[Rani]

Mudhound
Thunderclan Hornet | They/them | 35 Moons
Bilingual T2 | Flock Together T3 | Rapid Recovery | Beefed up T3

Originally Posted by Ladiebugg

DaylightPaw
DaylightKit,



11 Moons | She/Her | Bisexual

ThunderClan Apprentice

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@Rani

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DaylightPaw flicked her ear before padding off. She quickly dropped to a hunting crouch before slowly creeping towards MudHound. Each time the tripod looked in her direction she stopped and dropped low to the ground. Her grey and yellow pelt hopefully helped her blend in with sun spots, at least a little bit.

To be fair to Daylightpaw prey would totally be fooled by the level of sneaky they'd displayed. Buuuuuut Mudhound was a cat so her out of place fur stood out amongst the brown and green, though she'd probably be a successful winter hunter that coloring was close enough to blend with snow.

"Daylightpaw by the bush! Spotted you!"


She'd made it almost within pouncing distance, so pretty close despite the ultimate fail and the tripod remarked on that with a "Youre very good! Bad luck this time, maybe experiment with draping some ferns over your back to be hidden, this method will even work on other cats and like advanced prey or predators so give it a try~" Other then that little tip Daylightpaw was well into warrior skill levels with hunting so could easily tap Mudhound next try.

Originally Posted by zozelen

Blazepaw tried his best to restrain a grimace at Mudhound's call. Yeah, Blazepaw was here, he just wasn't keen on exactly jumping into the training because he already knew how to do this and Mudhound just... put him in the hunting group instead? They didn't even acknowledge it. Great...

Blazepaw was picking up on some judgement in the other cat's tone though, and he wouldn't just keep watching the other apprentices stumble if Mudhound started thinking he was incompetent. Just the idea of being thought of as behind made Blazepaw want to hiss, but he held it back. "Yes, I'm here, Mudhound. Just... observing the group," he meowed dryly before Mudhound climbed up onto the rock. They were supposed to hunt the warrior? Blazepaw didn't have a problem with that, but with so many cats going after one target, he had a feeling they'd just start tripping over each other. Since Blazepaw wasn't the focus of Mudhound's attention from the start, he decided to to try approaching from the side instead- still downwind, of course, but away from Mudhound's main focus.

He simply padded away, hopefully making Mudhound assume that he was just disinterested, but then he quietly crept into one of the dens to the side of the rock. He was starting a bit father away then the other apprentices, sure, but he couldn't imagine why Mudhound would look over here- they couldn't afford to, it would be a prime opportunity for the apprentices to strike. And even if they did, Blazepaw was in the shadows.

He could try and stalk forward, or aim for the kill and simply sprint over to Mudhound, staying light on his feet. Could Blazepaw leap up onto the rock in time before Mudhound could react? Maybe, but he wasn't completely confident.

@Rani

(by the way, i'm not actually mad that he switched groups, but i imagine blazepaw would be a little annoyed haha. that isn't coming from me!)

Ooooh they had a grumpy! And a sassy too! It was understandable, they supposed it was reasonable to be unhappy with the swap into the 'lame' group, but also booooo! Mudhound could be cool too!


And they'd show it by schooling this sassy little bit. See, Blazepaw was ginger, a pelt color that shone against the green grass. And he hadnt been listening about the idea of trying out camouflage.



"Oh Blaaaaazepaaaaaw! I see yooooooooou~ Good job using the the shadows but with your pelt youre gonna need extra help to hide from a keen eye'd prey. Like a crow or large bird, theyre smart and will peck you like hell if you mess it up.


Same advice that Daylightpaw got goes for you, try and use leaves or mud or ferns to dull that color and give it another try. And in case you think its too much effort when a squirrel is dumb enough to fall for a normal stalk this hiding method works on cats too! So if you wanna try and sneak up on an enemy warrior Im pretty sure the same ideas apply."


Was this how shadowclan cats snuck around? If it was this simple Mudhound kinda wondered why everyone wasnt sneaky, maybe they should poke Bumble-sis to start training their warriors to be stealthy and turn shadowclans own tricks against them. That was off subject though and Mudhound tagged on another option.


"If that doesnt work distraction works for both cats and prey! You can chuck a little rock away from you to get your target to look away if theyre already on alert and if you got some nuts or berries you can use them as bait and catch the prey while its distracted eating! Isnt that cool, give it a shot!"

Originally Posted by SuspiciousMindz

[Treepaw] | Trees Friend
​ThunderClan Apprentice
Silver Tongue

Oh gosh, oh gosh, I need to sneak up on them!

Treepaw gulped but nodded at the assignment. Of course, she wasn't experienced with this so thankfully she could use the grasses and bushes to try and get an advantage on them. So, she did just that. Treepaw took to the taller grasses, thankful for the Bengal pattern pelt she had. It was useful in this clan. Although, her next goal would be to fully master the trees. Hunting, fighting, just doing everything in the trees. It was her favorite place to be. First, though, was mastering hunting on the ground.

