As Swift as the Crow flies...

[Tiabirb]

Swiftfire
-----------------


Ugh. Asking about this was like asking for help removing a tick from behind her ear; Up close and uncomfortable. But....well she needed to get on some good sides for a change, and even though she thought the rambling raggedy tom was a lot to swallow, he was still experienced. And respected, even by herself. She wasn't arrogant to think she deserved to be a Fury and not him. But she wasn't going to fade into obscurity and wallow in isolation.

If she wanted something, she needed to show she earned it. And to do that, she would earn it.

She took a good bit to groom herself down, thinking out her plan of 'attack'. Subtle wasn't her style, and she didn't feel like dancing with her words. Best to approach with her usual vice; Blunt and outright. With a hint of politeness. She wasn't totally mannerless, but she wasn't about to act like a scared kit to a fellow Clanmate. And the experience she needed? He had it.

That's right. Rising to her paws, Swiftfire walked right up to Crowtooth, and quite flatly stated, "I want to learn tunneling. You're the best tunneler we have, so, will you teach me? Yes or no?" She stared at him intently, her expression a mixture of annoyance (mostly at herself for even having to ask) and bemusement while she waited for his answer.

@Rani

[Rani]

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

Power Card: Cold Gust

‘See this mess is why there’s just no point in grooming my fur. It’s impossible, never lasts, and my black fur hides the mess anyways, all anyone generally ever knows is that Im a bit dusty and it’s messy.’

The tom was frowning hard as he fought with a gnarled knot of fur that’d clumped with some mud to form just an impossible matt, growling low as he internally continued to complain when he failed to groom it out and was now tugging more forcefully at it with a claw. It wasn’t a nice feeling (it rather hurt) but it got the thing loose at least just in time for Swiftfire to show up.

Frankly he was expecting yet another fight but had been pleasantly surprised today when she instead was after his skill set.

The tom blinked a couple of times, rasping out an “Uhhhhh..” For a couple of seconds until his brain snapped too and tacked on a hesitant “Im happy ta teach anyone in the clan who wants ta learn tunnelin’. Never tacked ya fer one interested in the deep thought, struck me as more o’ a moor runner. Any specific reason fer the ask or are just lookin’ fer new skills?” Despite his words the tom still got up and lead the Molly out of the camp with a flicked tail to follow, padding to the nearest entrance to the deep. If Swiftfire took his curiosity as suspicious that was on her but honestly he didn’t really care to try and twist his words to make them less prodding.


@Tiabirb

[Tiabirb]

Swiftfire
--------------


She expected the delayed response; She came to expect it nowadays. But, he didn't say no. Which was what she wanted. Well, needed mostly. He made a comment on her preference for open skies and ground, to which she replied, unable to keep the sarcasm from dripping in, "Really? I could have mistaken you for a squirrel," She let out a snort, turning to follow Crowtooth out of camp.

She mulled over her response, then she spoke without the sarcasm, "Figured with my build, I'd have better luck underground than that high above it." She had climbed a tree. Once. She hadn't liked the feeling of it whatsoever. Not the splintery bark, not the swaying sensation whenever the wind blew too hard. Not to mention, if she fell, she could easily snap a leg; They were long and thin, and meant for speed and agility. One heavy impact, one poor landing, and she'd be lucky to run ever again. "Besides, you were pretty impressive, getting a whole warren out of their burrows." It was a genuine compliment, and she tilted her head in his direction, "And I'm not easily impressed." Which was true.

"I want to learn something useful." The tortoiseshell said after a while, "Screw swimming, I've tried climbing. I should keep my paws on solid earth and learn skills that allow me to do so. And, well, I'm skinny and quick. And believe it or not, smart enough to catch on just as fast as I can run." She added the last bit with a bit of a growl.

@Rani

[Rani]

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

Power Card: Cold Gust

Well.... Huh.

Crowtooth had honestly never expected Swiftfire to admit anything nice about him, not after his failed attempt as mending bridges, even if he internally was able to do the same. She beat him in this at least, the tom wasnt sure he would be able to do the same for fear it'd be taken badly. Which felt petty and childish now, so he offered a raspy. "Ive learned ta not assume ones build based on their build. I mean Im built like a rock an' still squeeze myself down there an' Bravebird is tiny and Im pretty sure she could choke slam me if I pissed her off.
Kinda figured ya'd do the same really, ya struck me as the hidden strength type."


Not in a bad way though, as awkward as it was that was a compliment in Crowtooth's mind.



