The further Snowypaw got from the training grounds, the more anxious he became. His nose was the one thing he could always count on, but it seemed the path he had taken was being rather stingy with its prey. Plenty of tracks littered the moor if you knew were to look, but the smell of them hinted at the critters having been long gone at that point. Normally, he would have already given up and taken to following one of the slightly less stale tracks, hoping to find the critter in a longer hunt, but he had no time to spare this time. Fifteen minutes would simply not suffice for the tracking he would have to put in.
An odd step with his wounded paw making him suddenly see stars, Snowypaw sent a couple of choice curses rolling with the wind. Pausing for a moment, he gave his pad a swift lick, inspecting it before he continued. A tsk escaping his maw, the Maine Coon mix realized he would have to take it easy once they returned to camp. There was a hint of blood shining through the raw pad once more at this point, and if he took to pacing around the clearing again he would do little to improve its condition. Taking a deep breath, the patched tom centered himself, unwilling to let this be the reason he came back emptypawed. He had promised he would bring at least one prey back, and by StarClan he would keep that promise. True, he hadn't said it out loud, but it still counted!
Nodding to himself as he psyched himself up to continue the hunt, a delicate aroma wafted to his nose, making his whiskers twitch. The scent of mouse a welcomed guest brought forth by the breeze, Snowypaw quickly adopted the hunter's crouch with well practiced ease. Ears pricked as he opened his mouth to better locate his prey, he quickly caught the sound of tiny claws skittering among the grass, no doubt looking for seeds to feast on. Placing one paw in front of the other, careful not to stir a sound, his wounded pad send a ripple of pain up his leg, forcing a wincing hitch of breath from the large apprentice. This being the only sound the mouse needed to hear him, its ears perked up before dashing away, running towards him in confusion. Eyes wide and realizing he wouldn't have long to react, Snowypaw tensed up his hindlegs, getting ready to pounce after his prey. A screech sounded high above him, making the confused mouse suddenly halt in its tracks, looking up at the sharp talons that grasped it firmly in a killing blow.
Legs already coiled tight and ready to leap, the apprentice sprung forth by instinct, surprising himself and the falcon before him as he landed on the bird of prey. A loud, startled screech escaped the kestrel before Snowypaw could finish it off, a growl of frustration escaping the apprentice as he removed himself from the top of the bird, careful not to crush it. Between the first call and the one the kestrel had done now, he was certain all the prey in the area would be long gone by now. Still, even Snowypaw couldn't help but puff out his chest with a bit of pride at the sight of his catch. He had caught a falcon!
True, it was a kestrel. And the bird was actually a bit smaller than the rabbit he had caught earlier... but he had caught a falcon! And he had a mouse to show for it too, his earlier prey still tangled in the kestrel's sharp talons. Carefully disentangling the mouse from the kestrel's grip, Snowypaw took the mouse by the tail and carefully dragged it along with the falcon which he grasped securely by the neck. The gentle giant knew that with the ruckus that had been made here, there would be no chance to catch more prey before his time was up. Wanting to make it back in time to Stonecrackle, he bounded with a little more pep in his step to the moor, only a small limp on his wounded paw hinting at any discomfort in the large tom.
The further Snowypaw got from the training grounds, the more anxious he became. His nose was the one thing he could always count on, but it seemed the path he had taken was being rather stingy with its prey. Plenty of tracks littered the moor if you knew were to look, but the smell of them hinted at the critters having been long gone at that point. Normally, he would have already given up and taken to following one of the slightly less stale tracks, hoping to find the critter in a longer hunt, but he had no time to spare this time. Fifteen minutes would simply not suffice for the tracking he would have to put in.
An odd step with his wounded paw making him suddenly see stars, Snowypaw sent a couple of choice curses rolling with the wind. Pausing for a moment, he gave his pad a swift lick, inspecting it before he continued. A tsk escaping his maw, the Maine Coon mix realized he would have to take it easy once they returned to camp. There was a hint of blood shining through the raw pad once more at this point, and if he took to pacing around the clearing again he would do little to improve its condition. Taking a deep breath, the patched tom centered himself, unwilling to let this be the reason he came back emptypawed. He had promised he would bring at least one prey back, and by StarClan he would keep that promise. True, he hadn't said it out loud, but it still counted!
Nodding to himself as he psyched himself up to continue the hunt, a delicate aroma wafted to his nose, making his whiskers twitch. The scent of mouse a welcomed guest brought forth by the breeze, Snowypaw quickly adopted the hunter's crouch with well practiced ease. Ears pricked as he opened his mouth to better locate his prey, he quickly caught the sound of tiny claws skittering among the grass, no doubt looking for seeds to feast on. Placing one paw in front of the other, careful not to stir a sound, his wounded pad send a ripple of pain up his leg, forcing a wincing hitch of breath from the large apprentice. This being the only sound the mouse needed to hear him, its ears perked up before dashing away, running towards him in confusion. Eyes wide and realizing he wouldn't have long to react, Snowypaw tensed up his hindlegs, getting ready to pounce after his prey. A screech sounded high above him, making the confused mouse suddenly halt in its tracks, looking up at the sharp talons that grasped it firmly in a killing blow.
