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Post by Oakpaw on Jul 26, 2015 12:42:46 GMT -6
(IT'S OKAY I WAS OUT OF TOWN ANYWAY)
Oakpaw nodded a bit blankly, and paused as he broke off as if waiting for further instructions. When she recieved none, she swallowed, and shifted into the crouch as fluidly as she could, keeping careful watch of the ground in front of her so that her paws did not disturb a leaf or crack a stick.
She needed to pad only a few tail-lengths before the bird came into sight, it's back to her, poking about on the forest floor. She almost breathed a sigh of relief--it was not too large--but stilled her breath, dubiously eyeing the birds head--there didn't seem to be any ears there at all--but taking her mentor's word for it.
SHe imagined herself stalking forward and leaping, but was concerned on the subject of wings--should the bird take off just as she was landing it would slip through her paws quite easily. There was no foolproof way to avoid this, so she merely got as close as she dared as silently as she could manage, and leaped upwards, holding her paws in front of her in the hopes that if the bird took off, it would fly into them.
Her leap was not too powerful--but her paws did just what she'd been hoping they would do, and as the startled bird took flight, it practically threw itself into her outstretched paws, after which it fell, dazed, to the forest floor, and she could land on it and nip its neck.
She lifted it in her jaws--it was heavier than it looked, for something that could fly--and practically skipped back to Robinfrost, quite pleased at having made a rather neat catch for a first try. Perhaps it had been luck--the bird wasn't that fast, and had not been facing her when she came into sight--but, she reminded herself, better to be lucky than be good. Of course, she could still be both.
(woah hello muse where'd you come from)
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Robinstar
Warrior
☆ мαяcн тσ тнє вєαт σƒ уσυя σωη ∂яυм ☆ flurr made these amazing drawings <3
Posts: 495
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Post by Robinstar on Jul 28, 2015 2:47:12 GMT -6
( posted in the general board, but i'm leaving for a bit and won't have much wifi ;c )
Robinfrost watched carefully, making mental notes as his apprentice stalked towards the bird. The winged creature was preoccupied with finding food, probably for its babies, and it didn't seem to hear Oakpaw approaching. By that time, it was too late for it to get away. The bird was small, but would still make a nice meal, and the deputy was (once again) proud of the young female. It wasn't often that one caught a bird on their first try.
"Great," he said with the tiniest of smiles. "You can bury that." He waited until she had finished, deciding on what to tell her to work on. "Catching birds is kind of like fishing - you need to estimate which direction they're going to take off in. If you can do that, there's no doubt that you'll be able to keep it from flying away," he told her.
"You'll find your own technique as you hunt more and more, but I will warn you that it isn't nearly as easy with bigger birds, such as starlings, or even bigger ones, like hawks and owls." He headed back towards the path, beckoning for Oakpaw to follow. "It's easier to hunt birds if you can find them in a flock, as well. But let's try another type of bird." He followed the scent of a bird close by, this one being a crow, much bigger than the last bird she's caught. "Careful. Crows are smart, and they can cause damage."
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Post by Oakpaw on Jul 28, 2015 11:18:14 GMT -6
(okay!)
Oakpaw straightened up even as the bird weighed her a bit down with the tiny smile, and quickly set about to digging the hole with relish, gently pushing the dirt back over her bird and dusting her paws off as best she could as she returned her attention to her mentor.
She nodded, trying to think off how the bird had been sitting--which direction it was facing, how it's wings had been positioned--in correlation to which direction it took off in and tried to make ties. She shivered a bit at the thought of catching a hawk or an owl. It just seemed ridiculous. She followed him, nodding along, and tasting the air as he spoke. She tried to memorize the scent as what Robinfrost labelled it as--a crow.
Crows--smart? She couldn't imagine a bird being smart. She sighed a bit--clearly she needed to open her mind to such things as they were clearly done. She pinpointed the scent. "What kind of damage?" she asked softly as she approached the source of the scent, leaving a couple tail-lengths between her and the crow, who was rooting about on the forest floor. This one looked freaky--it's coat was tar-black, and it's shiny eyes moved about much more than the last. She could see what Robinfrost had meant about crows being intelligent.
