Training (P/Whitepaw)

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

"Promise you'll never let me go on border patrol?" He asked rhetorically, a small smile on his face as the two began to walk again. All this walking was beginning to tire him out, but he knew he'd have to get used to it. He just didn't expect the territory to be so big! The tall cat looked up as he stepped and saw a giant mountain-like area- it was even higher than Rockclan territory, "What's that?" He asked, focusing his gaze on Dapplecloud as he spoke.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Don't worry, you won't have to until you learn to defend yourself." One of the main reason new apprentices weren't usually allowed on border patrols: the risk of enemy warriors crossing over and attacking. I noticed Whitepaw looking up at the mountain and replied to his question. "That's IceClan's territory. They live way up there, where it's cold. Apparently, their main prey is fish: you'll notice from the border scent." I added, as we reached the edge of the river. Beyond it, the territory steeply rose, up and out of sight. I gagged inwardly at the scent: I personally couldn't believe they swam and fished, especially in such cold terrain.

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

-I'm furious at my laptop. I wrote a great reply for one thread, lost connection and had to rewrite it. Then the same thing happened TWICE with this thread and they were both 100 odd word p. This is my third time writing this reply. Sorry if there's any mistakes in this but I just really don't give one after that.-

Whitepaw was surprised that cats actually lived up there. How did they climb that high? How did they live in what looked like such a cold climate? He couldn't help but feel worried as they approached the border. He himself had never smelled or even seen a fish, but the fact that Dapplecloud had to mention the smell worried him. When they finally reached the border, he decided to smell it. That was the worst decision of his life. Rather than fake gagging this time, the apprentice literally gagged and really just wanted to leave the area, "Okay! Can we go now!" He said, voice sounding weird as he was trying not to breathe.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

(That's fine, that sort of thing happens to me all the time when I draw: my computer likes to crash. )

"Yes, let's start heading back to camp. Don't worry, once we're a fair distance away from here, we'll still have time to practice some hunting basics." I said hurriedly, seeing Whitepaw's expression and feeling the same, despite having been near the IceClan border several times. I turned and walked quickly away from the river, heading back to a clearing near the camp. The clearing was in an area where it was, thankfully, grassy rather than rocky, though with boulders strewn about. "Now, you've said you practiced in kithood based off of watching others. Try out a stalking crouch here."

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

-I wanna destroy my laptop-

"Oh thank Cloudclan, we're leaving," Whitepaw said, breathing outwards quickly before quickly running away as he didn't want to breath in the air near the Iceclan border. He ran quickly to a clearing he had seen. He presumed that was where the two were heading. When he got there, Whitepaw took a deep breath and smiled that the air smelled nice again.

He watched as Dapplecloud walked to the same area that he was in and offered a relieved smile. "Alright," He said in response, crouching down so that he was low to the ground, although not too low, his tail laying limp on the floor.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

I paced around him once, observing his crouch. He had obviously observed some of the other apprentices, or something of that sort, as a kit: his balance was good, with a few faults. "That's very good for your first try. However, you should keep your tail a little above the ground: it'll drag along the ground, and disturb grass or fallen leaves." I explained. "Your balance is good, just keep your legs tucked in for a strong leap." Whitepaw was tall, but lither than I was, which would make hunting easier.

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw nodded, bright eyes focused in Dapplecloud as his black ears were pricked. He took in everything that she said before making adjustments to his crouch, tucking his paws in a little bit and lifting his tail. It was similar to crouches he had done as a kit, although he used those to try pounce on other cats rather than food. "Is this better?" He asked with a purr.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Much better." I said, observing his stance carefully. It was well-done, though this was just practice, of course. "Though you'll need to adjust your stalking style for different animals: lighter steps if you're stalking a mouse, and getting above your prey if you're going after a bird." I glanced around the clearing. Rocks were littered around the grass, and we had time for a practice run. Walking over to a flat stone in the grass, which was small enough to imitate prey, I said, "Imagine this is a mouse. Try and stalk it as if you were hunting it."

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw grinned with pride when Dapplecloud said that his crouch had improved. In his own opinion, training had been going very well. He watched as the other cat walked to a small stone. It's surface was flat and smooth looking. He nodded as he looked at her, and began to do as instructed. He stalked forwards towards it, staying ery close to it for a long time before he pounced, landing a little wobbly but standing on the rock nonetheless.

Dapplecloud end of thread?

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Good! Just remember that the places we'll be going to for hunting are more enclosed: you can jump on a boulder for more height, for example, or stay back in the bushes if your prey is in an open area." I glanced up at the sky. It was past sun-high, and had been a long day already for both of us, having gotten up at the crack of dawn. "Good work today. Tomorrow, we'll see how you do against real prey."

(Next thread will be finishing up hunting, and battle practice. ^^)
Also, yeah, end of Whitejaw 's first training thread