ShadowClan Territory

[lone]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Forestpelt's green hues slitted and then she shrugged a little as though she were already forgetting about arguing. "Believe what you will. It harms you, not me." She mewed, speeding up a little. There was no point in arguing with him, although she stopped at his next comment, her body tensing up. She had found that her calmer answers seemed to help avoid the more heated arguments. "I have never denied it. But I have never affirmed it either." She mewed, the tip of her tail flicking. It was becoming clear to her that she wasn't going to be able to prove to him she was actually sorry for what she had done. What was she doing here, anyways? She wasn't going to catch anything. "It's clear that you don't want my company. So I will not burden you will it any longer. Good day, Foxspring." She hissed through her teeth, before turning around and padding in the opposite direction. Her movements were tense, and it was hard for her to move very fast, which made it look as though she was reluctant to go- though she was in no mood to have this pointed out to her.

bump for @Suspiciousmindz

[SuspiciousMindz]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Forestpelt's green hues slitted and then she shrugged a little as though she were already forgetting about arguing. "Believe what you will. It harms you, not me." She mewed, speeding up a little. There was no point in arguing with him, although she stopped at his next comment, her body tensing up. She had found that her calmer answers seemed to help avoid the more heated arguments. "I have never denied it. But I have never affirmed it either." She mewed, the tip of her tail flicking. It was becoming clear to her that she wasn't going to be able to prove to him she was actually sorry for what she had done. What was she doing here, anyways? She wasn't going to catch anything. "It's clear that you don't want my company. So I will not burden you will it any longer. Good day, Foxspring." She hissed through her teeth, before turning around and padding in the opposite direction. Her movements were tense, and it was hard for her to move very fast, which made it look as though she was reluctant to go- though she was in no mood to have this pointed out to her.

Foxspring merely stopped as the she-cat walked away suddenly. Although instead of following like a normal clan mate would've, the bitter tom shrugged. Her loss he confirmed with himself. He turned on his paws and began to pad back towards the frog he had caught earlier. It was simply easier for him to go back, retrieve his prey and continue back to camp. There was no point in trying to hunt no and with no one to prove himself to, Foxspring didn't feel the need to act all tough. He winced now, beginning to pad as fast as his breath would allow him at that moment. Soon he'd be out of this forsaken snow and back where he wanted to be from the start: his nest.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Suspiciousmindz

Foxspring merely stopped as the she-cat walked away suddenly. Although instead of following like a normal clan mate would've, the bitter tom shrugged. Her loss he confirmed with himself. He turned on his paws and began to pad back towards the frog he had caught earlier. It was simply easier for him to go back, retrieve his prey and continue back to camp. There was no point in trying to hunt no and with no one to prove himself to, Foxspring didn't feel the need to act all tough. He winced now, beginning to pad as fast as his breath would allow him at that moment. Soon he'd be out of this forsaken snow and back where he wanted to be from the start: his nest.

(should we end this here? We could timeskip and have them be in the Warriors' Den or something or we could RP with someone else, your call- or if you're busy RN that's fine too ^.^)

[lone]

Originally Posted by Liquoris

Flowerdawn glanced over at the tom, and grinned wildly. "Where to?" she asked simply, a hint of eagerness in her eyes and voice. Her claws itched to dig into something, be it prey or the ground. She was simply too bored to do anything else. As she waited for a reply from her clanmate, she glanced to the others in the hunting patrol. 'Well aren't we a bunch of misfits,' she thought with a slight pur in her throat.

-----

Cedarbreeze pinned her ears toward Ivythorn, then glanced to Smokepaw as he spoke. "Maybe we should give little Ivykit some space. Lynxfrost, you want to come with me?" she asked, noticing that Flowerdawn had already got her hunting partner out of Mountainpeak. She then started padding off to the North, away from the patrol.

-----

Ivythorn pinned her ears, knowing she had been wrong to speak. She glanced to Smokepaw, opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again as Cedarbreeze spoke. She crouched down, her tail to her side and her ears still pinned as the she-cat walked away. She slunk into the bushes, thinking about her old friend. She had thought what they had was special, but he still hasn't come back. Maybe it was time for her to move on from the loner she had met.