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Robinstar
Warrior
☆ мαяcн тσ тнє вєαт σƒ уσυя σωη ∂яυм ☆ flurr made these amazing drawings <3
Posts: 495
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Post by Robinstar on Aug 10, 2015 23:55:54 GMT -6
Robinfrost watched his apprentice, listening to her question. "They have strong necks and sharp beaks, as well as sharp talons and strong wings," he told her, watching the beady-eyed bird. It hadn't seen them yet. "They certainly can't do as much damage as hawks or eagles—who can, by all means, rip you apart—but they can still hurt you." He took a few steps back so the crow wouldn't scent him, and sat down quietly to watch.
"They can learn how to use tools to crack open nuts, and I've found that their much more intelligent than most birds." He stopped talking, deciding that they needed to get a move on if they were to finish the hunting lesson. "Their vigilant, too, so you need to be careful." His voice was hushed, and he nodded her onward.
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Post by Oakpaw on Aug 13, 2015 16:53:54 GMT -6
Oakpaw shivered at the words 'rip you apart.' She could certainly believe it. She swallowed on a dry throat and immediately needed to cough, and compromised by swallowing again.
She took another few steps forward, flattening her body as close to the ground as she could make it. She paused nearly a tail length from it, glad (not for the first time) that her brown tabby pelt blended just fine with IceClan's slightly barren territory.
She bunched her legs and leaped, her paws reaching out to grasp the crow, but the bird gave a squawk and took flight at the same time, it's oily feathers slipping in her grasp. She pushed her paws tighter, her claws piercing it's skin and they both fell to the ground in an awkward embrace. Oakpaw threw all her weight to the side as she grappled with the vicious bird, squeaking as one of it's evil talons scraped her stomach, and nipped it's neck.
She stood, her fur ruffled, both belly and pride stinging as she brought the bird to her mentor, embarassed and eyes downcast.
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Robinstar
Warrior
☆ мαяcн тσ тнє вєαт σƒ уσυя σωη ∂яυм ☆ flurr made these amazing drawings <3
Posts: 495
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Post by Robinstar on Aug 13, 2015 18:20:04 GMT -6
Robinfrost watched with analytical eyes as his apprentice approached the bird. He tensed as she leapt and the bird wriggled out of her paws. A look of worry crossed his face as it scratched her stomach, but it was gone in time so she didn't see it. The deputy could already feel himself getting more and more attached to his apprentice, and it frustrated him. He'd promised himself he wouldn't when he'd joined IceClan.
When the bird was killed, he stood and padded towards it, bending down to sniff it. Even if it did look ruffled, was missing a few feathers, and had some dirt caked in its wings, it was a fairly clean kill. The deputy was quite impressed what she'd managed to do on her first time hunting birds. He straightened up and nodded.
"It could use a little work, but you're getting the hang of it," he told her, then paused. "Good job." He began to pad further into the forest, glancing over his shoulder. "Ah yes, is you're stomach okay?" He inquired. "Not bleeding out or anything?" It was probably the first time Oakpaw had ever heard anything pointing to the idea that the deputy had a sense of humor, but he did. "What would you like to do next?"
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Post by Oakpaw on Aug 21, 2015 22:29:22 GMT -6
(well i swear to god i responded to this but i guESS NOT)
"Yeah," Oakpaw mewed, her fur heating up as she looked down at her slightly mangled catch. "I'll fine-tune my technique." She cringed as soon as she said it, but couldn't take the too-pompous words back. She only mumbled a thanks at his praise, but padded after him as they continued.
She blinked in surprise a little, looking at the thin scratch and back at him before she realised the deputy was joking. She laughed a little, caught off guard. She didn't know he even did that.
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Robinstar
Warrior
☆ мαяcн тσ тнє вєαт σƒ уσυя σωη ∂яυм ☆ flurr made these amazing drawings <3
Posts: 495
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Post by Robinstar on Aug 25, 2015 18:45:36 GMT -6
( xDD no worries c: )
Robinfrost raised a single, fictional eyebrow at her words, but ignored them. He didn't hear someone say that too often. "Great," he responded with a nod, turning away. He gave a tiny smile to himself as she laughed, walking along the path, careful to avoid any difficult obstacles. He wanted Oakpaw to reserve her energy for the rest of the day, and for the next.
