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Post by Moonblazer on Apr 2, 2023 18:16:29 GMT -5
Lightningstar nodded lightly. “He struggles with confidence sometimes.” He admitted. “But I’be noticed him lately become more confident in his abilities.” “Ah, they always do, I’m sure. Though, Sunthroat and Belle-Mare always seemed to have natural confidence. This is the first deputy you’ve had that was not around your age or with your level of wisdom…” Yarrowcloud hummed, remembering each of Lightningstar’s deputies with a sense of respect. Sunthroat especially had been the talk of the apprentice den when he and Peachdapple became apprentices when he was becoming a Warrior. Belle-Mare had been crucial to boost Lightningstar’s own confidence in his new leadership, and Sunthroat had been and still was his greatest friend. “Ghostscreech is who you want to lead, isn’t he?” He asked softly. “I knew there was something special in him, the moment he defied Shadeclaw’s reign to make sure we didn’t lose faith out there during our banishment.” Yarrowcloud frowned at the memory of holding Hollowkit in his jaws when she was tossed out like crowfood. He blinked the memory away. “You’ve always been right in the end with your choices. This one won’t be any different.” |
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Post by Moonblazer on Apr 2, 2023 18:22:43 GMT -5
Sunthroat stood and tapped his tail against Dawnpaw’s shoulder, “You’ll do great. I’ll see you when it is your turn to hunt.” He said before joining Frostmoon and Willowsong. He gave the other two mentors a nod before looking at the apprentices that would be part of the first hunting group, “I hope all of you are ready.” He said lightly. Ghostscreech waited until everyone had joined the group they had been assigned to before nodding, “Alright. The hunting group will come back at Sunhigh and make the switch. Let’s begin.” He said, signaling to Sunthroat, Willowsong and Frostmoon to lead the apprentices out into the territory. “No. He didn’t even comment on them.” The blind apprentice grumbled, her tail lashing. At Ghostscreech’s words, Hollowpaw smiled lightly at the fact that they would be battle training first, glad that she was in the same group as Scarletpaw. At the other apprentice’s question, she gave a flick of her ear, “Um, sort of… we worked on the basics, but I also trained with Sootpaw and Patchpaw a few times, so I know a little more than what Silentflare has taught me.” She said quietly, not sure if she should tell Scarletpaw about her nightly training sessions with Wrenflight in her dreams. Sootpaw bounded after the hunting group, excitement shining in his eyes, “Where are we going first?” He chattered happily, looking at the three mentors. Frostmoon held Ghostscreech’s gaze for a moment, wanting nothing more than to just speak with confidence, but she found herself swallowing down her voice, body rippling with nerves as she turned to slip out of the hollow with the hunting group. She heard Sootpaw’s words and cleared her throat, looking at Willowsong and Sunthroat. “Perhaps Tallpines?” “Typical.” Scarletpaw hissed softly. “Leave it to toms to not recognize anything we do, and leave it to older Warriors to not see your worth. Whatever, if he doesn’t want to keep you freshly trained, then we’ll just do it ourselves. First spar we see, if neither of us go, I’ll describe each move to you so you can practice with your paw movements.” Scarletpaw decided. Dawnpaw waved his mentor a good-bye before focusing on Ghostscreech once more. |
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Post by Willow on Apr 2, 2023 18:26:56 GMT -5
Willowsong nodded at Pebblepaw, "You will, I promise!" She flicked her ears as they joined the others, not much caring where they started their hunt. "Tallpines works for me. I will have to split off from the patrol for a bit as Pebblepaw's never gotten a hunting lesson before if that's alright. But perhaps after I go over the basics he can watch some of the other apprentices hunt?" she asked, looking towards Sunthroat for permission.
Blizzardstorm padded over to Ghostscreech and the apprentices left after he watched Flurrypaw go, he glanced at the deputy, waiting for further instruction.
