Softpaw's Training [P]

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye stumbled forward with surprise when the apprentice bumped into her. “Ah, no, it’s fine.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have stopped so suddenly.” A frown tugged at her mouth, a bit guiltily. It was her job, in her eyes, to watch where she was going so that Softpaw could have room to be absentminded--not the other way around.

At the river, the apprentice had commented on how simple it seemed. Well, that was what Heroneye wanted, right? To break every aspect of hunting down into small, easily-digestible pieces, that is. Or maybe Softpaw meant that it was so simple that Heroneye was wasting her time by mentioning it and no Heroneye, stop it right now. She wouldn’t--couldn’t, that is--be a perfect cat, but overthinking literally everything would not help her in that regard. At the very least, she should be present for the lesson and not give Softpaw any further reason to doubt her.

After that, Softpaw asked about shadows. “I had mostly meant that the fish would be startled and alerted of your presence with your shadow,” Heroneye responded, a bit more bluntly than intended. “Though, of course, the lack of light would make spotting fish more difficult. In any case, you may not always be able to keep your shadow out of the water completely, depending on the location and time of day, but it’s still something to be mindful of.”

“In any case, once you’ve spotted a fish, it’s much the same as land hunting,” Heroneye explained, tilting her head at the river. “The idea is to scoop the fish out as quickly as possible. They’re slippery creatures and will be very resistant to your attacks; it’s important to remain calm, even as the fish begins to flail or attempt to slip out of your paws.”

Heroneye narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, deciding to go with a different approach this time around. “Let’s watch the water for a bit. See if you can spot anything, and I’ll try to demonstrate a catch for you.”

( @SeonghwaBerry )

[Strawberry_SpookyBear]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye stumbled forward with surprise when the apprentice bumped into her. “Ah, no, it’s fine.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have stopped so suddenly.” A frown tugged at her mouth, a bit guiltily. It was her job, in her eyes, to watch where she was going so that Softpaw could have room to be absentminded--not the other way around.

At the river, the apprentice had commented on how simple it seemed. Well, that was what Heroneye wanted, right? To break every aspect of hunting down into small, easily-digestible pieces, that is. Or maybe Softpaw meant that it was so simple that Heroneye was wasting her time by mentioning it and no Heroneye, stop it right now. She wouldn’t--couldn’t, that is--be a perfect cat, but overthinking literally everything would not help her in that regard. At the very least, she should be present for the lesson and not give Softpaw any further reason to doubt her.

After that, Softpaw asked about shadows. “I had mostly meant that the fish would be startled and alerted of your presence with your shadow,” Heroneye responded, a bit more bluntly than intended. “Though, of course, the lack of light would make spotting fish more difficult. In any case, you may not always be able to keep your shadow out of the water completely, depending on the location and time of day, but it’s still something to be mindful of.”

“In any case, once you’ve spotted a fish, it’s much the same as land hunting,” Heroneye explained, tilting her head at the river. “The idea is to scoop the fish out as quickly as possible. They’re slippery creatures and will be very resistant to your attacks; it’s important to remain calm, even as the fish begins to flail or attempt to slip out of your paws.”

Heroneye narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, deciding to go with a different approach this time around. “Let’s watch the water for a bit. See if you can spot anything, and I’ll try to demonstrate a catch for you.”

( @SeonghwaBerry )

Softpaw watched and listened as her mentor apologized. Shaking her head gently Softpaw listened to the response to her question and some other adivce. "Hmm...... It all seems to connect though." Softpaw mewed quietly, "Demonstrate a catch? What if you catching the fish scares away all the other fish?" Softpaw wondered, but immedietly obeyed, as the command was given she sat and her eyes locked onto the water. "With the fish..... as we spoke of before. My paws are small which concludes to my claws being limited. Wouldn't a big fish be able to slip away?" Softpaw wondered. Softpaw had a small problem she didn't realize. She was obideient which was every mentors dream. But taught by her rule following mother Sweetsap, Softpaw was to obidient, she listened to cats in the clan, cats below her cats above her. Shes given a command and as her mother drilled into her, her body immedietly follows the command wheather she wants to or not. Softpaw had a hard time realizing when to not listen which made her vunerable, if an enemy fake whimpered in battle or yowled for her to get off. Softpaw would just leap off and possibly get attacked.

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Eyes fixed on the water, Heroneye couldn’t help but be reminded of RiverClan’s territory--its real territory, not that bizarre place they’d found themselves in during their exile. If she stared hard enough at the river and ignored everything else, it was almost like she was back again. Until she once again felt the unforgiving stone against her paw pads, bringing her back into the mountains. There was really no use in clinging to that life then, she supposed. Surely, very soon, Fadingstar would announce that it was time to make the trek back, and that would be the end of the whole exile fiasco. She was certainly not looking forward to another three day walk, though. The first time was miserable enough, thank you...

