[p] Wait, Which Paw Goes First Again?

[~ Sage ~]

˖ ࣪⭑ Grackle'Kit ˖ ࣪⭑
He/Him | 3 Moons | Windclan
Small black tom with oversized ear
“Why walk quiet when you can run loud?”
@Nahbois

⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

Grackle’kit had barely poked his head out of the nursery when he spotted a familiar dappled shape in the clearing—Myrtlespeckle! His eyes lit up like sun-dappled puddles, and with zero hesitation, he launched himself across camp, paws thumping wildly against the ground.

“Myrtlespeckle!” he called, skidding to a stop just shy of tumbling into her legs. “Can you—can you show me the hunter’s crouch? Please? Pleasepleaseplease?” He was already halfway out of his fur from excitement, tail puffed like a feather duster.

But before the warrior even had time to open her mouth and answer, Grackle’kit had flung himself onto the ground dramatically. “SEE?! I can totally do it already!! Watch!!”

He dropped his belly low to the ground—well, sort of low. His rump stuck up far too high, his front paws were flailing in opposite directions, and his tail was twitching like it had no idea what the rest of his body was doing. “I’m sneakin’! I’m hunting! I’m soooo quiet right now,” he whispered loudly, crawling forward at a very crooked angle.

His back leg suddenly kicked out behind him like a startled rabbit, and he froze. “Wait—do warriors do that?” he blinked, completely still for half a second before giggling. “Maybe that’s my secret move! The Grackle-kick!” He flopped dramatically to the side and rolled over in the grass, limbs everywhere, then popped back up with an eager grin and sparkling eyes.

“I’m ready to become a warrior, right? Right? You don’t even have to teach me anything—I’m already amazing!” He puffed out his little chest and tried to sit like a serious warrior, but it only made his ears flop sideways and his fur stick up funnily.

He glanced up at her, eyes round and tail swishing behind him. “But also... um... can you still teach me the real one? Just in case?”

⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

[haha! This is my first post of Grackle and I'm loving his personality, I hope you have as much fun reading this as I had writing it ]

[P.S sorry for the late starter! ]

⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

[Nahbois]

Myrtlespeckle
|| she/her || 24 Moons || Windclan Warrior||

Myrtlespeckle was going about her morning routine when her name was called. Turning, she saw the kit tumble right towards her. She raised a paw, reading to stop Gracklekit, though he seemed to do so himself. Good. Training, eh? It was good to see kits take the initiative.

"Sure-" before she could even finish speaking, he was already showing off his skills. Or lack of it. It was difficult to even get a word in with this one! Myrtlespeckle closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath. Kits just had a lot of energy. This was something she could account for and manage. It was fine. She was fine.

Thankfully, he wore himself down to a good enough state for listening. Blue eyes looked down at Gracklekit as she finally spoke. "You show promise. However, the apprentice stage is very important." She settled into a hunting crouch, her whole body close to the ground evenly. And importantly, she was still. "You must your whole body even to the ground. With your butt in the air, it would be hard to move. While I can't show you due to my own tail, you want to keep yours straight with your body. Keeping it up can alert prey. The most important part of hunting is being aware of your own movements."

( @~ Sage ~ - Gracklekit. He's so precious)

[~ Sage ~]

[CENTER]

˖ ࣪⭑ Grackle'Kit ˖ ࣪⭑
He/Him | 3 Moons | Windclan
Small black tom with oversized ear
“Why walk quiet when you can run loud?”
@Nahbois

⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

Grackle’kit blinked a few times, trying to picture Myrtlespeckle’s perfect hunting crouch in his head. He lowered his tail carefully, but it twitched like a leaf in the wind anyway. “Butt down, tail straight… got it!” he repeated, sinking low to the ground, though his legs immediately wobbled and he nearly toppled over sideways. “Whoa! How do you make this look so easy? My legs feel like they’re made of wet moss!”

He gave a dramatic groan and flopped flat on his belly, then bounced back up with a goofy grin. “Okay, maybe I’m not quite the sneakiest kit yet. Definitely still mastering the art of not looking like a clumsy squirrel.”