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Post by Icefire15 on Apr 2, 2023 21:36:38 GMT -5
Ghostscreech watched as Frostmoon and the others left, feeling a sense of disappointment. For a moment, it had seemed like she wanted to say something to him. Perhaps she was still upset with the argument they’d had on their last border patrol. Ghostscreech turned his attention back to the battle training session, he needed to focus. Now wasn’t the time for him to be concerned with his conflicted feelings. “Blizzardstorm, Silentflare. Why don’t you two demonstrate some of the more advanced moves? I would like to pull Mistpaw to the side and show her some of the beginning basics. Once she gets the hang of it, we’ll join everyone else.” He suggested to the other mentors.
Hollowpaw gave an eager nod at the suggestion, her claws digging into the soft ground. “I would like that.” She mewed, her tail flicking back and forth in anticipation. So maybe catching her first prey hadn’t been the answer to making Silentflare see that she was capable of being a warrior. Maybe if she could just show him what she’s learned so far, he’ll finally see it for himself.
Sunthroat nodded in agreement, “It sounds like a plan. We’ll try and keep out of your and Pebblepaw’s way. Join us whenever you’re ready, Willowsong.” He said, heading in the direction of Tallpines. “Why don’t we focus on stalking birds first. They are quite plentiful in Twolegplace. Then we can move on to squirrels and mice.” Sunthroat suggested to Frostmoon.
Sootpaw fell into step next to Pebblepaw, giving him a light smile in greeting, “You’re Pebblepaw, right? I’m Sootpaw!” He mewed.
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Post by Willow on Apr 2, 2023 21:54:31 GMT -5
Blizzardstorm nodded, giving the apprentices a toothy grin. "Silentflare, how about we demonstrate the jump and pin? It's always a good one when fighting in a forest."
(taken from warriors wiki lol: "Jump and pin: Complicated move. Leap backwards, and bounce off a wall. With precise accuracy, land on the cat." Figured they could leap off a tree to pin their opponent )
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Post by ripplewhisker on Apr 2, 2023 22:10:07 GMT -5
Mistpaw dipped her head as her mentor spoke, maintaining her sheathed claws. Battle skills-- those would be useful for protecting Pebblepaw. And the Clan, of course. But primarily Pebblepaw. He'd never been able to fend for himself. Maybe the Clan would truly be able to teach him skills that she hadn't been able to.
Pebblepaw's green eyes grew wide with excitement. A hunting lesson! I can show Mistpaw what I've learned-- she'll be so proud!
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Post by Willow on Apr 2, 2023 22:53:33 GMT -5
Willowsong led Pebblepaw away from Sunthroat, Frostmoon and the rest of the apprentices to a secluded spot near the outskirts of tallpines. "Alright Pebblepaw, I want you to show me what you think a good hunter's crouch looks like. I won't be judging you on your form at all I just want to see where we're starting from."
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Post by ripplewhisker on Apr 3, 2023 0:10:15 GMT -5
The young tom took a moment to try and recall what Mistpaw had done last time he had watched her hunt. Pebblepaw bent his legs, nearing the ground, belly just barely off the ground. His tail rested on the earth, dragging behind him as he slowly moved forward, almost tumbling as he slowly took pawstep after pawstep. Most of his weight was on his right, particularly his right forepaw.
