Hello young one

[Spider-in-the-corner]

{Tallgrass/35 moons/windclan warrior}



TallGrass walked out of the camp his tall stance was long and lanky but his face was plastered with a calm and kind as he walked with the apprentice as they got farther to the tall green hills he stopped "Well young rabbitpaw today I shall teach you how to hunt." he purred sniffing the warm fresh air "Has your mentor taught you much on how to hunt?" he asked before actually starting the hunt tallgrass was not sure if he had to help teach rabbitpaw but it would be no hassle for him to do so.

@Dolomedes

[Dolomedes]

Rabbitpaw
He/him | WC Apprentice Tunneler | Moons: 7 | Purrks: None| Part Manx cat

Rabbitpaw trotted along Tallgrass's side, looking around the Windclan territory as they walked through it and he was very excited to get out and hunt for his clan and he hoped to nail down moor hunting more as he isn't very practiced nor good at it, like, at all yet. Though with everything that has been happening lately and also Rabbitpaw's focus on learning battling, hunting has sadly taking a back burner but then mister Tallgrass had come up and asked the apprentices if they wanted to head out for hunting and Rabbitpaw was of course the first one at his paws, bouncing and ready to go and now here they were. Walking through the territory, out to practice hunting! Very exciting.

Rabbitpaw's green hues moved from the meadow back to Tallgrass as the elder tom began to speak to him. Oh, did Tallgrass think he has no previous experience? That wasn't the case, though it was probably very easy to assume that Rabbitpaw isn't very far into his training because of his age and size and also Crowtooth and Lightningpaw both always say he's moving too fast or something. A pang of badness hit him after that but he shook that away mentally and he didn't want to focus on it at all. "I have been out moor hunting before, not very much though. I am much better at hunting underground!" He offered and waited for the warrior to decide what they should do. His mind went back to the hunting that Rabbitpaw did with Russetnose. Rabbitpaw had scared something away and only managed to bring in something small but it was good for his first hunting trip but now he wanted to do even better! "I wanna hunt rabbits! You have to do special stuff to catch rabbits right?" Or so Rabbitpaw has heard over his time in camp and under warrior and apprentice paws alike as a kit. Catching rabbits was different from catching most land prey. His green eyes moved to the warrior and waited with a smile and a small tail wag as he sat in his excitement.

[ @Spider-in-the-corner - Tallgrass ]


Rabbitpaw gif made by ramen!

[Spider-in-the-corner]

@Dolomedes


Tallgrass smiled at the apprentices eagerness about the hunt "Rabbit hunting eh?" he meowed kindly rabbit hunting should not be that hard it takes quick but quite feet to catch one "looks like we already have one." he meowed playfully and he bumped rabbitpaw playfully before returning back to the lesson "Rabbits have big ears so they can hear better then most prey." he started as he went down hill to a flatter spot "Rabbits are also very quick so you have to be quick to catch one." as he told the apprentice he sniffed the air not many rabbits were out or if any at all once he got to level ground he stopped and looked around "[B]Here!"[/B he meowed waving rabbitpaw over "This is a rabbits nest and you can see the young in here, the mother tends to cover them with her fur to protect them from predators like us but we wont touch them Kay." he said reviling the small hole lined with grass and warm rabbit hair that enclosed five small rabbits

[Dolomedes]

Rabbitpaw
He/him | WC Apprentice Tunneler | Moons: 7 | Purrks: None| Part Manx cat

The blonde apprentice narrowed his eyes at the warrior and stuck out his tongue in playful distaste from the rabbit comment. He was Rabbitpaw not just Rabbit, after all. And also he’s heard the joke a million times but it's still fun and Rabbitpaw doesn’t actually mind that much. Tallgrass started to explain how rabbits work and the apprentice listened carefully, they have good hearing and are super quick, that was something that he already knew for the most part but guess who else has pretty good hearing and is super fast if he does say so himself? His mama agrees with that assessment as well. The blonde still listened because it wasn’t as easy as finding and chasing because if it were then rabbits wouldn’t need special hunting techniques! His green hues moved to Tallgrass as the older tom began to search for something and eventually found it and waved Rabbitpaw over and he listened swiftly.

Down in a burrow that smelt of rabbit and live, was a set of rabbit kits buried deep there. Oh, that was fascinating… the mother leaves them alone for a while? Isn’t she scared that birds may get the babies? He would be, if he were in a mother rabbit’s paws, but for now they’ll sleep soundly. He almost wants to watch over them until she can return, but they were future prey. Oh wait, what if they kill the mother on this trip? How would the babies fare then? He ignored the way it felt bad… but for some reason he kept the location in mind as he looked up to Tallgrass with a more unsure smile than usual. “Alright, how do we catch the big ones then?”

[ @Spider-in-the-corner - Tallgrass ]


Rabbitpaw gif made by ramen!