Grackle’kit glanced around and whispered loudly, “If I try sneaking like this near a mouse, it’ll run away before I even get close. Unless my secret move — the Grackle-kick — scares it off first!” He gave a small hop and spun in a circle, almost losing his balance again.

“But don’t worry! I’m going to practice every single day, and soon I’ll be as quiet as a shadow under the moon. No more flailing legs or twitchy tails—I swear on StarClan’s whiskers!” He puffed out his chest, though it made his fur stick out in all directions, making him look even more like a startled fluffball.


[ahaha! Thank youu, Grackle is a sweetheart ]

[Nahbois]

Myrtlespeckle
|| She/her || 24 Moons || Windclan Warrior||

Did Gracklekit end up taking another kit's energy and add it to his own? He sure did like to talk. It wasn't all terrible, though, as he seemed able to do some reflection. "With practice it will become natural. And remember to keep your tail even. Many apprentices find that to be the most difficult part."

That part was true, though Myrtlespeckle suspected that the silent part of hunting might be Gracklekit's bane. Either way, it was a flaw to be noted and corrected. Along with his 'special move'. "Your... Grackle-kick would not be effective in hunting. You do not want your prey behind you, and if it's close enough for you to kick, then it would be better to pin it, as to not let the prey escape. However, there are cases where kicking behind you is good when fighting. That you have to wait and learn, though. For now, show me your crouch again. It needs to be good before you practice it on your own."

( @~ Sage ~ - Gracklekit)

[~ Sage ~]

˖ ࣪⭑ Grackle'Kit ˖ ࣪⭑
He/Him | 3 Moons | Windclan
Small black tom with oversized ear
“Why walk quiet when you can run loud?”

꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

Grackle’kit perked up, chest puffed with pride at the mention of his totally original Grackle-kick. But as Myrtlespeckle explained why it wouldn’t exactly win him any prey, his ears drooped just a tiny bit, flicking with sheepishness.

“Aww… no Grackle-kick in hunting?” he mumbled, half to himself, tail giving a dramatic little flop. “It felt so cool, though…” Then, with barely a heartbeat’s pause, he sprang back up, energy back in full force. “But okay! Okay! I’ll save it for battle! When I’m a big strong apprentice and I’m fighting off, like, five badgers at once, then I’ll use it! Or… maybe four. Or maybe… one. Small badger.”

He dropped back into a crouch with the seriousness of a warrior-in-the-making, tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth as he tried to remember every word Myrtlespeckle said. “Tail even… paws steady… prey in front of me, not behind me… got it!” He peeked up with big, eager eyes. “Like this?” he asked, crouch just slightly too low and tail tip still twitching with excitement.

꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

[Nahbois]

Myrtlespeckle
|| She/her || 24 Moons || Windclan Warrior ||

Myrtlespeckle exhaled at the disappointment over the Grackle-Kick. What a kit thing to do, branding a movement like no one else thought of it. He dropped it, thankfully. So she did as well. "It's best to be careful, even with a badger."

She'd never even fought one before, but knew all too well how careful one should be around animals bigger than cats. The white and fawn she-cat watched Gracklekit's attempt, which clearly showed signs of improvement. With a paw, she pushed him up slightly. The tail tip... She sighed as she knew there wasn't much to do about that. Stepping a few tail lengths away, she drew a line in the dirt. "Walk to here while maintaining the crouch."

( @~ Sage ~ - Gracklekit)

[~ Sage ~]

˖ ࣪⭑ Grackle'Kit ˖ ࣪⭑
He/Him | 3 Moons | Windclan
Small black tom with oversized ear
“Why walk quiet when you can run loud?”
@Nahbois

꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

Grackle’kit’s ears twitched at the sigh, and he blinked up at Myrtlespeckle with wide eyes. “O-oh,” he mewed, voice dipping with sudden seriousness before bouncing back up again. “Right! Careful. Even with a badger. Got it. Badgers are like... like giant spiky boulders with teeth!” He gave a little nod, as if confirming that to himself.

He shifted in place when she pushed him up slightly, his paws stumbling over each other for a heartbeat. “Okay, okay, tail up, belly down, no more... tail-flopping.” He tried to steady himself, crouching lower, legs a bit too stretched out but determined nonetheless.