Mountainpeak grinned back at her, his short height giving him a definite disadvantage when it came to racing. However short his stride may be, he was able to keep a faster pace then most. He supposed it came from his boundless energy. Part of my charm, isn't it? He thought with a roguish grin, his tail twitching back and forth. Mountainpeak crouched down a little, which made him look even more like a young apprentice- or perhaps kit, his hues twinkling with mischief as he glanced over at her. "I see you caught my meaning. See those bushes over there?" He asked, flicking his tail towards a clump of bushes that had several spiky thorn vines growing out of them. The thorns were long and wicked looking, and definitely looked as though they could hurt a cat pretty badly if they were to get tangled up in them. However, the tom had no intention of doing that...and even if he did, hopefully his semi-thick pelt would protect him to the point where it would just be the slightly painful twinge of pulling them out of his fur, not flesh. "Betcha I could make it there faster then you," He purred, glancing back up at her again. He half-expected her to make some comment about his height, in which case he would be dying to show her what a 'short cat' could do. He wasn't really short. It was his parents' fault, anyway...two small cats couldn't have produced good results. Why didn't they realize that before? Mountainpeak thought with a good natured sigh. His height didn't really bother him, anyways...after all, it was just height. It didn't really matter in the long run of things. Not until some cat decided to start picking on him...then it seemed to matter more then anything else
*****
Lynxfrost opened his maw as though to say something, perhaps to comfort Ivythorn, and then promptly shut it. It wouldn't do any good, anyway...he never was much good at saying comforting things. Besides, Cedarbreeze was right, in a way...she was being way too sensitive. She seemed to just sort of be that way. He glanced over in her direction, his hues searching her as though he were wondering what he should say. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good." He mewed after a moment, lowering his head again and padding after her. The snow felt good on his paws, as cold as it was, and he wasn't quite sure what it was about it that made him so satisfied. It was snow! Freezing cold weather that made it nearly impossible to find prey, that soaked him through his pelt, that most cats in their right minds hated! And yet, Lynxfrost loved the cold moons. They almost reminded him of warmer weather, not in the usual sense, but just because everything was so...pretty. Everything was pretty most of the time to Lynxfrost, he was very good at noticing little things. "It's, um...nice to get away sometimes. I-I agree with you, uh...Ivy-Ivythorn was being, um...oversensitive." He mewed in his dark tone. His voice didn't sound very welcoming, nor friendly. It seemed to have the more 'get away' effect then the 'I'm just scared, and alone' effect. At least, it was that way on most cats. His logical thinking didn't help much either. Even so, Lynxfrost was hoping that Cedarbreeze wouldn't turn on him, too. Calling Ivythorn a kit might have been a little harsh, and he certainly didn't want an enemy instead of a friend. Then again, he didn't want her to think he was scared of her; he certainly wasn't! Just the names that she had.
*****
"Don't call her that!" Smokepaw's fur bristled defensively, and his ears tilted backwards for a second before his softer side seemed to take over again. "I mean, please. It's- it's not the greatest way to bond with your clanmates." He added in a lower voice, dipping his head as though in respect. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't be firm. He couldn't say what he meant. He was always going to be little Smokepaw, terrified of the outside world, worried about saying the wrong thing to the wrong cats, having a heart attack over the smallest of things. Maybe. Maybe things would be different, someday. Sometime things would be different and he would be brave, and strong...a warrior that he wanted to be. But not now. Now things were messed up and scary. "Hey, um...don't, uh...don't pay attention to what- to what Cedarbreeze said. She's just jealous of you. You're...you're more graceful then her, and, uh...I like you more?" Smokepaw mewed. He was careful not to accidentally brush up against the she cat. Physical contact was not something he was a fan of, and he had never been that great at compliments either. It was close to torture for him, trying to figure out the right things to say, and he still could never seem to do it...why? Why couldn't he just act normal, be like one of those toms who could spout compliments off and make them sound so original? Smokepaw knew he was less then original. He was just another copy of a coward, another warrior that was going to be in StarClan one day, ancient history. History that would come sooner then he knew, as Smokepaw had learned...he had thought he and Crimsonmoon would be together forever, but they weren't. The same thing had happened with Jinxflare. Not to mention Wolfpaw. Every time he found someone he cared about, they slipped away from him. And so, Smokepaw had made up his mind; he didn't want to get close to anyone ever again. Friendships were fine, but romance...he had had enough failed romances to last a lifetime. He didn't need another one.

