we're getting there [training/open]

[Dustpaw | Duststorm]

I'VE BEEN RUNNIN THROUGH THIS STRANGE LIFE,
CHASIN' ALL THEM GREEN LIGHTS
THROWING OUT THE SHADE FOR A LITTLE BIT OF SUNSHINE​

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Alright! It was his first day out in the field, and after practicing his butt off with Brightshine since for weeks, he was finally ready to hunt down some prey of his own. The young tom was eager to put himself to the test and see just how far he'd come. Not to mention he wanted to make Brightshine proud. She really was a great mentor, and he knew he was lucky to have been paired with someone as cheerful and relaxed as her. Well, relaxed in the sense that she wasn't always breating down his neck, because as far as energy levels went Dustpaw found the older shecat was almost as lively as he and the other appretnices. It definitely made their many outings and training sessions fun, and true to her name his days were usually bright when she was around.

Windclan as a whole had that affect on him, though there would always be cats that stood out more than others. He had friends here, things to look forward to, cats to care about and protect. And there was contentment in that, something that filled his restless young heart with purpose and structure. It made him eager to contribute and improve, and he was hopeful that today his training would pay off.

It was a cold day, but the sun wasn't blotted out by clouds which gave him hope that the prey would also be out trying to make the most of it. He had split off from the main group to track a fresh scent trail a few minutes ago, and now he sat crouched in the tall grass, grey eyes locked onto the rabbit a few meters away. It was nibbling lazily at the grass, ears swivelling occasionally to listen to it's surroundings, and Dust barely allowed himself to breath as he slowly crept closer.

His stance had improved tenfold since the day he'd first pounced on Brightshine in the camp, but his mistake wouldn't be in the execution. Instead, it was the choice in prey.

Dustpaw was already showing to be a large cat, broad shouldered and tall, not the kind of build that would have much success in chasing rabbits across the open moors. And this was something he was about to find out.

More focused than he'd ever been in his life, Dustpaw sprung forward with all the strength his hindlegs had to offer- and it was quite a bit. He surged forward and so did the rabbit, the pair taking off across the frost-bitten hills. There was a brief moment in the beginning where Dustpaw was closing the distance between them, the rabbit a merely a few strides ahead of him, but a sharp left turn left him skidding in the grass as he failed to make the turn, leaving his prey escaping over the hill ahead of him.

OOC- just some mentors letting their apprentices practice their hunting skills! Feel free to tag your mentor/apprentice partner! Speaking off...

@BRIGHTSHINE!

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dustpaw - windclan - single - mentopred by Brightshine - a large, handsome charcoal minx tomcat with blue eyes​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

Weaselclaw is out with Brightshine and Dustpaw today, @ASPENPAW trailing him as usual, his dutiful silver shadow. The grass underpaw is stiff with frozen morning dew, and the wind has a bite worse than any enemy's this morning. The lead warrior tries for stoicism, but a wet, freezing gust of wind that parts bitter pathways into his fur and exposes his flesh to the air cause him to grimace visibly.

"You can certainly feel how close leafbare is today," he grumbles to anyone nearby.

Young Dustpaw streaks across the moor, in pursuit of a swift rabbit. Weaselclaw watches with interest. He's quick, but his body is stocky and built for power rather than speed. The rabbit escapes him at the last second, and Weaselclaw feels a spark of disappointment for him.

"He was close, but rabbits are much faster than we give them credit for," he says in a low voice to Aspenpaw. "Why don't you try?" He can taste rabbit on the wind, and he's interested to see how his apprentice compares to Brightshine's.

- ,,​

​

 

[BRIGHTSHINE!]

Brightshine misses the lead warrior's comment on the Leaf-bare chill. Her emerald gaze is focused only on her apprentice as he approaches his prey. She holds her breath, whiskers quivering with anticipation. They'd practiced what to do so many times, and this would be the young tom's first chance at trying it out for real. Why was she so nervous?!

Dustpaw pounces, and the chase begins. The calico she-cat leaps into the air with giddy energy, unable to contain the excitement in her as she watches the pale striped tom race across the moors after his prey. For a heartbeat, she thinks he's about to get it! But alas, the rabbit pulls a dirty move, sharply turning and leaving her larger apprentice in the dust. She purses her lips in disappointment - not at him, but at the situation. He was so close!

