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"Not drowning. That seems obvious." The words slipped out of her mouth before she could catch them. Whoops. She was supposed to be more careful about what she said. Eh, it would be fine. "Which uhh, is a good thing!" Claypaw's head tilted as Duskclaw mentioned that where she saw a fish was a lie. Maybe someone in the clan knew why that was. Seems like a weird thing to happen. Was it a special fish self defense move? Orange eyes glaced between the two warriors, before staring at the water by Floodsight. She had to see how this worked.
Floodsight ✦ RiverClan Warrior | 30 moons | Mind Reader ; Killer Aptitude T3 ; empty slot
She'd chuckled at the apprentice's words and how Duskclaw agreed ever so quickly. Clearly amused by the two, Floodsight replied softly, "You're right, yet it still happens. That's why learning how to swim properly is important~"
Nevermind that, Floodsight had originally thought she was here as a chaperone, a tagalong, to their training. Never did she think she'll be the one teaching, but she didn't oppose to it. Rather, the silver she-cat had gotten quite used to teaching nowadays. After recovering from the little surprise, Floodsight cleared her throat and gestured the apprentice to sit by her. Together, they could take their time and stare into the clear waters of the running brook.
"Two ways of fishing, I'll show you the first and Duskclaw can demonstrate the next." She started simply, throwing a light-hearted banter at Duskclaw. Can't let him get to comfortable with her teaching. "Come here, little one. Watch the water and how you cast a shadow in the river. They might not be able to smell you, but they'll definitely bolt when they see your shadow move."
"Fish like places where there's food, or somewhere shady place they can hide. Once you've found a good place, it's just a waiting game." Floodsight continued, her eyes focused in on a small fish treading closely to the shore. "And then, you'll have to be quick."
She struck the water quickly, hooking the fish out of the water with her claws before her teeth clamped down onto the prey until it stopped moving. Her eyes brightened with satisfaction at her catch and the silver warrior turned to Claypaw with a smile. "There~ if there aren't any questions, would you like to give it a try?"
So she had to use her shadow to hunt? She let out a small, puzzled sound. Who would've guessed that? Well, at least she didn't have to always worry about being sneaky when hunting. Claypaw stared (not in a creepy way, because she did have to blink some of the time), watching and waiting until Floodsight snatched up a fish. "That doesn't seem so hard!"
The long furred apprentice scooched closer to the water, trying to sit in a way that made herself cast a larger shadow. Claypaw stared down at the water for a good few hearbeats before looking back at Duskclaw, "It's fine to try, yeah? Hey wait, fish can't look up, can they?"
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Re: RiverClan Territory
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahbois
Claypaw
|| She/her || 8 Moons || 48/100||
So she had to use her shadow to hunt? She let out a small, puzzled sound. Who would've guessed that? Well, at least she didn't have to always worry about being sneaky when hunting. Claypaw stared (not in a creepy way, because she did have to blink some of the time), watching and waiting until Floodsight snatched up a fish. "That doesn't seem so hard!"
The long furred apprentice scooched closer to the water, trying to sit in a way that made herself cast a larger shadow. Claypaw stared down at the water for a good few hearbeats before looking back at Duskclaw, "It's fine to try, yeah? Hey wait, fish can't look up, can they?"
Floodsight ✦ RiverClan Warrior | 30 moons | Mind Reader ; Killer Aptitude T3 ; empty slot
She'd chuckled at the apprentice's words and how Duskclaw agreed ever so quickly. Clearly amused by the two, Floodsight replied softly, "You're right, yet it still happens. That's why learning how to swim properly is important~"
Nevermind that, Floodsight had originally thought she was here as a chaperone, a tagalong, to their training. Never did she think she'll be the one teaching, but she didn't oppose to it. Rather, the silver she-cat had gotten quite used to teaching nowadays. After recovering from the little surprise, Floodsight cleared her throat and gestured the apprentice to sit by her. Together, they could take their time and stare into the clear waters of the running brook.
"Two ways of fishing, I'll show you the first and Duskclaw can demonstrate the next." She started simply, throwing a light-hearted banter at Duskclaw. Can't let him get to comfortable with her teaching. "Come here, little one. Watch the water and how you cast a shadow in the river. They might not be able to smell you, but they'll definitely bolt when they see your shadow move."
