Rabbits belong in warrens, not birds [p]

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler/Fury | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Ok so everything kept happening but Crowtooth wasnt going to allow that to hold him back any longer as he had an apprentice to train and friends to forcefully drag into his hobby. ....Ok that second part sounded less altruistic however he did mean it in a helpful way! Tunneling had been growing increasingly in focus of late and things had changed to where those above on the moor could no longer ignore the happenings of the deep and Crowtooth really needed more reliable paws.

So Hawkfur no, Crowtooth wasnt taking no for an answer today! The other tom had been bothered and things had been explained to him until there was no more protests from the claustrophobic warrior and he was summarily dragged over to the apprentices den to collect the other more eager student.


"Up and at 'em Rabbitpaw! We're doin' tunnelin' today kiddo lets get goin'!"
Crowtooths crooked grin was a proper smile today, excited for this session and so as soon as the apprentice was in view he started.


"Alright so as is obvious ya aint gonna be able to see nothin' down there so yer gonna need ta rely on other senses!

Smells are gonna be different, they dont flow 'cuz theres no wind an' will linger which means trackin' a scent is great but findin' it is near impossible.

Like.... If yer lookin' fer a rabbit there aint gonna be no wind ta brin' the scent to ya an' yer gonna need ta go walkin' ta find it. But when ya find a trail it'll linger fer days an' be clear an' strong ta follow.
I use this a lot ta navigate. No winds gonna bring the scent o' an exit ta ya but if as yer headin' down ya scent mark yer right wall as ya go you'll never get lost an' I tell everyone ta do the same. 'cuz it means if ya have scent marks ta yer left yer on yer way ta an exit.

So, scents, important but not how ya move around."

It was how you navigated, but now how you 'saw'.

"Yer gonna wanna use yer ears an' whiskers.

Keep yer head low an whiskers brushin' against the ground, it means yer gonna feel any rocks or roots before ya stub yer toe or trip an' ya can feel the natural rise fall an' curve o' the tunnel an' not run inta a wall. Ya can also learn ta feel other creatures movin' down there from the vibrations o' the air against yer whiskers. Takes practice but is super cool.

As fer hearin', as ya walk ya'll hear how the air flows different an' how it echos offa the walls. If ya chirp an' it feels 'hollow' yer headin' ta an openin' but if it feels 'muffled' yer nearin' a wall or dead end."


As he rambled the tom led the tom out of camp and to the nearest entrance, lifting up the natural mat of heather that covered the hole to let the two sniff and get a look.


"Any questions? Fer the most part its just practice an' Ill let ya try things out when we get down there and then we can move on ta navigation (though I touched on it here talkin' about why scent is only half reliable) an' diggin'."

If you wanted more knowledge between the fits of rambling best to get it now because he'd be starting on another tangent soon.



@Dolomedes @Mica

[Mica]

Hawkfur
WindClan Fury
he/him | 49 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes ]
Purrks: Flock Together T3
· · ────────────── · ·
[Crowtooth - @Rani ] [Rabbitpaw - @Dolomedes ]
· · ────────────── · ·
This was bad. This was very, very bad. How could he let Crowtooth convince him to go tunneling? When Crowtooth had first approached him about the idea, Hawkfur had graciously tried to decline, but the skunk-striped tom would not let him. He insisted that it was good to get over his fear, and that he had to do it some time otherwise if the clan had to flee to the tunnels, Hawkfur would be unprepared. Hawkfur had almost argued that if the clan had to flee to the tunnels due to a threat, he would gladly die to said threat. But that didn't feel sporting, so the Fury instead nodded, a shaky smile on his red and white muzzle. Oh, he was so screwed.

To make matters worse (better?), Crowtooth called Rabbitpaw to join them. Oh stars, now he had to be stable and behave like a functioning adult in front of an apprentice! How could he do that when the very thought of going underground again had his big white paws shaking in terror? He managed to give Rabbitpaw what he hoped was a smile--though it may have appeared to be more of a grimace--and followed the pair out into the territory.

Hawkfur quite honestly felt like he was about to cry when Crowtooth started rambling about how there was no wind down in the tunnels, no light, no ANYTHING except darkness and so much suffocating dirt piled on top of you and one wrong move could send all of it crashing down and crushing or trapping you and there was no sky to look at and no way to tell what was up and what was down and oh stars he needed to sit down.

