Bleedingpaw's Training! [p]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 7 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

The golden bengals sunny grin turned to something more serious and determined at the assignment of his task, more then ready to do his best and suceed and make his mentor proud! Besides if he got this he had to be able to hunt any prey, right? Hunting down his mentor, an enforcer had to be much harder then catching prey so it was an amazing test! Though Bleedingpaw kinda doubted that hunting a cat was anything like hunting a stupid frog.



Maybe he could ask his siblings the best tips to catch different prey types later to get ahead and impress Miss Brairsplash.


That was planning for later though, right now he needed to catch her! Bleedingpaw set to work tipping the scales in his favor as much as possible.


First was his fur, as while the bengal spotting was useful the color was not so rolling in some nearby dirt and leaves to appear akin to a walking bush was useful. Next was scent, mostly taken care of by the mud but a spot of pine which dominated the area was enough to smother the last of it. Finally there was surveying how he was going to do this and so slipping into the shadows and watching Brairsplash in the clearing hidden in a bush Bleedingpaw planned.

Shadow Fiend Active

The issue really was getting across the clearing, which by nature was clear with few hiding spots. Once he got there there were trees and a perfect bush to pounce from, though Bleedingpaw expected Brairsplash to be watching that bush. So what to do..... Ah, now that was an idea!


For a time there was no sign of Bleedingpaw, the apprentice entirely hidden from view and unscentable. Sure there was the occasional bush rustle, but this was a forest and prey or just a stray breeze were abound so it was impossible to distinct if it was Bleedingpaw or a false alarm. Especially given the rustles that were him were so random and uncatlike from his wobbling it was easy to dismiss as just that.


So there was simple no clue for a long moment, until a little wobbly form burst out from a patch of tall grass upwind from Brairsplash unexpectedly trying to grab her paws.


"Didja see me!! I skirted around the clearing in bushes and stuff but pounced from upwind because I covered by scent with mud and stuff because I thought you'd expect me to pounce from downwind and from the bush! Was it unexpected, did I do good?"


@squidz

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
very large & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 27 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Briarsplash had been scanning carefully, hearing the occasional rustles and movements — but when she tried to peer in the direction of the sounds, she didn't see the stark golden fur, nor smell his scent besides what had been there from their conversation earlier.

Hmm, it was awfully quiet now, and he'd been gone awhile... had he just gotten distracted by another butterfly and forgot where he was going? She was just about to rise to her paws to see where he'd gone off to when a mrrow of surprise left her, ears perking straight up — a wobbly form had burst from the tall grass and grabbed at her paws, catching her off guard.

Once her surprise settled, she let out a huff and shook out her pelt that had fluffed up in response. Besides the initial embarrassment of being caught unaware (especially as a trained Enforcer, no less), a crooked smile tugged on her maw anyway, something like pride tinging her tone.

"Stars, kid, you really got me," she chuckled, the slight rasp to her tone showing more before she cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah, all of that you said... hiding your fur, your scent, paying attention to the wind — you did good. Really," she managed to purr, nodding at him approvingly with a glint in her eye. "Y'got killer instincts with that, 'n it looks like you already got the hang of it."

After a moment, Briarsplash glanced up at the sky, noting the position of the sun. It was about time for them to head back and eat some grub (she was more than a bit hungry herself), and besides, Bleedingpaw had more than earned a rest for the day. Sure, he'd be a little too excited to want to go home, she assumed — but they could try hunting next. And they'd need more of a full day for a decent hunting trip.

"...Hey, let's head back to camp for now. You've done more than enough training today, and I don't want ya to be too sore. Then we'll start hunting tomorrow. Got it?" She meowed, her voice light enough to show that she was pleased so far with his progress, yet stern enough to show that this was her decision and it was final. "C'mon..."

Then the large, fluffy she-cat let the way home, feeling more relieved than she had before.

[ @Rani - after you reply, next briar post will be the next day for their second training sesh if that's good with you! <3 ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 7 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

It was probably a good call to end the session here, even though Bleedingpaw was beaming bright and happy and wobbling and wiggling around he was obviously flagging, energy waning. He was growing tired, having to put in more effort to learn all this stuff then most cats and could probably do with some food and sleep, so this was the best choice even as the apprentice kinda wilted at the decision. He was just so excited to be making the progress and doing well and learning all this! He wanted to do more!


But he wasnt going to argue with Brairsplash so just nodded with an "Ok I can wait to do more tomorrow! ....Caaaaaan you tell me about the coolest things youve caught on the way back though? Pretty please!" It'd be a fun thing to hear about after all and it could set up the tom for what his goals should be in the future for hunting!


