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Post by gingerluna on Apr 6, 2019 17:23:53 GMT -6
His second apprentice. Acorndrop felt like he was going to burst with pride at the ceremony. He awoke early the next morning, practically scrambling out of his nest after a night of fitful, restless sleep. As he reached the apprentice's den, he poked his head in. "Darkpaw!" he hissed in a loud whisper. "Are you awake?"
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Post by theatricals on Apr 26, 2019 12:57:05 GMT -6
Darkpaw jerked away, groggy and bewildered when he heard a voice calling out for him. For a moment, he had no idea where he was or what was happening. But in the hazy parts of his mind, he acknowledged that the voice came from Acorndrop. Moments later, he remembered that the tom was his mentor, and he had probably just overslept. He hadn't even heard what Acorndrop had said, stumbling out of his nest and into the open with the grace of an irritated badger. "What time is it?" he asked worriedly.
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Post by gingerluna on Apr 30, 2019 14:56:01 GMT -6
"Just after dawn," Acorndrop chirped, looking down at the apprentice with eyes unclouded by sleep. "It's your first day as an apprentice, aren't you excited?" He took a step back to allow the apprentice some room to get out of the den. He had so much planned, and he couldn't mess anything up. "Are you hungry? I'll catch you something!"
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Post by theatricals on May 1, 2019 21:24:55 GMT -6
Darkpaw had no idea when training was supposed to start. Was he late? Early? He couldn't even tell, but by Acorndrop's response, he had to hope he had been on time. Was he excited? Definitely, but sleep still made his head fuzzy and his paws clumsy. His mentor, by comparison, looked wide awake. Were his brothers already training? They weren't in their nests, so he had to guess. He caught the last question when the fog in his mind lifted slightly, and he felt his stomach growl in response. "Can you show me?" he asked.
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Post by gingerluna on May 3, 2019 21:51:33 GMT -6
"Of course! The dawn patrol ought to stock the pile, but we'll bring back the first catch and eat the second, just in case!" It was important to teach Darkpaw the proper way to do things, even if it was common practice for apprentices to eat out in the territory in times of plenty. He turned towards the camp entrance, hopping out in a long bound. "My last apprentice was Arcticpool, but she's all grown up now! I'm going to do my best to teach you, as long as you do your best to learn. Does that sound fair?"
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Post by theatricals on May 18, 2019 15:29:32 GMT -6
Darkpaw nodded, but he could feel a bit of doubt sneak into his thoughts. Arcticpool was a good warrior, from what he could see. He wondered if he could go and talk to the she-cat and ask for advice, but some of the gruffer warriors had refused him before. He almost snapped back at them, but thought better of it. Maybe he would just have to figure things out on his own.
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Post by gingerluna on May 19, 2019 17:29:26 GMT -6
Acorndrop lifted his head to feel the breeze on his fur, eagerly turning towards the moor. "Have you ever been out of camp?" he asked, looking over at the apprentice. He'd heard some stories, but he didn't want to bring up a sore subject for the tom. "Maybe you know where we are." If Darkpaw knew some landmarks, they'd have a head start already.
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Post by theatricals on May 21, 2019 13:57:30 GMT -6
He hadn't--not really, anyway. He'd been out with a warrior later on in his apprenticeship, but it was mostly to stretch his legs. Any other time he had simply slipped through the camp wall, only to be called back
by one of the queens or one of his more rule-following denmates. He shook his head to Acorndrop. "No. I've only seen trees and bushes. Is our whole territory like this?" He had heard about the moor, but that was too far from the camp for him to actually see it, even from a distance.
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Post by gingerluna on May 21, 2019 17:38:33 GMT -6
"Most of our territory is moor," Acorndrop replied, moving into a trot as he spotted grass between the pines. "It's a vast grassland, where we hunt rabbits to eat. Chasing them is one of the few skills that makes RavenClan unique, and one of my favorite things to do in the world." He perked up, ears twitching as they stepped into the grass. "Tell me what you can smell," he said, looking over at the apprentice.
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Post by theatricals on May 29, 2019 21:29:26 GMT -6
Darkpaw shouldn't have been surprised at Acorndrop's answer, but he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Here, in the trees, he felt strong and protected. What could hide them out there in the open? It felt rude to ask, although he was very close to doing so. Thankfully, his mentor continued before he could say anything, but when the tom finally stopped and asked him a question, Darkpaw couldn't help the blank and confused look that appeared on his face. "Uh..." He hadn't even been paying attention. Breathing in the scents around him, he couldn't identify just one thing. "...Mouse?" Were they even looking for prey? He couldn't tell what he was supposed to be smelling.
