clear skies [closed hunting]

Juniperheart, however, was not having as easy a time as her friends. This was her first hunting patrol as a proper warrior, and the newfound excitement and enthusiasm she now bounded around with may have scared away all the prey. Every treebranch she checked was empty, every bush and undergrowth she peeked into was without any movement. Creamsky and Lightningbreeze had gone off on their own, hunting down their own targets; Juniperheart couldn’t even fathom the embarrassment she would feel if she was the only one without anything to take back to camp.

The molly was just about to give up and go look for her friends when a shrill call came over the treetops— alarge mockingbird fluttered down from his hiding spot in the leaves to a lower branch on a nearby oak tree. The tree limb was still bare, too early in newleaf for the trees to gain back all their foliage, and Juniperheart was struck by just how close it had landed near her. If it noticed her it didn't care much, simply twittering away on the treebranch— this was the perfect opportunity to score some big prey, if only Juniperheart could gain the courage to scale the oak.

Ah. That part.

The molly stood motionless at the oak’s thick base, staring at the bird with large eyes. A quick eyeball measurement of the height confirmed her fears— while the bird was within hunting distance, the distance was far too high up for poor, afraid Juniperheart. She had done it before, in front of Creamsky no less, but now when she was alone… the task seemed more daunting than she remembered.

Juniperheart shifted from paw to paw nervously, looking around for any sight of her friends. If only Lightningbreeze or Creamsky were here; they would snatch it out of the sky faster than Juniperheart could blink.