[OLD PATROL] Lessons Learned (Skysong/Siltpaw)

[belloblossom]

Rolling from the table first.

StoneClan, Opponent: Fox 1. Hunting Training (apprentices roll 1d20 to determine if they are able to catch the prey or not, any numbers 13+ indicate a successful catch!) 2. Battle 3. Battle 4. Scent Identification (all apprentices roll 1d10, if they land on an even number, they're able to correctly identify the scent as (insert prey type here, ex: a frog). If they roll an odd number, they cannot identify any specific prey nearby.) 5. Loner 6. Stealth Training (all apprentices roll 1d10, if they land on an odd number, they're able to sneak up on their mentors successfully. If they land on an even number, they make too much noise and alert anything nearby to the patrol's location.) 7. Battle 8. Battle 9. Oops! Encounter (Oh no, you've stumbled upon a buried nest of wasps while patrolling your territory! While the nest was damaged enough to suspect those wasps won't be back, your patrol members sustained some nasty bites and had to return to camp to get them treated.) 10. Battle

 

[belloblossom]

Siltpaw had had plenty of adventuring in his short lifetime already. He'd been born shortly after his parents settled into StoneClan and even then, his mother had always seemed restless. Riversurge seemed to spend a lot more time in the Nursery than any other tomcat that Siltpaw had known, not that he minded much. He enjoyed his father's company, but he wished that he could stick out to his mother more. She told many stories about Palestorm, her dear friend and of her home, MountainClan, which seemed to excite his brother, Gravelpaw, more than anyone. They were due to return and visit it at some point, but... wasn't StoneClan their home? Why did they need to travel to a place that, as far as he'd heard, had been dying when his parents left?

When Siltpaw had become an apprentice, he felt more certain in himself - Skysong, the DEPUTY, had become his mentor! He desperately wanted to impress her as a good apprentice, and maybe it was because she didn't seem keen to leave StoneClan, as his mother sometimes did, but he began to see Skysong as a third parental figure. (Once he would grow older, he'd realize that sometimes, that's what mentors were meant to be.)

Siltpaw had been worried at the notion of the fox being scented frequently in the territory, but he raised his tail when his mentor summoned him for their latest patrol and he followed obediently out into the pine woods. After a few moments of walking, he looked up to the pale grey she-cat with an enthusiastic smile.

"So, what're we doing today, Skysong?" He asked, his mismatched eyes glowing in excitement. @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

The older she-cat purred in greeting, her tail tall, beckoning her young apprentice to follow him. She was glad to have another little one to follow her. It brought her back to her prior little shadows and the red stones that ran beneath their feet.

It was good, new kits being born here in this new land. Their new home. But it was strange to know that her newest apprentice had never even seen the mountains she had grown up in. It felt both like a lifetime ago, and yet, she could still feel the journey's ache in her bones.

She chuckled to herself, or maybe that was just her getting older.

"Today, we will be working on our tracking," She said with a nod as they padded further from the camp, "Back in the mountains, we didn't have all this foliage to help hide our sent. There are a lot of scents here, all laying on top of one another, layered and tangled together." Skysong explained and then gave a purr of amusement, "I need some practice, myself. So let's see how well we can do, okay?"

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Siltpaw hurried alongside his mentor. He managed to keep up with her long strides, but he still felt so small in comparison to the wise and noble deputy. He was so proud of himself to have been chosen out of his siblings to be her apprentice and he wanted to make her proud of him too.

So, when she answered his question, mentioning tracking as their focus of the training lesson today, he nodded enthusiastically. It was even more exciting when Skysong mentioned that she'd be practicing along with him too, instead of merely making him do all the work. He wondered if all mentors practiced with their apprentices, or if he was just the luckiest of all. He suspected the latter.

"Okay, sure! So, um, how do we start?" He asked, odd-eyes round as they stared up at his mentor. @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

They talk as they walk, Skysong leading the way from the camp and into a clearing that was quickly earning the name of 'Training Hollow.' It was a well-sized thicket, with beams of sunlight dripping down through the boughs of the large oaks. Once they reach the center of the hollow, she sits on the soft grass, her tail neatly resting on her paws. With a flick of her ear, she invites her apprentice to sit next to her.

"Let's start with some scent identification," She purrs, closing her eyes, he parts her jaws and lets the air fill her mouth, "What do you smell? Do your best to find what's underneath the scent of grass and leaves."

