Probably Still a Newbie [ p ]

[Robinstar]

( nonono don't worry xD i'm just going to keep rping as 'frost for now )

Robinfrost walked slowly, allowing Oakpaw to catch up when she was done burying her prey. He listened to her speak, glad that she was curious. Questions were always good. "Yes. The Two-legs built it, but I'm not sure how long ago. I'm suspecting that it's been here a long time—perhaps since the Clans made home here in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised," he responded with a slight shrug.

"Don't worry. By the time you're a warrior, you'll be able to navigate the territory with your eyes closed," he promised her. Many different training sessions would result in coveringn the territory in all different places. "Birds, squirrels, and fish are the primary food source," he said thoughtfully. "Though you may see voles and mice on the pile as well. Let's start with voles," he suggested, waiting for Oakpaw's confirmation.

( there will actually only be one more training thread before her assessment, though in the books they had way more than that. so just pretend she had more xD )

[Oakpaw]

(ROBINSTAR BRO YOU GO GLEN COCO WAY TO GO GLEN COCO)

What was it even made of? Now that they were farther away from the scary construction, she felt understandably braver, and wrinkled her nose, recalling the gruesome scent, like something had died. She was sure something had, actually.

"Good," she mumbled to herself. She'd thought she had a good sense of direction, but she supposed she hadn't been in the territory exploring alone much, expect to practice swimming with Rabbitpaw and Dappledpaw, and that one weird encounter with Geckopaw. "Okay," she said, clambering over a large rock. "That's fine."

(oh yeah i've never done more than 3-4 threads before assessing i hope we're not supposed to because dis chiz takes a while as proven by my incompetence)

[Robinstar]

( omG thank you ahhh <3 and no, there's no amount of threads required. technically, you could only do the assessment since i don't check, but where's the fun in that, right? )

When Oakpaw agreed, Robinstar veered towards the river again. "Voles—well, water voles—make their homes on the banks of the river. And water voles are the main species that lives in this territory," he explained as they approached the river. He walked along the banks silently, motioning for Oak to do the same. He parted his jaws as he crept along the water line, hoping to catch the scent of a vole.

He did, and the suddenness surprised him. He hadn't seen water voles for quite some time. He gestured for Oakpaw to stop, and he backtracked slightly to stand next to her. "Follow the scent."

[Oakpaw]

(haha of course)

"Okay," Oakpaw mewed pausingly, jumping over a rock and following her mentor along the banks of the river. He tasted the air, and she followed suit, lifting her head. She sort of knew what water voles smelled like, and the scent wasn't too faint, nor too unfamiliar, and she continued confidently down the bank, still sniffing every now and then, until she paused. "There," she mewed, pointing with her tail to a small clump of rocks and weeds.

[Robinstar]

Robinfrost tailed behind his apprentice, pausing when she stopped to scent the air. When she pointed towards the clump of bushes, it had already caught his gaze. "Yes," he responded with a nod, watching for the telltale rustle or movement in the bushes. "Good." It seemed Oakpaw was getting better and better at picking out scents and following them, which he was greatly impressed about.

"In the sense of hunting and killing, water voles are like a slower squirrel, except for the fact that they can't climb trees. This one may be harder to catch since you'll have to scare it out of its home first," he told her. "But I'd like for you to try."

[Oakpaw]

"Sounds easier than a squirrel, though," Oakpaw mewed slowly, but squirrels were pretty fast, so it didn't mean too much. The not-climbing-trees factor was a major selling point, though--that could be left to TreeClan. She tried to imagine any ways the vole might escape through that location. It was called a water vole, did that mean it swam? She kind of didn't think so. Either way, she wouldn't want to chase it into the water.

Also to be considered was the best way to make it leave without it shooting off in the other direction. She positioned herself downwind of the clump and waited for a moment, but no rustle revealed it's location, and she reached out to gently prod the thing.

There was a quick snap of movement, and she imagined the little creature standing straight up, whiskers quivering in the air. It would only be a matter of time before it fled, but as it was on alert, she could see the tuft of gray-brown fur sureying it's surroundings, and Oakpaw lunged, pressing it to the ground amongst the grass and nipping it's neck. Another one shot away from the hiding place squeaking in terror, and she jumped, startled. She hadn't realised there'd been a second but it was a bit late for her to grab it.

