Roleplay

@TimeOblivion

"The first kit's here?" Pebblespine said hesitantly, feeling her convulsions but unable to see the tiny bundle on the ground. He took a moment to scent the air to reassure himself, and then picked up the squirming kitten, handing it to Acornstem. Thankfully, the kit seemed perfectly healthy from what he could tell, breathing evenly and batting his chin. "So, break that film, then lick him the wrong way to get him set-up wait till the other kits are all here to nurse- it seems like there will be a few more." He turned to Fawnpad, unsure if she was even able to respond with the pain she would be in-though knowing the brown Keeper, nothing would keep her from voicing her usual questions. "The first kit is healthy, through I'm sure you'll better be able to see that yourself when it's done. You're doing very well." The "older" cat took over Acornstem's position, methodically pressing down on her flank. "The second kit will be here soon. If you aren't done, I'll clean them off, alright?" He was speaking slightly faster than normal, the stress obviously getting to the docile brown and gray cat despite his constant reassurances that he knew what he was doing.

@Malignantt @CaptCuttlefish

Stormtail nodded. "I... can do that. What are we training them for?" He pawed at the ground, a bit anxious about his sister's situation. He knew she was strong, but... would she be okay?

Never mind that. He trotted outside of the den to gaze at the group of apprentices. "Embercloud and I aren't both hunters, so our combined experience could be good... But I'm not sure exactly what we can drill them on. Sleekfoot, did you have a plan...?"

@TimeOblivion @LibreNoctre @CaptCuttlefish @shaunti

Pebblespine couldn't see the smile Fawnpad offered him, but he heard the fear in her mew as she questioned why her kit looked so much like his father. Who probably wouldn't even bother to come see his kits... he thought, a look of slight annoyance appearing. The tom shook it off. No, it was normal in Dustclan for both the parents to keep away from their kits. Runningcloud was a good warrior, and that was what mattered most, right? "Even if he inherited his father's looks, Fawnpad, he's your kit too, a-"
Interrupted by Acornstem's impatient drawl, Pebblespine turned to the Medicine Cat, bending down to see if the kit seemed dry and warm. "Yes, you can stop and move him to his mother. Thank you, Acornstem." It seemed he'd either not noticed or chosen to ignore the tortoiseshell's tone.
"Second kit." He said abruptly, a little late to the metaphorical party- it was already on the ground, fidgeting a little, but completely silent. Biting the oily object covering him (her? No, it was a him) left a sharp, sour taste in the Keeper's mouth, and he still looked disgusted from it as he dried the tom, smaller than his brother, with a coat that was closer to the gray of his mother's.
He had barely finished that when a faint mew reached his ears, and a third kit was left on the dusty floor, followed near- immediately by a fourth. After taking care of the birthing sacks, he placed a paw on Fawnpad's side, eyes narrowed in concentration. "That's it." Pebblespine said, relief obvious in his voice as he picked up the youngest kit, repeating the earlier procedure. "Three toms and a she-cat." He murmured, seemingly out of energy. "Acornstem, could you please help the third-born tom while I finish up with this one?" The youngest kit, predictably, was much smaller than her siblings, which sent a chill down the brown cat's spine- would this one end up being killed? But she seemed healthy and energetic, batting at his muzzle, so surely she was asset enough to live? Sleekfoot herself was rather petite, and so were warriors like Stormtail and Wrenhop, so surely this kit would be alright?

After a second of deliberation, Sleekfoot responded- "Since having these sorts of courses together is unconventional, you could focus on techniques shared between the two groups, and how adaptations to certain moves can be performed to work on predator or prey. Brushing up on the basic skills of one group for the opposite wouldn't hurt either- for example, have the two hunter apprentices try basic sparring,and have the guard apprentices critique their performances. Being able to handle harsh situations is mandatory for Dustclan cats, anyways. But if you two have ideas on particulars to show them, I have no qualms with that." The rather lengthy response was delivered in the leader's usual authoritative, too-fast tone.

