Snowpaw's Training Sessions (Tagged)

[Asher]

Tag: Lionhearted


Snowpaw bounded over to his new mentor Foxsplash. The sun was rising, making the ocean sparkle beautifully. I can't wait for training! "Foxsplash, is it time yet? Where are we going? What are we doing today? Are we hunting?" Stop asking so many questions, thought Snowpaw, Make a good first impression!

[Lionhearted]

Foxsplash smiled at Snowpaw as he slid out of the warriors' den. She's different from my other apprentices, he noticed. "Well, we're going to start with hunting. Now, listen carefully.

"Hunting requires a basic crouch, like this." Foxsplash crouched down, belly low to the ground. "Notice that I'm low, and my belly is almost touching the ground. My legs are bent, and my body isn't angled in anyway- it's flat. And my tail is in line with the rest of my body, because I don't want it to be too high or too low. If it's too high, then it might stand out, or create a shadow, and scare away prey. If it's too low, then it will drag on the ground, and it can also throw you off balance.

"Now, you try this position. Observe what I look like, and try to mimic my move. Make sure you are balanced- that is one of the most important parts. You must have a center of focus. Without balance, you will be thrown off."

[Asher]

Snowpaw listened as Foxsplash explained the hunting crouch. I have to do this right, thought Snowpaw, I have to impress my mentor! Snowpaw crouched down, his belly lightly touching the grass. He left his body flat and wiggled his haunches. This is so exciting! His tail waved and he brushed a leaf. Oops... "Like this?"

[Lionhearted]

"Yes," Foxsplash said, nodding in approval. "Don't get too excited," he purred in amusement. "We're getting there. Now, the next step is to leap and attack.
Foxsplash nodded. "Correct. Now, the next step is to strike and attack. Before you do anything, however, check the wind. If there is no wind, then that's in your favor. If there is, check the direction by opening your jaws, and letting the wind flow. If the scent of the prey is carried towards you, then you're in the right spot. If your scent is being blown over to the prey, then you'll need to chance location as quickly as possible- you don't want the prey smelling you! Quietly crawl around it, so the wind blows towards you again.

"Now, as of now we are in the hunting crouch, which is good for hiding and slowly creeping behind your prey. However, it delays our action and reaction times, because we have to use more muscle to lift more weight off the ground. Understand that, if you lie down (or literally do so), you will be as slow as if you are standing up with your legs straight. So we want none of that, but something in between. We want to lift ourselves up so that we are almost standing, but our legs are still bent, keeping the power that we'll need later. 

"You have mentioned one critical aspect to hunting- balance. Always have a center of focus, and a sense of balance. If you are unbalanced, everything will fall apart. So, after we 'lift' up, we'll need to adjust as needed. Make sure that you are steady, and not teetering. All right. Re-check the wind after your adjustment. If it changes at anytime, you'll have to drop down and start the process all over again. Hunting takes patience."

"Do not take your eyes off the prey while you complete these steps. A reaction of the target prey could tell you a lot. If it perks up, that means it probably hears something- most likely you. Just observe what it's doing, and don't let it get away. Finally, when attacking, you'll need to rock back slightly, putting more weight onto your hind legs. This gives them more power, and it requires a slight change in center of focus. So you don't want to over-tip and fall over, but you don't want to look as if you're sitting. Just slightly. Then, push forward with your hind legs, and pull back with your front, and launch yourself at the prey!" Foxsplash angled his ears towards a flower. "Pretend that is a target prey, and go through the steps necessary to hunt. If you don't remember, I can remind you along the way. Try striking."

"Now, I have a question for you- when hunting, we need to remember to jump forward instead of upward- why is that?" 

[Asher]

Snowpaw listened to Foxsplash explain again. "Don't get too excited!" he had said. Why did I have to wag my tail! That was so embarrassing... He even laughed at me! Snowpaw stopped himself before he could go any further. Its okay, he thought, You haven't ruined it yet. You can still impress your mentor!

Then Foxsplash asked the question, "Now, I have a question for you- when hunting, we need to remember to jump forward instead of upward- why is that?"

"Umm..." This was hard! Think Snowpaw, think! "So you can get more forward motion?" guessed Snowpaw. Before Foxsplash could answer, Snowpaw bent his knees and started to crawl forward, remembering to check for the scent as he went. The wind was blowing toward the flower, meaning Snowpaw would have to loop around it. He crawled across the grass, going around the flower until the wind was finally blowing toward Snowpaw. Yes! As Snowpaw started to go toward the flower, he stumbled and fell on his side. "Mouse-dung." he spat. I lost my balance!

Suddenly, before he could get up, a mouse scurried past Snowpaw. He leaped and felt his paws slam on the warm body of the mouse. When he looked for it, it was gone from his paws! It had escaped!

Snowpaw huffed and sat down. He had missed the prey he could have caught to impress Foxsplash. "Sorry I missed it Foxsplash..."