[Robinstar]

Robinfrost nodded. "Yes, though it depends." Though the voles couldn't climb, they were expert divers and swimmers, as Oakpaw would soon find out. The tom stood back to watch as his apprentice scared the water vole from its nest, quickly killing it. He watched calmly as another vole shot out from the bush. He would have made to pounce on it, but it wasn't his training session. He watched as the dusky brown creature dove into the river, paddling across towards the other side. 

He turned back to Oakpaw after watching it for a moment, nodding at the vole she had caught. "Good job. Bury that, and we'll continue." He didn't say anything about the animal that had escaped—she'd learn how to determine how many eventually. When she finished, he stood and continued into the trees, keeping alert for the scent of mouse.

After a while of not scenting any, he shook his head. "If we haven't found any already, I doubt we will. Just know that mice are smaller than voles and squirrels. They're faster than the voles, but they can't climb trees or swim. Instead, they take shelter under tree roots and such, where you can't reach them." He looked towards the sky. "We still have some time. Would you like to try and get a hawk?" Hawks were the biggest prey on the pile, and, depending on the size, could sometimes feed the whole entire Clan. Of course, this meant they were harder to catch and much more dangerous, but Robin would prepare her and, of course, help her bring it down. Catching a hawk required more than one cat.

"Remember that crow that scratched you?" He asked. "Think of a hawk like that, except three times as big and dangerous."

[Oakpaw]

(sorry for the waittt)
(did you do anything for halloween?)

Oakpaw blinked in surprise at the vole that splashed in, burying her catch. "I didn't realize they actually swam," she mumbled. "Good to know, at least." She nodded distractedly, a bit frazzled from the vole that'd gotten away. How would one go about catching two at once?

Oakpaw jumped a little at his words after such a while of silence and tasting the air in vain, but listened attentively, shifting her weight from front to back. It took her a moment to process his words, and her mud-green eyes widened dramatically as she did. "A hawk"?

Hurrying after him, she kneaded the ground, nodded and gulped. "But then--not to offend--why would I want to catch that? Would you help me?"

[Robinstar]

( no worries, and yeah i went trick or treating with some friends xD never too old for free candy )

Robinfrost nodded. "They do. Swim, I mean. And they're quite good at it as well," he informed her, watching as the tiny creature paddled across the river, leaving v's in the water behind it. He nodded in agreement, before heading in the direction of the mountains. When she expressed her surprise, the tom simple nodded, tasting the air for prey. "A hawk. The easiest way to catch one is to catch a mouse and lure one in."

"Of course I'd help you. Even a warrior couldn't catch one on his own," he told her. It was a little dangerous, but he thought she could handle it. Besides, he was pretty big himself. "Why? Well, for one, it could feed half the clan."

[Oakpaw]

(THAT IS WHAT I ALWAYS SAY OHMYGOD THANK YOU)

Oakpaw frowned at the squirming little creature, aptly making it's way through the water, looking back up at Robinfrost. So at least it wasn't just a challenge of brute strength, she thought, tasting the air for a mouse as he did the same.

She breathed a sigh of relief as he confirmed his aid. "Good." She raised nonexistent cat eyebrows as well, and nodded slowly. She supposed she could think her way around that--she'd briefly seen a hawk once, from the ground, and it had looked terrifyingly large, though perhaps less tasty than other birds. She wondered if it tasted differently or not.

"So we should go for a mouse now?"

[Robinstar]

( Really? Omg that's awesome xD )

He stood there for a moment longer, watching as the vole made its way across the river. How strange it was that such a small creature could fight its way over the rapids, while even some of its predators couldn't. It hardly seemed fair. He turned away, leading her along the path. Should we go for a mouse now? He looks back at her over his shoulder, giving her a small nod.

"Yes," he responded, pausing to scent the air. "Perhaps you can find one on your own?" He suggested, backing up to let her lead the way. 

[Oakpaw]

(so i'd apologize for being fourteen days late but you've heard it all before)
(because i don't learn from my mistakes)


With a little bounce, she bobbed in place for a split second before scurrying in front and progressing forward slowly, taking only a few quick, hopping steps at a time as she tasted the air, looking for a scent. There was a squirrel, high in a nearby tree that was throwing her off, so she stepped a few paces away from it, breathing out the smell and trying to clear her taste glands.

