Let's go hunting! [OPEN HUNTING PATROL]

Pebblestorm had decided to go on a patrol right after her silent vigil. She yawned, but she knew that she was a warrior now, so she must feed the clan first. "Does anyone want to go hunting?" she said, much calmer than normal.

Quailfeather meandered quietly out of the warriors' den, which was unlike her. The recent events of the Clan- first her sister's exile, and then her father's demotion- had hit her hard, and she needed something to take her mind off of them. At Pebblestorm's mention of a patrol, the gray speckled warrior came right over. "Count me in."

Laurelpaw, hearing the sounds of an exiting patrol, scrambled out of her nest and dashed out of the apprentice's den. Her face shining with excitement, the young white and speckled she-cat jogged up beside her mother, and purred "I'm going too!" Not giving any choice to the warriors, she begin to knead the ground with her claws, eager to go out and feel the wind in her fur. Looking up, she was about to express her excitement to Quailfeather, but noticed the seemingly sad, depressed gleam in her mother's eyes. She understood how much her mother had been through in the last moon, and the young apprentice smiled sympathetically. Stretching up onto her tip-toes, Laurelpaw nuzzled her mother's shoulder softly, before meeting her gaze with a comforting smile.

(Random thing Ash, I saw a cat at my local shelter who looked exactly like Breezewhisker xD)

Quietpaw

The new apprentice's ears twiched. Her eyes opened and she watched Laurelpaw dart out of the den. She didn't know where the apprentice was going, but she wanted to join. Sh rose from her nest and shook the moss and sand from her pelt. barely taking a moment to goorm her long fur she dashed out of the den in time to hear what was happening. "OH!" She squealed looking around for Crowfoot. Not seeing her mentor she raced for the small group gathering and hoppped on her paws. "Me too! Count me in!" She said and looked at the others this would be her first patrol, her first hunt. Her First time, officially out of camp. She looked over her shoulder wondering where Hawkpaw had gotten to. She hadn't seen her best friend since shehad been made an apprentice. They should get to train together soon hopefully. She returned ehr attention to the otheres and looked at the two warriors. "Please?!" She asked trying her best to be respectful and contain her excitement. but she wasn't going a very good job.

Pebblestorm nodded. "Okay, let's go!" she said as the others followed.

Gingerpaw scampered after them, having woken up just as they had started to leave. "Wait for me!" He called, catching up to them. "I wanna come!"

The young tom quickly composed himself, and delicately wrapped his flaming tail around his white paws.
"I mean, could I come...?" He asked, looking up at the others hopefully. He couldn't help being excited- this would be his first proper adventure out of camp.

Laurelpaw purred and began to trot after Pebblestorm, an excited smile on her maw. Nodding at Quietpaw, she was about to start a conversation with the other she-cat but was distracted by a voice calling out from behind them. Turning, she waved her tail at Gingerpaw in greeting before turning and gazing at Pebblestorm, seeing if she would accept another apprentice.

Quailfeather smiled as her daughter came up behind her. Just having her family near made her feel better. "Thanks, Laurelpaw," she murmured gratefully. She returned the apprentice's nuzzle as Gingerpaw and Quietpaw swarmed around Pebblestorm. She nodded at the younger warrior and let her lead the patrol. It was weird to be on a patrol that her father hadn't organized. But being out on the open territory, with long grasses around her tall legs and refreshing wind in her gray speckled fur, helped her forget some of her problems. Her ice-blue eyes softened slightly as she walked alongside her daughter, comforted by the she-cat's very presence. StarClan, what would I do without my family?

Purring happily the young tom trotted into the midst of the hunting group, his red-tabby tail held at a jauntily high angle. "Where are we going today?" He mewed curiously.

"We are going hunting." Pebblestorm said to Gingerpaw.

"Well duh," The young tom sniffed. But where in the territory? I'd like to get a peek at the Shadowclan border and test out my hunting skills on some frogs or something, he hissed, batting fiercely at a tuft of grass and rolling over. He scrambled to his feet and instantly tripped over his large paws, sprawling in the grass. He jumped up again, his fur fluffing up in embarrassment.
He padded after them silently for a while, nursing his wounded ego. It was only until he saw a rabbit darting away that he asked another question. "Is it hard to catch a rabbit?" He mewed finally. "Could I do it?

"Well, maybe you can catch a rabbit. That's where we are going to hunt; where the rabbits are." Pebblestorm said to the young Gingerpaw.

The small cream and pale ginger she-cat let out a burst of raucous laughter at the sight of Gingerpaws fall. Her eyes sparkled and the trotted forward and looked at the other apprentice. "I almost caught a rabbit once. But I was just a kit then. I'm sure I'll be able to catch on now that I'm a 'paw'" She mewed smugly lifting her head in the air and looking at the other two apprentices. She knew she was the youngest, and she had been out of camp only one other time, when she was a kit. But she was bound and determined to show them that she was just as skilled as they were. That she would be better than all of them. She looked at Pebblestorm and then at Quailfeather flicking her ears forward in excitement. her fur was fluffed up and the excitement was flying off of her ins waves. She wanted tso badly to be useful to her clan. she desperately needed the approval of the warriors, maybe they would be able to teach her how to hunt. She shook the thought from her head. She was pretty sure she could figure that out on her own.

"Catching a rabbit isn't hard, per se- it just takes technique," Quailfeather interjected, shooting Gingerpaw a grin. The apprentices' lighthearted discussions made her feel like herself again. "There's a reason WindClan cats are the fastest in the forest. Hunting rabbits isn't easy- it takes strength, stamina and speed. Unlike lazy ThunderClan, who sneak up on mice, fat RiverClan, who catch slimy fish, or SkyClan, who trap birds between them, we WindClanners outmaneuver our prey, fair and square. Observe."

The gray speckled she-cat dropped instinctively into a hunting crouch. Unlike the ThunderClan hunting crouch that Mossfoot used, with all the power gathered in their hind legs for a short burst of power, the WindClan warrior had her front paws outstretched and her white-tipped tail flat out, ready to run at a moment's notice. Pricking her ears slightly as she heard the sound of a rabbit just over the next hill, she narrowed her ice-blue eyes. She crawled forwards a few steps until she had the brown rabbit in her sight, then dashed forwards. The prey noticed immediately and started running, but Quailfeather knew what she was doing. Her lithe form streaked across the moor grass, running downhill as the rabbit ran uphill. Despite its frantic speed, the WindClan she-cat soon caught up, grabbing the rabbit's neck in her well-trained jaws and killing it quickly. Thanking StarClan silently as she had been trained, Ashstar's granddaughter climbed back up the grassy hill and set down the piece of fresh-kill. "Who wants to try next?" she asked challengingly, winking at Quietpaw.

"Can I?" Gingerpaw started forward, shooting a challenging look at the young apprentice who had laughed at his fall.
He lowered himself to the grass, his tail flat out behind him, and crept toward a hare. Leaping forward he gave chase. The hare was experienced- it darted back and forth, forcing the apprentice to weave behind it and lose speed. He jumped and missed, tumbling over before leaping up to run after his quarry, which had wasted no time and was a fair distance away. Gingerpaw watched as the hare disappeared into a hole in the ground, panting heavily. He returned to the group defeated, looking at his paws.
"It'd like to see you try it." He hissed venomously at Quietpaw.