[ASSESSMENT] all these cameras making me nervous, oh no

[Luna16]

CW: this character often experiences symptoms of PTSD and anxiety.

This was it! Fleetpaw could hardly hear his own pawsteps over the sound of his pounding heart, blood rushing in his ears loudly. He was finally going to be taking his assessment! The skinny tom gulped, clearly Dustbunny thought he was ready, and he trusted her judgement. But…skies above he didn’t feel ready. He wasn’t nearly as terrified as he had been for combat training, but he was still pacing anxiously. After a while of doing that, he started to mindlessly dig at the ground, his paws working nimbly as his mind whirled so hard…oh he was dizzy.

{ @Moonraven - Dustbunny - short starter, but I hope you enjoy the anxious boy! }

[Moonraven]

Dustbunny glanced around the territory silently, occasionally looking up at the sky for any signs of raptors. It was getting warmer and warmer, and more of those things show up with the warming weather. Dustbunny lowers her head back to ground level when she hears the digging. Oh, yeah, assessment time! Looking at her dazing off like she was watching for flying hedgehogs.

"Fleetpaw, don't dig any more holes into the ground; we have enough burrows for cats to avoid breaking their legs on when hunting." She teased her apprentice with a delightful grin. He smelled of anxiousness; the digging was probably self-soothing, like how she thumped her hind legs on the ground to calm herself down.

"Calm down and take a few breaths, you're not doing anything you haven't already learned. You'll do great." It would have been nice if she could have done Littlepaw and Fleetpaw's assessment together, but the timing didn't work out. At least they should have their ceremonies done together. She had no doubts that Fleetpaw would ace his assessment.

"You're going to start with hunting above ground, you can catch as much as you'd like, and then you'll move underground to the tunnels. You can hunt something down there, or connect through the tunnels to make a new route. Anything works so long as you can show me you're ready for the tunnels. You'll have to navigate your way through the underground to get to the Sunset Grove, I'll be waiting there so we can wrap up your assessment with a quick spar." She explained with an encouraging purr.

"I'll be following you while you're hunting and in the tunnels at a distance, so you don't need to wait for me. After you're done catching prey above ground, you can hide it and head straight into the tunnels. If you don't have any questions, go ahead and get started."
@Luna16 [I love Fleetpaw, he's such a sweetie!]

[Luna16]

CW: this character often experiences symptoms of PTSD and anxiety.

Fleetpaw practically leapt out of his skin when a voice said his name. Well, internally. Outwardly he simply flinched so hard he probably looked like he threw his back out. “I-I’m so sorry! I d-didn’t realize!” He frantically began filling in the hole, mentally cursing his absentmindedness. When he had it smoothed over, he looked back up at Dustbunny. Take a breath, right. Fleetpaw tried to inhale deeply through his nose, held it, and then exhaled slowly through his mouth. He wasn’t…cured. But he couldn’t hear his own heartbeat drowning out all other sounds anymore. His ears felt more open and his chest felt…well like he could breath. So that was good.

He purred at Dustbunny’s confidence in him, blinking gratefully at her. “I-I hope…” No. That wasn’t right. He shook his head. “I-I won’t l-let you down!” There! He had to be more confident, his failure would only reflect poorly on Dustbunny, and she didn’t deserve that. He listened closely as she explained the steps, nodding. Everything sounded good! Until the sparring…that still made him nervous. But with a gulp, Fleetpaw managed to swallow it down. First things first, the hunt.

He dipped his head when Dustbunny said he could get started, and turned to pad out of the camp. His strides long thought his pace not too quickened. He wanted to cover some ground, but didn’t want to alert any prey. As he reached an open area, Fleetpaw scanned the area. Looking for prey.

