[Dolomedes]

 

Originally Posted by Fish

Shadowpaw giggled cheerfully when her fur was ruffled up. She wasn't a fussy cat at all with her fur and it was fun to be playing with someone else despite how brief. "Ok Moonmeadow it is!" She purred happily. Then she flicked her tail in excitement like her favorite prey was right in front of her and ready to be snatched. "I'll sneak up on all the enforcers that they will want to put me as the head! But I'd be too sneaky to be caught in that role, hehe." She giggled mischievously.

Right now its was time to listen. Shadowpaw got herself into a proper sitting position as she listen very intently. Closely the younger cat watched Moonmeadow go over the techniques and couldn't help but to giggle a little when she was referred back to—She wasn't sure if it was embarrassment that made them escape. Don't wait for the last moment. Hm, this made the apprentice think hard on this thought. She wanted to come up with an argument against this but she came up short. Was there every going to be a good time to just sit still and hide.

With all of this in mind Shadowpaw crouched down in a hiding pose, mimicking what Moonmeadow had done. She looked back for a moment to make sure that her hunch was down with her tail before she took the soft steps. Doing the best she could, sneaked around for a little bit—going into the shadows. Once she felt like she had done enough Shadowpaw stood back up and smiled towards Moonmeadow. "How did I do? Oh and uh... None that I can think of!" She beamed.

Moonmeadow
She/they | ShC warrior | Moons: 21 | Purrks: Shadow Fiend |

Moonmeadow watched the apprentice replicate the warrior's previous example with a careful eye despite the haziness, and rather knew how well the young feline was doing by her ears. The paw steps could still be heard but it was pretty quiet for being relatively new and in a forest there would be more ambient noise that could help cover up. The warrior said as much to the younger apprentice before continuing with what else she thought was important for Shadowpaw to know before the hide and seek game started. "Alright, kiddo, lookin' pretty good! You'll only be getting better and soon you'll be out sneaking even Dawnstar. Before that though, we've gone over backups but let's go over finding a hiding spot so good you could chill all evening there." The warrior paused and let the apprentice return to sitting beside them so that they could continue the lesson without having to worry about needing to repeat things too much. Though she is sure that Shadowpaw could listen just fine while practicing, it was easier for Moonmeadow to focus this way as well.

"Alrighty, tell me where you would hide?" The warrior starting, nodding when they listen to Shadowpaw's response. Then followed up with another question, "Where do you think these cats would hide?" The feline motioned to the gathering cats around them with a grin, once more waiting for Shadowpaw's response before continuing and getting to the point.

"You see kid, you tend to already have an idea of where other cats would hide, based on what you know of them, and they will likely do the same to you. That's why you gotta think about where you think your target will look for you and you can even throw them off.

You see, if I were to guess, folks would think I'll hide in the dark...in a bigger space because of my size....but...would they look for me in more cramped spaces, probably not, would they think to look up into trees, probably not. So that's where I can aim to throw cats off my tail. Think of a place where you would least expect a cat to show up and then you have to be careful of your scent trail while getting there."

Then on second thought, Moonmeadow decided to add a little not to the end of that little lecture, "Also, don't be going anywhere dangerous, in this case its just a game so it ain't worth getting hurt over." She dropped her smile and made sure that it was clear that they were very serious about this point, "If I find out you're being a bit too reckless, I'll be making sure you clean out the nursery's nests for at least a moon." Moonmeadow let that linger for a few moments and then watched Shadowpaw's reaction before grinning again and ruffling her fur, "I'm only half joking about the cleaning, I just care about ya' so I don't want to be hearing about any hurt shadows, got it?" They hoped that Shadowpaw didn't feel like they were being too strict, Moonmeadow thought the ask was reasonable. The apprentice meant a lot to the warrior, though they've been told that they can mother hen even other warriors at times. Time to get back on track with the lesson, "Scent trails, things like potent herbs and plants, mud, and the likes can help hide your scent pretty well but don't be touching plants you don't recognize. Hmm....what else...first, any questions on this stuff?"

Moonmeadow gif made by ramen!