A Piece of Fish and Faith [solo]

Mallowpaw's training with Tinypool had been going well. The young molly found herself growing more and more confident within the bounds of the territory each day, her frame being carried with more grace and poise throughout her journeying. With a gaze keen on a mission, she had left camp at the peak of sunhigh. Even with all of the snow that covered the ground beneath each step she took, each echo of a gentle crunch was simply one echo closer to her goal. Hunting seemed to be a thorn in the she-cat's side, and it was one that she intended to work on her own to remove.

It was simply a part of her nature. She had learned every single component to hunting, however, the physical executions displayed by the apprentice were consistently flawed. In one way or another, the prey seemed to escape - or lure out a beast that wanted to simply picture the silver-kissed feline as its next meal. This consistent reversal of roles only brought more and more frustration upon her clawtips, and determination fueled her growing body to bring it to an end.

Her paws carried her further and further from camp, with the sound of traveling water catching her attention. An ear swiveled in its direction, the sound then causing her steps to match its origin. Earlier attempts had brought her great failure at catching the creatures upon the land, and the molly insisted upon no longer making a fool of herself. All of the knowledge she had accrued surely had to be useful in some way, and if she couldn't be useful, the life of a medicine cat was slowly becoming appealing.

'I am not a failure. I can catch prey, just like any other warrior.' Bitter thoughts swirled within her mind, only further pushing her in the rage-induced hunt. It seemed more as if she was stalking something than swiftly trotting across her Clan's homeland. Once the marshes finally gave way to the watersource she had been following did the apprentice finally allow her steps to slow down. Her gaze reflected the color of the leafbare water, and its oceanic blue scanned to see if it would be deep enough to bear fruits of the labor she wished to execute. Unsatisfied by the current location, her steps once more resumed.

'I am meant to be a warrior, you'll see.' She once again hissed beneath her breath, her pearly tail flicking in agitation. Every single time she had missed a kill, all she could feel was the disappointment Tinypool's gaze brought. It began to dig into her pelt like claws, mocking her in each attempt she made. Starclan forbid word reached back to Jaystar that she was incapable of one of the most basic tasks a warrior could complete. Mallowpaw would be deemed useless - she could easily see Jaystar punishing her for her failure. Perhaps sentence her to having to clean the elder's den every single day for a moon, or hold vigil on the night of a Gathering. If she couldn't prove to be useful at all, what if he banished her from the Clan?

The storm of thoughts clouded her gaze, which slowly shifted from determination, to the sickening twist of vengeance. 'I will make RiverClan proud. I will not be useless.' To any other cat, her storm would have seemed a bit silly - it was simply hunting. After all, the weather dug into the ground with much more anger than what boiled under her pelt. The harsh season brought understanding to any other apprentice she had talked to, and it was simply bad luck. Every creature in the forest was fighting desperately for survival.

But she had to fight harder.

Her steps slowly began to shift from a solid crunch of snow to a click as her claws struck icy stones, yet the molly pushed on. It wasn't until her steps had led her to a deeper portion of the stream did she properly allow herself to stop, taking in the scent and sight of the water before her. All that was scented was the bitter, frosty air, despite the hints of sunshine that made its way onto the forest floor. However, the smallest scent of fish tinged her nostrils. While another Clan cat would have simply whisked it away to the general smell of the river, Mallowpaw's training told her that this would mean fish were indeed present. Crouching beside the riverside, her whiskers twitched as she focused all of her senses into detecting it.

The faintest gleam of silver caught her gaze, and a quiet chitter vibrated from her chest in an attempt to call the fish closer. Its near-silent call only offered a billow of warm air upon the water, attemptedly tantalizing enough for the chilled prey to swim towards. It seemed to take her bait, as it came closer towards the she-cat. Her spine slowly pricked with anticipation as she felt ready to dart out for it, her tail flicking wildly.

A flash of white dipped into the icey waters below, however, she had failed to make her catch. The fish had darted away at the attempt the apprentice made, and a hiss escaped her chest, unrestrained in frustration.

Mottlepaw
20/20 HP
53/60 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Beneath the groomed pelt of the apprentice boiled a deep rage. It simply couldn't be that hard to hunt. It was a belief that she refused to have. After all, every single other cat within RiverClan could hunt. It was this frustration that continued to fuel her as she pushed on, having at least enough mental capacity to acknowledge that her failure had ruined that particular hunting spot. As her steps carried her towards another location, that rage slowly fizzled out... only to give way to dejection.

Images of a disappointed Tinypool filled her mind, only further pushed by the idea of her returning to camp empty-pawed. All of this energy being wasted with nothing to show for it... Tinypool would be so ashamed of her. What warrior would want a failure of an apprentice? Her tail that once was high with frustration slowly hung lower and lower, along with the pointed face that continued to trudge on. The monsters within her mind slowly grew more and more cruel, continuing to play tricks upon the young she-cat who held extremely high expectations of herself.

Within her minds eye, the scenario of Tinypool talking to Jaystar unfolded before her. It was an instance in which she had continued to fail so miserably, Tinypool had no choice but to discuss the continued disappointment to the one other cat she looked up to. It was the image of Jaystar's own disappointed stare that broke the silver-kissed apprentice, halting her in her tracks.

'I... I need to make you proud...' Her jaw clenched as tears threatened to pool at her eyes, her breath growing ragged and feeling sharp within the cold air. Whatever tricks her mind continued to play upon her slowly became like fangs, sinking into her at any vulnerable point she had. The tenacity the young apprentice was filled with was all that kept her going to an even deeper creek, which seemed to have several fish visible enough for her to see beyond her emotion-frosted gaze.

Shaking her head to clear the thoughts that she could, Mallowpaw perched on the edge of the water. Her claws flexed, and she simply waited- and watched. Her mind continued to toss its threats her way, both fueling her need to prove she was capable, but also delve into the growing pit of helplessness.

Finally, a little silver fish crept close enough she knew she could catch it. Once more darting out a claw-covered paw, this time, she felt it strike the scales of the fish. Quickly yanking it back towards her, she ended the kill's life, her adrenaline surging through her body as she finally managed to catch something.

'Thank you Starclan... they'll still like me.'



Mottlepaw
20/20 HP
46/60 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3