training

[Neptune.]

this thread takes place immediately following the current shc meeting

getting approached by an apprentice for basic stealth training was not something Sunglow had anticipated immediately following the most recent meeting, but hey, a chance to take advantage of the lockdown being lifted? Sure, Sunglow would take it.

"so... still no stealth training at your age, huh?" He asks with a slight lilting tease, only to be met with silence as amber eyes just stare at him. Tough crowd. Alright, straight to training, then! "No worries. It's getting dark now, so we can count this as night hunting too - in case you also need to get that done.

"stealth is all about not getting detected. If you can slink along the ground and through the forests as quiet as possible and as hidden as possible, then you've got stealth covered. Your pelt will help a lot with that seein' as you're mostly black. ShadowClan is great for cats like us, and it's why we're called ShadowClan.

"Once you get the hang of it, it's as easy as slipping behind one tree," to demonstrate, the black tom slips behind a nearby pine, utilizing the dark lighting and minimal cover to slink quickly to a different tree a fox length away without the apprentice spotting him "and appearing out from behind another. You can probably guess why 'm combining this with a night hunting patrol... pretty useful for hunting. Alright, show me what you can do right now." and he sits to watch what the apprentice knows.

---

Cinderpaw
~<>~
88/100
11 moons || she/her || ShadowClan Apprentice
small black tabby with minimal white markings and 3 legs; amber eyes

Cinderpaw follows quiet as a shadow behind Sunglow - a name she can't help but muse is the exact opposite of his pelt. Had his parents named him for his eyes alone? Anyway... the warrior guiding her seems to really like to talk, which is fine because that means less chances for her to be expected to say something. Combining this with night hunting is good, she hasn't had much opportunity for that, and she watches as the warrior vanishes and reappears. He's not completely undetectable, and she sort of sees a form moving, but he's hidden enough that it isn't easy. Still now it is her turn.

[roll: 14, moderate success]
Copying him is not exactly all that difficult, the setting sun and dense canopy of pines above aid in her hidden movements easily. She is not flawless, of course, but she's far steadier on her paws than she might have been at the start of her apprenticeship. Beneath her feet, pines rustle, and she makes a mental note to be more careful of that as she emerges from behind a separate tree, awaiting evaluation or further instructions.

[Neptune.]

"Not bad! You've pretty much got the basics already. It's a lot like stalking prey - you wanna be able to see your target, but make sure the target can't detect you. With that in mind, be careful of your footing, try not to rustle the underbrush too much; even a small noise can be enough to alert prey or an enemy cat. Wind direction, too, stay downwind, if you can." Enough lecturing, Sunglow was interestes in seeing how the apprentice would use this and the further instructions to hunt.

"At night, you gotta watch out for opposums, raccoons, rats, all of that fun stuff. We should be good on rats, though, since Dawnstar says those have been taken care of. Still, doesn't hurt to be careful! Try and see what you can hunt using the stealth we talked about but don't count on getting any frogs, they're all hibernating for the leaf-bare!" And he slips away to watch how the apprentice proceeds with the task.

---

Cinderpaw
~<>~
89/100
11 moons || she/her || ShadowClan Apprentice
small black tabby with minimal white markings and 3 legs; amber eyes

Already they were onto the hunting portion... it felt... fast, all things considered, but if she didn't really need much guidance in something then that was a good thing, right? Cinderpaw is choosing to believe that, at least. For her own peace of mind. So, nodding, Cinderpaw starts with the basics for any hunting outing: scent the air.

It's a little different at night (or, rather, at the tail end of dusk), and she cannot rely as heavily on her eye sight. She can still see, but it's not like seeing in full daylight. Not scenting anything near here, black tabby wanders a few paces before remembering that it might be a good idea to implement this new stealth training, and slinks low to the ground, sticking to the darker shadows and avoiding the last of the sun's rays.

Soon enough, she scents mouse... fresh enough that it might've been here recently, but she isn't sure if the rodent crawled into it's burrow for the night o not. Stalking along, remembering to be mindful where she steps, she soon comes across it, and behind it, she spots a hole of some kind - probably it's den. Usually, she would burst from her cover now and rely on a spurt of speed to catch it, but this was a stealth lesson, so that might not be wise.

Deciding to round the creature so that she might be able to block the mouse's escape route, Cinderpaw slips silently around, her pelt indeed coming in handy. As soon as she was in position and the mouse was none the wiser, Cinderpaw springs and makes contact. Mouse dangling from her jaw, Cinderpaw waits for Sunglow to appear again and tell her anything she could've done better.

[Neptune.]

"Not bad!" Sunglow compliments, grinning as he emerges from his hiding spot. "I don't think ShadowClan will suffer for night hunters with you around! Let's head back, catch anything else you can find on the way if ya wanna."

---

Cinderpaw
~<>~
90/100
11 moons || she/her || ShadowClan Apprentice
small black tabby with minimal white markings and 3 legs; amber eyes

...what a strange warrior. Well, if he was satisfied with her abilities, then that was all Cinderpaw could ask for. Dutifully, she trots behind him on the short walk back to camp.