shivering, shattering [closed hunting patrol]

It was bitter cold - the kind of chill that threatened to freeze a cat's paws until they fell off. But such weather didn't stave off hunger or fight back infection. The only nice thing about leafbare was the plentiful snow that could easily be melted into water, something that was a stark contrast to the overbearing heat of late greenleaf. When one thing seemed to be going well, others weren't. Stoatfur was slowly becoming more and more resigned in his fears, less apt to seek fighting them, and more inclined to let them come. Had he given up his fight entirely, perhaps the tom would have curled up to die in the bitter cold like his long dead relative. Not that he knew the story, nor cared.

A frigid breath left his maw and his teeth clattered awkwardly together as he shivered against the cold. Stoatfur didn't want to head too far from camp. Besides, even if they had strayed further, it was likely they would still stay subconsciously close together and their odds of success would hardly change. This particular patrol consisted of himself, his apprentice, and Starlingflare. It was hardly a stellar patrol in terms of comradery but decent enough in skill. Being around Minnowpaw had been uncomfortable since their first training session but neither seemed inclined to speak about it and were contented enough to the frail peace that allowed them to train in the most impersonal manner.

The other warrior was another manner. As an apprentice, Stoatfur had liked him well enough. But the fiery behavior that had lead him to be competitive in a hunting patrol moons ago had stoked a fire in ways that the deputy found less desirable. Since his open defiance of Minkstar, Stoatfur found himself watching Starlingflare from the corner of his eye. That didn't change the fact they were clanmates, or that they needed to patrol together.

"Nothing is going to be out sniffing around in this weather. Best to stay close to the base of trees to look for any stray squirrels or birds... couldn't hurt to dig up a squirrel stash if we find it. At least part of one. If this gets any worse I'd rather eat an acorn than starve." His voice was rather light, considering the circumstances, at least less harsh than it had been for sometime. Instead, it was more factual and contemplative - a sign he was throwing himself into the task at paw.

Ahead there was a flicker of movement, not far off. Orange eyes fixated on the sight and Stoatfur pulled away with a flicker of his tail. It was a bird. The little robin looked as frail and forlorn as the rest of them. Yet even a stick-thin piece of prey was still prey. He realized as he raced towards the creature that his speed and strength had certainly waned during this harsh season. But that wasn't any sort of revolutionary thought at this point. Regardless, it condemned his success before he even neared the bird. With its wings, the robin easily lofted itself into the air and out of reach. There wasn't even anger this time, just an ice cold recognition.

He turned with forlorn eyes, that looked hallow and tired. Fire seemed to snap into them in an instant and he raced towards Minnowpaw with bared teeth. Right before slamming into his apprentice, the little bicolored tom leaped, soaring over the younger cat's head. There was a thump and a screech. Within a moment, a searing sensation lit Stoatfur's face as a talon ripped the left side of his face. Thankfully, it only glanced the eye, grazing it as he pulled back. The tom was prepared for for another strike. This wasn't the prey he was looking for but it looked like the prey he would get.

Disadvantaged stats are active.
Stoatfur used Jumping Strike on Owl, dealing 13 damage and using 7 stamina.

Stoatfur
HP: 55/60
SP: 103/140

Owl
HP: 17/30
SP: 90/90

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

A wistful, yet tired gaze, stared at the robin, fluttering away. How Minnowpaw wished he could do the same. Fly away from this StarClan forsaken leaf-bare. Hunger gnawed at his belly, making him question whether the look in his mentor's eyes were a hallucination of some sort. Apparently it was not. What did I do...? Why is he looking at me like that- Is he even looking at me? I didn't do something horribly wrong did I? his mind raced with questions when Stoatfur was suddenly baring his teeth at him. He whipped around to check if his mentor's ferocity was really directed at him. Face met with a flurry of feathers, snow, and Stoatfur. The tom had leaped over him and tackled the bird down, but it was putting up a fight. You promised yourself that you wouldn't let fear get the better of you, that you wouldn't be a coward. Now stop being such a mouse-heart and fight!

With a yowl so furious that even he was surprised, Minnowpaw jumped into action. Seeing razor sharp talons come in contact with his mentor's face, genuine concern tore through the barrier he had subconsciously put up. An soft snarl escaped his maw, suddenly erupting into a growl as he attacked. His paw slammed down on the creature, claws making purchase, tearing feathers out. It felt good. No.. It felt great. For once, something other than disappointment, fear or embarrassment coursed through his veins, fueling him with energy. Although it was only a single hit and the battle was not over, he hoped his mentor was proud. Tell me you saw that, Stoatfur!

