Willowpaw's Training! [p] - Page 4

***squidz*** · #31 May 26th, 2024, 03:10 PM

Stagheart nodded. "Good! There's a mouse 'round here too, though those lil' guys can smell a lot like the forest. Can be hard to detect. Anyway..." He sniffed again to confirm his own idea of where each of them were at, then glanced back at his apprentice. "You pick one 'n start goin' for it. This'll test if y'can pick up their scent among all the others 'n follow a trail."

**SeonghwasBunnyEars** · #32 May 26th, 2024, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart nodded. "Good! There's a mouse 'round here too, though those lil' guys can smell a lot like the forest. Can be hard to detect. Anyway..." He sniffed again to confirm his own idea of where each of them were at, then glanced back at his apprentice. "You pick one 'n start goin' for it. This'll test if y'can pick up their scent among all the others 'n follow a trail."

Willowpaw gave an excited nod and crouched as practiced. Deciding to focus on the bird, the small apprentice stalked forward next to a bush, her grey fur didn't blend in well so she decided to stay still, step by step she crept up on the unexpecting bird. Willowpaw realized at any moment she could leap, if she kicked off the tree she'd reach it and make her kill. Glancing at her mentor for permission Willowpaw tried so hard not to make her tail flick, only thing giving a away her excitment was the gleam in her blue eyes.

***squidz*** · #33 May 28th, 2024, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeonghwasBunnyEars

Willowpaw gave an excited nod and crouched as practiced. Deciding to focus on the bird, the small apprentice stalked forward next to a bush, her grey fur didn't blend in well so she decided to stay still, step by step she crept up on the unexpecting bird. Willowpaw realized at any moment she could leap, if she kicked off the tree she'd reach it and make her kill. Glancing at her mentor for permission Willowpaw tried so hard not to make her tail flick, only thing giving a away her excitment was the gleam in her blue eyes.

Stagheart watched in approval as Willowpaw began to creep forward, seeming to take note of her gray fur that stood out among the browns and greens of the surrounding environment. That was smart, he hadn't even thought of that, but looks like the apprentice had known it anyway. Good for her. He would tell her later — right now, the prey was close, and any extra noise might scare it off early.

He kept some distance but still in view of Willowpaw, trying not to disturb her process nor accidentally startle the bird. When the prey came into view, he saw it was in fact a thrush, its spotted body standing out against the forest floor. When Willowpaw glanced at him, he nodded and gave a quick but silent flick of his tail — a wordless signal that effectively meant 'Go for it', then leaned back to watch.

He hadn't had a chance yet to tell her about the difference between land critters and birds, how they sensed things versus how they reacted to being spotted... but hopefully it wouldn't matter too much if she nailed the pounce. He'd see how good her instincts were on this one.

**SeonghwasBunnyEars** · #34 May 28th, 2024, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart watched in approval as Willowpaw began to creep forward, seeming to take note of her gray fur that stood out among the browns and greens of the surrounding environment. That was smart, he hadn't even thought of that, but looks like the apprentice had known it anyway. Good for her. He would tell her later — right now, the prey was close, and any extra noise might scare it off early.

He kept some distance but still in view of Willowpaw, trying not to disturb her process nor accidentally startle the bird. When the prey came into view, he saw it was in fact a thrush, its spotted body standing out against the forest floor. When Willowpaw glanced at him, he nodded and gave a quick but silent flick of his tail — a wordless signal that effectively meant 'Go for it', then leaned back to watch.

He hadn't had a chance yet to tell her about the difference between land critters and birds, how they sensed things versus how they reacted to being spotted... but hopefully it wouldn't matter too much if she nailed the pounce. He'd see how good her instincts were on this one.

Willowpaw saw his flicking tail and gave a blink. Turning her gaze back to the bird. She realized the bird had small nostrils, it probably used eyesights and hearing more. Willowpaw thought of this as the bird had bug eyes and birds usually sang loudly to communicate. She kept her movements hidden and small as well as keeping her noise levels down.

