Softpaw's Training [P]

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye nodded in approval. She appreciated Softpaw’s willingness to take a slower approach for the sake of a better outcome; she had to imagine that most apprentices would have wanted to jump right in to hunting, whether they felt confident in doing so yet or not.

“Alright. We’ll practice some pouncing first. As for your paws, in theory, a cat with smaller paws would have a harder time retrieving fish from the water than one with larger paws, but I don’t think it’s anything to be especially concerned about. You’ll just need to be a bit more exact than the average cat is all,” Heroneye explained, her gaze flicking to the younger cat’s paws.

“For pouncing, you’ll want to be as close as possible to the prey without alerting it. They’re quite alert, so that will generally bring you to about as far as you can jump. And it’s important to do it in a single jump; every second spent rushing at the prey is a second it has to react and get away.” Heroneye turned her head, flicking her tail at a small, gray rock on the ground nearby. It wasn’t anything special, but it stuck out well enough.

“If that rock were a piece of prey, I’d start by stalking toward it.” By this point, Heroneye had actually managed to find a sort of teaching rhythm. Maybe this wouldn’t be a total disaster after all? In any case, she never even reflected on how strange she must seem, stalking after a rock like it’s a mouse or something. “Once I’m close enough, I get ready, and--” Heroneye lowered herself, eyes locked on the prey-rock, and surged towards it, trying to demonstrate how one should reach the prey in a single bound. “At this point, you’ll have to kill it. It’s generally preferable to do so by snapping its neck with your paws; most cats prefer their prey without any cat already having bitten into it.”

“If you’re ready,” Heroneye said, backing away from the prey/rock, “try it yourself. Once you’ve got that down, we’ll give real prey a try.”

( @SeonghwaBerry )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye nodded in approval. She appreciated Softpaw’s willingness to take a slower approach for the sake of a better outcome; she had to imagine that most apprentices would have wanted to jump right in to hunting, whether they felt confident in doing so yet or not.

“Alright. We’ll practice some pouncing first. As for your paws, in theory, a cat with smaller paws would have a harder time retrieving fish from the water than one with larger paws, but I don’t think it’s anything to be especially concerned about. You’ll just need to be a bit more exact than the average cat is all,” Heroneye explained, her gaze flicking to the younger cat’s paws.

“For pouncing, you’ll want to be as close as possible to the prey without alerting it. They’re quite alert, so that will generally bring you to about as far as you can jump. And it’s important to do it in a single jump; every second spent rushing at the prey is a second it has to react and get away.” Heroneye turned her head, flicking her tail at a small, gray rock on the ground nearby. It wasn’t anything special, but it stuck out well enough.

“If that rock were a piece of prey, I’d start by stalking toward it.” By this point, Heroneye had actually managed to find a sort of teaching rhythm. Maybe this wouldn’t be a total disaster after all? In any case, she never even reflected on how strange she must seem, stalking after a rock like it’s a mouse or something. “Once I’m close enough, I get ready, and--” Heroneye lowered herself, eyes locked on the prey-rock, and surged towards it, trying to demonstrate how one should reach the prey in a single bound. “At this point, you’ll have to kill it. It’s generally preferable to do so by snapping its neck with your paws; most cats prefer their prey without any cat already having bitten into it.”

“If you’re ready,” Heroneye said, backing away from the prey/rock, “try it yourself. Once you’ve got that down, we’ll give real prey a try.”

( @SeonghwaBerry )

Softpaw had been sitting with her little white paws neatly under her and her soft looking tail flicking intently beside her. Listening carefully Softpaw gave a tiny nod, "Hopefully I'll be able to learn as well as the rest of Riverclan......" She mewed gently. Softpaw's eyes followed her mentors as the small grey rock seemed to spawn out of the blue. Licking her paws Softpaw gently streched her limbs. Flicking her tail she fell into a pretty good crouch, Softpaw figured that some animals may try to run, focusing on the area that might seem ideal for a mouse home, Softpaw leapt just beyond the rock, blocking its path home and if the animal would have tried to turn. Softpaw had already slapped the rock and held it with her paw firmly. "I technically caught it right? I figured jumping in front of where its home might be but not to far would be a way to block them off. Then they'd have to take a turn which would give me time to cut them off and I'd be able to catch them..... right?" Softpaw asked in a wondering and curious voice. Though she sounded a tiny bit insecure about her thesis. Was it foolish? Was it unrealistic and she'd let her imagination take over like usual?

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye tilted her head with curiosity. Its... home? Interesting. Heroneye had wondered if a pretend prey-rock would be of any use, but Softpaw had quickly gotten into character, even imagining a mouse’s hole not too far away.

