Hawk Light [Closed]

Dawnhawk woke with a start when he could feel warmth on his fur. Warmth. How long had he overslept? His eyes jumped around the warriors den to find it empty, which brought a frustrated growl from his throat. He forced his groggy form up and walked briskly out of the den. His eyes went to the fresh-kill pile, seeing that there were some prey items already there. The sun was high in the sky now too, far passed the time when he was supposed to patrol. "Thanks for waking me up on time guys!" Dawnhawk snarled sarcastically across the camp. There were murmurings from the other warriors about how they "thought he might have been sick" or they "tried to wake him but he slept like a log". Dawnhawk was hearing none of it. His tail lashed in aggravation and he set off toward the forest, determined to try to bring something back. "I'm fine you bunch of mouse-brained morons!" He spat, his paws carrying him hastily toward the exit of the camp.

The truth was, he hadn't slept well at all and hadn't been sleeping well for days. A number of things was keeping him awake. Anxiety, his fight and discussion that he'd had with Smokefeather, a bit of depression, but lots of restlessness. If he didn't at least try to get some prey onto the fresh-kill pile there would be more cats asking questions. Questions that he didn't want to answer. Bloodstrike had ordered that no one goes out on patrols alone anymore with their current fox problem, but Dawnhawk didn't care. He didn't want to be anywhere near his typical patrolman right now. Besides, he often broke off from the main group to go to his own hunting spots anyway. With the sun high in the sky and his white and gold pelt gleaming in the sunlight, he wasn't confident that he would be able to sneak up on very much. How did Primroselight do it? She was also brightly pelted... and blind on top of that. How?

"Dawnhawk! Wait!" Primroselight called as her brother headed out of camp. Something had been... off about him for the past few days. She wasn't completely sure what it was, but the forest held dangers. The young warrior refused to loose another littermate to the cruel wraith of the remaining fox. She was still angry at herself for not spending enough time with Dustpaw, and she wouldn't let the same thing happen with Dawnhawk. He was distant, yes, and seemed to struggle showing his emotions clearly, but Primroselight still knew he wasn't ok. The two of them were told by Bloodstrike that they would be hunting together today, so she was going to spend every moment possible trying to work out what was wrong with the tom.

After she had caught up (which took a while, since he didn't wait for her), she cautiously tried to talk to him. "Are you alright?" she asked, hoping he would answer honestly. Sensing him tense slightly, her hope faded. Of course he would try and cover everything up, at least for now. "Please, you can tell me, I promise. Something's on your mind that's bothering you, so I want to help." Her voice carried a more serious note than usual, her unseeing eyes staring up at her brother. She found a strange comfort in hearing other cat's worries; they helped her bury her own instead of dealing with them. If she could fix someone else's issues, why did she need to sort out her own?

His name was shouted out across camp and he looked behind him to see Primroselight coming after him. Dawnhawk slowed his pace but didn't stop, curiously watching his sister navigate around without being able to see. It was an admirable trait honestly.

"Hi Primroselight..." Dawnhawk said, almost cautiously as if he wasn't sure of her intentions. She immediately asked him if he was alright, which had his ears swivel backward in irritation. Why was everyone asking him if he was okay? Was it that obvious that he was bothered? He thought he'd done a good job of hiding it but maybe his lack of sleep was making him careless. He flicked his tail a few times, knowing Primroselight couldn't see it anyway.

She persisted when he didn't answer her, and while he probably could have snapped the ears off of someone else for asking, he couldn't quite muster up the meanness that he needed to snap at Primroselight. Even to him, she was too... sweet and pure for him to want to hurt her feelings. He knew it would just end up making him feel like an absolute crow-food eater. A loud sigh was hissed between his teeth as he focused back on what was in front of him, though his eyes were carefully watching for obstacles that might trip Primroselight. He'd nudge her gently away from any rocks or roots that could potentially threaten her balance.

"I'm alright, I'm just dealing with stuff that only I have any control over." Even to him, his lie sounded pathetic. He really needed his sleep, but he knew he wouldn't be getting it for at least several more days to come. "I appreciate you Primroselight, but... this is just something I need to deal with and you won't be able to help me." He sounded snappier than he meant to be. He immediately felt like mouse-fodder.

"I'm sorry... do you just want to hunt? Maybe catching a few things will help me feel better." It was the best he could come up with on the spot. It would give her an opportunity to "help" without him having to dodge questions again about what was bothering him.

Swish. Swish. Dawnhawk's tail flicked from side to side in irritation. Primroselight smiled slightly - he was sure she wouldn't notice his annoyance, but her sharp ears picked up the quietest of sounds. "Ok, that's alright. But remember, if there is anything, and I mean anything you need to talk about, I'm always here." He was being a bit harsh, but she could look past that. Lack of sleep made every cat short-tempered some of the time. 