Heroneye was snapped back to reality as she noticed a thin fish drifting along the river floor. In a triumph against instinct, she managed to remain perfectly still, forcing her gaze away from the movement; she wanted to give Softpaw a chance to spot it for herself. Once she had, Heroneye would (attempt to) catch the fish, all the while narrating her actions and thoughts. She wanted to see if that would be a more effective way of teaching the technique.

( @DdeongJoongie_Tanghulu )

[Strawberry_SpookyBear]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Eyes fixed on the water, Heroneye couldn’t help but be reminded of RiverClan’s territory--its real territory, not that bizarre place they’d found themselves in during their exile. If she stared hard enough at the river and ignored everything else, it was almost like she was back again. Until she once again felt the unforgiving stone against her paw pads, bringing her back into the mountains. There was really no use in clinging to that life then, she supposed. Surely, very soon, Fadingstar would announce that it was time to make the trek back, and that would be the end of the whole exile fiasco. She was certainly not looking forward to another three day walk, though. The first time was miserable enough, thank you...

Heroneye was snapped back to reality as she noticed a thin fish drifting along the river floor. In a triumph against instinct, she managed to remain perfectly still, forcing her gaze away from the movement; she wanted to give Softpaw a chance to spot it for herself. Once she had, Heroneye would (attempt to) catch the fish, all the while narrating her actions and thoughts. She wanted to see if that would be a more effective way of teaching the technique.

( @DdeongJoongie_Tanghulu )

Softpaw looked at the river. "Why were we exiled?" Softpaw asked in her gentle tone. "Isn't it up to Starclan and not the other clans to exile us? As it is a leaders choice to exile a murderer." Softpaw meowed, "And in this case we are not the murderers." Softpaw meowed in a sorta creepily calm voice. The river reminded Softpaw of home, how she'd snuck out millions of times to watch the waves. She wanted those waves back. The familiar ridges of the river. "Nice catch! That was so cool"

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye flinched at Softpaw's sudden line of questioning. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Although, well, the exile surely weighed heavy on the minds of every cat in the Clan. She gave a light shake of her head. "StarClan doesn't have that sort of ability, as far as I know," she began quietly. "Ultimately, it was up to each of the other Clans' leaders to make that decision. And, yes, we--you and I, that is--are not murderers. But even in our own Clan, there are. Murderers, that is. There are and were cats in RiverClan who harmed the other Clans. Somehow, it had gotten to a point where the other Clans decided to intervene in an... extreme way, to say the least."

She really didn't want to be the one to explain it. The whole situation was just so... complicated. Yes, some of her Clanmates had been overly cruel and violated the Warrior Code; she could acknowledge that. But the exile of an entire Clan... Was that really the answer? Would that really bring an end to the turmoil? Not to mention all the innocent cats who had died in and as a result of the battle.

She knew that RiverClan had the capacity to be great; there were countless good and hardworking cats who resided there, after all. She just wanted to see it reach that potential, rather than be shunned by quite literally the entire forest.

Heroneye glanced back down at the fish. With each passing second, it was getting closer and closer to slipping away. She wanted Softpaw to notice it for herself, but she would also hate to miss an opportunity like that. Gently flicking her tail tip at the water, she whispered, "Do you see that fish?"

(heroneye hadn't actually caught the fish yet and was waiting for softpaw to notice it first; heroneye was just thinking about how she would catch it. sorry if i was unclear about that ^^)

( @DdeongJoongie_Tanghulu )

[Strawberry_SpookyBear]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye flinched at Softpaw's sudden line of questioning. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Although, well, the exile surely weighed heavy on the minds of every cat in the Clan. She gave a light shake of her head. "StarClan doesn't have that sort of ability, as far as I know," she began quietly. "Ultimately, it was up to each of the other Clans' leaders to make that decision. And, yes, we--you and I, that is--are not murderers. But even in our own Clan, there are. Murderers, that is. There are and were cats in RiverClan who harmed the other Clans. Somehow, it had gotten to a point where the other Clans decided to intervene in an... extreme way, to say the least."

She really didn't want to be the one to explain it. The whole situation was just so... complicated. Yes, some of her Clanmates had been overly cruel and violated the Warrior Code; she could acknowledge that. But the exile of an entire Clan... Was that really the answer? Would that really bring an end to the turmoil? Not to mention all the innocent cats who had died in and as a result of the battle.

She knew that RiverClan had the capacity to be great; there were countless good and hardworking cats who resided there, after all. She just wanted to see it reach that potential, rather than be shunned by quite literally the entire forest.

Heroneye glanced back down at the fish. With each passing second, it was getting closer and closer to slipping away. She wanted Softpaw to notice it for herself, but she would also hate to miss an opportunity like that. Gently flicking her tail tip at the water, she whispered, "Do you see that fish?"