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Post by Moonblazer on Apr 3, 2023 9:34:39 GMT -5
Ghostscreech watched as Frostmoon and the others left, feeling a sense of disappointment. For a moment, it had seemed like she wanted to say something to him. Perhaps she was still upset with the argument they’d had on their last border patrol. Ghostscreech turned his attention back to the battle training session, he needed to focus. Now wasn’t the time for him to be concerned with his conflicted feelings. “Blizzardstorm, Silentflare. Why don’t you two demonstrate some of the more advanced moves? I would like to pull Mistpaw to the side and show her some of the beginning basics. Once she gets the hang of it, we’ll join everyone else.” He suggested to the other mentors. Hollowpaw gave an eager nod at the suggestion, her claws digging into the soft ground. “I would like that.” She mewed, her tail flicking back and forth in anticipation. So maybe catching her first prey hadn’t been the answer to making Silentflare see that she was capable of being a warrior. Maybe if she could just show him what she’s learned so far, he’ll finally see it for himself. Sunthroat nodded in agreement, “It sounds like a plan. We’ll try and keep out of your and Pebblepaw’s way. Join us whenever you’re ready, Willowsong.” He said, heading in the direction of Tallpines. “Why don’t we focus on stalking birds first. They are quite plentiful in Twolegplace. Then we can move on to squirrels and mice.” Sunthroat suggested to Frostmoon. Sootpaw fell into step next to Pebblepaw, giving him a light smile in greeting, “You’re Pebblepaw, right? I’m Sootpaw!” He mewed. “They’re starting with an advanced move.” Scarletpaw mewed quietly to Hollowpaw, listening to Blizzardstorm offer up the jump and pin as their first move. She knew that Dawnpaw had already started learning this, as he was practicing it when he returned from a session with Sunthroat. She felt a bubble of raw envy again, and decided to master this move herself. She watched the two toms. “You might hear your mentor get leaped on soon.” She snickered quietly to her friend. “Birds sound good. They’re the hardest prey to catch, in my experience. Best get the difficult ones down first.” Frostmoon nodded to Sunthroat, grateful that the older tom was there. She felt a bit more confident, and wanted to prove to him that she was a skilled Warrior, even if she was still a rather new one. Drizzlepaw followed along the hunting group with a silent and almost relieved demeanor. Hunting was way better than fighting. She flicked her eyes a bit shyly towards the other apprentices, and averted them when they crossed over Sootpaw and Tigerpaw. |
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Post by Willow on Apr 3, 2023 15:18:08 GMT -5
The young tom took a moment to try and recall what Mistpaw had done last time he had watched her hunt. Pebblepaw bent his legs, nearing the ground, belly just barely off the ground. His tail rested on the earth, dragging behind him as he slowly moved forward, almost tumbling as he slowly took pawstep after pawstep. Most of his weight was on his right, particularly his right forepaw. Willowsong watched closely, humming as he stalked forward. She padded to meet him, carefully placing a paw under his tail and lifting it off the ground. After his tail was placed in line with his spine, she moved to his right placing another paw on his shoulder and shifting his weight to be more midline. "If your tail drags on the ground behind you, your prey will be able to hear it. You also want to center your balance. If you're leaning too far to one side, one misstep can cause you to stumble and lose your catch. How does that feel?" |
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Post by Icefire15 on Apr 3, 2023 19:02:36 GMT -5
Ghostscreech turned to Mistpaw once Blizzardstorm and Silentflare joined the other apprentices, “Come over this way, Mistpaw. It’s quieter over here.” He said, leading his apprentice over to another corner of the Sandy Hollow, not far from where Lightningstar and Yarrowcloud sat. He turned to Mistpaw once they were away from the rest of the training session, “Has anyone ever given you a lesson on how to fight?” He asked, curling his tail over his paws.
Hollowpaw flicked her ear, smirking at the thought of her mentor getting jumped on and pinned down. “Have you seen this move before?” She asked, turning to face Scarletpaw, blind eyes staring past her.
Sunthroat came to a stop once they had reached Tallpines, turning to look at the six apprentices. “Alright. Can any of you scent any birds in the area?” He asked.
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Post by Willow on Apr 3, 2023 19:43:41 GMT -5
Flamesky trotted into camp with a small squirrel in his jaws, he searched the camp for Brokenwing hoping to share the prey with her.
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Post by Icefire15 on Apr 3, 2023 19:47:46 GMT -5
Brokenwing sat outside the nursery, grooming her fur. She had just finished making her new nest in the nursery, and it was almost time for her to join the other queens. Spotting Flamesky, she gave a light purr and stood to greet her mate, “Hello.” She purred, brushing against him.