"Fish like places where there's food, or somewhere shady place they can hide. Once you've found a good place, it's just a waiting game." Floodsight continued, her eyes focused in on a small fish treading closely to the shore. "And then, you'll have to be quick."
She struck the water quickly, hooking the fish out of the water with her claws before her teeth clamped down onto the prey until it stopped moving. Her eyes brightened with satisfaction at her catch and the silver warrior turned to Claypaw with a smile. "There~ if there aren't any questions, would you like to give it a try?"
Duskclaw watched Floodsight. She was a far better teacher than he could ever be, and Claypaw seemed to listen to her more than him. Upon hearing Floodsight mention that he'd get the honor of teaching Claypaw a second way of fishing, he gave her a nod with a little smirk. He had a fun way of fishing, like he had a fun way of teaching swimming. Fun for him, but Claypaw enjoyed being throwing into water with no warning so
"Yes, and fish have eyes, Claypaw." He would've left his response at Claypaw's second question at that, but he glanced over at Floodsight and remembered all the other little looks he'd been given. He cleared his throat a bit and considered a new, less blunt and sarcastic answer for what he believed to be a stupid question. "Yes, but they're dumber than a ThunderClan kit. Fish don't know you're a cat, they just know that things that move are dangerous."
Seapaw quickly began the sparring match, opting to begin with a relatively simply forward strike. Heroneye tensed to dodge aside and duck around the apprentice's outstretched paw, and--
[ Heroneye rolled a seven out of ten. ]
Seapaw's paw grazed the side of her head, though she was able to avoid most of the attack--granted, she likely would have had a scratch or two from the apprentice's claws had this been a real battle. Regardless, Heroneye was able to recover quickly, and it was her turn to levy an attack at the apprentice. She wondered briefly how he might respond; this was the first time today he'd be having this sort of two-way interaction.
In any case, Heroneye imagined that Seapaw might be dazed or temporarily lose his balance after missing, so she would try to take advantage. She rushed back towards the apprentice in an attempt to shove him over or at least further distract him (not too roughly, though, if she could help it).
Seapaw
he/they - 13 moons
Go with the flow, Mind Reader
The apprentice stumbled, paw just about scathing Heroneye's face - gosh, this was hard. At least he hadn't been hit yet, that was good! Their head lifted, to see Heroneye coming at them - UFFT. A shove knocked them to the ground, but didn't hurt them. Still, they were a little dazed and disoriented. He shook his head, trying to focus on his surroundings. He was on the ground now, so maybe he should be doing... Ground stuff? That also seemed less dangerous, right? They could avoid getting their neck and belly hit if they stayed low.
He saw Heroneye's paws, and went for them. They'd try to grab onto Heroneye's front ankles with their paws, rendering them unusable.
Starrypaw smiled genuinely at the muscular brown tom. She felt so at easy with him... that for a moment, a thought bolted through her and her expression clouded. She wished Stagheart was her real father. Wait, where did her real father end up?
She knew she'd seen him before coming to Riverclan, and maybe even before the before that, but... she didn't remember. He wasn't nice, that was a feeling she had... a strong, curious feeling. Oh, if only she'd been born in Riverclan... things would've been different. Easier.
"T-thank you.." She replied, trying to get a grasp of her thoughts again. She needed to concentrate, now. Focus, focus starrypaw!
The thin fish were passing in the flowing waters, though it did take them a while to appear again after she'd taken one out of the river. They were so shiny, so beautiful.
She lunged again, this time missing. She did it again, again and again, but she knew she wouldn't be able to catch anything if she didn't focus. Breathe. She breathed. Slowly, calmly. Waited. She waited a few minuted, then ten again. She liked the silence, and didn't feel at unease with Stagheart even if they didn't talk.
He respected her time and her silence, and that meant the world for her.
She closed her eyes.
Then her paw, claws outstretched, hooked a small fish and took it out.
She did it again, missing lots of times in the middle, but when she was tired there was a small pile of glimmering scaled-creatures at her side.
She looked at Stagheart, in search of approval. Curious eyes waited patiently with an expectative look.
Stagheart was happy to see a smile on the apprentice's face. She was a quiet one that he didn't see always interacting with others, so to know that she was enjoying herself felt good. Sue him, he always had a soft spot for the youngins.