-d20: rolled 17-

Fleetpaw instinctively dropped into his hunter’s crouch when he caught sight of the rabbit. Keeping his body low, but not so low that he brushed against the grass, he carefully moved forward. Keeping track of the position of the rabbit with his sharp hearing, ears swiveling, he positioned himself where the rabbit wouldn’t catch his scent. He wasn’t too worried about the distance, if there was one thing he was confident about it was his speed. Besides, if he wasted anymore time the rabbit might see him and he might lose it.

With that decided, Fleetpaw launched himself forward in a springing leap, the rabbit looked up immediately and tried to take off but it was too late. Fleetpaw’s paws took action the moment they hit the ground, quickly closing the gap between him and his quarry. He grabbed the flank of the rabbit with his jaws and skidded to a halt, grabbing it with his claws while he quickly put and end to its cries by snapping its neck with his teeth. Not the cleanest kill ever, he preferred to end his prey more quickly. But it would do. He quickly burned his catch, setting some fragrant grasses over it instinctively to try and mask the scent, before continuing his search for prey.

-d20: rolled 2-

Nothing here. He didn’t dawdle and continued on.

-d20: rolled 12-

Okay, now he was panicking. There was a pheasant, but it was too far away for him to make it without it spotting him, which is exactly what happened. What if he failed already?!?!

-d20: rolled 17-

Thank the heavens! Fleetpaw dropped into a crouch. Two mice were emerging from their burrows. He wondered if there were more, but for now he’d focus on these two. Mice will feel your steps before they see you. He recited mentally carefully positioning himself as he had before. But this time being extra cautious that his pawsteps were silent. Then, when he was in position, Fleetpaw darted out and caught each mouse, one in each claw. He quickly put and end to their lives and buried them for later. He moved carefully to the burrow entrance, angling his ears to listen for signs of more mice, but it was silent. Satisfied, he decided now was as good a time as any to move into the tunnels, which he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t most looking forward to that. And he knew just the right tunnel entrance to use.

Don’t ask him how he knew about it, it wasn’t one of the entrances that Dustbunny used with him before. But somehow, he knew it was connected to one of the tunnels she’d shown him before. He dug a bit at the entrance to widen it, mostly for Dustbunny in case she followed him under, and then slipped down into the darkness eagerly. Fleetpaw immediately felt more relaxed, exhaling a breath of relief. This tunnel was a little more narrow to start with, but then it started to open up more. Keeping his training close in mind, he kept his flank and whiskers brushing against the tunnel wall to keep monitoring it. Prey-scent was strong, far stronger than WindClan scent.

His whiskers twitched as the tunnel opened up, it was connecting to another tunnel. This one with more recent WindClan scent, maybe Crowtooth’s or Vinesmoke’s? Either way, he decided to use this tunnel instead, the other one felt…staler. This one had a freshness to it. Fleetpaw continued through the darkness, freezing midstep as scuttling sounds caught his attention. He moved cautiously towards it, noticing how it was coming from the wall like before. But this time he was on his own. He’d have to be more careful. Fleetpaw used his sensitive hearing to pinpoint where the scuttling was coming from - noting that it sounded like a mouse but different. Fleetpaw quickly got to work, digging at the wall with calculated precision to weaken it.

-d20: rolled 17-

When he finally had both the wall and his target where he wanted, he gave the wall a gentle but sharp tap, and the spot he had weakened crumbled. Out tumbled not one, but two voles, right into his waiting claws. He smashed them quickly as Dustbunny had taught him, stretching out his claws to accomplish the task, and lifted them by their tails. Now to find the grove. Voles in jaw, he continued on to another connecting tunnel. Setting his voles down so he couldn’t taste the air, Fleetpaw felt an…inexplicable but instinctive tug into this new tunnel. It didn’t smell strongly of his clan but…something told him he needed to follow it.