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Post by Willow on Apr 3, 2023 19:55:39 GMT -5
Flamesky dropped the squirrel in front of her, purring as he touched his nose to her cheek. "Hello, got your nest all sorted? I'll have to find some nice feathers for you to put in it on my next hunt."
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Post by Icefire15 on Apr 3, 2023 20:16:04 GMT -5
“Yup. Squirreltail was happy to let me build my nest next to hers.” Brokenwing purred, glad that she could be next to her brother’s mate and kits. She looked down at her now slightly swollen belly, her past doubts about her kits being afraid of her had almost completely vanished now after spending some time with Squirreltail and her kits. “I’m going to hold you to that promise. I expect nothing but softest of feathers.” She added with a purr.
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Post by Willow on Apr 3, 2023 20:27:58 GMT -5
Flamesky laughed as he curled his tail around her shoulders, "Only the best for you. I'll drag all your siblings out to help me. I'm sure between all of us we'll be about to find something good. We can give the extras to your parents in the elder's den." He had always been a bit envious of Brokenwing and her large family as an orphan kit with no siblings, but now he supposed it would be a wonderful thing for their kits to have so much kin.
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Post by Foxstar26 on Apr 3, 2023 20:44:54 GMT -5
Silentflare followed after Blizzardstorm. He nodded I’m head in agreement at the move choice. “Sounds good to me.” He spoke. “Do you want to demonstrate it?” He asked. Blizzardstorm’s larger frame meant it would be harder for him to pull off the move. He probably had tips that could help the larger, more stocky apprentices.
Tigerpaw trailed after Sunthroat. “Yeah! There were a ton of birds in the twolegplace! I tried to catch one but I missed.” He poured lightly.
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Post by Icefire15 on Apr 3, 2023 20:49:17 GMT -5
“Seafoam and Badgernight would like that.” Brokenwing giggled, noticing the squirrel he had brought, “Is that for us?” She asked, looking back at him.
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Post by Frozen on Apr 3, 2023 21:03:14 GMT -5
Aspenfall sharply glanced outside of the medicine cat den at that, noticing Sunthroat chewing out Scarletpaw, Yellowpaw, and Hollowpaw. "Didn't those apprentices just get in trouble for hunting on their own? I think they brought prey back, but it didn't seem like anything they caught was unusual." His ears flattened. Could it be a sign that something was wrong with them? "Could the Dark Forest be targeting apprentices like them?" “I wouldn’t put it past them.” Peachdapple growled lowly, the memories of Adderclan and all the young cats fueled by the lies of the Dark Forest swirling in her memory. “Perhaps that means our visions are somehow connected…” She paused, blinking lightly, before she released a soft sigh. “…There was more to my vision, beyond my father and the Dark Forest… I saw a storm, with streaks of lighting, and hollow screeches all around me, but I was falling. Something, some dark entity, was falling right after me. It…” She felt herself blink with a sort of acceptance. “There is a path set for me. I do not know where it leads… but I think I will know when I need to walk it. Do you understand, Aspenfall?” She rasped. Aspenfall started, gazing at Peachdapple with worry in his gaze. "You don't mean..." If he understood what she was implying, he really didn't want to. What would he do without her unshakable faith and skill? Aspenfall didn't know a ThunderClan without Peachdapple. "I- I don't know. Even if so, please tell me that you'll keep guiding me. I don't feel prepared for this." he admitted. |
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Post by Willow on Apr 3, 2023 21:06:50 GMT -5
Blizzardstorm nodded turning to the apprentices. "This move is great for when you're in close quarters with an enemy within familiar territory. The only danger is, you must know they won't get a good attack on you when you turn around. It's best done after a stunning attack or a good hit to knock them off balance."
He faced Silentflare, crouching down into an attack position. He ran forward faking a good hit on his shoulder to knock him off balance before he turned around and sprinted at the nearest tree. As he got closer he jumped, spinning in the air to push off the trunk with his back paws. With the added leverage from the tree, he soared through the air towards Silentflare. Making the advanced move look easy.
