Snowybreeze's ears perked up in mild surprise, but the young warrior kept himself in check. Ashpaw was not an old apprentice, and hunting was no doubt a immensely important skill to hone during your apprentice moons. Ashclaw was probably just being extra thorough in passing down all of his expertise on the matter to his apprentice. In which case, Snowybreeze would gladly take some of the load off Ashclaw's busy shoulders and help his former denmate as best he could! Nodding in agreement with Ashpaw's words, he cleared his throat, knowing this would probably be a wordier day than he normally had; unless Berrypaw was involved.
"Very well. We'll start with predators along with an explanation of how to best handle them. We can move on to basic self defense as far as predators are involved later," the massive tom mewed softly, shifting his paws lightly to cover them better beneath his tail. He had no intention to simply breeze through Ashpaw's lesson, but it would not hurt to be concise in case the white furred molly became so uncomfortable in the cold that it would be best to cut the lesson short! "WindClan is plagued by a number of predators, all shared amongst the different clans. Badgers should go without saying, having been responsible for a number of deaths and injuries in recent moons. They are not to be taken lightly."
Snowybreeze paused here, his voice sober as he let the words sink in the albino apprentice's mind for a moment before continuing. "As a rule, badgers are slow, rather clumsy, large creatures with black and white markings on their fur. This might give you the impression they are approachable, but acting callously on this might be your last act, as they are quick to anger and have vicious, deadly bites. Unlike other predators, they will not actively seek out cats as prey unless starving, but they will kill without a second thought if you incur their anger. Always avoid their claws and teeth, and only attack their exposed underbellies or backsides if forced into combat with one, but only if forced. It is best to never fight one alone," the tom finished with a serious tone.
Once done with his explanation, he shook his mane of fur lightly to keep warm before tilting his head questioningly at Ashpaw. He knew it was a lot to take in, but if the knowledge he had gained as an apprentice had taught him anything, it was that badgers were not to be trifled with. Too many accidents and tragedies seemed to happen whenever they were involved, and he preferred to let this be known over mincing words. The last thing he wanted was to misinform the blue eyed molly before him and lead her to an early death.
-
@Holly Jolly Ashie
// Moved it here for the talk as they left the apprentice's den for the lesson. \\
__________________
Lightningstorm is WindClan's current medicine cat.
She has a semi-closed den policy.
Ashpaw nodded. “Right. Don’t recklessly attack badgers, don’t fight them on your own, and only attack their underbellies or backsides,” she noted, taking the information all in.
__________________
"Do you and Barley have kits?" - Bella
Tigerpaw turned her head toward her leader's voice. Twilightstar seemed worried about the orange tabby, sniffing her even. Tigerpaw forced a smile on her face."Well... I was minding my own business in the territory, chasing a rabbit, and I fell into that gorge near RiverClan territory, and... I was in StarClan. And with the help of Swiftleap, I found my body and here I am now." The she-cat hoped she had explained enough. "And yes, I am okay. Well, kind of." When she fallen, Tigerpaw had broken her legs and neck. When she was revived, the broken bones healed but we're still sore. "I really want to know what I've missed since my death. Wait, what am I saying!? I was watching from StarClan! Can I please come back to WindClan, Twilightstar? If the Clan is too full, or you have too many apprentices , or some other reason, I understand." The orange tabby's single green eye was locked on the WindClan leader.
Oh StarClan? How many resurrected cats was StarClan going to bring her? It was a tad bit astonishing the number of cats Twilightstar's found were given second chances at life, quite frankly at this rate StarClan really should just give every cat two lives... I really should stop being so prickly about this. The leader thought to herself, sighing lightly and refocused on the rest of Tigerpaw's tale and frowned softly.
"Well, you've been missed since we thought you were missing not dead." Twilightstar pinned her one full ear back and gave the troublesome apprentice a good long, meaningful stare. "I've told you this countless times, apprentices aren't allowed out of camp without a warrior or mentor, and for good reason too." Seriously, what did Twilightstar have to do to drill that in the paw's head? There were a variety of reasons for this, but death, which Tigerpaw experienced already, was the biggest.