Picking up his voles, he considered back tracking and exiting to find a more commonly used tunnel. He knew Dustbunny was against taking risks, and so what he. But…even though he wanted to go back and find a safer route, his paws began moving into the new tunnel, making a right turn and continuing down with confidence. He wanted to scold his paws, ask them where they were going, but his mouth was full carrying his voles so he could only whimper softly and pray. To what? He didn’t know. Whoever would listen. After why felt like seasons in the darkness, a breeze brushed his whiskers. He immediately recognized the scent of the grove, and pressed forward with cautious optimism.

Sure enough, he saw light! The tunnel exit was narrow, likely only used by prey until now. So Fleetpaw worked at it, carefully widening the exit without weakening the supporting walls. When it was wide enough for him (probably the first time he’s ever been thankful for his skinny, lanky body) he slipped through and out. Grateful for the blast of fresh air that hit his face. Breathing a breath of relief, he shook his pelt out as he padded into the grove, looking around for Dustbunny.

{ @Moonraven - Dustbunny - thank you! <3 I’m biased but I agree lol. He’s one of my favorite OC’s. }

[Moonraven]

Dustbunny observed as Fleetpaw took off and began his assessment. She didn't have to go far to observe him. He found a rabbit rather quickly, stayed low, and caught his prey without much trouble. It wasn't perfect and a little messy, but it was caught. After the rabbit, he had trouble spotting much else, which was unsurprising.

There was a bird, but he didn't even try for it. She wasn't sure if he knew how to properly bird hunt, and besides, that prey was hard to catch on a good day. It would have added some points if he had caught it, but it wasn't like he was doing badly. She hoped that he was keeping his head cool and not freaking out. She knew how quickly he fell into panic.

Thankfully, he found some to hunt near a burrow. Those were caught without any concern. After he buried them and dove down into the burrow, she stuck around for a little and went to check on his rabbit, ensuring it was buried deep enough, before finding a nearby burrow and heading down it. It wasn't the same one he had used, but it didn't matter to Dustbunny. She knew the tunnels well enough to navigate her way towards the apprentice.

She wondered if he knew where he was, though. She could drop down in an entirely new tunneling system and still somehow manage to find her way home. She wasn't sure if it was a gift or a skill, but she never had to worry about getting lost in the tunnels. She wondered if other cats just had an innate sense to find their way home, too.

She didn't dwell long on it, ears lifting as she heard the sound of paws scratching along the tunnel walls. It sounds like he's in the next tunnel, or so she assumed when she pressed her ear against the wall. She walks forward, padding through the winding trail until she finds the opening that leads down into Fleetpaw's tunnel. She doesn't go down it. He must be some fox lengths or more away, she couldn't see him. He could hear him faintly.

He didn't sound like he was in distress, so off she went. She takes an entirely different path, backtracking to the burrow Fleetpaw entered through. She could smell where he had dug up some dirt and noticed where he widened the tunnel. It wasn't a lot of work, but it was enough to see. Pride swells within her chest as she turns away and heads into a new underpass. She doesn't hear Fleetpaw as she passes by the tunnel he had been in, but can smell the fresh scent of blood and vole.

She trails the scent through the tunnels, padding in Fleetpaw's paw steps until she reaches the opening to the grove. She shuts her eyes briefly as she walks up and out of the burrow behind Fleetpaw. He must have widened this entrance as well. She was sure this had been a prairie dog's hole, much too small for a full-grown cat to squeeze through.

"Looking for me?" She asked, shaking out stray dirt from her pelt and sitting back on her haunches to itch at her ear. A small spider goes flying off into the grass somewhere after she lowers her hind leg.

"You caught a rabbit, some mice, and it looks like a vole. I'd say you passed your hunting assessment with no problems. I also saw you widened the tunnel entrances, they looked neat and large enough to fix most tunnelers. You navigated wonderfully, so you've passed the tunneling portion." She assessed quickly and easily.

"Ready for the sparring portion?"

@Luna16 [Since I have time today, let's see if we can get the sparring done today, since I only need at least three posts from you. I might be able to toss him up this meeting for his ceremony.]

[Luna16]

CW: this character often experiences symptoms of PTSD and anxiety.

