hunting with the best // longstride & kestrelpaw

[Longstride]

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🃞

longstride

[attr=class,details]tom, windclan, warrior, 87 moons
[break]a long-legged grey-and-white tom with amber eyes.

[attr=class,post-contents]Dawn light was just beginning to streak across the moors and fens, painting gold around the grasses and filling in the hills with shadow. The air was filled with the clouds of WindClan breath; most slept huddled together when the mornings were still frigid and wet.
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Longstride had regretfully declined the morning patrol. It would have been so nice to start Kestrelpaw all warmed up (sleeping in during newleaf wasn't that enjoyable, and was also fairly hard to accomplish without a den to protect you from the light, the wet and the cold), but he wasn't the sort to wake his apprentices. They usually got used to the new, early schedule.
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Still, it was bitterly cold out of his nest; he fluffed up his coat, then started to give it an absent-minded wash. It was exciting to have a new apprentice after so many moons: another cat to look out for, to keep track of; and it usually meant your days were far from dull. He tried to distance himself from his pride and happiness for the young cat he'd touched noses with some suns ago and brought down a layer of abstraction. Kestrelpaw had good parents for height, while the long coat was an excellent defence against most attacks, and the apprentice's large paws would be a plus if they stayed and he could learn how to use them. The senior tom still had fond memories of bumble-footed Mosspaw and Eaglepaw getting used to themselves. But no: Eaglecry wasn't his concern today. Kestrelpaw was prickly on occasion, but what young cat didn't have those days? And if it wasn't just one of those days... The tom exhaled slowly through his nose. There would be time for that. There was always time; six moons of it, more if necessary. He had requested Kestrelpaw, after all--requested him as mentors were able to do; many other warriors had doubtless done the same. Kestrelpaw had been his first choice: not sweet-tempered Ashpaw, but the dour, serious apprentice who had lost two siblings and come out the worse for it. Death was such a heartless welcome into the world.
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But what an apprentice he was. Longstride smiled, in spite of himself. Hadn't they just yesterday gone over the basic hunting crouch? And Kestrelpaw had been spectacular. Spectacular in the way of an apprentice just starting out, but nonetheless, worthy of credit. Only scared off half the forest, not all of it. It would be even more exciting if they could keep up the same pattern today. He was always such a devoted learner--what a gratifying quality in an apprentice!
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And speaking of which--was that a familiar scent on the air? Longstride unfolded himself, preparing to go in search of Kestrelpaw. Yes, he had a very good feeling about training today, and it was his job to ensure that Kestrelpaw felt the same way. Breakfast, then hunting--and he had just the place in mind, a little hollow south of camp that was perfect for mastering stalking without fear of being up- or down-wind. Kestrelpaw would have no trouble catching something today.

OOC // @kestreflight let's do this! i am so excited for these darlings to do ALL THE THINGS

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[Kestrelpaw]

Kestrelpaw

PROFILE

Kestrelpaw wasn't one to sleep in. The harsh cold of leaf bare at birth prepared him for the long cold road ahead of him. He wasn't surprised one bit to have been woken up by the streams of light flowing into the apprentice's den. Everyone else seemed to be asleep, so he quietly made his way out, only to be greeted with the sight of his mentor. Ah, was today another training session? Kestrelpaw hoped so.  The days were short, but were growing longer, and with longer days, training sessions would be longer. More time away from the people he closed himself away from. 

"Good morning, Longstride." he said, greeting the older tom, attempting to sound as satisfied as he could be. "Are we going to train at the twoleg halfbridge or the Thunderclan border again?"

TEMPLATE BY ♥ Chou

[Longstride]

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[attr=class,longstride-name]

🃞

longstride

[attr=class,details]tom, windclan, warrior, 87 moons
[break]a long-legged grey-and-white tom with amber eyes.

