here we sit in silence [o; hunting topic]

ooc: this is set *during* the battle between skc and rc/tc


Auburnpaw had been restless suck back at the camp, knowing his newly aquired clanmates were out fighting in defense of unjust murder. A persistent growl rumbled hin his chest at the mere thought. He had wanted to join them, to fight with the rest of them, but Mottlestar didn't want to bring apprentices along. Although he had come to realize the necessity of training, slowly coming to terms with his own inexperience, the brown and white tom longed to be done with apprenticeship.

His tail flickered with agitation as he slid through the undergrowth. They had avoided going anywhere near the border where the fighting was supposed to be happening, instead sliding through the deadened undergrowth and clinging patches of ice and snow in pursuit of the Stony Hallow. Despite the fact the patrol was a great distance away, he swore that he could still hear the screeches of angry cats. Perhaps it was just so ingrained in his mind, it echoed like a phantom of the concious.

With a quick glance at one of his patrolmates, Auburn crouched with his belly just above the ground and began to stalk forward. Ears and tail signaled the catch he had discovered. A worthy opponent... something to sink his claw into. As he crept closer, just in reach, the young tom's haunches shifted slightly before pouncing at the squirrel.

Catching the creature beneath his claws, it let out a brief squeak before being silenced with a nip of his sharp teeth. For a moment, he stood there, tail lashing and stomach burning with adrenaline, "Squeaking like you're fighting your own battle, squirrel. Like you ever stood a chance.."

Auburnpaw attemptes to catch a squirrel, -5sp. It is... a success! Given the + 2 Stony Hallow Bonus.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

"Do you always talk to your prey before you kill it?"

Ravenpaw padded forward, inspecting Auburnpaw's squirrel with an appreciative dip of her head. She'd caught up to him just as he made the kill. "The others split off that way," she flicked an ear in the direction the other half of the patrol had gone. "So I guess it's you and me for now." Stretching her forelegs out in front of her, the apprentice arched her back and flicked Auburnpaw's shoulder with her tail. "Hey, wanna have a competition? See who can catch the most before we meet back up with the others?" She could practically feel the restless energy rolling off of her clanmate's pelt... maybe a distraction could help him not feel so grumpy.

She knew why he was grumpy, of course - he wanted to be fighting in that battle patrol that had left for SkyClan. Ravenpaw didn't share his frustration... in fact, she didn't understand why any cat would voluntarily go to war. Hurting another cat was bad, Momma had told her that. Some SkyClan warrior had hurt Mottlestar, way before Ravenpaw was even born, so now they were going to fight about it... which meant that more cats would be getting hurt, when... getting hurt was the problem in the first place. What sense did that make?

But she wasn't going to tell Auburnpaw that. What good would it do, to even remind him of what was happening on the other side of the forest when clearly it was bothering him already? A game would help, surely. "I gotta catch up, though, so we can be even when we start - hold on!" She didn't give him time to think about it before she was darting off into the undergrowth, and shortly after, was in pursuit of a mouse. Her quick paws scooped it up and towards her waiting maw, where it was swiftly dispatched. Ravenpaw trotted back over to Auburnpaw. "Okay, now we're even! Ready?"

Ravenpaw has successfully caught a mouse.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Sageroot was glad not to be with the battle party. She would’ve fought for her clan if asked, but she knew full well that it wouldn’t have gone well. She would’ve gotten too overwhelmed by the sounds of fighting. Now, all she needed to focus on was the sound of prey scuffling in the undergrowth.

Missed! Oh well. She let her ears wander, but then a sound caught her attention. Voices, young voices. Coming from a direction they definitely shouldn’t be. Turning on her heel, Sageroot beat a hasty path to the Stony Hollow.

Her suspicions were correct. “What do you think you’re doing?” she mewed to the two apprentices. “Didn’t your mentors tell you to keep away from here? The Stony Hollow is no place for apprentices.”

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Auburnpaw snorted as he shot Ravenpaw a sideways look, "I can talk to yours too if you want. Makes it go down easier." He was blissfully unaware of his father's habit of hunting down snakes during times of strife. Maybe it was something that was passed down between generations, or maybe there was just a great myriad of emotions burning in his stomach that could only be resolved with side quips at prey. Either way, he wasn't going to let the other apprentice's intrusion detract from that and had decided to let it rest. But Ravenpaw had other plans in mind for them.

The brown and white tom shrugged at the suggestion, "Why not? Nothing better to do. It'll keep my paws busy." He couldn't understand how she was so calloused about being resigned to campsitting duty. Their clanmates were off defending the territory and bringing justice in the name of a late clanmate, and Auburnpaw was talking to a dead squirrel. He huffed as he turned to follow her, nodding at the idea of giving her a chance to catch up. It was only fair in this meaningless game of catch the prey. In the moment, it was more a means of entertainment than survival. The growl of the apprentice's stomach was far away, where he couldn't hear it.

Sounds of the hunt, subtle as they were, followed his patrolmate's disappearance. When she returned with a mouse, Auburnpaw parted his maw to congratulate her but was quickly interrupted. Ears flattened on his skull as Sageroot appeared. Although he likely wasn't supposed to argue with a warrior, the fire pounding in his veins required at least a quick remark, "I'm practically a warrior, Sageroot. Besides, I used to hunt here all the time when Thunderclan was gone. I promise I won't fall in."

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7