What I Can Do For You

The tom sighed relieved when his eyes finally saw the fences that surrounded the barn. The old building was far away from Shadowclan territory and it wasn't so easy to follow the Thunderpath with all the monster crossing from one moment to another. But that's why he decided to leave in the dusk, pretending he was going for hunting activities. The night had already arrived but he was finally here.

Jumping over the fence with a strong leap, Firestone trotted to the abandoned hiding in the shadows until he arrived at the entrance. Looking carefully searching for any threat, the tom found the scent of the she-cat soon. "Hey! Buttercup! It's me, Firestone. Come out and let's start! I've something to tell you."

The orange and white she-cat soon stalked out of the abandoned scructure where she was hiding and waiting for the tom. She purred a greeting when she saw him, her blue eyes warm. "I was almost afraid you wouldn't come. Thank you very much, Firestone." She blinked expectantly at him. "Did you find out anything about my dear Heather?"

He flicked his tail, glad to see her again. "I always keep my promises the best I can, darling, so your fears were nonsense." Standing up, the tom turned his body back to the outside of the barn and looked at Buttercup with a tired smile. "Why don't we go outside and talk about that? I believe I found out something about your daughter." He walked forward, choosing a nice spot for chatting and hunting. After he would tell her all about that skirmish he had with Thunderclan they would start her hunting training so the warrior had to find a good place with prey close enough.

Buttercup's tail shot up and she trotted after him. She recognized how tired he looked, and she noticed a few scrapes and scratches on his body; it was clear he had gotten himself into a skirmish of some sort. Therefore, as eager as she was to learn what Firestone knew, she resisted prying immediately after stopping beside him outside.

Firestone finally chose a spot close to the barn where he could smell some mouses near. Sitting, his green eyes looked at Buttercup as she arrived by his side. "Listen, Buttercup... The Gathering is going to happen soon but not yet so I haven't had the opportunity of chatting calmly with any Thunderclan ct. However... I think I found Heather during a hunting patrol with my clanmate. On the other side of the Thunderpath, there was two Thunderclan cats: a mentor and his apprentice. Reedheart is the name of the warrior, he is the son of the deputy of Thunderclan. But his apprentice... she looked like the she-cat you described me. Her name was Heatherpaw." His gaze turned away to the horizon beyond the fence, remembering how they ended up in a battle. "I caught a bunny close to their territory and that golden-furred tom attacked me and a skirmish started. I defeat the warrior but when I was about to talk with Heatherpaw, he ran and take her away before I could catch them. I don't know if that she-cat was your daughter but I'm pretty sure she was. She looked... unsure."

A mix of fear and excitement shined in Buttercup's eyes, and her fur stood on end among her back. "That must have been Heather! It just has to be! Was she small and sandy-colored with amber eyes? You didn't attack her during this fight of yours, did you?"

The tom smiled gently seeing how excited she was by his discovery. She was really a worried mother but... why won't she join Thunderclan as well? Maybe because she was still angry about them stealing her kit but still,... that clan accepter outsiders like her. Maybe one-day Buttercup could be a clan cat too if she wanted. "Of course not! I would never dare to lay a single claw on her after what I said before! However, I couldn't stop my clanmate from attacking her. Even when her mentor told her to run, she stayed and fought against a full-grown warrior! She really is quite brave for being so young. Maybe she got that from you, darling." He purred winking, flirtily. Now that they had a bond, he felt more natural around the she-cat and he could now be himself.

Buttercup felt her chest swell up with pride for her remaining kit. She knew fully well little Heather had what it took to truly defend herself and anyone she bonded with despite being such a timid and scared cat. She gently and briefly touched her nose to Firestone's ear gratefully. "Thank you so much for not attacking her, and for figuring out where she is. I will be forever grateful to you. But now... I have to figure out how to save her. She must still be feeling so scared and alone. She's not very social after all, and I would hate for her to feel frightened. Well... anymore frightened than she already must be. You'll continue to help me, will you not?"

(OOC: This is just a random idea that came up. XD I know ShadowClan isn't fond at all of rogues, but Firestone and Buttercup seem to be creating a pretty cute friendship with each other. If you don't think it would be possible because of Magpiestar's distrust of any and all rogues, or because of anything Firestone would feel, that's perfectly fine, and this is just an idea, but what if Buttercup were to eventually join ShadowClan? ...If that's possible on this site. XD)

Firestone chuckled at her touch, flicking his tail a bit surprised but glad too. The stocky warrior stood up and held his tail up as he saw the she-cat with honest eyes and intentions. "I promise I would, didn't I? I will help you survive out here and keep you informed about Heatherpaw the best I can. Now, shall we start your hunting training? Follow me quietly. There's a mouse near that you must smell." With a grin, the tom turned his head to the place where the mouse was moving. Following the scent of the little rodent, the tom crouched down, beckoning Buttercup to do the same. Hiding in the shadows and the tall grass, he stepped slowly, controlling his breath as he moved closer to the animal. It was a plump mouse that was searching food in the hay next to the barn. Getting his body lowered, the Shadowclan warrior prepared his hind legs and leaped toward the mouse. In a fuss of hay and dry grass, the tom scared the mouse but it wasn't able to escape from his quick jaws.