[attr=class,post-contents]The older tom nodded at Kestrelpaw's greeting. "Good morning, Kestrelpaw. Bright and early as ever." The approval was clear in his gentle voice. It was such a formal greeting--but then, Kestrelpaw struck him as a very formal cat, the sort who preferred to get on with things. He wasn't sure yet whether to like that about him or to worry his head off, like a queen with a kit who wouldn't let her pull the thorn out. It was easier to both like Kestrelpaw and to worry at the same time.
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"Are we going to train at the twoleg halfbridge or the Thunderclan border again?"
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Longstride's long face slipped into a thoughtful expression, his tail twitching gently in the morning breeze. "Those are some good options, but I was thinking somewhere a little closer to home today." Would this be amenable to an opinionated apprentice? There was no time like the present to try out something different. "There's a valley near the empty border that's full of field-mice at this time of day." Being relatively close to camp, it was perhaps a good opportunity to acquire another mentor and apprentice and see how one of the other pairs were getting on. Joint training made some cats nervous, and he hadn't yet taken Kestrelpaw out in a pair. Newleaf was a good time to try new things, even if most things would be new for the young apprentice.
[break][break]
"Are the dream-prey running well?" the tom added with a grin, as he padded over to the freshkill pile and took a finch for them to share. "Did you get enough sleep to catch any?" An easy way to gauge both Kestrelpaw's mood and the quality of his rest, and with any luck this would open up the conversation a little. He carried the finch a little way away and settled down, his warm eyes on Kestrelpaw. The rest of the clan was slowly beginning to stir; it would be no time before someone else came to take their own share of freshkill. Did the apprentice look like he'd had enough sleep? He seemed well-groomed and cared for, but you never could tell sometimes. He definitely looked a little thin this morning. The tom nudged the little bird towards Kestrelpaw. "Tuck in!"

OOC // Kestrelpaw i'm sorry! unfun week, bad for posting </3 Crookedwing ,
feel free to jump in whenever

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[Kestrelpaw]

Kestrelpaw

Kestrelpaw nodded in response. "I see. So we can multitask by both training and catching prey." he meowed. "Very well, we'll hunt there." Kestrelpaw's mind briefly wandered for a moment, thoughts drifting to Ashpaw. He wondered how his brother was doing with his own training, worried that he was falling behind. Ashpaw was trying his best, granted, but Kestrelpaw hoped his mentor was training him well.

Upon Longstride's question, he frowned. "The nights are cold, and the cold scares off the prey," he reasoned, "But yes, I would say that I've caught many dream-prey. At least, enough to be well rested for this session-" Kestrelpaw was about to say when Longstride suddenly shoved a bird towards him. Kestrelpaw stared at it for a bit before thinking that nothing good would come out of rejecting fresh-kill from his mentor. He graciously accepted the bird for his breakfast. "You don't have to baby me you know," Kestrelpaw grumbled, "I'm not a kit anymore."

TEMPLATE BY ♥ Chou

[Longstride]

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[attr=class,longstride-name]

🃞

longstride

[attr=class,details]tom, windclan, warrior, 87 moons
[break]a long-legged grey-and-white tom with amber eyes.