Fleetpaw set his two voles down as he heard familiar pawsteps behind him, burying them before turning to see his mentor. He greeted Dustbunny with a smile and a dip of his head. “Y-Yes.” He mewed, feeling a…rush of pride perhaps? Whatever it was, the feeling was warm and made him stand straighter. Just you wait Fallensky! I’ll be a warrior by the time you come back! Since their last sparing match, the lanky tom wasn’t sure what to expect from his mentor. So he put himself in a honed defensive position, ready to spring forward in chase again if he had to.

{ @Moonraven - Dustbunny - sounds good to me! I think we still have to finish the battle training thread technically too. }

[Moonraven]

Dustbunny was surprised that Fleetpaw didn't go on the offense the second he placed the vole down. It seemed that she'd have to be the aggressor this time. The she-cat dropped low to the ground, and as fast as a rabbit, she charges straight for the apprentice as if she were going for a straight tackle, but pivots at the last second, swerving so close their whiskers nearly brush. She tries to slam her large front paws down heavily on the flank and back, hoping to topple him to the ground.
@Luna16 [I should be able to get the battle training done, but so long as he's learned some moves, even if the thread isn't finished, it counts as complete.]

[Luna16]

CW: this character often experiences symptoms of PTSD and anxiety.

Fleetpaw felt a flicker of surprise at the speed of Dustbunny’s attack, ears swiveling as he heard her weight shift. But not enough to fully dodge. Instead he dug his claws into the ground, so when Dustbunny’s blow to his flank hit it only rotated him in a semi-circle. It took him a heartbeat to regain his balance, but then he swiftly sheathed his claws and lunged forward, bringing a paw down as though going for a frontal assault. But then he swung his hips around, trying to slam his flank into Dustbunny’s shoulder to try and at least throw her off balance.

{ @Moonraven - Dustbunny - oh cool! I’ve only been counting it when the thread finished LOL. }

[Moonraven]

Awww, he didn't go down like she wanted and ended up having him swing in a half circle. He regained his balance too quickly for her to react properly. As her front paws touched the grass, she braced for a blow to the head but ended up nearly sprawling on the ground as a hit to her shoulder tangled up her front legs. Thank StarClan, she's had all that practice being clumsy as a growing apprentice. She catches herself leaning heavily on one forepaw and pushes off with it, trying to grab at his hindquarters with her front paws and give his tail a nip with her fangs. She left her back exposed to fangs and foreclaws, something she would have avoided in a real fight, but she's having fun with this.
@Luna16 [If I waited for every apprentice to have a fully completed training thread, warrior ceremonies would be rare and training would constantly have to be repeated. It's easier going off of experience gained over completed threads.]

[Luna16]

CW: this character often experiences symptoms of PTSD and anxiety.

Fleetpaw couldn’t help a small grin. He had been most fearful of combat training, but he found that he enjoyed sparring with Dustbunny. He wasn’t sure what magical spell she cast, but he wasn’t going to question it. That said, he only had a split moment to make a decision on his next move. Seeing how she was moving, Fleetpaw devised a plan. He took the nip to his tail, letting out a little yelp instinctively as his eyes watered from the sting. But he was fine, this wasn’t the same. It wasn’t the same. Using his lanky body to his advantage, he turned his body and grabbed onto Dustbunny’s back near the center with his paws. Applying pressure, he tried to push her down to pin her.

{ @Moonraven - Dustbunny - LOL valid. }

[Moonraven]

Well, that didn't go as planned. She got her nip in, but instead of pulling away like she was hoping he'd do, he pressed down on her back. Her balance was compromised immediately, not that she had much there. They were too entangled, and she went down gracelessly. She twists like a snake caught by its tail before he could put his whole weight down on her, turning onto her back so she could tuck in her hind legs and attempt to shove him off with a sharp kick and scramble to her paws.
@Luna16 [Will wrap this up in her next post.]