Riley
Head of Advertising
348 Posts
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Post by Riley on Mar 17, 2022 6:10:03 GMT
The sun was just barely over the horizon. It was a rare sunny day for leafbare. It was still cold, of course. One day of sun wouldn't melt all the snow the forest had already seen. But it would tempt out prey all the same, and Flare was going to make the most of it. Well. So to speak, at least. After he'd woken, he'd instructed the apprentices to meet him at the Beech Copse.
To say that Shellspots hadn't been happy when he'd arrived with three YOUNGER siblings than three littermates was an understatement. She hadn't exactly thrown a fit, but it was clear she'd felt deceived. In an attempt to smooth that over, Flare had offered to take over the training for all five of them. His siblings were almost adults age-wise, but it would still be a while yet for him to trust them to be on their own and NOT worry about them.
Today would be... an assessment, of sorts. He'd have them all hunting until sunhigh, then he'd spar with each of them and see where they were fighting wise. The plan after that depended on how well each of them did individually.
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Post by Kaeldra on Mar 18, 2022 23:55:31 GMT
Spiderpaw || Tom || 11 moons It was still quiet when Spiderpaw opened his eyes, taking in the scarce light of morning as it filtered through the walls around him. The other apprentices slept on soundly around him, squished together in the tangle of reeds designated as the apprentice den. Shortly after Noctus and his kits had joined the Clan, Shellspots had declared that the apprentices would be sleeping separately from the older cats, because there were so many of them and they took up so much room. While he’d gotten mostly used to it, Spiderpaw still missed the warm presence of his mother and father and older brother sleeping beside him.
Then he remembered: Flare had asked the more experienced apprentices to meet him at the Beech Copse today, just after dawn! He lifted himself to his paws, arching his back in a stretch before reaching out with a paw to poke his brother and sister.
“Galepaw! Melodypaw! We need to meet Flare soon. Wake up, or we’re going to be late!” He hissed through his teeth. To his dismay, Lilypaw stirred from where she was curled beside Bluepaw and Zinniapaw, lifting her head to peer curiously at him.
“Why’re you meeting Flare? Is he giving you guys more training?” She asked, eyes far too bright for a cat that had just woken. “Can we come? Come on, Bluepaw, let’s go too,” she said without waiting for a response, nudging her sister awake.
Spiderpaw turned to glare at the she-cat. No one had invited her!
“You can’t! Flare only asked us, and Heronpaw and Minnowpaw to meet him. Besides, someone needs to stay here and clean out the dens,” he told her, enjoying the indignant look on her face. Served her right.
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Zesha
New Warrior
175 Posts
About Me
Hi, I'm Zesha!
> Ciswoman
> She/Her
> 30
> EST
> 11 Cats IRL
> Biromantic/demisexual
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Post by Zesha on Mar 20, 2022 19:28:58 GMT
galepaw • he/him • 11 moons • riverclan Galepaw was having a nice dream about stalking a mouse through the forest, his paws light and barely making a sound against the grass and dirt underfoot. The scent was strong and drew him ever closer until something startled the mouse, causing it to dart under a tree root. Blast! Galepaw pricked his ears to hear cats arguing nearby, which had scared his prey. He hadn’t felt the prod or the first hiss in his ear from Spiderpaw, but he certainly heard his brother’s smug remark about someone having to stay and clean out the dens as he blinked his eyes open. A huge yawn escaped his mouth before he glanced between Spiderpaw and Lilypaw. Why were they even up so early? What was—and then he remembered. He, Spiderpaw, Melodypaw, Heronpaw, and Minnowpaw were meant to meet with Flare today. The red tabby sprung up from his nest and immediately started washing the sleep from his eyes, hoping that he’d be awake enough by the time they got to the Beech Copse that he’d be able to think straight. Then he started to realize there was a bit of tension between Lilypaw and Spiderpaw. Uh oh. What was it that Spiderpaw had said again? Before he could get involved, Zinniapaw rolled onto her stomach and stretched out her legs, glancing between the others. “I can handle cleaning out the dens,” she said. The black she-cat was far more laid back than her siblings seemed to be, especially compared to Lilypaw.
