The Long Road [Primrosepaw]

((OOC reminder that skyclan uses the Outsider hunting dice rolls while we're here))

The clan was slowly beginning to settle into Twolegplace, as settled as any of them could be, given the situation. Smokefeather very much wished that they could be back on familiar territory, back where they belonged.

Still, that unfamiliarity was a training opportunity if she'd ever seen one. Twolegplace was like nothing Smokefeather had ever experienced, but while they were stuck here, she intended to make the most out of it. There was little reason to just stay in their makeshift camp.

"Primrosepaw, let's go." The mottled warrior kept her voice soft as she woke her apprentice. It was early enough that most were only just beginning to stir for the day, but Smokefeather being up and getting an apprentice out of bed wasn't unusual by now. Getting up early let them avoid the worst of the day's heat. Usually, she'd be a bit more enthusiastic about it, but even Smokefeather had her limits. The past few days had been rough on all of them. And still no sign of Foxfire or Mistrain. She just hoped that they had made it out of this mess somehow.

When her apprentice had joined her, Smokefeather sighed quietly. "We'll see if we can catch some prey while it's not too hot out. This is hardly the ideal place to hunt or make a living, but we'll make do." She knew Primrosepaw would need to get used to hunting in less than stellar conditions, and this was a good opportunity for her to truly need to rely on scent and sound rather than her memories of a familiar place.

She then led her apprentice out of their makeshift camp, thoughtfully scanning their surroundings. She then picked a path away from the seemingly abandoned thunderpaths. Just because all the monsters in this area were dead didn't mean that one couldn't come charging through, and the smell along the paths was too acrid to scent anything decent, anyways. If there was prey to be found, it was most likely to be sheltered in the abandoned twoleg dens and the overgrown gardens surrounding them.

Finding what looked like a promisingly overgrown garden, Smokefeather came to a stop. "Alright, let's see if you can scent anything in this overgrown garden." Doubtless her apprentice was becoming used to the routine by now, but that was in the forest and on familiar territory. Smokefeather intended that she become at least proficient here, as well. There was a faint rustling of the ferns off to one side, what was probably a mouse or other small rodent. Smokefeather's own ears twitched in the direction of it, but she remained still. Her apprentice needed the experience, and so would get the first catch, hopefully.

Primrosepaw woke at her mentor's soft mew and followed her out the den. The clan's makeshift camp was nothing compared to their usual forest territory the was now burnt to a crisp. At least most of us are still alive, she thought, as always trying to look on the bright side. Truthfully, the clans leader, Spottedstar, her aunt and sister's mentor Mistrain, a senior warrior named Foxfire, and Murkpelt an older warrior Primrosepaw had never met,  were all missing. Their location was completely unknown to the rest of the clan, nor what had happened to them.

As they walked out the make-shift camp and into the main Twolegplace, Primrosepaw shivered despite the greenleaf heat. Even though it was completely abandoned, it made her uneasy with all the strong, unfamiliar scents and sometimes unpredictable terrain. Smokefeather led her to a garden full of powerful smells of plants and the same stale scent that covered this part of the Twolegplace that the cream apprentice guessed was the Twolegs themselves, long gone from this area. 

"Lots of strange Twoleg smells," she quietly answered to her mentor's question as to not scare the prey away, "Plants, maybe some kind of rodent?". Breathing deeper, she searched to pinpoint the scent. Suddenly, a nearby plant rustled and the apprentice's ears turned towards it. "Can I catch it?" she asked, but dropped into a hunting crouch and began stalking towards the sound. As she neared the scent grew stronger, so she managed to decide that it was definitely a mouse. With one leaping bound, she pounced onto it.


Her paws landed on the mouse, but it wriggled out of her grasp and scuttled away. Hanging her head in disappointment, she turned back to Smokefeather. "I landed on it, but it escaped my paws." It gave Primrosepaw hope that the missed catch was purely a technique slip up, rather than a hold-back of her blindness.

Primrosepaw used 3 SP to catch a mouse. Catch was unsuccessful

47/50

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

"Go for it." Smokefeather murmured softly, pleased that her apprentice was eager to start hunting despite the circumstances. Smokefeather took a step back as Primrosepaw crouched, watching as she stalked forward and pounced.

"Make sure you have your prey more firmly under your paws. They don't like being pinned under someone else any more than we do. It happens." Gently flicking her apprentice's ear with her tail, Smokefeather turned. The abandoned garden was rife with the scents of rodents mixed in with the scents of plants and stale twoleg. The place must have been abandoned for quite a while for it to have been so overgrown.

"There's more prey here than I expected for abandoned twolegplace. See if you can find something else?" Smokefeather still kept her voice soft. As much as there was prey in this garden, it wouldn't do to scare the creatures off before they could catch anything.

