ShadowClan Territory

[ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by Larkstripe

Nameless shifted anxiously, trembling, his mismatched eyes wide and guileless. He paused to consider the warrior’s offer—he was young, and unsocialized but he was no fool. He knew now that the brisk air and lack of food would kill him before this cat even considered it. He nodded slowly, stiffly, and allowed the warrior to lend his aid. The tips of his ears were pale from poor circulation, and the wound over his hip looked painful and inhibiting.
“I...only live...” he looked up to the pine fronds above them, “In the...trees...but...I came down, and there was a fox...” he looked to the wound, likely a few days old, “Now I cannot...climb.” He confessed.
He seemed to relax some, convinced that Fallenheart didn’t have malicious intentions.

@bmkmb bump?

[nocturnal]

Originally Posted by Larkstripe

Nameless shifted anxiously, trembling, his mismatched eyes wide and guileless. He paused to consider the warrior’s offer—he was young, and unsocialized but he was no fool. He knew now that the brisk air and lack of food would kill him before this cat even considered it. He nodded slowly, stiffly, and allowed the warrior to lend his aid. The tips of his ears were pale from poor circulation, and the wound over his hip looked painful and inhibiting.
“I...only live...” he looked up to the pine fronds above them, “In the...trees...but...I came down, and there was a fox...” he looked to the wound, likely a few days old, “Now I cannot...climb.” He confessed.
He seemed to relax some, convinced that Fallenheart didn’t have malicious intentions.

Fallenheart inched closer at the kitten's acceptance, and he carefully rested his tail around the smaller feline to keep him warm. It wasn't much, but it was a start. His gaze rested on the wound as the kitten spoke, a concerned frown tugging down on his maw. He despised foxes. They caused the death of one of his siblings; of four, only the warrior still persisted in the living realm. "If you come with me," the ghost tabby murmured, "I know a cat who could you. If you want, you could come and live with my clan. Most ShadowClanners are kind, despite our misleading names, and I think you would fit in." Because the nameless kitten could hunt so well, hide so well. His fear of others would need to be remedied, but they could work on that slowly. "Or, I could bring the cat here, and once that bite is all better, you could could keep on living alone. Leaf-bare is approaching, but I won't stop you. As long as you're confident that you'll survive." Fallenheart smiled softly at the kitten. "It's your choice. You don't have to make the decision now, but do think about it." The young feline, quiet as a whisper, managing to avoid patrols of the best trackers alone. If he joined, Fallenheart had half a mind of calling him Whisperkit—not for his lack of communication, but for his style of hushed hunting and traveling.

[ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by bmkmb

Fallenheart inched closer at the kitten's acceptance, and he carefully rested his tail around the smaller feline to keep him warm. It wasn't much, but it was a start. His gaze rested on the wound as the kitten spoke, a concerned frown tugging down on his maw. He despised foxes. They caused the death of one of his siblings; of four, only the warrior still persisted in the living realm. "If you come with me," the ghost tabby murmured, "I know a cat who could you. If you want, you could come and live with my clan. Most ShadowClanners are kind, despite our misleading names, and I think you would fit in." Because the nameless kitten could hunt so well, hide so well. His fear of others would need to be remedied, but they could work on that slowly. "Or, I could bring the cat here, and once that bite is all better, you could could keep on living alone. Leaf-bare is approaching, but I won't stop you. As long as you're confident that you'll survive." Fallenheart smiled softly at the kitten. "It's your choice. You don't have to make the decision now, but do think about it." The young feline, quiet as a whisper, managing to avoid patrols of the best trackers alone. If he joined, Fallenheart had half a mind of calling him Whisperkit—not for his lack of communication, but for his style of hushed hunting and traveling.

Nameless contemplated this for a moment, exhaling in relief as Fallenheart offered him warmth—warmth that he had been deprived of for quite some time. He glanced up at the towering pines above him. He had successfully gone undetected in clan territory for several moons now, but he didn’t know if he would ever be able to return to the forest canopy of the fox bite was not addressed. On the forest floor, he was easy prey for predators, his white pelt and the scent of an old wound a beacon for foxes, badgers, and birds of prey. If the ShadowClancats were anything like Fallenheart...perhaps there was nothing to fear. If he remained isolated and injured in the forest he would surely die.
He was barely old enough to be an apprentice, but life alone in the canopy had taught him to be savvy and never refuse an opportunity to shirk vulnerability.
“If...if the shadow cats will not...” his voice grew thin and trailed off, then he spoke again, effortfully, looking up at the warrior with rounded mismatched eyes, “If they will not...dislike me...for being from the outside...I would like to meet them.” He finally said, minuscule voice tinged with mounting courage.
“If I do not find safety...I know I will die...”