Willowpaw finally saw her chance as the bird turned its head, Willowpaw stayed silent as she leapt, it was a bit wonky but using her long tail mid-air she was able to crash down onto the bird, snatching it in her jaws and biting down as hard as she could. Willowpaw felt the crunch and warm blood fill her maw as she looked up to her mentor in triumph. "I did it!" Willowpaw exclaimed, placing down her prey to give her mentor a proud look. "I did decent right!? I think my jump was a little off... I might have put to much weight on once side but... that's ok right? I can just... fix it?"

***squidz*** · #35 May 29th, 2024, 03:28 PM

"Took the words right outta my mouth," he purred in amusement, nodding approvingly at her. "That was good, y'still got it — but for the future, we'd better focus on straightenin' out your form 'n makin' sure you're balanced. If not, a lopsided jump can cost ya the catch. 'N that was good senses y'had there... birds will hear or see ya before they smell ya, unlike mice. But you seemed to get that just fine." He looked proud as he spoke, a glint in his stark blue eyes.

**SeonghwasBunnyEars** · #36 May 29th, 2024, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

"Took the words right outta my mouth," he purred in amusement, nodding approvingly at her. "That was good, y'still got it — but for the future, we'd better focus on straightenin' out your form 'n makin' sure you're balanced. If not, a lopsided jump can cost ya the catch. 'N that was good senses y'had there... birds will hear or see ya before they smell ya, unlike mice. But you seemed to get that just fine." He looked proud as he spoke, a glint in his stark blue eyes.

Willowpaw purred proudly and in thanks to her mentor. "Figured sense they scream to wake up every morning they better know how to listen. And seeing is an obvious one... they have to see there prey from all the way up in the air and see to not run into trees and such." Willowpaw meowed. "How are mice different? I understand the smelling but how can they tell your there?"

***squidz*** · #37 June 4th, 2024, 12:30 PM

He nodded in approval to her, happy to see how she took the context of how birds operate into reasoning on why they'd be able to sense her differently. She was showing herself to be a smart and witty apprentice, he mused. She was more fun to teach than he anticipated.

"Good question," he meowed, narrowing his eyes slightly in thought. "They got big ol' ears for their lil' bodies and have very high senses. Y'know how we can feel things under our paws or in our whiskers? Mice are sorta they same... 'cept for some reason, they're real good at sensin' every little movement out here. They can feel the light pawsteps of a cat if you ain't too careful; that's why you gotta make 'em blend in with the forest floor. And even better than their sensin' is their hearin' — like I said, big ol' ears."

He paused a moment, then let out a casual shrug. "I ain't ever understood it all too well with prey, but that's what my mentor taught me. And it seems pretty right. "

**SeonghwasBunnyEars** · #38 June 4th, 2024, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

He nodded in approval to her, happy to see how she took the context of how birds operate into reasoning on why they'd be able to sense her differently. She was showing herself to be a smart and witty apprentice, he mused. She was more fun to teach than he anticipated.

"Good question," he meowed, narrowing his eyes slightly in thought. "They got big ol' ears for their lil' bodies and have very high senses. Y'know how we can feel things under our paws or in our whiskers? Mice are sorta they same... 'cept for some reason, they're real good at sensin' every little movement out here. They can feel the light pawsteps of a cat if you ain't too careful; that's why you gotta make 'em blend in with the forest floor. And even better than their sensin' is their hearin' — like I said, big ol' ears."

He paused a moment, then let out a casual shrug. "I ain't ever understood it all too well with prey, but that's what my mentor taught me. And it seems pretty right. "

Willowpaw gave a gentle nod. "It seems difficult though.... like if I stomp then the mice will hear me. And if I step lightly they'll hear me? What do I have to do? Float?" Willowpaw asked, a hint of purr in her mew as she suggested floating. "I think I would need to be more careful though... I don't have the wide Riverclan paws so I have to put my weight down on my smaller paws... larger paws take up more of an even spread on the ground but... the only advantage to my little paws are I can step around things easily. Whenever I walk on the floor my weight is put on my paws a bit harsher as I need to balance and there smaller. And my tail is to long for my smaller body to wave it to balance. I wave it to much one way and I fall over" Willowpaw meowed, her tone frustrated but her eyes thoughtful. "If only I was fully Riverclan" Willowpaw grumbled in annoyance.