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Post by Willow on Apr 3, 2023 21:07:59 GMT -5
Flamesky nudged the squirrel closer to Brokenwing, "Mostly for you, I might eat a bite or two but I want to make sure you're eating enough." he mewed, voice suddenly anxious. "I want our kits to be healthy and strong and for that to happen, you need to be healthy and strong too."
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Post by Moonblazer on Apr 3, 2023 21:15:19 GMT -5
Ghostscreech turned to Mistpaw once Blizzardstorm and Silentflare joined the other apprentices, “Come over this way, Mistpaw. It’s quieter over here.” He said, leading his apprentice over to another corner of the Sandy Hollow, not far from where Lightningstar and Yarrowcloud sat. He turned to Mistpaw once they were away from the rest of the training session, “Has anyone ever given you a lesson on how to fight?” He asked, curling his tail over his paws. Hollowpaw flicked her ear, smirking at the thought of her mentor getting jumped on and pinned down. “Have you seen this move before?” She asked, turning to face Scarletpaw, blind eyes staring past her. Sunthroat came to a stop once they had reached Tallpines, turning to look at the six apprentices. “Alright. Can any of you scent any birds in the area?” He asked. “Yeah.” Scarletpaw muttered with a roll of her eyes. “Dawnpaw’s already been practicing it with Sunthroat since a few days ago. We may as well not be in the same litter with how much more he gets to learn.” She lashed her tail lightly. She cared for her brother, of course, but it always felt like he was just… perfect! Compared to him, she had always felt lesser. She shook the thought away sharply. “But it shouldn’t be hard to do.” Flurrypaw lifted his head to scent the air, remembering Blizzardstorm’s lessons before he flicked an ear. “I think I can scent a bird, but it’s somewhere up there.” He pouted, looking up into the trees. |
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Post by ripplewhisker on Apr 3, 2023 21:17:08 GMT -5
Mistpaw dipped her head as she followed, paws treading lightly, tail raised just off the ground.
"A little awkward," Pebblepaw answered honestly. "This is how I've gotten used to practicing, I guess, so old habits die hard." He tried stalking again, being more careful and intentional with how he treaded forward. Significantly better, but still unsteady, he made his way forward until he pounced, landing more harshly on his forepaws, claws extended as he clawed at the dirt like prey. "How was that?"
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Post by Moonblazer on Apr 3, 2023 21:18:37 GMT -5
“I wouldn’t put it past them.” Peachdapple growled lowly, the memories of Adderclan and all the young cats fueled by the lies of the Dark Forest swirling in her memory. “Perhaps that means our visions are somehow connected…” She paused, blinking lightly, before she released a soft sigh. “…There was more to my vision, beyond my father and the Dark Forest… I saw a storm, with streaks of lighting, and hollow screeches all around me, but I was falling. Something, some dark entity, was falling right after me. It…” She felt herself blink with a sort of acceptance. “There is a path set for me. I do not know where it leads… but I think I will know when I need to walk it. Do you understand, Aspenfall?” She rasped. Aspenfall started, gazing at Peachdapple with worry in his gaze. "You don't mean..." If he understood what she was implying, he really didn't want to. What would he do without her unshakable faith and skill? Aspenfall didn't know a ThunderClan without Peachdapple. "I- I don't know. Even if so, please tell me that you'll keep guiding me. I don't feel prepared for this." he admitted. “I would never stop guiding you, no matter where I walk, Aspenfall.” Peachdapple smiled softly. “So long as you find faith in Starclan, you find faith in me as well. Nobody’s ever truly prepared for this position… but that is why only a select few can ever get the chance. A medicine cat is never alone, Aspenfall, when we have our Clan to give us a reason to become our best selves. We all go, sooner or later. My dear, I never want to see you suffer, or saddened. It… it will all be okay, in the end.” |
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Post by Willow on Apr 3, 2023 21:29:08 GMT -5
Willowsong gave a quick nod, "We can work with that. You'll get more steady as you practice. Your pounce was strong, but your landing was a bit clumsy. Remember you're trying to catch your prey to eat, you don't want to crush it. It may sound a bit strange but when you pounce after your prey think about being light on your feet. You want your steps to be light."