“Yes, I suppose it would be useful to block off the prey’s paths of escape. Ideally, of course, the prey wouldn’t escape from your paws, but even the most skilled warriors can not do it perfectly every time; planning for contingencies can be equally important and valuable,” she said in approval, slowly nodding her head. Or did that even sound like praise? Oh, curse Heroneye and her inability to express positive emotions! Judging by Softpaw’s slightly wavering tone, she seemed somewhat insecure about her approach; Heroneye just wanted to convey that she thought that Softpaw was doing well for her first time hunting.

“That being said,” Heroneye added evenly, “It's always preferable to prioritize reaching the prey before anything else. At least, make sure you keep your eyes on the prey the entire time. Even a heartbeat spent with your back turned gives it the possibility to slip away.”

“In any case, your form and technique are quite good, considering it’s your first time. If you’re feeling ready, we could try hunting live prey. Unless there’s anything you would like more time to practice, that is.” Heroneye felt confident that Softpaw would at least come close to catching something if she tried now, but she also didn’t want to rush the apprentice, either. Like she’d said: pressure could lead to failure.

( @SeonghwaBerry )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye tilted her head with curiosity. Its... home? Interesting. Heroneye had wondered if a pretend prey-rock would be of any use, but Softpaw had quickly gotten into character, even imagining a mouse’s hole not too far away.

“Yes, I suppose it would be useful to block off the prey’s paths of escape. Ideally, of course, the prey wouldn’t escape from your paws, but even the most skilled warriors can not do it perfectly every time; planning for contingencies can be equally important and valuable,” she said in approval, slowly nodding her head. Or did that even sound like praise? Oh, curse Heroneye and her inability to express positive emotions! Judging by Softpaw’s slightly wavering tone, she seemed somewhat insecure about her approach; Heroneye just wanted to convey that she thought that Softpaw was doing well for her first time hunting.

“That being said,” Heroneye added evenly, “It's always preferable to prioritize reaching the prey before anything else. At least, make sure you keep your eyes on the prey the entire time. Even a heartbeat spent with your back turned gives it the possibility to slip away.”

“In any case, your form and technique are quite good, considering it’s your first time. If you’re feeling ready, we could try hunting live prey. Unless there’s anything you would like more time to practice, that is.” Heroneye felt confident that Softpaw would at least come close to catching something if she tried now, but she also didn’t want to rush the apprentice, either. Like she’d said: pressure could lead to failure.

( @SeonghwaBerry )

Softpaw listened intently to her mentor. Tail flicking gently and ears flicking up in happiness at the subtle praise. "Oh alright then!" Softpaw concluded with a playful purr, clearing her throat as she seemed to be insecure about being giddy. "So uhm, sure! Live prey sounds like a good idea, then I can test my mouse hole skills" Softpaw joked carefully. Hoping she didn't seem to awkward or foolish. Softpaw was good at many things but being serious.... she had to work on that for sure. Teasing the air carefully as she mother taught her, Softpaw meowed, "I think I smell a water vole over to the left. I can't tell how far though." Softpaw observed gently.

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye blinked with surprise. It was her first time hunting, and yet Softpaw could already identify prey and its location based on its scent. To be honest, it had taken Heroneye an embarrassingly long amount of time to get the hang of that herself. Actually, that was kind of the case with most things; Softpaw was a much faster learner than Heroneye had been, though Heroneye did have some of her own problems at the time. It was complicated. And irrelevant. Seriously, Heroneye seemed to have the worst habit of thinking of troubling things and the most inconvenient times.

“Let’s follow it, then,” said Heroneye in a low voice with her best encouraging expression. “It smells as though it’s several rabbit hops away. Just try to follow the scent and catch it using the techniques you’ve learned today.” That’s not enough direction, Heroneye. “And if you need any help, I’ll be a ways behind you, watching your technique. Though I won’t interfere with the catch itself, of course.” Or was that too much pressure, too intrusive? Oh, well, it’d be fine, probably. Hopefully Softpaw would be comfortable enough to say something if she felt that her mentor was stepping on her paws.

( @SeonghwaBerry )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye blinked with surprise. It was her first time hunting, and yet Softpaw could already identify prey and its location based on its scent. To be honest, it had taken Heroneye an embarrassingly long amount of time to get the hang of that herself. Actually, that was kind of the case with most things; Softpaw was a much faster learner than Heroneye had been, though Heroneye did have some of her own problems at the time. It was complicated. And irrelevant. Seriously, Heroneye seemed to have the worst habit of thinking of troubling things and the most inconvenient times.

“Let’s follow it, then,” said Heroneye in a low voice with her best encouraging expression. “It smells as though it’s several rabbit hops away. Just try to follow the scent and catch it using the techniques you’ve learned today.” That’s not enough direction, Heroneye. “And if you need any help, I’ll be a ways behind you, watching your technique. Though I won’t interfere with the catch itself, of course.” Or was that too much pressure, too intrusive? Oh, well, it’d be fine, probably. Hopefully Softpaw would be comfortable enough to say something if she felt that her mentor was stepping on her paws.

