through the reeds [closed]

The young warrior padded after Riverclan's deputy. His eyes raked the territory as he followed, looking for anything abnormal, or even prey. However, as he carried on, the tom could not help his wondering mind. Fresh in his memories was the picture of Owlshriek and Poppyshine. He attempted to swallow back the sand in his throat but it was a futile effort. Rushtalon's head was not raised as high as it normally was. Even though his step were still fairly certain, they lacked the usual self-assurance. It was terrible of him to think of such things when out on a patrol but also impossible to shove away the distraction. And now he was following after Perchfall.

Their deputy was not the most talkative or warm - in some ways the opposite of her former apprentice. Regardless the grey and white she-cat had proven to be true and loyal to the cats of the clan. She always did her duty and seemed certain in her role. Rushtalon hardly though about it but Perchfall was a cat that he looked up to. He almost wanted to break the silence, to get to know her, yet wasn't certain of how welcome it would be. They had spoken in passing before and she seemed to like him well enough during his warrior ceremony. There was also the fact that he hardly felt like speaking as Poppyshine came to mind once again. It was frustrating, although he knew if the deputy were to speak, it would be easy enough to shove away his own pointless feelings. Ones that would not help to feed those he cared about or keep them safe.

He thought that he could taste something on the wind and parted his maw. A water vole. Maybe his luck would be better now with a warrior title but he wasn't sure. Flicking his tail, he signaled to his patrolmate the desire to run off in pursuit. Rushtalon drew close but it seemed to catch wind of him at the last minute. The russet tom wanted to curse. Nothing had changed since apprenticehood. It seemed he could navigate a battle with ease, but hunting? Would Perchfall think she made a mistake? Walking back, his head had ducked in shame and he meowed, "I'm sorry, Perchfall, it seemed to just slip from my claws. A warrior should be able to hunt better than that. I'll work harder." Eyes flickered to the ground as the apology fell from his maw. He never desired to be the best warrior but being able to hunt for prey was a very basic duty of his positon.

Rushtalon attempted to catch a vole, it was unsuccessful. (-3sp)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Perchfall felt a little bit less horrible today than days prior. It had been just a night or two ago where she had broken down in front of Poppyshine... and despite still feeling horrible shame and disappointment in herself every time she recalled that fact, there was no denying that her pawsteps were a little lighter. It might be because the calico had been making sure she ate a proper amount; it might be because of the actual warm sun that had begun to break through the clouds; it might have even been that just letting another cat know of her burdens and cares relieved the heaviness on her shoulders, if only a little bit. It was hard to tell for certain. Either way, the deputy found it less difficult than usual to find herself out on yet another hunting patrol, this time with Rushtalon.

The young warrior had only received his name a few days ago. Perchfall did not recall whether she had ever had a prolonged conversation with the tom; however, Poppyshine had spoken highly of him, which put him in a position of interest. He seemed to be a reliable cat, probably the most stable of Flywhisker's bunch-- at least compared to the flightier Kitespring and Dovesight. This patrol with him would be a good change to gauge his abilities, if not his personality. Pausing for a moment at his signal, the gray and white she-cat watched with interest as her companion ran after a water vole. Unfortunately, he missed the catch. Possibly due to stress from her presence? Either way, she shook her head at his apology. "No cat is perfect," she responded calmly. "When I took Tinypool on her first patrol, it took seven tries between us to catch a single fish-- and she was the one who caught it, not me. To be honest, I am glad leaf-bare is finally over, because the larger amount of prey means we will inevitably catch more with the same number of tries. There is no point in crying over uncaught prey; all we can do is attempt another catch."

With that said, Perchfall began to walk again, signalling that Rushtalon would follow. He seemed to be a nice, honest cat. Instead of being angry at his lost catch, he promised to do better. A little over-apologetic, maybe, but that was no major flaw. With a little more confidence, the tom would do well. As she walked, she heard a slight rustling nearby. Her ears pricked up. That sound-- feathers. Swiveling her head, she saw a small finch hopping a fox-length or so away, picking up seeds that had fallen before the snows. Cautiously, she dropped low and began to approach it. However, she leapt for it too soon, and her paws landed right in front of it. Startled, the finch flew off. Unfortunate. Shaking her head ruefully, the deputy returned to Rushtalon. "I am far from perfect myself," she noted. A little embarrassing, but less so after telling Rushtalon that his failure was acceptable. Maybe it would make her more likable somehow if he could relate to her.

Perchfall attempted to catch a bird-- unsuccessfully. -3 SP

The member 'Ash' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 8