nothing like the present & training thread

[Ashenclaw]

"You'll Never Be Unloved By Me"​

Paws squished down on mud and then lifted to shake what dripped from toe fur. The mud was getting worse and worse by the day it seemed though with the warming weather it wasn't surprising. It was slick out and everything was more mud than slush at this point in time. It was uncomfortable but there had to be things done of course. Like today was the first day that newly named Ashenclaw would take out his newly assigned apprentice; Termitepaw.

The she-cat was rather interesting to say the least as she wasn't as cynical or stubborn as her brother, Chrysalispaw. Though that was besides the point, he was ready to try to do real training with her! He had a false sense of confidence in his chest but he wasn't alone at least in training the young apprentice. Ashenclaw had asked that of Sharpeye to bring along his apprentice Bananapaw and the tom seemed to know more about the whole training thing than he did. Or so that was what appeared to him was that he knew what he was doing.

The blue tabby looked back at the little training patrol as they moved through the forest and towards an open area. Perfect! This would make a rather good place to do something like hunting practice or fighting- there hadn't been much plan into what he wanted to do. The warrior turned on his heel as they came to a stop in the clearing and he raised his head high as he looked down at the two apprentices, "Alright, you two, here is what the plan will be for today," He glanced at Sharpeye in hoped he would just follow his lead on this one.

"I want to do a little competition with you both. A relay race if you will," Ashenclaw went onto explain the competition; it was basically a race. Bananapaw and Termitepaw would start off in the clearing with a hunt expedition where they have to catch at least two small prey or one large piece. The one who finished first got a point, and then it would be a sparring match and the winner get another point. Lastly was the climbing of the oak tree near camp and whomever got higher would earn the last point. Whomever had the most points would be excuse of duties for the new few days and the other would be stuck with extra duties for those couple of days.

Green hues looked towards Sharpeye for some sort of confirmation or something of the sort that it would be a fair competition. Test the three basic skills every Skyclan cat would need to have.



// OKAY SO THIS IS HOW IT WILL WORK!
Termitepaw and Bananapaw will roll a d20 in the discord for each competition!

They will roll whether or not they catch a piece of prey; low roll means they catch nothing/get close to it and a high roll either struggles to get the piece or catch it flawlessly!

Then with the fight, a d10 will be rolled for each move the apprentices take. They will each have a level 3 hp level, so about 12 hit points, and the roll will be a hit point. So it could go on or could last a while but the last one standing wins! This will be claws sheathed and will be deemed by who can pin down who.

Lastly is the climbing! They will roll a d10 for each time they climb higher, taking a minus -1 with each roll the higher they go. The disadvantage will increase each time they climb cause branches get thinner as one goes up a tree. So it would be a -1, then -2, then -3 and so forth with each roll. Though each roll with also occopany a random roll of a d20 on how scared they are/confidenc level. They will start with a 12 point confidence score and itll decrease with each height roll.

Speech
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[Honeysplash]

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The trek out into the clearing hadn't been a long one but she was less than pleased at the amount of mud that laid on the ground. No grass to cover it yet and it was mixed with the chilly snow that still lingered.

A paw was shaken slightly to dislodge some mud from between her toes and she came to a halt, nearly bumping into Termitepaw in the process. She had been asked by Ashenclaw and her mentor, Sharpeye, if they could go on a little training patrol. It would be a lot of fun! She had been wanting to get to know Termitepaw anyway because she was Chrysalispaws' sister!

Then looked up at Ashenclaw as he went on about what they would be doing today and she tiled her head to the side slightly. A competition? She glanced to Termitepaw and gave a little wag of her tail in excitement. A competition! She would do her mentor so proudly!

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[TERMITEHUM]

( 𓆣 ) Unlike her companions, Termitepaw enjoys the journey out to the clearing where their training is to take place. The slick squish of mud underpaw does little to sour the molly's mood, though her nerves run wild regardless. Her first training session with her new mentor, and he'd decided to bring Bananapaw and her mentor along. Just more cats to make a fool of herself in front of. At least her old mentor had usually taken her to train alone, indulging his apprentice's agoraphobic tendencies.

To make it worse, Bananapaw knows their brother. There's a reason they never train with Chrysalispaw, he's cruel enough without Termitepaw constantly giving him more ammunition. If word gets back to him, Termitepaw would be so ashamed that it might just have to dig a burrow in the ground and never come back up again. Yes, that sounds like a plan, they can live off of the bugs they love so much. The thought that they might not prove themself a failure in this training session seems to never occur to them, their pessimism a foregone conclusion.

