Willowpaw's Training! [p] - Page 3

***squidz*** · #21 May 21st, 2024, 12:16 PM

— STAGHEART —

very large & muscular light brown tabby tom with stark greenish-blue eyes and a torn ear; beefed up tier 1

[ riverclan warrior | tomcat | 50 moons | gruff & battle-hardened, yet thoughtful; loyal to a fault ]

—

Stagheart stretched his legs, letting out a sigh. It was another morning, warm and breezy in the newleaf weather. Partly sunny, the rays filtering in nicely through the treetops. It was a good day to get some hunting practice in, in his mind. Despite his concern in wanting to make sure Willowpaw could turn into a battle-ready apprentice as soon as possible, no way was he gonna be able to crank out another long day of training when he was this sore. At least, not very well.

He poked his head briefly into the apprentices' den and called out, "Willowpaw? Come on out... it's time for some huntin'." The fresh-kill pile was quite small, neglected since Fadingsun's announcement and everyone panicking due to the impending war. Combat readiness was a priority, yes, but they still needed to eat. So this would be good for multiple reasons.

He sat down near the fresh-kill pile, having already eaten and waited for his apprentice to come out.

[ @SeonghwasBunnyEars ]

**Strawberry_SpookyBear** · #22 May 21st, 2024, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

— STAGHEART —

very large & muscular light brown tabby tom with stark greenish-blue eyes and a torn ear; beefed up tier 1

[ riverclan warrior | tomcat | 50 moons | gruff & battle-hardened, yet thoughtful; loyal to a fault ]

—

Stagheart stretched his legs, letting out a sigh. It was another morning, warm and breezy in the newleaf weather. Partly sunny, the rays filtering in nicely through the treetops. It was a good day to get some hunting practice in, in his mind. Despite his concern in wanting to make sure Willowpaw could turn into a battle-ready apprentice as soon as possible, no way was he gonna be able to crank out another long day of training when he was this sore. At least, not very well.

He poked his head briefly into the apprentices' den and called out, "Willowpaw? Come on out... it's time for some huntin'." The fresh-kill pile was quite small, neglected since Fadingsun's announcement and everyone panicking due to the impending war. Combat readiness was a priority, yes, but they still needed to eat. So this would be good for multiple reasons.

He sat down near the fresh-kill pile, having already eaten and waited for his apprentice to come out.

[ @SeonghwasBunnyEars ]

Willowpaw came out of her den, Weepingpaw and Summerpaw following, making her look small as they went on there own ways. Willowpaw gave a long stretch and yawn before her eyes brightened. "Hi Stagheart!" Willowpaw mewed

***squidz*** · #23 May 22nd, 2024, 10:44 AM

"Hi there," Stagheart meowed in response, offering a nod of greeting to her and the other apprentices that popped out. "You ready to go out huntin'? Seems like a good day for it."

**Strawberry_SpookyBear** · #24 May 22nd, 2024, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

"Hi there," Stagheart meowed in response, offering a nod of greeting to her and the other apprentices that popped out. "You ready to go out huntin'? Seems like a good day for it."

Willowpaw nodded. "Yeah!" Willowpaw playfully swipped her brother Weepingpaw's ear as he passed, receiving an annoyed grunt as he passed. Willowpaw looked happy and hyper on the outside. But her eyes shown worry and grief.

***squidz*** · #25 May 23rd, 2024, 01:11 PM

Stagheart picked up on Willowpaw's slight difference in personality — something about her eyes looked... off. But he was far from one to be able to tell emotions very clearly, let alone talk about them — so he refrained, keeping his jaw shut on the matter.

If it ends up being a problem, then I guess I gotta talk about it. Till then... none of my business.

"I was thinkin' I'd take ya to Sleepy Thicket, sorta on the way to Rugged Range." He started to pad out of camp, motioning for her to follow with a flick of his tail. "There's a decent amount of land prey there, even squirrels. Those pests are quick, so we gotta be quicker."

He led them towards the thicket; the sun filtered through the trees, dappling the ground. The ground was soft grass and dirt, though in the distance it started to get rockier and more uneven as it neared Rugged Range.

"Alright... with land prey, bein' as quiet 'n stealthy as possible is the best," he began to explain, lowering himself into a hunting crouch. "Y'wanna put your weight on your haunches, makin' your paws as light as possible. Just sorta glidin' over the ground..."