"Well Im wit' ya on how swimmin' and climbin' sucks, I cant even get inta Twi's den no matter how hard I try, damn tree. An' learnin' new stuff is always good, Ill admit I wish I could learn moor runnin' myself but wit' my breathin' theres a reason I never did."
Mainly the horrible gasping fit that'd sent him to the medicine cats den every time he tried, ruined lungs unable to process the air he needed to manage speed. He'd found a niche in the tunnels in the end, but it did still sting.




"Alright here we go. Before we go in, yer nose is gonna be less useful then ya think. Scents stick down there, an' dont travel so ya cant track em an' find an exit. Instead I scent mark the right wall as I travel in, so if ya ever get turned around or lost as soon as ya find my (or any other tunneler's) scent as long as ya keep it on yer left you'll find the surface.


Focus on yer whiskers an' ears. Keep yer head low an' whiskers brushin' the floor, this way you'll feel roots and rocks before ya trip an' can follow turns before ya run inta walls. Once ya get the feel ya can even 'see' things movin' around ya by how the air moves.
As fer ears they can tell ya how open the area yer in is. If ya chirp and it sounds 'hollow' yer in an open area that might have a high roof so ya can stand or a tunnel that continues further. If its muffled yer facing a dead end, wall, or tight spot.


I'll give ya a moment ta get orientated, fer now lets just get used ta the dark."


With that the tom ducked in, keeping slow and making sure Swiftfire was close as he padded through the dark until he reached a larger more open spot where Swiftfire could practice and try things out.


@Tiabirb

[Tiabirb]

Swiftfire
--------------


Well, now she was left a little speechless. A compliment in return? Even if it was delivered in a strange way. Alright, she could work with this. Warrior to warrior, despite their differences, they could be civil. It was a step in the right direction.

"Maybe. Maybe I just haven't had an opportunity to show it." She rumbled out a response, the smallest of hints that Swiftfire had a hunger to prove herself. With the disappearance of Dunecall, she had allowed herself to focus again on her warrior duties. One of which was finding Dustypaw and giving him another battle training session. With war on the horizon with RiverClan, she didn't want his training to fall behind.

She let out a snort of amusement, trying to picture Crowtooth trying to haul his mass up into Twilightstar's den. It didn't seem like it'd end well.
Uh-oh. Her mask cracked a little, and she shot Crowtooth a long, sad look. She didn't like the idea of feeling sorry for him, he wasn't the type to look for pity. Instead, Swiftfire was a little surprised to find her reluctant admiration building. "You're a tough one. You didn't wallow and complain, you adapted to survive. Knowing that, you probably have more courage than me." It wasn't an easy admission, and the faint smile turned into an uneasy frown, and she looked away.

He explained the basics to her, and she gave him her full attention. Scenting was the least reliable means, though she was a little impressed with his strategy of scent-marking one side of the tunnel to assist their navigation in and out. She would need to focus on her senses of touch and sound, got it.
The tortoiseshell was quite and attentive until the end. She was here to learn, and the best way to learn was to shut up and listen. He had explained it pretty well in her opinion.

"That's some clever thinking," She said just before he ducked to enter the tunnel. And more to herself, she added, "I like it." With that she ducked and slipped into the darkness of the underworld.


She had been in tunnels before; The tunnels with the minks, but they had been tunnels within a cave. This was significantly different.

The walls were tighter, winding more and twisting. How could a cat as big as Crowtooth be down here so darn much? She was nigh petite and even her shoulders would squeeze and press against the walls on either side of her once in a while.
Swiftfire took her time making progress. She wanted to familiarize and desensitize. Her discomfort with being underground, the anxiety of all the possible what ifs that could go wrong. She was pushing through it, one paw at a time. She kept her whiskers brushing the wall to her right, pausing at various turn-offs before chirping down one and waiting. She found it was easier to determine a dead end than it was an opening. She wasn't sure what a 'hollow location' sounded like yet, so she simply avoided the ones where the sound didn't travel as far. Luckily, Crowtooth wasn't about to ditch her in the dark either, and she kept at least a rabbit's length between him and herself. If they needed to turn around, she wasn't about to make the rookie mistake of being trampled or blocking the way.

She glanced around the open area nervously, the fur along her spine lifting and bristling. The last time Crowtooth had led her into a tunnel, there were minks. Lots and lots of minks.

But there was no mink scent here. Swiftfire let herself relax, brushing off her moment of unease with a shake. "First time jitters," She said brusquely, "So where do I start?"



@Rani