Some more training (P/Whitepaw)

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

(Next training thread, Whitejaw only, please)

Another early morning, though one that wouldn't be as cool as Whitepaw's first training session. His hunting skills had been quite prodigal; they would be put into use here today. And we would see how he was at battling. Knowing he would probably be used to waking up by now, I sat near the entrance. Fog still hung over the higher cliffs of the territory, a sign other than the sky that it was early dawn.

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw yawned as he woke up from his sleep. He knew that he had training again today, so he had decided to go to sleep earlier last night so he'd be ready and not tired like he had been last time. He stretched a little and walked out of the den, making sure that he didn't wake any other cats as he neared the exit. He smiled and took in a deep breath when he reached the clearing of the camp. He then made his way over to the exit and looked up at Dapplecloud, his blue eyes shining, "Morning!" He meowed happily.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Good morning, Whitepaw! Glad to see you're more awake than your first day." I said with a humorous tone. "You'll be able to put those hunting skills to use today, and we'll have time to cover fighting practice, too: that's why we're up early again." I said, gesturing up at the sky. Beckoning for him to follow, I headed back out into the territory, heading not for the clearing where we had covered the basics of hunting, but for the copses near the riverside. A bit near to the borders, but it was one of the best spots for hunting, ironically.

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw laughed a little at Dapplecloud's comment, beginning to follow her out into the territory. He felt like he knew the area a little better now, considering he had gone out before. "Okay," He said, smiling. He couldn't wait to learn some more hunting and battle moves and techniques. They were two things that really interested him- they were useful for the clan. "Where will we be going?" He asked, blue gaze flickering around to see if he could find the area where they'd be training.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Right here." I said, stopping at the edge of the cluster of trees. I could hear the river running nearby. "This area is close to the border, but the river and trees makes better conditions for prey, and prey from other territories might wander across the border. It can be dangerous, though, so stay on your guard." I opened my mouth to taste the air. There was the very faint scent of the borders, but I soon picked up on the scent of a small creature: a vole. "Smell that? Try tracking it."

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw nodded, taking in the surrounding area. He could smell another clan territory and it was too pleasant, but it was a weak smell so he didn't mind too much. He looked up at the tall trees and smiled. He'd have to teach himself how to climb them at some point. He observed his mentor's actions carefully, smiling when he saw that she had smelled something. He lifted his head and tried to smell it himself. It smelled like prey, although he wasn't sure what it was. The black and white tom nodded, crouching down and sniffing around like he had been taught. It did take him a while to find it, although he eventually found the small creature. He pounced on it, but it escaped. Darn, he had failed. "Oops," He said, disappointment in his voice.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"That's fine. I don't think any apprentice can get a piece of prey on their first try." I said, having followed him quietly. Thinking for a second, I said, "It'll be difficult, but get as close as you can, then pounce on it quickly before it has time to run away. Do you think you can find something else?" I prompted. Of course, I could have scouted out another target for him, but it was another good skill to recognize the smell of prey, especially among many other scents.

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw nodded a little, looking in the direction that the vole had ran in. He was still a little disappointed that he hadn't caught it- hunting was more difficult than it looked. He looked upwards at the calico and purred, "Yeah, I think I can find something," He said. He kind of wanted to find a lizard, considering it was the first prey he had eaten and still wanted to see how they moved with such weird bodies and legs. He twitched his nose as he tried to sniff something out, finding the same scent that Dapplecloud had before. His ears pricked excitedly as he went back down into the crouch, beginning to track the new vole down.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

I could smell another vole as well, as Whitepaw dropped and starting to crawl toward it. Leaving his side for a second, I followed him, but not closely, circling around and taking place on top of a boulder to observe his performance: the vole was in a small, clear area among the bushes and rocks and trees, not having noticed the two cats stalking it.

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw grinned as he stepped towards the vole, not realising that Dapplecloud had moved and was now observing him from a short distance. He got closer to the vole- closer than he was to the last one- and bent his legs even further down. After deciding that it was good enough to pounce, the black cat pounced into the air, landing on the vole and laughing a little as it squirmed under his paws. He then turned his head round to Dapplecloud, "How do I kill it?" He asked, putting more pressure onto it so it wouldn't run off.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

Jumping down from the boulder, I said, "Bite down on the neck, and don't forget to thank CloudClan for the prey." I said, purring. "That was a good catch." I looked around: I wanted to try one more thing before battle practice. Opening my jaws, I inhaled the air and luckily caught a scent, faint, but the one I was looking for. It was a good thing it was late greenleaf and not the middle of leaf-bare, or it would be a lot harder to train in hunting. "You can bury that vole, though mark it so you can come back to it later. I want to show you one more thing." I said, walking a few steps in the direction of the scent I had caught.

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw nodded, leaning his head down to bite on the squirming creatures neck. He smiled as it fell limp under his paws- he had caught his first piece of prey! The black tom grinned proudly as he began to dig a small hole, burying the rodent before covering it and slashing at the dirt with his claws to make a mark. That way he'd be able to find it again. When he lifted his head back upwards from burying the prey, he saw that Dapplecloud was going towards another faint scent. He stayed still, watching her as he didn't want to intrude.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

Looking back at him, I said, "Follow me. I want to show you a useful hunting tactic: team hunting." Setting off into the undergrowth, I followed the scent trail, winding through the bushes, until I found our quarry: a blackbird. "You stay here: I'll circle around and chase it toward you." I whispered, crawling around, through the foliage, until I was directly behind it, then looked over the bird to see if Whitepaw was in position.

[Whitejaw]

give me time and give me space

Whitepaw nodded, smiling that he was going to be taught another technique, "Okay," He purred, following the instruction by following Dapplecloud through the bushes for a little before stopping where he had been told. The apprentice stayed quiet as he crouched there, acknowledging what he was supposed to do and trying to focus on looking out for the prey to be chased towards him.

aeron at thq

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

Seeing Whitepaw was ready, I started to creep forward. The bird was pecking at the ground, having not noticed us yet. Readying myself in a few seconds, I darted out and swiped at the bird, and it panicked, flying forward. Luckily, it didn't go too high, and was flying straight at Whitepaw, and I hoped the apprentice had not frozen up at the sight of a bird rushing straight at him.