The warrior was quiet, tail curled over his paws on the riverbank as he gave Starrypaw space to do her thing. The silence wasn't uncomfortable; not that Stagheart ever minded that, given that he didn't care much of what others thought. But he did seem to sense that Starrypaw was comfortable with him, and trusted him to watch her closely for any dangers and to improve on her technique.
His whiskers twitched, seeing the nearby fishes around the same time she did. When she caught the first one after multiple attempts, he let out a small mrrow of approval, but nothing else — a silent command to keep going, though it seemed Starrypaw was already doing that herself. Good. She had good drive, and a level head about her, it seemed. He didn't have to say much; she was correcting herself and seeming to understand her mistakes as she went.
By the time she had a pile, Stagheart gave her an appraising nod, eyes glinting from the reflection of the sun on the water. He looked proud, in a way; he hadn't had to keep instructing Starrypaw to calm down, be patient, to breathe. He'd seen her do that all on her own, and made his job that much easier.
"That's good, kid... real good," he purred, the sound rusty but warm from his smoke-damaged throat. The large tabby gave it a sniff, pleased at the catches; they'd need both of them to carry it all home. "You knew to keep goin', even when you were missin', 'n to slow it down each time. Ya didn't lose patience, 'n that's key... I've dealt with plenty o' 'paws that needed to be taught that lesson before they could catch their first fish," he chuckled, now meeting her deep blue gaze. "But you? Yer a natural, like I've said before. You've done well."
Then he glanced between the fish, a more playful type of smirk on his maw. "Guess we're gonna have our paws 'n jaws full, ain't we? That's enough for today, or else I'mma have to hide the fish in my pelt. Here, lemme help you carry 'em back," he meowed, dipping his head to carefully hold a few smaller fish in his maw. Mmm... as much as it was tempting to bite into one right now, the Clan should always be fed first.
But... Starrypaw did really well today, and had caught more than enough to compensate for herself. He'd started to walk back, but paused instead, glancing back over his shoulder at her. "Mm, well... maybe if y'wanted to eat a fresh one right now, I wouldn't stop ya. Call it a prize for all yer hard work," he meowed with one of those fatherly winks when they knew just what they were doing. She'd deserve it.
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art by c1nder Berryshine is RiverClan's medicine cat!
she has a semi-closed den policy.
Floodsight ✦ RiverClan Warrior | 30 moons | Mind Reader ; Killer Aptitude T3 ; empty slot
"Come here, love," Floodsight asked the apprentice, shaking her head. "Watch where your shadow lands. They may like hiding in the shades, but your shadow movement might scared them."
The silver cat reworded herself, trying to explain it a little better. "Sit by me, on this side. Facing the sun and now, you are no longer casting a shadow. That way, you can strike first without your shadow accidentally chasing the fish away."
Floodsight paused a little at Duskclaw's words. Though he could've definitely left the kit part out, she'd let it slide. The little ones don't have a choice of which clan they want to be born in, and he knows it so. "But they are slippery, so have your claw's out and ready, Claypaw. You can choose to catch it in your jaws if you are quick enough, or better yet, hook it onto the shore and kill it then."
The silver warrior slowly backed off to give the apprentice more room to test out their new found skills. "Feel free to go ahead~"
Okay, so moving was a really bad idea, got it. Claypaw could sit still for a little while! Except for when she had to catch a fish, that was. The apprentice settled down next to Floodsight, and stared down at the water. The sun made it sparkly, but she could still see the bits of plants and rocks beneath the water. The mention of catching fish with her jaws sounded like a lot of fun, and she started to lean close to the water. She could be fast!
But maaaybe she should save that until after she's actually caught something. Prove she could fish before showing off. So Claypaw sat back up, claws digging into the shore as she waited. And waited. And waited. Ugh, this took a while, didn't it? Wait, there was a fish! The apprentice shifted in her spot in anticipation, waiting until it got close. Now! Claypaw brought her paw into the water with a splash. It spooked the fish, but she managed to snag her claws into it before it could swim away.
"AHA!" Claypaw exclaimed as she tossed it onto shore. She puffed out her white furred chest in pride, before looking between the two warriors. Pretty cool to get it first try, if she said so. Sure it almost escaped, but it didn't.
Re: RiverClan Territory
Berryshine is RiverClan's medicine cat! 