***squidz*** · #39 June 5th, 2024, 10:24 AM

Stagheart's eyes softened a bit as he listened to Willowpaw sort through her thoughts, finally ending on the conclusion that she'd be better off as a full RiverClanner. He hesitated, not one to be the best with comforting words. But he tried to stretch out his tail, gently touching her shoulder in a comforting act as best he could, while attempting a nice smile.

"Hey, don't worry 'bout all that. Us pure-blooded RiverClanners have got a few other problems... we ain't as graceful with land prey, for one. Our bodies are much more suited to fishin' 'n swimmin'. I think part of you's got an advantage for stealth 'n speed over us big ol' beasts." He sounded amused as he spoke, trying to ease Willowpaw's concerns. "You'll learn what works best for you, 'n you'll be just fine. There's plenty of cats 'round here that ain't pure RiverClan, and in my mind, that just makes us more interestin'. Got different skillsets, is all."

He thought briefly of his adoptive daughter, Berrypaw. She was also quite small and nimble, though as quick as a mouse on her paws. Perhaps her and Willowpaw would make good friends — both of them seemed quite kindhearted. But he shook off the thought for now, not one to stray too far from talk about training.

"As for the mouse thing... you want your pawsteps to blend in as much as possible. While mice can sense things real easy, if you stalk 'em while they're eating, they can get distracted to the point where they won't even notice ya. That's the best time to creep up on 'em and strike. It's hard, I'll admit, but practice makes progress. How 'bout we see if we can find that mouse I scented earlier and try it out?"

**SeonghwasBunnyEars** · #40 June 5th, 2024, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart's eyes softened a bit as he listened to Willowpaw sort through her thoughts, finally ending on the conclusion that she'd be better off as a full RiverClanner. He hesitated, not one to be the best with comforting words. But he tried to stretch out his tail, gently touching her shoulder in a comforting act as best he could, while attempting a nice smile.

"Hey, don't worry 'bout all that. Us pure-blooded RiverClanners have got a few other problems... we ain't as graceful with land prey, for one. Our bodies are much more suited to fishin' 'n swimmin'. I think part of you's got an advantage for stealth 'n speed over us big ol' beasts." He sounded amused as he spoke, trying to ease Willowpaw's concerns. "You'll learn what works best for you, 'n you'll be just fine. There's plenty of cats 'round here that ain't pure RiverClan, and in my mind, that just makes us more interestin'. Got different skillsets, is all."

He thought briefly of his adoptive daughter, Berrypaw. She was also quite small and nimble, though as quick as a mouse on her paws. Perhaps her and Willowpaw would make good friends — both of them seemed quite kindhearted. But he shook off the thought for now, not one to stray too far from talk about training.

"As for the mouse thing... you want your pawsteps to blend in as much as possible. While mice can sense things real easy, if you stalk 'em while they're eating, they can get distracted to the point where they won't even notice ya. That's the best time to creep up on 'em and strike. It's hard, I'll admit, but practice makes progress. How 'bout we see if we can find that mouse I scented earlier and try it out?"

Willowpaw felt her mentors tail tip on her shoulder. Her eyes seemed to fill with graditude and she made to attempt to move away nor to move an closer. Listening to her mentors attempting words of comofrt, Willowpaw nodded. "I guess.... yeah it makes sense.. I just hate how some cats stare... I even got called a Half-clan brat by an elder one time." Willowpaw sighed. The elder had been her now deceased grandfather, Foxmoon. He'd been so mean to her but so nice to Weepingpaw. How come? Shaking off the thought Willowpaw listned to her mentors words of advice for the mice.. Crouching, Willowpaw extend her forepaw and swiped a leaf from midair. Giving a sigh she sat back on her haunches. "Will they always be eating when there out an about?" Willowpaw asked.