( @SeonghwaBerry )

Softpaw looked at Heroneye, amused. "Alright." She purred quietly, her eyes narrowing into serious green slits as she padded silently, suddenly stopping and crouching, hoping her mentor would do the same. Softpaw spotted the water vole and kept her paws steady, her white pelt stuck out much in the dark area, she she stayed as still as possible, staying close to the roots of the trees to blend in, perhaps the vole was dumb enough the think she was those gross fluffy mushrooms? Probably not, but Softpaw made sure it didn't live long enough to tell the tale, Softpaw stalked a bit closer before hunching her hind legs and leaping, using her tail mid-air for balance Softpaw landed beside to water vole, slamming her paws in a messy but affective haste.

"I got it! I did it!" Softpaw yowled triumohantly, carrying her catch back to her mentor with her green hues gleaming in pride. "See, seems your lesson of responsiblities paid off." Softpaw teased. "Remember when I was in your class? Me and Shellkit almost argued..... and Flowkit was there to....... I think someone else but i'm not sure." Softpaw thought carefully

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye’s eyes gleamed with pride as her apprentice successfully caught the vole: her very first catch as an apprentice. And she had done it on her first try, no less. It wasn’t the prettiest catch in the world, sure, but a catch was a catch. “Good job,” the warrior said, a hint of a purr in her voice. Though it was true that Heroneye wasn’t the best at offering praise, she hoped that Softpaw understood that her efforts were being recognized.

“Now,” Heroneye continued with a small shake of her head, her regular mentor-mode tone returning, “customarily, we place our prey on the ground and lightly bury it until we’ve caught a few pieces and are ready to bring them all back to camp. However, that’s not exactly possible here. At least, not to the same extent.” To illustrate her point, Heroneye shoved at the ground with a forepaw, and, as expected, the hard mountain floor wouldn’t budge a whisker. “You can try to cover it in the gravel and dust, though; it’s not nearly as reliable, but it should hopefully be hidden to most scavengers--at least for a short time.”

Heroneye thoughtfully took in Softpaw’s next words. Yes, she remembered the kit-teaching event. She remembered how nervous she had been--and how, by some miracle, almost everything had gone rather smoothly in spite of that. Now that she had thought of it, the whole experience did have the intended effect; though she still hadn’t exactly felt prepared to be a mentor, the class did soften her up to the idea of being a teacher to an extent.

“I remember. I learned quite a bit that day myself,” Heroneye murmured, a bit absently before snapping out of her thoughts. Argh, Heroneye, that wasn’t right. You were supposed to say, No, that class had nothing to do with your success now; it was all your own merit, or something nice and encouraging and humble like that. But, well, it was too late then, she supposed. “In any case, it seems that you’ve gotten the hang of land hunting. If you’re ready, make sure your prey is covered, and we can move on to the river.”

( @SeonghwaBerry )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye’s eyes gleamed with pride as her apprentice successfully caught the vole: her very first catch as an apprentice. And she had done it on her first try, no less. It wasn’t the prettiest catch in the world, sure, but a catch was a catch. “Good job,” the warrior said, a hint of a purr in her voice. Though it was true that Heroneye wasn’t the best at offering praise, she hoped that Softpaw understood that her efforts were being recognized.

“Now,” Heroneye continued with a small shake of her head, her regular mentor-mode tone returning, “customarily, we place our prey on the ground and lightly bury it until we’ve caught a few pieces and are ready to bring them all back to camp. However, that’s not exactly possible here. At least, not to the same extent.” To illustrate her point, Heroneye shoved at the ground with a forepaw, and, as expected, the hard mountain floor wouldn’t budge a whisker. “You can try to cover it in the gravel and dust, though; it’s not nearly as reliable, but it should hopefully be hidden to most scavengers--at least for a short time.”

Heroneye thoughtfully took in Softpaw’s next words. Yes, she remembered the kit-teaching event. She remembered how nervous she had been--and how, by some miracle, almost everything had gone rather smoothly in spite of that. Now that she had thought of it, the whole experience did have the intended effect; though she still hadn’t exactly felt prepared to be a mentor, the class did soften her up to the idea of being a teacher to an extent.

“I remember. I learned quite a bit that day myself,” Heroneye murmured, a bit absently before snapping out of her thoughts. Argh, Heroneye, that wasn’t right. You were supposed to say, No, that class had nothing to do with your success now; it was all your own merit, or something nice and encouraging and humble like that. But, well, it was too late then, she supposed. “In any case, it seems that you’ve gotten the hang of land hunting. If you’re ready, make sure your prey is covered, and we can move on to the river.”

