under cover of shadow [closed]

"Come on, you two - let's go, let's go!" Thalia's voice, light and playful despite the whispering, called out to her companions. She'd gathered partners for this particular mission: she wanted to hunt, and maybe explore a little bit. And she could have done all that on her own, really - but there was one thing she understood quite clearly, even as many Nightstriker traditions eluded her.

Nightstrikers never hunt alone.

So she'd recruited Stag and Spark, and then she wasn't hunting alone, so there wasn't anything to be worried about. In truth, the time since being named a Nightstriker had treated Thalia quite well so far: she stood taller than before, proud as she was to display the mark on her face, though she had yet to find herself in her confidence. What was real, what was all for show - even she wasn't sure. It would all make sense with time and practice, she told herself; and then she'd understand herself as well as her place.

For now, though, she wanted to better understand hunting. All the better for a scout's presence in her party, then.

Spark got up after Thalia's voice. That's right, he promised her that he was going to go hunting with her. The young Nightstriker seemed like a cat he wanted to be around, which was why he gave her a nod of approval despite her being in a different faction. She seems very nice for a Nightstriker. And Stag... he didn't know much about the other Nightstriker, but it was obvious that Thalia didn't dislike him. Spark wasn't completely alright with there being two Nightstrikers while he was the only Scout, but he tried to push that thought away. They were still cats that he grew up with, even though he didn't feel like he really knew them. Gathering with the two Nightstrikers, the tom smiled confidently, with a look that said that he was ready.

Flicking his tufted ears at the sound of Thalia's voice, Stag stood up, ready to leave on the patrol. Earlier in the day he had agreed to go hunting with her and some other Scout named Spark, who he hadn't yet met. Despite being a Nightstriker, he didn't really have anything against anyone else. It was odd, considering that what he learned he was supposed to be mean and brutal. Flicking his fluffy tail, he approached the two and gave them both a curt nod. Waiting for Thalia to lead them, he took the time to look over the Scout, trying to assess what kind of cat he could be. Judging by his expression he seemed like a confident cat, otherwise there wasn't much to tell. Of course, Spark was shorter than he was, as most cats were, but that didn't tell anything either. 'I guess there's no way to tell than getting to know him, huh?' With a small sigh, he cast a side glance to Spark. "Hey, i'm Stag, nice to meetcha'." He gave a small, yet warm smile with the introduction, attempting to seem disarming, although his intimidating appearance may send the opposite message.

As the two cats she was leading engaged in small talk, Thalia's gaze centered on Spark. She was lucky enough to have a Scout for company, and had every intention of learning what she could. Just because she was a Nightstriker didn't mean there wasn't still plenty of value to be learned from other sources, after all. They were all Asylum, even if their main skillsets differed. "Okay, Spark, which way should we go first? Do you know the best path to take?"

She tried to veil her excitement, but it shone through in the twitching of her whiskers and how she couldn't seem to keep still; almost bouncing on her paws. It was a chance to bond with cats she didn't know all that well just as much as it was a chance to practice her patrolling skills, and she couldn't wait a moment longer to start.

When Stag said hello to Spark, the ginger tom felt like he should at least say hello back, even if he wasn't interested in conversing deeply. "Hey," Spark said, turning his gaze away. At least Stag seemed pretty friendly for a Nightstriker. Stag and Thalia are both really nice Nightstrikers, and so is Roe, the Scout thought. It's obvious that Nightstrikers aren't monstrous cats by definition. You could even call Theron an outlier among them. Granted, he didn't know the Nightstrikers well, but that was what he got from the five cats he sorta knew from the faction.

Thalia asking him for directions was something that caught Spark's attention. Spark nodded, then signaled to the two cats with his tail to follow him out of camp. Lyralei showed him and the other scouts where to go to find prey, so the ginger tom was keen on showing them what he knew. When the three cats got out of camp, Spark made sure to shush them. He wouldn't normally shush other cats, but in this point in time he needed them to be silent so that they wouldn't scare away the prey. Eventually, the ginger tom heard a robin flutter down to the ground, not far away from the ginger tom. Getting into a hunting crouch, he stalked the bird. Spark got closer and closer, until he got close enough to pounce on it. Grinning, the ginger tom bit the small bird's neck and buried the robin in the ground.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Thalia followed Spark's example, scanning the surrounding area for any hint of prey. There! she thought, biting back the words (quiet, she reminded herself), catching the scent of a mouse. Falling into her best hunting crouch, she made her approach; slow and steady. After all, she didn't want to give away her position. Eventually, when she'd drawn close enough to see her target clearly, she pounced.

Unfortunately, she'd misjudged her leap, and while her paw grazed the end of the mouse's tail for a split second, the little rodent scurried into hiding before she could properly catch it. "Aww... I really thought I had it!"

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Unfamiliar with hunting, Stag made sure to watch Spark's movements closely, making sure he remembered exactly how to crouch and finish the prey. Smiling at the other tom's success, he turned away to find his own prey. Soon catching the scent of vole, he tracked down the scent until his eyes found the rodent. It seemed to be nibbling on a wrinkled berry tainted by the cold. Mimicking the movements Spark had made, the large tabby stalked the vole, trying his best to stay quiet. When he was in jumping distance of the vole, he heard something crack. The vole immediately darted away and out of sight, leaving Stag alone without prey. "Foxdung! What was that sound anyways?" Looking under his paws, he found out that he had accidentally stepped on a few dead leaves, resulting in a crunching sound. With a heavy sigh, he turned back toward Thalia, seeing that she didn't have much luck wither. "Heh, i guess we're no good at hunting." He said the words with a soft chuckle at the end, trying to lighten the mood.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Spark watched as the two Nightstrikers tried to catch some prey, both failing to catch something. It made sense, since they weren't trained to hunt as Nightstrikers, so they weren't as polished as him at hunting. The ginger tom knew that he had to be the leader of this patrol of cats, since he was the best hunter of the three of them. There's nothing I can do about that. It's completely out of my control. Eventually, while the ginger tom was looking for more prey they could catch, he was taken off-guard by a goose. It ended up pecking the ginger tom hard, which Spark countered with two front paw slashes on the goose's neck. Just like he was trained to hunt, Nightstrikers were the cats trained to fight, so he hoped that the other cats here would help him.

Spark used Rending Front Paws on Goose, dealing 15 damage and costing 25 stamina.

Goose used Beak Thrust on Spark, dealing 20 damage and costing 40 stamina.

Spark:
HP: 55/75
SP: 175/200

Goose:
HP: 25/40
SP: 90/130

Thalia turned to see a goose attacking the leader of her patrol, and leapt into action with all the grace of a proper Nightstriker - or, well, she would have, if she'd been especially graceful. Instead she simply charged her opponent in a display that was admittedly rather sloppy, if effective, and dug her claws into the flesh beneath its feathers. Her form was the least of her concern in that moment, however; as she found herself wanting to simply help her friends.

Thalia used Rear-Up-to-Slash on the Goose, dealing 14 damage and costing 15 stamina!

Spark:
HP: 55/75
SP: 175/200

Thalia
HP: 75/75
SP: 185/200

Goose:
HP: 11/40
SP: 90/130