get off your butts before we make you [TC APP EVENT] - Page 12

**SuspiciousMindz** · #**111** March 24th, 2024, 10:42 AM

[Treepaw] | Trees Friend
ThunderClan Apprentice
Silver Tongue

She was almost taken aback by the touch on her paws but didn't flinch too badly. The Bengal molly looked up at Mudhound, giving them a small nod, starting to understand. "Thank you," she spoke quietly.

She had one more chance to catch him? Okay. She could do this. Treepaw went to a different area of the clearing and crouched down. She gave his lesson a small thought.

Okay. I can do this.

Treepaw started forward, staying hidden. She moved slowly this time, impressed by how quiet her paw steps were. Wow. Perhaps slower was better, she'd remember this. So, Treepaw kept moving forward, creeping up on the warrior until she was within range of pouncing on them. Her back legs tensed before she the tension released and the apprentice shot forward to bap the warrior on their nose. Or at least attempt the bap.

"How was that?!" she chirped, totally different from the quiet stature she held just a few minutes ago.

@Rani

***Alchemist Kitsune*** · #**112** March 24th, 2024, 03:11 PM

| Sprucepaw |
Kitty Softpaws - Active | Ultimate Predator - Inactive | Agatha Kitty - Active

The shriek had taken Fudge completely by surprise, and it was soon taking everything within the young apprentice to not shriek right with his mentor. Eyes unusually round as he stared up at The Boulder, heart beating erratically as he gulped down the fright, the chocolate point soon found himself relaxing as the colossal feline beamed down at him, the praise he earned allowing a small purr to escape him. He had accomplished what he had set to do! The former kittypet had shown his mentor that he had the wit to apply just learned techniques to any challenge! Not that... not that he'd had any doubts. This was the only logical conclusion. To have assumed any other end had been foolish to begin with. Of course, having the confirmation was still better than not.

"Appreciative," the tall tom mewed in his usual, emotionless voice as his daily, blank expression returned to his face. An easier accomplishment now that his heart no longer seemed to want to beat out of his chest.

Leaving The Boulder to his other students, the young tom turned emerald hues towards the mess of leaves and twigs he'd made on of his pelt, and promptly began cleaning himself. He wasn't sure if he would be needing this amount of brush on him once they moved on towards other ventures in the art of hunting, but if he did, he could always replace the shrubbery. In the meantime, he would rather lie in comfort. Not that it lasted long, as his mentor was soon moving on with the lessons, giving those who had not been successful a chance to prove their worth, providing a few tidbits of suggestions as well. These last words perked the tom's ears with interest, deadpanned expression narrowing in thought. Ambush attacks were just... hunting. It was merely a different prey.

Yes. He could use that to his advantage in the future. Someone had once told him fighting was simply about taking any advantage offered to you. If ambushing wasn't so different from hunting prey, what other hunting tricks could he tie in to his fighting skills? And if he could out ambush a... what was it... a Shadow cat? Mix and match what he was proficient at to perhaps boost that in which he lacked? Maybe there was hope for him in the field of battle too.

@Rani [Mudhound]

**nyx** · #**113** March 26th, 2024, 08:23 AM

drawing by @ Marigoldwhisper

《 Copperpaw 》
40/100

they/them / thunderclan apprentice / ambitious

They rested their tail on Oatpaw's shoulders. They weren't used to being comforting but it seemed right at his time. "Ready?" They meowed, crouching on the branch. Copperpaw stared at the floor, they were tyring to find a clear space to jump and not hurt themselves. They twisted their unsheathed claws into the bark, willing it not to act up again.

The tabby apprentice shot out from the tree once more and flew through the air. They outstretched their paws for the landing. Copperpaw landed with a thunk on the ground, imagining it was a warrior they had landed on. They digged their claws deep into the dirt. They huffed and walked forward, turning their head to look back at the trees.
"Try it Oatpaw!"

**SeonghwasBunnyEars** · #**114** March 26th, 2024, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyx

drawing by @ Marigoldwhisper

《 Copperpaw 》
40/100

they/them / thunderclan apprentice / ambitious

They rested their tail on Oatpaw's shoulders. They weren't used to being comforting but it seemed right at his time. "Ready?" They meowed, crouching on the branch. Copperpaw stared at the floor, they were tyring to find a clear space to jump and not hurt themselves. They twisted their unsheathed claws into the bark, willing it not to act up again.

