ShadowClan Territory

[Raggedclaw]

Originally Posted by Spirited Darkness

Redpool ducked his head, but she still caught his ears, and he fell over in an overdramatic fake death, then lay limp in the snow, breathing deeply, so that he didn't have any chance of alarming Harepaw. After a moment, he rose and looked at her, but was careful to avoid his gaze. “Look at that.” he said quietly, his optics serious as he gazed over her shoulder at nothing, as he was tricking her. As soon as Harepaw had her head turned, he would playfully tackle her, but not until she wasn't looking at him.

"What?" Harepaw turns around, her eyes searching the area. "What do you see?"

[doghouse]

Originally Posted by Raggedclaw

"What?" Harepaw turns around, her eyes searching the area. "What do you see?"

As soon as the black and white molly was turned around, not facing him, a grin spread across his maw and he tackled her lightly. “Gotcha!” the big, scrawny built warrior announced teasingly, a mischievous gleam entering his hues.

[Raggedclaw]

Originally Posted by Spirited Darkness

As soon as the black and white molly was turned around, not facing him, a grin spread across his maw and he tackled her lightly. “Gotcha!” the big, scrawny built warrior announced teasingly, a mischievous gleam entering his hues.

She yelps out in surprise before laughing as she looked up at Redpool with a warm expression.

[oats]

{Open post ! Feel free to reply < 3}

The morning wasn't something Possumpaw enjoyed, was it?
To her memory, no, it certainly was not. The manner in which boisterous kits could be heard and light streaming in through the walls of the apprentices' den made sure she could not make up for hours missed of sleep, and besides- it was pointless trying to lie down with her eyes closed when she simply could not garner any desire to not see what bedlam was occurring suspiciously close to her nest.
So Possumpaw had to settle for second best. What of it? She was perfectly capable of fending for herself, whether or not her mother believed she was. Proving it, however, was another matter entirely. Was she still up for the challenge, though? "Of course," she half-growled to herself, slowly tensing up and bringing the downy fur of her underbelly closer to the ground. Having vowed to old Brindlepoppy that she'd bring the fattest, most ripe-for a picking piece of prey the molly'd ever seen, the little grey she-cat had left Shadowclan's camp in the desire to do exactly that.
This thrush was hers by right, and no cat was going to take it from her. With sinewy muscles held tight and prepared to strike, she began to stalk the small avian creature with the intent to kill. One step. Two steps. Three, and four- she was growing ever closer, the bird barely aware of her approach. Her breath hitched, her claws unsheathed- she pounced, letting out a hunter's cry and- it was gone.
Skittering to the ground, Possumpaw let out an annoyed huff, tail whisking side to side.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Liquoris

@Lonestar23

Green eyes gazed across the forest, looking for some sort of trouble. Some prey, maybe? The hunting patrol she was part of had been out since dawn, and had barely caught a thing. 'Trials of leaf-bare I guess,' Flowerdawn thought, slight annoyance at the lack of prey making her pelt pick. Or maybe that was just the cold of the snow soaking her paws. She couldn't really tell at that point.
___

"Aren't there supposed to be some prey out here? I don't think I've ever seen this forest so quiet," Cedarbreeze whispered to the patrol. She glanced at Flowerdawn and Ivythorn, then at Smokepaw, Lynxfrost, and Mountainpeak. "What?" she asked when she noticed Ivythorn's stare.
__

"It's leaf-bare, Cedarbreeze," Ivythorn said quietly, her ears pinned low in constant fear. Sure she had stood up for herself, and proven that she was a good warrior, during the battle with Skyclan, but she still feared the majority of her clanmates; Cedarbreeze being one of those cats. Her overall expression made it seem like she was about to get beat, but then again, that's the price to pay for an abused cat.

Mountainpeak shifted uncertainly from one paw to the other. He didn't like the quiet- he was used to a bunch of cats being around and it being louder. This was part of the reason he had never been a good hunter; he just didn't seem to have the patience, nor the skill for it. It wasn't that he was unable to be quiet; he just didn't seem to understand how to. Still, he decided to try his best. He didn't want to make the other cats uncomfortable. He glanced from Ivythorn to Cedarbreeze, and cleared his throat, looking down at his paws as he did so. A moment later, he sidled over to Flowerdawn and shot her a friendly smile. "How fast can you run?" He asked, in the quietest voice he possibly could. Because of his naturally loud voice, this wasn't quiet by the standards of other cats, although by his it might as well have been a whisper. It was an odd question; though Mountainpeak had never been too good at figuring that sort of thing out. Practically hopping with impatience, the young warrior awaited the she cat's reply. Being smaller, others tended to look down on him...and he especially hated being treated like a younger cat because of his small size. Still, he treated this as a joke, same with everything else. It wasn't easy to get him down.