He tried desperately to retain everything Crowtooth was telling him, but all he could hear was the thundering of his own heartbeat and the whistle of wind through the long moor grass. He focused on that sound, taking slow, deep breaths in time with the gusts. He would be okay. He was with Crowtooth. Crowtooth knew what he was doing, and he wouldn't let anything happen to Hawkfur or Rabbitpaw. Hawkfur scrunched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth against the nausea and fear that threatened to overwhelm him. How pathetic. His father's voice snarled, and Hawkfur's eyes snapped open. No, no he wouldn't allow himself to be pathetic here. He would conquer this ridiculous fear and he would emerge victorious.

Hawkfur shook his head, indicating he had no questions. He was certain that if he spoke, he would start sobbing on the spot. He was strong. He could do this. He would. Not. Die.

Right?

[I'm so sorry he's going to be so annoying throughout this, but it won't interfere with the lesson!]

[Dolomedes]

Rabbitpaw
He/him | WC Apprentice Tunneler | Moons: 6 | Purrks: none | Part Manx cat

Rabbitpaw flicked an ear and looked over his shoulder from where he was messing with his nest in the apprentices den as he heard the voice of his mentor. Tunneling! They were finally tunneling! Yes, the blonde apprentice was on his paws in a flash and bounded out of the den and to his mentor. There was another warrior with him, Hawkfur, if his memory serves him well. Oh! Was the other warrior wanting to learn tunneling too? That's so cool. His green eyes moved from the warrior to his mentor as the other began to explain what it was like in the tunnels. Hmm, that sounded a bit spooky, what if he got lost? Well he just needs to make sure that he stays on the right!

The rest of it sounded easy enough. Head low, scent mark the right, chirp to find dead ends, easy peasy! Rabbitpaw will get this down really quick and then he'll hunt something down in the tunnels. You can feel other creatures through your whiskers, Crowtooth says. Hmm, The blond apprentice twitched his muzzle as he thought about this, he hasn't really thought about his whiskers before. Rabbitpaw looked over to Hawkfur who ummm... didn't look that great? Maybe? Rabbitpaw couldn't really tell if that was how Hawkfur always was or if there was something go wrong with him. Who knows? If there is an issue than Rabbitpaw would be there to help! Back to tunneling though, questions? Did he have questions?

He tilted his head, long rabbit-like ears flopping to the side with the motions as Rabbitpaw peered at his mentor. "When we were practicing fighting and stuff you said that the rain and wet makes the tunnels collapse and I was wondering if the frost melting in newleaf can make the tunnels...weird? I don't know the word? Dangerous maybe?" Rabbitpaw wasn't scared though, it was probably a pretty common thing for Crowtooth to tell him about a pattern, there was probably ways to know of a tunnel being unstable before stepping into the danger zone. "Can you tell if a tunnel is going to fall with your whiskers and ears? I imagine that it's loud."

[ @Mica - Hawkfur | @Rani - Crowtooth ]


Rabbitpaw gif made by ramen!
Rabbitpaw header made by Marigoldwhisper!

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler/Fury | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Was Hawkfur panicking? Yes. Did Crowtooth notice at all? No, the dense tunnel obsessed idiot did not he was too busy chattering away about his favorite thing.


Rabbitpaws questions earned a grin and a quick "Good deducing there kid! Those are just the kinda connections ta make that'll help ya learn fast!" before he reflected on the questions further for a proper answer.

"Honestly? Not really. Rain an' snowmelt might be enough ta make thin's unstable but frost aint enough water ta do the same. It mainly just makes tunnelin' in early mornin' a pain an' delays the day a mite, nothin' big." A later start was not a problem for Crowtooth given what a lazy butt he could be when he wasnt working himself to death, ever prone to sleeping in.


"Ya are correct kiddo! Ya can learn ta predict if a tunnel is 'bad' so lemme go over that. If a tunnel is unstable then ya'll feel it goin' in, debris will fall like dirt raining down, the ground will feel squishy an' non compacted an' tappin' the wall will result in a mini landslide. A good tunnel is a firm one.


But once thin's really go bad it'll feel.... vibrate(?) no better word really. Ground shift beneath yer paws, yer whiskers feel thin's movin' when ya aint touched nothin' an' ya'll hear crackin' or rumblin' dependin' on the soil type.