[Teza]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Mountainpeak grinned back at her, his short height giving him a definite disadvantage when it came to racing. However short his stride may be, he was able to keep a faster pace then most. He supposed it came from his boundless energy. Part of my charm, isn't it? He thought with a roguish grin, his tail twitching back and forth. Mountainpeak crouched down a little, which made him look even more like a young apprentice- or perhaps kit, his hues twinkling with mischief as he glanced over at her. "I see you caught my meaning. See those bushes over there?" He asked, flicking his tail towards a clump of bushes that had several spiky thorn vines growing out of them. The thorns were long and wicked looking, and definitely looked as though they could hurt a cat pretty badly if they were to get tangled up in them. However, the tom had no intention of doing that...and even if he did, hopefully his semi-thick pelt would protect him to the point where it would just be the slightly painful twinge of pulling them out of his fur, not flesh. "Betcha I could make it there faster then you," He purred, glancing back up at her again. He half-expected her to make some comment about his height, in which case he would be dying to show her what a 'short cat' could do. He wasn't really short. It was his parents' fault, anyway...two small cats couldn't have produced good results. Why didn't they realize that before? Mountainpeak thought with a good natured sigh. His height didn't really bother him, anyways...after all, it was just height. It didn't really matter in the long run of things. Not until some cat decided to start picking on him...then it seemed to matter more then anything else
*****
Lynxfrost opened his maw as though to say something, perhaps to comfort Ivythorn, and then promptly shut it. It wouldn't do any good, anyway...he never was much good at saying comforting things. Besides, Cedarbreeze was right, in a way...she was being way too sensitive. She seemed to just sort of be that way. He glanced over in her direction, his hues searching her as though he were wondering what he should say. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good." He mewed after a moment, lowering his head again and padding after her. The snow felt good on his paws, as cold as it was, and he wasn't quite sure what it was about it that made him so satisfied. It was snow! Freezing cold weather that made it nearly impossible to find prey, that soaked him through his pelt, that most cats in their right minds hated! And yet, Lynxfrost loved the cold moons. They almost reminded him of warmer weather, not in the usual sense, but just because everything was so...pretty. Everything was pretty most of the time to Lynxfrost, he was very good at noticing little things. "It's, um...nice to get away sometimes. I-I agree with you, uh...Ivy-Ivythorn was being, um...oversensitive." He mewed in his dark tone. His voice didn't sound very welcoming, nor friendly. It seemed to have the more 'get away' effect then the 'I'm just scared, and alone' effect. At least, it was that way on most cats. His logical thinking didn't help much either. Even so, Lynxfrost was hoping that Cedarbreeze wouldn't turn on him, too. Calling Ivythorn a kit might have been a little harsh, and he certainly didn't want an enemy instead of a friend. Then again, he didn't want her to think he was scared of her; he certainly wasn't! Just the names that she had.
*****
"Don't call her that!" Smokepaw's fur bristled defensively, and his ears tilted backwards for a second before his softer side seemed to take over again. "I mean, please. It's- it's not the greatest way to bond with your clanmates." He added in a lower voice, dipping his head as though in respect. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't be firm. He couldn't say what he meant. He was always going to be little Smokepaw, terrified of the outside world, worried about saying the wrong thing to the wrong cats, having a heart attack over the smallest of things. Maybe. Maybe things would be different, someday. Sometime things would be different and he would be brave, and strong...a warrior that he wanted to be. But not now. Now things were messed up and scary. "Hey, um...don't, uh...don't pay attention to what- to what Cedarbreeze said. She's just jealous of you. You're...you're more graceful then her, and, uh...I like you more?" Smokepaw mewed. He was careful not to accidentally brush up against the she cat. Physical contact was not something he was a fan of, and he had never been that great at compliments either. It was close to torture for him, trying to figure out the right things to say, and he still could never seem to do it...why? Why couldn't he just act normal, be like one of those toms who could spout compliments off and make them sound so original? Smokepaw knew he was less then original. He was just another copy of a coward, another warrior that was going to be in StarClan one day, ancient history. History that would come sooner then he knew, as Smokepaw had learned...he had thought he and Crimsonmoon would be together forever, but they weren't. The same thing had happened with Jinxflare. Not to mention Wolfpaw. Every time he found someone he cared about, they slipped away from him. And so, Smokepaw had made up his mind; he didn't want to get close to anyone ever again. Friendships were fine, but romance...he had had enough failed romances to last a lifetime. He didn't need another one.