*****
Lynxfrost, as usual, remained quiet. He knew these cats, just not well enough...and even Cedarbreeze, whom he knew fairly well, was not enough to get him out of his quiet state. The tom liked the cold. At least, he didn't mind it...the heat bothered him much more. He liked the feel of the snow against his paws, as frigid as it was, and he loved to sit and watch snowflakes. It was a fascination that he knew wasn't very...warrior-like. It was something no one else knew about him. Thankfully. I don't need another reason to be made fun of, no way. Lynxfrost thought with a snort. He tended to get more paranoid when he was around a larger group of cats. Had it been one on one, perhaps he would have been a little more accepting of everyone. As it was, he was not sure quite what to do. He was not a social cat. And especially not when there was so much to go wrong...he could get hurt, someone else could get hurt, they could not like him...and what if they had been fighting against StarClan? Would they hurt him if they found out his beliefs? Lynxfrost pinned his ears backwards and continued onwards, although his hues kept flitting warily in all directions.

*****
Smokepaw licked his maw. He was sure he could feel tension growing, and was thankful when the silence was broken. Noticing Ivythorn's discomfort...or perhaps fear...he padded over beside her in an attempt to make her feel better. "Is everything okay?" He asked in a low voice, and then continued on his usual rant that he found himself having every time he was nervous about someone else's welfare. "Do you need us to go, I mean we could always s-split up or something, only if you want to, but if you're okay th-then...then we're all good. At least I think so." Smokepaw mewed, and then ducked his head in embarrassment. He was well aware that he wasn't the friendliest of cats. Worried, yes...but friendly was not a word that was generally used to describe him. Physical contact was something that made him nervous, and he took care not to accidentally brush up against one of the other cats- or something else. He had been in too many arguments where things went wrong, and he knew better then to get too close to someone. Despite his concern for each and every one of his clanmates, Smokepaw was surprisingly careful when it came to allowing himself to make friends.

[Teza]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Mountainpeak shifted uncertainly from one paw to the other. He didn't like the quiet- he was used to a bunch of cats being around and it being louder. This was part of the reason he had never been a good hunter; he just didn't seem to have the patience, nor the skill for it. It wasn't that he was unable to be quiet; he just didn't seem to understand how to. Still, he decided to try his best. He didn't want to make the other cats uncomfortable. He glanced from Ivythorn to Cedarbreeze, and cleared his throat, looking down at his paws as he did so. A moment later, he sidled over to Flowerdawn and shot her a friendly smile. "How fast can you run?" He asked, in the quietest voice he possibly could. Because of his naturally loud voice, this wasn't quiet by the standards of other cats, although by his it might as well have been a whisper. It was an odd question; though Mountainpeak had never been too good at figuring that sort of thing out. Practically hopping with impatience, the young warrior awaited the she cat's reply. Being smaller, others tended to look down on him...and he especially hated being treated like a younger cat because of his small size. Still, he treated this as a joke, same with everything else. It wasn't easy to get him down.

*****
Lynxfrost, as usual, remained quiet. He knew these cats, just not well enough...and even Cedarbreeze, whom he knew fairly well, was not enough to get him out of his quiet state. The tom liked the cold. At least, he didn't mind it...the heat bothered him much more. He liked the feel of the snow against his paws, as frigid as it was, and he loved to sit and watch snowflakes. It was a fascination that he knew wasn't very...warrior-like. It was something no one else knew about him. Thankfully. I don't need another reason to be made fun of, no way. Lynxfrost thought with a snort. He tended to get more paranoid when he was around a larger group of cats. Had it been one on one, perhaps he would have been a little more accepting of everyone. As it was, he was not sure quite what to do. He was not a social cat. And especially not when there was so much to go wrong...he could get hurt, someone else could get hurt, they could not like him...and what if they had been fighting against StarClan? Would they hurt him if they found out his beliefs? Lynxfrost pinned his ears backwards and continued onwards, although his hues kept flitting warily in all directions.

*****
Smokepaw licked his maw. He was sure he could feel tension growing, and was thankful when the silence was broken. Noticing Ivythorn's discomfort...or perhaps fear...he padded over beside her in an attempt to make her feel better. "Is everything okay?" He asked in a low voice, and then continued on his usual rant that he found himself having every time he was nervous about someone else's welfare. "Do you need us to go, I mean we could always s-split up or something, only if you want to, but if you're okay th-then...then we're all good. At least I think so." Smokepaw mewed, and then ducked his head in embarrassment. He was well aware that he wasn't the friendliest of cats. Worried, yes...but friendly was not a word that was generally used to describe him. Physical contact was something that made him nervous, and he took care not to accidentally brush up against one of the other cats- or something else. He had been in too many arguments where things went wrong, and he knew better then to get too close to someone. Despite his concern for each and every one of his clanmates, Smokepaw was surprisingly careful when it came to allowing himself to make friends.

