Sturgeonpaw & Cottonbright
Training Thread for the moon
Riverbank
17
Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖
Cottonbright stood at the edge of the frozen riverbank, her lime green eyes fixed on the solid sheet of ice that had replaced the usual gentle flow of water. The sight made her chest ache with a quiet sadness. Now, it was silent, its life hidden beneath the icy barrier.
She exhaled softly, her breath forming a delicate cloud in the crisp leafbare air. Instead of fishing, she needed to teach Sturgeonpaw how to properly hunt land prey - a skill not often needed by RiverClan cats but vital when the river froze and fish became scarce.
Turning her gaze to the apprentice at her side, she gave him a small, encouraging smile. "The river may be frozen, but that doesn’t mean we go hungry..."
She gestured with her tail toward a cluster of withered bushes nearby, where small paw prints dotted the snow. "We’ll start by tracking. Look at the way the tracks are spaced - this could be a vole or maybe a squirrel."
FROM RIVERCLAN:
Cottonbright, ♀ Anxious Warrior
Nettleplume, ♂ Cynical Medicine Cat
Merrypaw, ♀ Steadfast Apprentice
Otterwhisker, ♀ Adventurous Elder
FROM THUNDERCLAN:
Brindlespice, ♀ Selfish Warrior
Bravesong, ♂ Gracious Elder
Leopardrose, ♀ Striving Warrior
Wildcry, ♀ Fierce Elder
Rimekit, ♀ Rowdy kit
FROM WINDCLAN:
Cloudflare, ♂ Suave Warrior
Barleyswipe, ⚧ Ornery Elder
Heatherkit, ♀ Sweet Kit
FROM SHADOWCLAN:
Palestar, ♀ Stern Leader
Honeyglow, ♂ Reserved Elder
Emberdust, ♀ Artless Warrior
Duskpaw, ♂ Opportunistic Apprentice
FROM WHITEHART & BEYOND:
Ahryndae, ♀ Princess of Camelot
Lelouch Von Noon, ♂ Marquess of Noon Cattery
Kosmo, ♂ Visionary Feral
Montgomery (Monty), ♂ Sentimental Semi-Feral
Sturgeonpaw:
The newest bought of cold hadn't been the greatest motivator for Sturgeonpaw to get up in the morning - it was only after Merrypaw had pulled herself from her nest and shaken him that he had even bothered to open his eyes.
He has only been half paying attention to his mentor, too enamoured with crunching snow beneath his paws to hear her - beyond the 'Let's start hunting' which quickly snapped him out of making paw-print patterns in the white fluff.
"Isn't land-prey why Boldstar died?" He tilted his head, concerned. "I don't want to bring something to camp that could kill someone." He had a lot less faith in the tastiness of furry creatures since that day when Merrypaw told him about his sire collapsing in camp. Plus, it seemed like a lot of work to pick all that hair off! "Why can't we just break the ice? Otterwhisker said all the fish were sleeping. Can't we just grab 'em?"
Characters:
Coldgaze: (M) Ruthless Riverclan Deputy
Lawn Gnome: (F) Motherly Semi-Feral Shecat
Redpaw: (M) Thoughtful Shadowclan Apprentice
Sootbounce: (M) Bubbly Shadowclan Warrior
Sturgeonpaw: (M) Altruistic Riverclan Apprentice
Sunstrike: (F) Anxious Thunderclan Queen
NPCs:
Quailcall: (F) Fierce Thunderclan Warrior
Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖
Cottonbright’s ears flicked at Sturgeonpaw’s question, her expression softening as she paused to consider how best to address his concerns. His connection between land prey and Boldstar’s death was understandable...Still, the hesitance in his voice pulled at her heart.
She crouched beside him, her white fur blending into the snow as she fixed him with a reassuring look. "I-I understand why you’d feel that way, Sturgeonpaw..." She offered softly. "Land prey is safe when we’re careful and check them. And right now, it’s the best way for us to keep RiverClan strong."
His suggestion about breaking the ice drew a nervous smile from her. "Breaking through isn’t as easy as it sounds." Her gaze flicked to the frozen river, its surface glinting in the pale sunlight. "Even if we could crack it open, the water below is freezing, and it’d be dangerous for us to try. T-That’s why learning to hunt on land is so important. It’s a skill every RiverClan cat needs during leaf-bare. How about we give it a try?"