The tabby apprentice shot out from the tree once more and flew through the air. They outstretched their paws for the landing. Copperpaw landed with a thunk on the ground, imagining it was a warrior they had landed on. They digged their claws deep into the dirt. They huffed and walked forward, turning their head to look back at the trees.
"Try it Oatpaw!"

(@leader ; Beekit , @Highsnow of Matterhorn ; Alpinekit , @Artemis ; Berrykit , @CrimsonOaks ; Wisteriakit )

Oatpaw gave a gentle mew of protest as he readied himself. Oatpaw crouched and extended his small claws as much as he could. Lashing his tail and balancing, he imagined it was Hawksun, the damned Riverclan warrior who had killed his mother, and leapt. Oatpaw gave a gentle snarl, he was a bit wonky on his landing, but his paws were placed nicely as he raked the ground and left deep marks in the dirt. He looked up self consciously to the other cat and blinked.

**SpiritedWarrior** · #**115** March 27th, 2024, 07:24 PM

Crowpaw
Purrks: Heightened Perception and Agatha Kitty

His shoulder was a little stiff, but nothing he wouldn't walk off. It didn't take Mudhound very long to give Crowpaw some much needed feedback, for which the young tom was grateful for. Soon enough, the warrior made his way to stand in front of the scarred apprentice. The mud-brown tabby made a note of thanking the older tom after the training event was over.

'Long adult legs'? Crowpaw found the comment to be oddly amusing. He was certainly taller than the other apprentices, and was actually bigger than Sweetsong. Either he was a really big cat, or everyone he had contact with was shorter than normal. Heh. Probably not true, but it's an entertaining thought. Crowpaw nodded in acknowledgement and stood up slightly to improve his stance.

He then extended his tail back further and used his whiskers to double check that his stance was good to go. To be honest, this was a much more comfortable attempt than his previous. Mudhound then demonstrated the stalking technique, suprising Crowpaw with how quiet he was. And now, it was his turn (as well as the other apprentices'), though his goal was to sneak up on Mudhound without making a sound or his scent giving himself away. This'll be a fun challenge.

To give himself some practice, he moved his hind legs up and down, getting a feel for stalking. Once he felt ready, and after hearing some names getting called, Crowpaw figured he was stalling enough. One step after another, carefully observing the grass ahead of him, the young tom headed for Mudhound. He didn't dare move his tail to prevent the blades of grass from moving. Have to account for the wind... Crowpaw moved as quickly as he could, slinking close to the ground as he made his way through the tall grass, upwind.

**Estelle** · #**116** March 27th, 2024, 09:56 PM

You can hardly imagine the bright, happy grin that spread on little Poppypaw's face at Mudhound's praise (and applause, at that! Topped off by a tumble of the grown warrior, much to Poppypaw's amusement)! Not only that, but Bigcat's advice really was useful, mhm. She liked hiding behind the long grass, as advised, it made her feel alllll sneaky! And, and! Bigcat said she didn't have to walk all straight! Now, Poppypaw could walk in a straight line... Sometimes. It just wasn't always easy, sometimes her paws had a mind of their own. Sometimes they wanted to zigzag and stumble! And that was alright; it quite amused apprentice, despite the regular scratches and bruises, she didn't mind them all that much.

Taking Bigcat's advice into consideration, the brittle - chest proudly puffed up - gave a determined nod before lowering back into her large stance. Tail swishing left and right as she swayed with the wind, Poppypaw began moving and averting wherever her paws were taking her, watching out for the little sticks and finding comfort and amusement in hiding behind the tall grass. One couldn't say she was going in a usual straight line, but as the warrior said, it was just fine - Poppypaw was doing good! Creeping closer and closer to her goal - Bigcat's back, for they said they were the prey - perhaps her biggest failure was the unmistakable hum that sounded as she crouched low.
"Poooooooooppyyy....... HUNT!!!"
She squeaked as she tried jumping for Bigcat's bag, paws stretched out so wide you'd think she was trying to tackle them in a big little hug!

[ @Rani ]

**dino.** · #**117** March 29th, 2024, 11:52 PM

Okay. Swanpaw seemed... maybe fine now, and with Redhawk's description and demonstration, Elkpaw figured this wouldn't be too difficult to pull off. Tongue sticking out, he moved away from his sister to scrabble up the tree again to a low and unoccupied branch.

