(ooc: we've been preparing the house for family to visit over the weekend - thanks for the bump!)
Having gotten to know the deputy a little better—finally able to appreciate his viewpoint, his motivations for the clan—Shattervenom felt much more comfortable working with him. Fallownose no longer seemed like some high, unreachable soldier in WindClan's ranks... he was an ally, a peer with a knack for leadership who only wanted the best for their home. Much more relateable than Shatter initially believed. She anticipated that
this patrol would end in success, and perhaps an even better understanding of Fallownose's steadfast character.
Shattervenom's silhouette portrayed the easy happiness that her marble-carved mask did not: a prance to her paws and a weightlessness to her tail as she marched through the long grass path that veered toward Windy Hills. Aptly named, this section of the territory rose in a gentle swell above the rest of the land to face the strong gusts that gave the clan its name. Vegetation rippled like ocean waves under the overcast sky, lit occasionally by splashes of golden sunlight that shimmered across the hills in shimmering fish-schools. Air roared in Shatter's pricked ears—the howl of soon-to-change weather, rich with the perfume of faraway rain. Ideal hunting conditions for the pair, since any prey would have a difficult time pinning down the direction of their own predatory scent...
Of course, that also meant a disadvantage for the felines. She and Fallownose might have to utilize different senses to locate prey on hills that swept away all but the smell of warm grass and dirt.
"Are we looking for anything in particular?" Shattervenom asked in a low, offhand tone, not wishing to disturb any nearby creatures. She lifted their muzzle and drank the air experimentally, tasting hints of rabbit, grouse, field mouse, pheasant... grey eyes then dropped to the earth, studying each dip and pebble for signs of disturbance. When she moved, the ebony-and-ivory fighter placed each foot with utmost softness, ignoring the way the wind raked through the underbrush to push persistently at her towering frame.
"I'm up for anything..."
Absent alto words faded away. Shattervenom had noted the tracks of ground-foraging birds:the imprints of tiny scratching feet, the sweep of wings against loose soil. When she swiveled her ears, she caught the back and forth call of different songbirds chattering higher up the hills... warblers and grosbeaks, blackbirds and meadowlarks. If Fallownose and herself managed to converge on a flock, they could take their pick of the avians flapping away in panic.
The tall warrior tapped the ground with a paw to draw the deputy's attention to the tracks she'd found. With a shrug of
you in? she then folded herself into a stealthy hunting crouch, slithering through the rippling stalks toward the bright chorus of birdsong.