Clan Skills

Satisfied he’d done a decent enough job covering the lizard and certain he wouldn’t forget where it was, Ravenpaw stepped back from it and resumed searching. If his jump hadn’t alerted the prey in his immediate area, his sprint and the quiet celebration that followed definitely might have. He’d have to venture further into the trees. So be it. Maybe he’d be able to focus better without the river in view.

Not far past the treeline, he scented something he recognized but couldn't put a name to. Keeping all these scents straight was so hard… Shaking his thoughts back to reality, he squinted until he spotted a shape darting across the forest floor. Not a mouse, despite what he'd first thought… A squirrel! And a large one at that, pausing in a relatively open patch of ground to stand up to its full squirrel-height. Perfect, Ravenpaw thought, settling into hunting position with a grin.

He knew nearly the instant he leaped that he’d done something wrong. Sure enough, his paws came down a mouse-length behind the creature’s fuzzy tail. Fox-dung! The squirrel’s head whipped around, and it took off far faster than an animal that size had any right to. Seconds later, the chase ended when the squirrel scrambled up a nearby tree, leaving Ravenpaw to glare at it from below as it chittered away—laughing at him, he guessed. Had he been alone, he might have followed; but this was a contest, and he didn’t know how much time he had. Not enough to follow a single squirrel. With a quick, sharp sigh, Ravenpaw left the tree behind. The lizard he’d caught would feed someone, and he had half a fish waiting for him when he met up with Dapplepaw and Barleytuft, but he wasn’t going to come back from his first proper patrol with only one piece of fresh-kill to show for his efforts. He’d stay out here until sundown if he had to. That thought made his paws ache. As he crouched to examine the ground once more in search of something less inclined toward climbing, he reconsidered: I’ll wait until everyone else is done. Surely he could catch one more thing…

Turning her attention fully to the river, Dapplepaw resolved herself to try to catch one more fish - that would probably be all that she would be able to carry anyway. Slowly wading in to where the water gently lapped against her soft belly fur, she waited patiently until one of the sparkling fish wandered just a whisker too close. Scooping the fish up like last time, she knew a little more now so it didn't fly as high up, although the water droplets that fell on her face were just like the first time. As she batted the fish towards the shore, she had the thought that this exhilarating thrill would never grow old, and she turned to stop the flopping fish. Her confidence faltered as she noticed it's thrashing was bring it closer to the water, and lunging forward she barely managed to grasp it before it could right itself in the water and swim away again. Water streamed from her pelt as she carried the creature further into shore, and ended it's days quickly before placing it with the rest of her catch and looking to the trees to try to spot Ravenpaw and Barleytuft. Hopefully they were able to catch plenty and could return to camp, her last minute lunge at the fish had left her soaking, and the thought of sharing a fish was starting to make her hungry.