As he spoke, he demonstrated. It probably looked funny, seeing the bulky tom trying to be graceful as he crept over the grass. Hunting had never been his strong suit, so he'd always felt awkward trying to train it, but hopefully it was enough to convey to his apprentice. He glanced at her to see if she was mirroring it.

"Critters like mice 'n voles will sense ya before they see ya," he continued, "so ya wanna move as quietly as the forest. 'N if they look in your direction, well... then y'either gotta pounce then, or let it go, 'cause it ain't no use tryin' to chase a lil' mouse through brambles."

He pretended a pebble was a mounce and leapt, one quick and swift motion. But as he jumped, his large form brushed some branches of a bush nearby, causing a rustle. He snorted to himself as he landed, shaking his head.

"And you don't wanna do that," he commented. "Hittin' anythin' is enough to send your prey flyin' before you could even say 'mouse'. Why dontcha try the crouch out yourself?"

**Strawberry_SpookyBear** · #26 May 23rd, 2024, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart picked up on Willowpaw's slight difference in personality — something about her eyes looked... off. But he was far from one to be able to tell emotions very clearly, let alone talk about them — so he refrained, keeping his jaw shut on the matter.

If it ends up being a problem, then I guess I gotta talk about it. Till then... none of my business.

"I was thinkin' I'd take ya to Sleepy Thicket, sorta on the way to Rugged Range." He started to pad out of camp, motioning for her to follow with a flick of his tail. "There's a decent amount of land prey there, even squirrels. Those pests are quick, so we gotta be quicker."

He led them towards the thicket; the sun filtered through the trees, dappling the ground. The ground was soft grass and dirt, though in the distance it started to get rockier and more uneven as it neared Rugged Range.

"Alright... with land prey, bein' as quiet 'n stealthy as possible is the best," he began to explain, lowering himself into a hunting crouch. "Y'wanna put your weight on your haunches, makin' your paws as light as possible. Just sorta glidin' over the ground..."

As he spoke, he demonstrated. It probably looked funny, seeing the bulky tom trying to be graceful as he crept over the grass. Hunting had never been his strong suit, so he'd always felt awkward trying to train it, but hopefully it was enough to convey to his apprentice. He glanced at her to see if she was mirroring it.

"Critters like mice 'n voles will sense ya before they see ya," he continued, "so ya wanna move as quietly as the forest. 'N if they look in your direction, well... then y'either gotta pounce then, or let it go, 'cause it ain't no use tryin' to chase a lil' mouse through brambles."

He pretended a pebble was a mounce and leapt, one quick and swift motion. But as he jumped, his large form brushed some branches of a bush nearby, causing a rustle. He snorted to himself as he landed, shaking his head.

"And you don't wanna do that," he commented. "Hittin' anythin' is enough to send your prey flyin' before you could even say 'mouse'. Why dontcha try the crouch out yourself?"

Willowpaw gave a gentle nod. Watching and listening to her mentor. Suddenly he gave a silly looking but graceful move. Willowpaw's whisker's twitched in amusement, seeing his move Willowpaw attempted to copy it, stumbling one time and still failing the next. Willowpaw was trying to land but her small paws kept her balance off and made it hard for her to stay standing. Willowpaw bumped into a bush the next time she leapt on a pebble, hissing at it she gave her mentor and apologetic look.

***squidz*** · #27 May 24th, 2024, 10:29 AM

Stagheart watched with a slight frown, mentally making notes on what to instruct his apprentice. When she let out a hiss, he padded over to her. "It's alright," he soothed, "huntin' never came easy to me neither. Too... quiet," he chuckled. Though a 'quiet' cat himself when it came to speaking, he wasn't quiet in terms of being graceful — far from it. So he completely understood the apprentice's struggle.

"I don't think you're usin' your tail enough," he went on, gesturing to her tail. "When you're crouchin', you're gettin' as low to the ground as possible — and your tail really helps with balancin' all that."

He demonstrated again, lowering his body so that his belly barely brushed the ground. As he crept forward, his tail stuck straight out, helping regulate his weight balance.

"Try to focus on that," he suggested, "but stay light on your paws. It's difficult, I know... but if ya keep doin' it, it'll be like second nature to ya."