FROM RIVERCLAN:
Cottonbright, ♀ Anxious Warrior
Nettleplume, ♂ Cynical Medicine Cat
Merrypaw, ♀ Steadfast Apprentice
Otterwhisker, ♀ Adventurous Elder
FROM THUNDERCLAN:
Brindlespice, ♀ Selfish Warrior
Bravesong, ♂ Gracious Elder
Leopardrose, ♀ Striving Warrior
Wildcry, ♀ Fierce Elder
Rimekit, ♀ Rowdy kit
FROM WINDCLAN:
Cloudflare, ♂ Suave Warrior
Barleyswipe, ⚧ Ornery Elder
Heatherkit, ♀ Sweet Kit
FROM SHADOWCLAN:
Palestar, ♀ Stern Leader
Honeyglow, ♂ Reserved Elder
Emberdust, ♀ Artless Warrior
Duskpaw, ♂ Opportunistic Apprentice
FROM WHITEHART & BEYOND:
Ahryndae, ♀ Princess of Camelot
Lelouch Von Noon, ♂ Marquess of Noon Cattery
Kosmo, ♂ Visionary Feral
Montgomery (Monty), ♂ Sentimental Semi-Feral
“I guess.” He pulled her feet beneath him and huffed, looking out across the territory. “I… guess.” He was sure Boldstar could break the ice. He could too, when he was older. Maybe one day they would have a spot that never froze, and they could fish all year round. Maybe. That way none of his sisters would have to touch nasty land-prey and he wouldn't have to worry about Otterwhisker.
“I just wanna make sure we don’t bring anything back to camp without checking it – ‘kay?” He conceded after a heartbeat, his usual bouncy and excited personality not entirely returning. “Show me how this works. Do I have to chase the land-prey? Or can we wait for them too?” He flexed his claws, wondering if it was as easy to hook a rabbit as it was a fish.
Characters:
Coldgaze: (M) Ruthless Riverclan Deputy
Lawn Gnome: (F) Motherly Semi-Feral Shecat
Redpaw: (M) Thoughtful Shadowclan Apprentice
Sootbounce: (M) Bubbly Shadowclan Warrior
Sturgeonpaw: (M) Altruistic Riverclan Apprentice
Sunstrike: (F) Anxious Thunderclan Queen
NPCs:
Quailcall: (F) Fierce Thunderclan Warrior
Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖
Cottonbright nodded, her whiskers twitching at his reluctance but pleased he was willing to give it a try. "We’ll definitely check everything before we bring it back to camp." Cottonbright promised, her tone gentle yet firm. "That’s p-part of being careful hunters."
"Some animals, like squirrels, move fast, and we’ll need to chase them. Others, like mice or voles, can be caught by waiting and pouncing at the right moment." She gestured with her muzzle. "T-That’s where tracking comes in. If we follow these prints quietly, we can figure out where the prey is hiding and decide what to do next."
She crouched, demonstrating how to carefully sniff the ground near the tracks. "See how these prints are close together? That means the animal is moving slowly - foraging maybe. And this...might be where it stopped to nibble at something. Y-You try. Take a deep breath and see what you can pick up..."
FROM RIVERCLAN:
Cottonbright, ♀ Anxious Warrior
Nettleplume, ♂ Cynical Medicine Cat
Merrypaw, ♀ Steadfast Apprentice
Otterwhisker, ♀ Adventurous Elder
FROM THUNDERCLAN:
Brindlespice, ♀ Selfish Warrior
Bravesong, ♂ Gracious Elder
Leopardrose, ♀ Striving Warrior
Wildcry, ♀ Fierce Elder
Rimekit, ♀ Rowdy kit
FROM WINDCLAN:
Cloudflare, ♂ Suave Warrior
Barleyswipe, ⚧ Ornery Elder
Heatherkit, ♀ Sweet Kit
FROM SHADOWCLAN:
Palestar, ♀ Stern Leader
Honeyglow, ♂ Reserved Elder
Emberdust, ♀ Artless Warrior
Duskpaw, ♂ Opportunistic Apprentice
FROM WHITEHART & BEYOND:
Ahryndae, ♀ Princess of Camelot
Lelouch Von Noon, ♂ Marquess of Noon Cattery
Kosmo, ♂ Visionary Feral
Montgomery (Monty), ♂ Sentimental Semi-Feral