 

[belloblossom]

Siltpaw will roll
Even #: success, Odd #: failure to scent anything

Siltpaw was becoming rapidly familiar with the part of the territory that his mentor often took him to. He thought of it as the training hollow, if only because it seemed to be where most of his training (and those of others too) took place. As Skysong mewed to him about focusing on scent identification first and foremost, he nodded. He sat across from her, mirroring her good posture, though Siltpaw had to close his eyes in order to properly concentrate on his task.

"I can smell...." He began as he took a deep breath, his maw parting ever so slightly, so that he could really take in the scents of the forest from all around him. "It's not mouse, it's too dusty - like soil... I think it's a shrew!" He mewed with a smile, swiping his tongue over his fangs. "It's shrew, isn't it Skysong?" He asked. @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

She purrs proudly, her icy eyes softening as she looks at her growing apprentice. "Very well done," She says with a nod, "A shrew it is. Now," She purrs, her tail tip flicking, "Where is it?"

 

[belloblossom]

Siltpaw absolutely beamed at his mentor, his expression one of proud joy. When she asked him where it was, he turned his gaze from Skysong back to the forest. He scented the air again, inhaling the scent of shrew and taking in how fresh the scents were. There was mouse, too, but it was barely there - was that why he'd gotten the scents between mouse and shrew confused?

Taking a few steps forward, he inclined his head to one side and then the other, before he gestured with his tail, sweeping it towards the left.
"I think it's in this direction," He mewed, lowering his voice. "Do you want me to see if I can find it, and um, catch it?" He did not add that he was having a tricky time figuring out how recently the shrew was there - but he wanted to impress Skysong! If he caught her a shrew, she would have to be pleased with him, wouldn't she? @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Skysong scented the air again, just to be sure. Her keen senses pinpointed the shrew, it wouldn't take him too far. Most importantly, she detected no fox scent. She nods once, "I think you're ready to try. Let me see your hunting crouch." She says, her firm voice quiet.

 

[belloblossom]

Siltpaw was eager to please Skysong, his mentor who had trained him so well. She was the deputy, sure, but she felt like his mentor before the deputy, with how much attention she gave him. He was grateful for her attention and he was going to hunt this prey perfectly, for the sake of hearing the praises she would surely bestow upon him afterwards.

Dropping into a hunting crouch, he made an effort to keep his tail straight out behind him, level with the ground, but still, not sweeping from side to side. When he'd first started training, right after reaching six moons of age, his tail used to wiggle eagerly from one side to another like a snake, or a worm. Now, it was still and he had the muscles to hold it in place with much more ease than he had moons earlier.

Shifting all his weight into his haunches was something that came more easily to him than keeping his tail still. He remembered his training: if his in haunches, it wouldn't be in his paws. Heavy paws would draw the attention of ground prey, who could feel the vibrations of the earth like breath on the back of their neck.

Holding his breath, he glanced back at Skysong only once, seeking her approval for his hunting crouch. He would not proceed towards the prey until she gave him the go-ahead to do so. @Blinded By Silence

(Adding in the Hunting Training prompt, despite the fact that it wasn't rolled, for flavor, more than anything.

By this roll, Siltpaw is good to catch the prey he's stalking!)

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Skysong raised her chin, watching the little dappled tom settle into position. There was an exhale of air through her nose, a small sigh hidden in her breath. Those eyes, that need for validation. By the sun, it reminded her so much of Firepaw. That was part of why she'd asked for him.

Maybe, if she could curb him of that, he'd live longer than her sister had.

The white she-cat blinks slowly at her apprentice, tilting her head this way and that. She did not give her approval here. He didn't need it.

"When you are ready, Siltpaw, show me what you've learned."

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Siltpaw felt a rush of pleasure when Skysong gave him the go ahead to continue. His eyes slid forward and he let his training and instincts push him forward. Following the scent of the shrew through the undergrowth, he stalled his paws when he heard rustling leaves and took pause. His eyes scanning, he saw the shifting movement of a shrew pulling a particularly fat grub off of a stone nearby. It had its back to him - the stupid creature.

With his tail held straight out behind him, his weight held in his haunches and his muscles tight with anticipation, he took a few more tentative steps, before leaping out of the bracken. He had to fight the urge to growl as he landed on his prey - it would only alert any other rodents or birds that there were hunters nearby. A swift bite to the neck upon his landing on the shrew silenced it before it could so much as cry in surprise and he held it up proudly in his mouth, head turning. Had Skysong seen him? Was she proud of him? Oh, he so hoped that she was pleased with how well he'd done.

