Everything moves [Open] - Hunting

Though clouds gloomed the sky, it didn't stop Fernpaw from going on a hunting patrol. She even offered herself when the opportunity came. Sure, she was young, skinny and small but she had the motivation to work and prove herself worth it.

After some instructions from the patrol's leader, the group scattered in different directions through the moors. The white and grey she-cat walked through the tall grass and due to her size, she didn't even have to crouch that much to keep herself hidden. Her nose caught a strange, yet delicious scent... something she had smelled before in camp. Fernpaw kept her body low as she followed the smell and she eventually noticed some pawprints. Due to her lack of experience, the apprentice didn't know exactly what it was, though she was certain it wasn't a bird. Eventually, her eyes caught a slight movement of the tall grass in front of her eyes. Now with her belly almost touching the ground, Fernpaw approached the movement and looked through the vegetation, finally locating a small hare. The she-cat's pupils dilated and she prepared herself to pounce.

Her technique was far from perfect, but her small size helped her remain hidden from the hare's eyes until it was too late. After pouncing, Fernpaw's claws landed on the animal's hind legs and she sunk them deeper to not let it go. Scared, the mammal thrashed and tried to run away, kicking Fernpaw's underbelly in the process. "Fox dung!" She hissed. The apprentice was getting weaker with all the fight and she knew she had to finish it fast or it would run away. After some struggling, the odd-eyed she-cat managed to catch the hare's neck and pinned it to the ground. The animal continued struggling under her for a minute before finally going limp. Fernpaw let go and a cocky smile crossed her face. "That's what you get for messing with me!"

Fernpaw attempted to hunt a hare. The roll was successful!

The member 'Jay Bird' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Sootpaw scented the air as soon as the patrol scattered. The familiar scent of hare wafted up to him, but before he could go after it the new apprentice, Fernpaw, was already tussling with it. Ouch, that kick looked painful. He quickly bounded over to the apprentice's side.

"Are you alright?" He asked, sniffing the she-cat for wounds. After he was satisfied that there was none, Sootpaw scented the air again in hopes of more prey. Rabbit scent drifted up to him, carried by the strong winds. He offered Fernpaw a smile, as if to tell her he'll be right back, before he was pelting down the slope towards the rabbit.

The creature looked up at the approaching hunter and bolted away. It's speed, however, was no match for the quick-footed tom. Sootpaw launched himself onto the rabbit, claws extended to peirce the soft fur. His teeth snapped the rabbit's neck cleanly, the body falling limp in his jaws. Sootpaw smiled as he carried his catch back to Fernpaw. The rabbit may be smaller than Fernpaw's hare, but his catch was far cleaner.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Due to how concentrated Fernpaw was with the hare, she didn't notice Sootpaw until he was right next to her. The grey and white spotted tom seemed concerned about her but she brushed his worries away by standing up proudly and meeting his gaze with fiery eyes. "Never better!" Fernpaw's underbelly did hurt a little but the hare's claws didn't manage to pierce through her skin, so she was fine.

Fernpaw started licking her chest fur tainted with blood while Sootpaw scooted away in search of another prey. Disimulating disinterest, the she-cat's looked from the corner of her blue eye at how the young tom tracked a nearby rabbit and cleanly killed it without dropping much blood. This time the white and grey cat couldn't contain her curiosity and she trotted to Sootpaw when he arrived with the rabbit. She was a bit jealous of the apprentice's success... Her hare was indeed bigger but, in a future assessment, clean catches counted more than big prey. Fernpaw sealed those negative feelings and instead congratulated the tom. "Wow! Not bad at all Soot!" She looked at him with interest and finally settled her mind. Sootpaw had been there during her apprentice ceremony, cheering her on, and now he rushed to her side to check she was okay. His friendship could be useful to her after all! "My mentor had been busy and we have yet to train hunting, but since you are here and clearly know how to hunt... would you help me improve? I want to surprise Kestrelchirp when he trains me."

Sootpaw couldn't hold back his smile at Fernpaw's awe. "It wasn't such a big deal, any warrior should be able to catch a rabbit," He mewed, trying to shrug it off. Fernpaw's next request, however, surprised him. Help her train? He himself had only been training for two moons, was he really qualified to help?

But then again, Fernpaw had not had a lesson with Kestrelchirp on hunting, so he should at least share the basics, right? "Alright," Sootpaw agreed at last.