This would feel weird, kind of like a squirrel, but this was a ThunderClanny skill that he was excited to learn! He bunched up his legs and wiggled his butt, focused on a slushy patch of snow, and pounced - swiping the air with his claws before attempting to do the roll. Instead he hit the ground at an awkward angle and more so tumbled than rolled, ending up in a very wet snow bank and a tangle of limbs.

Elkpaw scrambled up with a yelp and bushed fur, and streaked out of the snow, scattering slush everywhere behind him. "COLD!" he shrieked.

**taillow** · #**118** March 30th, 2024, 01:47 PM

Redhawk - ThunderClan Hornet
She/they | 31 moons | The Ultimate Predator, The Collector, Kitty Softpaws

Stepping back to watch the apprentices with prideful yellow-green eyes, Redhawk nodded as both Wisppaw and Echopaw seemed to get the hang of it this time, hooking their claws and climbing the trees. The cheer from Sunpaw had the hornet's whiskers twitching in approval as a grin spread across her maw. Timberpaw was doing excellent too, and as the young she-cat landed the hornet gave a trill. "Well done! You even corrected to catch your original t-target; that would've definitely given you an advantage in a real b-battle."

Copperpaw's tumble wasn't unnoticed and concern flooded Red's chest as she took a couple paw steps forward. But they seemed to be okay, if anything just a little taken aback by the sudden shock of landing. "It might make your paws a bit sore until you get used t-to what it feels like landing from t-the jump," she offered with an encouraging smile to both Copper and Oatpaw. Which speaking of, as the latter made it up to the tree Redhawk beamed. "I knew you could do it, Oatpaw!"

Next to try was Mallowpaw, and though she hit the ground hard and Redhawk hurried over, she didn't appear to be super injured. "I'm proud of you for t-tackling your fear. It's not easy jumping for t-the first time, but you'll get t-the hang of it!" Her tail swished behind her as she smiled soft down at the young paw.

Woodpaw attempted the move which the hornet watched with inquisitive eyes. Not the most fluid but Red wasn't expecting mastery here with their first attempts. "All it t-takes is practice - soon you'll be able to sss-swing down from the t-trees no problem!" Trotting over towards the them, her eyes sparkled with a softness. "If you don't have time to bat t-the air," the hornet started, holding one paw out straight, "you can t-try to pin your t-target to the ground by keeping your claws out a-and straight ahead; sometimes the sss-shock will be enough to force t-them down!"

It seemed Copper and Oat were trying again, and as both of them landed Redhawk looked up with a delighted purr. "Excellent you t-two!" Heading over to Oatpaw, knowing that the young tom would likely benefit from more encouragement, the hornet added, "you did it, Oatpaw! See, the t-trees aren't all t-that sss-scary."

Swanpaw seemed to be taking her time in getting back up so Redhawk kept a careful eye on her, but had her main gaze focused on her apprentice. Pride tingled her paws as she watched his little tongue poke out in concentration. His tumble looked tough and Red worried for a split second about needing to break his fall. He seemed alright though albeit a little damp from the snow, to which Red chuckled a bit. Hurrying over to intercept him, the hornet immediately started to attempt to dry and warm him up a bit. "It'll t-take practice, but that was a great first go!" she chirped as she peered at him.

Looking up now at everyone gathered, Redhawk gave a nod. "I'm very proud of you all - t-tree climbing and attacking isn't the easiest t-thing in the world, but you all have tackled your fears. Let's try one other battle move, if everyone is ready?"

This one would be a bit different. Redhawk gave one final swipe of her tongue across Elkpaw's head before standing and moving to face a tree. She then charged at it, leaping at the last moment to hit the bark. But instead of climbing she sprung off the tree, twisting and turning back to where she'd come from with her claws extended. "Your opponent will think you're fleeing, and drop t-their guard. Using the t-tree as a sss-springboard will get you t-the upper paw!" And with that the hornet gave a small nod. "Make sss-sure when you hit the t-tree you push back off with your hind legs, keeping your f-front claws outstretched!"

