Bouncepaw leaps on his prey, but he's nervous and anxious, and it shows. His swipes are not sharp or precise, they are wild and panicked. Even with his good stance and pounce, this leads him to fail. Again. Bouncepaw doesn't even attempt to follow after the escaping squirrel as it runs into the safety of the tangled roots of the oak tree. He could tell he couldn't catch it, not like this.
And so Bouncepaw instead focuses his attention on the birds. He takes a deep breath and grits his teeth, trying to avoid Bluestrike's eyes looking at him. He could do it, he had to do it. Prey were dumb, weren't they? Focus, for the love of Starclan.
[Bouncepaw rolls a 9]
A small sparrow enters his line of sight, and he stalks it. His tail tucked in, and his fur not even rustling, Bouncepaw gets closer and closer. He prepares to jump. Sadly, just at this moment, the sparrow flies away. The reason is unclear. Bouncepaw didn't make any big mistakes or noises. Maybe the sparrow just felt like flying off for a sip of water or to spread it's wings. Bouncepaw notices a small mouse which had been nearby the sparrow when it flew away, and now it hops closer to his direction. Bouncepaw prepares to pounce...
[Bouncepaw rolls a 3]
He couldn't. Just looking at the mouse made him feel sick. Bouncepaw watches, frozen, as the mouse scrabbles away.
"I can't do it. I..." He can't cry. He has to stay firm. But it's not easy, and his meow is raspy as if he ate a handful of nails, "I just can't! I can't hunt, Bluestrike, I'm sorry."
(Honestly I'm kinda tired of Bouncepaw's bad luck, so this will be the end of it. If his dice luck doesn't get better next post, I'll let him catch something without rolling, yay.)
Bluestrike watched Bouncepaw fail three attempts miserably, and finally padded over to him. We'll try one last time. He rasped his tounge over his apprentice's ear. This time, you'll have something good to brag about to your littermate. He added with a small laugh, flicking his tail towards the fat crow that didn't seem to notice them.
@Badwolf
(Yes that's fine :3 I feel bad for the poor lil' guy <3)
He couldn't do it...he just couldn't. Bouncepaw stops as he sees Bluestrike's expression. It sent a feeling of shame inside him. Bouncepaw doesn't say anything, but he himself knows best that he was not really trying his best today. He was too nervous and amxious to properly pounce or stalk, and a lot of his motions were hesitant and half-hearted. They weren't as confident as before. Was this really the cat he wanted to be? The warrior he wanted to become?
Bouncepaw's paws are trembling, and he takes deep breaths to steady himself again. The crow was big. Fat. Slow. Easy prey. If he was going to give up, then he should at least try one more time. He had to, for Windclan. And for Bluestrike and his father who both believed in him. If he gives up... Bouncepaw's paws become steadier.
[Bouncepaw rolls a 17]
His steps are cautious as the stalks the bird. Unaware of the dangers that it faces, the bird hops down from a broken stump to the grassy ground in search of worms. Bouncepaw freezes as it moves. Focus, Bouncepaw! He tells himself. No more hesitation, and no more shame. Even if he failed, he would do so with the knowledge that he tried his best. Bouncepaw sneaks closer.
The crow pauses and tilts his head up for a second, but it is too late. Bouncepaw's eyes are feral as he pounces upon his prey and pins its wings down to the ground. His instincts tell him to bite down on the crow's neck, and so he does. An easy kill. And the first one he's made in his hunting lessons. The crow shudders, then is still. Bouncepaw stares at it, and it takes a while for his success to sink in. Then comes the relief and pride.
"Yes... I did it!!" Bouncepaw meows. Thank you, Starclan. Thank you for my successful first hunt, and thank you for helping me feed my Clan. Bouncepaw doesn't say it out loud, but he makes a silent prayer of thanks and happiness in his mind, hoping such success will continue in the future. Bouncepaw puts the crow to the side, eager to catch more prey now. He feels a surge of confidence. He instinctively partially covers the crow with leaves and thicket to avoid it being taken, then focuses on his surroundings again.
The sparrow that had previously escaped him comes into his line of sight. It flew away to rest on the lower branches of the oak tree, not knowing Bouncepaw could climb. It was time to put his new skills to use!
[Bouncepaw rolls an 18]
Bouncepaw stalks the bird, closer and closer. The sparrow starts preening its wings. Bouncepaw races up the tree and pounces. It isn't a perfect pounce; it is Bouncepaw's first time trying to catch something on a tree, and he's so excited that he's a little clumsy. But it's good enough. The sparrow hears Bouncepaw approach and opens its wings, taking off, but Bouncepaw isn't about to let it go. He jumps into the air, jaws biting down on the sparrow's wing. It struggles, and Bouncepaw lands on the ground with it caught. It takes a few more bites until the sparrow is completely still.
[Bouncepaw rolls a 10]
No more close prey. Bouncepaw bounces over to his mentor, excited. He did it.
"Yes... I did it!!" Bouncepaw meows. Thank you, Starclan. Thank you for my successful first hunt, and thank you for helping me feed my Clan. Bouncepaw doesn't say it out loud, but he makes a silent prayer of thanks and happiness in his mind, hoping such success will continue in the future. Bouncepaw puts the crow to the side, eager to catch more prey now. He feels a surge of confidence. He instinctively partially covers the crow with leaves and thicket to avoid it being taken, then focuses on his surroundings again.
The sparrow that had previously escaped him comes into his line of sight. It flew away to rest on the lower branches of the oak tree, not knowing Bouncepaw could climb. It was time to put his new skills to use!
[Bouncepaw rolls an 18]
Bouncepaw stalks the bird, closer and closer. The sparrow starts preening its wings. Bouncepaw races up the tree and pounces. It isn't a perfect pounce; it is Bouncepaw's first time trying to catch something on a tree, and he's so excited that he's a little clumsy. But it's good enough. The sparrow hears Bouncepaw approach and opens its wings, taking off, but Bouncepaw isn't about to let it go. He jumps into the air, jaws biting down on the sparrow's wing. It struggles, and Bouncepaw lands on the ground with it caught. It takes a few more bites until the sparrow is completely still.
[Bouncepaw rolls a 10]
No more close prey. Bouncepaw bounces over to his mentor, excited. He did it.
Re: Bouncing out of the blue{Training thread}
