[Fish]

 

Originally Posted by Dolomedes

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!

Shadowpaw chuckled at the thought of being able to sneak up on Dawnstar. Oh would it be fun to try and spook her with a loud 'Boo!'—How high could she make the leader jump?

Where would she hide? Shadowpaw tried to think about good spots to hide but before she could squeak one out Moonmeadow spoke—To be fair she was going to say something random to not leave the air open. "Where would others hide? Hm... Maybe in logs or under roots that they can squeeze themselves into. That sounds all like good places to look first so... Oh you are trying to make me think of bad spots to hide since many would go there!" Shadowpaw said as a light came to her eyes in understanding. Miss Moonmeadow was so smart!

Right now Shadowpaw had to wrack her brain thinking about a good spot for herself to hide. Moonshadow was very smart with hiding where others wouldn't think. "Right, so cats would think I would be hiding in the shadows from my pure black fur.. So I think I got an idea of where to be hiding. No one will think of this spot.. And I don't think its too dangerous. I hope?" Shadowpaw added the last part in wondering if her spot could be dangerous at all. Maybe she could catch a cold but that was only what queen said to their kits to make them behave, no way she would catch one. Maybe she should tell Moonshadow her idea first.. A part of what she said was what she was going to do.

So Shadowpaw poked the warrior and motioned for her to lean down so she could whisper to her. No one could hear her plans other than Moonmeadow. Shadowpaw doubted that she would use this information against her. "I was thinking of rolling in the mucky mud! Not to just hide my scent but to bury myself a little into. Next to a rock, just so other cats think I'm just a muddy rock! No cat would think another cat would willingly cover themselves completely in mud and I like playing in the mud so its no skin off my teeth! I think that's pretty smart." Shadowpaw said with a smug grin on her face. She was going to win this event hands down!