Flowerdawn grinned at the tom, crouching down so that she could get the maximum speed the quickest. She glanced at Mountainpeak, glancing over the tom. "You sure you can keep up?" she asked, simply taunting him. She didn't mean anything by it. She then glanced back at the commotion behind the two cats, and pinned her ears slightly in sadness. She hated when her clanmates fought like that. Then again, Ivythorn did seem like a hard to please cat. Same with Cedarbreeze, but in a way different sense of the phrase. She stared ahead at the thorn bush ahead of her and Mountainpeak, her fur catching snow as it fell from the tree tops. The snow made her pelt sparkle as she sat there, waiting for Mountainpeak to say when to start running. "I'm ready when you are," she said in a slightly less enthusiastic tone.She couldn't get her mind off of Ivythorn. Maybe if she... No, she'd already shown interest in this race. Maybe after. She then psyched herself up for said race, tensing her muscles up, ready to run like the wind.

-----

Cedarbreeze glared at her companion. "Great Starclan you don't have to be like that, Lynxfrost. Sometimes I can't tell whether you're being mean or shy," she commented. She let out a sigh when they were out of earshot of the other cats. "So how are you? I haven't really seen you in a while," she said, trying to change the subject from her bad attitude. She wasn't normally like this, but today was simply a bad day for her. She was irritable from all the talk of kits around camp. It wasn't like there was any shortage of kits in camp already, much less the sheer mass of kits on their way. She wasn't really upset at the lack of prey so much as how she had been acting toward pretty much every one of her clanmates. "I'm sorry I've been a bit crass lately. I haven't gotten much sleep," she admitted.

-----

Ivythorn stayed in her bush, hiding from the world. Crouched down like she was, she looked as small as a young apprentice. She glanced up at Smokepaw, wondering why he was the one studdering. Was Cedarbreeze scaring him too? Where had her courage gone? She had it for two days and then... Poof... She had fallen back in her rut. "S-sorry..." she squeaked. She cursed under her breath at herself. She had nothing to fear. Cedarbreeze wasn't normally a bad cat, and neither was Smokepaw. Forcefully, Ivythorn crawled out from under the bush, but still cowered, making herself seem as small as an older kit. "Sorry..." she whispered.

[goddess of ducks]

Originally Posted by Mistyfoot⚜

"Wait, Blackblaze! Come back! We really need to take her to Kestrelberry instead," Treestep suggests. "And we'll really need your help to carry the kits and to help Lilybreeze." Treestep adds. He starts to move along one of the kits, carrying two of them. They would need Blackblaze to help as well, so he waited a little until Blackblaze would come back.

@Moobaby171
Robinblaze nodded. He was glad that Treestep had seen the sense in his solution and he stepped forwards. "Okay hold still a moment." he said, lifting the remaining kits from beside Lilybreeze. He placed them softly on Treestep's back. "Now you can balance them back to camp. It shouldn't be too hard, they're tiny." he said kind of half heartedly. He turned around to Lilybreeze. He reached forwards. "Blackblaze?" he called, not knowing where the other cat had gone. He frowned a bit and pushed his muzzle as gently as he could under the queen. He was able to shimmy her onto his back and he used one paw and his tail to steady her and give her a better placement. He struggled to his paw, almost crumpling under the extra weight. He finally got a firm footing and slowly trudged behind Treestep. "I can take on of the kits now if you want." he offered, his voice strained.

[Casual Scribbles]

Originally Posted by EclipsemoonXD

Burrpaw smiled a little at his mentor's voice. It didn't sound disapproving, so the apprentice decided to take that as a good sign. The tom padded on. He stalked after a bird, waiting for the right moment to pounce. The snow crunched under his weight and startled the bird. It cried out in alarm and started flapping away into the sky. Burrpaw cursed and leaped after it, claws snagging its wing and dragging it down with him. In the flurry of talons and feathers, Burrpaw received a few scratches from his prey, and the kill-bite wasn't the cleanest, but it did the job. The limp bird hung in his jaws and Burrpaw decided he'd caught enough prey for now. He started trotting back where he'd come from to collect his prey.

(Bump for @Gusty )

[lone]

Originally Posted by Liquoris

Flowerdawn grinned at the tom, crouching down so that she could get the maximum speed the quickest. She glanced at Mountainpeak, glancing over the tom. "You sure you can keep up?" she asked, simply taunting him. She didn't mean anything by it. She then glanced back at the commotion behind the two cats, and pinned her ears slightly in sadness. She hated when her clanmates fought like that. Then again, Ivythorn did seem like a hard to please cat. Same with Cedarbreeze, but in a way different sense of the phrase. She stared ahead at the thorn bush ahead of her and Mountainpeak, her fur catching snow as it fell from the tree tops. The snow made her pelt sparkle as she sat there, waiting for Mountainpeak to say when to start running. "I'm ready when you are," she said in a slightly less enthusiastic tone.She couldn't get her mind off of Ivythorn. Maybe if she... No, she'd already shown interest in this race. Maybe after. She then psyched herself up for said race, tensing her muscles up, ready to run like the wind.

