[Epiales]

 

Originally Posted by Dolomedes

Seabreeze
He/him | Riverclan Warrior | Moons: 16 | Purrks: Go with the Flow | The Collector | Ultimate Predator |
“Ocean waters rising above your neck
You feel the glass start to crack.”

The tom readjusted his hold on the bird before setting it down neatly on his bi-colored paws and looked up happily to Frostmelt. Seabreeze found himself liking the other warrior a bit more than most others he interacted with because it felt like they were equal, that Seabreeze wasn’t leagues behind in countless ways. Not that Frostmelt was not good like Seabreeze, it was just easier to pretend that he wasn’t watching and likely judging Seabreeze. The tom shook out his fur, from his ears to his nubby tail before speaking to the other, “It is a nice start, I can bury it nearby and we can pick it up on our way back.” As he spoke, the warrior padded over to a more shrub-covered area and swiftly dug a hole to bury the seagull and hide it from potential scavengers for when they came back through the area. It almost made him feel nostalgic, thinking about how he learned the hard way how to properly hide your prey.

Frostmelt spoke awkwardly and clunky at times but Seabreeze almost found it endearing and it wasn’t as bad as Seabreeze’s stuttering when he gets nervous-which now that he thought about it, the feline hadn’t been anxious or nervous most of this encounter. He wasn’t overthinking his pawsteps and he wasn’t even fully focused on work, he was just…calmly existing for once. Seabreeze found himself purring a small bit, Frostmelt was quite the cat even if the tom himself didn’t realize it. The sandy grey-blue cat flicked his ears and returned to padding at Frostmelt’s side, “Well, I am happy that you chose to join me. I do like swimming and fishing but with all the ice melting the river is going to be a bit feisty and I would feel more comfortable if we had a bigger patrol. If you want we can continue with land hunting?” Seabreeze tried not to come off as bossy so he got a bit more unsure of his words towards the end but it was still better than his usual stumbling and tripping through words.

Soon the old twoleg bridge that was the landmark for Haven Springs came into view and Seabreeze smiled lightly, as his sharp blue eyes looked to where a crow was on top of the fencing. He crouched down and turned to Frostmelt, pointing his muzzle in the direction of the prey to let the other know so that he didn’t spook it off or think that Seabreeze was running off without him again. Oh, wait, should he let Frostmelt try his paw at catching this one. Then after a moment of examining where the crow had itself perched, Seabreeze decided that it was a bit dangerous to let another cat try for it. The fencing was icy still and it was taller than Seabreeze when the other was standing on the bridge. The fall even further if you took a tumble into the empty streambed. “I’m going to try for that crow. Wait here a moment.” Without waiting for a response, the feline was stalking forward.

There was no covering but the crow had its back turned, Seabreeze slowled his steps down even further as he made it to the odd, smooth ground of the bridge. His muscles bunched beneath his pelt and he made a calculated leap onto the fence ledge, digging his claws into the icy film on top of it. Then, in the next moment, as the crow started, the tom jumped again, front paws swinging towards the escaping prey. His claws caught on the crow’s wing but missed its body, he was falling from the air and away from the prey. Seabreeze didn’t land on the fence but rather slipped right off. Fortunately, he landed on his paws on the main bridge. Blue eyes glared up at the now fading crow, a blight against the light sky, as it escaped. He took a deep breath, his breathing had stilled as he approached and the remaining air in his lungs was knocked out in the brief fear that washed up in his body as he slipped from the ledge.

“Hmph…Well, maybe there’ll be other crows. Anyways, how do you feel about it? Do you prefer to hunt or fish?” It was an unusual topic of choice for conversation for Seabreeze but he didn’t have any other ideas so he continued the topic that Frostmelt started. Personally, Seabreeze loved the river, memories seemed to lessen as if water served to lift its weight off of his shoulders whenever he found the time to go down. That seemed to be less and less lately, especially with everything that just happened and all of the minor drama that followed. Thoughts of Birdsnow’s meeting after the raid was almost as tiring as actually being here. Maybe….Seabreeze hummed softly as he continued to lead the other towards the springs, keeping his ears pricked for any signs of prey, “Maybeeee…we-ummm, maybe we could meet up again and go to the river when it calms down, or…with a bigger patrol. Err-group?” As much as Seabreeze found himself calming with Frostmelt as company, the tom couldn’t help but feel anxious. Was Frostmelt enjoying the walk or was he just pretending to spare Seabreeze’s feelings? Also just asking things of people was hard in general for Seabreeze and if it wasn’t something that was productive like fishing, even if it turns more social, then the warrior wouldn’t have the nerve to ask at all.

[1/8 being carried]

[ @Epiales - Frostmelt ]

Frostmelt
|he/him|purrks: N/A|moons: 17| riverclan warrior|
"dulce bellum inexpertis" ~ War is sweet to those who have never fought.
"Factus sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, inter mortuuos liber." ~ I have become like a person without help, living among the dead.