Once again, Treepaw struggled with keeping her pawsteps light and silent. She got into her trained crouch, but her paw steps still came down with light thuds on the ground. She frowned at the sounds. The next step, she tried to lighten her step, but to no avail. Her paw once again came down with a thud. Treepaw was simply trying to move too fast, but she didn't understand that. The faster she tried to step, the louder the sound as she stalked towards Mudhound. The frustration of the situation glowed in her eyes.

@Rani

...... Mudhound was kinda confused by this kid. Sometimes she acted very odd and not in a way the hornet understood. But this wasnt their kid and maybe this was normal? Mudhound might ask Spiderthroat later but for now they did not see the kid until they did so she definitely knew her stuff.


Reaching down from their perch to talk to Treepaw given she'd gotten so close the hornet gently caught a paw before it could thud down again and instead slowly lowered it so it made no sound.
"Slowly wins the race here, fast is good if youre already caught but youve got time to stalk if the prey doesnt know youre there. And I sure didnt until then! Good work~


Slow yourself down and you'll find you catch more faster and if you want an extra tip spread out your paw before you set it down, I find it helps both walking on snow and keeping quiet! Give it a try!"

Originally Posted by bubble[error].

(sorry!)

* Cherrypaw froze and looked over at Mudhound. She immediately felt bad about herself because of her coweredness. "I-I'm sorry, I... I guess I just don't like fighting..." She mumbled.

( @Rani )

That.... That wasnt the response Mudhound wanted or a good one really. The hornet sighed again, trying to soften their tone. "But we're fighting Cherrypaw, we're hunting. And Ive seen you freeze up like this when just listening to meetings and in camp. This isnt just being afraid of fighting, this is just holding you back from learning and growing. If youre this afraid of something like hunting I dunno how youre gonna do anything ever in the clan." And if Cherrypaw couldnt learn to overcome what was holding her back then Mudhound didnt think there was much of a place for her in the clan. Clan life was too cruel to shelter such fear and hesitation, it'd only get Cherrypaw killed.


"Listen just for now put aside your fear best you can. We're only learning to hunt so think back on the instructions I gave and give me your best shot at sneaking up on me like you'd stalk prey."
This was above the tripods skill level to deal with, they'd ask Dizzlecloud if there was something that could be done for Cherrypaw later and maybe ask around if someone could do remedial classes with her to catch her up to her peers. However that'd require Cherrypaw to try and step up too, so her fate was in her own paws. Mudhound had said their piece and now padded away to continue to let cats stalk them (Cherrypaw included).

Originally Posted by Alchemist Kitsune

| Sprucepaw |
Kitty Softpaws - Active | Ultimate Predator - Active | Agatha Kitty - Active

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Fudge puffed up at The Boulder's silent praise, allowing his crouch to relax as he sat down, watching his mentor going around and correcting the young paws. The less knowledgeable ones. He kept emeralds hues locked on them, always willing to catch little errors here and there that he could keep in mind for the future. It had been some moons since he had been brutally bullied by prey, but he would prefer to not go to those days if it was all the same to everybody. It took some time - there were an awful lot of apprentices in this clan... no wonder the den had been feeling so cramped of late - but they managed to get through everyone, and soon the gauntlet was thrown, and a challenge was issued to those who were advanced enough for the next part of the training to be little more than kit's play.

Whether the tom wanted to admit it or not, he knew full well that he was in that group of paws who had honed their skills beyond this paltry exercise. Easy as it would be to simply stay the course and do the bare minimum, the chocolate point did not wish to disappoint his mentor. He had other apprentices already to compete against, to show how he was the better one. The one more worthy of attention. If he failed to demonstrate that he in fact took what the brown mountain of a feline said during their lessons together, then he would lose without having even begun. The Birman mix was far from competitive, but he did not wish for those warm eyes to ever gaze upon him coldly. Angrily. With dejection.

And so he took The Boulder's words to heart. If they wanted to be approached from the open, how about Fudge doubled that challenge? Closed the distance not just from the open, but from the front as well. There were many cats here. The warrior would be forced to divide their attention. Look in all directions at all times. Meaning this former kittypet would be able to approach head on. It was risky. Had every potential to fail. And yet the challenge of it lit his deadpanned gaze with the slightest hint of a thrill. Of entertainment. He would convince himself that he was doing this fully for them and to show how he could think outside the box, but frankly, he was doing it just as much for himself. To prove to himself that he could do this. And if not? Well... just another technique to master. Because he would prevail in this... make no mistake about it.

Thinking through the giant's words, he bounded off, making sure to rub into the shrubbery he intended to use to cover himself. His brown fur might hide him well in trees, and admittedly it was much easier to blend in with the dirt than if he had been born with his sisters' and Cookie's much lighter, cream colored fur, but it still didn't make him invisible. Some extra help would be appreciated, and if he was going to smell like the flora of the place, he might as well look the part, too. Carefully, he grabbed twigs, branches, and leaves, covering himself and tangling the brush on his long fur until he resembled more plant than cat. Getting them all on him was easy enough. The hard part would be cleaning himself later... but he would go about that in due time. For now, it was time to hunt a mountain.