[ @Blazing @SeonghwasBunnyEars @Tiabirb @nyx @Hestia! @dino. @CrimsonOak @Starphobia @kittycatburmise @Katiethewolfchild @vellichor @Eden @Dark @BEAR. ]

[ mentioning every apprentice that first showed up incase they still want to attempt the move - if not, no need to reply to this! ]

**Blazing** · #**119** March 31st, 2024, 02:29 AM

WOODPAW

As he shook his pelt, he watched the busy hornets teach all the apprentices, and Redhawk made their way over to him. Hearing the praise, he grinned brightly and nodded his head in a satisfied way before gathering back over to the herd of apprentices. He nodded his head once again when he heard that they were heading back to battle move practices.

He watched other apprentices, before heading back to his tree. Taking a deep breath, he listened to the instructions of Redhawk, and sprinted towards the tree. As he was about to hit it, he lept and onto the bark, pushing himself away and back onto the ground again. Of course, not the best, but more fluent than climbing trees.
@taillow

**Rani** · #**120** March 31st, 2024, 04:23 AM

Some cats tried again and did better, much to the tripods pleasure.
Treepaw earned a headbutt and a "Good work! Much better!" after getting close enough to boop Mudhound.
Crowpaws second attempt earned another yelp out of Mudhound at his 'sudden' appearance, much like Sprucepaw had earned. It was a good thing though, and the hornet soon followed up the shock with a flurry of praise for the improvement, that he'd managed to sneak up on the warrior a clear indication of rapid mastery of the stalk.
Poppypaw wasnt the most stealthy, as the announcement of her actions kinda alerted Mudhound to her but the rest of it was good and the hornet was a bundle of good natured giggling and headpats for her as a reward.

Time to move on though.

"Ok everyone! Pouncing now, were nearly done! After this Ill talk about prey types and release you to hunt in the area for your own prey!

But first pouncing.
Now its pretty simple and naturally follows stalking, some of you were doing it already! Once you get as close as you think you can get you bunch up aaaaaaalll your legs under you tight, extend your tail for balance, point your nose at your prey and leap! Youre gonna wanna land on the prey and give them a chomp and then you got a meal!"

While explaining the tripod demonstrated, wiggling in place to draw all their legs from the more balanced stalking stance to be under them to give their spring more power, stretching out their tail long behind them to compensate for that lost balance, and pointed their nose to the flower they were going to hit before they leapt.

Mudhound pushed hard with all four paws at once, springing into the air before tucking their front paws close mid air to be more aerodynamic and to be able to use them later. In 'flight' they were not inactive either, tail flicking hard to the side that was missing a leg to re-orientate themself as their leap had started leaning due to this disability.

The came the final part, the landing. Front paws stretched out and (claws out) both grabbed the flower and caught them, paws quickly shifting to move the caught flower to the hornets mouth for a 'killing bite'.
It was a full bodied motion, but a smooth one where each movement shifted into the others without thought.

"See! Some tips Ive got are that while grabbing with your mouth is simple, you paws are longer, if prey is juuuuust outta reach you can catch them with your front paws and bring them to your mouth, you should find it instinctual! Also use your tail, it can help you aim by flicking it the opposite of where you wanna go! And tucked paws mid air helps you fly farther but its not necessary."
Honestly the motion sounded complex when explained but was one the apprentices had probably done already or by instinct. Cats pounced, its what they did and so came without thought but might need some practice to be deadly.

"For you advanced cats who want a challenge or know this already~

You can with practice learn to shift mid air and change where youre aiming to. Your body follows your head, so look at a different thing and twist your body to follow it while flicking your tail like I said and you'll find yourself able to change where you land a bit! This is great for birds who are flying away or running prey if they were alerted!

Also, try running pounces. This will by trial and error but Ive seen windclan cats do a pounce from a run, no stopping needed. If you can learn to leap mid run then you dont have to sneak up on prey, you can just run it down (just be careful to not run into trees)!"

There, that'll give them something to chew on to further their skills! There was even ideas for stuff they could learn that even Mudhound didnt know how to do!

"Everyone go! Try and pounce on stuff and Ill be around giving tips!"

Hopefully at least some of the group stuck through the lesson, it'd count if they'd tried 3 things but to those that hung on Mudhound would make sure to find them a special treat.

@Desert Rain Frog @ThePrettyPurpleDemon @Spider-in-the-corner @bubble[error]. @Ladiebugg @Fawn @mars @Alchemist Kitsune @SuspiciousMindz @SpiritedWarrior @Estelle @Eden @zozelen