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Riley
Head of Advertising
348 Posts
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Post by Riley on Mar 28, 2022 4:51:18 GMT
"Aw, let her come." The amused meow came from the direction of where the two 'Clanborn' apprentices made their nests. Heronpaw hadn't yet lifted his head, blue eyes gleaming in the darkness of the apprentice den. His paws were crossed under his chin, the very picture of nonchalance. Finally he did raise his head, but he didn't stand. Not quite. "After all, Flare had been training her at the same time he was training you, wasn't he? For all you know, she could be at the same level you are. And if she's not, she can learn! Who knows, with the rate she's going at, she might be a warrior before you!"
Did he believe it? No. They were both hyperactive furballs with the attention span of a minnow. But he DID believe in swatting a bee's nest, so to speak. Which is why, when he did stand up, he lashed out with his hindleg to kick Minnowpaw in the shoulder, none-too-gently. "Up, Minnowbrain. Flare's gonna be mad if we're late." Not that he cared. Heronpaw didn't expect special treatment from being the leader's kit, but he also didn't expect Flare to actually punish them. He was too soft-hearted.
--
Melodypaw whined as Spiderpaw nudged her and Galepaw each. She burrowed further into her nest, trying in vain to pretend she didn't exist so she could go back to sleep. Unfortunately it seemed like ALL of the apprentices were now awake, as chatter filled the air. Melodypaw grumbled to herself but stood, immediately setting herself to groom her pelt. Part of her wanted to skip training so she wouldn't get her fur mussed, but she also didn't want to touch the icky nests that were too dry and dirty.
At least the Clan didn't have any queens or elders. Then they'd have even MORE to do. Right now all the 'paws had to do was learn, replace some dry moss, and further clean up the camp. Making sure the barrier didn't have any holes in it, plugging any holes they did find, etc. ... Actually when she put it like that, she really would rather be training.
She glanced up at the conversation slash argument her denmates were involved in before sniffing at the lot of them. "Flare knows her well enough to not be bothered by her. We just tell her 'Sorry Flare, she wouldn't take no for an answer' and he'll give her that exasperated 'why are you like this you absolute gremlin' look he usually gives Galepaw."
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Mar 28, 2022 23:07:04 GMT
minnowpaw 'Minnowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?'
The words she had been waiting for her whole life washed over her, a deluge joining with the undercurrent of excitement flowing through her body. Her mother stood above her on a low branch of the willow tree overlooking the camp. She almost seemed to glow, backlit by a halo of fading sunlight that cast long shadows in the wake of her clanmates, forms blurry and indistinct at the edges of her vision; her eyes were focused solely on her mother, and her future.
'I do,' Minnowpaw replied.
'Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name.' As the familiar words came out, their cadence seemed to change, and a short, sharp burst of pain bloomed in Minnowpaw's shoulder. 'Minnowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Minnowbrain. Flare's gonna be mad if we're late.'Minnowpaw blinked her eyes open groggily, stretching to relieve her muscles of the weight of sleep and sibling savagery as she ignored her brother's taunts. His words eventually caught up to her, though, and she perked up almost immediately. "Why didn't you wake me sooner, mousebrain?" she yowled. Most of the other apprentices were already awake, she noticed, even the younger ones. Well, it doesn't matter who woke up first as long as I'm not the last one to meet Flare, she thought mulishly, and with that thought padded out of the makeshift den. Although the sun was bright, the air was cold, and Minnowpaw hurredly returned to the warmth of the reeds where the other apprentices remained. Thoroughly chagrined, she turned to face her peers. "Shall we?"284 | RiverClan crew :)
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Post by Kaeldra on Apr 1, 2022 3:00:04 GMT
Lily || she/her || 11 moons Lilypaw was ready to fire back another retort when her sister rolled over and offered to take on the task of cleaning out the dens for them. While she couldn’t imagine why Zinniapaw would want to do such a thing, she wasn’t about to turn down an act of kindness that let her get her way. Then Heronpaw piped up, vouching for Lilypaw as well. The she-cat snickered, chest puffing out as her younger denmate spoke.
“That’s right! Flare and dad are always talking about how well I’m doing, I’m sure I’ll be a warrior before you!”
Spiderpaw scoffed. If she thought the older toms' praise was anything more than encouragement, she must have bees in her brain. But everyone knew that already.
“Yeah, and fish grow on trees. Flare only started training you like two moons ago. You’ve got a long way to go before you catch up to us.” The ginger tom shook his head, irritated that his denmates, even his littermates, were ripping his argument to shreds. They were making good points, but training with Lilypaw was exhausting. She thought she knew everything about everything, even though her hunting crouch was still lopsided as a two-legged badger. “Whatever. Whether you’re coming or not, we better get moving.” He flicked his tail dismissively before stepping over a still-sprawled out Melodypaw and heading to the entrance where Minnowpaw had ducked back in.