When she drew the line in the dirt, his eyes widened. “That far?! In crouch-mode?” He lowered himself a bit more, wobbling like a leaf in a breeze. “I can do this,” he whispered, mostly to himself.

He took one step.

Then another—back leg wobbling wildly like it couldn’t decide where to go, his rump hitching higher than it should have before he yanked it back down with a squeaky grunt. “I’m a shadow... a very wiggly shadow...” he mumbled through gritted teeth, tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. His tail zigzagged behind him like it was trying to escape.

After what felt like a moon but was probably just a few heartbeats, Grackle’kit finally plopped at the line with a puff of breath. “Made it!” he mewed brightly, lifting his head and beaming at her. “Sort of! Did it look good from over there?" He mewed his eyes wide, hoping that he didn't disappoint.

꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
[I completely forgot to mention you in the last post! No wonder you 'forgot' replying.. you never knew I replied!! Sorry!! ]

[Nahbois]

Myrtlespeckle
|| She/her || 24 Moons || Windclan Warrior ||

Watching Gracklekit move forward was painful. Myrtlespeckle's nose crinkled upwards as he wriggled his way forward. It was like watching a worm. Inelegant, uncoordinated, and far, far too chatty for her taste. There wouldn't be much prey he could catch with skills like that. But he took to the challenge with only a minor complaint. That, and the fact that he was practicing now, as a kit, settled her down. This was fine.

"You made it." She repeated, deciding to leave it at that. "Now, work your way back to where you started while crouching. Focus on how you're moving your paws. A back leg and front one should move in sync. That way, your movements will be less... bouncy." A polite way of putting it. "If you do well, we can finish up."

( @~ Sage ~ - Gracklekit. I had to retype the entire post... so sorry if it's a little short!)

[~ Sage ~]

˖ ࣪⭑ Grackle'Kit ˖ ࣪⭑
He/Him | 3 Moons | Windclan
Small black tom with oversized ear
“Why walk quiet when you can run loud?”
@Nahbois

꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

Grackle’kit lit up like someone had just told him he’d won a moon’s supply of honeycombs. “You—you said I made it!” he gasped, practically vibrating where he stood, eyes round with joy. The compliment was barely more than a breath, wedged between Myrtlespeckle’s sighs and thin patience, but to him it may as well have been a full-blown ceremony. “I knew I had potential! One day, they're gonna say, ‘Wow, Grackle’kit was born for this!’” he declared, already turning around in an awkward little spin that nearly made him trip over his own paw.

This time, when he crouched, there was a visible effort to do better. His limbs tucked in a little neater, his back wasn’t quite as arched, and—most miraculously—his tail didn’t flail around like a panicked fish. It gave a little wiggle now and then, but it mostly stayed low and steady, clearly something he was thinking about.

He whispered under his breath, not to Myrtlespeckle but to himself, like he was narrating his own progress. “Front left, back right… okay, that’s not too hard… not too bouncy, not too bouncy…” His ears twitched each time he adjusted his paws, and every few steps, his whiskers gave a pleased little flutter, like they were cheering him on.

“Bet you didn’t expect this level of improvement,” he said with a sideways grin as he neared the place he’d started, eyes twinkling with pride even though his crouch still looked a bit like someone had smushed a squirrel mid-pounce. “I’m basically a pro now. Can I get a warrior name yet? Gracklesneak? Ya'know cuz I'm so sneaky" he grinned toothily.


꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆

[That's alright!!

[Nahbois]

Myrtlespeckle
|| She/her || 24 Moons || Windclan Warrior ||

Myrtlespeckle let out a snort. Him listening to her and trying to learn was exactly what she expected. Of course he would be doing better. Though if she had her way, his warrior name would be Gracklecry, with how much he refused to stay quiet. Still, he had done as she asked, mostly in the way that she told him to. For that, he should be commended.

"If you keep practicing, you will be a fine hunter." She said earnestly. If every cat in the clan trained hard, Windclan would have nothing to worry about. "You'll find that a proper crouch is the basis for many skills a warrior has. For now, though, focus on this. When you're an apprentice, you can worry about the hunting part."

( @~ Sage ~ - Gracklekit)