The deputy paused as a very strong scent was he'd over him. The path they were on hadn't been used in a while, but he was still surprised that the prey was so close. He paused, flicking his tail for Oakpaw to come closer. He didn't want to risk the prey hearing them. "I'm sure you can smell that," he told her. As he'd seen, she seemed to have a great sense of smell. "You'll catch it. Can you tell me what it is?"
( you can just make it up haha )
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Post by Oakpaw on Aug 29, 2015 18:14:33 GMT -6
(replying will be spotty because school and activities all started up again and I am often not within wifi)
As Oakpaw followed him, she coughed in the scent that suddenly flooded her nostrils. She nodded a little bit, slightly shocked-she'd never smelled anything quite like it before and it was slightly overwhelming.
It was strange--smelled a bit of the bits of Two-leg scent she'd caught, but not so much similar--just in type--large and gross and overwhelming. It was choking.
She'd heard talk of them, but had never smelled one, but she may as well guess. "Is it the... Thunderpath?" she asked hesitantly. She remembered there was supposed to also be an accompanying sound, from elders' tales--and when she strained her ears, she supposed there was a faint roar in the distance, but it could well be a figment of her imagination.
(i have zero idea if there is a thunderpath anywhere near iceclan territory but it could be a highway or something idon'tknow)
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Robinstar
Warrior
☆ мαяcн тσ тнє вєαт σƒ уσυя σωη ∂яυм ☆ flurr made these amazing drawings <3
Posts: 495
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Post by Robinstar on Aug 29, 2015 21:43:51 GMT -6
( no worries!! and there actually is xD it's on the territory guide c: )
Robinfrost paused, not wanted to wander too close. They were near the Thunderpath, and he didn't want Oakpaw to get hit by a monster. He waited patiently for her response, his eyes wandering towards the Tow-leg's road. When she finally answered, his ears pricked and his eyes shot back towards her. "You're correct," he responded, shoving past a few bushes with his shoulder so the apprentice could get a glimpse of the rode. "It's whats between IceClan's territory and the loner territory," he explained.
He took a few steps forward, watching as a monster zoomed by. He'd crossed it a few times before, when he was joining IceClan, and had slept by it quite a few times. He was numb to what frightened most cats. "Never get too close—there's been quite a few deaths in this spot. And never cross it." There'd be no need to cross, anyways. He stepped back, letting the bushes sway back into position. "But what I meant was the prey scent," the deputy told her, turning towards her. "It's a very faint scent—don't worry if you didn't detect it. The Thunderpath has quite an overcoming smell." He didn't think she'd smell it, honestly, but he was so used to the scent that he was able to pick out others.
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Post by Oakpaw on Sept 10, 2015 20:46:57 GMT -6
(so i'mmmmmm massively late sorry sorry i did warn you)
Oakpaw peered around the bush, wrinkling her nose, and her eyes widened as she took in the long black stretch of road, corralled on both sides by a strange, long, thin sort of contraption. It looked hard and sharp and shiny, and the Thunderpath itself gave off noxious fumes. There was a hum of noise in the air, the same she'd heard earlier, only it was louder--and getting louder still. She jumped back with a squeak as a terrifying mess of a contraption, some sort of shiny beast, roared past.
"What was that?" she asked, staring after it (Robinfrost seemed unfazed). "Was that one of the monsters?"
She nodded solemnly in response to all his instructions, shivering a bit at deaths, and peered curiously across to the other side--loner territory, he'd said--and trying not to flinch quite so much when another one of the hellish contraptions screeched past.
Oh. Prey. Right. She determinedly lifted her nose to the air, sniffing almost violently. Though she could definitely pick up a whole motley of scents, the Tunderpath's stench was so overpowering that every other scent seemed so faint in comparison, she could not tell what was stale and what was fresh. Highly disappointed, she shook her head. "I can't distinguish anything but that," she mewed.
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Robinstar
Warrior
☆ мαяcн тσ тнє вєαт σƒ уσυя σωη ∂яυм ☆ flurr made these amazing drawings <3
Posts: 495
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Post by Robinstar on Sept 13, 2015 14:04:25 GMT -6
( no worries! c: )
Robinfrost turned his head, watching as his apprentice jumped back in fright. "Yes. It was a monster," he responded with a nod, his frosty green eyes moving along the Thunderpath. "If there is ever a need to cross for some reason, be extremely careful. The monsters are much bigger than we are, and have no problem plowing right into one of us." He winced ever so slightly at the thought, his mouth set in a thin line.
