Quote:
Originally Posted by BEAR.
Wolfhive wasn't convinced she was fine, but he wasn't going to push it too hard. If she continued to struggle he'd step in and see to it she got help from Springlight if needed, or at least rested - but for now...
She was back at it, this time focused on the leaves he directed her to. He hoped she took this well - he wasn't trying to belittle her and absolutely didn't want to discourage her; he just wanted to avoid her getting upset if she struggled with hunting live prey. Leaves wouldn't scamper off or run away if her legs gave out and she could keep trying until she was ready.
Thankfully, whatever caused her to collapse before didn't seem to stop her now. He purred as she caught the leaves - though she skidded, it was to be expected since them clumped together could be slippery. "You're a natural! Keep it up and prey won't know what hit them." Yes; right now was just leaves. But Wolfhive didn't plan on sticking to them, as long as Mallowpaw was fine, he wanted to get her hunting for real. "Take a breather if you need to, okay? There's no shame in going at your own pace." Overexertion could be bad, and Wolfhive didn't want her to hurt herself if they could avoid it. "When you're ready, I want you to sniff the air. Take in the scents around us. What do you smell?"
[ @ kittycatburmise ] |
Mallowpaw
54/100
Wolfhive seemed pleased with her performance. The praise made pride swell in her chest, pride that she was finally getting somewhere. Wolfhive could see something in her. He thought she could do this.
His next words were ones of concern. "I'm okay," she told him. The burning sensation she kept feeling was short-lived, at least. And if she kept practising, if she strengthened her muscles, hopefully it would disappear entirely. And then she could hunt like the warriors she had seen catch prey so easily. She could go on hunting patrols. She could catch up with the other apprentices, shoot past them even.
Following Wolfhive's instructions, Mallowpaw opened her mouth slightly to better catch the scents. There were the usual ones, wood and moss and leaf-litter, but also something else. Its scent was slightly different to the ones on the fresh-kill pile, but it was similar enough that Mallowpaw could recognise it fairly easily. "Mouse?" she answered, the word unintentionally coming out as a question.
(Sorry about the lateness!)