Let's go catch some rabbits! (Open Patrol)

Quailfeather padded quietly into the apprentices' den and nudged the gray and white body of her sleeping apprentice. Her younger brother. "Hey, Icepaw," she whispered quietly. "Time to get up for training." She padded back outside and sat by the camp entrance, waiting for the small tom to follow. Did anyone else want to join the patrol? The more cats, the more she could be distracted from her confusing life.

"I'll go."

The small voice offered up from the heather. A petite, ivory white she-cat bestirred from the apprentices' den. Goatpaw's pelt looked as ghostly as fog as she stepped gently towards Quailfeather. "If you wouldn't mind me joining..." she added bashfully. The apprentice padded up to the pewter warrior. Her throat, devoid of gall, clenched with unsaid words and worry. Goatpaw's ears, like folded leaves, were slightly inclined at the base as she anxiously awaited Quailfeather's answer. Possibly a steely-edged no. Goatpaw felt herself rock on her paws, gold-flecked rosy eyes focused downwards.

Quailfeather blinked as she heard the quiet, breathy voice. She turned around to see Goatpaw. The she-cat was older than her, but still an apprentice due to leaving the Clan and then returning. That, and the fact that she had been Ashstar's apprentice once and was now Smokepelt's, was all she knew about the white she-cat. She had nothing against the apprentice. The gray speckled she-cat gave a quick nod. "Sure, why not?"

"Thank you," mewed Goatpaw modestly, sitting down beside Quailfeather. She, too, didn't know much about the speckled warrior, but felt a sense of respect for her anyways. She began to groom a paw in a desperate attempt to seem casual to Quailfeather.

Laurelpaw had been lying quietly in her nest, small head resting forlornly on her paws, when she heard her mother Quailfeather enter the den. Ears swiveling, she listened as Goatpaw volunteered to go, along with Icepaw. Finally! I'm bored out of my mind! Jumping up, the energetic white and ticked she-cat purred, kneading her claws into the edge of her nest; "Can I go too?"

Quailfeather grinned at her daughter as she walked up. "Of course you can come, Laurelpaw," she purred happily. "You don't have to ask." Her frosty blue eyes gazed expectantly at the entrance of the apprentices' den, waiting for Icepaw to come out.

Goatpaw wanted to strike up a conversation—after all, she didn't know this she-cat much. She saw Quailfeather waiting expectantly for Icepaw to come out, and assumed that this was the right thing to do. She gave Laurelpaw an embarrassed little smile, and gave a composed twitch of her fine tail-tip. She kneaded the ground, sifting it with her claws. The snow had melted, and the dandelions had sown their seeds in several places.

Icepaw stumbled out, fur a mess, tail in a kink from where he slept on it oddly. He yawned widely, before realising that he'd been the last apprentice out of the den. The tom ducked his head in embarrassment, quickly licking down his fur before approaching his older sister. "H-hey Quailfeather. Sorry about that. Patrol?"

He deliberately avoided Goatpaw and Laurelpaw's gazes.

Quailfeather nodded at her apprentice as he came out. "There you are! We'll be going to the moors today, Icepaw. I'll teach you how to hunt for rabbits." With a flick of her tail, she turned to the entrance and motioned for her brother, daughter and Goatpaw to follow her as she went through.

Laurelpaw purred, bouncing slightly on her paws from excitement. Another white shape caught her eye, and she turned to face her fellow apprentice Goatpaw. Smiling back at the shy she-cat, the white and ticked molly was about to go and speak to her when Icepaw emerged from the apprentice's den. She knew that he was her mother's younger brother, and had wanted to speak to him before but now, the tom seemed to be ignoring her. Tilting her head slightly, the now confused she-cat turned and nodded at her mother's command, and fell into step beside Goatpaw. "Hey Goatpaw! Are you excited? I am! I love hunting on the moor, it feels so free and...awesome!
How about you? Do you like hunting?" Unknowingly bombarding her fellow apprentice with questions, Laurelpaw waited with bright eyes for her answers.

Rabbits, that was the staple food of their clan alongside hares. Icepaw steeled himself, knowing that being a poor hunter of rabbits wouldn't reflect well onto him, he had to be the best, to make up for his father and make his mother happy. It was bad enough he was late, he didn't have time to be a goofball.

Laurelpaw's attempts at including him in the conversation was nice, but ultimately unnecessary. He didn't need to feel included, he was here to learn. Only the fact they were distantly related kept him from ignoring her, kin should look after kin after all. "I've never been so I can't really comment. You?"

"Well... yes... a while ago and recently." Goatpaw said quietly, knowing that would sound absurd. She longed to roister in the tall grass, but for now she had to hunt, and not seem rude by answering Laurelpaw's questions in that same robotic, counterfeit voice she had been practising. Of course, to not get in trouble. She sighed.

Silentstrike hurried behind the group of apprentices and his mate, not wanting to miss this crucial training session. Goatpaw, Icepaw, and Laurelpaw, his own daughter and apprentice, were already there. And of course his mate, Quailfeather. He went over to Laurelpaw,
licking the fur on the top of her head to smooth it down. "Mind if I chip in?" He meowed softly to Quailfeather, nuzzling her cheek softly.

As she was waiting for Goatpaw to anwser, she was suprised to hear that Icepaw had decided to join the conversation after all. Smiling at the gray tom, she wasn't really sure what to make of him. Ignoring us one second, jumping into the conversation in the next? Odd... Brushing away her thoughts, she purred back an energetic reply; "Really? Well, it's really fun! I'm sure you'll really like it when we get out there!" Turning back to the shy white she-cat, Laurelpaw grinned and purred. "Cool! How good are you? I'm still learning a lot about hunting, but you've been an apprentice for longer than I have; you must be really great by now!" Her somewhat blunt and unknowing remark was cut short by an affectionate lick on the head from her father, and the young she-cat let out a mock squeal of protest. Extending onto her tip-toes to nuzzle him back, she watched her parent's sweet interaction restlessly, her paws fidgeting and squirming impatiently. Let's go already! The rabbits aren't going to wait for us!

Quailfeather smiled as her mate followed behind them. It would be nice to have another warrior along, to help with all the apprentices. "Go ahead, Silentstrike," she purred in response as her daughter carried on a conversation with Icepaw and Goatpaw. She looked back over at her younger brother as they reached the summit of a grassy hilltop. He seemed a little nervous, but learning how to hunt rabbits was an essential part of WindClan life. "Let's stop here, everyone." The gray speckled warrior turned around to face her apprentice, her long, thin tail waving in sync with the tall moor grasses. "All right, Icepaw, tell me what you can scent."