Slowly, he got into position, keeping his gaze alert for every motion his so called prey made. Every time their eyes darted elsewhere, he made his move, hoping to have avoided detection. He would continue along the stretch for as long as he could, becoming an immobile bush whenever he sensed any movement from the warrior ahead. Fudge wasn't certain if it would be enough. If he would be able to pounce and catch the much more experienced feline. Hopefully his innovation would gain him so points if his attempt here failed.

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@Rani [Mudhound]

Sprucepaw had taken the advice and it'd worked. With wild abandon actually.


Upon his pounce on his mentor Mudhound let out a shrill and shocked yelp, one that'd accompanied a rather spectacular leap as the bush attacked them! EVIL BUSH! THEY WERE SENTIENT NOW AND OUT FOR CAT BLOOD AND- Oh it was Sprucy. Panting hard for a couple of seconds the hornets eyes were wide before it melted into a beaming grin, tail starting to wag.


"WOW SPRUCEY!!! YOU MASTERED THAT SO FAST!" Their little guy was always a good hunter when the world wasnt out to get him but picking up on the advanced ideas was super impressive! "You'll get any prey with that!! I bet you could even out sneak a shadowclan cat!" huh that was a thought. This whole lesson was basically like teaching them to be sneaky but instead of using it on prey shadowclan used it on cats. ....If the advanced learners were smart and took the lessons to heart this could easily be repurposed to ambush tactics.


Slightly scary thought that but Mudhound quickly moved on patting Sprucepaw on the head before purring at him for job well done.

Originally Posted by Estelle

Teehee~ Bigcat her stance looks good! Deesssssspite the wobble that caused her to tumble over at those exact words. Bleh. Poppypaw blew a small raspberry, eyes turning up to look at Bigcat who gave further advice. Wider paws? Flat paws? Wider stance! She hummed and nodded, getting up as though nothing happened and thoroughly focused on crouching - spreading her legs further than before, and likely further than was normal - but! For the remaining wobbles, she did feel more stable!! Poppypaw's eyes widened in excitement, looking up big round eyes.
"Bigcat! Bigcat! This good? Poppy doing good??"
She quickly pipped up, eyes searching for Mudhound as she managed to not fall this time.

The lesson had moved on. Steadfast, Poppypaw remained in her crouch as she listened to the further instructions, carefully watching the example -- it sounded like a game. Poppypaw liked games! The little she-cat noted of the older feline avoided grass and sticks, and rather, hid behind tall things, much like hide and seek! Her head tilted sideways. Okay. So she had to be suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper duuuuuuuuper sneaky and quiet... She could do that!! Okay. Okay. If she sees the prey then the prey can see her! And- and!! If she smells prey... Prey can smell her? Now that seemed complicated, don't they need to smell prey to find it? Oh, wait! Bigcat is the fake prey! They meant themselves! Silly her.

Cover your scent... Bigcat had shown her how to cover scent before. She thinks. Maybe. Looking around and spotting the nearest mud-puddle, the patched tabby waddle over and ceremoniously dropped and rolled in the mud while everyone else surely had already started their stalking. But Poppypaw wanted to do this good! She wanted to be a good warrior!! Scent covered (or at least, with her fur covered in mud), the brittle apprentice crouched once again - wobbling a little - with her abnormally wide stance, one paw methodically creeping in front of the other with immense concentration as she tried to copy what Bigcat had previously shown her. It wasn't quite so easy, and the apprentice was having a tough time walking-slash-stalking-slash-waddling in a straight line, also trying to focus on what was on the ground and hiding behind stuff and!! So much!! To focus!! On!!


[ @Rani ]

Poppypaw was too cute! With an involuntary coo Mudhound reared up and applauded before toppling over due to single back leg, smiling all the while. "That looks really good Poppypaw! Thats exactly how its done! You look at the core ideas of how its done and then tweak and practice until its all yours and works for you!" Which was how Mudhound did it, their own disability altering their methods. With a final happy grin the tripod left her to try out stalking, happily being the willing target of trail.


Which was needed as Poppypaw definitely had more effort to put into learning then others to master it. Not her fault and she was persistent so the hornet had faith she'd get it. So Mudhound just let Poppypaw keep trying and figure it out, occasionally piping up with little tips when they saw her. Mostly minor stuff like "Make sure to watch for sticks! Bushes are your best friend and you can hide behind most everything if you need a moment to breath between sneaking." however there was one she might especially useful. "Poppypaw yanno you dont have to stalk straight up to prey? If you wanna zig zag around from hiding spot it can even conceal that youre stalking too, play to your strengths kiddo!"

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Most cats had given it a shot and gotten advice by now so Mudhound just piped up, announcing "Alright take in the lessons given and you got one more change to give catching me a shot before we're moving on to a quick pouncing lesson! Then we're gonna wrap up on prey types (like birds see and hear but not smell and rabbits hear really well but dont see and smell as well) and Ill throw in some special tricks thats kinda advanced hunting! And to you sulkers in the group, even if you know hunting already think of it this way, ambush attacks are just cat hunting instead of prey~



Dont discount the ideas!"