Out For Blood [o]

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

It had been a peaceful morning in Skyclan's camp and Bearpaw, exhausted after a long night of sleeping, had been dredged up from the depths of sleep to attend the dawn hunting patrol. Despite not wanting to get up, it was a better alternative to being forced onto one of the border patrols - that much was certain. At least now, padding along the edge of the moonlit creek, he wouldn't have to risk interaction with any Riverclan or Thunderclan cats. Bearpaw looked around eagerly, his nose twitching as he tried to pick up the scent of nearby prey. Ever since the foxes invaded their camp, he had been thirsting for more blood.

It was like an itch between his shoulders that he couldn't reach or the promise of rain that never came. The tang of blood on his tongue was always welcome to the white and brown tom and often encouraged actually. The thrill of battle seemed to make the ever-present itch go away, but Bearpaw had noticed that hunting seemed to keep the urge at bay...for a little while at least. He didn't want to discuss his fascination with battle with his sisters, though, they would never understand. Especially Ploverpaw who hated anything violent. She was his biggest concern.

They would be concerned, frightened even, if he confided in them. No cat would understand, they would be worried. There was no need to be scared of him though! Bearpaw would never resort to hurting his kin or clanmates - not even to make the itch go away. That much he was certain of. Suddenly, the scent of squirrel drifted towards him, carried by a warm breeze toward the patrol. With a lash of his tail, Bearpaw turned toward the scent first, claiming the squirrel as his quarry.

Dropping low, his belly fur brushing the ground, Bearpaw crept forward, placing his paws lightly on the ground as he'd been taught. He slunk around the curve of a massive tree and stiffened as the dusky-furred squirrel came into view. Licking his lips, the tom snuck closer and closer until finally, the squirrel turned away from him to rummage through the leaf-litter for more tasty morsels. It was now or never! Shivering with anticipation, Bearpaw leapt for the squirrel, which froze at the noise his movement caused. It didn't know what to do and that hesitation would be its downfall.

Bearpaw extended his claws, closing his paws around the squirrel's body and dragged it to his jaws, quickly killing it with a bite to the back of its neck. He dug his teeth in a little deeper than necessary and held on longer than he had to, savoring the warm blood as it dripped into his mouth. Grunting, the apprentice straightened his back, the squirrel clutched gently in his jaws, and padded back to rejoin the patrol.

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

Bearpaw looked up from his kill, eyes drooping slightly. It seemed like no matter how much sleep he got; he was always ready for another nap. The sun had barely crested the horizon, however, so they would be out for a while longer. For now, though, the rest of the patrol had spread out, everyone looking for prey of their own to bring back to the clan. His own squirrel was nothing special - it would feed an apprentice or two, but that was it. Sniffing with annoyance, the tom turned, his attention drawn by movement to his side. It was just Mintpaw. He'd personally never been interested enough to get to know her, but she seemed competent enough.

Humming in agreement, Bearpaw rolled the squirrel over with a paw, scrutinizing it with a frown. "I suppose. But we'll need to catch more than this to feed the clan." He paused for a moment, considering the silvery she-cat before him before eventually adding, "Good job though." As one of the older apprentices, it was his job to encourage and lead the younger ones. He was taking his time with his apprenticeship, though. No part in thanks to his mentor's partial absence in his training.

Then, an odd scent drifted from deeper in the woods - something Bearpaw hadn't smelled before. Hackles rising, Bearpaw jerked his head forward, gesturing for her to follow him. "There's something up ahead. Follow me but be careful." Without waiting, the brown and white apprentice crept through the nearby undergrowth, following his nose to the musky smell. Whatever it was, it was trespassing on their land - it had to be dealt with.

A more cautious cat might have returned to the rest of the patrol for backup. Bearpaw, however, wasn't a cautious cat. He knew this of himself and accepted it with open paws. Why skulk around like a mouse when he could face things head on? Just then, he heard scuffling from up ahead - almost like a cat. Growling, the tom stalked around a tree, his eyes falling on a long-bodied creature. It looked almost like a mouse, just larger and with a reaalllyyyy long back. It was a snake-mouse!

Claws digging into the soil, Bearpaw calculated the risks for a moment, then surged out of the bushes, bearing down on the creature with his fangs bared. He collided with the writhing creature and sank his teeth into the fleshy part of its back leg. Shrieking, the small beast whirled around, its needle-like teeth finding his foreleg. Hissing, Bearpaw released it and batted it away, sending the brown animal skidding across the leafy ground with a sharp snarl of anger.

Bearpaw used Snap, dealing 6 HP at the cost of 7 SP.

The Weasel used Gripping Bite on Bearpaw, dealing 7 HP at the cost of 15 SP.

Bearpaw:
(-7) 13/20 HP
(-7) 53/60 SP

Weasel:
(-6) 14/20 HP
(-15) 120/135 SP