I'll explain more on that once were down, fer now follow the noises I make an' take yer time learnin' ta feel yer way around! Once yer feelin' confident Ill go over the diggin' side."


With one final grin in the sun Crowtooth ducked into the tunnel, padding slowly with loud paws so the two could follow him and calling out which one he took when he passed side tunnels. There'd be some bumping and banging behind him for sure as the two toms figured things out, but he expected things to eventually calm as footing was found with trial and error.




Still the tom waited for quiet to move on to another section.




"Alright so while a lotta tunnels are already made by rabbits, other creatures, or nature itself part o' tunnelin' is diggin' the tunnels yerself.



The diggin' itself is easy. Ya find a spot where the ground is firm (so not crumbly) but soft enough ta dig an' driver yer paws in. Use yer claws an' make scoopin' motions before packin' the dirt in ta the walls an' dirt around ya, this helps strengthen the passage ya dig.



However, soil matters.
On the moors we mainly got dirt. Its good fer diggin' an' rarely needs support but there are patches o' other types (more common on other territories) that ya need ta mind.


Clay is mostly in thunderclan, it supports its weight well but doesnt compact fer some reason? Also downright impossible ta get outta fur once dried I hate it.
Rocks are stable too an' usually near the pines but ya wanna tunnel above them 'cuz if they do fall yer deader then normal.
Riverclan has tons o' sandy ground an' it falls if ya sneeze wrong around it I swear. Dont trust paths through sandy spots unless ya supported the roof an' walls wit' sticks an' I dont recommend tunneling there."


Honestly this was making it seem a lot more dangerous then it was (at least to a tom who spent all his time down there) but it was good for the two to learn the safety stuff lest they learn it by experience.


@Dolomedes @Mica

[Mica]

Hawkfur
WindClan Fury
he/him | 49 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes ]
Purrks: Flock Together T3, Beefed Up T1
· · ────────────── · ·
[Crowtooth - @Rani ] [Rabbitpaw - @Dolomedes ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Rabbitpaw seemed so calm and collected--even eager for this. Hawkfur massively envied the young tom and his bravery. He could tell he and Crowtooth got along well, and even through his anxiety he felt a little smile twitch on his muzzle. He wished he had an apprentice he got along with so well. Locustpaw and Rosemarypaw had both disappeared without a trace. Maybe, if he received another apprentice, they would be just as into rabbit hunting as he was, like Crowtooth and Rabbitpaw with tunneling.

The group delved into the tunnels, Hawkfur taking up the rear--Rabbitpaw seemed eager to go in and Hawkfur just really did not want to be the one in the middle--Crowtooth's callouts giving them a path to travel.

His eyes strained desperately to make out the shapes of his companions in the pitch, but to no avail. It felt like someone was laying over his vision, and no matter how wide he kept his eyes, there simply was not enough light to see by. He bumped into a wall as they took a turn, unable to see the sharp curve. He clicked in his throat, annoyance and embarrassment warming his big ears. Dust fell onto his shoulder from his brush against the wall, and suddenly he was overly aware of every movement around him. He felt panic bubbling again in his chest, and as a reflex scrunched his eyes shut. Surprisingly, that... sort of helped. Instead of being involuntarily blind, keeping his eyes shut gave him a sense of control over the situation. Now he was less fixated on his lack of sight and could actually use his other senses.

Eyes closed, Hawkfur dipped his head to the floor and let his whiskers brush along the ground. The position strained his neck and he wasn't a huge fan of it, but it did help keep his large paws from tripping over bumps in the tunnel floor. His tufted ears swiveled this way and that, following the echoes of Crowtooth's voice as they reverberated down the passages. He didn't bump into anything after that.

Crowtooth began talking about soil types, though admittedly Hawkfur was a little stuck on the idea of rocks falling from the ceiling and killing you. But that was fine. They weren't by the pines! Right? He didn't think they traveled that far. The idea of tunneling in sand was curious to him. Using supports? He wondered how tunnelers were able to effectively do that when they couldn't see where they were putting the supports. Another tick in the list of reasons that tunnelers should be respected.

