Drowning Sorrows Via Hunting [Closed - Hunting Patrol]

Mottleheart sat crouched just within the borders of the WindClan camp, his eyes closed as he let the gentle breeze of the moor rush over his short coat as he soaked in the warm rays of the sun. It was a nice day but Mottleheart still felt shaken with everything that had transpired with Rockthorn but was coming to grip with it. But the tom couldn't deny that it seemed like a better idea to do anything else but dwell on such facts as he got to his paws, stretching out his limbs as he flickered open his eyes. If there was one thing that Mottleheart was skilled at, it was speed. Even for a WindClan cat he felt he was noticeable quick - a very useful skill when it came to hunting and so he quickly decided that hunting seemed like the best option to keep his mind off of things. His gaze flickered around the camp as he moved toward the entrance of the camp, hesitation to see if anybody was willing to come with him. He wasn't against hunting by his lonesome but the company was always nice.

Quickpaw, being a newly made apprentice, was unsure of what exactly was happening, but even she could sense the uneasiness. She was sitting near the fresh-kill pile when she noticed Mottleheart heading out of the camp. Her curiosity got the best of her and she decided to follow the warrior. "H-hey! Wait up," she said quietly, catching up to the warrior. While he wasn't her mentor, she could always use training.

Weaselpaw came out of the apprentice's den with a stretch, shaking his fur out as he looked around. Despite the warmth in the air, the older warriors felt short-tempered and uneasy. Sighing, he noticed a pair of cats by the entrance, and he bounced over to them. He had yet to go hunting, and he could only hope this would be his chance. "Patrol?" He mewed as he approached, looking at Mottleheart curiously.

Mottleheart paused at the sound of rushed pawsteps and a voice, glancing over his shoulder to see an apprentice darting toward him - Quickpaw if he recalled correctly. The tom swished his tail as he turned to look at the apprentice, raising an eyebrow. He could only guess that the young apprentice wanted to join him but felt it was right to ask. He opened his mouth, ready to say something when another apprentice came bounding up. He turned his attention, giving a faint nod of his head to Weaselpaw. "Yes, I was planning to go on a small hunting trip. Do the two of you want to join me?" he questioned, a bit relieved at the presence of the two apprentices. It was welcoming being in such young company and he could give them some pointers on their hunting if they did decide to come with him...His eyes flickered back to Quickpaw, wondering if the apprentice's speed matched his name. If so, then there was perhaps many things that Mottleheart could teach him. As he waited for a response, he glanced over the two to see if anymore cats seemed interested in joining.

Quailfeather woke up early, as usual. The WindClan cat could her near to miss the sunrise over the hills. Her three gray paws and one white paw made no sound as she padded out of the warriors' den. Her ice-blue eyes spotted Mottleheart, one of her fellow warriors, followed by two apprentices. She didn't know any of them well. The three were probably gathered for the dawn patrol. I haven't been patrolling for a while. I'd like to see the territory in newleaf. "Wait for me," the gray speckled warrior called out lightly, eyes dancing in the sunlight as she raced towards the mottled tom and the apprentices. She skidded to a halt in front of them. "I'd like to come too."

Quickpaw nodded, accepting Mottleheart's offer. "Y-yeah. I c-could always use the extra practice," she said, pawing the ground in front of her as a nervous habit. She turned her head at the sound of a new arrival and saw Quailfeather padding up, asking to join. Since becoming an apprentice, she had begun to recognize and remember the names of the members of the clans, although everyone's scents were still too mixed together at this point for her to pinpoint who was where.

Weaselpaw turned his head, watching as another warrior came padding up to them. His tail twitched, and he fixed his attention back on Mottleheart. "Hunting sounds great," he responded around a yawn, shaking his head to blink sleep from his eyes.

Mottleheart halted when he heard a voice speak up, glancing over his shoulder to see Quailfeather rushing toward them. There was a warmness in his eyes - certainly not going to say no to having extra paws help catch prey. "Of course you can join Quailfeather. Follow me!" he said with a jerk of his head, now motioning for all three to follow him out into the territory. His tail swished with a small pride at the small group that had decided to join him, very eager to see how much prey the could all bring back. But as he led them toward his favorite hunting grounds, he kept his mouth open just in case he caught the scent of a roaming rabbit or hare.

Quailfeather followed behind him, thin tail swishing to and fro. Her paws made no sound as they padded across the wide grassy moors, gray following white following gray. Her frosty blue eyes seemed to glitter with warmth as the newleaf sun rose over Highstones to shine on their pelts. The territory was lush and green, and the scents of prey abounded. The gray-speckled warrior loved newleaf. There was a content smile on her face as she padded alongside Mottleheart, Quickpaw and Weaselpaw.

Quickpaw anxiously followed the others, sniffing the air as she went along. She looked between the other apprentice and the two warriors and saw that they were basically doing the same thing. She caught the scents of many small animals, but most were a couple hours old, making them stale. Hopefully she wouldn't mess up to badly. She wanted to make a good impression on the two warriors. Weaselpaw was learning still, just as she was, so it made her feel a little better that she wasn't the only apprentice.