“Yes! Come on Bluepaw, let’s go!” Lilypaw jumped up, weaving between the other apprentices and pushing past Spiderpaw into the clearing, earning her a disgruntled “Hey!” from the tom. She skidded to a halt with a hiss as the cold air sliced through her fur. Twisting around, she glanced back at the tangle of reeds impatiently. “Well? Are you guys coming or not?” Without waiting for a reply, she turned and bounded for the camp entrance, Bluepaw at her heels.
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Riley
Head of Advertising
348 Posts
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Post by Riley on Jun 18, 2022 19:26:36 GMT
Flare prided himself on his patience. It was one of his defining traits, if he did say so himself! If you asked OTHERS though, they'd say another of his defining traits was overprotectiveness. So when the time came and passed for the 'paws to show up and they didn't, his imagination immediately took over.
Had one of them woken up sick? Did one of them get hurt while traveling? What if one of the foxes had come back? What if a BADGER had moved in? What if a heron had snatched one of them up and flown away and the other apprentices were panicking and fighting over what to do? What if-
And then the rustling of leaves and the trudging of multiple pawsteps appeared, and Flare felt his entire being sag with relief at the appearance of his siblings and the other apprentices. "Oh thank the spirits, I was about to come after all of you. I was getting worried!"
He padded forward and nuzzled Melodypaw on the head, who purred at the affection and butted her head against his chest. Melodypaw might have been a daddy's girl, but Flare had raised her just as much as Jay had, and she was a naturally affectionate cat.
Flare backed away and cleared his throat, ready to move on and get down to business. "So! Who's ready for their assessment?"
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Zesha
New Warrior
175 Posts
About Me
Hi, I'm Zesha!
> Ciswoman
> She/Her
> 30
> EST
> 11 Cats IRL
> Biromantic/demisexual
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Post by Zesha on Jun 18, 2022 20:28:30 GMT
galepaw • he/him • 11 moons • riverclan Galepaw watched as Lilypaw got under his brother’s fur, again. He rolled his eyes. Spiderpaw had to stop letting her do that to him. Brushing up against his littermate, he said, “Don’t worry about her,” and nudged his brother forward. If they wanted to get to the assessment on time—unlikely—they needed to go on and get there. Pushing the thoughts of his brother’s spay with Lilypaw out of his mind, he imagined what the assessment was going to be like. Were they going to do well? Would they need to catch specific prey? Fear and excitement tingled down through his paws as he thought about it, and it seemed as if it was no time before they arrived. Pressing through the bushes, he trotted up to Flare and gave him a head bump. “You don’t need to be worried!” he insisted, fully believing himself even though this bunch was a load of troublemakers. When there was mention of the assessment, Galepaw shouted, “I am!” and expertly dropped down into a hunter’s crouch and stalked across the clearing to pounce on a leaf. He had come far in his training, and he was proud of how good he had gotten.
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Jun 20, 2022 22:32:09 GMT
minnowpaw Minnowpaw was glad to have the other apprentices around her as they scampered in an inelegant huddle towards the Beech Copse; their closeness helped stave off the leafbare chill. But as close as they were physically, there was still some obvious distance between them. That was to be expected, considering the family bond that Flare and his siblings shared, but having lived only with her own family for most of her life, it was strange to adapt to others joining their clan. Not bad, of course, just...different. Which is all to say that Minnowpaw felt very awkward upon skidding to a halt in the wake of Melodypaw and Galepaw exchanging affectionate greetings with their older brother. Instead of mimicking the gesture, Minnowpaw opted to dip her head in greeting—somewhat jerkily—hoping the awkwardness would go unnoticed. Her green eyes darted momentarily to Heronpaw, and she simultaneously wished that she could confide in him about these insecurities and that he would never, ever notice her discomfort. Then, in the interest of moving past the not-quite-an-incident (and closer towards the assessment itself), Minnowpaw nodded in agreement at Galepaw's reassurance. "Nope, nothing to worry about. Everyone's here!"As soon as the word 'assessment' came out of Flare's mouth, Minnowpaw's whole being perked up. She tried to keep still, to seem calm and composed and ready for whatever her mentor threw at her, but her tail swished restlessly in the snow behind her, betraying her excitement. "I'm ready too!" she said brightly, only a little bitter that Galepaw had been the first to say it. 257 |
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Post by Kaeldra on Jun 25, 2022 1:23:47 GMT
Spiderpaw || Tom || 11 moons Spiderpaw shook out his fur as they left the camp, trying to take his littermate’s advice and forget about Lilypaw. Instead, he focused on remembering all of his training up to that point, mentally preparing himself for whatever Flare might throw their way. He was ready to do his best and impress his older brother!
