Hunt. [closed]

Watching as the sun slowly peeked above the horizon, Maplestar raised her head trying to get a better view. One thing she loved about being leader was the fact that she now woke up early enough to be able to watch the sun rise. Most cats would prefer the sunset, but the sunrise is just as grand, with it's bold hues of orange and red, complimented with the pale yellows and blues that faded into the sky. A small cloud escaped her mouth as she let out a soft sigh. Getting ready to start the day, she jumped down from the Jaggedrock and onto the soft ground of the camp clearing, relishing how much warmer it was compared to the piecing cold of the Jaggedrock. Poking into the apprentice den, she spotted the two cats who she was looking for- two sisters. Walking inside, she danced around stray tails and paws, trying to be careful to not step on anyone. "Psst, Beetlepaw, Splashpaw, you two are going on a dawn patrol with me! You can grab something quick to eat, when you're ready to leave you can meet me at the camp entrance." She excitedly whispered and nudged the two before exiting and waiting at the camp entrance.

Splashpaw woke to the sound of maplestar and got to her paws slowly. She was tired but at the mention of food and patrol she woke up fully. The little chimera padded off to the freshkill pile and grabbed a mouse. She sat down and ate the small creature before joining maplestar with a big smile.

Beetlepaw got up after Splashpaw did, following not long after. Once she exited the den she found where Maplestar was waiting before she padded towards the fresh-kill pile, picking a frog from near the top. Quickly chomping through it she followed after her sister and met up with her mentor with a yawn, side-eying her sister through narrow eyes. She was a bit annoyed that her training session was being shared by her sister, and that she wouldn't be able to have her one-on-one session with Maplestar.

The leader smiled at the sight of the sisters, her heart warming at the thought of being able to spend time with them. She loved young cats, no matter how... questionable their actions were. It almost felt like she was a mother of sorts to them- she felt like that about the entire clan, but these two specifically. Standing up as they approached, she began to turn around toward the camp entrance, gesturing for Beetlepaw and Splashpaw to follow. "Today is a big day for you both, yeah? This is your first hunting lesson." She spoke the words while looking over her shoulder, attempting to keep eye contact with the two. She guided them across the marshes, taking them to a place where she would normally be lucky with finding prey. Once they had arrived, she turned around to face them. "We will be hunting here today! I'll give you a quick rundown on the hunter's crouch and what to do, alright?"

Crouching low, she chose what her target would be. There was a shrived up shrub nearby that was perfect to use as an example. "I want you to watch my movements. Observe where and how i step, how my tail glides just above the ground. You're going to want to move your body differently based on the prey you're hunting. For mice you will want to step very lightly, although there aren't too many mice on the marshes. Frogs, on the other hand, are better caught with quick, sharp movements rather than jumps. Although frogs can be slow to react, they can easily jump out of your grasp. Same goes for birds, although it's easier to catch them with a jump while they're flying away." Creeping up behind the bush, she used the hunting method she often used on frogs. After a moment, she swiped her paw at the shrub, catching it in her claw before biting it's wilted stem. "And that is how you catch prey." She smiled and looked at the apprentices. "What i want you to do now is try catching your own prey, whether it be a mouse, a lizard, or a sparrow. If you smell the air you will find that the area is rich with prey. Now off you go, and make sure you try your best!"

Splashpaw watched maplestar in awe as she showed the sisters how to hunt. "Im going to catch a big Frog!" she mewed happily while catching the scent of frog and padding off. She stuck close to the ground, her white belly almost touching the muddy snow. She stalked the scent before getting eyes on it, It was huge! The frog was almost the size of her paw, and in leafbare, that was big. She kept quiet while still moving forward and when she was close enough she lept at it. Before the frog noticed her she killed it in one bite. Splashpaw padded back to maplestar and her sister with a giant smile on her face.

Splash has caught the frog

The member 'Daisyclaus' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Beetlepaw regarded Splashpaw's catch with disdain, mad that on her first try she had caught something decent, in leaf-bare no less. Beetlepaw definitely did not want to admit that her sister may grow to be a great hunter. Scoffing Beetlepaw mewed, "I can do better than that." nodding her head she turned away from her sister and mentor and stalked into the barren undergrowth, her mouth open and tasting for the scent of something big and juicy. A squeak caught the she-cat's attention, a rat scurried in a small dip in the ground, a bush over-hanging it and providing it shelter as it cleaned itself. It had a thick long tail, and a large body, unlike a mouse, so Beetlepaw likened it to the rats that she'd hear her clan-mates talking about when they'd raid Carrionplace when leaf-bares were especially harsh.

Slipping into a crouch, more refined than the one she had slid into before assaulting Thunderclans leader, this felt better, cleaner, and more refined. Tail low, steady and still she unsheathed her claws and gave herself a moment to calm her heart. Beetlepaw was so excited, she couldn't wait to feel the rush of blood under her teeth and the cease of a beating heart under her lips. Beetlepaw shifted her back paws, coiled the best she could, and launched herself at her prey.

Beetlepaw landed with a thump, a hiss leaving her throat as she fastened her teeth around the rat's neck and crunching it. Beetlepaw savoured the moment as she felt the pumping blood cease, and the warmth slowly dripping from its body. Beetlepaw rose to her paws and shook out her fur before returning to her sister and mentor with her head raised high, ceasing her worries about her sister being better than her, and establishing her position in their sibling relationship as the superior one. Beetlepaw looked down at her sister and set her rat next to Splashpaws frog, feeling even more proud seeing that her rat was bigger than some random toad, Beetlepaw turned to look up at her mentor with gleaming eyes, suddenly yearning for approval.

