teach me the ways of the underworld [p]

[Neptune.]

Lichenpaw
~<>~
16 moons || she/her || WindClan apprentice || honed skill [INACTIVE]
scrawny calico with one blind eye; blue eyes

Ok, so she's assessment ready, yes, but Crowtooth had told her not to rush things, that she still had a little time before they really had to start pushing things, and Lichenpaw chose to take him up on that. Besides, though she wasn't formally a tunneler apprentice, and she had no plans to go through with the full training for that as it would likely take another six moons, there was nothing stopping her from at least learning the basics.

Spotting him around camp, the calico approaches him with ease and a wave of her tail. "Crowtooth, I was wondering if you might be open to teaching me a little about tunneling? Just the basics is fine, I want to be able to help in the event we need to use them urgently." She has no reason to think he won't agree, he's given no indication that he's against her going into the tunnels. Besides, Lichenpaw thinks she's probably about the right size to fit in them - small in stature and scrawny and all that.

[ @Rani ]

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Deputy | He/him | 50 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

The prey pile was honestly pitiful, now that he was deputy could Crowtooth get away with popping the heads off of cats who didnt complete them like they should? No one took it seriously when he was just a fury evident by the lack of completion but now maybe.....


Oh, hey Lichenpaw.



Head cocking at the mollys question a pleased curl appeared on his tail as the apprentice asked, always happy to teach and ramble on his special interest, though he had to ask. "Just wanna make sure ya dont feel ya need ta know this just 'cuz yer my apprentice. Tunnelin' is.... hard an' scary an' theres even really experienced strong warriors who cant hack it. I mean Wolffang had freak outs down there so knowin' it just ta know is good but a real desire fer it helps fight that fear." And that wasnt even mentioning Leechscars reaction to his mandatory lessons....


Still, passion wasnt necessary and just helped so whatever Lichenpaw deemed the tom nodded and padded away, flicking a tail in indication to follow as he begun his ramble.


"Right so theres more ta it but fer ya if ya aint interested in bein' a full tunneler yer only gonna need ta know navigation an' the diggin' part o' tunnelin'. So lets get yer senses down before we're in pitch black.


First: Yer gonna be blind as a bat so yer gonna rely on different senses then yer used ta.

Yer whiskers are a godsend, use 'em. Ya cant see roots or rocks or the turns o' the tunnels so keep yer head down an' stretched out an' whiskers brushin' the ground or wall so they'll feel thin's comin' before they hit yer paws. Get good an' ya can even trot wit'out fallin' usin' this.

Hearin'. Now sounds can be deceptive. Rushin' water (which is a death sentence down there) can sound just the same as wind an' sounds tend ta echo. However listenin' for creatures movin' can guide ya ta a warren ta hunt or warn ya if a predator is comin'. Plus if ya chirp loudly ya can tell some info by how it sounds. Muffled an' yer facin' a wall or the path dead ends, hollow or echoy an' the tunnel goes onward.


Finally yer main one, scent. Scent dont really flow or fade down there wit' no wind ta move or wipe it clean. It sticks an' stays fer awhile so if ya smell somethin' dont trust its as fresh as it seems.

However I abuse that. I an' all tunnelers I instruct mark the right wall as they go inta the tunnels, so if ya find anyone's mark an' wanna get out make sure its on yer left an' eventually it'll take ya too an exit.


Scents's still useful though, if ya smell wet/damp run as water (again, dangerous) is in the area, the moor an' an exit is nearby, rabbit an' theres likely rabbit, predator scents linger too so identifyin' aint too hard unlike above where it can be muddled."


Reaching the tunnel entrance and lifting the mat of heather that covered it Crowtooth exposed the deep to light, giving Lichenpaw a view of what she'd be going into. This would be the last chance she had to back out before going in because a panic attack down there would be far worse then a little bit of embarrassment up here.


"Whenever ya got that an' are ready head on in ta start gettin' used ta it. Ill be on yer tail."


@Neptune.

[Neptune.]

Lichenpaw
~<>~
17 moons || she/her || WindClan apprentice || honed skill [INACTIVE]
scrawny calico with one blind eye; blue eyes

"You know, you'd think after being caught by twolegs I'd hate closed spaces, but I don't really mind them," she says as a sort of half answer to the question of her reasons for wanting to know the basics of tunneling. Lichenpaw can freely admit that part of her did feel a little obligated to learn since Crowtooth was mentoring her, but that wasn't the only reason. "Besides, maybe I'll save your life one day if I learn some of this stuff!" There's a small, teasing smile on the apprentice's maw as she jests, some of her old humor finally returning to her after moons of being more... reserved isn't quite the word she would use. Subdued, maybe, but even that isn't quite right. Regardless, she's starting to feel herself again and that's what matters.

She'd be blind down there... well, she's halfway to fully blind already, so that won't be too much of a change. Head down and out, whisker's touching the ground and the tunnel walls... got it. Okay, what's next? Hearing? Chirping can tell what's ahead of you... listen for critters moving about... wind and rushing water sound very similar, but one is far better than the other. Alright, so long as the sky that day looks clear and not cloudy she should be okay. If it looks like rain stay far away from the tunnels. Alrighty. Finally, scent. Always mark the right wall, and if she needs to get out and doesn't know where she is, follow scent markers on the left wall. Predator scent lingers, so don't trust that too much, and if it smells wet or damp get out.

"Alright, I think I've got it," the calico nods, "blindness shouldn't be too much trouble - I've already got pretty bad depth perception snrk." She snorts at her little joke. It's not that her depth perception is really bad, per se, she's lived this way all her life so she's pretty used to it, but does that mean it's good? No. Absolutely not. "I think I'm ready," with that said, the small calico approaches the tunnel, breathing in the fresh scent of heather for the last time (not really) and plunges into the deep.

At first, she simply takes a minute to get her bearings, closing her eyes because, despite it being dark down here, she doesn't need her eyes open anyway. They won't be very useful to her. Twitching her whiskers, she crouches low to the ground, almost in a hunting crouch, and stretches her head down and forward. Unfortunately she moves a bit too quickly and bangs her chin on the ground, letting out a small "oof-" as the pain lingers for only a moment before leaving. As soon as she's feeling ready, Lichenpaw starts forward slowly, her whiskers twitching periodically, and her mouth open to draw in as much scent as possible.

"I'm not hearing or smelling anything that might be water, so that's good!" She relays back to Crowtooth, starting up a narration of what she's doing because, well, he can't exactly see her to correct anything. "Right wall has strong scent markings, aaaannndddd..." with a little chirp ahead, she listens for an echo. After receiving one, she says "and the tunnel keeps going for a little bit... that echo didn't sound very loud, though, so I'm guessinnnggg.... it's not super long ahead?"

[ this is not nearly 10 days late what are you talking about ]
[ @Rani ]