Something Crowtooth had said previously pinged in his brain, and Hawkfur opened his jaws to scent the air. He was hit with the overwhelming scent of Crowtooth and Rabbitpaw, but beyond that there were scents of other cats that should have been staler than they were, unless a patrol had gone in not long before he did. Rabbits and voles were another thing he scented, and if he hadn't known that scents last longer here, he would have immediately whirled around looking for them. Everything was so overwhelming down here! And look at that, he was so focused on sensing his surroundings that he had completely forgotten about his anxiety!

Oh wait.

[Dolomedes]

Rabbitpaw
He/him | WC Apprentice Tunneler | Moons: 6 | Purrks: none | Part Manx cat

Rabbitpaw smiled as his mentor offered some easy praise for his question and for a moment Rabbitpaw wanted to question why that deserved to be encouraged because it was just asking questions but he wasn't too happy to really care. So just watch out for loose dirt, that sounded easy peasy! Then there was digging and Rabbitpaw thought that he had to be destined for digging because with his fur he already looked muddy all the time. With the way his blonde fur gave way to muddy brown on his forelegs and paws. Soil, clay, rocks, and sand. Bad sand, icky sand. But oh wait? If clay was super duper stick together-y and sand was too sticky…. Hmmm, the blonde apprentice bounded up to his mentor as he started to lead the way into the tunnels and Hawkfur let him pass.

“Crowtooth! Crowtooth! If clay sticks to your fur can you make the sand stick together by mixing in clay? So it's safer for the sandy tunnels! I mean we may need to use sandy tunnels with the fighting with Riverclan coming up?” The apprentice spoke out into the still air in the darkness. It was weird and Rabbitpaw had already tripped once or twice in the dark and he couldn’t really tell when he blinked or where Crowtooth was ahead of him and he giggled as he blinked and unblinked a couple of times trying to find the difference. Though he remembered to duck his head for his whiskers only after he stumbled a bit with a surprised yip escaping him before he hopped back up and continued with more cautious given to his whiskers, “I’m alright, I forgot about whiskers.”

The tom continued and took a moment to scent the air and was surprised by how much louder the smells are now. Well, stronger? No, it was definitely louder, the smells were louder. There were prey smells and cat smells, most notably the scent that he thinks was Hawkfur and Crowtooth. This was so much fun and interesting it was nothing like his time hunting on the moor and as much as Rabbitpaw liked running through the meadow he thinks he also liked the closed spaces of the tunnels. It almost felt safer, despite what his mentor had just said, Riverclan cats and minks can’t sneak up on you down here. You’ll know a long time before they show up. It was like a hug, kind of, the way the walls were there. Rabbitpaw smiled even though he knew no cat could see it. It was a smile meant for him and the tunnels. He couldn’t wait until he could navigate like he could on the surface!

Rabbitpaw was surprised that mister Hawkfur hasn’t said much so far, if Rabbitpaw didn’t know any better he would’ve thought that the warrior was like scared or something. Given the way he looked before they entered and couldn’t see anymore. But that was silly, the tunnels were so much fun so far and learning was fun and also mister Hawkfur was a warrior, warriors weren’t very scared of things. Unless they were super scary things like Riverclan cats and minks and then they had to be brave and fight even though they were scared. Like Rabbitpaw would when he was trained enough to where Crowtooth will let him help fight! “Isn’t this so much fun, Mister Hawkfur?” Rabbitpaw blurted out, he kind of felt guilty, maybe the warrior wasn’t talking much because Rabbitpaw wasn’t giving him a chance to?

[ @Mica - Hawkfur | @Rani - Crowtooth ]


Rabbitpaw gif made by ramen!
Rabbitpaw header made by Marigoldwhisper!

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler/Fury | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

The tunneler probably took a little bit too much amusement in the stumbles and bumps made as the two cats adapted to the dark but in his defense he was in their paws years ago himself and should they train tunnelers as he was not they'd probably feel the same. Plus they did really well for their first time, finding their footing with skill and quickly even with the fast breathing from Hawkfur Crowtooth could hear now that they were in an enclosed space.