Fernpaw tail lifted at the positive response from the tom. "Yay! Then let's quickly bury this fresh-kill and hurry! We don't have much time before the patrol ends." Without another word, the she-cat started digging and dropped her hare on the hole, to later cover it with the same dirt.

She shook her paws to get rid of the mud and quickly sniffed the air for her next catch. Thanks to the arrival of a good season, prey was plentiful and it didn't take long for Fernpaw to locate a nearby sparrow. With a flick of her tail, she directed Sootpaw to follow her. Slowly and patiently, Fernpaw stalked the sparrow who was resting on a lone tree stump. Looking at the young tom with her green eye, she whispered. "Now... yo see me and tell me what I did wrong and what I did right." The she-cat lowered her body and started to move her hind legs, ready to pounce. But the movement alerted the animal and it started to spread its wings. Fernpaw didn't waste a second and, thanks to her light body, she managed to jump as thrice her size about the ground. Her claws sunk into the bird's back, causing them both to fall together. The crash was strong enough to stunt the animal for a bit and though it started to flap its wings again, Fernpaw quickly bite its neck, not letting go until it was over. "So... how did it go?"

Fernpaw attempted to catch a sparrow (bird). The roll was successful.

The member 'Jay Bird' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Sootpaw winced at Fernpaw's catch. At least she caught it... "It's uhh... not bad," He mewed, "But in Windclan there is next to no cover to shade you from your prey. Stalking won't get you very far." He got to his paws and dragged the sparrow to three foxlengths away from Fernpaw.

"Instead of stalking it, try running at it. It will probably fly away, so be prepared to jump upwards when you're close," He instructed. With that said, Sootpaw retreated a few tail-lengths to watch Fernpaw.

Aspenpaw stood by at the side, crouching behind a green leafy shrub, silently watching his brother and Fernpaw hunt prey. It was quite entertaining...so this is Fernpaw? Sootpaw had been talking about Fernpaw a lot recently, seems as if there is something going on between them, judging by the way Sootpaw was so concerned over Fernpaw and checked her for wounds and how Fernpaw seemed to be trying to seek Soorpaw's attention. Aspenpaw snickered under his breath, careful not to let the apprentice couple notice him. They looked so cute together! Seems like they would make a perfect couple when they are older.

Fernpaw listened carefully at the tom's point and tried to memorize them in her head. So that's what was missing... ignore stalking and try running. The she-cat moved her paws a bit uncomfortable with the idea. Her skinny legs and short size didn't make her the best candidate to be a runner. However, despite her insecurities... something inside her made her nod confidently and prepare herself for the next catch. Maybe she wanted to prove something to Sootpaw? Or perhaps... the she-cat wanted her to be impressed with her? Fernpaw shook those thoughts away and focused on getting her next catch.

The small cat walked away from the tom, sniffing the air for more prey nearby. This time she had to walk a lot longer, probably because of the screeches of the previous prey they had caught. Her pinkish nose finally caught the scent of a rabbit. Fernpaw approached her objective as it left the safety of its burrow to drink from a puddle of water. The she-cat took a deep breath and thought to herself Don't mess up, don't mess up.... After two seconds of preparation, Fernpaw leapt toward the rabbit's den entrance, stopping it from coming back. With nowhere to hide, the animal quickly started its escape and the she-cat didn't miss a beat. She ran as fast as she could and, to her surprise, the apprentice realized that she wasn't as slow as she feared. Actually, it seemed that her lean body even helped her to run and manoeuvre quicker. The young cat finally decided to jump on the rabbit when she was close enough, landing her jaws right into the back of the neck. Due to the high speed, Fernpaw rolled on the ground with the rabbit, but she didn't let go. She finally stopped rolling when her body tumbled into a cat's body, which she presumed it was Sootpaw.

Finally, the she-cat stood up, hardly breathing but with a shimmer in her eyes. "Sootpaw, look! I did it! Can you believe...!?" Fernpaw's happy celebration was suddenly interrupted when she realized that the tom she was talking to wasn't Sootpaw at all, but another apprentice. "Oh! Sorry about the bump, Aspenpaw. I guess I couldn't control my speed." The odd-eyed she-cat chuckled.

The member 'Jay Bird' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Fernpaw managed to catch the rabbit, and it was by far the best of her catches. Sootpaw purred, ready to congradulate her, when the she-cat ran into his brother. Was Aspenpaw here the whole time? His pelt burned with embarrassment as he joined them.

"Very good catch, Fernpaw," He praised, though there wasn't as much warmth in it as he had wanted.