[Spider-in-the-corner]

@Dolomedes


Tallgrass smiled at the young Rabbitpaw's amusement and wonder smiling as they saw the rabbits kits he turned as they asked the question and moved away from the rabbits den near a base of a hill "[B]Well rabbits hear very very well better then us so we must be quiet when hunting them."[/B he meowed leading rabbit paw to the tall grass feild that shown with the evening sun the grass waved In the toms face "Our sent is downwind good for hunting." he meowed looking at the apprentice before getting back to the lesson "Rabbits are also very fast so it takes a fast cat to catch one." he meowed kindly "Windclan is best at hunting rabbits because we are swift and we are strong...well more like strong minded." he joked referring to how cats tend to have some what of a temper in the clan he shook himself "so its best to stay downwind so our sent is carried away from our prey because if our prey smells us it might run making us lose the prey for the clan." he started walking farther into the tall grass before going quiet "Shhh...smell that?" he said quietly as he lowerd himself to the ground walking without a sound "rabbit." he meowed staying behind a bundle of grass as he showed rabbit was the brown rabbit with a white tail "go try to hunt it remember quiet and swift but don't forget to pounce..." he said nudging the apprentice without asking if they knew how to pounce .

[Dolomedes]

Rabbitpaw
He/him | WC Apprentice Tunneler | Moons: 7 | Purrks: Dreamwalker | Part Manx cat

Rabbitpaw nodded as the warrior repeated information at him. That was simple enough wasn't it? The blonde nodded his head and turned his focus to his mind as he recalled Loudwhisker's lesson on tracking things down like prey and now that he had the scent of rabbit nailed down in his mind it would be easy enough to track it down on the breeze as well. So he took a few pawsteps away from the warrior and the rabbit kits in the burrow. And lifted his muzzle to the sky, opening his maw just a bit to catch the full breeze as he closed his eyes to nail down the scent of rabbit. Sure enough on the wind was something creeping and Rabbitpaw was dropping down into a crouch immediately and slowly began to creep forward on his belly.

One paw, two paws, three paws. The scent was overwhelming now and it had tired to switch on him a couple of times but the practice of nailing down scents with Loudwhisker helped him stay on track and soon it felt like the creature was only a few pawsteps away. Which it probably was. Tallgrass says that he needs to be quiet and to pounce and be ready for a chase. Alright, he could do that, right? Through the tall grass, suddenly as his green eyes pierce through it he catches a brief sight of the creature before the breeze carries the flowers and grass into his view again. Alright, he knows where it is now he just needs to calm down and go for it because stalling means it'll run off sooner or later, right? Yes.

Now! He pulled from Russetnose's lesson of hunting and pushed all of his weight suddenly into his haunches to spring forward powerfully through the plants of meadow. He lands a paw length away, and the creature let out a terrible squeal that Rabbitpaw almost paused to cover his ears at but he stayed focused as the rabbit began to shoot away, Rabbitpaw was on its heels immediately. Perhaps all of his running around camp as a kit and even now as an apprentice paid off because just before it squirmed into a burrow, the blonde was able to nab the thing and pull it up and slam his paws on it before finishing the rabbit off with a bite. It was a smaller thing, probably why he was able to keep up even if for a short distance. He was lucky but he got it! Rabbitpaw pulled up his catch but before he could trot it back proudly to Tallgrass something else caught his attention.

It was movement at first before the breeze shifted and a rancid scent washed over him and Rabbitpaw scrunched up his nose as the rabbit in his jaws dropped for him to close his mouth against it. Whatever the thing was it wasn't good, that was for sure. His green eyes squinted against the world as though the scent was a visual disruption as well. In the far enough distance he could make out odd looking birds. Well odd in the sense that Rabbitpaw had never seen them before and they were pecking away at something beneath their talons. That was probably crowfood they were picking at based on the smell.

Rabbitpaw picked up the rabbit and trotted back to Tallgrass, who wasn't that much further away though the scent was a bit more faded. He dropped the rabbit, "I got a rabbit, Tallgrass! Though there's some strange birds down the hill, I think they have crowfood because it smells awful- oh! They may be the raptors that Miss Twilightstar was talking about!" The detail finally clicked in his mind as he really thought about it. They were big birds, even from the distance that Rabbitpaw saw them as. The apprentice wasn't very sure about this, maybe they should go back to camp and let a fury or Miss Twilightstar know. He wasn't sure how dangerous they were but if they worried the leader and Miss Lightningstorm then it was dangerous. But it was up to Tallgrass as the warrior in the party, so Rabbitpaw looked up at him with wide expecting eyes.

[ @Spider-in-the-corner - Tallgrass ]


Rabbitpaw gif made by ramen!

[Spider-in-the-corner]

TallGrass watched the apprentice move forward in the tall grass, step by step. The warrior observed the apprentice’s concentration on hunting the rabbit, knowing that the training they had gone through was well and thorough. He didn't know who had taught them, but he thanked them and thanked StarClan that the apprentice, who was quick on their feet, managed to keep up. The rabbit almost got away as it ran into its burrow, but Rabbitpaw pulled the rabbit out. TallGrass's face turned to a slight frown as he did not approve of snatching the rabbit from its burrow, but he let it slide. He walked down to the apprentice and smiled at them, hiding the slight disappointment but still delighted with the kill. “Great job, Rabbitpaw," he purred but continued "Rabbitpaw, always remember to strive to honor the prey you hunt. StarClan teaches us to respect all life, even as we take it to sustain our own.” he purred, smiling giving advise for the apprentice he smiled as he sniffed his runny nose and perked his long ears up to hear what the apprentice had to say.


