Playing Catch Up [C]

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Silentpaw had been spending her time in the camp, completing meaningless tasks and trying her best to help her clanmates. She was, more often than not, bewildered about her role in the clan and didn't really understand when cats tried to explain something to her. However, this morning, the signs had been obvious - especially after one of her kin had nudged her toward the small group of cats she was with now.

Despite being confused, Silentpaw trailed after her clanmates, big blue eyes flitting back and forth as she took in her surroundings. Having never left the camp before today, the white apprentice was surprised to see just how big the world really was. The rest of the patrol continued, sniffing and nosing about and Silentpaw slowed to a halt, her gaze fixed on the several glimmering pools of water surrounding her. It was beautiful - almost prettier than the river that surrounded the camp.

She didn't look to see if any of her clanmates noticed her absence, nor did she worry about getting into trouble. As far as Silentpaw understood, she was going on a relaxing walk with her friends - nothing more. With a kittish grin, Silentpaw waded into one of the shallow pools of water, enjoying the refreshing coolness as it rippled against her legs. Briefly, the young apprentice wondered why her clanmates hadn't brought her out here sooner, but she shrugged the thought away. It didn't matter - she was out of the camp now!

After spending a few moments peering into the clear water, Silentpaw lifted her head, blue eyes curious. Where had her clanmates gone? Had they noticed that she wandered off? Oh well. With a shrug, the she-cat dipped her head, gaze locked on the pretty stones at the bottom of the shallow pool of water.

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Silentpaw jumped slightly at the sight of another cat's reflection joining her own in the shimmering waters of the broken pools. She slowly lifted her head, tearing her gaze from the glittering rocks beneath the water's surface, and fixed her attention on Rookpaw. She watched curiously as the other apprentice scooped out a pawful of the beautiful pebbles, sending them rolling across the sandy grass. With a happy chirp, Silentpaw reached out to touch one of the colorful stones but stopped upon noticing Rookpaw looking at her.

Curiously, the white she-cat lifted her gaze to meet Rookpaw's, a small smile on her face. She hesitated, then waved her tail in return, mimicking their movements. It was some kind of greeting, that she was sure of. With a soft smile, the white apprentice returned her attention to the wet stones and rolled a particularly beautiful one beneath her paw, enjoying the feel of its smooth surface. If there was one thing about Silentpaw, it was that she loved pebbles.

This particular one, completely white with dark gray streaks, she set aside to take back to the camp later. Then, movement in one of the pools caught the young she-cat's attention. It was a greenish/brown toad, all bumpy and wet from sitting in the water. She made eye contact with Rookpaw then angled her ears toward the little amphibian, her gaze soon following. It was almost as if she was saying, 'Look! Look there!' then, an oddly mischievous glint entered her eyes.

A bolt of predatory instinct hit Silentpaw and she was overcome with the urge to sink her teeth into the slimy-looking creature. It looked like it might be somewhat appetizing, and she did need to practice her skills if she ever wanted to useful like the others. Naturally, it didn't occur to Silentpaw that chasing after frogs when she was supposed to be on a patrol was a bad idea. Nor did she realize that she had never even tried to hunt before. Regardless, Silentpaw was nothing if not reckless.

So, with little more warning than a wiggle of her hind legs, Silentpaw shot over the small pool, her front paws reaching out for the toad. Of course, with her lack of training, it was bound to end in disaster. She miscalculated the jump and landed with her hind legs in the water, and her front paws on either side of the toad. Silentpaw slipped on the rolling pebbles and watched with dismay as the toad, terrified, leapt over her and landed right on her mostly submerged back.

With an indignant mrreow, the white apprentice rolled to the side, sending the toad leaping away. Unfortunately for her, rolling around in the water wasn't the best idea. Nor was any of the actions leading up to this moment. With a bashful, somewhat horrified expression, Silentpaw glanced up at Rookpaw who was undoubtedly reveling in her misfortune.

Silentpaw tried to catch a toad and failed! Costing 3 SP

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Silentpaw's soft blue eyes widened somewhat with surprise at Rookpaw's dignified response. They weren't annoyed or anything, but they certainly weren't laughing hysterically at her either. She dipped her in return, mimicking the other apprentice's movements before allowing herself to slide further into the pool of water, her whiskers twitching with amusement. She knew that it was unlikely she would actually catch the bumpy creature, but still, it seemed like it would be fun to try. Besides, making her clanmates smile always made her feel better. She narrowed her eyes as Rookpaw crouched low to the ground.

Had he spotted it? Was all hope not lost after all? The white she-cat craned her neck to peer over the bank of the pool and, after a moment, spotted the toad once more. Her attention no longer on the other apprentice, she didn't realize that they had already begun the hunt. Movement from the corner of her eye drew her attention back to Rookpaw and she couldn't help but silently cheer them on! Catch it! Catch the toad! It wasn't necessarily that she was hungry, she was just really curious to see what it tasted like. Plus, it had embarrased her right in front of them! How cruel!

Time seemed to slow as Rookpaw crept toward the toad, their body close to the damp, muddy earth. She urged them on, wondering what was taking so long, before realizing that Rookpaw had much more training than she did. They knew best when it came to hunting. Regardless, their experience wasn't enough to catch the toad, it would seem. The moment Rookpaw pushed off, their paws aiming right for the toad, it burrowed into the wet dirt, vanishing from sight.

Silentpaw sat up, searching curiously for the small creature, but it was well and truly gone. Oh well - it would have probably tasted nasty anyway! With a smile, she clambered out of the pool, careful not to slip this time, and padded toward Rookpaw. She butted her head comfortingly against Rookpaw's shoulder, getting water on them in the process. Then, curious, she knelt down to examine the hole. Was that really where frogs lived? In tiny muddy holes in the ground? How weird. Sniffing, she straightened her back and fixed her gaze on Rookpaw, uncertain. Well, what should they do now? Their toad was gone and they were empty-pawed.

Tipping her head to the side, Silentpaw gestured to one of the much bigger pools - one that usually house small fish and crustaceans. They could try to get some practice? She could definitely use it, that much was certain. Rookpaw was above hunting minnows, but they hopefully wouldn't mind humoring her for a little longer.