Shadows All Around[C]

Tall frosted pine trees, thick mud beneath her paws, the distant calls of crickets and frogs reverberating in the dusk-light. Hedgepaw loved it. Her mouth remained half-open in wonder as she got her first taste of the territory, drinking it in with every sense that she could--the smells of marsh grass and conifer needles, the sensation of squelching ground under her feet. Ears twitched in complete contentment as she made her way forward, deep into the heart of ShadowClan land, to the tallest group of pine trees she could see. That was where Quillsplash had told her to go.

Quillsplash... She was uncertain what to think of him, exactly. His enormous fluffy pelt, but the way he still seemed sharp around the edges. And it wasn't quite like Wolfpaw either, who was all teeth and bite and claw both outward and in. No, it seemed far more internal for the tom who'd been named her mentor. Something night-like stirred in his eyes whenever she peered into them. Something more similar to what she remembered of the terrifying beasts attacking them during her kithood than the love with which she saw Pineblossom look at Silverhawk, and now Fernpaw. Some part of her--a quiet one, hidden--wished that she'd gotten Mamma as her mentor, too. But that was okay! She liked Wolfpaw and Silverhawk, and they were all thorny too. So hopefully she and Quillsplash would get along just fine.

"I'm here," Hedgepaw said as she arrived, a soft warmth of excitement permeating her tone. Her mentor stood just under a tree's shadow, staring out into the night as if under some kind of threat. But she was sure he'd be happy to see her once he noticed her, too. "So what are we doing today? I'm ready to learn." She had no clue whether she'd rather learn to hunt or fight first, or just look around. Whatever it was, she couldn't wait.

Quillsplash didn't smile, nor did he seem particularly happy, but he did turn around and speak to her. Hedgepaw guessed that not everyone was happy all the time. Maybe he was having a bad day? Either way, she appreciated how softly he spoke to her. Perhaps that was his way of showing kindness. Eagerly she nodded, though, bright green eyes meeting the strange darkness of her mentor's orange ones. "Okay! I'll try my best." Okay. What was a hunting crouch supposed to look like? Hedgepaw did her best approximation, getting down into the kind of crouch that she'd use when trying to sneak around camp during hide-and-seek, or when she was about to pounce on one of her brothers. Her pinprick claws remained sheathed. Her tail stuck straight up, and her paws were probably splayed a bit too wide. It was definitely a little bit awkward, given that she'd never hunted before, but hopefully she had the general basics of it down. Hopeful, her eyes remained on Quillsplash, waiting for his instruction.

Hedgepaw's enthusiasm and desire to learn were not suppressed by Quillsplash's confused, half-disappointed smile. Instead she submitted to his changes, forcing her own tail out flat and tucking her paws in further at his indication. "Don't want them to see or hear me," she murmured, repeating it to herself so it would stick in her brain. "Moving... pouncing. Got it." The crouch felt somewhat odd, but she figured that she would get used to it. Low to the ground, paws in close, tail straight and level with the rest of her body. If I do this right, then he'll be proud of me. I can go back to camp when we're done and tell Mamma and Silver and they'll be so impressed. The thought of her mother's smile and her big brother's chuffs of praise were all the motivation she needed. Exhaling quietly, green eyes gleaming, she carefully lifted one paw and placed it down in front of her. Then another, until she'd crept a pace forward. Moving felt a bit unnatural like this, but as she moved a little bit further--another fox-length or so--she thought she understood. Walking silently and sneakily like this would be key to making sure that the prey didn't sense her presence. Hedgepaw blinked and looked up at her mentor for approval. "Like... like that?"

It was good, he said! She was already getting better! Hedgepaw beamed, glad that she'd improved from the former flat way that Quillsplash had spoken. It's kind of like hide-and-seek. I just want the prey not to see me until I get to them. Except prey's not as smart as cats. If she used this hunting crouch, she'd be way sneakier. Maybe she'd even be able to beat big brother Silverhawk. Once Quillsplash spoke again, she narrowed her green eyes, laser-focused on the pebble. Just pounce on it, huh? It would be a lot easier than with a moving target. I want to make them all proud. Carefully she placed one white foot forward, and then the other. Though the crouch did not come naturally to her, it would be evident to the untrained eye that her ShadowClan genes had come through in at least one specific thing--she moved easily, slowly, in a way that would make her almost invisible to anything that wasn't focused on her. Once she learned more, she would blend in to the marshes easily. But for now, she was looking at the pebble. She stalked just close enough to make it easy... and then, after a single wiggle of her haunches, she pounced.

It definitely wasn't the most skilled attempt, given that this was her first try. But for a first try... it was remarkably good. Hedgepaw lunged, and in a single fluid movement her paws landed directly on top of the pebble. Surprised, she blinked, then batted it around for a brief second. She'd caught it! She'd pounced on the pebble! Eyes glittering, smile bright, she turned to Quillsplash. Maybe he'd praise her again. "Did I do it?" she asked eagerly.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Quillsplash's praise made Hedgepaw brighten even further, if that was possible. Her tail stuck straight up again, and her eyes practically glowed. She was amazing! And even though the expression seemed to take some effort, her mentor smiled at her. This was the best day out ever. She couldn't wait to tell her brothers everything! "Yes! I did it!" she squeaked happily, nearly jumping off of the ground in celebration. But she was getting ahead of herself. The reward for doing well was more things to do. But, she was ready to start catching prey, he said. She'd always wanted to hunt and bring home prey just for Mamma Pineblossom. Her mother would surely be proud of her then.