[Mia]

@Snow Carrot
Blackforest turned his head slightly trying to see Quailpaw in the shadows. "Very good," he meowed. "If you want to try hunting then try to stay as still in the shadows. You did good slowing your breathing. That's what should happen to catch prey in the shadows. Slow your breathing and be as still as possible." Blackforest turned his head back to the original place he had his head. "When you see a toad or lizard, whatever prey, then you want to wait till it comes closer to where you can throw a claw out and get it or you want to wait till the prey is in pouncing reach, then you pounce." He slowed his breathing and stayed still as possible, waiting for prey to come by.

[whatzername]

Originally Posted by Estelle

"o-of cou-ours!" Nightshiver smiled - it would only make finding something to train her in a bit harder, but it was a good that already Brackenpaw knew how to hunt. Ah, but what could they do then? It took a short moment of thinking, but the young warrior soon came up with an idea "h-how about we-e p-pl-ay a little g-game th-then?" she looked down to her apprentice, remembering when she had played that game with her own mentor.

l Brackenpaw l
The apprentice nodded eagerly. She smiled and flicked her tail excitedly, "Yeah, that would be amazing!" she said.

[crumbl]

Originally Posted by Mia

@Snow Carrot
Blackforest turned his head slightly trying to see Quailpaw in the shadows. "Very good," he meowed. "If you want to try hunting then try to stay as still in the shadows. You did good slowing your breathing. That's what should happen to catch prey in the shadows. Slow your breathing and be as still as possible." Blackforest turned his head back to the original place he had his head. "When you see a toad or lizard, whatever prey, then you want to wait till it comes closer to where you can throw a claw out and get it or you want to wait till the prey is in pouncing reach, then you pounce." He slowed his breathing and stayed still as possible, waiting for prey to come by.

Quailpaw didn't respond, instead melting into the shadows with a twitch of his stubby tail. He crouched in still silence, measuring his respiration carefully, and waited for prey. This was the most comfortable he'd been with any training exercise so far; if only he could feel this way all the time.

Eventually, a small frog approached, hopping along on the grass. It wasn't much of a catch but it came so close to the hidden feline that Quailpaw's snag was barely an effort. He snapped the frog's rubbery neck and stepped out into the sunshine, glancing around expectantly for Blackforest. He felt calmed and refreshed by the quiet, still exercise, and was eager to use it in the future.

[Mia]

@Snow Carrot
Blackforest watched his apprentices catch. He stepped half way out of the shadows looking at Quailpaw. "Your a natural," he said. He looked up at the top of the trees as the sunlight was fading. "We should get back to camp," Blackforest meowed, looking back at Quailpaw. "It will be dark soon. Lets get the prey you caught and head back."

[ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by Larkstripe

@Rani
(Oop sorry, I totally forgot to move the post, my bad)

Tallfern paused, listening carefully to the accomplished warrior’s explanation. If this was her position, she had truly denounced Leopardstrike’s inflexible idea of clan loyalty, which, very well could have been a contributing factor to their tumultuous parting of ways. She nodded slowly, “Your friend makes a fair point,” she agreed, “None of us are cold, unfeeling soldiers, despite how hard we may try to be.” She paused, bristling in embarrassment at the sight of the bedraggled tufts of calico hair ornamenting the undergrowth, “Oh bother, I’ve been scalped.” She huffed, “Yes, when I last saw the goblin it was rooting around beneath one of these pines...”
She lifted her muzzle to the air and inhaled deeply, emerald eyes narrowed in concentration. She stalked across the forest floor, her heavily feathered paws silent against the pine straw. Despite her size, she was a fairly agile cat; surprisingly graceful as she tracked the remnant scent. The fading tincture led her to the base of a massive pine, where she glanced up into the thick fronds.
“There you are, you bramble troll.” She hissed quietly. About halfway up the trunk, a massive fox squirrel was perched on a limb, plucking the seeds from a pinecone. Tallfern lashed her feathered tail in aggravation. She couldn’t make it up to her quarry even if she wasn’t mildly terrified of heights.