Not that the tom knew what got his fellow fury so scared really, it was just the tunnels! Ah well, he seemed to be calming now and Hawkfur had time to relax as Crowtooth responded to Rabbitpaw.
"Im gonna be honest kiddo I aint ever thought o' tryin' that! Its a sound idea though, maybe you an' I can try it out later. Thats just the kinda thoughts that'll have ya go far in the tunnels though! Be creative an' clever as long as yer cautious about it." It was just this kinda of 'what if' thoughts that'd made the elder tom when he was first trying to find his place in the world with no training to navigate the dark. Be clever and always wary and you'd go far down here.


On to the next topic though!


"If yer startin' ta feel confident wit' movin' around we can start talkin' prey!


As Ive told ya before Rabbitpaw the tunnels are important fer keeping the store stocked in winter, as most o' the prey we hunt spend most o' leaf bare sleepin' down here. If we only hunted above we could go hungry, especially if a storm happens an' goin' out becomes dangerous 'cuz we can always dart below as long as we 'ave tunnelers!


The prey is mostly the same as above; rabbits, voles, moles, gophers, mice an' more rarely the occasional squirrel an' chipmunk, fer some reason. But we also get some critters not often found above! Groundhogs an' prairie dogs fer one but we also get these little snakes sometimes that dont even hurt when they bite, only the size o' a gopher really.


But ya need ta keep in mind huntin' down here is very different then above. There aint no stalkin' prey or much stealth down here, so instead ya gotta be clever.
One major example is vole/mole wallin'!"
The tom finally stopped after leading the cats on a steady trek through the tunnels, occasionally stopping at a junction to feel for claw marks he used to plot routes he didnt have memorized.



This particular spot was fairly shallow, not to much distance from the surface and as they walked one scent in particular grew stronger. Vole.


"Alright so this is a staple of underground huntin'. Ya can smell vole? Its 'cuz theyre here, theres a burrow full o' them somewhere in these walls an' the goal is ta catch 'em." The tom shrug went unseen as he drawled "Its honestly pretty easy though. Press yer ears ta the walls when ya smell voles in the tunnels until ya hear faint scratches an' squeakin'. Then ya dig claws in an' dig voles out, grabbin' an killin' 'em when ya feel/hear one bein' dislodged. Easy an' low risk as long as yer occasionally stampin' dirt in so what yer diggin' out remains stable.

Its also low reward though, voles/moles/gophers are small so ya need more ta be worth it."
Common sense really, two grown cats could easily share a rabbit if not too hungry but it was impossible to split small prey like mices and the prior listed group.



"Now we can give this a try or I can skip ahead an' take ya faster ta a rabbit warren ta teach ya how groundhogs an' rabbits go, catch some there an' all."

Their choice really, it was a matter of how ok they were at spending a long period of time down here.


@Mica @Dolomedes

[Mica]

Hawkfur
WindClan Fury
he/him | 49 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes ]
Purrks: Flock Together T3
· · ────────────── · ·
[Crowtooth - @Rani ] [Rabbitpaw - @Dolomedes ]
· · ────────────── · ·
While Rabbitpaw and Crowtooth chattered about mixing sand and clay--pretty smart idea, Hawkfur thought--the red tom focused on getting used to the feeling of stale air washing over his fur. He raised his head as they walked, taking the opportunity to feel the walls and ceiling with his whiskers and ears respectively. In order to keep himself from tripping, he slid his paws over the ground in a sweeping motion. It was less than graceful, but it worked while he felt around the rest of the tunnel. Satisfied with his exploration, Hawkfur returned to brushing his whiskers over the ground.

Hawkfur let out a little chirp of reassurance--how funny was that, reassuring an apprentice who very clearly wanted to be here when he was this close from fainting--when Rabbitpaw stumbled over his paws. The kid was doing well, and despite not knowing him at all, Hawkfur felt proud.

Then, Rabbitpaw was asking him if he thought this was fun. Hawkfur resisted the urge to make a pained noise, merely nodding. He then realized they couldn't actually see him nod, so he breathlessly squeaked out: "Yep yeah totally fun having a great time this is so great love it so much."

Okay so... maybe that was less convincing than he had hoped. But Crowtooth quickly began telling them about hunting for voles, even offering to let them practice a bit. Hawkfur, personally, wanted to get out of here as fast as physically possible, so the idea of moving on was great. But he also knew that if he didn't learn now, he never would. ... Screw that, he wanted to get out of here. "Up to Rabbitpaw but I'd love to move on." He meowed shakily.