She quieted down and tried to listen very carefully to what Quillsplash said, though quelling her joy even momentarily to concentrate was difficult. Scent the air.... Carefully she opened her mouth and used her nose, trying to focus. The scents were all much stronger and sharper than those in camp. She'd been mostly ignoring them in favor of following her mentor around, but paying attention to them further led to a wealth of information--information she wasn't quite sure how to interpret yet. Words like "fresh" or "stale" didn't mean very much to her in this context. Did he mean which ones were stronger, and which ones were faded and hard to notice? His own scent, very particularly different from her other Clanmates', was strong since he was right next to her. Then she smelled pine needles, the deep scent of mud, bark and sap from the conifers nearby... and a few scents that reminded her of the fresh-kill pile at home. Hedgepaw blinked and sniffed again. Most of those scents were far more faint, but she thought one of them was a bit stronger than the others. Almost unconsciously, she took a step forward in its vague direction. "Um... I think I smell something," she said. "Mostly I just smell mud an' grass an' pine needles, things like that. But it kind of smells like fresh-kill, too--only not dead. So live prey, then. I'm not sure if it's a mouse or something else, but I think it's in... that direction?" Tentatively, she waved a paw in the direction of a few trees, where she'd been sensing the strongest scent from.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

Listen. Hedgepaw closed her eyes in order to focus harder, allowing her ears to swivel around at even the slightest sound. The gentle evening breeze through conifer branches; Quillsplash's breathing; her own heartbeat. But really, the ShadowClan territory was very quiet. She couldn't hear much. She opened her eyes again, nodding solemnly at her mentor's wisdom. He sure knew a lot. Pine needles muffling footsteps--she'd never thought about that, but it made sense when he explained it. ShadowClan cats were supposed to be stealthy. Maybe that was partially why. They learned how to step quietly, how to go unseen in the darkness. When she learned and became good enough to be a warrior, then she would be the best at hide-and-seek. Hunt prey quietly. If you do this well, you can feed the Clan and your family. Her green eyes remained fixed on Quillsplash, taking in his every word. It was nice of him to teach her these skills. Once she learned enough, she would definitely make Mamma Pineblossom proud of her!

He was going to demonstrate how to catch prey! Hedgepaw's heart beat a little bit quicker, but she nodded in response to his question. "Okay." A shrew... had she ever seen a shrew before? Similar to a mouse, apparently. Carefully she stayed back and watched him, saw how he put into practice all of the skills he'd mentioned earlier. Quiet pawsteps. Careful attention. And something else he hadn't talked about; he moved his tail strangely, not keeping it out flat like he'd told her to keep hers. Maybe it was an advanced technique for warriors only. When he finally pounced, it was fast and strong--she barely caught the time between his leap and the prey caught in his jaws. It really did look similar to a mouse, but its nose and tail were longer. But he'd caught it so easily! She grinned at her mentor. "Quillsplash, you're so cool!"

Her turn. Her turn to try and catch something. The little apprentice took a deep breath and nodded. First, she closed her eyes again to focus and scented the air. Pine needles... the blood of the shrew Quillsplash just caught... Mud, melted snow... Something else. It smelled like prey, but not a mouse--and not a shrew, either. A vole, maybe? She opened her eyes. There--a couple of fox-lengths away, a nearly-unnoticeable movement at the base of a tree. Hedgepaw tried to still her beating heart with a quiet exhale. Then she narrowed her green eyes and carefully assumed the hunting crouch Quillsplash had taught her. Paws tucked partway in. Tail out straight and flat. Lower to the ground. Carefully, she placed one paw down, allowing its weight to spread out across the pine needles. It made very little noise. Then another paw, then another, slowly approaching the vole. Its brown fur blended in easily with the mud, but its quick and tiny movements made it visible. Hopefully it wouldn't see or hear her until it was too late.

Thankfully, her crouch had been quiet enough. When she got close enough, she jumped suddenly, pouncing on the vole. It let out a squeak but she quickly grabbed it in her mouth and bit down. Then it stopped moving. She'd eaten prey before--but never caught it herself. It went from living to dead, just like that. Momentarily she felt uncomfortable, but when the taste reached her tongue it felt more normal. This was just prey--they didn't really think like she did. Besides, she'd given it a quick death. She'd hunted successfully. Thank you, stars! Grinning widely, Hedgepaw turned back to Quillsplash with the small vole in her jaws. "Ih did ith!" Her words were muffled by the fresh-kill. Excited, she trotted over and placed it down at her paws. She'd caught something. Wait till she told Silverhawk! "I did it!" There--now she could form the words properly. Her tail waved once or twice behind her, and green eyes sparkled up at Quillsplash, waiting to be praised.

Hedgepaw tries to catch a vole... Success! -3 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4