Shadowfur began to look around for prey. He hoped he'd find something simple, so that he didn't have to embarrass himself in front of a cat he didn't know. A decently-sized part of him worried that some cat would run off and tell Dawnstar that he was a poor hunter if he missed a catch, even though the logical part of him knew she wouldn't care too much.
When he turned his head to check for Mintbranch, he caught the other cat's gaze momentarily. Then, with an impressive amount of finesse for a ShadowClan cat, he scaled a tree and began stalking a bird up there.
Shifting his gaze to where Mintbranch had gestured, Shadowfur noticed the other blackbird. A pair. How convenient; it was almost like the universe liked laughing at him. He hated hunting birds about as much as he hated hunting rabbits.
Dropping into a hunter's crouch, he crept forward, intensely focused. He had to get this right. He was an Enforcer; he was supposed to be good at everything a normal warrior had to do.
Creeping forward with very deliberate steps, he eventually leapt once he was close enough. The bird tried to fly up, but he managed to clamp his jaws down on one of its wings. It squawked, trying desperately to get away.
Hooking his claws in its body, he let go of its wing to deliver the killing bite. Not the best hunting strategy, but it worked. Satisfied, he shifted his gaze up to Mintbranch.
__________________
Fadingsun is currently RiverClan's leader. He has an open den policy. If you have any questions or concerns about RiverClan, or any plots to propose, feel free to leave me a VM or DM! Please do not take my characters' IC opinions as reflective of my own.
Last edited by occultation; March 1st, 2023 at 11:07 PM.
Shadowfur began to look around for prey. He hoped he'd find something simple, so that he didn't have to embarrass himself in front of a cat he didn't know. A decently-sized part of him worried that some cat would run off and tell Dawnstar that he was a poor hunter if he missed a catch, even though the logical part of him knew she wouldn't care too much.
When he turned his head to check for Mintbranch, he caught the other cat's gaze momentarily. Then, with an impressive amount of finesse for a ShadowClan cat, he scaled a tree and began stalking a bird up there.
Shifting his gaze to where Mintbranch had gestured, Shadowfur noticed the other blackbird. A pair. How convenient; it was almost like the universe liked laughing at him. He hated hunting birds about as much as he hated hunting rabbits.
Dropping into a hunter's crouch, he crept forward, intensely focused. He had to get this right. He was an Enforcer; he was supposed to be good at everything a normal warrior had to do.
Creeping forward with very deliberate steps, he eventually leapt once he was close enough. The bird tried to fly up, but he managed to clamp his jaws down on one of its wings. It squawked, trying desperately to get away.
Hooking his claws in its body, he let go of its wing to deliver the killing bite. Not the best hunting strategy, but it worked. Satisfied, he shifted his gaze up to Mintbranch.
Mintbranch nodded down to Shadowfur as he held his prey in his jaws. He had made a silent and clean kill that hadn't lifted a single brush of a leaf. He slithered down the tree with practiced ease and excellence.
Mintbranch sneezed as a feather stuck to his nose and looked at Shadowfur with an embarrassed press down of his ears. Dang it, I always have to embarrass myself.
Mintbranch nose twitched and his tail went still. He looked at Shadowfur and crouched as if he was about to attack the Enforcer. He put his weight on his toes and stuck his tail above the ground. Mintbranch's minty green hues narrowed into charcoal chips as he looked at Shadowfur. Please don't miss! He pleaded in his mind.
Mintbranch was suddenly in the air, he had launched himself a good tail length above the Enforcer and had landed on a large squirrel in a very low to the ground branch. Mintbranch caught it and snapped it's neck swiftly. He sat back on the ground with a large sigh of relief. He had managed to not hurt the Enforcer but even more, jump suuuuppppeeeerrr high!! Mintbranch's face was emotionless as always but his tail flicking side to side gave away his undoubted happiness for pulling off such a high jump. Mother Emberspark would be proud. He thought with a small smile to the sky.
| Blackdawn |
| They/Them |
| A large long-furred white cat; yellow eyes |
~ Blackdawn had lead the two apprentices to the swamp. The cat stopped once they were well in this part of territory and turned to look at the apprentices.