She finally managed to ignore the smell of prey that coated the forest as that couldn't be helped, looking for fresh, current scents, and caught one that did smell like mouse. Triumphant, she led her mentor several tail-lengths to the left, pausing to gauge it's exact location and to make sure her flicking tail was well away from any leaves it might rustle. The wind was still for the moment, so she couldn't tell exactly where it was going. Which meant she had to act pretty much immediately, save a stray breeze hit the unsuspecting creature with a blast of cat smell.

The mouse in question was sitting near a tree, nibbling on a berry with its tiny cheeks bulging. Oakpaw shivered in the still air, reminding herself to be thankful for it, and set herself up to pounce. Just as she was about to leap, she heard the wind stirring up leaves a few tail-lengths to her left, and took a bounding step forward, and another, her paw flattening the little creature to the ground. She nipped it's neck as a cold breeze wafter through their stretch of the territory, the fur on her neck standing up from the chill. Her pelt wasn't thick enough for this.

[Robinstar]

( no worries. my replies may start slowing down as well since school is starting to get crazy again )

Robinfrost stifled a chuckle as Oakpaw bounced through the trees. She seemed eager to show off what she could do. He knew she was more than capable of finding a mouse and killing it, after what she'd demonstrated so far, so he wasn't surprised when she picked up the scent that had blown towards them. It was a needed skill to be able to pick scents out from one another, and it seemed she was getting much better. He nodded in approval as the two changed direction, heading straight for the unsuspecting mouse.

The tom hung back as she spotted the mouse, cheeked large with food, and watched as she dropped into the hunting stance. He was impressed that she'd picked up on it so quickly, and, while it could use a little help (that was to be expected, though he knew she could alter it on her own), she had memorized it much more quickly than other apprentices. The mouse was finished off rather quickly, and he waited until she approached before speaking. 

"Good job. Bring the mouse with you and we'll head for the mountains," he instructed, standing up from his sitting position and heading deeper into the forest. After a few minutes it began to slope upwards, and then the trees began to thin. It was colder up there, almost enough for Robin to shiver through his thick coat, and the winds were much stronger. "Be careful," he murmured to Oakpaw as they walked along the steep paths. One could easily lose their balance to the wind and fall.

It was a good time to hunt for hawks. Mothers would be hunting for their young as it grew darker, and they were just in time. In fact, Robin could see one flying in the distance. He kept his eye on it as the maneuvered the mountains, stopping on a flat ledge. He motioned for Oakpaw to drop the mouse on the flat rock, and to follow him behind a rather large shrub. "You have to be absolutely still and quiet. It could take some time, so you must have patience. But we only get one chance, so be careful."

[Oakpaw]

(we started this in june omg)

"Okay," she said, a little nervous as she dipped her head to grab the mouse by the scruff, as gently as she could manage. She didn't want to maul the catch, not until they were supposed to. Carrying it gingerly, she followed after Robinfrost, running through scenarios in her mind that could possibly lead to them catching the giant bird. They all seemed a little frightening.

Robinfrost paused, and she looked up at him, following his gaze to the hawk circling on the horizon. She dropped the mouse, trying to clean a few stray hairs off her teeth with her tongue and spitting them out. Heart beating fast, she followed her mentor the large bush. She nodded, her mouth dry with excitement.

[Robinstar]

( did we rly omf we need to end this soon )

Robinfrost crouched behind the bush in anticipation, doing his best to be silent and still. After a while his legs began to ache and he had to shift positions. It was a little difficult to see through the bush, void of any leaves, but he was able to watch the limp mouse and the hawk circling above. Time seemed to stretch on forever, but he didn't move once. Unless it was the trick of the eye, the hawk seemed to be flying closer, and soon it would spot the mouse.

Finally, the hawk saw it. Robin watched as the hawk swooped, flew back to the sky, and swooped again, aiming for the mouse. The deputy glanced back at his apprentice, counting down the seconds. Once it had the mouse in his claws he whispered: "Now!" And leapt out from the bush, flinging himself towards the bird.