-----

Cedarbreeze glared at her companion. "Great Starclan you don't have to be like that, Lynxfrost. Sometimes I can't tell whether you're being mean or shy," she commented. She let out a sigh when they were out of earshot of the other cats. "So how are you? I haven't really seen you in a while," she said, trying to change the subject from her bad attitude. She wasn't normally like this, but today was simply a bad day for her. She was irritable from all the talk of kits around camp. It wasn't like there was any shortage of kits in camp already, much less the sheer mass of kits on their way. She wasn't really upset at the lack of prey so much as how she had been acting toward pretty much every one of her clanmates. "I'm sorry I've been a bit crass lately. I haven't gotten much sleep," she admitted.

-----

Ivythorn stayed in her bush, hiding from the world. Crouched down like she was, she looked as small as a young apprentice. She glanced up at Smokepaw, wondering why he was the one studdering. Was Cedarbreeze scaring him too? Where had her courage gone? She had it for two days and then... Poof... She had fallen back in her rut. "S-sorry..." she squeaked. She cursed under her breath at herself. She had nothing to fear. Cedarbreeze wasn't normally a bad cat, and neither was Smokepaw. Forcefully, Ivythorn crawled out from under the bush, but still cowered, making herself seem as small as an older kit. "Sorry..." she whispered.

Mountainpeak glanced at the tension between the others nervously. He didn't like watching arguments. It made him feel uncomfortable, like everyone was secretly judging him...and although he hid it well, Mountainpeak knew that he had a lot to be judged for. Look at his strange height and shape! I mean, what kind of a cat looks like I do? He thought. It was a question he had often asked himself, but no matter how many times he did, he could never come up with an answer. It was all confusing stuff to him. "Of course I can keep up. I was built to run!" He boasted, puffing his small chest out. Seeing as he was so small, it looked funny, which the tom was clearly aware of. He had learned to stop getting offended when other cats might laugh. He knew he had great skill. That was all that mattered, right? Why should he have to prove himself to anyone else? Why should anyone have to prove themselves? Was it simply not good enough knowing that you were a good warrior yourself, anymore? Guess not, Mountainpeak thought with a shrug, watching as Cedarbreeze and Lynxfrost turned and padded away. And then Ivythorn disappeared. This just went from tense to...awkward. He thought. He glanced over at Flowerdawn, who had snow sparkling all over her ginger pelt. "I love what you've done with your pelt," He joked lightly in an attempt to lighten the mood, although he doubted it would work. Sometimes it wasn't the right time for things, and Mountainpeak could only hope that he had made that joke appropriately. The she cat parallel him didn't look too excited about the aforementioned race anymore. Maybe once she started it would cheer her up. "Alright. On your maarrk....get seeet..." He mewed slowly, dragging the words out to put her off her guard. "GO!" He shouted, and shot off, racing eagerly towards the bush. Mountainpeak was a fast cat- although it didn't appear like he would be able to run for very long with his short legs and small stride, his speed was great enough to make up for both of them. That was something Mountainpeak was incredibly proud of...and something that he could appreciate. He would never get tired of running.

Lynxfrost shifted his weight a little and looked slightly uncomfortable. He didn't like being spoken to like that, but Cedarbreeze had a point...sometimes with his hesitant nature, it was hard to tell quite what his meaning was. He hadn't meant to make anyone feel strange, but she still didn't have to snap. The tom had learned that there was generally a hidden message behind the words, and that they were very rarely meant for the cat who was being spoken to. After all, what had he done? "Neither. Just figuring out the right words to say." He answered after a while, as calmly as he possibly could. There was a slight haltage, a hesitance in his words, but you would only be able to catch it if you were listening for it. Was she listening for it? Lynxfrost couldn't tell, but he was fairly sure she hadn't heard. And even if she had, what of it? Let her. It was part of who he was, just like his distinctive pelt. There were a few other cats that looked similar to him, but exactly the same? No. No one could look exactly the same to Lynxfrost. "I've been fine. Y'know, everything happening so quickly...Blazingnight, Timberstar, now Halestar...over the course of time, I've just had a hard time adjusting to it. What about yourself?" Lynxfrost mewed, glancing over at her. He didn't want to seem rude by not returning the question, but at the same time, he didn't like rebounding questions. It seemed all conversations went the same way 'how are you' 'fine, you' 'good' catching up on gossip around Camp, if they were closer sometimes sharing tongues, or something like that. Wasn't there any other way cats knew how to greet each other other then 'hi, how are you?' Probably not, the tom thought, the tip of his tail twitching in an irritated manner. "Don't worry about it. Everybody does or says things they regret. It's really no problem, that's how we learn." Lynxfrost shrugged, continuing onwards. Right now, he just sort of wanted to get back. The outing had not exactly gone as planned, and although he liked Cedarbreeze, he wasn't quite sure what to make of her at the moment. Sometimes it was hard for him to tell.

