ducks in a row [closed]

Being a warrior and a mentor seemed to allow Egretswoop a type of freedom that she had been admittedly... unfamiliar with beforehand. She always had a guiding set of paws to keep her on the correct path, or to give her a set of instructions to follow so she wouldn't be so lost in the world. But now, it seemed that she had proven herself to be trustworthy beyond those guidelines, and the molly found herself confined to camp more than ever before. It wasn't out of any sort of drive to be lazy, but instead, she felt practically paralyzed by all of the choices that she could now make. Combine that with the perpetual sounds of the forest, and it was a recipe for disaster.

Thankfully, purpose had been there to fill her paws. The fox pelt wrapped comfortably around her frame, and the pale molly beneath found herself growing more comfortable with the idea of hunting with it on. She had finished what felt like the last of her growing not long after earning her name, and it meant that the fox pelt now draped perfectly around her instead of dwarfing her like a blanket of snow on a tree. Whenever she found herself too overwhelmed by the sounds of the world, be it the rustling of a distant leaf, the chitter of a squirrel, or a humming of bugs... she could simply bury her nose into that pelt. Find comfort.

At the edge of the river the warrior balanced, having grabbed part of the pelt with her teeth and flinging it so as to gently rest it on her back as she would use her hunting paw. She'd come to favor the left paw to swipe fish out of the river, and as such, the allowed it to be uncovered. Her fox pelt would certainly get damp on occasion, and this would be no different, so Egretswoop found no problem with wearing it by the water's edge. All of her attention went to listening to the water in front of her, the way it trickled, the way glimmers of scales or debris would catch her gaze. But she had to wait for the perfect time, that moment that the scales didn't glitter in her eyes but instead looked dull as she stared down. Whiskers twitched in anticipation, but that sound only served as a distraction as she was bound to wait. Wait for what felt like an eternity, until...

Swipe!

She had managed to hook the fish as it seemed to almost skitter away, her leg having to delve into the slightly-warm waters just a bit farther than she had intended. But it landed upon the shore, and she ended its life with the same move she always did. A claw sinking deep into the gill, severing that vital lifeline.

Just as she had, the sound of faint pawsteps rose above the rest, forcing the molly to spin around as she shook the water off of her leg. It was one of her clanmates, their scent told her as much, but one that she hadn't interacted closely with. One of the toms, perhaps even their newest warrior- yes. It had to be. Egretswoop's tail swished in greeting as she shrugged a shoulder to flip the pelt back down, letting it once more truly hang around her shoulders. "Greetings. I did not expect to see you here, would you like to hunt with me?"

Egretswoop attempts to fish. Success! -3 SP

As he agreed, Egretswoop felt a weight lifting from her chest. It would be much easier to enjoy the company of a clanmate who was keen on sharing an activity than one who just wanted to watch. Sure, the pale warrior had managed to survive a successful hunting trip under the watchful eye of the leader herself, but that didn't make it any easier. She wasn't a particular fan of being observed in her skill, recognizing early on how it seemed to make her paws a little unsteady in their movements. Unsure, as if she had to be extra critical, to recognize every weakness or flaw in her executions. At least when executing a task in tandem, they were usually too focused on their own movements to watch hers.

It was hard not to watch Oaksoul's manner of fishing. It was so different from her own, she found herself attempting to analyze it and figure out if it was in some way much better than her own. That was a conclusion she'd reach eventually, but they both had managed to catch their own respective fish. He certainly seemed to draw on his tree-like nature, the way he was steady as the roots of a great oak. Her honey-toned gaze eventually pulled away, though, to once more look at the stream for any potential fish that would serve as additional quarry. Even then, it seemed her ears never pulled away from her clanmate and where he was, as if they had disassociated on his frame and didn't realize they were to pull back to where Egretswoop's gaze now focused.

Another flash of silver dared come within the reach of one of her outstretched paws, and without a second blink her paw darted forward to yet again attempt to catch Riverclan's namesake prey. This one came a bit easier, lifting directly to be in front of her as her claws yet again reached into the gills to sever that life-dependent thread. It would be added to her pile, neat enough she could easily grab both tails to take back to camp.

There was a pressure that breathed down the back of her neck to make some semblance of conversation, so the new warrior eventually spoke in a gentle tone. "Congratulations on your name, I do not think I got to say such earlier. The name Oaksoul suits you well. Even in hunting, you are as steady as the very tree you take your name from." She meant it as a compliment, and at least hoped he would take it as such. In all that she noticed, it was hard to funnel it down into words that wouldn't earn her strange looks. He stood in such a way that his legs could have easily melted into the earth like roots, his stance tall as the tree's limbs stretching towards the sky. But unlike some trees, he had that signature oaken strength. Sturdy. Never going anywhere without his own permission. "Perhaps we can be hunting partners, given our new-found freedom." She offered. After all, his presence... didn't distract her as much as others did. It was a blessing that her senses recognized him as something comfortable, a source she could safely ignore without fear of being harmed. Even if her mind knew that all of her clanmates should have fit into this category, her senses always told her otherwise. To always listen, always watch, always know what they were about to do. Not Oaksoul, though. He somehow slipped through those natural defenses.

Egretswoop attempts to catch a fish. Success! -3SP