@Rani bump?

[Rani]

It was nice to talk to a cat that really got it without just blindly agreeing to her opinions like some of the more following inclined cats in the clan did. So she even let out an audible snort, her version of a chuckle, at Tallferns frustration with the squirrel, scanning the area to try and spot it. The the bulky warrior followed her larger counterpart it was immediately obvious how well her brown coat blended into the ground around her, resembling a patch of shadowed dirt more than anything like a cat. While her steps weren't as light as Tallferns, due to her weight, it was more than enough to make the two shadowclan she cats little more than ghosts.

And then there was the squirrel. "Dear stars that is a mega squirrel. I didnt know they got that big." the warrior let out a hushed whisper staring up at the animal before her nose wrinkled "Mm I dont like my chances of climbling that tree so lets..." Adderfang oh so quietly picked up a nearby pinecone, placing it as bait in a clear patch of ground away from trees where the squirrel could see it. "Im going to move around and try and position myself to cut it off from its chosen tree if it bolts, I trust you can place an ambush?" Adderfang whispered with a sort of teasing half smile at the other warrior. She'd climb the tree if pushed but given that her general method of tree climbing ended in a loud thump when she was unable to hold her bulky body weight forever, most likely if she went up the tree it'd be to scare the squirrel into jumping down into Tallfern paws then to do a hunt in the treetops.

@Larkstripe

[ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by Rani

It was nice to talk to a cat that really got it without just blindly agreeing to her opinions like some of the more following inclined cats in the clan did. So she even let out an audible snort, her version of a chuckle, at Tallferns frustration with the squirrel, scanning the area to try and spot it. The the bulky warrior followed her larger counterpart it was immediately obvious how well her brown coat blended into the ground around her, resembling a patch of shadowed dirt more than anything like a cat. While her steps weren't as light as Tallferns, due to her weight, it was more than enough to make the two shadowclan she cats little more than ghosts.

And then there was the squirrel. "Dear stars that is a mega squirrel. I didnt know they got that big." the warrior let out a hushed whisper staring up at the animal before her nose wrinkled "Mm I dont like my chances of climbling that tree so lets..." Adderfang oh so quietly picked up a nearby pinecone, placing it as bait in a clear patch of ground away from trees where the squirrel could see it. "Im going to move around and try and position myself to cut it off from its chosen tree if it bolts, I trust you can place an ambush?" Adderfang whispered with a sort of teasing half smile at the other warrior. She'd climb the tree if pushed but given that her general method of tree climbing ended in a loud thump when she was unable to hold her bulky body weight forever, most likely if she went up the tree it'd be to scare the squirrel into jumping down into Tallfern paws then to do a hunt in the treetops.

@Larkstripe

“I know! It’s pracrically half fox...” Tallfern responded, in a hushed whisper. Her emerald gaze followed the pine cone, and she smirked in satisfaction, “Brilliant thinking...” she praised, tufted ears flicked forward at attention. She nodded in agreement to the developing strategy, and crept into the shelter of the dense undergrowth, reduced to nothing but a pair of verdant eyes, her body lowered against the carpet of pine straw.
The pine cone proved to be especially appealing bait. The fox squirrel’s tail twitched in interest, it’s beady eyes locked on the bait. It descended from its branch, unaware of the warriors lying in wait below, and hastily snagged the pine cone in its clawed hands. Tallfern’s eyes narrowed, and she waited, stone still in the adjacent copse of privet shrubs. The fox squirrel seemed entirely unaware that it was being stalked, and hastily went about plucking the pine nuts from the scales of the pinecone.
There was a moment of still silence in the clearing.
The squirrel was quick, but Tallfern’s leap was expertly aimed. She erupted from the undergrowth, pouncing forepaws first on the unsuspecting rodent’s spine. There was a squeal of alarm, followed by silence, as the big warrior effortfully dispatched the large, frantic animal. She looked up, completely ecstatic, tufts of ginger fur snagged between her claws.
“That was—absolutely perfect! The bait idea, that was the most resourceful thing I’ve ever seen! You will heckle me no more!” She cried at the fox squirrel’s body, her feathery pelt fluffed with excitement, “ThunderClan has nothing on us! We might as well conquer the whole territory and capture all their squirrels!” She declared brazenly.