Spiraling as she is, her stop is abrupt once they reach the clearing, with Bananapaw nearly slamming straight into her. Ashenclaw's words drift through her ears, the molly struggling to pay attention as their mind tries to flee anywhere else. A competition? Oh no, oh dear. She's just being set up for failure here, isn't she? And climbing too -- Termitepaw's ears flatten further against her head the more her mentor speaks. When the other apprentice looks over, it is to a cat with tail tucked between their legs, back hunched as though trying to make themself even smaller. Still though, they meet her eyes, give a wide-eyed, shaky smile. Well, it'll be an easy win for Bananapaw, at least.​

 

[Sharpeye]

☁ Paired training sessions weren't unusual, and Sharpeye had seen a fair few by this point in his life. On the walk over to the training grounds of choice he had perhaps spent the vast majority of it merely yawning and sighing whilst gathering a thickening layer of mud up his legs. Not that he seemed particularly bothered. What he was looking forward to however was not needing to take the lead when it came to the training session, though he understood that if something required him to butt in then he would do so.

At last he was able to sit down and he angled his ears forward as he took heed of Ashenclaw's instructions to the pair of apprentices. A nod of agreement soon came from the older tom before he shifted his gaze towards his apprentice, Bananapaw. "Do us proud, the both of you. Now then, with Ashenclaw's instruction now fresh in your minds it is time for you both to begin. If anything of concern arises during this training session I will step in, but hopefully it won't come to that. Right then, get set, get ready... GO!" The hunt for prey would be first, and he could only hold hope that both would bring something back.
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[TERMITEHUM]

// first roll: 20 babey!!!

( 𓆣 ) "Go-od luck," murmurs Termitepaw, once Sharpeye has finished speaking. She smiles once more at Bananapaw, more genuine this time, and sets off. Her pace is unhurried, taking in the sights of the forest. She probably won't catch anything even if she does find prey, so there's really no point in rushing. If anything, it'll just prolong the time until the climbing competition. Termitepaw sighs. It's a bit less stressful, being off on her own now. She's trying to just... breathe, and take in the sights of the forest to calm herself down. That's a good thing to do, right? Can't hunt without a clear head? Her old mentor, Lightleap, had told her that. Maybe it's not the best option when you're supposed to be focusing on speed, but she'd rather take longer than come back empty pawed.

It's this focus that draws her ears to a slight scuffling sound, not long after she's split from the rest of the training group. Termitepaw has always had sensitive ears, so they perk with curiosity when she hears the sound. She turns her head, and there it is: a pigeon, perched atop a fallen log and searching the dead wood for bugs. It's a big one too, plump and round, nearly as large as her torso. Some twoleg's runaway pet, maybe, since all the wild birds are still scrawny with leaf-bare hunger.

Huh. She should probably try to catch that, shouldn't she?

After a few heartbeats of dumbfounded staring, Termitepaw takes off like a lightning strike, making a beeline for the pigeon. It's a good distance away though, and in her hastiness she forgets subtlety, splashing mud across the forest floor. The bird takes wing before she can reach it. No, she thinks. This kind of find doesn't happen to cats like her, she's not letting this thing escape. Termitepaw pushes off the ground just as she nears the pigeon, paws pulling free of their muddy prison, a delayed mirror of the bird's own takeoff. She sails straight towards it with paw (and claws) outstretched. The wind whips through her fur and her ears, a rushing sound to match the adrenaline pulsing beneath her skin. She strains her reaching foreleg -- closer, closer --

Termitepaw's claws catch on the pigeon's wing and she slams it back towards the log, plummeting down alongside it. She wastes no time once she lands, rushing forward with a killing bite to its neck.

She breathes out, shakily.

Right. It's a good sign, finding something like this so quickly. A blessing, some may say. An omen? Perhaps this training session will not be so disastrous. She can only hope. Termitepaw carefully picks up the pigeon by its neck, struggling a bit in lifting it; she doesn't have much by way of physical strength, and it's very awkward holding a bird of such size.

Steps more energized now, Termitepaw trots back to where the two mentors are waiting. She places the pigeon gently on the ground before them, her eyes lingering on it. "Caught this," she hums, voice soft, melodic, and dazed.​

 

[Honeysplash]

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Sharpeye addressed them both and she puffed up her chest in response with a firm nod. She could do this! Termitepaw was a rather formible opponent as she was a wild born cat and Bananapaw merely a house cat, so this should really put her strengths to the test. With the timer set and rearing to go, Sharpeye gave the call and she watched as Termitepaw hurried off into the forest. The tawny and white cat gave a small breath before also turning and plunging into the woodland area.

