Tracker Skills / Training Sessions

Tracker, as with most roles, is a unique and new development for the Clan of Sunlit Prairies, having only been developed in Tulipstar's Reign, alongside much of the other ranks and details that make Sunlit Prairies whole. Trackers are the hermits of the roles in the clan- or at least that's how other rankings perceive them. They mostly work on hunting through means of stealth and silence, becoming some of the deadliest hunters the clan has to offer. Though these cats prefer to hunt alone, patrols of Trackers do exist. The job of a Tracker is to catalogue scents based on the territory it was found in, and report any and all information on changing scents back to the Head-Tracker, who will then assess the situation and make adjustments for their clanmates accordingly.

## Description

Trackers are the hunters and another form of protection for their clan. They are more distant from the clan, and tend to prefer to be left alone, or prefer to hunt in smaller groups than other cats. They are some of the most quiet cats, patient and fast, while also managing to be deadly hunters, staching prey while far out tracking predators for later, bringing back heaps and heaps of prey in bursts rather than consistently travelling back to camp. They are expected to search for danger and report any signs of danger to the leader so the clan cat be warned.

They are skilled in stalking, are talented and well-versed in different terrain, and are usually the more thoughtful and calculated of their clanmates rather than a Moor-Runner, who would be the ones to chase down prey as soon as it's spotted, taking a slower, stalking approach and ambushing their prey silently and cleanly without risk for injury. They are careful and swift-pawed, and they tend to have a strong sense of smell, able to identify even the faintest of scents from a very far distance. They can also hunt down nests of certain creatures, and they are often the ones finding dens of creatures and being able to assess if they would be in danger of an attack by the predator.

## Training Sessions

Young apprentices are shown the territory, and are usually encouraged to learn to climb trees, as well as to swim. They are accustomed to different terrains early as well as increasing their stamina through constant activity to further increase their ability to track for farther distances, and make several trips back and around in case something was missed or the trail feels endless. Scents begin to fade however, so it's up to the Trackers to be able to detect signs of their enemies. This varies between territories, but older Tracker apprentices will become used to travelling them, and through placed tracks set by the mentors of the apprentices it becomes possible.

Trackers are mainly hunters, but they also double as cats who mark the borders most regularly due to common trips throughout the territory, as well as the cats who are able to detect signs of danger earlier than any other rank of cat through the scents they can follow/pick up as well through tracks if the scent has long-since faded. Cats are taught to be able to differentiate different paw-prints, pick up the scent from a far distance and distinguish the difference between them, as well as being able to assess the health and how many of the creature may be near, a skill that would not be commonly possessed if not trained for it.

Tracking mentors may use old caught prey to trace the floor for an apprentice to distinguish it's age, and can also be used to show them how to track and save cats by leaving a trail of sick prey scent. Tracks of animals are found and the apprentice is shown the difference between different tracks, as well as being able to point out weight-prints through broken or stomped overgrowth. Cats are encouraged to learn to crouch and hold the position for long amounts of time, because while tracking creatures of cats they may need to stay in the position for immense amounts of time to avoid being caught. They are expected to be well-versed in traveling through terrain, and they are taught how to cover their own tracks as well as the tracks of their clanmates.

## Skillset

With most roles, the Tracker has a very diverse skillset that they utilize from day to day in order to preform to the best of their ability, whether it be in regards to hunting, fighting, or keeping track of specific scents of prey or animals, either to send information back to the Moor-Runners on where to hunt, or to warn the clan of dangerous predators before they have a chance to attack an unknowing patrol. On top of being the quietest of their clanmates, Trackers are often some of the swiftest, and occasionally are much smaller than their clanmates, making them much more likely to quickly make escapes if it becomes necessary.