**Strawberry_SpookyBear** · #28 May 24th, 2024, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart watched with a slight frown, mentally making notes on what to instruct his apprentice. When she let out a hiss, he padded over to her. "It's alright," he soothed, "huntin' never came easy to me neither. Too... quiet," he chuckled. Though a 'quiet' cat himself when it came to speaking, he wasn't quiet in terms of being graceful — far from it. So he completely understood the apprentice's struggle.

"I don't think you're usin' your tail enough," he went on, gesturing to her tail. "When you're crouchin', you're gettin' as low to the ground as possible — and your tail really helps with balancin' all that."

He demonstrated again, lowering his body so that his belly barely brushed the ground. As he crept forward, his tail stuck straight out, helping regulate his weight balance.

"Try to focus on that," he suggested, "but stay light on your paws. It's difficult, I know... but if ya keep doin' it, it'll be like second nature to ya."

Willowpaw gave a small blink, waving her long tail upwards with a grunt of agreement. Willowpaw crouched and crouched, getting low but not letting her fur brush the ground, Willowpaw then straighted her tail which was remarkably long for a Riverclan cat. "Darn it! If only I had the big Riverclan paws and normal tail!" Willowpaw grumbled, though this time when she attempted to jump it felt and looked much better. "It feels better" Willowpaw admitted, her eyes brightening a bit as she got it better.

***squidz*** · #29 May 25th, 2024, 11:58 AM

Stagheart let out a rumbly purr amusement — she did have a very long tail. "They should call ya Willowtail when you're made a warrior," he joked lightheartedly. Stagheart was the typical RiverClan build, big and stocky with large paws, though on the larger side himself. It was always interesting to him to see the various sizes and builds of his fellow Clanmates — they could all be good at different things, different parts of a whole. It sparked a nice, wholesome feeling in him despite his looming dread.

"That's good," he commented when Willowpaw said it was feeling better. "All cats know to crouch 'n pounce by instinct, but bein' a warrior means you're gonna have to learn how to move silently through all these bushes 'n plants— somethin' kittypets would never learn in their gardens."

He lightly tapped her haunches with his tail, fixing some spots here or there where she was too tight or was raising them too high. When he'd seen her run through it a few times, he gave a firm nod. "That's lookin' good. Still needs work, but practice makes progress. Now... tell me what prey you can smell 'round here, 'n where it's at."

He sniffed the air himself; most notably he noted the scent of mouse, water vole, and... some kind of bird. Perhaps a thrush or a blackbird by the small notes, though he wouldn't be able to tell till he saw it. He lowered his gaze back to Willowpaw, ears twitching to see if she'd be able to recognize any of them. It was one thing to smell prey in the fresh-kill pile, but another thing entirely to pick it out among the various smells of the forest and follow a trail.

**Strawberry_SpookyBear** · #30 May 25th, 2024, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart let out a rumbly purr amusement — she did have a very long tail. "They should call ya Willowtail when you're made a warrior," he joked lightheartedly. Stagheart was the typical RiverClan build, big and stocky with large paws, though on the larger side himself. It was always interesting to him to see the various sizes and builds of his fellow Clanmates — they could all be good at different things, different parts of a whole. It sparked a nice, wholesome feeling in him despite his looming dread.

"That's good," he commented when Willowpaw said it was feeling better. "All cats know to crouch 'n pounce by instinct, but bein' a warrior means you're gonna have to learn how to move silently through all these bushes 'n plants— somethin' kittypets would never learn in their gardens."

He lightly tapped her haunches with his tail, fixing some spots here or there where she was too tight or was raising them too high. When he'd seen her run through it a few times, he gave a firm nod. "That's lookin' good. Still needs work, but practice makes progress. Now... tell me what prey you can smell 'round here, 'n where it's at."

He sniffed the air himself; most notably he noted the scent of mouse, water vole, and... some kind of bird. Perhaps a thrush or a blackbird by the small notes, though he wouldn't be able to tell till he saw it. He lowered his gaze back to Willowpaw, ears twitching to see if she'd be able to recognize any of them. It was one thing to smell prey in the fresh-kill pile, but another thing entirely to pick it out among the various smells of the forest and follow a trail.

Willowpaw purred at his mention of a warrior name. "That'd be ironic" Willowpaw snorted good-heartedly. After trying the move a few more times, and getting corrected by small taps of her mentors tail. Willowpaw sat up and opened her jaws, "I smell......water vole..... and a bird.... "