These green eyes searched through every nook and cranny she could find for something, even a bug, but alas nothing was hiding today. So that tactic went out the window. With a huff, she turned her head around with a narrowed look before crouching down to the ground. There was a soft pecking sound of a beak on wood, and it was so soft it could've been missed. She twitched her tail behind her as she slowed her pace and tried to keep herself from shaking too much in excitement.

Hunting was her favorite part of training. She loved chasing down prey, feeding her clan, and overall the peace it brought. Another world really that hunting could bring. A hunter and its prey, standing off in the midst of the new leaf era of the forest. Bananapaw bunched up her leg muscles as she got closer to the pecking sound, uncurling herself into a leap for the woodpecker- but there was one minor thing;

It was still muddy out.

Ungracefully, the she-cat hit the root the bird had been standing on to pick ants from. The bottom of her jaw hit the top of the root that sprawled outward into the ground, biting her tongue in the process and she gave a noticable yelp in pain. Bananapaw landed straight on her stomach with her legs splayed out around her and the apprentice was slow to get up from the ground, feeling a little pain in her mouth and head now from smacking it.

A gruff huff left the small cat and she shook out her short coat, splattering mud in each direction, and continued onwards into the forest. Though then lifted her head up as she spotted Termitepaw walking through the forest with a large pigeon in her jaws. Jealousy burned at her chest and she narrowed her eyes, she wasn't about to go that easily!

With a new found determination, Bananapaw marched through the forest with her nose in the air and her mouth agape slightly to taste the forest around her. There had to be something right? There just wasn't any prey in the forest, it was new leaf! Termitepaw found a pigeon, surely there was more than that! Then she had a small idea- twolegplace. There was always fat squirrels and birds eating from feeders there! Maybe she could do a twoleg a favor and take away what they find to be pests!

The tawny and white she-cat bounded through the forest with a new found speed, making her way through the forest towards the edge of the forest. Slowing down once she got close enough, she lifted her head and scented the air once more. A twitch of an ear, whiskers quivered, and she whipped her head around at the sound of scurrying. She crouched quickly to the ground, belly fur brushing the mud below, and she narrowed her eyes on the wiggling of a nearby fern bush. It was starting to come back to life now, but yet it was still rather sad looking with its wilted fronds.

A bushy tail twitched slightly in the fronds of the fern bush and Bananapaw licked her jaws quickly. Perfect! With careful paws, the young cat moved across the ground slowly at first as to not disturb the creature then quick like a flash she lunged. A squeal was cut off quickly as jaws connected with a russet neck and the squirrel struggled slightly against Bananpaw before the she-cat was able to drain the life from the animal. She dropped it to the ground with triumph and took a few ragged breaths.

Bananapaw picked up the squirrel once more before heading back towards her mentor, Ashenclaw and Termitepaw. Proudly lifting up her squirrel and dropping it to the ground, though while she had gotten the squirrel it was noticably more skinny than the pigeon Termitepaw had caught. She inwardly criticised herself and twitched her whiskers slightly at the realization. Prey was better than no prey.

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[TERMITEHUM]

( 𓆣 ) When Bananapaw returns with her catch, a good while after Termitepaw has deposited their own, they look on with curiosity. They'd not noticed her, when she'd passed them in the forest. It seems it'd taken her a while on her hunt, yet now she returns with a decent-sized squirrel. It sparks no competitveness in Termitepaw, they are merely glad that Bananapaw was able to catch something as well. They knew she would.

"Good ca-atch, Bananapaw," murmurs Termitepaw, padding a bit closer. A strange smell catches their attention then: that of the Twolegplace. It's not unusual, with Bananapaw; daylight warriors drag their kittypet homes wherever they go, it seems, well-groomed pelts and twoleg-scent always lingering. This is different, though. It's far stronger now than it was when they first came out here, the mud having previously hidden much of the scent. Strange. Termitepaw cocks their head, eyes slightly unfocused. Maybe...?

They lean in a bit closer to inspect the squirrel. There it is. The squirrel smells like twolegplace. Termitepaw's rarely been there, only going on border patrols, but she can recognize it nonetheless. A lingering uncertainty remains though, as she is always inclined to doubt her own abilities, so she asks: "Whe-ere'd you find this? Twolegplace...?" She straightens up after asking her question, looks to Bananapaw. There is nothing accusatory in their tone, merely innocent curiosity. "'S sma-art, actually... Pro-bably easier there. May-be I should try it sometime...?"​