Swift Hunting (Open Patrol)

Large, fat drops of rain poured down from the smoky gray clouds above, drenching the moorlands and probably driving all the rabbits underground. Still, rain or no rain, she had been assigned a hunting patrol, so here she was. Quailfeather sat by the camp entrance, trying not to let the raindrops bother her. She was already soaked to her skin, so what was the point of trying to find shelter for a few moments while she waited for others to join her? Really, the weather wasn't too bad, if you thought about it. It would wash away the last faint tinges of smoke that remained from the fire that had burned up half the territory a few moons ago, and the grass always smelled so good after rain. And hopefully, some prey would still be outside, perhaps driven to shelter in places they otherwise wouldn't be. Trying to be optimistic, the senior warrior waited patiently for her Clanmates to accompany her on the patrol Brindlewhisker had assigned.

Fawnpaw walked out of the apprentice's den boredly. She wanted something to keep her busy. As she looked around, she spotted Quailfeather. The young she-cat assumed the warrior was going on a patrol so she raced to where she was. "Gloomy weather we're having right Quailfeather? Oh! May I join your patrol?" the she-cat asked.

Quailfeather smiled at the apprentice who walked out of the den. "Yes, you may," she replied, light blue eyes warm as they rested on the young she-cat's pelt. Suppressing a shiver from the cold weather, the senior warrior glanced around camp, waiting to see who else would accompany her.

Laurelsong took a reluctant step out of the warrior's den, only to whip her head up to look crossly at the stormy gray sky, raindrops gathering on her pale pelt like early-morning dew on blades of grass.  Pfft, this looks fun  With a huff, the young warrior turned to see her mother and an apprentice, seemingly about to go out on a patrol.  She remembered not-too-fondly of the extra time she had spent training for her name, tagging along on every patrol she could.  She didn't really need to go out right now...she hadn't been assigned...but why not?  "Hey mom!  Heh, nice weather we're having!  Can I go with you guys?"  With a smile, she joined the duo, nodding a friendly 'hello' to Fawnpaw.

"I've seen better weather," Quailfeather purred as her daughter walked up. The only kit surviving from her and Silentstrike's litter, Laurelsong was a beautiful young she-cat that the senior warrior loved with all her heart. It would be nice for them to spend some more time together. "Feel free to join us- those rabbits won't catch themselves!" She would wait for one or two more cats to join, and then they would head out. Since she hadn't eaten since morning, she was beginning to get a little hungry and the sooner they hunted and fed the queens and elders, the sooner she could eat.

Dawnlight decided to join the patrol that was forming in front of him. He had not really gone out much since the death of his brother, Goldenflame. It had felt like there was no point to it anymore. He padded up to the cats and dipped his head to signal that he would come.

Quailfeather nodded in recognition of Dawnlight's arrival- he was a distant relative through Brindlewhisker, but she didn't see much of him around camp. "All right, then, let's go. Try to catch as much prey as you all can- leaf-bare's coming on, and we don't want the Clan to go hungry. With no medicine cat right now, we need to keep as far from starvation as possible so we can avoid getting sick." This said, the senior warrior turned around and walked through the entrance, flicking her white tail-tip and inviting the others to follow her.