“I’m ready,” he nodded, determination lighting his amber eyes.
”Yep, everyone’s here! Well, except Zinniapaw and Canarypaw. They stayed behind to clean out the dens,” Lilypaw chimed in, nearly bouncing out of her fur as they awaited instructions from Flare.
Spiderpaw wondered if his brother would give an assessment to those two as well, considering they weren’t as far along in their training, or if he’d task them with something else while the rest of the apprentices went off. He couldn’t imagine Flare sending them back to camp.
Anticipation crackled in the air, all traces of sleepiness gone as they stood in the chilly clearing. Spiderpaw’s gaze swept over his littermates, then Minnowpaw and Heronpaw. He wasn't particularly close to the two "Clanborn" apprentices, but they got along well enough. He hoped they did well. This was their chance to prove themselves!
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Riley
Head of Advertising
348 Posts
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Post by Riley on Jun 28, 2022 19:34:28 GMT
Nearly each and every one of his apprentices- and they really were feeling like HIS apprentices- gave an affirmative in being ready. Flare watched in fond, nostalgic amusement as Galepaw stalked then pounced on a leaf.
He gave a low chuckle and mused aloud, "I remember when we first started training you at four moons. You tried pouncing and put your front paws down while your hindquarters were still moving and ended up tumbling tail over head."
There was a snicker, a quick SNRK, and Flare glanced at the offender. Which, for once, wasn't Heronpaw, but was Melodypaw. Her eye gleamed with amusement and she meowed, voice trembling with suppressed laughter, "Why haven't we heard this story before?"
Flare rolled his eyes at them and replied dryly, "Because of this exact reaction. Look me in the eye and tell me you won't be making for of him for it for the rest of the day." Predictably, she ducked her head, and Flare snorted at her. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay, assessment time!"
~~
'Finally.' Heronpaw thought with an internal roll of his eyes. This is why he only pretended to respect Flare. He went off on tangents almost all the time and was easily distracted, especially by his siblings. He couldn't understand why ANYBODY respected him.
Flare swept his eyes over all of them, for no reason that Heronpaw could see, before starting. "Your assessment will be two-fold. Given the sunshine, the prey will be out and about. So the first part is hunting. Each of you catch two DIFFERENT pieces of prey. Could be a mouse and a vole, a sparrow and a squirrel, or a minnow and a trout. Different prey uses different skills, so I want you to utilize those skills."
'Wow, big word from him.' Heronpaw thought mockingly, ducking his head to roll his eyes discreetly. Not as discreetly as he'd thought though, because Flare was looking at him when he raised his head. Heronpaw didn't back down or even wince, simply meeting the group's mentor's gaze steadily.
Predictably, Flare did nothing. Just like Heronpaw thought he would, the soft-heart. "You have until sunhigh. Bring your prey back here when you have two."
He dismissed them with a wave of his tail, and Heronpaw darted off in a random direction. He'd catch whatever two pieces of prey he found first, then find a stream to relax by until sunhigh.
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Zesha
New Warrior
175 Posts
About Me
Hi, I'm Zesha!