(heroneye hadn't actually caught the fish yet and was waiting for softpaw to notice it first; heroneye was just thinking about how she would catch it. sorry if i was unclear about that ^^)

( @DdeongJoongie_Tanghulu )

Oh!! Sorry TvT I just read it wrong. I have a small memory/reading disorder so it makes it hard for me to remember things i've just read and to read paragraphs is a bit challanging! No need to change your rp style or anything, just asking that you be patient as always <3 )


Softpaw nodded to her mentors words, noticing how Heroneye's tone had gone quiet. "I'm sorry, I just... thinking about it makes me angry as I lost a lot of family in the battle.. just feels unfair" Softpaw meowed carefully, "I guess that makes sense... yeah." Softpaw flicked her ears upwards as her mentor mentioned a fish, seeing it Softpaw stood, carefully padding over a bit closer to the fish, keeping her shadow off as best as she could, Softpaw crouched, once she saw the fish was about to turn, Softpaw unsheathed her claws and grabbed it by the gill, as when the fish turned the gill opened a small bit. Yanking it towards her with a tiny growl as Softpaw pulled it up, "H-how do I kill it!" Softpaw meowed, worry filling her gaze as she didn't want to lose this decent fish. Softpaw

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye gave a solemn, quiet nod as Softpaw explained her situation. Far too many innocent cats had been lost in the battle; she couldn't imagine how scary and confusing the whole thing must have been for the Clan's youth in particular. Those who hadn't even left camp yet were suddenly expected to move half a world away as punishment for a conflict they barely had a chance to even witness.

She blinked in surprise as Softpaw managed to hook the fish. "It's almost the same as other prey." Heroneye spoke quickly, a sense of urgency in her voice. The escape attempts of fish were always so much more violent than those of other prey, so it was easier to be caught off guard. And even the stoic warrior couldn't help but get caught up in the excitement of the moment; the apprentice's first fish would be yet another step towards becoming a warrior, after all.

"It doesn't have a neck, exactly, but snapping its spine usually finishes it off." Her eyes were locked on the fish now, serious and expectant. "Make sure to keep your paws steady and grip firm, even when it tries to escape."

(alr! i'll keep that in mind)

( @DdeongJoongie_Tanghulu )

[Strawberry_SpookyBear]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye gave a solemn, quiet nod as Softpaw explained her situation. Far too many innocent cats had been lost in the battle; she couldn't imagine how scary and confusing the whole thing must have been for the Clan's youth in particular. Those who hadn't even left camp yet were suddenly expected to move half a world away as punishment for a conflict they barely had a chance to even witness.

She blinked in surprise as Softpaw managed to hook the fish. "It's almost the same as other prey." Heroneye spoke quickly, a sense of urgency in her voice. The escape attempts of fish were always so much more violent than those of other prey, so it was easier to be caught off guard. And even the stoic warrior couldn't help but get caught up in the excitement of the moment; the apprentice's first fish would be yet another step towards becoming a warrior, after all.

"It doesn't have a neck, exactly, but snapping its spine usually finishes it off." Her eyes were locked on the fish now, serious and expectant. "Make sure to keep your paws steady and grip firm, even when it tries to escape."

( @DdeongJoongie_Tanghulu )

Softpaw nodded briefly, grabbing the fish's back in her jaws, biting down she felt blood rush into her jaws as a small snap was heard, the fish went limp and Softpaw looked up with wide eyes. "I-i did it!" Softpaw meowed, seeming a bit insecure

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye let out a sign of relief. Somehow, she had managed to teach Softpaw how to hunt. The kit-teaching event had gone well enough, so in truth, she supposed she had no real reason to believe she would be a total disaster of a mentor. Still, though, she couldn't help but feel uneasy at the very start. Perhaps that was just her nature. But no use dwelling on that now.

"Great job," Heroneye said. "If you're feeling confident in your fishing abilities, we can collect your prey and return to camp. Unless, of course, there's anything you'd like to go over." Now that Softpaw had managed to catch both land and water prey, the warrior felt confident that the apprentice now had the tools needed to hunt on her own. Still, of course, she would be willing to help the apprentice for as long as it took for her to share that confidence.

( @DdeongJoongie_Tanghulu )

[Strawberry_SpookyBear]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Warrior |

Heroneye let out a sign of relief. Somehow, she had managed to teach Softpaw how to hunt. The kit-teaching event had gone well enough, so in truth, she supposed she had no real reason to believe she would be a total disaster of a mentor. Still, though, she couldn't help but feel uneasy at the very start. Perhaps that was just her nature. But no use dwelling on that now.

"Great job," Heroneye said. "If you're feeling confident in your fishing abilities, we can collect your prey and return to camp. Unless, of course, there's anything you'd like to go over." Now that Softpaw had managed to catch both land and water prey, the warrior felt confident that the apprentice now had the tools needed to hunt on her own. Still, of course, she would be willing to help the apprentice for as long as it took for her to share that confidence.

( @DdeongJoongie_Tanghulu )

Softpaw looked nervously at her mentor. "Could I try again? I... I feel bad that I hesitated in killing it."