"Considering that you came back from StarClan just to return to WindClan, it's not like I can just boot you out. However, Tigerpaw, I'm expecting changes. You've always been recklessly running headfirst into trouble or somehow getting yourself into trouble, I want changes. You need to grow up at some point in time and start making more rational and mature decisions." She told the she-cat with a stern glint in her single green eye. More or less done with lecturing the cat, Twilightstar curled her tail loosely around the paw's neck mostly to make sure the paw stayed close. "Come on, let's get back home. Unless you feel fine otherwise, you can visit Cowpaw for a checkup."
[Done, I'll get her back into WindClan.]
The little molly groaned as she sat down in front of Cowpaw. What could she possibly learn from some random old man? I mean how useful would herbs be to a warrior! She looked on with bored eyes as she waited for the lesson to start. At least Risingkit is here. She was glad to have some cat who knew her. She never really noticed how lonely it could get before.
The she-cats face lit up as TwilightStar continued to speak. Her tail ended up fluffing out which usually didn’t happen because BriarMoon tried to hide her excitement… Once the Molly finished speaking, she began…
“Well…” she stared a bit hesitantly but once she continued to speak, she became clear and sounded more certain of her idea… “I think I’d be great at teaching history, or the code, or anything oral really. My strength is my voice and I should be using it so warrior’s with vision could do more patrols rather than teaching…” she went quiet for a moment, but a lightbulb flashed in her head…
“Maybe I could teach relying on a cats senses of smell and hearing rather than eyes- it’s very easy for eyes to get damaged and to be permanently blind… and there are situations where sound and smell are better than sight. Maybe I could teach the kits how to live life without relying on their tiny eyes if they’re in a situation like that…”
It wasn't hard to tell how delighted Briarmoon was with this approval. The leader smiled sweetly as Briarmoon went into what she wanted to teach. So the Code and History were her first choices, Twilightstar needed more cats for both, History in particular. She already had Snowybreeze aiding with the code. As she mentioned teaching kits about not relying on their sight, Twilightstar tossed the idea around in her head. It wasn't a bad thing to learn, plus, the future was unpredictable. Twilightstar never envision she'd be losing one of her eyes ever. "So basically a lesson on being blind, I don't see why not, that be a wonderful idea. I'll incorporate that lesson in the curriculum and place you as one of the history educators as well." Twilightstar wasn't certain kits would be interested in lessons on being blind, and Briarmoon clearly wanted to be of service so having her help out with both lessons wouldn't hurt.
Giving her pale, spotted fur a final lick, Lightningkit inspected herself thoroughly before nodding in approval, deeming herself properly clean. Normally not the absolute fussiest when it came to baths, today was an important day, and one Lightningkit had been looking forward to since she'd heard the news. The kits had been enrolled in lessons! Gone were the days of lounging around having to play pretend and stop the images that still liked making their presence known when she let her mind relax into a blank, meditative state. The kits were to be given knowledge, and they could choose what to learn, to boot!
Lightningkit had deadpanned at this, wondering what kit in their right mind wouldn't choose to learn everything they absolutely could, but she supposed there was a point to it. After all, not all kits learned at the same pace, and perhaps the older kits wouldn't like their apprenticeships postponed simply because they had not gotten a head start on this wondrous new curriculum. With a small skip to her step - one that had not been there in over a moon - the kit padded forward to the corral, her eyes shining with renewed hope. She was to learn basic herbs today! Well... probably not exactly basic herbs, most likely a show and tell of this plant good, this plant bad but even something like that might be of use. After all, perhaps a small modicum of knowledge might have let her know what to do when Featherfoot had needed her so.
A shudder escaping the lithe calico at this thought, she pushed it to the back of her mind, unwilling to succumb to the usual guilt trips today. No. Today was a happy day. A day of learning. A day in which- ah foxdung, she was late.
Note to self - Leave baths until after the important thing. It doesn't matter if you look proper if you can't make the meeting on time.
