Helping out (p/Flintpaw)

[Flintpaw]

Flintpaw tried to mimic her stance. He lowered himself into a crouch and kept his tail low and steady. That was about all he remember about the classic hunter's crouch. "When I move to catch the prey, should I run at it or try to go as slow as possible?" He asked in a hushed voice.

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Depends on what prey you're stalking." I said, correcting his balance by nudging his side gently. "If you're stalking something like a mouse or rat or the occasional hare, go slowly and try not to make any sounds. If you're stalking a bird, you can go a little quicker, since they move fast, too." I added, elaborating on the prey of RockClan. "Though, of course, there are always dangers among the rocks, like snakes or eagles." Realizing I was rambling slightly, I stopped talking, to let him process the information.

[Flintpaw]

"Okay." It made sense to Flintpaw. Even though he had never seen a hare before. He thinks. That wasn't important right now. Her nudge really did help him. He felt even now. The way his stance should be. Flintpaw would have to remember how it feels. "Do we hunt snakes and eagles?" He had heard stories of warriors and kits being killed by both of those creatures.

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Not snakes: they're usually too fast or full of venom." I said, shivering. Though I had never encountered one (luckily), I had heard a few things from older warriors. "And we can eat eagles if you manage to bring one down, though they can be very dangerous, so don't try going after one by yourself." I added, remembering the dangers of birds of prey from wounds I had seen on warriors like my own sister, Spottedheart. Shaking away the thoughts, I said, "You seem to have the hunting pose down, though. Find and object and try stalking it as though it were a piece of prey." Bushes, wildflowers, and stones were scattered around the clearing: ideal targets for stalking practice.

[Flintpaw]

Flintpaw nodded when she informed him. He spotted a rock in the distance and dropped into the hunter's crouch again. The apprentice slowly stalked it and once he was a few whisker lengths away, he pounced on it. Flintpaw rolled on the ground after, laughing and kicking the rock. "Can I practice with something real, Dapplecloud?"

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

Watching his playful antics, I purred at his almost kitlike behavior. At his question, I glanced quickly up at the sky. It was well past sun-high, though not quite evening. "I'm sure I can find something for you to practice with before we head back." I said, opening my jaws wide to taste the air. There was the sharp tang of the scrubby trees, and the crisp smell of the wind, though underneath, I could smell a strong, musky scent: one of a mouse. Beckoning Flintpaw once more, I started to lead him carefully in the direction of the prey.

[Flintpaw]

Flintpaw rose from the ground when she beckoned him. She must have found something for him to hunt. The apprentice sniffed the air, then mimicked her by opening his mouth. He had smelled this before. A mouse was somewhere hidden in the brush. "Mouse!" He whispered in excitement. His paws felt like they were tingling from all of the excitement.

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Yes." I whispered. "Remember what I told you: soft, light footsteps so it doesn't notice you." Creeping further into the thicker brush, the scent grew stronger until I could see it, just ahead, its back to us. Under my breath, so Flintpaw could just hear it, I said, "I'll creep around and get it if it escapes, though try to get it yourself." With that, I began to work my way through the undergrowth again, picking my way around to a clear spot on the other side.

[Flintpaw]

Flintpaw nodded to her instructions. He waited until she was completely out of his sight. He was going to get it without her helped. He was too determined and proud to miss this catch. The apprentice crept up as quietly as he could and leaped. His paws landed only an inch away. Before he could be embarrassed, the mouse squeaked and began to run. Flintpaw hissed in frustration, slapping at the mouse until his claw caught the tail. He leaned over and bit the mouse.

Flintpaw lifted the mouse into the air. "I got it!" He mewed but it was muffled by the fur.

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

As the mouse was startled and ran toward me, I felt the same when Flintpaw came rushing out of the undergrowth, quickly catching and killing the mouse. Standing and walking out of the leaves, I said, purring, "Well done. You certainly reacted quick enough to make up for your mistake, and that was good." Though I gestured at where I had been standing before I continued. "Sometimes, if you're hunting wilier, faster prey such as a bird or lizard, you'll want to keep a friend nearby: then you can chase it into their paws." I flicked my ears up at the sky. "Want to try that, or head back to camp and do it another day?"

[Flintpaw]

Flintpaw dropped the mouse to his paws. "I want to try that!" He dug into the ground and covered the mouse for later. That was another thing he remembered. The apprentice turned to Dapplecloud. "Can I try scenting for prey by myself now?" He wanted to kill a bird to prove his skill.

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

"Okay. There's usually birds in these forested areas, so try and find one." I said, waving my tail around to indicate the area. It smelled quite different to the musky smell of mouse or the strange smell of a lizard, but it would be easy to distinguish from the prey he had just caught.

[Flintpaw]

Flintpaw trekked into the small forested part of Rockclan's territory. He attempted to imitate Dapplecloud's previous actions. He lifted his head and smelled the air. The apprentice scented something unusual. It wasn't anything close to a mouse and it wasn't strange enough to be a lizard. Flintpaw heard the flutter of wings as a dove landed a few feet away from him. He crouched behind a bush and flicked his tail as a signal for Dapplecloud to go to her hiding spot.

[Dapplecloud]

Dapplecloud

Seeing the small bird peck at the ground, a few cat-lengths in front of Flintpaw, I turned and crept around rocks and bushes, until I was facing Flintpaw, ready to startle it or catch it if Flintpaw did so. I looked over the bird at his hiding spot and nodded slightly to indicate I was ready.

[Flintpaw]

At her signal, Flintpaw ran out of his spot and charged at the bird. He tried his best to steer it in Dapplecloud's direction, but it went a little too far to her right. The apprentice still chased after it, not wanting it to get away from the both of them.