> Ciswoman
> She/Her
> 30
> EST
> 11 Cats IRL
> Biromantic/demisexual
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Post by Zesha on Jun 30, 2022 21:06:37 GMT
galepaw • he/him • 11 moons • riverclan Galepaw ducked his head, embarrassed by Flare’s recollection of him failing the first time they started training. It was something he had hoped no one else would ever know, but so much for that now. He’d just have to deal with Melodypaw’s teasing for the next moon or so now. Surely Flare hadn’t meant to say that out loud? He had just let it slip, that was all. Yeah. It wasn’t on purpose. He was glad when Flare moved on to the assessment. It seemed easy enough. Catch two different types of prey and bring it back. Galepaw still wasn’t comfortable with his fishing skills, so he decided he’d go try to get something that was more… ground-dwelling, like a mouse, and maybe a bird or squirrel. Raising his head, he nodded to his older brother before charging out of the copse to go search for prey. Like he had done a few days ago, he decided to hunt in the more open and wooded areas. Opening his mouth, it immediately started to water as the scent of vole wafted up into it. The small rodent was taking a sip of water in a small puddle, facing away from him. Immediately he dropped into a hunter’s crouch and stalked silently up to it, jumping at just the right time to land on the creature’s back and sink his teeth into its scruff. It let out a sharp squeak before lying motionless by his paws. Scraping dirt over it, Galepaw continued on his mission to find prey. The sun rose steadily in the sky, but he still had time. He had ventured farther into the trees when he checked for scents again, this time catching the smell of a squirrel. He followed the trail to where it was looking for seeds by the roots of a tree, its tail twitching as it dug into the earth. Again he fell into the hunter’s crouch and made his way swiftly towards the squirrel, doing his best not to step on anything. It noticed him at the last second, and as it bolted up the tree he leaped and grabbed it by the tail, yanking it down. It slammed against the ground, winded. Galepaw used the opportunity to strike it down, then picked it up and headed back to where he had left the vole. Awkwardly he carried the two pieces of prey back to the copse. “There!” he said after laying down his prey. It was nearly sunhigh, but he had done it. He had made it back in time.
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Jul 5, 2022 23:34:11 GMT
minnowpaw The easy comradery between Flare and his siblings was enough to momentarily distract Minnowpaw from her enthusiasm for training. She was impatient for them to be a clan, for their unfamiliar edges to smooth out and fit together. Maybe some of us can hunt together, she mused, Like when Shellspots taught Heronpaw and me to hunt. Maybe— But before she could finish the thought, the other apprentices had started to disperse, Heronpaw himself being one of the first to dash off. Galepaw was also quick to depart, after his minor scuffle with the leaf. Minnowpaw's eyes moved past his retreating figure to look at the rest of her fellow apprentices. They landed on Spiderpaw, who she realized abruptly had also been looking in her direction, and that of her recently departed brother. Before Spiderpaw could charge off as well, Minnowpaw made her way towards him. "Want to try this way?" she asked, gesturing with her tail in the direction of the riverbank. It was in the opposite direction of where the other apprentices had gone, and if the river wasn't too frozen, they might be able to catch some fish. "I'm sure all the prey will be wherever Heronpaw's not since he likes to scare it away by being a massive grump." Making fun of your littermates was a normal thing to bond over, right? Minnowpaw brushed past Spiderpaw towards where she'd indicated, hoping he would go with it—or at the very least that he wouldn't be a rude snob about it like someone she knew. 254
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Post by Kaeldra on Jul 9, 2022 4:03:26 GMT
Spiderpaw || Tom || 11 moons Before Spiderpaw had even had a chance to fully register Flare’s words, Galepaw and Heronpaw took off into the trees as if it were a race. Lilypaw and Bluepaw quickly trotted off together as well, heads close as they discussed where to hunt, which left Spiderpaw, Melodypaw, and Minnowpaw sitting in the clearing. With a start, Spiderpaw noticed that Minnowpaw was walking toward him instead of off into the forest like the rest.
“Uh, sure,” he said intelligently, glad that Minnowpaw had already taken a step past him in the direction of the river so she couldn’t see him blinking in surprise. In the moon or so since he and his family had joined the Clan, he had gotten to know the other apprentices a little better, though he could still feel the rift between them as they tried to settle into the comfort of a Clan. Perhaps hunting with Minnowpaw would be a good chance to showcase his teamwork abilities as well as his hunting skills. ”Better stay away from Galepaw too,” he added in an attempt to match her mood, lifting to his paws and following her to the riverbank. ”He’s gotten better, but he can be louder than a fox in a fit crashing through the trees sometimes.”
As they approached the water, Spiderpaw cursed himself for agreeing. He couldn’t scent any sort of vole or mouse yet. While he could technically catch fish, his track record wasn’t very good. It wasn’t his fault he’d spent nearly all of his training focusing on land prey and birds! Perhaps he’d let Minnowpaw take the lead. "Ladies first," he offered, gesturing with a paw for her to go ahead.
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Lily || she/her || 11 moons Lilypaw giggled as Bluepaw dove after a blackbird, coming back up spitting angrily when it fluttered away a heartbeat later.
“Don’t laugh at me!” The smaller cat cried, wiggling her haunches and pouncing on her sister. The two rolled into the bushes as they swatted playfully at each other. After a moment, they broke apart, panting from their scuffle. Right, they were supposed to be hunting. This was an assessment, even if they had tagged along without being invited.
