang forward and killed it in one blow. a good catch, he'd burry it here then come back for it.
He Wandered a little way away before catching a new trail of scent, the scent of a sleeping nest of mice. at this time of the year they would probably be thin and boney but prey was prey and he had to pay for his crimes, and pay he would. he'd hunt every day, any day, no matter the weather, as he repaid his debt to his clan and leader for his past mistakes. he sprang towards a hole in the ground and racked up its contents with his claws, killing 3 of the 5 mice that had been hiding there. a catch well done he supposed, as he burrioed them with his vole from earlier
He Wandered a little way away before catching a new trail of scent, the scent of a sleeping nest of mice. at this time of the year they would probably be thin and boney but prey was prey and he had to pay for his crimes, and pay he would. he'd hunt every day, any day, no matter the weather, as he repaid his debt to his clan and leader for his past mistakes. he sprang towards a hole in the ground and racked up its contents with his claws, killing 3 of the 5 mice that had been hiding there. a catch well done he supposed, as he burrioed them with his vole from earlier
He Wandered a little way away before catching a new trail of scent, the scent of a sleeping nest of mice. at this time of the year they would probably be thin and boney but prey was prey and he had to pay for his crimes, and pay he would. he'd hunt every day, any day, no matter the weather, as he repaid his debt to his clan and leader for his past mistakes. he sprang towards a hole in the ground and racked up its contents with his claws, killing 3 of the 5 mice that had been hiding there. a catch well done he supposed, as he burrioed them with his vole from earlier
One More Catch then he would Take all this back to camp. he knew Sparrowstar had said 3 peices of prey, but he knew he could at least try to get more then that right?? So if he followed this faint scent trail, he'd find his last kill of the day. Peering through some dead foliage he spotted a crow pecking at the ground. he crouched down before launching forward to tke down the Bird and kill it with a finishing blow. digging up the mice and vole he paddled homeward...
Re: ThunderClan Training Cave