Frost padded alongside the other warrior for a great while. It seemed they had been walking forever, days if Frost couldn't tell. But he knew it was only a few hours, the sky didn't seem to have changed much either, nor had the weather. The grass and dirt are still slightly damp under his paws. He didn't know whether he preferred the snow, the heat, or the rain. The rain, probably. He liked the feeling on his pelt. And it gave him something to focus on while he busied around camp. The fake reality he was building about the rain slowly faded when he heard Sea talk again. Burying the bird. He understood why they did this, hopefully, the dirt would shake off when they walked back to camp with it, he hated dusty prey, even if he wasn't eating the pelt the dryness seemed to slowly seemed to creep into the freshkill. But he understood fox and other predators were also on the lookout for an easy kill, and leaving a bird on the ground was just asking for trouble, and to go back empty-pawed. That would be embarrassing, he might as well go and try hunting, he wasn't he was just mindlessly walking beside Seabreeze at this point.

Finally turning his brain on he flicked his ears upwards as he waited for a sign of easy prey, or just any prey in general. Nothing but the birds flying above, occasionally a drop-down to peck at stuff before something else would scare it off, mostly Frost's nervousness and uncertainty kept him from trying to launch himself at the prey for a kill. He was a useless warrior. And here Sea was, actually wounded and still doing better than Frost ever could. He focused on his paw steps again and the world around him. Everything came back into focus, the smell of the air, always the same, mixed with the subtle scent of blood that he assumed was from when Sea had killed the bird. The dirt seemed to go dry whenever he focused on it, rock solid, but it still seemed to crumble beneath him, making him lose his breath, or hold it thinking he might drop.

Eventually, he gave up... When Sea then nodded towards a crow. Of course, Frost wanted to prove something, but he didn't go ahead of Sea as the other tom crouched down and made his way towards the crow. Frost watched him as he attempted to catch and kill off the crow who then ended up flying away with a wing. He knew the crow wouldn't go far, but there was no point in chasing it, there would be others, like Sea said. And Frost, engaged in thought, almost didn't hear the question Sea had asked. "H-hunting or Fish?" he asked, stuttering slightly as he tried to think, "Either work.. I'm.. not very good at either.." he mumbled, fast-paced as if trying to keep Sea from hearing what he had said. He didn't believe his mentor liked him well enough either since Frost didn't seem to pick stuff up quickly and tended not to know simple things every cat 'should know', which had made Frost confused at the time. And not to mention he couldn't hunt. The one thing that made a warrior, fighting and hunting, Frost couldn't do. And socializing either? But he picked up on things about the clan, and history. Herbs, he had heard others talk about, simple stuff. He took in information like that like a sponge. You didn't have to tell him twice, or even the full text for Frost to understand something.

"If you don't want to go to the river we don't have to," he said quickly. Oh, his voice was so fast it was wavering and he hoped the Sea couldn't hear it. "I was just suggesting since I figured... you liked to swim... and get fish instead..." his voice trailing off near the end to a quick mumble. He shouldn't be nervous around Sea, but he was one wrong step... One wrong word could do it all. Frost didn't know either if he was willing to risk that. His vision blurred as he talked fast, anxiety rising and falling with every breath he took, it seemed so loud to him, blood pumping in his ears. He knew Sea was probably trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear anything. His eyesight almost seemed to go away for a second, his senses... Where was the ground? It seemed far away from where he was, was he falling? No, the wind was going to the left, not below him. Ok, now the smell, outside... salty, just a bit from the river he assumed. Ok now.. words... talking. He was starting to lose it again, Sea, think of Sea for a moment, he told himself. And he was back, just like that, was Sea there? yes, the other Tom hadn't left him. "Sorry... I thought I had heard something," Frost lied, an easy and very fake lie, maybe the other tom could see through it.

Finally, Frost heard a little scurry, and flap of wings. It gave him a chance to slowly follow the sound, away from Sea. He smelt the bird to, another crow, simple little birds, and lots of them. Sadly, most of them come alone, or in pairs. He crouched as he watched the bird peck at the dirt. He loved it when they did that, it used to make him giggle as a kit. And makes them easier prey. quiet, he told himself. Settle down. Breathe in... hold it. Pounce, now, while the crow is still pecking, head in the dirt, not focused. And he did, pouncing on the bird. Its wings fluttered, head frantically twisting, and turning, then trying to peck him. Not today, I am sorry. He said as he broke the bird's neck. Then there it was, dangling in his paws. He closed his eyes breathing in quickly, then out. It's ok... he told himself as he picked it up in his maw. He trotted back beside Sea, then going to bury it as well. Oh, he hated doing that, he had been nipped a few times for burying the prey in the wrong spots. Near the tree, he figured, finding one and burying the bird, marking the spot in his mind. He decided to make a small claw mark on the tree to remember, even if he could smell it.

"Continue?" he murmured. It felt awkward for him. Just to have stopped walking, and stayed quiet, looking at the ground while Sea talked to him. Was the other Tom nervous when he saw Frost like that? He would never know, would he? Or maybe he didn't want to know. Though to both of the things he didn't know why for either of them. It shouldn't matter to him. To care whether one was scared for him, or to be scared of the answer to that question. Silly of him. They would continue as normal, and talk... or not talk. Since neither knew what to say and both seemed happy enough with the silence. "Do you... Like going hunting? Or out on patrols?" Frost asked, trying anything to keep the awkward silence from enveloping this walk and hunting... Mini patrol? He knew Sea tended to be gone, flitting in and out of the camp with prey and people. Always doing something it seemed, to keep himself busy. Frost respected the other tom for that, but there was no way the other tom wasn't tired, or stressed. Or maybe the work kept him from all of that, took his mind off of it. Maybe Frost should try that, though he doubted it would work from what Frost had been experiencing.