Nodding at his suggestion of a hunt, she veered her path away slightly to search fro prey. It was, after all, what they were out to do. She stayed closer to her hunting partner than usual, memories of the fox battle still in her mind. That one had gone down easily, but it was against four cats and was weakened by hunger. The one that remained was supposed to be the most vicious, (One-Ear, she had heard her parents call it), the strongest. The one that killed Sagelight. She was annoyed that she couldn't feel safe hunting in her own territory, but in the end grateful that they still had the forest to call home.

Her ears pricked at a rustle in the recovering undergrowth. Seconds later, she caught the scent of starling. She wondered why it was on the ground, but didn't hesitate to think about it. As she dropped into a hunting crouch, she hoped, like always, that it would work. She pounced, propelled forward by her powerful haunches. Her claws landed onto of the bird's wings, providing an explanation as to why it had been such an easy catch; one of its wings felt oddly misshapen, as if it had been broken a long time ago but healed incorrectly. She picked it up in her mouth, happy with her successful catch. Hunting didn't really clear her mind, but if it helped Dawnhawk, she was happy to hunt by his side.

Primroselight used 3 SP to catch a starling. Catch was successful!
127/130

The member 'khamosa khristmas' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 1

Dawnhawk felt a twinge of guilt when she finally relented but made sure that he knew she would still be supportive. Whatever. All of this would come to a head eventually. He watched as she stalked a starling and he waited patiently, making no noise so she could catch it. He was surprised that she had managed, but not displeased. If a blind cat with a pelt similar to his could catch things in broad daylight, then he should be able to manage as well. Still, Dawnhawk prided himself on being able to catch larger prey that was harder to catch. His eyes skimmed over the few birds that may have been easy targets and instead scanned the bush edges for signs of life.

A rabbit. Exactly what he was looking for. If he caught at least one of these, then him being late for his patrol wouldn't matter that much. He dropped low and stalked forward, feeling odd on the ground. He'd always attacked from above, but he would try to hunt a different way today. After the fire, a lot of the limbs on the trees were unstable. He risked scaring things off by snapping a limb if he climbed, and he wasn't used to hunting in this part of the territory. He didn't have which limbs on which trees were okay to sit on memorized yet.

He darted from bush to bush, gradually making his way closer to the rabbit while it nibbled on the little bit of greenery left on the forest floor. Dawnhawk eventually felt like he had gotten close enough and bolted toward it, his paws making no noise as he practically flew across the ground toward it. The rabbit saw the flash of white unfortunately for him, and down the nearest rabbit hole it went. Dawnhawk spat at the edge of the hole.

"How do you do this Primroselight?" He growled. He turned his attention to her. "If I can't hide in the sun I don't usually catch very many things. I'm used to just dropping down on them with the sun at my back so they can't look up and see me. Am I loud or something? I thought it was because my fur is basically white and gold, but so are you and you catch things just fine!" He was obviously... a bit upset...

Dawnhawk used 3SP to catch a rabbit. Result: Failure.

Dawnhawk
157SP remaining. (160-3)

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 8

"Just calm down, Dawnhawk," Primroselight said as she rushed to his side. Even if he had tried to hide how upset he was, he was doing a very bad job of it. But she knew what it was like to miss a catch. Every warrior or apprentice did, especially her. She had missed a catch whilst she was trying to train her apprentice, for Starclan's sake. "Everyone misses catches all the time. Rabbits are difficult to catch, and my bird was already injured." She said, giving him a little friendly nudge to relax the conversation slightly. As she raised her face to the trees above, she remembered how much her brother liked being up in the trees. A true SkyClan cat he was, from muzzle to tail-tip. 

There was something about being in the trees, however, that just scared her a bit. Or a lot. The irregularity of the branches, how unstable they were. "We all have our own hunting styles," She said, the trees still in her mind, "Personally, I hate being up in the trees. Maybe it makes me less SkyClan than I should be, but I don't really mind. Though if you really want to hunt from above, we could always head that way," She flicked her tail to signal where she meant, "where the forest's recovered more." If Dawnhawk wasn't happy hunting where they were, then she would be fine to move. He was in a fragile state of mind at the moment; another missed catch might send him over the edge. She had almost become immune to the frustration of loosing prey, but she was still unbelievably grateful for every successful catch.

As she waited for her brother to reply, the scent of mouse caught her attention. It made the terrible mistake of scuttling past the two cats, hopeful that they would be too caught up in their conversation to notice. Primroselight didn't have time to stalk it, and just immediately pounced. Her paws missed, and she felt its tiny tail flick her paw. In a way she was glad that she had missed - maybe it would help Dawnhawk. "Look, I missed as well," she said as she sat up. "No-one's perfect, we all just have to try."

