squirrelpaw's training [p]

[furrensic]

SQUIRRELPAW
she/her. 8 moons. small russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.

oookay..just breathe!! breathe in, breathe out..this is easy, squirrelpaw reassures herself. third time's the charm! she drops back into the crouch once mistlewhisker throws another pinecone. maybe third time really is the charm, because she creeps towards and pounces on the pinecone with much better form than the last two times.

shaking the bits of crushed pinecone off of her paws, she musters up a tiny bit of courage. possibly, the most she could ever muster. "w-was...was that..better..?" she inquires.

[ @Micanomancy ]

[Mica]

Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 37 moons
[Large black cat with a half-white muzzle and pale green eyes, one gouged out]
Purrks: Beefed Up T2
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[Squirrelpaw - @furrensic ]
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Mistlewhisker felt a burst of pride as Squirrelpaw succeded, her form much improved and her strength crushing the pinecone without difficulty. She nodded, a slight smile on her maw. "Excellent," she meowed. "You learn quickly, Squirrelpaw." She stood, brushing her tail over her apprentice's back. "Do you think you can try on real prey?" She wouldn't push her too far, as she had already come so far. But maybe that boost of confidence would help her.

[furrensic]

SQUIRRELPAW
she/her. 9 moons. small russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.

squirrelpaw is unable to bite back the forming smile on her maw. she learned!! quickly!!! that meant that she's smart, right? the small apprentice sniffles quietly, happy tears pricking at her eyes. she quickly blinks them away. a part of her feels like she can do anything now. wild how far a compliment can go.

"..oh." she's conflicted. she feels like she can practice on real prey...but at the same time, what if something goes bad? be quiet brain!! be quiet! she mentally cries, brows furrowing briefly. she just has to convince herself that it'll go well and nothing bad will happen - easier said than done, of course. "yes..I think I..can..do i-it."

[ @Micanomancy ]

[Mica]

Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and pale green eyes, left gouged out]
Purrks: Beefed Up T2
· · ────────────── · ·
[Squirrelpaw - @furrensic ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker nodded. She could tell her apprentice was nervous, but Mistlewhisker was sure she would do fine. She lead her into a copse of trees with thicker undergrowth, dropping into a hunter's crouch and keeping her voice low. "Remember what I taught you. Balance. Now open your jaw and see what you can scent."

[I'd say after Squirrel catches her first prey, we can move onto another aspect of training? I just realize I've kept you on this for way too long that's my bad]

[furrensic]

SQUIRRELPAW
she/her. 9 moons. small russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.

following the enforcer, squirrelpaw drops into a hunter's crouch alongside her. her stomach twists and turns, jittery with growing nerves. oh, she hated this. she's not sure what she's more afraid of: messing up and losing perfectly good prey, or disappointing mistlewhisker. they're practically tied. the latter is definitely higher, though, just by a bit. balance balance balancebalanceBALANCE!! BREATHE--, she repeats in her head, giving a quick nod.

she parts her jaws lightly, seeing what she could smell. what was that smell..?? "I s-ssmell..a bird..?" she notes, voice barely above a whisper. which, she honestly thinks is the most intimidating to catch due to their ability to fly. she's half tempted to turn to her mentor and admit that she really doesn't think she can do this. she clenches her jaw, heart fluttering wildly. "I'll - I'll..go..try..to..catch it.." she mumbles.

the area is mostly quiet, save for the sound of heart heartbeat and the occasional sounds made by local creatures. she doesn't stray too far away from where the warrior is stationed before she pushes through some thicker foliage, leading into a teeny tiny opening. a blackbird hops around, pecking at a soft spot in the ground, just a few fox lengths away. the apprentice remembers what mistlewhisker said – she loosens her muscles (the best she can), deep, albeit shaky, breath in, then out.

she slowly creeps forwards - breathe in. yellow eyes lock onto the bird, anticipation bubbling inside her - breathe out. her heart drums against her chest, almost painfully, and her limbs feel like jelly as she nears the unsuspecting critter. I can't do this, I can't..starclan and mistlewhisker forgive me, I can't..I can't do it.., she thinks, feeling the horribly familiar lump in her throat grow – she's so scared and nervous she wants to cry. her paws burn with nerves. no!! I can do it!! I CAN do this, I know it.

it does little to calm her down, but still does just enough to boost her confidence the tiniest bit. bunching up her muscles, she launches herself at the blackbird. paws wide and outstretched, she lets out a squeak when she actually gets ahold of the bird. "oh. s-starclan! oh my go-goodness!" the joy is shortlived when she comes to the realization that she has to actually murk the bird next - as it was very close to slipping out of her grasp. very unsure and awkwardly (and a little guiltily), she kills the bird with a harsh whack. oh!! she did it!!! she feels so happy and.. proud? yes, proud! she feels as though she could cry tears of joy.

[ @Micanomancy it's alright!! we can move onto either battle or stealth next if that sounds good either is fine with me. also exploring squirrels slowly growing confidence in this post hehe ]

[Mica]

Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and pale green eyes, left gouged out]
Purrks: Beefed Up T3
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[Squirrelpaw - @furrensic ]
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Mistlewhisker watched with baited breath as Squirrelpaw approached the blackbird, already drafting up some consoling words for when she didn't manage to catch it. Birds were notoriously tricky prey, and before Mistlewhisker could encourage Squirrelpaw to find another piece of prey, she was off.

Mistlewhisker was pleased, however, with Squirrelpaw's improved hunter's crouch and stalk. Mistlewhisker's muscles tense as Squirrelpaw prepares to leap onto the bird, ears angled back in a brief show of anxiety. She could do this. Mistlewhisker had faith in her.

