The Paths We Choose [p]

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When Natalia launched herself into a crouch, Saffron did the same, though hers was quite a bit more messy. She tried to take a step in the crpuch, like Natalia had, but it was easy to loose balance. The other cat had made it seem simple, and yet Saffron felt it wasn't as easy as it looked. But she knew Natalia would teach her well.

[Natalia]

Natalia watched Saffron try the crouch. The younger cat weight wasn't balanced. Plus, her stance was awkward and unstable. It seemed Saffron had discovered the balance issues. "Here." Natalia crouched down and lightly tapped at her legs around the heels. "Space them out a bit more. You're using roughly the amount of space you would when you're standing." Then she stood up again and moved to Saffron's front. "Also, ease up on your front. You're putting too much weight there." She advised. "To stalk your prey, your movements must be fluid in light. Don't push down on your paws too much."

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Saffron listened to Natalia and nodded, spacing her paws wider. Instantly, her balance was a bit better. Then, she eased more of her weight onto her hind legs, giving her front paws a bit of a break. It did look better, though she still felt weird. She, once again, tried to take another step in the crouch. Her steps were lighter and she flowed a bit more, before stepping wrongly and almost falling over, yet she regained balance quickly

[Natalia]

Natalia saw fast improvement. Saffron took her advice and applied it to herself. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely better than the previous crouch that Saffron had tried simply from observation. She wasn't exactly an expert on this sort of thing, since hunting wasn't really an exact art. 

Natalia nodded. "Just be careful. If you make a misstep when you're hunting, your prey might get away. We might be the predators, but prey isn't stupid." She advised. "Why don't you try pouncing now? Pick a leaf and try to catch it."

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(( sorry for inactivity ))

Saffron quickly spotted a leaf that had been staring her down. She gave a soft growl, and shook her rum, before rocking back onto her haunches and springing up and out, landing over the leaf instead of on it with her paws. She took a step back, so that she was standing on it, and shredded it with her claws.

[Natalia]

((It's alright.

Natalia watched with a calm expression as Saffron misjudged her leap, overestimating the distance and landing too far away. The younger she-cat tried to correct this and took a step back, then shredding the leaf. 

"You should practice pouncing. The more you practice, the more skill you will attain in being able to judge how much strength to achieve a certain amount of distance." The red-furred tabby advised. "Be wary when hunting real prey. Real prey is much more alert and interested in self-preservation than a leaf." Then she eyed the leaf. "Try not to shred your prey. Kill your prey with minimal damage. Especially when Leaf-bare is around, every drop of blood the prey loses means your prize will be colder." In Leaf-bare, every cat was desperate for whatever scraps of heat they could find from whatever source.

Well, every cat who was living life how it was meant to be lived. 

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Saffron nodded, hanging on every word Natalia said and storing it away in her brain. She then turned toward another leaf and crouched, trying to imitate her teacher's perfect stance. She then snuck forward like a smooth river, but maybe with a few boulders thrown in at different spots. She paused, before eyeing down her 'prey' and leaping, this time landing a bit short of her target. If it was a mouse, she would've landed on its tail.

Saffron gave a slight hesitation, before deciding to act like the leaf was actually a mouse. She quickly bent and bit its 'neck,' acting like she had broken it. She looked up, was that how prey was killed?

[Natalia]

Natalia watched as Saffron made another practice attempt. It was better than before. Smoother, but not without its own bumps in the road. It was ridiculous to assume a cat would go from barely being able to hunt to being a master with mere instruction. Of course, learning was important. There was still vital practice, though.

She observed Saffron's successful practice. Natalia nodded in approval. Then she cocked her head. "Perhaps you'd like to see how you fare with real prey, now?"

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Saffron's face lit up at the fact she might be able to catch her own prey. "We could try..." she meowed doubtfully. "I'm sure I would scare it away, however." She knew her pawsteps were still quite loud compared to that of a real hunter. The prey here were, undoubtingly, aware of the cats. They would hear her coming from miles away.

[Natalia]

Natalia shrugged in response. "You should always try. Even in fear of failure." She looked ahead. "Hm... Follow me. Watch your step. Don't stalk after me, but be mindful of where you're stepping. Avoid branches and leaves." She wasn't quite stalking as she said, but it was clear by the way she walked along that she was trying to be quiet. Her paws weaved around various obstacles that would make sound, moving at a decently swift pace, stepping light and fast. 

Best move to another area with unsuspecting prey.

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Saffron quickly nodded and went after her, watching for small fallen twigs, dead leaves, or stiff grass. She watched Natalia closely and tried hard to mimic her, being as light on her paws as possible. She gave a good amount of effort, but maybe tried a little too hard. She felt like a flapping chicken behind a silent shadow.

[Natalia]

((whoops forgot about this thread eheheheh 

Natalia looked over her shoulder to see Saffron... Admittedly fumbling, but also managing to not make too much noise. "Practice." She advised softly, so as to not alarm the prey. "Your movements will flow more when you become more comfortable with practice." She promised. 

Soon after, she stopped and turned around silently. "What do you smell?" She asked, in that quiet tone of her's.