@squidz (you dont have to have brair reply to the question for today its just flavor for the walk home type stuff, feel free to just pick up with a day skip whenever youre comfortable!)

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
very large & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 27 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Briarsplash was relieved when Bleedingpaw was surprisingly compliant; she'd half-expected an eager protest from the young tom. But to be fair, given that he had to put in extra effort, she assumed he might be a little too tired to want to protest despite his enthusiasm. As she led them back, she let out a little huff at his question.

"The coolest things I've caught..? Uh... heh..." The faintest scoff left her and she narrowed her eyes in thought, genuinely not knowing. But her pride wanted to at least say something... so she opted to stall. "Uh, lemme get back to ya on that..."

~ ~ ~

The next day, Briarsplash decided to take Bleedingpaw up to Darkwater Mire. As it was a foggy wetland, their paws sunk a bit into the soft ground as they made their way in, getting progressively wetter the closer they got. This also acted as a partial tour for this newer territory ShadowClan had acquired, as well as getting Bleedingpaw used to the signature biome of their home Clan.

As they walked, Briarsplash was telling him a bit about the territory, flicking her tail as she spoke in her raspy meow. "You're mostly gonna find frogs and snakes around here, although there's some smaller things like mice 'n birds you can see. Lots of bushes 'round here they like to feed 'n hide in."

She hopped up onto a half-sunken, mossy log, sitting back on her haunches to briefly settle. "Alright. Can you tell me what prey you can smell here now...?"

As she waited for the apprentice to sniff the air and think, she let out a breath and small mrrow of thought. "...And, uh, by the way... I just remembered the coolest thing I've caught," she added with a slight lilt of amusement in her tone. "Like you asked yesterday. It was some sort of adder, I think... not like snakes are uncommon around here, but this one was the poisonous kind. It started coming at me real fast, and woulda bit me if I hadn't reacted quickly — just slammed a paw right down on its head."

Briarsplash let out a small hum as she recalled the event, her goldish-green eyes glinting. "Definitely won't forget that day. Snakes aren't easy to hear, scent, or catch, heh. Anyway... I'll let ya concentrate."

[ @Rani : D ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 7 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

Day two and today Bleedingpaw was gonna catch something yummy and not just a butterfly and a rock! Though Dawkstar had liked the pretty rock so maybe another rock wasnt a bad catch.


Bleedingpaw was... Coping in the mire as the two made their way across the territory. He'd been here before for a patrol but really, between trying to listen to Brairsplashes knowledge, how soggy this place was and his wobbled his golden fur was already a muddy brown all the way up to his belly. At least it made for good camouflage and the tom didnt seem to care he was starting to resemble the mire more then his usual pretty golden self.


Nope he was more focused on his task of scenting, nose in the air until Brairsplash did her brief story time and he near DIED of awesome "A venomous snake?! Thats so cool!!!" There were stars in the kids eyes and you'd think she'd told him she single handedly defeated a clanful of warriors and had secret superpowers by the way he looked at her. "Can I learn to do that Miss Brairsplash that sounds awesome!! Snakes sound tasty too....."


He had to find one first though so, eager to prove himself, the apprentice sniffed like a bloodhound trying to come back with every animal in the area to impress his mentor.
"Uuummm I smell some mice but they kinda smell distant and like, down so I think theyre in a burrow. Water vole and frogs for sure. There's some birds in the trees but they dont smell close enough to get and..... I dunno what that last one is, some kinda rodent? Its never been on the prey pile before Im sorry." It was a gopher, not common to the mire or really even a lot of dark and gloomy shadowclan locations but it was close enough to be catchable, for whatever reason it was in the mire to begin with.


Bleedingpaw wanted to catch it, for its rarity and interest alone, but for now he just looked at his mentor hopeful that he'd done a good job.


@squidz

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
stocky, large, & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 28 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

[ SO SORRYYY i never realized i didn't reply to this last AHH ]

Briarsplash's whiskers twitched at the raw enthusiasm in Bleedingpaw's voice, as if he thought she was a standing member of LionClan itself for killing that snake. Giving an amused sniff, she shrugged her shoulders casually, as if brushing it off even though his reaction definitely stroked her ego a bit.

"Eh, maybe we can teach ya to do it... problem is that snakes are hard to find and usually harder to catch, 'specially without getting yourself bit. But if we ever run into one, I'll show ya the ropes."

