under the sweltering sun [open hunting topic]

It was a particularly hot day. The coverage of trees, dappled with bright green foliage, did little to batter back the sweltering heat. This was one of those things that made him grateful to possess a shorter coat. Not only was he not weighed down by his own fur but it also did not tamper with any pleasant breezes that would cross their patrol. Training with Waterlilly had been informative and practical. Not only had he already exchanged blows with an owl, but he'd also practiced battle techniques and tried his paws at hunting. With each passing day, the young tom felt more experienced than the last. Surely it wouldn't be long until Minkstar decided him worthy of being a warrior, much like his mother who had taken up the responsibility of clan deputy.

There was a soft flickering in the undergrowth, tell-tale signs of some unsuspecting creature rooting about for its next meal. Stoatpaw waved his tail to alert the other patrol members before darting off with light pawsteps. A slender squirrel was looking for something, perhaps a stray acorn. There wasn't much meat on its bones but Stoatpaw wasn't going to be a picky hunter, at least not today. The sooner they could return to the shelter of camp or seek a tiny stream, the better. He dashed forward. It was right before he landed on the target that its head whipped around and it's eyes grew wide, but it was too late.

Stoatpaw nipped at the nape of its neck, swiftly cutting off any blood flow. The flavors that seeped into his mouth were inviting, tempting, and it took every ounce of restraint to ignore the rumbling of his stomach. Despite prey being plentiful, it seemed most animals of the forest were also trying to avoid the heat, and he'd forgotten to eat at camp before hunting. Sinking his teeth further into the carcass, the apprentice sought out a place to go bury it before returning to the rest of the patrol with both chin and head high at the success.

Stoatpaw tried to catch a squirrel... it was successful! [-3hp]

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

"Nice catch Stoatpaw! Very smooth." complimented Harrierpaw with a small grin as he watched the his denmate efficiently kill the squirrel. They were on a typical hunting patrol and honestly, this was as eventful as the day was going to get, at least, for him. It's been all a hazy bore so far and he might've even gone cross-eyed with tiredness once or twice throughout the day but he wasn't so sure. However, at least he wasn't dragging along anymore and that's what mattered to him...even if he was currently getting his fluffy fur singed off by the heat.

The golden-eyed tom swiveled an ear toward the direction that he'd heard a noise. It was his turn now. He silently prayed to the starry cats above that he would catch whatever it was. He wasn't in the mood to be made a fool out of.

After separating from the group and tracking down the source of the noises, Harrierpaw found a bird chirping and pecking at the ground. Perfect! A target that would hopefully not be too hard to catch. He just had to snatch it up before it took off from the ground. The apprentice crouched down and with as much precaution as possible, inched closer to the creature. After that, he wiggled his haunches then swiftly pounced.

A flawless catch by him! Phew. He didn't butcher it in front of his clanmates. The young tom grinned and buried the bird just as Stoat had done. He strolled back to the patrol and watched for more prey to catch.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

It would be a flat out lie if he said that he even remotely enjoyed the current weather. He didn't do heat. Nope, it was not for him. He had somewhat thick fur and very hot days like these had him wanting to shed it all off, or just straight up jump into the river. Despite his current misery, he refused to outwardly show it. He had nearly perfected his poker face after many moons of practice and he was using it to it's fullest now. He had apprentices to watch over so he had to push aside his woes in order to keep a good focus.

"Nice catches Stoatpaw and Harrierpaw!" he praised with a chipper grin. Kestrelswoop was rather impressed at how easily Stoatpaw and Harrierpaw caught their prey. It showed the competence of their mentors and their natural talents. Hopefully he'd do the same. He really didn't want to be the only one to have failed their catch, especially since he was a warrior.

The brown and white tabby scented out a bird not far from his current position. He gently hurried over and eagerly dropped down into the hunting crouch. Slowly yet with determination he inched closer and closer to the critter. Once he was sure he'd be able to reach it with a quick leap, he wasted no time in pouncing.

The warrior grinned down at the feathered creature as he grabbed his catch and buried it before briskly returning back to their meeting spot. He made sure to keep his senses ready in case he found more prey around.
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Kestrelswoop was successful in catching a Bird costing 3 SP.