Firestone shook the hay from his pelt and returned happily to Buttercup, leaving the mouse in front of her paws. "You can keep that for later. Now, let's talk about the technique, all right? Hunting is about patience, coordination, silence, and speed. Your main objective is to not scare the prey before you can have the opportunity of catching it. For that, you must keep your steps slow and silent, as well as you should keep your tail out of the ground but not too tall, though. When you think you're close enough, you put all your strength on your hind legs and jump. You can kill it either with your claws or jaws, depending on what you prefer, but usually, your fangs should be faster."

(OOC: Yeah, their friendship is quite interesting and cute, as you said. But even if I would love the idea of Buttercup joining Shadowclan, the leaders are quite strict about the outsider's rules of each clan. Maybe with some time, you'll be able to convince Icee but for now, I highly doubt she would join the clan soon.)

Buttercup watched with awe as the ShadowClan warrior caught the mouse with swift, precise movement and a clean bite. The newly-caught fresh-kill teased her senses, daring her to take a bite of the juicy meat, but she knew she had to save this mouse for Mange first. The little kit will be needing the energy to hunt for himself once she taught him how.

She listened intently to the rules of hunting, nodding every so often as the procedure became clearer and clearer in her mind. It sounded so incredibly easy, but at the same time she knew that one misstep could scare off quite a few of the mice in the barn.

(OOC: I understand, and that's fine. I'll see if I can't convince Icee over time, but if need he I'll find a different path for Buttercup to head down. :3)

Firestone tilted his head to one side, smirking funny by her lack of words when she usually seemed like a talkative cat like him. "Come on! Don't be shy. Give it a try so you can be sure you get it right. Maybe you will fail sometimes but eventually, you will make all right! Is just practice and training, that's all." He purred picking up the mouse once again and giving her a playful and defiant look. "I'm going to let this inside the barn for you later. While I'm gone, make sure you hunt something too, all right? See ya!" Without waiting for an answer, the stocky tom left her side and walked to the entrance of the barn. Maybe if he left, Buttercup will have more freedom during her hunting attempts and so she would be able to become an independent hunter able to feed herself or others if she wanted to.

Buttercup narrowed her eyes playfully at Firestone as he challenged her. She would show him. She will catch a mouse just as big and plump as his, if not bigger.

She parted her jaws to drink in the scents of the abandoned barn, allowing her to quickly locate another mouse only a few tail-lengths away from the first one Firestone caught. She crouched down just as he taught her and began stalking towards it, keeping her tail level; it was very difficult not to start lashing it in excitement. Once she deemed close enough, she bundled her legs together and shifted her weight into her hind legs, and finally she leaped.

The mouse was quick to recognize the hunter behind it, and it scurried off before Buttercup landed in the same place it was just a heartbeat ago. She hissed in frustration and lashed her tail, her pelt growing hot with embarrassment. If Firestone found out she had missed her very first catch, he might tease her. While it didn't normally matter to her who got on her case about things like this, the idea of being teased by the ShadowClan warrior felt... a little more personal.

The member 'Yoshachu' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 9

Firestone entered the barn and left the mouse next to the entrance so the she-cat would easily found it. For a few seconds, he looked at the inside of the old building, wondering how was the life here. Probably worse than Shadowclan but still peaceful enough. Smiling happy to know that Buttercup was in a safe place, the Shadowclan left the barn and made his way back to the place where Buttercup was. However, he stayed hidden behind a bunch of hay so she wouldn't see him. The orange colored tom waited there for her second attempt at hunting. If he looked how her technique was going then he would able to make her improve every flaw she might have.

(OOC: Since this is a barn filled with mice, but still at the edge of WindClan territory, do I follow the 1-8 catch rate of ShadowClan's rodent catching since Firestone is helping, or do I follow the 1-3 catch rate of WindClan's?)

Buttercup quickly located another mouse and narrowed her eyes, trying to keep a frustrated growl from sounding in her throat. She could feel Firestone's gaze heating up her fur; she knew he was watching him, making her all the more determined to prove she could hunt just as well as any Clan cat.

She stalked towards the mouse, and once she deemed close enough she leaped again, claws outstretched. She successfully landed on it and nipped its spine, killing it instantly. She purred in satisfaction and turned to look Firestone straight in the eye, a glimmer of pride flickering in her eyes.

Buttercup walked over to the barn and placed her catch next to Firestone's, then turned to him. "You're more than welcome to share, or even take these home to your Clan. I owe you so much for helping me, and this is the least I can do. I'm sure you can feed a kit or two with them." She nudged the two pieces of fresh-kill towards him with a paw.