( @SeonghwaBerry )

Softpaw's eyes gleamed at the praise, nodding and purring gently in acception to her mentors words. "Gravel absorbs scent so I should be hidden fine." Softpaw mewed gently, burying the catch as much as she could before nodding to her mentor.


sorry lazy post I'm tired <3

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Seeing that the apprentice was ready, Heroneye led Softpaw away from that clearing and towards the water. Upon arriving at the river, concern began to pull at Heroneye’s brow. The river looked particularly rough at that time. Too rough for decent fishing, and the rapids would be especially dangerous to a cat like Softpaw, who had yet to receive her swimming training.

“We’re going to head downstream a bit,” Heroneye explained in a thin voice, turning to walk parallel to the river. “I’ve heard that the water’s calmer along that way; it’s too dangerous here.” Softpaw seemed like a rational cat, so the warrior had few concerns regarding any pushback; even if the apprentice could handle the rough waters, Heroneye didn’t see any reason to take that risk. In any case, she most certainly did not want the apprentice’s blood on her paws should anything go awry in those violent currents. “I have yet to explore this area, so mind your step for any unexpected dips.” Any hope of maintaining an appearance of knowing much of anything about the mountain territory had long been discarded at the meeting from earlier, so she might as well just come out and say it, right?

Indeed, as Heroneye went, the river’s currents calmed to about the same level as that of the one back in the forest. Satisfied with the water’s conditions, the warrior came to a stop and turned back to face Softpaw. “The first part of fishing is finding a fish to begin with,” Heroneye said as she approached the riverbed and gestured with her tail for the apprentice to do the same. “Obvious as it may seem, it may be more difficult than it may seem. The key is not to get distracted by any irrelevant movement, such as the moving waves, and to create an environment in which even a fish feels comfortable approaching you.

“Try moving as little as possible. It may be tempting to put your face right up to the water, but even a fish isn’t stupid enough to go near a cat’s mouth. Oh, and you’ll also need to sit such that your shadow isn’t cast over the water, as fish can be quite sensitive to that, too.” Heroneye realized that she was dumping quite a bit of information on the apprentice at once, so she took a moment to pause and catch her breath in silence. “Do you have any questions so far?”

( @SeonghwaBerry )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Seeing that the apprentice was ready, Heroneye led Softpaw away from that clearing and towards the water. Upon arriving at the river, concern began to pull at Heroneye’s brow. The river looked particularly rough at that time. Too rough for decent fishing, and the rapids would be especially dangerous to a cat like Softpaw, who had yet to receive her swimming training.

“We’re going to head downstream a bit,” Heroneye explained in a thin voice, turning to walk parallel to the river. “I’ve heard that the water’s calmer along that way; it’s too dangerous here.” Softpaw seemed like a rational cat, so the warrior had few concerns regarding any pushback; even if the apprentice could handle the rough waters, Heroneye didn’t see any reason to take that risk. In any case, she most certainly did not want the apprentice’s blood on her paws should anything go awry in those violent currents. “I have yet to explore this area, so mind your step for any unexpected dips.” Any hope of maintaining an appearance of knowing much of anything about the mountain territory had long been discarded at the meeting from earlier, so she might as well just come out and say it, right?

Indeed, as Heroneye went, the river’s currents calmed to about the same level as that of the one back in the forest. Satisfied with the water’s conditions, the warrior came to a stop and turned back to face Softpaw. “The first part of fishing is finding a fish to begin with,” Heroneye said as she approached the riverbed and gestured with her tail for the apprentice to do the same. “Obvious as it may seem, it may be more difficult than it may seem. The key is not to get distracted by any irrelevant movement, such as the moving waves, and to create an environment in which even a fish feels comfortable approaching you.

“Try moving as little as possible. It may be tempting to put your face right up to the water, but even a fish isn’t stupid enough to go near a cat’s mouth. Oh, and you’ll also need to sit such that your shadow isn’t cast over the water, as fish can be quite sensitive to that, too.” Heroneye realized that she was dumping quite a bit of information on the apprentice at once, so she took a moment to pause and catch her breath in silence. “Do you have any questions so far?”

( @SeonghwaBerry )

Softpaw nodded, watching her mentor and nodding in agreement with what was said. Purring in a gentle regard as her mentor was honest about not knowing anything. Her ears flicked as she followed, her small white paws brown with dirt and some mud. "Won't my white pelt stuck out to them more......."' Softpaw mewed gently, tilting her head in question. As they suddenly stopped, Softpaw ran into her mentors flank. "Oh! I'm sorry." Softpaw mewed, panicked. As her mentor explained everything Softpaw's beautiful blue hues widened in wonder. "Wait what. Why does it sound s....... simple?" The small apprentice blinked as she listened. "So lean back?...... "What if there's one side the water and the sun in directed onto you.... wouldn't that cast your shadow and block you from seeing the fish?"