Kestrelswoop:
45/45[HP]
157/160[SP] (-3 SP)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

How any cat could manage an ounce of cheer in this weather was beyond him. The short coat was just enough to stave off absolute misery. Praise from his patrol mates meant quite a deal to him, even though he already knew he was a skilled hunter, but the apprentice was not prepared to show it. Stoatpaw wore a soft smile and offered an appreciative nod. They seemed to be not so bad themselves but especially Kestrelswoop; it must have come with the longer experience and practice that the elder tom had. Soon enough Stoatpaw would be hunting at the same level.

He'd briefly left the cover of shade and clenched his teeth at the heat. Stoatpaw shook out his coat before trotting back into speckled shelter. A tiny mouse scuttled about the leaves. Something else to bring back for the clan. Perhaps if he had another decent catch, their patrol leader would allow them to head back earlier. He slipped away with ease to head after the prey, leaping and dispatching it within only a few moments. The little creature was tucked gingerly between his teeth when he approached Kestrelswoop. The sooner they headed back to camp, the sooner he could scarf something down as well.

"You think we have enough?" Stoatpaw questioned, which was muffled slightly on account of the mouse. He dropped it and continued, "Perhaps we could stop for a drink too? Maybe bring back some moss? This is absolutely miserable."

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

As smooth as he could, Harrierpaw puffed out his chest at Kestrel's compliment. Of course it was a good catch. Hunting wasn't that hard. He could tell that Stoat was appreciative of the compliments as well. It almost surprised Harrier since he was aware that the older apprentice usually believed himself better than everyone else. Guess even furballs as stuck-up as Stoat could enjoy a few good comments once in a while.

The apprentice noticed a squirrel not too far from where he was standing in the shade and decided that another catch wouldn't hurt. He was hoping they'd all stop at around two catches each so they could go and cool off somewhere. Two catches because he noticed that Stoat was going after a mouse right then and Kestrel would probably try to get another as well. Hopefully they'd be done soon since this heat was insufferable.

Another clean catch for Harrierpaw. No biggie. He grabbed his catch and hurried back to the shade. Dropping the squirrel, he turned to look at Stoat as the other began to speak. "Yeah. I think two each is enough. Just waiting for Kestrelswoop and we should definitely go and cool off before we catch on fire." he grumbled as he briskly went back and dug up his previous catch then returned and dropped that one beside the squirrel. A bird and a squirrel. Pretty good haul if he said so himself.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

The warrior had had his eyes focused on a mouse that was obliviously scavenging for food not too far from where he'd been waiting. His ears, however, were trained on what the apprentices were saying. He was quite proud of how smoothly their catches had been. They both got two prey each and both times seemed to have gone without a hitch. He prayed that he wouldn't be the one to make a fool of himself.

The stealthy tom crouched down and cautiously inched forward, gaze solely narrowed on the critter. He was desperate to get this over with so they could all cool down as Stoat had suggested. Even in the shade, the heat was still ever present. They needed a new approach to cooling themselves. It's why he needed to catch this. Once at a leap's distance, Kestrel wasted no more time in waiting and pounced as soon as he had a good chance.

A good chance it was indeed as he trapped the mouse between his unsheathed paws and quickly ended it's life with a bite tot he neck. It was finally time to go. Two each was more than sufficient. Kestrelswoop briskly retraced his steps to where he'd left his other catch and unearthed it so he could bring it back.

As soon as he had his bird and his mouse, the warrior turned to address the apprentices, "Alright. Now that we've all caught two each -which I have to say made for a real smooth and successful hunting session- we should go and get ourselves cooled off before we head back to camp, as Stoat had suggested. It's too hot to continue on and we deserve a break for our efficient work." The warrior offered them both a grin and picked up his prey before signaling to the others to do the same. He was going to lead them somewhere to cool off.
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Kestrelswoop was successful in catching a Mouse costing 3 SP.

Kestrelswoop:
45/45[HP]
154/160[SP] (-3 SP)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5