He took a step back as another car roared past, spraying up a rain of road-side muck. He grunted, pushing the two of them back into the cover of the trees to avoid the spray. He'd rather not arrive back at camp smelling like the Thunderpath. It wasn't a very pleasant smell. The deputy's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the head of one of the two-legs through a rolled down window. Did they know how much of a threat they caused? a Or did they know how many lives they'd taken, and just not care?
He tore his eyes away, waiting patiently as Oakpaw tried to pick out the scent of prey. "Don't worry," he told her with a flick of his tail, noticing how disappointed she seemed. He parted his jaws slightly, tasting the air, before leading her silently through the bushes alongside the Thunderpath. He paused near a tree, where a squirrel was working to furiously bury a nut. "There. Try and catch it, but be careful to not run onto the Thunderpath."
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Post by Oakpaw on Sept 19, 2015 11:15:00 GMT -6
A chill ran down her spine as she tried to suppress the mental image of one of the monsters slamming into a car, the strange round things on which it moved flattening a small body, backing up with Robinfrost and nodding in agreement, relieved as the sound dimmed and the scent faded a bit. She hoped it didn't remain on her fur--she'd hardly even be able to sleep.
She followed Robinfrost until she too could distinguish the scent, pausing a tail-length or so from the squirrel but blocked from view by a tall clump of weeds, getting the same unavoidable cold feeling as she imagined running onto the Thunderpath.
Ridding scary images from her mind, she focused on the squirrel, thinking (and hoping) that the squirrel at least would also be smart enough not to run for the Thunderpath. Bracing herself, she thought through a leap. She wasn't particularly small, just not big either, though she thought she could probably span the gap. Bunching her hind quarters, she tried to transfer most of her weight to the back before she sprung, trying to elongate her body the best she could.
She landed on her forepaws first, the tiniest of spaces from the squirrel's quivering tail, and it took off just as she managed to get her back legs to the ground and leap again, this time landing on it's tail and pinning the terrified creature. Feeling a little guilty, she nipped it's neck quickly and took a breath, looking up at the roaring thunderpath only a few tail-lengths away. It was not fun hunting near it, and she hurried back to Robinfrost, her hind leg muscles a little shaky.
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Robinstar
Warrior
☆ мαяcн тσ тнє вєαт σƒ уσυя σωη ∂яυм ☆ flurr made these amazing drawings <3
Posts: 495
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Post by Robinstar on Oct 10, 2015 22:50:36 GMT -6
Robinfrost studied his apprentice as they left the side of the road. She seemed pretty shaken up, and he almost felt bad—but, she needed to see it and be aware of what could happen. He turned away, continuing along the path. Maybe someday he'd show her how to maneuver the Thunderpath without getting hit, as he'd practiced many times as a loner. He had always been curious about IceClan, but the Thunderpath had always been in the way.
The deputy took a step back to watch as she pounced on the squirrel, with some hesitation, and killed it fairly easily. He nodded approvingly as she walked back, noting that she seemed a little shaky. "Good," he told her, turning to walk beside her along the path. "You shouldn't hesitate so much, but you're doing really well. It's normal to feel nervous hunting near the Thunderpath, but you'll get used to it eventually."
He turned to look back at her, wondering if she remembered the prey they had listed on their first lesson. "Any preference on where we go and what you hunt next?" He inquired.
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Post by Oakpaw on Oct 19, 2015 6:54:51 GMT -6
(WOW i'm the actual worst i bothered you about answering and then didn't for over a week ugh so sorry.)
Oakpaw scratched a hole in the cold soil for the squirrel and buried it with quick pawstrokes before following Robinfrost, nodding a little grumpily and sighing. "It's just so... alien," she managed at last, reaching for a word for it. "Did Twolegs build that, or has it always been there?" It reeked of Twolegs, so she wouldn't be surprised.
She half-shrugged. "I should probably know our territory better," she said in a slight mumble. "But, I mean, right now, I don't really." She scratched at the ground. "Is there anything else in hunting you think is important for me to know?"
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