"I know Batpaw has a single hunting lesson done. Aspenpaw do you know how to hunt or not?" ~
| Blackdawn |
| They/Them |
| A large long-furred white cat; yellow eyes |
~ Blackdawn had lead the two apprentices to the swamp. The cat stopped once they were well in this part of territory and turned to look at the apprentices.
"I know Batpaw has a single hunting lesson done. Aspenpaw do you know how to hunt or not?" ~
Batpaw followed his mentor into the swamp. It smelled a little rancid. Well this is going to be fun, he thought, looking at the mud.
“We should probably stay relatively close together just in case we get stuck in the mud here…” the tom paused. Turning to look at his mentor and Aspenpaw, he almost slid on the wet ground. Ew.
Another thing he forgot to consider was the location. His memories of Croaking swamp were somewhat pleasant ones, but that did not extend to the place itself. It was stinky and worse it was muddy. Not only did it squish under his paws, but it also splattered all over his perfect fur. He would have to spend forever getting it all out of his pelt when they got back. To worsen his mood further, Blackdawn actually questioned whether he had had training or not. Of course he hadn't, but he sure as hell wouldn't tell him that. What type of 16 moon old apprentice doesn't know how to hunt?
"Of course I do." He lied seamlessly.
It was when the apprentice suggested staying close together, that Aspenpaw was wholely convinced that the pair had something against him.
"We're Shadowclanners, we should know how to navigate a little mud." That was most likely the most hypocritical sentence the tom had ever said, seeing as how he gagged a little with every step he took, but whatever worked. He didn't want to be around these cats in the first place. let alone while he figured out how to hunt. His green eyes grazed over a log, one that would give him a perfect exit. With a simple jump, he was on it, opening his mouth to speak, before heading off for a little self teaching. "You two can do what you want, but I'll be accomplishing something, by myself."
__________________
“Whatever you are physically, male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--
all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.” -Jem Carstairs
| Blackdawn |
| They/Them |
| A large long-furred white cat; yellow eyes |
~ Blackdawn turned their attention to Batpaw as he had suggested staying together. While yes that would be best there was no way they could all catch prey by being near eachother. Blackdawns eyes moved to Aspenpaw who claimed he knew how to hunt. The white cats eyes narrowed ever so slightly only to flick the tip of their tail at the apprentice as Aspenpaw started to walk away.
"Very well. Meet back here once you have at least a piece a prey. Batpaw you're with me thisll be a good time to give you another quick lesson as well as me having to speak about something." ~
| Blackdawn |
| They/Them |
| A large long-furred white cat; yellow eyes |
~ Blackdawn turned their attention to Batpaw as he had suggested staying together. While yes that would be best there was no way they could all catch prey by being near eachother. Blackdawns eyes moved to Aspenpaw who claimed he knew how to hunt. The white cats eyes narrowed ever so slightly only to flick the tip of their tail at the apprentice as Aspenpaw started to walk away.
"Very well. Meet back here once you have at least a piece a prey. Batpaw you're with me thisll be a good time to give you another quick lesson as well as me having to speak about something." ~
Batpaw flicked his tail in annoyance at Aspenpaw’s lie. Batpaw knew it was a lie. Group hunting could work, they’d just catch less. Yet, he didn’t say a word, he just nodded at his mentor.
“Hmm? What would you like to talk about?” the black apprentice asked. His orange gaze watched Aspenpaw as he waiting for the older apprentice to leave.
The gray and white-flecked she-cat trekked through the swamp, her ears lowered as she glanced around warily. She recognized the stench of ShadowClan, but to get back to RiverClan, she would have to go through their territory. They had never been understanding, so hopefully, she would make it through without encountering them. Of course, the molly could have turned around and tried to have gone through WindClan or ThunderClan's territory, but then she might have gotten lost. Again.