Primroselight used 3 SP to catch a mouse. Catch was unsuccessful!
124/130

The member 'khamosa khristmas' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 4

Normally, someone telling Dawnhawk to calm down would have been met with a hiss, but it was so typical of Primroselight to try to be helpful that he just... accepted it. He noted how she reacted to the idea of being in trees. Upon her mentioning she thought it made her less of a Skyclan cat his paws flexed and revealed his sharp claws hidden inside them. If anyone dared say that to his sister they'd be losing an eye. She had perfectly logical reasons to not want to go into trees. Yet she offered to go with him where the trees were more grown and sturdier. He shook his head, even though he realized she wouldn't be able to see it. A mouse scurried by and she missed it, but seemed very nonchalant about it. It hit hard when he realized that she probably missed prey quite a bit... Yet here he had been, complaining about missing one measly rabbit.

I am kind of a brat I guess... He thought, though good luck ever getting him to say that out loud. "I need to learn to hunt in circumstances that aren't perfect for me. I've become so comfortable dropping on prey from the branches that I am incapable of doing anything else. We'll stay around here until I learn how to hunt better, or I will go hungry as a punishment to myself." He wouldn't take from the fresh-kill pile without contributing to it first. He didn't leave any room for Primroselight to argue with him either.

The mouse apparently hadn't been alone. Another one tried to skitter passed the two cats as well, and Dawnhawk rushed at it with an impressive fury. His claws pressed down on the unsuspecting rodent, only just a bit too slow to get away from it's doom. Dawnhawk pressed his claws deep into the creature while it kicked, squirmed and squeaked. A cold smirk spread across his face. "Maybe I just needed to get mad." He said, to no one in particular really. After a few seconds of the mouse's squirming and squeaking, Dawnhawk crushed its head between his teeth, ending it's suffering.

Dawnhawk used 3SP to catch a mouse. Result: Success
154SP Remaining.

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 5

Primroselight accepted Dawnhawk's extreme measures, even if she didn't particularly agree with them. "Maybe..." She said, her voice trailing off slightly. It was his decision in the end, and there was no point in arguing. If he's so desperate to learn how to hunt without the trees' help, maybe I should learn to hunt in the branches. Well that would be what she would do next time she was free, although that wasn't very often, since she was training and apprentice and the damaged territory required a lot of patrolling.

As if it was summoned by her thoughts, she scented a squirrel. She approached it carefully, guessing that it was probably on a low branch. But if her brother, who would climb a tree at any opportunity, wasn't going up into the canopy here, she wasn't about to risk it. Still, she could probably reach with a leap, right? She crept closer and closer in a crouch, wiggly her haunches as she prepared to leap more up than usual. After hesitating for a second, she leapt at it. She caught its fluffy tail in her claws and pulled it down with her as she landed. Quickly cutting off its sounds of distress, she killed it with a small nip. She was a little surprised that it had worked, but was now a little more determined to improve her climbing skills. That squirrel could've been high in the treetops, and with a little practice, she would have been able to catch it.

She buried it quickly and moved on, still keeping an ear out for Dawnhawk in case he lost his temper with the prey again, or wanted any help. Although, the second option was very unlikely - both of them were probably too proud to ask for help unless they were really struggling.

Primroselight used 3 SP to catch a squirrel. Catch was successful!
121/130

The member 'khamosa khristmas' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 6

Dawnhawk could practically hear what was going through his sister's head. She couldn't see, but her attention was in the trees. Did she really feel that she wasn't a true Skyclan cat because she didn't hunt from trees? He understood why she wouldn't and so would many other cats. As far as he knew she came from a long line of true Skyclan cats like he did. She shouldn't have to worry about such things. Any accusations brought against his sister for not hunting in trees would be met with Dawnhawk's claws, teeth and no room for mercy or care for consequences. He watched her snatch a squirrel off of a low hanging limb. Once she had dispatched the fluffy-tailed rodent, he decided it was best to say something now.

"See? That was a good catch! Still, you know you don't need to prove yourself to me, right?" He tried to sound encouraging and not condescending, which was new. Primroselight had an ability to bring out the best in most cats it seemed. A fat quail suddenly darted around the brush ahead of them. Dawnhawk's eyes were suddenly lazer focused on it and he sunk into a low crouch once more to catch it. He waited until the quail scampered into the safety of a bush again before he bolted after it, knowing that quail either froze or flew when they felt safe. Unfortunately for the both of them... a badger had been waiting in that bush as well. It had clamped down on the robin just as Dawnhawk collided into it, nose to nose.

The pale tom leaped backward on reflex, his fur standing on end.

"Badgerbadgerbadgerbdager! Primroselight... be careful!" He tried his best to warn her. Dawnhawk's eyes stared into the badger's as it waddled out of the bush, looking thoroughly displeased. Yep... definitely a badger. He was going to protect his sister. He didn't care what happened to him.

Dawnhawk used 3SP to catch a quail. Result: Failure; Predator Triggered!

Dawnhawk
45HP / 151SP (-3SP)

Badger
120HP / 320SP

Primroselight
Blind
40HP / 121SP


OOC: I'll let you get the first hit in. :)

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 10