As he listened to the blonde apprentice, his fur prickled just as he noticed the smell of rancid crowfood. He looked over to where the apprentice was gesturing and glanced behind the apprentice, seeing the raptors eating what looked to be an opossum. His hackles raced, and his voice grew deep. “Rabbitpaw, be careful” he meowed in an authoritative voice as he stalked closer to the vultures. He contemplated what he should do and took a risk. He sprinted towards the vultures, a group of three. His ears roared, and his heart pumped with adrenaline. Two of the vultures flew off in a panicked manner, but one stayed put. The raptor screeched at Tallgrass as he lunged at it, letting out a fierce growl. The bird went after him, now seeing Tallgrass as a threat. It lunged at him, but Tallgrass was too agile to be hit. As he turned to pounce and make a killing blow, it jabbed its sharp beak downward, aiming for his vulnerable flesh. Tallgrass caught a glimpse of the menacing curve of its beak just before pain exploded behind his eye


Tallgrass spat nasty curses and stumbled backward, his right eye gone. He felt as if fire was spreading across his entire body; he was in agony but still stood up and lashed his tail at the bird, hissing at it. He swiped once more, hitting its head and stunning it slightly.

@Dolomedes

[Dolomedes]

Rabbitpaw
He/him | WC Apprentice Tunneler | Moons: 7 | Purrks: Dreamwalker | Part Manx cat

Rabbitpaw hadn't expected for the older to just go after the birds like that so suddenly, after all, weren't they dangerous and that's why they were warned about them at the last meeting? And they certainly were because while some flew off, the birds were huge now that he was closer, oh dear, and one remained and shot at Tallgras as the warrior went to attack it. The warrior dodged gracefully and Rabbitpaw went the other way about the bird to be behind it while its focus was on the warrior so he could line up for a good shot but in the time it took to dash and then pivot, Rabbitpaw turned to see Tallgrass bleeding a lot from his face. Oh no! Had it done something to his face? What kind of question was that? Of course it did, that's why Tallgrass was hurt.

Rabbitpaw froze for a moment, staring in horror as the warrior continued to bleed but it was also from the shock of how quickly things were going. He had hardly been given time to drop his rabbit before Tallgrass was shooting for the raptors on his own without giving Rabbitpaw any direction in the slightest and now the blonde apprentice was there stuck to the floor as if he was a herb rooting itself in the meadow rather than a cat who had teeth and claws and the ability to attack and protect. As Tallgrass managed another swipe at the giant bird, the warrior managed to reach up at its head and it seemed to have left the bird stunned. Its previously flapping wings likely to lift itself up and away, flailed and offered Rabbitpaw enough time to try his own attack at the creature.

One paw, two paws, three paws, four! The tunneling apprentice charged forward, bounding across the short distance and jumped up at the last second to fly through the air himself a short distance. He let out an 'oof' sound as he landed on the bird's back, his claws digging into the feathers as the bird tumbled down with the newly found weight and momentum crashing into it. The apprentice waited no time for it to rear its head back and stab at him like it did with Tallgrass, and shot forward with his jaws to snap around the giant bird's long throat. Biting as hard as he could, Rabbitpaw shook his head violently, refusing to let go and leaving the bird's head to flail as it became more and more erratic in its movements as oxygen became limited.

Eventually, it threw off Rabbitpaw, but the force of tossing the apprentice of itself while the feline's jaws were dug in left its throat coming with the blonde apprentice. Rabbitpaw rolled across the floor painfully but jumped back to his paws despite the soreness of the harsh greeting with the ground. The bird followed shortly after, succumbing from the lack of air paired with the devastating injury. The apprentice stared at it for a few moments, breathless and running high on adrenaline as the situation was still washing over him like a breeze through a field. Then he realized as the taste of iron flooded his every sense and had him wincing and shutting his eyes against the force of it that he was still carrying the remnants of the bird in his mouth and spit it out at the ground nearby before looking towards Tallgrass.

"I-Are you..Are you okay, Mister Tallgrass?" The blonde apprentice made his way over to the elder tom swiftly, trying to look and see the injuries himself. They needed to get back to camp immediately, Mister Tallgrass was hurt badly. The apprentice came to Tallgrass's side in case the tom got light headed or was having a hard time walking. "We need to get back to camp! Miss Lightningstorm can help you." He offered, on the verge on tears though he pushed down his own panic to help Tallgrass. The threat was gone. The bird is still a tail length away. Dead. Though they were not in the clear until Mister Tallgrass was in Miss Lightningstorm's den and being seen.

[ @Spider-in-the-corner - Tallgrass ]


Rabbitpaw gif made by ramen!