[attr=class,post-contents]Longstride blinked a minute. It was an interesting idea, to think of hunting and training as separate from one another. Hunting did certainly come easier to some cats than others, but to the extent of not feeling like a trained skill at all, like something innate? That might be the case, true, but it didn't seem like a common occurrence. The solitary hunter, however much noise they made, only had themself to judge against in the moment: another hunter who returned faster or with more prey, an inexperienced hunter might view as simply lucky. It took considerable time, effort and self-discipline to catch your own mistakes--so mentors stepped in, corrected an apprentice's crouch, pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of various prey animals, and ensured that no-one had to relearn an entire Clan's lifetime's worth of knowledge all by themselves. This support was what made a Clan strong.
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But of course, they would take on two jobs at once. And if it went well, maybe they could file away that technique for later use? It took discipline and skill to be able to learn anything at all while jumping between tasks: there was a reason, after all, that it took six moons for an apprentice to be assessed on hunting, fighting, patrolling--all one after the other. The tom gave his apprentice a thoughtful, appraising look. Whatever he was fretting about, hopefully it wasn't the day's training! Certainly there was a hard day planned (Longstride always planned), but it was no different than usual. The apprentice had too many things to be worrying about. So young, and already the weight of too many lives on his shoulders. Most apprentices were barely concerned with their own!
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"The nights are cold, and the cold scares off the prey," he reasoned. "But yes, I would say that I've caught many dream-prey."
[break]The tom's whiskers twitched with silent amusement. Serious as ever, not that he could blame him. Even the notion of dream-prey couldn't coax a smile! Still, rest was good to hear, as was the thoughtfulness in the apprentice's tone. Prey being frightened of cold was an interesting idea, and he filed that point away--there had to be something interesting he could worry out of that notion.
[break]"At least, enough to be well rested for this session-" Kestrelpaw eyed the prey for so long that Longstride began to wonder if he'd picked one with maggots in it. He hadn't had he? No, feathers and blood all the way down, fresh from the dawn patrol.
[break]"You don't have to baby me you know," Kestrelpaw grumbled, "I'm not a kit anymore."
[break]Well, that was certainly true. 'He doesn't appreciate it when you fuss,' said something in the back of his head. 'Do be more careful.' Careful, yes, careful--it was what the warrior was best at. A little kindness misinterpreted as rough useage. Would it hurt less to be treated roughly, if you expected such treatment, or cruelly but be prepared for it? No, it was unhelpful to even consider that line of reasoning: the issue here was intention, and Longstride's intentions had been good, but not received that way. Kindness was a unique gesture for every cat; but as with hunting, it was something that you could learn. Longstride only nodded, his huge tail tapping away behind him. "Duly noted."
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So many cats in WindClan deserved better than they got. Addertail, Featherstep. Even the living. As his apprentice ate, Longstride glanced at the other warriors who were rising and assembling their apprentices. Was the bird tasty, and would it be enough energy for a growing apprentice? What was Hazewhisker doing over there with--was that Emberpaw, the bright-red coat should've been a clear givaway. And there, somewhere in the bustle of the camp, was Crookedwing. Talk about a cat who'd been dealt a rough hand. And such a--well, there was always something unspeakably gentle about Crookedwing, as if she pulled herself in smaller to escape the notice of all those narrowminded warriors, who seemed to think WindClan didn't care for its own. Kestrelpaw would not grow up like them.
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"We'll see what's down there, but if we're lucky, it'll be a good morning to practice your hunting crouch," he murmured conversationally as the apprentice ate. And with any luck, that would take the apprentice's mind off whatever was bothering him--although maybe that would just replace the worry and solve nothing?

tagged: Kestrelpaw, Crookedwing

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[Kestrelpaw]

Kestrelpaw

Kestrelpaw silently finished his meal as Longstride mentioned something about practicing his hunting crouch. Ah yes, he felt that could use a little more work since he was just the slightest bit rusty. He had only gotten the basics the other day, but at the same time felt that what he contributed wasn't enough. He managed to scare off a rabbit due to his raised tail. Of course, he didn't realize it at the time, and felt somewhat dejected when Longstride had pointed it out. He had made every effort to try and perfect it, but perhaps the morning yielded an opportunity to make up for yesterday.

"Of course, that sounds perfect, actually." Kestrelpaw said casually, doing his best to sound excited. He was, of course, happy to practice anything honestly, but his tone didn't always mean that. "Erm, sorry about by comment earlier. You're free to ignore it." It was rude of Kestrelpaw, he thought, to address his mentor in that way. Perhaps it was the early morning? Bah, he should be used to it by now. After all, prey waits for no cat, and Windclan's need for warriors, he felt, was more important than him not longing to be a kit anymore. Ashpaw of course still treated him like one, and he knew of his intentions. It was hard to go back but a few moons of scarring does take time to heal.

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