Despite initially leaving RiverClan of her own will, Shimmerbird had taken longer than she wanted to return. Her pilgrimage had given her a new perspective on life, her own and others. And now she was finally ready to take up her duties as a warrior RiverClan once again and own up to her mistakes.
Another sigh left her, ears twitching in annoyance as a gnat buzzed next to it. She thought the cold would keep them away, but it seemed not. At least she was finally at the edge of the mud and on dry land. Shimmerbird quickly shook her paws to get the mud off, amber eyes scanning the surrounding shadows for any sign of another cat. Seeing nothing, the former Shield relaxed as she padded in the direction that she guessed was the border.
A surprised screech left her jaws as she caught a flash of orange in the corner of her vision before she was yanked off her paws and sent crashing to the ground. She twisted, scrambling to her paws as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough. Claws met her shoulder, and she yowled in pain as she was dragged down beneath her attacker.
The Toyger padded through ShadowClan's territory, his eyes straying to the cat accompanying him. Vixensnarl had readily agreed to come with him, not that it surprised him. From what he knew of the Enforcer, she was close to Dawnstar and wanted what was best for ShadowClan, and hunting certainly benefited the Clan. Slytiger had his reasons for coming out, mainly the feeling that he could contribute more to ShadowClan than he had been. When he joined, he had promised to dedicate his life to ShadowClan, and he hadn't been doing the best job of it.
He split off from Vixensnarl once they reached Croaking Swamp, though he remained within earshot as ordered. It was understandable with the number of traitors that had popped up recently. Slytiger opened his jaws to draw in the various scents, one, in particular, catching his attention. What was an outsider doing on ShadowClan territory? Not that he was going to ask, considering Dawnstar had given a kill-on-sight order for them.
He crouched low to the ground, silently following the scent while staying downwind of the intruder so they wouldn't smell him. The Toyger spotted the gray and white flecked she-cat just as she finished shaking the mud off her paws. He stuck to the shadows, remaining completely still as she scanned her surroundings. The second she relaxed, he struck.
Slytiger lunged out of his hiding spot, claws unsheathed as he hooked them into her pelt and dragged her off her paws with his momentum, sending them both crashing into the ground. Having been expecting it, he allowed himself to continue the role and was back on his paws while the trespasser was slower to return to her paws. Slytiger lunged back forward before she could gain her bearings, her yowl of pain as he sunk his claws into her shoulders and dragged her down caused a thrill to surge through him.
He had missed this. Missed the thrill of a fight, of having something to fight for. Slytiger raised a forepaw before slamming it down on the top of the outsider's head to stun her and give himself enough time to back away without risking her retaliating. "Well? Is that all you got?" he taunted, crouching low and resting his weight on his haunches, prepared to spring at a moment's notice.
When the outsider opened her mouth to say something, disgust curled in his belly. Was she so pathetic that she wouldn't fight back and defend her honor when it was insulted? Oh, what was he thinking? She was an outsider, of course she wouldn't. Whatever the molly was saying was cut off as Slytiger sprung, going straight for the throat. Her amber eyes widened in surprise and fear, and he bowled her over as his teeth sank into her throat. He had missed this.
While the Enforcer enjoyed still being allowed to go alone, she didn't mind heading out with the more competent warriors, like Slytiger. While he didn't stand out because of anything extraordinary, he also didn't stand out because of anything bad, which was good enough for her. He made light conversation on the way to Croaking Swamp, mainly about the recent chaos. Luckily for him, his views aligned with her own, so he wasn't going to get cuffed over the head.
After reaching Croaking Swamp and ordering him to stay within earshot, the brown tabby split off from him, green eyes immediately locking on the form of a nice juicy frog. It was rare to find them in leaf-bare, and a quick pounce dispatched of the delicious morsel. She quickly buried it, creeping along the ground in search of more prey.
A magpie was the next to fall to Vixensnarl's claws. It wasn't as clean as the frog, the slush causing her to slide and miss the initial pounce, but she quickly recovered and brought it down before it managed to fly too high. She promptly buried it as well, ready to continue the hunt, when the sound of screeching reached her ears.