As he continued and started to list what he smelled, Briarsplash nodded, impressed with what he could recognize (and the fact he realized the mice were likely in a burrow, even in this rather goopy environment). Shaking some mud off of her paws, the Enforcer nodded with a grunt.

"Mhm. You're just about right. That funny-smelling thing, I might've only seen once or twice... a gopher, I think I heard it called. They're pretty big and have big ol' buck teeth... which'll hurt if they bite ya." She tilted her head, analyzing the eagerness she could clearly pick up in Bleedingpaw's bright gaze. The thought of a challenge of such unique prey for their pile intrigued Briar, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to see him go for it. They should really probably start with one of the more basic and easier preys, like the voles — but the prospect was a bit too tempting.

"You wanna go for that last one, dontcha? Heh, sure kid. We can try it. C'mon."

As she led him towards where the rare prey was found, she spoke quietly in case they were coming up on it sooner than anticipated. "They live underground, 'n so they've got poor hearing and eyesight. But their senses are very good — they'll feel ya walking or breathing before you can get too close, as long as they aren't distracted."

She came to a halt, her golden-green eyes narrowing as she spotted the critter up ahead. Dropping into a hunter's crouch for Bleedingpaw to mimic once more, she flicked her tail, catching his attention. "...With any prey, it's a lot like the stealth practice we tried. Being light on your paws, dragging yourself across the ground without touching too much... but in this case, you wanna be prepared to pounce. Gather up power in your haunches, jump off with your back legs... and be ready to either pin it with your claws or jaws, or to give chase if it starts runnin'." Similarly to his earlier 'catches' of rocks and butterflies, she demonstrated on a leaf, making a powerful jump and snagging the plant victim in her claws with a quick strike.

She demonstrated all of this briefly before sitting back, angling her head towards the larger rodent, smirking a bit in interest. Bleedingpaw had already proved to be using unique methods as well, so she wouldn't be surprised if he diverted from her exact instructions. "Go on, then... let me see what you got." If he couldn't get it, no big deal; it was a rather unusual prey, and large. But that would make it all the more impressive if he got it...

[ @Rani - so sorry again for the delay! ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 7 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend | Hulk SMASH!

..... Maybe it was rude to bug but Bleedingpaw for sure was gonna ask at some point to be taught how to catch snakes. A snake hunt if you will, just perhaps not now while he was still inexperienced in hunting. Advanced hunting was a useful skill set right? Knowing how to deal with rare or difficult prey to widen what could be brought to the clan in prey short times. Probably, and Bleedingpaw wanted to come off of his apprenticeship knowing EVERYTHING, especially given he'd need to do so to match the skills of his non disabled peers.


Catching a gopher would be a good start. It was big, so not pitiful like a single small mouse, rare and tough so would prove he was worth keeping around and not a waste of all the effort put into him thus far. Because like sure, he had time as young as he was, but anxiety said otherwise. Provide for the clan and the clan provides for you, resting on their mercy was only ok for so long.




He would make this catch and there was no ifs ands or buts about it.
Brow furrowed as the tom took in Briarsplashes advice on the gophers abilities he mused a quiet "So how a prey lives can help you judge on what senses to look out for... Like birds in the open are can probably see and hear well like the gopher cant but cant smell and feel well like it can?" It was an interesting concept, and meant that even if the tom couldnt recall exactly what to be careful about in each prey he could deduce it well enough if he knew a bit about the prey itself. Assuming his assumption was right in the first place, he'd look up at his mentor questioningly to make sure.


Still regardless on his little theory the rest was easy. The lesson on hunting crouches was still fresh on his mind after yesterday and Bleedingpaw's ears were pricked sharp to take in the last minute advice given. He had the skills to catch this gopher and would, so, released to go he slipped out of the bush and began to stalk.




Given the creature was blind he didnt need to worry as much about his bright golden pelt, and having shifted downwind it wasnt gonna smell him anytime soon. The real issue was the vibration of his pawsteps, though the tom did have an advantage. His pawsteps, uneven and shakey as they were, did not sound like pawsteps. They were more akin to the random rustling of bushes and the fall of pinecones from the sparse pines of the mire, and the tom freezing whenever the gopher seemed to alert only helped the deception.


In that he got rather close before breaking his stalk, lunging in a rather clumsy pounce that was more of a full body tackle then a normal cats graceful leap owing to a wobble. But the tom still got the gopher, and after a brief scuffle, a yelp and a shrill cut of squeal all fell silent, Bleedingpaw popping up victorious, prey in mouth.


"I got it!!! It nipped me but it didnt break skin and I got it!!!"


@squidz (do not at all worry about the delay life is insane for everyone rn lol!)