@Malignantt @CaptCuttlefish @NickelDragons @Dunno

Stormtail nodded. "We can get on that." He padded over to the apprentices, inviting Embercloud along with a flick of his tail. "Um... Alright, everyone. Because of all the... well, things, going on, your normal mentors aren't taking you out today. However, Embercloud and I are going to be training you. We're going to be focusing on skills that you haven't been paying as much attention to, so sparring for Cactuspaw and..." He paused, realizing that perhaps sparring wasn't the best idea for Kawapaw, and corrected his words. "Self defense for Cactuspaw and Kawapaw, and hunting for Riverpaw and Quailpaw. You never know when you might need to hunt to help the clan survive, and Cactuspaw and Kawapaw, you definitely need to know how to keep yourself safe in the event you are attacked. If everyone understands, we can head out to go train. We won't be wandering too far from camp, though... so.... yeah. Does everyone get it...?"

@Malignantt @shaunti @CaptCuttlefish @NickelDragons

Kawapaw tried to choke back a laugh at the fact that they were afraid to let them spar. On one paw, his other side only really came out When he was in danger and he knew it. On the other paw, he couldn't control Blood Mode at all. So maybe they were right to keep him from sparring after all... Then again, was it really all that different from self-defense? Huh.

"Got it!" Kawapaw chirped, bouncing over to Cactuspaw. "So, uh... How exactly would we train on self-defense?" Kawapaw asked sheepishly.

@CaptCuttlefish @Dunno @shaunti @TimeOblivion

Sleekfoot turned to look at Acornstem, expression neutral, though internally she was grateful that there didn't seem to have been any other problems, other than the runt. "Thank you, Acornstem. I'll go take a look." The slender she-cat jumped up to the nursery, wincing slightly at the suffocating heat and annoying mewls of the kits. Which one was the runt was obvious- a tiny, sand-colored one batting her siblings away. Well, it looked healthy enough, but most often in large litters like this, the runt had internal flaws and would be more trouble than it was worth. It was something she'd learned immediately after becoming deputy, when the old leader had taught her about making these calls- and she had seen proof of it.
Then again, it wasn't necessary to be hasty. Killing it immediately wouldn't exactly be productive.
Ah, she should just make a decision already. Fretting was worthless.
"If the runt is still healthy at two moons, she can stay." She said simply, not one for mincing words, despite the reaction that she might draw from Fawnpad.

Pebblespine huffed as Acornstem left the den, moving to clean the tabby tom, which was soon dry and put with the rest of his siblings. "I'll bring the water closer." He said quietly, noting with worry the confusion in her voice. He dragged the cactus pad closer (nearly stabbing through his mouth in the process, due to being unable to see the spines that hadn't been picked off yet), nodding at the names she gave. "Those sound lovely. And yes, it is typical for the keepers to name the kits." Though, he thought with some trepidation, the mothers were simply not allowed to do so. He would cover for her if Sleekfoot asked, however.
Speaking of the leader, she arrived in the nursery a few moments later- though her scent and the sound of her pawsteps were the only things to indicate so, as she remained completely silent. Tension coiled in the pit of his stomach, only growing heavier the longer the quiet stretched on.
When she finally gave her verdict, Pebblespine felt no relief, only a harsh, hot anger uncharacteristic of the dust-colored cat. How could she deliver a verdict like that so impassively? How could she judge the life of this kit? It took a moment for him to notice that he was trembling, and he forced himself to calm down, a little scared by his own rage. His nerves must have just been frayed by the stress. He should be more careful.

Cactuspaw sent a few nervous glances at Kawapaw, not at all eager to spar with the white apprentice. Hopefully he didn't hold grudges when practicing fighting. Like when he'd accidentally scared away that giant rabbit when they were hunting in a group. Or landed on Kawapaw's back when he'd fallen off the rocks during his mountain adventure. Or when he'd gone on that tangent about how rogues were flea-brains when the other hunter-in-training was a few tail-lengths away. Actually, both Kawapaw and Rainpaw had been tail-lengths away. Yeowch.
But those were all honest mistakes! Any cat could have made them!
"Yeah, right, how do we practice self-defense?" He said quickly, jumping on that line of questioning as fast as possible. "Is it just blocking or dodging or, um, making sure you don't die...?"

Sandstream wasn't exactly a phenomenal tracker, but it wasn't hard to find the stench of Acornstem's blood, tangled messily with the Coyotes- more than one? It was hard to tell, given how much fainter it was.
"Beandrop, what can you scent?" They said, kneading the ground with their paws. The yellow guard looked more curious than wary, odd for anyone looking to fight with giant canines. Then again, maybe they'd just forgotten the danger.