The member 'Grey' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Watching as the apprentices walked away, Mapleglow thought it would be a good idea to catch some prey herself. Going in a direction different from those of Beetlepaw and Splashpaw. Opening her mouth and tasting the cold air, she soon caught whiff of a toad- probably the most expected to smell out of most prey on Shadowclan territory. Even so, it wasn't that common to come across prey in Leaf-bare, so even if it wasn't really her job to solely hunt anymore she still wanted to be sure to catch this toad.

Wandering around the area, she followed the scent before eventually coming across the toad. It seemed as though it, too, was looking for food. It seems like all anyone seems to do in Leaf-bare, she sighed. Dropping into a crouch, she crept up behind the frog, and like she had done with her lesson, she jumped toward the frog and swiftly caught it under her paws. Giving it a quick bite, she finished it off, carrying it back to the spot where the patrol had started. Approval sparkled in her gaze when she realized that both apprentices had caught something- Splashpaw with a toad and Beetlepaw with a rat. "Oh! Good job you two! You did wonderfully. You both show great potential." She smiled and tucked her prey away to come back to later. "Make sure you always hide your prey so that nothing takes it while you're off hunting something else. What do you guys say we hunt a bit more, yeah?"

The member 'Cotton' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Beetlepaw nodded silently, scooping away frozen dirt and tucking her rat in the hole, brushing dirt and leaf-litter back over it. Beetlepaw gave her sister one last look of barely concealed glee and wandered off into the underbrush, she took herself deeper into the territory, away from where she had hunted last and farther from the commotion. Beetlepaw was more than aware that all the crashing in the underbrush would scare off most of the prey that had gotten brave or hungry back into their warm dens. Beetlepaw crouched and waited, giving the air a moment to settle as she breathed in the frozen leaf-bare air. Rustling made her ears twitch and her pelt flicker, Beetlepaw looked around, taking a moment to search her surroundings before landing on a rabbit that must have crossed in from the Thunderpath or made its way a long ways from Windclan territory.

Beetlepaw stilled, crouching as her claws unsheathed to give her grip on the frozen earth. Steadily she crept forwards, the rabbit nibbled and hopped, unawares but with alert ears. Beetlepaw softly exhaled, wiggled her hips, and launched from her cover, her paws pounded ferociously as she sped after the rabbit that had started to spring away. Beetlepaws heart pounded, her legs stretching and reaching for every running stride, the rabbit turned around some undergrowth while Beetlepaw launched over it. She pushed the ground as hard as she could before she coiled again and leaped, her paws outstretched as she fastened her claws into its rump. Beetlepaw's back legs skidded out from under her but the rabbit's legs gave away under her weight, it turned towards her with front legs raised and back legs straining to kick her. But Beetlepaw dragged the rabbit under her and she pushed her face past defenseless paws and she fastened her teeth into its throat, it gave a shrill squeal then fell still, Beetlepaws chest heaved, her breath clouding in the frozen air.

It was a messy kill, blood coated her chin. Beetlepaw remained crouched over it as she regained her breath, the thrill of the hunt making it hard to quell her beating heart full of adrenaline. A few heart-beats more and Beetlepaw picked it back up by the neck, its body dragging from under her as she waddled it back over to Maplestar. Beetlepaw was triumphant in her hunt.

The member 'Grey' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Splashpaw padded off when her sister did with a smile. she slowly padded around the forest, just happy to be out training with her family. Even if maplestar wasnt related by blood she still saw the leader as a second mother. Splashpaw suddenly stopped when she caught the scent of a shrew. She got down low and waited until she heard a rustle. She looked towards the area to see the shrew looking for food in he snow.

While the shrew wasnt looking, Splashpaw crept closer but stopped before the shrew looked up. When the shrew looked back down, Splashpaw struck. She pounced on the little creature. She barely missed as she landed on the shrew. With one final bite she picked it up and padded back to the others.


(sorry, if this is a bad hunt, woke up with headache)

The member 'Daisyclaus' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Watching as the apprentices hid their prey like how she had, she watched the walk away before walking away herself. She went a different direction than the one she had went first and took time to sniff the air again. A mix of scents filled the air, but she chose squirrel, as it seemed to be the strongest. Following the trail, she ducked under bush branches until the scent was significantly stronger. The smell centered around a small, thin patch of pine trees. It was her guess that the squirrel was digging up food it had preciously stored away. Now was the challenge of finding the squirrel before it knew she was there. Creeping around a tree, she looked around and saw it's bushy tail disappear behind a different tree. Following it, she made sure to not step on any dead leaves or twigs. When the squirrel was finally in her sights, she readied herself to pounce on it, building up strength in her hind legs to jump. She didn't have much experience with catching squirrels, as they didn't frequent Shadowclan territory, but she would try to catch it nevertheless. Using her strength to push herself into the air, she directed her paws to the squirrel... and missed it. Her paws landed next to the squirrel, her sudden presence causing the mammal to panic and jump around. In a final attempt to catch it, she scrambled after it as it darted away, failing her catch. Letting out a huff, she thought that it would be a good idea to return to the apprentices.

The member 'Cotton' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Beetlepaw, despite not having garnered a response from her sister or mentor, felt gleeful when Maplestar returned without anything. Beetlepaw wanted to puff out her chest and say! I'm the best! But felt like it would not be the best received, especially by her mentor, while if her sister disproved of it she'd hardly care. Beetlepaw wanted to become the best and be the best, the perfect warrior, respected and awed by her clan-mates. She cared not for their opinions on attitude, for there was no discernable winner for the best personality type. Beetlepaw nodded at Maplestar and mewed, "Are we going to continue hunting? I think we caught lots! But I suppose if we can catch all we can, with the luck we are having, Shadowclan won't starve." Beetlepaw inquired, her eyes not leaving her mentor.