trapping prey a kit's way [O]

Creekkit, once again unsupervised, found herself in need of entertainment. She couldn't leave camp, that was plain against the rules. She couldn't just lay in the Nursery doing nothing either, then she'd stay bored. She simply must do something new. Something productive even! So on that eventless day, the molly padded a little ways from the Nursery and began...

Digging a hole.

By her reasoning, she could trap things that were edible! She hadn't tried bugs, but she was sure they could be eaten. While fish didn't just flop onto shore, and then into camp to fall into a hole, she knew she could coerce some critters to fall in. She'd be such a great boon to the clan, she'd get to become an apprentice immediately. Well... maybe not immediately. She needed to perfect her methodology, prove the facts. For that to work, she needed things to go into the hole.

Before she could do that, she needed to keep digging. It wasn't nearly deep enough.

Featherkit purred as sunrays crossed her creamy pelt, warming the kit's body as she gave her belly fur a few last licks.  There, perfect!  Now all those annoying tangles were gone and her fur was smooth and feather-like once more, just like what her Mama named her after.  Relaxing her body, Featherkit let out a puff of breath and blinked, bringing the camp clearing into focus.  Not much was going on right now, most of the adult cats were out on patrols and the queens had left her and her denmates to their own devices.  Only two cats seemed busy and it was Creekkit and Elmkit, who seemed to be...digging?  Featherkit's brow lifted, confusion visible upon her round face.  Why were her denmates doing something so weird and random?  She must know.  Jumping up off the ground from where she lay, Featherkit trotted over to the two kittens and tilted her head, cheery voice ringing out with a simple question; "What are you guys doing?"

The hole wasn't deep enough yet! Curse her tiny paws and claws! Creekkit let out a small hiss of frustration as she removed her feet from the hole. As she began to shake off mud and dirt, her ears turned to the sound of another kit. He had rushed in, grinning, immediately beginning to dig. Creekkit's ruffled fur was becoming downright disheveled as her surprise caused her fur to jut out. With a sharp intake of breath, she prepared to speak to another kit. On her own. Without her parents around.

That breath was let out as another kit wandered over. Creekkit looked at Featherkit for a moment, then Elmkit, and finally back to her hole, which the tomkit was still diligently digging at. "Okay," the molly sighed as she forced her fur to lie flat again. "It's my hole."

That wasn't enough explanation. "It's to catch critters. I'm catching critters with it." Scooting back into position, Creekkit placed her paws back into the hole with Elmkit's. "They can't know about the hole though, or if they do, it has to be so deep they can't just crawl out. They have to be surprised." Back to digging, her claws scraping against the clay and sand that the dirt so heavily consisted of. "I can't hunt, but I wanna try something new! I bet the clan hasn't thought of this yet." Before fully committing to her work, the she-kit looked back at both of her new acquaintances. "I'm Creekkit."

"Catch...critters?  Like prey?"  Featherkit inspected the quickly deepening hole that the two kits were so determined to dig, and wondered if it would really work.  Truthfully, she didn't think so.  The only prey she had ever seen in camp besides minnows in the water had already been killed by the warriors.  If Creekkit and Elmkit were so determined to make it work though, she would help them!  With a bright smile and a resolute wave of her tail, Featherkit purred; "Alright, I'll help!  I'm not digging though, I just got my pelt all clean, and I hate getting dirt under my claws.  Oh, maybe I can go scare the critters out of the bushes for you!  They'll run away from me, and come right to you!"

Creekkit had expected to be met with confused stares, not excitement. This was great, her plan was coming together, and they'd show the clan just what kits could do! Then Elmkit fell in the hole. She opened her mouth to say something, but immediately snapped it shut as she was praised by Elmkit, his floundering kicking up dirt and debris. Ears flattening in embarrassment, she mumbled, "Yeah, hopefully."

Gold-green eyes flicking to Featherkit, Creekkit smiled as she stated her intention to help. "Yeah, chase them toward the hole! They'll never see it coming. Elmkit, we should go hide, then the critters won't see us and turn back. We can make the hole deeper if it doesn't work." The kit began backing away from the hole, crouching nearby in some too-tall foliage. "C'mon!" She hissed to Elmkit, smiling wider. This would work!

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Clovermottle had been dozing somewhere secluded, and was returning to relieve Weepingwillow of her shift in the nursery, though she was almost certain the pregnant queen would be sleeping again. Not that it bothered her, the black she-cat needed all the rest she could get, and a couple of kits were no trouble for her and Ripplesong. As she neared the nursery, she could hear the excited chatter of several kits, clearly engrossed in one of their games. The conversation drifted in bits and pieces to the tortoiseshell, her ears perked in interest. Critter hunting! What a good game, already they are on the path to being fine young cats.. clovermottle had resolved to help the kits catch their critters, and it seemed Ripplesong was helping too. When the other queen missed, she breezed in.

"Here let me try, I haven't hunted in so long." she mewed. Yellow eyes settled on the beetle having landed again only a few tail lengths from the queens. On movements well practiced from her time as a warrior, Clovermottle stalked forward. She poised to strike, then sprang forwards, catching the bug beneath her paws. She let out a happy chirrup, almost surprised she caught it. Gently, the queen picked it up between her teeth, careful not to crush and approached the kittens. She softly nudged the kits, as she couldn't speak, to let her past then placed the "critter" in the hole. "Ripplesong and I have brought you a critter for your game! If you would like more you just have to ask." It was good to promote games like this, and she would happily catch a hundred bugs for them if they asked. A head start as a kit was what made great warriors, and Clovermottle dedicated herself to that.

Cloveromottle successfully caught a beetle !

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

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Featherkit nodded eagerly as Creekkit accepted her idea, and prepared to run off to the edge of camp once her two new friends had found good hiding places.  However, Clovermottle, one of the nursery queens, approached them with a beetle caught between her teeth and placed it in the hole for them.  Featherkit knew that she should be grateful for the help, but the fur around her neck bristled and she gave the queen a sidelong glare.  This was their hole, and their plan, it would've worked perfectly well on its own!  What, did Clovermottle think that they couldn't catch critters without her?  Hmm, I'll show her!  While Elmkit yowled about being the best hunter in the clan, Featherkit snuck away into the bushes, determined to find a critter of her own.  She quickly found another bug, this one round and kind of furry with wings.  She didn't think twice before she leaped and tried to catch it between her paws.  However, the bee was too quick for her, and took flight right before she managed to grab it.  It was probably for the better, unbeknownst to the kitten, but she pouted nonetheless and trotted back to the hole.  "Couldn't find anything...oh no, it's escaping!"  Using her paw, Featherkit pushed the poor beetle back into the hole, purring at her minor success.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5