Training Time (p-featherpaw)

[Melodysong]

Melodysong

@angel2403


Melodysong yawned as she padded out of the make-shift nursery, tired after taking care of her one remaining kit.  Alas, she had more work to do.  Another apprentice to train.  She seemed to be one of the only warriors in the Clan to be around nowadays..,


She padded into the apprentice's den and called out the name of her new apprentice, "Featherpaw!"

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Featherpaw fidgeted impatiently in her nest, watching the den entrance nervously. She had been waiting for what felt like moons to start her training, excitement forced her to wake up constantly in the middle of the night. She was to eager to train that she hadn't even felt her exhaustion, ready to start the day.

Hearing her name she scrambled out of her nest instantly, moss scattering in all directions. Tripping she flew out of the den, landing at her new mentors paws. "Morning!" She called cheerfully, quickly standing and shaking out her ruffled pelt.

[Melodysong]

"Morning!" Replied Melodysong, chuckling as her new apprentice flew past her. She was glad her apprentice seemed to have a positive attitude towards training. Some didn't, and that make it difficult... "So, what do you say we start with some hunting?" She asked Featherpaw. She'd normally start with changing out bedding and such chores, but she'd recently had her other apprentice, Lakepaw, change out the ones in the nursery, and there weren't any elders around in need of bedding.

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" Sounds great!" Featherpaw said excitedly, holding back the urge to skip out of camp. She was nervous to see the outside world, she had never been out there and curiosity was killing her. She strode out of camp with a confident flick of her tail, holding her head up high. Featherpaw allowed the scent of forest to flood over her, closing her eyes and taking it all in. It wasn't a huge difference from the camp other then the fact that the smells were a lot stronger since they weren't being smothered with the smell of cats. She licked her lips, anxious to prove her worth to her mentor.

[Melodysong]

After they had walked for a while, Melodysong stopped Featherpaw with a flick of her tail. "Smell that?" she asked her apprentice. "That's what a mouse smells like. Remember that scent, you'll need to know it 'till you become an elder, and maybe even after." she said.

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Featherpaw stopped, heeding her mentors advice and drilling the scent into her mind. " Are we gonna hunt it?" She asked hopefully, digging her claws into the dirt, imagining it as the mouse.

[Melodysong]

(Sorry for the late reply!)

Melodysong nodded. "Well, what else would we do with it?" she said with a laugh. "Alright, first I'll show you how it's done. Pay close attention." she said, and began to stalk towards the mouse. After getting within a close range to the prey, she got into a hunting crouch, and began to silently move towards the mouse. She took care not to let her tail brush the ground, but also not to have it high in the air, for it could startle the prey and reveal her. After she was about a tail-length away, she pounced on the mouse, and killed it in a swift blow. "Make sure to keep your tail off the ground." she said, turning back to Featherpaw. She walked over to a nearby tree and buried her prey. "We'll collect it on our way back." she explained to her apprentice. "Alright, your turn. Sniff out a mouse, and show me what you've got." she said.

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(all good!)
Featherpaw twitched her tail nervously, watching as her mentor stalked forward in a perfect hunters crouch. She took in every aspect of it, careful not to miss a single detail. " Right, tail off the ground." She mumbled to herself, making sure to keep it in mind. Closing her eyes to concentrate she inhaled deeply, parting her maw for a stronger scent. She quickly caught a whiff of mouse, slowly crouching down and pausing to make sure her tail wasn't brushing the ground.

Looking back for her mentors approval she stalked forward, noticing the small brown creature among the tall grass. She took another few steps forward, pausing for her time to attack. Suddenly the wind changed, causing the mouse to perk its head up and sprint off. Eyes gleaming she made chase, leaping head first into a bush after it she clamped her mouth around its back and squeezed until she heard a crack.

Scrambling out she walked to her mentor proudly with her messy catch, leaves entangling her pelt. Featherpaw quickly dug a decent sized hole near Melodysong's mouse, covering it up with a few quick swiped from her back legs.

[Melodysong]

Melodysong gave Featherpaw an approving smile. "Not the cleanest catch, but that comes with time and practice. However, not many catch prey on their first try. Congratulations, Featherpaw." she said. She thought once more about what she should train her apprentice on next. More hunting? Fighting? She decided to stick to hunting for now, and they could work on fighting a little bit later.

"Alright," she said, addressing Featherpaw once more. "I think we'll do a bit more hunting before moving on. I want you to find a scent that you don't recognize, or one you know from the fresh-kill pile. It can't be a mouse." she said.

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Featherpaw beamed with pride at her mentor's praise, lifting her head higher. She wasn't disappointed when her mentor suggested to continue hunting, she liked it, it was fun. Nervousness fluttered in her chest when her mentor told her to catch something different. Hoping she would be able to recognize and not have to ask what it was she began walking, searching for a different type of prey.

Sniffing around she came across a foreign scent, quickly growing excited she pranced towards it, spotting a squirrel sitting on the low branch of a tree. " I found a squirrel but I cant get it. Even if I climb its faster than me, especially in a tree."

[Melodysong]

Melodysong nodded. "That's fine. Squirrels can be rather quick little creatures, and not many cats can catch them with ease, even warriors. Good job detecting its scent though, on your first try and all. I think we've had enough hunting for now. What would you like to do next?" she asked her daughter.

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(Sorry that took so long! My internet broke down)

Featherpaw beamed at all the praise she had been getting lately, it was nice to know she was doing something right.

" Maybe I could learn some fighting!?" Featherpaw asked hopefully, excitement filling her eyes. She wondered which she would be better at, not many warriors and apprentices were good at both.

[Melodysong]

Melodysong smiled. She'd been right on the target. "That sounds good." she said, chuckling as she heard the excitement in Featherpaw's voice. Melodysong could remember how excited she'd been when she'd learned how to fight, and she was looking forward to passing on her knowledge. "First thing's first. We gotta see what you can do. Attack me." she said, giving Featherpaw a challenging look.

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Featherpaw tilted her head in confusion, gulping nervously as she was told to attack. She wasn't sure how and didn't want to make a fool of herself on her first day of training. Inhaling deeply she forced herself to calm down, narrowing her eyes and crouching as if Melodysong was her prey. She quickly dashed to Melodysong's left, veering right last second to try and confuse her before attempting to jump on the warriors back.

[Melodysong]

Melodysong easily predicted her apprentice's attack, and dodged it accordingly, knowing that her apprentice would next attempt to jump on her back. Melodysong didn't have much strength, but she was one of the fastest cats in the Clan, and not many could ever land an attack on her. She was also very clever, and could easily predict attacks ahead of time. But again, she wasn't very strong, and she got worn out quickly. She dodged again to avoid Featherpaw's attack on her back and rolled to the side.