Wolfhive laughed when Alpinepaw retaliated against his splash, and after sending a couple more her way he stopped to shake some of the excess water from his fur. "Good day to take a dip with how warm it's been, don't remember the last time I got in the water."
He sprang out of the creek and did a final shake, before starting to groom his fur.
Alpinepaw's nausea had fully gone away as she stepped out of the water. She was dripping wet and did not know how to get dry. Alpinepaw watched Wolfhive shake himself and did the same. Water went everywhere! The tortoiseshell cat cleaned herself until she knew that she was clean enough. Her fur was a bit damp.
"You ready to try hunting more?" Wolfhive had finished cleaning off and was on his paws again. Training would dry their fur the rest of the way, so he wasn't concerned with perfection. "Hoping we can get you a kill today, but it's a win if we get you practicing the stalk 'n pounce."
Snakepelt rushed over even before anything had been said. Concern took over the priority in their eyes, rather than the rush of anxiety they felt. They were a bit taken back by Morningpaw's remark. Why would Snakepelt say anything? They only cared about helping the apprentice, not bearing down embarrassment on their name.
"Yes, I'll get you down, just stay calm,"
They roughly planted their paws on the tree then dug in, struggling only a little to pull themself up the whole way to the branch. Once there, Snakepelt looked down, examining the situation. They weren't exactly sure if the apprentice would allow them to pick them up by the scruff. They looked, carefully, at how far Morningpaw was from the forest floor. From the scrapes they took earlier, it certainly wouldn't be a painless drop. They sighed, grabbing them by the scruff and dragging them onto the tree branch.
"Stay as still as you can. I think I should be able to carry you down."
Snakepelt continued to examine the situation. Great! They'd gotten them both stuck on a branch. But Snake knew they could get themself down, Morningpaw was a different story. They could have them on their back, though feared injury from the apprentice's claws. Or they could leap down instead of climb. They racked their brain for more solutions.
Morningpaw scowled at the warrior, "Just grab me by the scruff, I'm only 6 moons, I'm tiny." He was, as much as he hated it, kit sized so the warrior would be able to grab and carry him down with ease and this time Morningpaw wouldn't be as much as an idiot while trying to learn again. Hopefully Snakepelt offers some more words on the matter. Nague explanations really were one of his pet peeves though he got peeved often so what was the difference. It didn't stop him from being growly anyways, "Could I get some more detailed instructions next go around because I refuse to head back to camp without knowing how to properly climb."
Alpinepaw nodded in agreement. She was looking forward to continuing her training. Alpinepaw slowly crouched and stalked something. She didn't know what she was stalking. Perhaps, it was an inanimate object of some sort.
Wolfhive furrowed his brow as he watched Alpinepaw stalk... nothing? Fine, whatever. The crouch seemed fine and he was glad of that. "Sniff the air again, see if you can find a prey trail - then follow that. Watch your steps, avoid sticks and leaves.. and when you feel like you're close enough, try to pounce. Just don't get too close, you might alert whatever you're going after."
Snakepelt got them both back down to the ground safely. They gulped, feeling awful for there previous misjudgement. They made an effort to thoroughly explain it this time. If they were at fault for anything more, they might crumble.
"First, you'll want to unsheathe your claws. Your claws will be used to grip onto the trees bark, your upper-body strength will be used to pull yourself up. Your back legs will help you push up, and your tail for balance. Second, make sure you know where the lowest branch is. That is your end point, and I myself have missed it when not paying attention. If you have any questions, please ask!"
Snake did their part to ensure the steps were down. Digging your claws into the bark and stringing along until you got yourself to the lowest branch was a... task at the least. They figured if any questions were to be asked, they'd have the answer.
Alpinepaw sniffed the air and there was an elderly vole scent. She walked slowly, while avoiding the sticks and leaves. The scent was getting stronger as she closed in. An elderly vole came into view. Alpinepaw was several cat lengths away from it. She continued, trying to make hardly any noise.
Wolfhive stayed nearby to keep an eye on her, close enough to observe without alerting her quarry. She seemed to be stalking fine, paying mind to her surroundings in an attempt to prevent noise - and she was getting closer to the vole.
The vole spun around chasing its tail until it got dizzy. Alpinepaw thought it was the perfect time to catch the elder. She quickly walked while keeping close to the ground. Now, they were half a meter away from each other. As the vole's vision was becoming steady, Alpinepaw pounced on the vole. It squeaked in fear and tried to escape her claws. It was unsuccessful and Alpinepaw's instinct was telling her to kill it. She bit down really hard and its spine broke. Snap!
Re: Sunkissed Creek
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