Legs already coiled tight and ready to leap, the apprentice sprung forth by instinct, surprising himself and the falcon before him as he landed on the bird of prey. A loud, startled screech escaped the kestrel before Snowypaw could finish it off, a growl of frustration escaping the apprentice as he removed himself from the top of the bird, careful not to crush it. Between the first call and the one the kestrel had done now, he was certain all the prey in the area would be long gone by now. Still, even Snowypaw couldn't help but puff out his chest with a bit of pride at the sight of his catch. He had caught a falcon!
True, it was a kestrel. And the bird was actually a bit smaller than the rabbit he had caught earlier... but he had caught a falcon! And he had a mouse to show for it too, his earlier prey still tangled in the kestrel's sharp talons. Carefully disentangling the mouse from the kestrel's grip, Snowypaw took the mouse by the tail and carefully dragged it along with the falcon which he grasped securely by the neck. The gentle giant knew that with the ruckus that had been made here, there would be no chance to catch more prey before his time was up. Wanting to make it back in time to Stonecrackle, he bounded with a little more pep in his step to the moor, only a small limp on his wounded paw hinting at any discomfort in the large tom.
Stonecrackle smiled "nice work Kiddo, a mouse, a rabbit and a falcon, thats pretty good work, not everyone catches Falcons so swiftly these days" he nodded to a lark on the ground before "this area doesn't have much prey, so i'm afraid thats all i caught, so you win"
She sat in the clearing, looking for someone to talk to. Willowgaze was rather lonely...
{PLEASE CHAT WITH HER}
Floatingleaf
Floatingleaf scanned the clearing for cats. Her eyes landed on Willowgaze who was looking kinda lonely. She walked over to her. Floatingleaf called out to her. Hey Willowgaze, do you want to go hunting. I'm kinda bored in camp and thought it would be more fun if another cat came along.
With a mouth full of feathers, Snowypaw padded as quickly as he could back to Stonecrackle, afraid of taking too long and missing his deadline. Seemingly making it back on time, the large warrior was waiting for him were he had seen him last. In fact, if it had not been for the lark before him, Snowypaw would have thought he had not moved. His ears perked in surprise as he realized the warrior had only been able to catch one prey, and a small bubble of guilt nestled itself in his stomach. There really had not been that much time for the contest, and Stonecrackle had given him a head start. Had the head start combined with the ruckus he had brought about with the falcon caused the warrior to not find much prey. It had been rather lacking to begin with... As far as Snowypaw was concerned, he had merely gotten lucky.
Before the large apprentice could say a word, however, Stonecrackle purred out a compliment in his thunderous avalanche of a voice, causing Snowypaw to bashfully look down, kestrel and mouse still dangling from his maw. His shyness soon dissipated in favor of that guilt he had felt earlier as Stonecrackle announced him the winner. Carefully placing the kestrel and mouse next to the rabbit, he sat down besides the warrior, giving his injured paw a quick reprieve before continuing. "Well... to be honest, the falcon kinda stole the mouse before I brought it down. And the rabbit was hunted before the contest. Maybe we can just count it as a tie?" he mewed softly, barely whispering the question.
As far as Snowypaw was concerned, he would have really only brought back a mouse if the falcon hadn't shown up. And technically the falcon had hunted the mouse, he had just gotten lucky at obtaining two prey in one fell swoop. Staring back down at the prey they had gathered, the gentle giant couldn't help the genuine smile that crossed his face. The first one he'd had since Deadmoon had disappeared. He'd hunted for the clan today, despite his injured paw and his listlessness. Maybe he could accomplish a little something for the clan even without a mentor. True, he would have to impose on the kindness of his clanmates, but as long as he tried his hardest, hopefully they wouldn't mind too much. And with any luck, his assessment would be right around the corner anyways, which meant he wouldn't have to misuse WindClan's warrior's time for much longer.
Goldenkit's eyes glittered like a pond that can be rippled by something as tiny as her paws. "You would?"
Her excited gaze did not last, however, when Weedkit had wondered about what happened to the two cats Goldenkit loved dearly. She shrugged her dark ginger-and-white shoulders.
"You sure you would?" Goldenkit repeated, moving away from the family subject. Doubt formed in her mind, anxious that once she befriends Weedkit he will become absent as well.
``I'd love-``
Weedkit paused and his pupils constricted suddenly, his personality turning nasty. His ears flattened and he hissed at Goldenkit, spitting out cruel words.
``I'd love nothing of the sort fool! I bet there's a reason your mother and your friend left you, and I can clearly see why! You're more stupid than a worm, kit! Any cat who becomes your friend only does it because they feel sorry for you and your helplessness.
{Note: This is Weedkit's other personality, Spider, talking, not Weedkit himself!}
Last edited by MooshedMushroom; October 20th, 2022 at 10:38 PM.
He shifted his gaze as he stopped grooming. His eyes were concentrated on the entrance. Before he became alert as his pupils dilated. Focusing on the apprentice. He straightened himself up from his fur standing to his paws. He stretched, a bit absent-minded. His tail bobbed around, looking towards the entrance. Ready to bolt out like the wind. He didn't speak towards the apprentice. His paws tingled to step onto the moor. Fluffy fur brushed against the wind. Catmint catmint catmint. . He hummed. He didn't wait for the apprentice as he burst through the entrance.