It was sloppy. Sloppy, but holy StarClan, she did it. Mistlewhisker had to reign in the urge to spring to her paws and rush to congratulate her apprentice, seeing the confidence spark in Squirrelpaw's eyes more than anything the enforcer could have wanted. She pushed herself to her paws and approached slowly, tail swishing behind her. "That was incredible, Squirrelpaw." She meowed, dipping her head down to rasp her tongue over Squirrelpaw's ear if she allowed it. "Birds are very tricky, and you did it first try. When I first tried to catch a blackbird..." she eyed the dead creature still under Squirrelpaw's white paws. "Well, let's just say it took a while to get the dirt out of my teeth." She hummed in amusement, nodding to the bird. "Let's bring this back to camp, hm? I think Hawkbite and Silverlark would be very impressed with what you've done today."

She turned once Squirrelpaw agreed, padding side by side with her apprentice, heart just a little bit lighter than it had been when they left camp that morning.

[furrensic]

SQUIRRELPAW
she/her. 9 moons. small russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.

that was incredible, squirrelpaw. those were the words that mistlewhisker had said, and squirrelpaw's heart swells the times it's normal size. a smile, possibly the biggest and most genuine one she's ever worn, stretches across her maw. she allows the enforcer to lick her ear - the moment reminding her of her kithood. she's still jittery from a mixture of nerves, most notably excitement.

this is a feat she didn't think she could accomplish. by the sounds of it, catching a bird was difficult - and she had done it on the first try. eee!!! I'm definitely telling goopypaw!! I bet he'll be amazed, she thinks. she bites back a small giggle as her mentor explains her first time trying to hunt a bird. "thank you.." she meows, sheepishly but genuine. she's completely certain that if mistlewhisker hadn't been giving her praise throughout the lesson, she would've backed out of the whole thing. or failed miserably.

with a nod, she picks up the bird and pads back to camp alongside the enforcer, smile still on her face.

[ @Micanomancy ]

[Mica]

Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half-white muzzle and pale green eye (left gouged out)]
Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend
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[Squirrelpaw - @furrensic ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker lead Squirrelpaw out into the territory, keeping an eye out for anything that might cause trouble. They were far enough away from the WindClan border that she felt safe taking her apprentice out, but she had hesitated calling on Squirrelpaw for training for a little while after the announcement had been made.

The large feline padded alongside her apprentice rather than in front of her. "Today we're going to go over battle training." She meowed. "In the coming moons, battle training is going to be very important. If you find yourself in a situation that requires it, that is." She prayed to StarClan that Squirrelpaw wouldn't need to use it until she was more ready, but Mistlewhisker could never be certain.

Back in the clearing they had hunted in previously, Mistlewhisker was pleased to see a few early newleaf flowers popping up through the undergrowth. She did not let herself get distracted with it, however, and focused on her apprentice. "We'll start with a few simple moves on these trees." She gestured to two thin trees spaced enough apart where the two could practice and not accidentally bump into each other. Unless something went terribly wrong, that is.

"I'm going to explain a basic move to you, and then we'll both do it on these trees." It was swiping and leaping, so the scarred bark was a suitable opponent for now. She waited for Squirrelpaw's acknowledgement before she began.

[furrensic]

SQUIRRELPAW
she/her. 9 moons. small russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.

squirrelpaw follows after mistlewhisker, sticking close to the larger molly per usual. normally, her yellow gaze would be dancing around the territory, in search of any possible dangers. however, this time her ears are simply perked, swiveling in the direction of any noise – and her eyes are locked onto her left paw. she had been (terribly, horribly) afraid that her paw would worsen when lostspark had told her that it wouldn't be the same again. actually, she couldn't even fall asleep because of how bad she was worrying, simply staring at her paw as the night passed. would it end up falling off?? would she not be able to walk on it anymore??

luckily, she's calmed down just a bit. she can walk on it just fine, it's just..there's a lack of sensation in her left paw pad and toe beans compared to her right?? more..numb. numb. very. it doesn't seem to be causing any issues though, yet. she can't help but worry and think of the worst possibilities ever, though. she suddenly feels a sense of dread cover her like a blanket of moss and she sighs.

her eyes flicker up to the enforcer when the she-cat speaks up. her jaw drops and her eyes widen, immediately feeling horrified. "ba-attle...?" she frets, brows knitted in worry and her signature frown appearing. I can't do this, I can't do this..I'm going to DIE, she thinks, squeezing her eyes shut. she knows that battle is required and all but can they just?? skip over it?? please? her legs wobble a little as they come to a stop. her chest tightens with growing anxiety, sending pang of pain through her. she forces herself to take a deep breath, though it feels like a struggle to do so.

"oh..okay.." the russet apprentice croaks. ouughhh. she can already see herself failing at this.

[ @Mica ]

[Mica]

Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half-white muzzle and pale green eye (left gouged out)]
Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend
· · ────────────── · ·
[Squirrelpaw - @furrensic ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker was not oblivious to her apprentice's nerves, but as far as the enforcer was concerned, only practice and confidence could overcome fear. "First, we focus on paw swipes." Mistlewhisker lashed out with first her right, then her left front paw. Each swipe had claw marks gouged into the wood. "You want your hits to be quick and forceful. The quicker you can get your paw back on the ground, the quicker you can react to your opponent." She demonstrated again, her paws reaching out and clawing the wood before swiftly returning to the ground. She turned to Squirrelpaw to watch her attempt.