Quote:
Originally Posted by Mauve
(You are perfectly alright, no worries!)
Shadetail left out a disgruntled 'humph' that was barely noticeable unless Ashnose had been listening closely. It irritated him that even though at times he seemed to know better than a ShadowClan born member, he was still treated with disdain. Normally, the warrior was content with the looks he received, and the whispers made behind his back. But they were beginning to wear on the tom, and he gave a shake of his pelt as if to throw them off like an enemy clawing on his back. He'd worry about his reputation later. Right now he was in a hunting patrol that, despite his initial frustrations with, would be a great opportunity to prove himself. Bringing back bountiful prey during the tail-end of a rather harsh leaf-bare? Surely that would gain him some points with his fellow ShadowClanners - and perhaps even Goldenstar and Halfgaze themselves.
Now, his ears twitched as his dazzling yellow gaze followed Ashnose. The warrior was stalking towards the briar patch where the croaking sound was coming from. Shadetail crouched low, keeping his ears up for any alarming sounds but kept his tail flat and still, careful to not stir a dangling bramble of leaf with it. Any noise and whatever prey was so graciously giving away it's location would be gone. It wasn't long until a rather large frog hopped out from the safety of the briars. Shadetail froze, his forepaw in midstep as his eyes zeroed in on the target. Patiences was key here, and the warrior waited as he saw Ashnose ready himself out of the corner of his eye. Come on... come on... he thought silently, not daring to move a single muscle for fear it would scare the frog. In a flash, the frog lept in his direction, blinded by the fear of Ashnose hot on it's trail. "There we go!" Shadetail yowled, muscles tensing as he bounded from his crouched position towards the animal. He sailed through the air - one bound, then another - until his claws were locked onto the frog, striking down at an alarming speed. The prey didn't have time to comprehend what was happening as it prepared for another leap - a leap that it never completed thanks to Shadetail's unsheathed claws connecting with it's back. The frog went limp instantly, and the ShadowClan warrior delivered a swift bite to the back of it's head for good measure.
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"Good catch!" Ashnose exclaimed. He let out a small sigh of relief and thanked StarClan that the two of them were able to make the catch. He would have been so embarrassed if this hunt started going downhill right from the very beginning. Making the catch was the first step to making up for that mouse-brained mistake earlier. The ShadowClan warrior let his gaze rest on the frog for a few heartbeats, silently thanking it for its life. Ashnose and Shadetail would bring the frog back to ShadowClan later and it would fill hungry bellies. StarClan had blessed the two toms and ShadowClan with this frog. The British Shorthair couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising practically from ear to ear.
Flicking his tail towards the catch, the gray tom mewed, "Alright then. Let's put this somewhere and then see if we can find something else." He padded past Shadetail and away from the swamp. He figured they'd have scared away all of the other marsh prey by now. Ashnose looked to the trees, hoping there'd be an unsuspecting squirrel or bird. But as Ashnose passed Shadetail, he caught the scent of something strange. He stopped, sniffed again, but couldn't smell it anymore. Figuring it was nothing, the amber-eyed tom shrugged and kept padding forward. I hope our next catch is just as easy, the warrior thought to himself. If his first time leading a hunting patrol went well, perhaps he'd be chosen to lead more patrols. This was exactly what Ashnose was excited for when he was an apprentice.
Suddenly feeling awkward about the lack of conversation, Ashnose glanced over his shoulder at Shadetail. He was silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say, but still feeling the need to exchange words with the other tom. "It's getting pretty cold, don't you think?" It was poor small talk, but the British Shorthair was struggling to come up with anything else. It was relevant, however. He'd recently added more padding to his nest in order to stay a little warmer. He also found the chill sending shivers down his spine every once in awhile. It didn't help whenever there was a breeze too.