Disadvantage Stats active.
Minnowpaw used Front Paw Strike dealing 6 damage and using 7 SP!

Minnowpaw
HP: 15/20
SP: 23/60

Owl
HP: 11/30
SP: 90/90

Starlingflare didn't know why Stoatfur would pick him of all cats for this hunting patrol. His one eye gave him a severe disadvantage when it came to hunting. He was probably the most useless one on this patrol. He knew Minnowpaw was able to catch something at least proven by the little hunting competition he had done that one time.

His yellow eye flicked to his deputy, not sure exactly what to say to the tom or what to think of him. He knew things were a little.. off between the two of them. He was able to work with the other but it seemed that was it between the two. They didn't interact much outside of needed patrols.

As for Minnowpaw. The gray tom didn't know much about the apprentice, but he was still impressed by his ability to catch the biggest piece of prey. If Minnowpaw kept that up, he had a bright future ahead of him as a hunter. Hopefully the two would patrol with each other more in the future.

His attention was taken from his thoughts as soon as he heard the screech and the sound of a fight. His yellow eye narrowed as soon as he saw the owl the two had sort of pinned to the ground. He couldn't let those two deal with it on their own. Fighting was the only thing Starlingflare was good at these days. The dilute tom approached the owl, slamming his paws down on it's head, killing it swiftly with his blow.

"Well at least that is something to eat.." He mused out loud.

Starlingflare used Upright Lock dealing 12 damage, -10 SP

Starlingflare:
55/55 HP
90/100 SP

Owl:
Dead

Before his feathered foe could lash out once more, Stoatfur's patrolmates had dove into action. He was pleasantly surprised to see Minnowpaw strike first. It had been a willful ignorance, an intentional wall, that had pulled him away from the young apprentice. But this caught his eye regardless. All he could do was offer the grey and white tom a stiff nod of acknowledgement once Starlingflare brought down the beast. Although the fresh wound still stung, he shook out his coat and straightened up from the defensive fighting position.

"Yeah I suppose so. I miss being able to hunt without the prey clawing back." The deputy prodded the owl carcass with one paw. He noticed how lean the creature was, despite being fluffed up with feathers, "Looks like we're not the only creatures starving this leafbare. Good thing is we can line some nests with these feathers. It's something." Stoatfur shrugged and dipped his head to mutter a thanks to Starclan; it was more of a habit than a genuine means of faith and almost felt abnormal to do so over a predator. As he pulled it closer he looked up to the accompanying cats.

"Think we should hunt more? I'm worried the fight, no matter how brief, might have lowered what little chances we had to catch anything else."

With a heavy last blow, the owl was dead. The simple nod his mentor gave him boosted his confidence over the hills. I did it! He noticed! A warm smile rested on his maw, even as the warriors chatted about what it was like hunting prey in the past. A content feeling was settling inside him. "Its noisy screeches have most likely scared what little prey was here..." he noted, prodding the limp bundle of feathers, staining the white snow with a glimpse of red. Progress had been made in both training and the challenge of getting to know his mentor. Perhaps some of it was his fault, he supposed. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he turned to the one-eyed warrior. "That last move you did... could you teach me how to do it?"

Starlingflare let out a small sigh. It seemed that even the owl had a hard time getting food. Would this bird be enough to bring back for now or should they try hunting more? Minnowpaw was right that the sounds of the fight probably scared everything away. "I suppose we can always do another hunt later, give everything a chance to return." He said looking at his deputy, ultimately agreeing with their choices.

A single eye looked over at the apprentice. "Oh.. uh, sure. It might be a little bit advanced for you right now, but I'm sure you will get the full hang of it once you are older. For now though it will be something to practice in your battle training." Starlingflare said to Minnowpaw, glad the younger tom actually wanted to learn something from him.

Admittedly, Stoatfur felt a prickle of jealousy at the way that Minnowpaw seemed to be impressed with Starlingflare's fighting ability. He wanted his apprentice to look at him like that, although, he had done nothing to deserve it. His tail flickered back and forth as he turned to face the forest and listened to their chatter. Parting his maw and straining to hear something other than the voices of his clanmates, Stoatfur found nothing but disappointment. It seemed that indeed whatever had been around must have scattered. Dragging an owl back would be enough effort for today. With a frustrated sigh, more at the circumstanced of the season if anything, "Well, nothing. So, lets drag this bird back to camp, get its feathers in the nursery, and maybe hunt along the way if anything else is foolish enough to be out on this cold day."