prey on the run (o)

Dayspring couldn't tell if she enjoyed or hated being the cat in charge of assigning patrols. Every morning, apprentices and warriors alike would rally around her and wait to be placed, and those that weren't picked for the day would typically take their apprentice out for a training session or spend the day helping around camp. She had been doing it for a few moons, now, but unlike apprentice ceremonies, this was a duty that she found difficult to get used to. She'd often find herself tripping over her words while calling out names, and it was always quite the challenge for her to hide her immediate embarrassment, but she managed.

Today, she had decided to put together a hunting patrol that she would lead. The existence of Greenleaf meant that prey could be found in every nook and cranny of the territory, and it would be a shame to put that to waste. She quietly watched as the morning border patrol padded past her and headed out to make sure that any stale WindClan scents from old patrols would be replaced with new ones. Dayspring couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. A peaceful morning meant that there would be a peaceful day ahead. All she had to do was wait for the rest of her patrol to show up at the exit before she could leave camp.

While it may not have been wise to have both the leader and deputy outside of camp at the same time, Lilacstar did want to take the time to catch up with Dayspring, and see how she was faring. Despite her having appointed Dayspring as her deputy, the two had not interacted much, which was not good at all for their roles. So she decided to take the time this hunt to change that.

"Hey, Dayspring! How have things been coming along? I know things have been......crazy, to say the least, so I wanted to check up on you and see how things were going. And clear the air on thoughts and all. You know, that kind of stuff leaders do with their deputies. And now I am rambling. I'm sorry, this is just a little awkward. We really need to talk more." She chuckled despite the weirdness she felt. She just wanted to let Dayspring know that she was open to talk at any time, but with the way this was already going, she highly doubted that it was coming across that way.

Now very much so embarrassed, Lilacstar decided to scan the moor, looking anywhere but at Dayspring. This was clearly going very terribly.

Spotting a quail among the heather, the leader dipped into a crouch, preparing for the hunt. Stalking forward, she leaped on top of the bird, slamming it to the ground before it could take off. With a nip to the neck to dispatch it, she quickly buried the avian before returning to her deputy, now ready to continue conversing.

Lilacstar attempted to catch a bird. Catch was successful! -3 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

"Crazy" certainly seemed to be an understatement when it came to describing how things were at the moment. Dayspring decided to look at this opportunity to speak with Lilacstar through a lens of optimism. Perhaps most cats believed that talking during a hunting patrol was counterproductive since the prey would be able to hear the distant sound of voices, but the she-cat knew that the two of them didn't speak alone very often, so chances like this couldn't be missed.
"Don't worry about it... I know a thing or two about rambling." Dayspring spoke, her voice as quiet as she usually was.
She took a deep breath as she watched Lilacstar head off for a moment to catch the nearest piece of prey, and smiled slightly as the leader made the catch.

"I'm glad that we have this time, actually. I've been meaning to talk to you." The deputy seemed hesitant at first.
"I'm so sorry about what went down... y'know, back when Dawnhawk made his announcement. I shouldn't have snapped at him, and I don't want to make it seem like I don't trust your judgement or anything. I've always loved how WindClan is so willing to give second chances and homes to cats that don't have any, but I guess I was just scared back there. I just don't want Dawnhawk to end up hurting anyone else. WindClan has been through so much already and we're all still trying to recover from what the Asylum did to the entire forest. I don't want to see more death."

Dayspring kept her ears pricked and alert as she spoke so that she would be able to react to the sound of any prey rustling around in the grass. As she finished her spiel, the sight of a mouse caught her attention. Quickly and quietly, she wandered off to the side to attempt to make the catch. Either the mouse was abnormally nimble, or Dayspring was abnormally nervous. Whatever the reason was, the she-cat's claws ended up missing the body of the rodent by only a hair. She let out the quietest of exhales as it scampered away to the nearest shelter it could find.

The she-cat could feel embarrassment heating up her face as she returned back to Lilacstar's side.
"Gosh, sorry, that was such a rookie mistake."

dayspring failed to catch a rodent. it cost her 3 sp.
277/280

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

"Dayspring, you are my deputy, but you are still your own cat. You have your own opinions and beliefs. You don't always have to agree with me. I don't always make the right choices." And she could not blame the she-cat for questioning her latest choice. It seemed like the whole of the Clan was. Even she was starting to question it. She wanted so badly to give Dawnhawk that second chance she felt he deserved, but did she put the whole of her Clan at risk in the process? She agreed with Dayspring that there shouldn't be any more death, but is saving the life of one cat really worth what was coming their way now? Stars, if only she had the answers.

In the moment that Dayspring had veered off after a mouse, Lilacstar had also spotted a rabbit, and decided to try to chase it down. Bunching up her muscles, the leader prepared to dash forward. Within moments, she had the rodent caught and buried, as Dayspring returned to her side.

"Don't worry about it. Every cat misses prey, it was just bad luck. And mice are a pain to catch anyway." She gave a cheerful wink, but her heart still felt heavy with the thoughts clouding her mind.

"I need you to be honest with me, Dayspring. Do you think I did the right thing? Letting Dawnhawk stay? I didn't want to send him out to be killed, especially when he does seem like a better cat. But I can't help but worry about what it will do to the Clan. Even if Dawnhawk himself does not pose a threat, SkyClan just might. I honestly don't know what to do now."

Lilacstar attempted to catch a rabbit. Catch was successful! -3 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Dayspring couldn't help but tilt her head in thought. If she had been in Lilacstar's position, would she have made a different decision? Would she have told Dawnhawk to leave? There was no denying that keeping the tom in the Clan had managed to drag WindClan into SkyClan's complications, and the relationship between the two Clans hadn't been the greatest even before "Nightwind" had confessed to the ruse.
"Now that I think about it... I do think you made the right decision. I can't think of a scenario in which this would've ended well. Telling Dawnhawk to leave could've resulted in him targeting WindClan cats for revenge, and SkyClan would still be angry at the fact that we sheltered him in the first place. At least keeping him here is a method of somewhat keeping him under control. I think the only thing that we can do now is just be ready for the worst possible scenario... which is probably a battle."

Dayspring could feel her heart begin to sink. It was astounding to her how one cat alone had managed to cause such chaos between multiple Clans. Her attention was suddenly snatched away from the topic at hand as she quieted her pawsteps in order to make a leap for a hare that was enjoying the Greenleaf sun. To her satisfaction, she managed to trap it underneath her hooked claws, kill it swiftly, and bury it in the dirt.

"As a Clan, we've managed to push through so much in the past few moons. I don't think this will be any different." She commented with the tiniest of smiles to accompany her expression as she rejoined Lilacstar.

dayspring successfully caught a hare! it cost her 3 sp.
274/280

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5