She swished her tail, moving in front of him to demonstrate. She dropped into her own hunter's crouch, her tail perfectly level with her back. She stalked forward, her movements quick and light like she was floating on air. She honed in on a fallen leaf, bunching her haunches before leaping at the leaf. It crunched under her paws, as she landed square on it.
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Post by Icefire15 on Apr 3, 2023 21:35:16 GMT -5
“Alright, but I still want to make sure you get enough to eat as well.” Brokenwing mewed, settling down next to Flamesky. She leaned forward and took the first bite out of the squirrel before nudging it back to him.
Hollowpaw flicked her ear, turning her focus back to the training session, “Tell me about the move.” She whispered, hearing movement from the warriors.
Ghostscreech flicked his ear when Mistpaw hadn’t responded to his question, perhaps she hadn’t heard him, “Mistpaw? Has anyone ever given you a fighting lesson?” He repeated his question, looking at her.
Goldfeather searched out Shardfury, wanting to catch him before he left for the Twolegplace.
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Post by ripplewhisker on Apr 3, 2023 21:44:37 GMT -5
"Not officially," Mistpaw answered. "Sorry, I was thinking. A few of the loners and kittypets taught me a few different ways to catch mice, rats, and shrews. I've never practiced some of the fighting techniques that they've talked about, but they sound simple enough-- using hind claws to rake an opponent's belly, leaping onto the back of a larger opponent and clinging to them with fang and claw. I've been fortunate in the sense that I've never had to practice that."
Pebblepaw watched her completely and then mimicked his mentor, his hind legs powerfully springing him forward while landing his forepaws still roughly but not as harshly as before. "I think I'm getting the hang of this," he mewed.
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Post by Moonblazer on Apr 3, 2023 21:47:45 GMT -5
“Alright, but I still want to make sure you get enough to eat as well.” Brokenwing mewed, settling down next to Flamesky. She leaned forward and took the first bite out of the squirrel before nudging it back to him. Hollowpaw flicked her ear, turning her focus back to the training session, “Tell me about the move.” She whispered, hearing movement from the warriors. Ghostscreech flicked his ear when Mistpaw hadn’t responded to his question, perhaps she hadn’t heard him, “Mistpaw? Has anyone ever given you a fighting lesson?” He repeated his question, looking at her. Goldfeather searched out Shardfury, wanting to catch him before he left for the Twolegplace. “Blizzardstorm starts by using a feinting strike to put Silentflare off balance. Aiming right around here.” Scarletpaw whispered, lifting her paw to push firmly but steadily at Hollowpaw’s shoulder. “Then, he turns around real fast and runs right at a tree. He leaps at the base and trunk, and turns his body back to spring off of the tree, to go leaping high into the air and onto Silentflare’s back. The hardest part for you will probably be knowing what direction you’re in fast enough after your push off the tree.” Scarletpaw described. |
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Post by Willow on Apr 3, 2023 21:56:40 GMT -5
Willowsong purred, happy with his adjustments. "Yes! You're still landing a bit hard on your front paws, but we'll continue to work on that." She dragged another leaf in front of Pebblepaw. "Now, I want to see how good your pouncing aim is. Go over to the other side of the clearing and stalk across, when you're ready pounce on the leaf."
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Post by ripplewhisker on Apr 3, 2023 22:02:21 GMT -5
Pebblepaw gave his mentor a quick nod and quickly made his way to the other side. He crept low, raising his tail-- perhaps a tad too much, but it wasn't dragging like before. He crept forward slowly, careful to not let a paw touch the ground too hardly. Once he was about three tail-lengths away, he made his pounce, landing just short of the leaf. He quickly jutted a paw forward, slamming it down on the leaf. "Would I have caught that if it were a mouse?" he mused.
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