However, more surprisingly, he realized, even if Skysong didn't shower him with praise, he still felt very accomplished by himself. @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Skysong did not move, save for the steady flick of her tail tip as she watched him. Her sharp eyes checked every movement, saw the calculated weight of each paw step. The tail that had been his bane was still and calm. Good, very good. So long as the wind did not change...

Her eyes warmed with pride as he secured his first kill. Yes, Siltpaw would make a fine Warrior indeed, she was sure of it. She motions for the tom to return to her with a nod of her head. When he does, her expression is unchanged, but there is a low purr in her voice as she speaks.

"Well caught. Your crouch was near perfect, well-practiced. It will become second nature to you soon enough. But," She adds firmly, "You must remember to keep checking the wind. Had it shifted, you would have been spotted and the shrew would have been lost. Understood?" But then her icy eyes melt just a bit, "Your first kill. You get to feed one of your clanmates tonight with your hard work. How do you feel?"

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

"Hungry." Was the first word out of Siltpaw's mouth when Skysong asked him how he felt and immediately after he felt incredibly embarrassed. "Uh - I mean proud. I'm proud that I caught it and I'm proud that you told me I did a good job." He mewed. "And I am hungry, but I'll be better off knowing that my prey goes to feed someone who needs it even more than I do." He added, hoping that this was enough to cover his first mistake in saying that he was hungry.

Turning his head back towards the direction of camp, he looked at Skysong, somewhat expectantly.
"So... are we continuing to hunt, or are we headed back for now?" He asked her. @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Skysong's whiskers twitched in amusement, her blue eyes bright with held-back laughter. She shakes her head and gives Siltpaw a sigh and a well-earned smile.

"At least you're honest. I tried to sneak a bite of my first prey, have I ever told you that?" She admits, slipping back into her more serious tone, "It makes sense that you're hungry. It's instinct, to eat the prey you've caught now, rather than carry it back to help someone else. But it's one of the important things that sets us apart from kittypets and loners. We must always make sure our clan is fed, that is our job as hunters. Don't ever forget that, Siltpaw."

She flicks her tail in the opposite direction, "We will hunt. Or rather, I will hunt. You, my paw, will use that nose of yours to tell me where and what I will be hunting. When you're ready, bury that shrew. You can carry it on your way back so the clan can see just how well you've done."

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Siltpaw was relieved that he'd gotten his mentor to smile, rather than an earful from her - he never expected Skysong to scold him, but there was always the chance and he wasn't looking forward to the day that she did.

When she told him about the first time she'd caught prey and tried to sneak a bite, his mouth popped open in shock.
"No!" He answered - he definitely would've remembered that. "Did your mentor catch you?" he asked, appalled at the thought that his mentor and deputy could possibly do something so scandalous! As she shifted the conversation back to the lesson at paw, he nodded seriously. "You'll never catch me acting like a kittypet or even a loner, Skysong. I'm a StoneClan cat - I'll chase them out of our territory and send them running back to their Twolegs if I ever see one near the river!" He said, puffing his chest out proudly, seeking another smile from his mentor.

Facing the opposite direction as her tail moved, he nodded again and unsheathed his claws to start digging at the ground. As he did so, working hard to get the task done quickly, he shot a sideways glance at his mentor and asked with a half smile, "I guess it's cheating if I say I can smell the water, and suggest you go fishing, right?" @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

"Oh yes. And Brokenstep didn't let me forget my lesson, either." She flicked her left ear, where old claw marks still left feint scars. She allowed herself a small chuckle, "I wasn't allowed to eat for three days." Skysong's eyes softened as the memory of Riverpaw and Firepaw sneaking her meals, of Stonepaw snitching on them.

Siltpaw's display of pride brought her back to the present and she gave him a firm nod, "That's right. And as the stone remembers the mountain from where it fell, so must you. Be proud of who you are, Siltpaw, of what we've done. And what you will do."

Her stony appearance melted slightly at the little tom's half-smile, so much like his sister's. The ghost of a smile plays at her lips, she shakes her head with a dusty chuckle, "Yes, that is cheating. I will teach you fishing another day, little one. Now, lead on."

@belloblossom