Hunters hunting

Olivepaw was excited to get to hunt with her brother and his mentor for the first time since they had become apprentices, and she could hardly contain her enthusiasm. She bounded up the the ridge that overlooked the camp entrance, and waited for Ferretpaw and Lightfang to join her there.

Ferretpaw was generally up early, and today was no different. His paws felt like they had all the energy in the world in them. Today, he had been promised a hunting patrol with his sister! He couldn't wait for his sister to get to spend some time with his mentor as well, and since leaving the nursery, he couldn't help but feel like he was missing Olivepaw's constant presence.

The ticked tom hurried out of camp, not even bothering to groom a couple of pieces of moss out of his pelt. He skidded to a stop next to Olivepaw, flicking her playfully with his tail tip.

"Good morning!"

Day by day, Lightfang gradually learned how to be a better mentor. How to keep up with Ferretpaw’s wild energy, rather than try to rein it in or let himself be outrun; how to sort out which parts of his own apprenticeship were worth passing on to a WindClan warrior-to-be. It made for the perfect distraction. Of course, he was used to having one apprentice. Wrangling two was downright harrowing—what if Olivepaw proved to be just like her brother? But for today, that was his duty; and while Lightfang typically did what was asked of him whether or not he enjoyed it, his steps as he followed the apprentice duo out of camp were just a bit lighter.

”Good morning,” he meowed once he’d caught up to both of them. Lightfang squinted at the moss tangled in his apprentice’s pelt; Ferretpaw had brought part of his nest with him. ”It’s important to clean your pelt before you go out,” he said, giving Ferretpaw a gentle nudge with his tail. Then he raised his head to watch Olivepaw. If how she'd skipped out of camp was any indication, she was as eager to be on the moor as Ferretpaw usually was. Yet again, he considered he might be in over his head. ”Are both of you ready to leave?”

Olivepaw gave a happy trill as her brother caught up to her. "Good morning to you too!"
She waited as Lightfang joined them on the ridge, and twitched her tail, doing her best to wait for instruction. However, she couldn't help but to flick Ferretpaw over the ears with her tail in return. Her paws itched to be running, chasing rabbits, but she had enough sense to not take off without being told where to go or what to do first.

Ferretpaw purred in amusement as his sister returned the tail flick, before dipping his head in slight embarrassment as Lightclaw appeared and pointed out his rather disheveled appearance. He turned, quickly shaking the moss loose and then licking the fur flat once more. That was better.

"We were born ready!" Ferretpaw bounced to his paws, "Right, Olivepaw?" It still felt a little weird to hear or use their new names, but it was in a good way.

Ferretpaw dislodged the moss with a quick shake. Glad to see he hadn’t embarrassed his apprentice—at least, not enough to diminish Ferretpaw’s enthusiasm for getting to leave camp—Lightfang nodded. He hadn't thought before mentioning it, but being perfectly groomed before a hunt was probably a bit much to expect. As long as they stayed away from the borders, they wouldn't run into anything that might care about the state of their pelts. He dismissed those thoughts and stepped forward. ”In that case, follow me.” With a final glance at the mismatched pair of siblings, he padded down the ridge and deeper into WindClan’s territory.

He’d drilled Ferretpaw in the basics of hunting. Surely Olivepaw knew them, too; she’d been an apprentice nearly as long as her brother. What was her mentor’s name again? Bear…Bramble…no, Briarthorn. Not that a name could help him now. Lightfang would have to see for himself what Olivepaw had learned so far. Once he was sure they could both hunt independently, he could join in. ”We should be far enough now," he said, and turned to face the apprentices. "Hunt anything you'd like; I’m here if you have questions.” More importantly, he was here in case they ran into something bigger than a rabbit. That was hardly a bright thought to start a patrol on. The pale tabby opted for something less terrifying. "Stay where I can see you, all right?"

Olivepaw's ears pricked up at the prospect of finally getting to chase some rabbits. She was itching to go, and now that she had permission, she tasted the air, catching rabbit scent. She saw a rabbit hopping on the next ridge, and after checking that the wind was behind her, took off towards the rabbit. The cold wind blowing through her fur invigorated her, and she caught up to the rabbit with ease, giving a quick killing bite.

She returned to the group, dragging the rabbit with her, tail high with excitement at her easy success.

Olivepaw attempted to catch a Rabbit. The attempt was successful!
-5 SP

20 HP/75 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Ferretpaw was supposed to have all the basics of hunting memorized, as though simple facts and brain power had anything to do with whether or not you could catch up to a sprinting rabbit. The tom still relied mostly on his instincts, and it seemed to be working just fine for him so far. Don't make a lot of noise, get close enough you can intercept their sprint if they run...Yeah, pretty easy.

The ruddy tom sniffed at the air, attempting to locate a rabbit. In leaf-bare, it was really the only thing that made sense to hunt. He pretty quickly picked up the scent, and by some miracle, his paws didn't move faster than his brain for once and he was on top of the tall-eared creature before it could even think to take off, quickly killing it.

Ferretpaw
20/20 HP
80 - 5 = 75 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Both apprentices promptly raised their noses to the air, then set off in different directions. That they’d managed to wait this long was downright miraculous. Lightfang stood where they’d left him, half watching them, half watching the moor for danger. For now, rabbits were the most dangerous things in sight; Olivepaw caught one with ease, and Ferretpaw did the same shortly afterward. Lightfang nodded to them both, letting go of the last of his apprehension—only for it to come rushing back at the third hint of rabbit scent. Now it was his turn.

Neither SkyClanners nor rogues specialized in speed the way WindClan-born cats did. On typical hunting patrols, Lightfang preferred to track birds or small rodents, leaving the rabbits to the capable WindClan warriors patrolling with him. But this was leaf-bare; he didn’t exactly get to choose what to catch. He could only hope he would be fast enough today. Crouching low, sliding his paws across the thin layer of snow, he stalked away from the apprentices and toward the rabbit. Once he’d gotten within a few tail-lengths of it, it lifted its head; Lightfang broke into a sprint before it could do the same and killed it with a quick bite, then returned to Olivepaw and Ferretpaw, panting slightly.

Lightfang attempted to catch Rabbit, using 5 stamina. The attempt was successful!

Lightfang
80/80 HP
235/240 SP (-5)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4