[squidz]

— STAGHEART —

very large, muscular, & scarred light brown tabby tom with stark blue eyes and a torn ear; killer aptitude t3 | just a scratch | dreamwalker

[ riverclan warrior | tomcat | 56 moons | gruff & battle-hardened, heart o’ gold; loyal to a fault ]

—

Stagheart paused when he heard Salamanderpaw's voice calling out in that cheery taunt, betting that both apprentices could catch more than him. Normally, he wouldn't really pay much mind to the young cats' antics; but in the effort of keeping the mood somewhat light (as the cold weather and dreary atmosphere certainly dwindled that), he let out a rusty chuckle, glancing over at the feisty 'paw.

"Mmm... alright then, kid. We'll just have to see," he meowed gruffly, though the glint in his stark blue eyes against the mist showed that he was entertained by the idea, however mildly. It wasn't like he was going to be trying that much harder just to see if he could out-hunt these youngins... right?

Snorting in amusement to himself, he continued his trek for the water vole. Soon he spotted the furry brown creature; a bit thin because of the season, but it was much better than nothing. His stomach almost growled merely at the sight. Forcing himself to focus, Stagheart wriggled his haunches and leapt.

[ Roll: 18 | Success! ]

Claws met tail, then teeth met neck. In a swift movement, Stagheart felt pleased to note that his execution of the practiced move had been almost flawless. His joints were a bit stiff from this bitter cold, and he hadn't been warmed up yet beyond the swift walk to get here, but otherwise... that went well. Whiskers twitching in satisfaction—more so he could feed the Clan, less about the competition, yeah?—the large tabby tom scuffed some half-frozen dirt over his prey to keep it safe for now. At this rate, this should be easy work to keep up with those two apprentices...

[ Rolls: 5, 7 | Fails! ]

...Or not. The next two targets, a pair of blackbirds who'd been pecking at the ground together, both squawked and fled in alarm when Stagheart found himself crunching some loud, dead leaves beneath his large paws. Dangit. Muttering a low curse and complaint, the warrior tried to pick up another scent trail in this misty, frigid air. That vole couldn't be his only catch so far, right?

[ Roll: 20 | Success! ]

Aha, nope! Perfect. The warrior's next sighting of prey was a mouse scurrying along the tall grasses. This time, the execution of his hunting crouch, leap, and kill was flawless; a clean kill, done with a single pounce and bite to the neck. He almost wished someone had been around to see that. Shaking his head at his own pride (calm down, Stag. This is for the Clan, ya fish-brain), the warrior buried the mouse as well to return to later. Only two pieces so far, but both catches had been extremely satisfying, and the two he'd missed had been awfully frustrating. Perhaps there'd be some middle ground.

Stagheart paused for a moment, glancing around to see if he could vaguely pick out how Salamanderpaw and Soaringpaw were doing, before he'd continue.

[ +1 water vole, +1 mouse ]

( bump post & some catches :3 )
[ @/squidz - Stagheart | @Highsnow of Matterhorn - Wildfoxglove | @Rose - Almondchatter | @newo - Lavenderheart | @Cloverspring - Songwave | @nyme - Salamanderpaw | @Minku - Soaringpaw ]