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Post by gingerluna on May 31, 2019 19:33:49 GMT -6
Acorndrop nodded, flashing the apprentice a warm look. "See if you can pick out anything else," he suggested, stepping through the grass. "It can be hard to distinguish scents at first, but with a bit of practice and guidance, it'll become natural."
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Post by theatricals on Jun 8, 2019 14:32:38 GMT -6
Darkpaw took a deep breath--probably deeper than necessary--before letting it all out. His nose hurt from all of the scents, but one did stick out, although he couldn't be sure he was correct. "Rabbit, I think?" While they were still a bit away from the moor, the tom recognized rabbit scent that was carried on the breeze. How close it was to them, though, he couldn't say. He licked a piece of fur sticking up from his chest, hoping to appear like he knew more than he actually did. Confidence was not something he lacked, but he wondered if he should have admitted when he wasn't sure.
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 9, 2019 22:47:07 GMT -6
"Fantastic," Acorndrop praised, impressed that the apprentice had been able to scent out the track. He stepped forward and sniffed at the ground. "See how it's stronger here? And it's coming on the wind?" He took a step forward. "The track's fresh. Want to see if you can follow it for a bit?" He knew it would be a difficult task, but he had faith in the apprentice.
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Post by theatricals on Jun 20, 2019 21:37:59 GMT -6
Darkpaw wasn't so sure how easy it would be. He often heard warriors boasting about how their catches had been nothing more than a quick swat, something he very much doubted, but he couldn't say for sure. Still, if Acorndrop was suggesting they follow it, it couldn't be too hard to handle, right? "Sure," he said, flicking his tail eagerly as he kneaded the ground. He didn't look overly excited, but rather hyper-focused.
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 22, 2019 8:57:39 GMT -6
Acorndrop tracked the rabbit through the grasses, with his apprentice pacing alongside. From what he could tell, Darkpaw was engaged in the task. He glanced up to see if he could spot the rabbit, and noticed several grazing about a little ways ahead. "You've done well," he praised, stopping the apprentice in his tracks. He nodded towards the prey. "I'll try and catch one, and you watch, okay?" With that, he crept forward, staying low to the ground until he could hear the rabbits chewing. And then he sprang into action. The rabbits started as he charged after them, pushing forth in a burst of speed, until he pounced. He pinned the rabbit to the ground and quickly killed it, picking it up and pacing towards Darkpaw.
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Post by theatricals on Jun 26, 2019 20:37:21 GMT -6
Darkpaw watched carefully, his eyes trained on the task ahead, but the grass was tickling his nose, and a few stray strands flew past him as he struggled to keep still. It almost made him sneeze, and the small bits dancing across his vision took his eyes elsewhere. It only felt like a heartbeat, but when Darkpaw turned back, Acorndrop was gone. Panic shot through him immediately and he stood up, only to see his mentor returning with a rabbit in his jaws. He hadn't even seen him make the kill!
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 26, 2019 21:51:24 GMT -6
Acorndrop set the rabbit down before the apprentice, sides heaving as he caught his breath. "So," he said, tilting his head curiously as he stood before Darkpaw. "What did you notice?" The catch seemed to have woken him up, and he stood restless, paws shifting on the earth and eyes shining. He looked down at the apprentice expectantly, radiating confidence and warmth. "I want to see if you noticed the most important step."
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Post by theatricals on Jul 2, 2019 20:56:00 GMT -6
Acorndrop had to see it. He had to know that Darkpaw hadn't been watching, and that he noticed nothing. "Uh," he said lamely. He didn't even sound uncertain--just slightly guilty. He wracked through his brain, hoping "instinct" would be enough to help him. So many cats told him to rely on it, so he had to hope it worked. "Making sure it could not catch your scent before you chased it?" That seemed to be the most basic answer, and if Acorndrop was a skilled hunter, it wouldn't technically be wrong.
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Post by gingerluna on Jul 2, 2019 22:18:08 GMT -6
As the apprentice struggled, Acorndrop began to wonder if Darkpaw had, in fact, been watching. A rabbit takedown was quick, and it would make sense for the apprentice to have glanced away at the wrong time. He nodded quickly to his answer, not wanting to call Darkpaw out on his lapse in attention, especially on his first day. "That's important," he said. "But another important step is getting as close to the rabbit as possible before pouncing."
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Post by theatricals on Jul 8, 2019 15:22:35 GMT -6
That was obvious, and Darkpaw already knew that, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. That would only make him seem arrogant. "Yeah okay," he said, nodding along, but it was clear that he wasn't necessarily agreeing with what Acorndrop told him, but rather, he was just acknowledging what he said. Glancing back, he wondered just what he was getting into when he agreed to hunt rabbits. "Why not hunt in the trees? Prey can't see you so easily there."
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