Smokepaw glanced at the bush where Ivythorn had disappeared. Had he done something wrong? That must be it, he had done something wrong. Again. He just couldn't seem to do anything right these days...why couldn't he stand up for himself and other cats better? Am I a coward, or just careful not to attract trouble? Smokepaw thought, weighing his options carefully. He had never really thought of himself as a coward...true, he wasn't a cat to go charging into danger like a hero, but he had fought bravely in the battle and he had stood up for his friends before. Maybe he was just being careful. Cedarbreeze seemed like she would make a powerful enemy, and although Ivythorn appeared to make a sweet friend, Smokepaw just couldn't be sure if she was going to stay around. From the looks of things right now, the black furred she cat looked like she would rather disappear and never come back to ShadowClan again. "It's alright. You didn't do anything wrong...I'm not going to hurt you," Smokepaw mewed in the gentlest voice he could coax up. His voice was naturally gentle, and calm...but after a rush of frustration like that, he wasn't sure if it would show. He was always careful to speak in a way that he thought the other cat would like. "I'm really, really sorry she said that to you," He added in a low voice. His tail twitched nervously and he wondered if physical contact would make her feel better. It wasn't something that he enjoyed, or something that he would necessarily do on a daily basis, but...if it could cheer Ivythorn up, he would be more than happy to do it. His ears flicked backwards momentarily, although it was more out of sadness then anything else. He just wasn't happy when other cats were so nervous or scared. "Hey Ivythorn? You think the others could handle this hunting trip? There's something I would like to show you, I think you'd really like it. What do you say?" Smokepaw asked. He felt a little strange, talking to her that way...but a gentle voice was definitely key here. He didn't want to treat her like a younger cat- that wasn't his goal. His goal was to make her feel safe. And hopefully, a voice that soft would make a cat of any age feel safe.

[Gusty]

@EclipsemoonXD

The tom wasn't very impressed with the last kill (for it proved that his hunting skills needed work and repetition), but it would have to do. At least the bird was dead., the mentor thought scornfully. How embarrassing would it be if it had flown away?

With that very thought, the warrior remembered his own apprentice life. There were countless times where his birds had escaped his greedy grasp, due to improper timing and a lack of concentration. But now he trained and knew better. Burrpaw would do the same. He'd have to do the same.

The tom's gaze followed Burrpaw's figure. The apprentice was moving back towards his previous hunting spots. Ah, done with hunting then. The bird must've been the last one.His ear twitched for a moment as he wondered how the apprentice could manage to carry back all the fresh-kill into the clearing.

[Casual Scribbles]

Originally Posted by Gusty

@EclipsemoonXD

The tom wasn't very impressed with the last kill (for it proved that his hunting skills needed work and repetition), but it would have to do. At least the bird was dead., the mentor thought scornfully. How embarrassing would it be if it had flown away?

With that very thought, the warrior remembered his own apprentice life. There were countless times where his birds had escaped his greedy grasp, due to improper timing and a lack of concentration. But now he trained and knew better. Burrpaw would do the same. He'd have to do the same.

The tom's gaze followed Burrpaw's figure. The apprentice was moving back towards his previous hunting spots. Ah, done with hunting then. The bird must've been the last one.His ear twitched for a moment as he wondered how the apprentice could manage to carry back all the fresh-kill into the clearing.

Burrpaw trotted back the way he came, pausing to collect his kills. It was almost too much to carry for a young tom. He stumbled along, dropping the squirrel once and the vole twice, but managing to get back to where he started. The apprentice piled his prey neatly at his paws and sat to wait for his mentor's instructions. As his yellow eyes scanned the snowy marsh around him, the short-furred tom shivered and allowed his mind to only be half-present. The other half drifted off to the warmer days of greenleaf where he welcomed the sun and the abundant prey it brought.