Berrydust VS Training a Stubborn Ex-Kittypet

**Ziera** · #1 November 3rd, 2020, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoopy Eclipse

She nodded. "Open your jaw, sniff the air, and tell me what you smell", she mewed. "If you can't see the prey, the best way to find it is to smell it." She wanted to wait and see what Emberpaw new before going on. After that she wanted to teach her how to crouch, and have her practice on basic things like leaves, just for her to get the hang of it. That was one of the tips that Amberglow gave her.

“Uh….yeah, okay.” Ember’s ears twitched when she did as Berrydust said. The little calico’s mouth opened somewhat, revealing a neat row of pearly white fangs. A multitude of distinct scents filtered in. W—whoa. She’d done this before, obviously, but for some reason this was a more vivid experience.

Nothing stood out at first. Emberpaw started wondering if she was doing something wrong, because wouldn’t something have happened by now? Maybe if—wait. Wait! Ember closed her eyes, tried to focus better on the delicious, mouth-watering smell that wafted through her senses. Ember didn’t know what kind of creature it was. She just knew that it was close; her ears flickered toward the sound of little feet scurrying through fallen leaves.

“What is that?” Ember mewed, referring to the smell, her whisper rising in excitement. The calico didn’t open her eyes. She loved the way this made her feel… like a hunter’s instinct lived inside her, too, even if Ember had been a kittypet before. “Is it a mouse? Squirrel?”

**duCky** · #2 November 3rd, 2020, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redtalon

“Uh….yeah, okay.” Ember’s ears twitched when she did as Berrydust said. The little calico’s mouth opened somewhat, revealing a neat row of pearly white fangs. A multitude of distinct scents filtered in. W—whoa. She’d done this before, obviously, but for some reason this was a more vivid experience.

Nothing stood out at first. Emberpaw started wondering if she was doing something wrong, because wouldn’t something have happened by now? Maybe if—wait. Wait! Ember closed her eyes, tried to focus better on the delicious, mouth-watering smell that wafted through her senses. Ember didn’t know what kind of creature it was. She just knew that it was close; her ears flickered toward the sound of little feet scurrying through fallen leaves.

“What is that?” Ember mewed, referring to the smell, her whisper rising in excitement. The calico didn’t open her eyes. She loved the way this made her feel… like a hunter’s instinct lived inside her, too, even if Ember had been a kittypet before. “Is it a mouse? Squirrel?”

"That's a squirrel alright. And it's close", she nodded, smiling. "Now that you've found your first prey, I'm going to teach you the hunters crouch. It will allow you to sneak by something or someone, with out them hearing you."

Berrydust dropped into the hunters crouch. "Try and shift as much of your weight as you can onto your back legs. That will make you pounce more powerful." She knew that she probably wouldn't get it on the first try since it requires a lot of balance. But with what she's demonstrated so far, she was confident that Ember would get it eventually.

**Ziera** · #3 November 3rd, 2020, 03:03 PM

// @Spoopy Eclipse

Emberpaw almost whimpered in disappointment. Every gut instinct told her to move, to chase after the squirrel right now and forget about the consequences, but she managed to hold herself back. Berrydust had stuff to teach. If Ember lost the prey entirely, now THAT would be most disappointing, and it would be her fault for not listening.

So instead of following impulse (just this once,) Ember opened her eyes to see the hunter's crouch demonstrated. Huh. Okay. That shouldn't be too hard to copy, right? Emberpaw sunk down, calico chest fur brushing the earth as she shifted weight to her back paws. It felt awkward...but she tried her best. "Is this right?"

**duCky** · #4 November 3rd, 2020, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redtalon

// @Spoopy Eclipse

Emberpaw almost whimpered in disappointment. Every gut instinct told her to move, to chase after the squirrel right now and forget about the consequences, but she managed to hold herself back. Berrydust had stuff to teach. If Ember lost the prey entirely, now THAT would be most disappointing, and it would be her fault for not listening.

So instead of following impulse (just this once,) Ember opened her eyes to see the hunter's crouch demonstrated. Huh. Okay. That shouldn't be too hard to copy, right? Emberpaw sunk down, calico chest fur brushing the earth as she shifted weight to her back paws. It felt awkward...but she tried her best. "Is this right?"

"Looks good!", she nodded, smiling. "I know it's a bit awkward. But you'll get used to it over time." She was impressed by how quickly the apprentice managed to learn. "Now that you've basically got the crouch down, try practicing pouncing on some leaves." She wanted to see how the apprentice did on some leaves first, before moving on to the real thing. She didn't want to jump into everything to quickly.

**Ziera** · #5 November 4th, 2020, 05:03 PM

// @Roseleader

Ember blinked, wanting to protest about practicing on leaves, but decided against it. She stayed in the exact position Berrydust showed her. This was her first day of training and she really didn't want to screw that up-- not when so many cats were expecting her to fail. "Okay... I guess."

The newly named apprentice surveyed their surroundings until a brightly colored leaf caught her eye. Target acquired. It was big with a green center that bled into pretty reds and yellows, one of the telltale sign of fall. Ember imagined her claws piercing the pretty thing. Her haunches swayed, now high in the air as the thought took flight in her mind like an eager little bird, but it wasn't really about the leaf; Emberpaw's mind kept drifting to that squirrel. The squirrel she could still sense nearby, just begging for the attention of her powerful jaws.

Ember leaped forward too fast, too impulsive. Her balance was off and she realized it the second her paws left the earth. Teetering too much to the left, the calico missed her target, capturing the edges of the leaf when she'd been gunning for a kill. "Rats!" Ember cursed under her breath. She turned back to Berrydust, eyes questioning. "What did I do wrong?"

**Roseleader** · #6 November 4th, 2020, 07:05 PM

Berrydust says you leaped to fast, you should have been a little slower. @Redtalon

**Ziera** · #7 November 10th, 2020, 03:42 PM

// @Roseleader

Ember blinked, confused at what she did wrong. Too fast? How could she be too fast? Wasn't the POINT to be fast? "Maybe you could show me once or twice, and then I'll copy you."

**Roseleader** · #8 November 10th, 2020, 09:05 PM

Berryleaf leaps forwards, not too fast and not too slow and lands on the leaf perfectly. @Redtalon

**Ziera** · #9 November 20th, 2020, 03:19 AM

// @Roseleader

Ember blinked. Well... that went quickly, but she still had no idea how to get the perfect tempo on her pounce. "...Actually, could you maybe... talk me through it, too?"

**Roseleader** · #10 November 21st, 2020, 05:38 PM

Berrydust sighs. Her apprentice was starting to drive her crazy. Berrydust says of course. You have to time your pounce just right, if you pounce too early it,ll gett away and if you pounce too soon you might not land on it and land on some leaves instead, making a crushing noise or you might land on it,s tail or something like that, which might allow it to get away. @Redtalon