Stretching onto the moor as he skidded. Leaving his camp behind without a second thought of where he was heading. The only thing he could remember were that they were hairy, a pale purple. And something about being scented?... He shrugged it off. Heading towards the Sky Glade just as he thought the herbs were supposed to be.
[ srry for lacking behind with the patrols! i kinda rushed on this one ]
Milkpaw (he/him) Creamy-white short fur and green eyes
❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ⚘ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜
"Wait for me!" the young apprentice mewed before hurrying to race after him through the gorse and heather tunnel. The moor opened wide around him and chilly winds first hit him, then stroked his pelt as he adjusted his stride to stay behind the running warrior. I hope he doesn't leave me behind! He thought worringly, unable to catch his breath in the franctic attempt to mimic Stumpypoppy's quick step.
Luckily there were no obstacles ahead of him, so he wouldn't lose sight of his stubby tail even if he remained behind.
Milkpaw would've gladly slowed his pace to keep part of his focus on the route they were tracing, since he was starting to fear that he may lose the warriors's tracks and left behind in the middle of the moor, without any knowledge of the territory. Suddenly he wished that Deertrot was her with him. "Stumpypoppy, wait!" he tried to yowl with that little breath he was left with.
[We shall hurry up so that we're not late for the patrol report. Do you want to post the reply directly at Sky Glade?]
Ashclaw listened to the kit till she asked about her mother his tail flicked" i-i" the tom paused as he didn't know what to say" b-brightkit i don't know what happened but i could tell you how we found your mom" the tom meowed" i can tell you out in the clearing" he added
@Rabbiteye-ball
Brightkit nodded and padded out into the clearing.
__________________
Ain't much that I know what to put 'ere...
"And that, my friends, is how a revolution dies." - Haymitch
With a mouth full of feathers, Snowypaw padded as quickly as he could back to Stonecrackle, afraid of taking too long and missing his deadline. Seemingly making it back on time, the large warrior was waiting for him were he had seen him last. In fact, if it had not been for the lark before him, Snowypaw would have thought he had not moved. His ears perked in surprise as he realized the warrior had only been able to catch one prey, and a small bubble of guilt nestled itself in his stomach. There really had not been that much time for the contest, and Stonecrackle had given him a head start. Had the head start combined with the ruckus he had brought about with the falcon caused the warrior to not find much prey. It had been rather lacking to begin with... As far as Snowypaw was concerned, he had merely gotten lucky.
Before the large apprentice could say a word, however, Stonecrackle purred out a compliment in his thunderous avalanche of a voice, causing Snowypaw to bashfully look down, kestrel and mouse still dangling from his maw. His shyness soon dissipated in favor of that guilt he had felt earlier as Stonecrackle announced him the winner. Carefully placing the kestrel and mouse next to the rabbit, he sat down besides the warrior, giving his injured paw a quick reprieve before continuing. "Well... to be honest, the falcon kinda stole the mouse before I brought it down. And the rabbit was hunted before the contest. Maybe we can just count it as a tie?" he mewed softly, barely whispering the question.
As far as Snowypaw was concerned, he would have really only brought back a mouse if the falcon hadn't shown up. And technically the falcon had hunted the mouse, he had just gotten lucky at obtaining two prey in one fell swoop. Staring back down at the prey they had gathered, the gentle giant couldn't help the genuine smile that crossed his face. The first one he'd had since Deadmoon had disappeared. He'd hunted for the clan today, despite his injured paw and his listlessness. Maybe he could accomplish a little something for the clan even without a mentor. True, he would have to impose on the kindness of his clanmates, but as long as he tried his hardest, hopefully they wouldn't mind too much. And with any luck, his assessment would be right around the corner anyways, which meant he wouldn't have to misuse WindClan's warrior's time for much longer.
"it doesn't matter how you caught them, you still won kid, don't worry about it!" He rumbled, the Maine coon unfazed "this place is probs the worst part of the territory to hunt in anyway"
Fallownose raised an eyebrow at Honeyspeckle's drawn-out reply. It irked him that she was acting like nothing had happened when she hadn't completed the patrol she was assigned. "Is there a particular reason that you decided hunting for the Clan wasn't worth your time?"
Ashclaw had gotton out of his nest he exited the warriors den Quietly then went to a shady spot the tom was tired and wanted to go back to sleep but he could not disappoint the young brightkit without telling her where he and his patrol found her mother a gloomy face came across" we found you in the territory of windclan" he pointed to the territory the lowered his tail after pointing" we were doing the dawn patrol when we heard you i came over to you while my patrolmate's looked for your mother" he paused as now he was at the saddest part a soft sigh escaped him" your mother f-fell off a cliff it looked like she was attacked by a fox and both your mother and the fox died from the fall... we took you in because you couldn't defend yourself" the tom said sadly as he didn't know what Brightkits reaction was
@Rabbiteye-ball
Re: WindClan Training Moor
