Born in the Water, Take Quick to the Trees (closed)

Sunlight bled through the ravine, hints of gold sparkling and turning the rocks and grass warm, a faint breeze drifting through the trees. Minkstream found himself idly sitting at the edge of camp, watching it all - some cats talking quietly, others lounging in the late greenleaf sun, the shadows dancing across the grass. It was all locked behind a perfect mirror, like a reflection on the river, glittering and flowing with each moment. The cool grass beneath his paws, the patches of sunlight glowing on his pelt, all of it sat just behind the surface, just a little bit far away, shattered if a paw dared touch it.

Stop.

He shook his head and got to his paws, breaking away from the feeling like sticky mud starting to ooze up his limbs. A quick glance around, and his eyes drew back, catching a grey pelt. He felt a smile tug at the edge of his maw, chasing away the churning cool, his paws whispering over the grass. "Hey, Daris." Nudging his son lightly on the shoulder, he purred in greeting. "Looks like you haven't got a lot to do. Want to try some hunting?"

Quailpaw lifted his head at his father's touch. He nodded at his father's request to go hunting. "Sure. Better then laying around all day." The grey tabby said, stretching his paws forwards before standing up.

"Heh, that's one way of putting it." Minkstream's smile widened, and he led the way to the camp entrance, his paws slipping easily into the path up the ravine, the shadows in his mind fading briefly under the distraction of his son's presence. He glanced sideways back at him as they broke out into the gentle green shade and shifting golden light in the forest. "How's life as an apprentice? Cedarheart's a pretty good mentor, huh?"

Quailpaw followed after his father, giving him a small smirk. "Life as an apprentice is pretty good. Cedarheart's a good mentor. Don't know if she'll be able to keep teaching now that she's expecting kits but she's a good mentor." Said Quailpaw. "How bout you dad? How is it being deputy?" Quailpaw asked.

Cedarheart's kits. He ignored the twinge of misgiving that quietly whispered at the back of his mind, instead giving a nod as he casually balanced on gnarled tree root, his tail waving behind him as he smiled back at Quailpaw. "That's great. If you ever need some help with the training, me or Bat can always help you out while she's in the nursery."

His son's eyes met his curiously, that small smirk so like his own still on his maw as he asked, "How bout you dad? How is it being deputy?"

"Me?" He turned his face away to focus back on his steps, carefully hiding the shadow in his eyes from Daris as he wandered along the top of the tapering root. "It sure is busy," He said lightly, tilting his head up to catch a flicker of movement as a bird fluttered past them above, fragments of light catching its feathers but not touching the cooled dim of the forest floor where they walked. A scent caught his nose as he breathed in, and his ear twitched around to catch a faint rustle.

Glancing back at Daris, he tilted his head in its direction as he murmured, "You want to try for it?"

Quailpaw listened in intently as his father gave his anwser. "Must be. Your second in command to Nettlestar." Quailpaw said.


Quailpaw tilted his head confused as to what his father meant before turning his head, where he saw what Minkstream meant. "Yea sure."

The dark grey tabby crouched down, stalking towards the rustling and the smell. When he got close enough he saw that it was a mouse. Getting down lower, Quailpaw unsheathed his claws and leapt at the mouse. Lucky for the mouse, it managed to see Quailpaw coming and scurried off. Unlucky for Quailpaw, the mouse was gone. "Aw foxdung." He cursed to himself.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Second to Nettlestar. Minkstream watched as Daris started stalking forwards, his dark pelt fitting in with the scattering of light and dark under the trees. On a whim, he shadowed along behind him, like he might with his own apprentice, his eyes running over his son's technique automatically. Cedarheart definitely had taught him well - his stalk was smooth, his eyes focused, not a hint of distraction.

Maybe I'm second to Nettlestar, but do I deserve it? He felt his own mind wandering, his eyes flicking off among the trees, catching shafts of light filtering down from above, glimmering on leaves, moss, rocks. Ears strained for a sound he didn't want to hear, and catching nothing but the sighing hiss of a stir of wind in the leaves above.

A flicker of movement snapped his eyes back to Daris in time to see the mouse skitter away towards him, his own paw flashing out and missing it, too. He shook his head at himself, his son's mutter bringing an amused smile twisting at the edge of his maw for a moment. Quietly, he padded up, murmuring, "Bad luck it saw you. Sometimes the prey just runs, no matter what you do."

A faint sound brought his head around, his ears twitching to the alert suddenly. Frowning, he scanned the forest, a rustle sliding through the undergrowth. A rustle too loud for a mouse, yet too quiet for a dog or badger. The fur on the back of his neck prickling up, he opened his maw, straining for a scent, but the breeze was blowing toward it, and even as he probed the thick undergrowth nearby, the dread in his chest suddenly making his heart pound, he caught a flash of rust-red.

Stars no.

His mouth suddenly dry, his whole body tensing as blood-burning fear raced through his veins, he hissed to Daris, "Back up. We need to-"

A violent crackle, twigs snapping.

It flashed towards him, and without thinking he shoved Daris away from its path, desperately twisting, his muscles so taut he could barely try to dodge. Not that it mattered. Flashing white in a snarling face met his eyes, yellow boring into his soul. Ice crept up his paws, snow swirling at the edge of his vision, his breath frozen in his chest. Red, blood red. Pain.

This time Sharptooth didn't save him as jaws ripped into his flesh - took him up and tossed him like a mouse.

Minkstream failed to catch anything and instead summoned a Fox from the deep, using -3 SP.
Fox used Thrash, dealing -20 damage and costing -20 SP. Minkstream is stunned for 2 turns.

Minkstream:
80/100(-20)
277/280(-3)

Fox:
90/90
260/280(-20)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 10

DICE

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6