Another mouse caught Smokefeather's eye, and this time she was the one to drop into a crouch and creep forward. When she was close enough, she'd pounce.

Smokefeather attempted to hunt a mouse. Catch successful!
SP: 157 / 160

Smokefeather quickly ended the mouse's life, then carried it back to where she'd been standing with Primrosepaw, carefully stashing it under the ferns and covering it with dirt. They'd need to catch more, and a mouse wouldn't be enough to feed much, but it was a start.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Primrosepaw nodded as her mentor advised her on how to avoid another failed catch like her last. While her mother began to hunt, she scented for any more prey. Surprisingly plentiful as it was here, she quickly caught the trace of another mouse that was running around in the bushes. Maybe this time she would get it. She dropped into a hunting crouch and began to stalk towards it. When she determined she was at a good distance from it, she prepared to pounce. Her paws closed firmly and neatly around it, and she swiftly killed it and added it to the pile Smokefeather had started with her own mouse.

"Yes, there is a lot of prey here," she commented, "if we had to leave our territory, at least we're not going extremely hungry in the process."

Primrosepaw used 3 SP to catch a mouse. Catch was successful

44/50

The member 'bestest bestest fly :)' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

"Good catch." Smokefeather purred approvingly. Her apprentice was improving steadily.

"We got lucky that Wolfcall knew of a relatively safe spot to bring the clan, but it's still twolegplace." There was something to be said for having a regularly patrolled border and knowing every inch of your own territory. They knew what went on within their borders, knew all the best places to hunt and where danger most often lurked. The same could not be said of twolegplace at all. It made her uneasy at best.

Ear twitching, Smokefeather turned in search of more prey. Movement caught her eye once more, and she crept forward carefully, not wanting to startle the mouse as it moved between the roots of an old tree.

Smokefeather attempted to catch a mouse. Catch was unsuccessful!
SP: 154 / 160

Smokefeather pounced, and came up empty as the small creature darted into a small crevice. Smokefeather lashed her tail once, the only sign of frustration she would allow herself to show, before turning to watch Primrosepaw's next move.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

"Thanks mum! Much better than last time," she said with a smile. She nodded in agreement, "I'm glad Wolfcall has been leading so well." 

Primrosepaw continued to hunt and scented for new prey. While she was still stationary, she heard her mother miss a catch - lack of the scent of new blood, no squeaks as the prey's life was ended, the sound of a lashing tail. Another mouse soon made itself known by the pitter-patter of its paws along the dirt where some sweet-smelling flowers were overgrowing. Determined to complete another successful catch, she slowly crept towards it, focussing carefully.

Primrosepaw used 3 SP to catch a mouse. Catch was successful

41/50


She pounced onto it, trapping it in her claws and quickly killing it before it could scare other prey away. After adding it to their pile, she turned back to 'watch' Smokefeather hunt.

The member 'bestest bestest fly :)' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

A quiet purr rumbled in Smokefeather's chest as she watched Primrosepaw catch her second mouse. When it was stored safely next to their other catches, the pale tortoiseshell stepped forward once more. Truthfully she wished there were more birds around, but so far twolegplace had been mostly empty of birdcall, at least in this particular area. Not like beggars could be choosers, at least they had found something, after all.

A larger form caught Smokefeather's eye, and she blinked. A squirrel! That would go a longer way to feeding mouths than mice would. She carefully crept forward, and once she was close, pounced.

Smokefeather attempted to catch a squirrel. Catch unsuccessful!
SP: 151 / 160

The sudden sound of a monster in the distance sounded, and once more Smokefeather's paws came up empty.

"No wonder the rogues from here always seem so thin," Smokefeather muttered mostly to herself. The Starclan-forsaken noise was enough to scare off their prey, if they weren't spotted first! And they had to fight with each other for prey, rather than working together like she and Primrosepaw were doing. No thanks.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

The distance roar of a monster scared her mother's squirrel, and probably making all other prey flee. As the prey was running, Primrosepaw scented another mouse run straight past her as it left its safe hiding spot and fled to a different garden. It was traveling fast, so she didn't use the hunter's crouch, just attempted to close her paws around it. She felt the mouse brush against the outside of her forepaw as it escaped her grasp. "Ah well," she said brightly to Smokefeather, "It was unlikely that that would work in the first place. That monster must have scared all the prey away - I don't think there will be any more left."


Turning to leave the garden, she collected their catch and beckoned her mentor. "I think we caught quite a lot today, come on let's go back to our ho-," she stopped herself, remembering their smouldering camp in the forest, "I mean our new camp. Come on!"

Primrosepaw used 3 SP to catch a mouse. Catch was unsuccessful

38/50

The member 'bestest bestest fly :)' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 9