Hoping that she at least wasn't the last one to make it to the lesson, a small, bashful gaze crossed her eyes for a mere second - almost imperceptible to all except those who knew her well enough - before she drew her usual, cheeky smirk in greeting. Tail held high, she flicked an ear as she acknowledged the others before settling down amongst her denmates. The breeze ruffling the short, sleek coat on her back, Lightningkit couldn't help but shudder at the cold, her fur simply not made for leaf fall or leaf bare weather. Laying down, the dainty kit tucked her paws underneath her body for whatever warmth she could gain from doing so before turning her gaze on Cowpaw, the cheeky look replaced by a more somber, focused one.
Oh StarClan? How many resurrected cats was StarClan going to bring her? It was a tad bit astonishing the number of cats Twilightstar's found were given second chances at life, quite frankly at this rate StarClan really should just give every cat two lives... I really should stop being so prickly about this. The leader thought to herself, sighing lightly and refocused on the rest of Tigerpaw's tale and frowned softly.
"Well, you've been missed since we thought you were missing not dead." Twilightstar pinned her one full ear back and gave the troublesome apprentice a good long, meaningful stare. "I've told you this countless times, apprentices aren't allowed out of camp without a warrior or mentor, and for good reason too." Seriously, what did Twilightstar have to do to drill that in the paw's head? There were a variety of reasons for this, but death, which Tigerpaw experienced already, was the biggest.
"Considering that you came back from StarClan just to return to WindClan, it's not like I can just boot you out. However, Tigerpaw, I'm expecting changes. You've always been recklessly running headfirst into trouble or somehow getting yourself into trouble, I want changes. You need to grow up at some point in time and start making more rational and mature decisions." She told the she-cat with a stern glint in her single green eye. More or less done with lecturing the cat, Twilightstar curled her tail loosely around the paw's neck mostly to make sure the paw stayed close. "Come on, let's get back home. Unless you feel fine otherwise, you can visit Cowpaw for a checkup."
[Done, I'll get her back into WindClan.]
~~Tigerpaw~~
(Ok!)
Tigerpaw nodded. "I'm sorry, Twilightstar. I'll change. I promise. And everything is just slightly sore. I could see Cowpaw if I wanted." She kept her mouth shut and followed her leader back to camp.
A small purr escaped the young warrior as Ashpaw noted all the information given, taking her lesson with proper focus. If she was this attentive during Ashclaw's lessons, she was bound to be a magnificent warrior once her time came. Nodding to affirm her take away from his explanation, the massive tom's ear twitched as he wondered which predator he should cover next. From personal experience, he had tangled with a hawk - by pure accident - and hunted it down with a rather lucky strike. While falcons were certainly dangerous to the youngest of kits, he doubted the apprentice would have to worry about a bird of prey swooping down to hunt her down.
Mismatched ears perking up as he made up his mind on another predator to focus on, he shifted his paws, opening his maw to resume Ashpaw's lesson. "Another rather dangerous foe we clan cats must contend with are foxes. Larger than cats on the average, potentially taller than a badger even, they resemble cats in an odd way, I suppose, except their faces are long, and their pelts as red as a leaf bare leaf. Thankfully, during my time as an apprentice, there was never an encounter face to face with a fox - although I did come across stale patches of their scent - and they haven't attacked WindClan in quite some time."
Snowybreeze frowned in thought, concerned that this might not be the best of explanations, or rather give much urgency as to the dangers that come with them. "Unlike badgers, foxes are fast, cunning, and have cat like reflexes. They are also very willing to raid nurseries and camps to search for unattended kits and whisk them away. Because of this, the best defense against foxes is to maintain fortified walls around the camp. If encountered, then it means one of two things. Either the fox was hunting you, or you have encroached on what it believes to be its territory. Needless to say, because of the danger of a fox close to camp, they must of course be handled quickly and with a well planned attack. Especially if in pairs."