"Great job, Dustpaw! You snuck right up on that rabbit on your very first try! You know how hard that is?" She called out to him anyway, intent on focusing on what he did right. She gives Weaselclaw and Aspenpaw a grin, trilling, "Yeah! You should try, too! I'm sure you'll do great!" But she doesn't linger, instead already prancing towards her own apprentice. When she reaches him, she offers a friendly head-bump and a purr. "Next time you'll get it! You were soooo close!"​

 

[ASPENPAW_]

( ♬ ) As a gust of wind rolls across the moor, Aspenpaw fluffs her fur up a little more, trying to protect against the chill. While long, her fur doesn't exactly fare the best against the wind, its chill seemingly piercing straight through it. Already, she finds herself wishing for the warmer, fairer weather of her kit moons, though there's really nothing to do but try and take the change in stride; complaints won't make them all any warmer. Following behind the others, she doesn't pay much mind to Dustpaw breaking away from the rest of the group until he's running, and then her fellow apprentice is the only thing on her mind as she watches him streak across the moor after a rabbit. It's the first time that she's seen him hunting in action, and as she watches him start to close the distance she knows that the rabbit will be his if he can catch up to it - after all, he's certainly strong enough to take down a rabbit. He's so close to it, and then- a sudden turn, and the rabbit's escaped his grasp. She can't help but feel disappointed on Dustpaw's behalf; he had been so close to catching it, and he would've caught it if it hadn't changed direction so quickly like that!

At Weaselclaw's comment she tears her gaze away, bobbing her head thoughtfully. Even though Dustpaw had been quick, the rabbit had made an even quicker turn to evade him, something clearly neither of them had anticipated. If she could predict when a rabbit would turn, then perhaps she'd be able to cut it off, turning herself just in time... Her momentary musings are cut off by her mentor's suggestion of taking her own go at chasing down a rabbit. She's not really sure that she'll fare any better, and while Aspenpaw thinks she has a slight advantage with speed, she's a little unsure of the amount of power she has to actually take down a rabbit. Still, nothing good will come from worrying instead of actually making an attempt; she'll have plenty of time to worry later, when she knows the areas she needs improvement in. "I'll do my best," she responds, already checking the air for signs of other rabbits. As she catches a scent, Aspenpaw pauses before chasing after it long enough to call out encouragement to Dustpaw. "I bet you'll be able to catch a lot of rabbits once you get the hang out of - you were really close until turned so fast!" Once he learns the rabbits' patterns, she's sure Dustpaw will be a force to be reckoned with.

With that out of the way, it's her turn to split off from the rest of the group, cautiously heading in what she's fairly certain is the right direction. Even if it hasn't been too terribly long since her first day out on the moors, Aspenpaw's already improved greatly on her ability to single out various scents, and as she creeps closer she finds she was just about spot-on with her assessment of another rabbit's position, spotting it up ahead. It's still a bit far off as she drops low to the ground, trying to avoid attracting its attention; luckily for her, the wind is on her side, hiding her scent for now. Crawling through the grass, she takes a moment to center herself on the rabbit, trying to block out everything else so that she doesn't get distracted. Closer, closer, just a bit more closer, and then - suddenly, the rabbit's head darts up, and Aspenpaw's not sure if she made a noise or if the wind changed or if it was something else entirely, but they're both off, racing across the moor.

The rabbit's got a clear head start since she hadn't been prepared for it to bolt like that, but her small frame allows her to stay close on its heels, albeit not quite close enough to be certain she would catch up with a leap. Seconds seem to drag on forever as Aspenpaw pushes herself forward, trying to gain just a little more ground, and when the rabbit still hasn't veered like the one Dustpaw had been chasing had, she thinks she has it. Pulling on her training, she heaves forward with a powerful leap, paws sailing ahead of her, and she can almost pinpoint the moment she realizes her timing is off, that she would still be in the air as the rabbit would make a sharp turn out of the way. Hitting the ground hard, Aspenpaw tries to pivot, to follow after the rabbit once more, but even as she surges forward she can tell it's already too late. As she slows to a stop, catching her breath, she's already assessing what had gone wrong in the heat of the moment. What sticks out the most is timing - for future attempts, she'll have to work on finding a proper balance by not leaping too soon or too late. That and being prepared for the rabbit to notice her before she's snuck up all the way on it - if she had been able to react just a little faster, she might've gotten the ground she needed to actually catch it.​

( WE'RE ALL JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ☾ )

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

IS IT OVER YET - CAN I OPEN MY EYES?​

periwinklepaw | 04 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff​

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He doesn't dare make such an attempt just yet. He's only been an apprentice for a matter of days - he doesn't feel anywhere near prepared for the chase. But @JaggedOak had allowed him out on patrol anyways, after all watching others in action was a good way to learn. But as he watches with keen blue eyes, unusually focused and studious, he can feel the adrenaline rush through his veins even as he stands on the sidelines. His mouth waters, and his tail flicks anxiously. He wants to be out there chasing down rabbits. As first dustpaw and then his sister make their attempts, he turns a bright grin to each one in turn. Simple but genuine encouragements fall from his lips "Nice one d-d-dustpaw! almost h-had it!" and "you leap-t so high as-s-p-pen-paw!" He wonders if he'll be able to get that close someday soon. He hopes so.