becoming a hunter. [CLOSED SOLO TRAINING]

[silver.]

[ THIS THREAD TAKES PLACE IN THE SPAN OF TIME BATPAW WAS MISSING FROM SHADOWCLAN. THIS THREAD IS TO SHOWCASE HIS PROGRESS ON LEARNING TO HUNT WHILE AWAY FROM THE CLAN. ]

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batpaw
he/him // 17 moons // shc apprentice
purrks: shadow fiend, burn baby burn

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- DAY 1 AFTER THE ESCAPE -

Sore. He was so, so sore. Though he was unsure exactly what the twolegs had done to him he knows that they stole something from him. Some piece of his flesh and blood. Pah, let them have it! If he could move then he obviously didn't need it. Padding through the underbrush he tries to recall his way back home. With little success. Nonetheless he does his best to track through the forest before realizing that his stomach was pestering him. He was hungry. Of course they didn't feed him anything good while they had trapped him. Just some pathetic excuse for meat and rocks. The Lord of Darkness was deserving of finer dining. So he would find his own.

Once before he has hunted. On a single patrol. He had caught a frog. Nothing says that he couldn't do so again. Lowering himself into a crouch the first thing he knows he must do is locate prey. Locating prey would be as easy as stalking an unsuspecting apprentice back in camp. Tall ears twitch and swivel, his jaw hangs open... He was doing everything right. So why wasn't anything nearby?! Frustrated, he stalks forward, calling upon his fiendish nature to shield him from any peering eyes.

That's when he smells it. Squirrel. Too furry for his taste but he was hungry so who was he to complain? Owlish gaze falls upon the direction the scent was coming from and forward he moves.

Blame his bad eye but the hunt doesn't go as well as he would have liked at all. A master of stealth he sneaks upon the squirrel with no issue. But when he goes to pounce... Why, how did it get so far away so quickly?! Last he had seen it it was right where he had landed! Growling under his breath he chases after the creature until it finds refuge up a tree. And though he was taught (poorly) how to climb it wasn't worth the effort.

Tonight he went hungry.

[silver.]

batpaw
he/him // 17 moons // shc apprentice
purrks: shadow fiend, burn baby burn

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- DAY 2 AFTER THE ESCAPE -

The burning pang of hunger was so annoying! It gnaws at his stomach incessantly and he decides that after yesterday's attempt he needed to try again. Or else he may starve. And that was not a befitting end to The Bat. Once again on the prowl for prey, he moves slower this time, really trying to pick out a scent or some kind of indicator that something was in the area. Something that he could sink his sharp, long teeth into. Much to his own surprise today, he recalls a bit of his teaching from his previous mentor. Pupil narrowed into a slit, he stares hard in the direction of the scent of, again, squirrel. This time he wouldn't let the vermin escape.

Thinking back to his successful hunts during his apprenticeship he again relies on the shadows to sneak up on the unsuspecting squirrel. It's in this moment he can feel the breeze blowing against his whisper. Was the wind something that could help him hunt, too? If it could blow the squirrel's scent to him then it could do the opposite, right? Mentally clocking the understanding that standing against the wind would be more helpful for hunting, he stalks forward, paws lifting high as to not brush against any foliage before... He pounces!

Call it a stroke of luck but he lands upon the creature's tail. A little bit to the left or right and he would have missed but he had his claws stuck in the fluffy fur of the creature's behind. Grinning from ear to ear he uses both paws to drag the scrambling creature closer to himself so he can end it's life and finally enjoy the sweet taste of fresh kill.

[silver.]

batpaw
he/him // 17 moons // shc apprentice
purrks: shadow fiend, burn baby burn

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- DAY 3 AFTER THE ESCAPE -

After yesterday's success he's more confident the next time he goes to hunt. His progress in tracking his way back to clan territory has been going fairly well (he thinks) and all this walking has him so thirsty and hungry. Finding a small creek to lap at would be easy. He does so without much hassle. But finding a meal was the more challenging feat. A few understandings under his pelt would help him track his prey once more, however. Today he takes note of the direction of the wind and decides to head off in the direction from where it was coming from. Today he's perfected his hunting crouch, slipping in between shadows and showing off wonderful form as he moves through the grass. Today he relies on his sense of smell more than anything else to track the blackbird he's caught wind of.

Birds were tricky. Constantly alert and fast, they would take off at a hint of danger. So if he were to succeed all of his skills would be put to the test. Today he wouldn't be on the verge of missing his target. Today he would move slowly and carefully, not taking his eye off of the bird that pecks unknowingly at the ground before him for even a second. This would be easy. He's hunted, what, three times successfully now? Practice would only make him better, despite already being the best. Even the best could be better. He could be unstoppable.

Again a grin finds home within his features as he's only tail lengths away from the unaware creature. In a swift movement he lunges forward and captures it between both clawed paws, pinning it's wings to it's body so it couldn't possibly escape. It's quickly killed and laid on the ground so The Bat can revel in his success. See? He could very easily survive on his own! Not that he wanted to be alone but if he had to be he would very much succeed. Beaming with pride and holding back cackling laughter, he bends down and enjoys his meal.

He had finally become an established hunter. As expected of him.