Raising one paw to give himself a quick lick on his ever chillier toes, the tom continued. "One thing to remember is that unlike badgers, foxes kill more liberally but only ever to eat. Fighting them is similar to fighting a cat, but because of their large size and cunning nature, it would be best to take a proper patrol to handle a fox threat over going one on one against them." Wrinkling his nose in thought as he pondered on any more information on foxes, he realized that was probably more than enough for a basic course. A sheepish, apologetic smile crossing his features as he realized he'd gone on a bit of a tangent, he tilted his head once more in Ashpaw's direction, giving her opportunity to either ask or make notes as required before moving on.
“Foxes… red pelts… long muzzles… fast and cunning… cat like reflexes…” Ashpaw muttered, making sure to note what Snowybreeze was saying about foxes,”They raid nurseries to steal unattended kits… Alright, I think we can move on!”
__________________
"Do you and Barley have kits?" - Bella
With a nod, the patched tom blinked approvingly. A moment of silence followed after Ashpaw agreed on moving on as Snowybreeze decided what was most important to cover next. If the white furred molly had been a kit, he would have no doubt continued focusing on birds of prey. Eagles, hawks, and falcons. All dangerous predators to the WindClan kits who played in the clearing with no cat keeping a watchful eye on them - and no doubt the biggest reason queens preferred when kits remained inside the nursery during their first couple of moons - but no more than a nuisance that occasionally stole prey from the warriors and apprentices if not turned to prey themselves.
If Ashclaw had been focusing his lessons solely on hunting, he had no doubt at this point he'd begun teaching Ashpaw about these birds. If not, then a lesson on them would potentially be given in due time, and the young warrior preferred not overstepping on the older tom's preferred mentoring pace. Instead, Snowybreeze turned his sights towards the biggest dangers to the clans. True, he had not mentioned things like owls or snakes yet, but owls were unheard of in WindClan territory thanks to their lack of trees, which was the feathery hunter's preferred nesting and hunting habitat, and snakes had the same situation that hawks and the likes had originally posed. Despite their dangers, they served as prey more often than the birds of prey themselves due to the easy access WindClan had to them thanks to Adder Rocks, and during the colder moons these critters tended to sleep the moons away, remaining hidden until newleaf breathed life on them again. Other critters came to mind here and there, but all seemed more fitting to mention as dangers exclusively to kits or introduce them as prey to an apprentice. He much doubted Ashpaw would have trouble dealing with a single rat, and going into such extensive detail on so many potential dangers seemed far more advanced than a simple, basic coverage on predators meant for a single lesson. If the apprentice wished to have more of these covered later, he would gladly oblige, but for now he was certain Ashclaw would deal with most of this in bulk later, so he proceeded with the last two most dangerous - in his opinion - predators of the clans.
"Those two are the most common dangers WindClan cats deal with. They are definitely dangerous. Far more than other things like rats, beavers, and birds of prey, but not the biggest threat to the clans. No, the biggest threat comes in the form of dogs and twolegs," the massive warrior mewed in a somber voice, almost shuddering at the thought of the two together. "I have never encountered either, but know enough from warnings and what I have been taught. Dogs come in various sizes, some smaller than most cats, and others larger than a badger still, towering well over them. They tend to look different enough that it would be hard to simply describe them, but they all share some features. Wet noses, sharp teeth, and tongues that hang from their maws with drool dripping from them. Smaller dogs are stubborn, but can easily be fought off. Larger dogs, however, are dangerous when out and about. They are rarely encountered outside of twoleg place, but if so, run away from them. Their ability to destroy is rivaled only by twolegs, which they are more commonly seen with."
Pausing again to scratch the back of his ear, Snowybreeze decided now was a good time for a breather anyways, letting Ashpaw make notes or ask questions as needed before moving on to twolegs. There was probably more to say as far as dogs were concerned, but with their size alone and the ease with which they were said to be able to rip cats to shreds, it was best to not take chances. The only reason to stay back and try to fight one would be pride or an attempt to distract it while others ran away. While the latter was noble, it would end in a quick getaway once possible. Pride, on the other paw, would most certainly end in a painful death.
Re: WindClan Clearing
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