... But they hadn’t managed to catch a single piece of prey yet, and Lilypaw was getting bored. Maybe the other apprentices had caught all the prey in the area already?
“Maybe we should split up,” Bluepaw suggested, lifting her nose and trying again to scent some prey.
“Okay,” Lilypaw said, a little upset that Bluepaw didn’t want to hunt with her anymore. “Maybe without you leaping like a wounded rabbit through the trees I’ll catch something,” she teased.
Bluepaw wrinkled her nose in annoyance, then took off into the undergrowth, leaving Lilypaw alone. The little she-cat sat for a moment in the quiet, then stood and began padding in a direction at random. She sniffed the air, but instead of prey she caught the scent of another cat. I know that scent!
Creeping forward, she caught sight of a silvery pelt. He didn’t seem to be tracking anything at the moment, so she decided to have some fun. Lilypaw dropped into her best hunter’s crouch, pulling herself forward until she felt she was within striking distance. Then she sprung, aiming right for Heronpaw’s side.
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Riley
Head of Advertising
348 Posts
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Post by Riley on Jul 14, 2022 5:41:17 GMT
Heronpaw had made quick work of downing a water vole and a mouse. Simple, easy, and using only the basic skills that SHELLSPOTS taught them. Flare had bees in his brain if he thought Heronpaw would go after a squirrel or bird. Squirrels had too much fur, and the less said about feathers, the better! What self respecting cat would catch something that you'd have to spit out or pluck half of it? If it were up to him-
And then Heronpaw was obliterated by a pale fuzzy body. Heronpaw instinctively snarled and rolled, lashing out with his claws unsheathed in a move he actually HAD learned from Flare. Whoever dared to attack him on his own territory would pay for it, Heronpaw was NOT to be trifled with. He felt savage satisfaction when his claws caught something and he pulled back, ripping fur and flesh. It was only when he kicked them away and got back to his paws that he realized it was Lilypaw. Heronpaw froze and stared at the bead of blood he'd caused and panic made him lash out, verbally this time. "Are you STUPID? What in the everloving name of StarClan do you think you're doing? What about me makes you think sneaking up and pouncing on me is a good idea?"
This wasn't his fault, it WASN'T, and he wouldn't let Flare or Shellspots or even his own stupid guilty conscience otherwise. Heronpaw growled, low in his chest, and shook his head. "Come on, whatever you caught, leave it. We need to get that looked at. Or at least cleaned."
- - -
Melodypaw was the last to leave their brother slash mentor. Once everyone was gone, she shot Flare a nervous look, only to receive a well-meaning but not all that helpful reassuring blink. She followed behind the scent trail of Spiderpaw and Minnowpaw, but split off from them. If she messed up she didn't want to be on the receiving end of the same teasing she would put Galepaw through. It'd be even worse, since back then he'd only been a kit. Now, at eleven moons old, she shouldn't BE messing up.
She opened her mouth to taste the air, but grimaced. She was too close to the river. All she could smell and taste was water and mud. Maybe she could go fishing, but she also didn't want to look like she was copying the other two. But she wouldn't give up too easily! Flare always said if you couldn't see, smell, or taste anything, the next best thing would be to listen.
So Melodypaw perked her ears and concentrated on sounds. It took her a bit to focus but eventually she heard the flutter of wings, and the song of a bird. Melodypaw had to stifle a snicker when she realized it was a blue jay. She'd HAVE to catch it for Jay. If nothing else her brothers would get a kick out of it. She quickly scaled the nearest tree, just to get her bearings on where the bird was. Using the branches, she traveled towards the sound and, when she spotted the bird in question, Melodypaw climbed even higher, to a vantage point just behind the bird.
She waited for a wind, and eventually it came. With the leaves rustling, the jay didn't even hear her leap, until she was already on it with it's broken neck in her maw. Melodypaw hefted it proudly, and carefully made her way back to the ground. Wait until she told Flare she'd caught the bird in a tree! After that spectacle, it was almost mundane to track down a shrew to kill it.
Retrieving the jay, she brought the two pieces of fresh-kill toward the Copse and found Galepaw had already beat her to it. A squirrel and a vole lay by his paws, and Melodypaw gently set her own prey down to twitch her ears at it. "Not bad. Not as good as mine, of course, but not bad!" she nudged the dead jay forward with a smirk. "Caught THIS in the tree. It didn't even hear me coming!"
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