Vixensnarl whirled around and bounded toward the noise, coming to a halt as she spotted Slytiger slam a forepaw down on top of an outsider's head. He dominated the fight, and she felt no need to interfere as he carried out her mother's orders to kill outsiders on sight. The Toyger was dominating the fight, though he finished it rather quickly when he didn't get the reaction he wanted from the outsider. She could understand that. It had been too long since Vixensnarl had been in a fight that was challenging or at least made her work. Perhaps she should see if her mother wanted to spar sometime.
Shaking the thought off, she melted out of the shadows and padded up to Slytiger's flank. "I see you found some interesting prey. Care to learn how to skin it? Dawnstar does love her pelts, after all."
The excited gleam in his eye was the only answer she needed.
Mintbranch nodded down to Shadowfur as he held his prey in his jaws. He had made a silent and clean kill that hadn't lifted a single brush of a leaf. He slithered down the tree with practiced ease and excellence.
Mintbranch sneezed as a feather stuck to his nose and looked at Shadowfur with an embarrassed press down of his ears. Dang it, I always have to embarrass myself.
Mintbranch nose twitched and his tail went still. He looked at Shadowfur and crouched as if he was about to attack the Enforcer. He put his weight on his toes and stuck his tail above the ground. Mintbranch's minty green hues narrowed into charcoal chips as he looked at Shadowfur. Please don't miss! He pleaded in his mind.
Mintbranch was suddenly in the air, he had launched himself a good tail length above the Enforcer and had landed on a large squirrel in a very low to the ground branch. Mintbranch caught it and snapped it's neck swiftly. He sat back on the ground with a large sigh of relief. He had managed to not hurt the Enforcer but even more, jump suuuuppppeeeerrr high!! Mintbranch's face was emotionless as always but his tail flicking side to side gave away his undoubted happiness for pulling off such a high jump. Mother Emberspark would be proud. He thought with a small smile to the sky.
【 S H A D O W F U R】
Shadowfur nodded as Mintbranch descended from the tree with a bird in his jaws. Only a moment after dropping the fresh catch, the warrior leapt over Shadowfur. He hissed in confusion, wondering what in the stars he was doing.
Whipping his head around, he saw that the warrior had caught sight of a squirrel on a nearby, low-hanging branch. Shadowfur let out a quiet, impressed huff. Mintbranch was certainly a talented hunter; he leapt through ShadowClan's territory like he had bird ancestry.
Setting his bird down, he asked, "When did you learn how to hunt so effectively in trees?" It wasn't an accusatory question, merely a curious one.
__________________
Fadingsun is currently RiverClan's leader. He has an open den policy. If you have any questions or concerns about RiverClan, or any plots to propose, feel free to leave me a VM or DM! Please do not take my characters' IC opinions as reflective of my own.
Last edited by occultation; March 9th, 2023 at 10:30 PM.
| Blackdawn |
| They/Them |
| A large long-furred white cat; yellow eyes |
~ Blackdawn kept their eyes on the other apprentice for a second before looking back at Batpaw. The white cat started to lead the apprentice the opposite way of Aspenpaw. Blackdawn stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again.
"I'll be having kits soon. Im not showing much now. I'll still be doing your training."
Blackdawn said nonchalantly before closing their eyes. Lizard. Blackdawn opened their eyes and spotted the reptile. The cat got into a hunting crouch waiting for a moment before leaping at the small creature and hitting it with a clawed paw as hard as they could. Blackdawn then bit into its neck as a finishing kill. Blackdawn looked back at Batpaw holding the Lizard in their maw.
"Close your eyes. Use your senses. Pinpoint a piece of prey and catch it. Try not to get a face full of mud while you're at it." ~
| @Dino's Minion - Batpaw; @nykyrian - Aspenpaw; I'll probably Be Wrapping The Patrol After The Next Post!! |
Last edited by xavier.; March 11th, 2023 at 08:11 PM.
Re: Croaking Swamp
Re: Croaking Swamp