Flowerdawn glanced over at the tom, and grinned wildly. "Where to?" she asked simply, a hint of eagerness in her eyes and voice. Her claws itched to dig into something, be it prey or the ground. She was simply too bored to do anything else. As she waited for a reply from her clanmate, she glanced to the others in the hunting patrol. 'Well aren't we a bunch of misfits,' she thought with a slight pur in her throat.

-----

Cedarbreeze pinned her ears toward Ivythorn, then glanced to Smokepaw as he spoke. "Maybe we should give little Ivykit some space. Lynxfrost, you want to come with me?" she asked, noticing that Flowerdawn had already got her hunting partner out of Mountainpeak. She then started padding off to the North, away from the patrol.

-----

Ivythorn pinned her ears, knowing she had been wrong to speak. She glanced to Smokepaw, opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again as Cedarbreeze spoke. She crouched down, her tail to her side and her ears still pinned as the she-cat walked away. She slunk into the bushes, thinking about her old friend. She had thought what they had was special, but he still hasn't come back. Maybe it was time for her to move on from the loner she had met.

[ottersalad]

Originally Posted by rutherford

{Open post ! Feel free to reply < 3}

The morning wasn't something Possumpaw enjoyed, was it?
To her memory, no, it certainly was not. The manner in which boisterous kits could be heard and light streaming in through the walls of the apprentices' den made sure she could not make up for hours missed of sleep, and besides- it was pointless trying to lie down with her eyes closed when she simply could not garner any desire to not see what bedlam was occurring suspiciously close to her nest.
So Possumpaw had to settle for second best. What of it? She was perfectly capable of fending for herself, whether or not her mother believed she was. Proving it, however, was another matter entirely. Was she still up for the challenge, though? "Of course," she half-growled to herself, slowly tensing up and bringing the downy fur of her underbelly closer to the ground. Having vowed to old Brindlepoppy that she'd bring the fattest, most ripe-for a picking piece of prey the molly'd ever seen, the little grey she-cat had left Shadowclan's camp in the desire to do exactly that.
This thrush was hers by right, and no cat was going to take it from her. With sinewy muscles held tight and prepared to strike, she began to stalk the small avian creature with the intent to kill. One step. Two steps. Three, and four- she was growing ever closer, the bird barely aware of her approach. Her breath hitched, her claws unsheathed- she pounced, letting out a hunter's cry and- it was gone.
Skittering to the ground, Possumpaw let out an annoyed huff, tail whisking side to side.

Lizardpaw felt her small grey paws crunch into the crisp auburn leaves as she sighed, her breath turning to mist and hanging still in the air. the wind was cold and bit beneath her short but thick tabby pelt. with a shiver, Lizardpaw yawned, showing needle teeth and rolling back her huge round yellow eyes. The molly had just woken up and wished she could go back to her warm nest. How about I go for a short hunt, Lizardpaw thought. It would get her away from the other cats in the camp, quite frankly the apprentice preffered solitude to company. With a tail swish, she was off.
Birds screeched above her, seemingly laughing at her from the delicate branches. Which to catch? thought Lizardpaw. In a quiet voice so that the birds wouldn't know of her presence she meowed softly, none of you are safe from me... she slid like a snake toward her chosen tree, avoiding twigs that would snap easily. A crow stood in its branches, light turning its black feathers into many colors, but Lizardpaw didn't stop to look. She took a giant leap towards it, but it had seen her and flew off the moment she was about to hook her claws into it. Lizardpaw clearly hadn't thought about how she would land as she crashed through the branches, snapping them and falling with her feet on the ground but then stumbled over a rock. Her noisy landing had scared away a thrush that another cat was about to catch sucessfully. Lizardpaw licked away leaves and twigs from her pelt with embarrassment, she hated being humiliated.

[oats]

{sorry for the short length, otter <33}
Having finally heard the nearby crash, Possumpaw looked up sharply, chirping quietly as she dragged herself up from the ground. "Who's there?" she called out, leaving no patch of ground free of scrutiny. She knew there was a cat nearby- the musky scent of another cat hung in the air, unwelcome as a skunk's. Starclan simply couldn't leave her be, could they? The situation really wasn't that deep, per se, but it always seemed as if some divine force loved preventing her from any form of success.
In any case, whoever was responsible for it was better off not sticking around; the little she-cat was quite irked now. Trotting lightly, carrying herself in a loose, lazy circle about the general vicinity of where she heard the noise, Possumpaw began scanning the area, her nose trained close to the ground in some imitation of a lazy hunter's crouch. She was getting somewhere, and before she knew it, the little mottled molly practically recoiled as she finally found Lizzardpaw, whose pelt was still strewn with leaves. "Oi," Possumpaw sniffed, glaring at the fallen apprentice. "Was that you?"

[ottersalad]

Originally Posted by rutherford

{sorry for the short length, otter <33}
Having finally heard the nearby crash, Possumpaw looked up sharply, chirping quietly as she dragged herself up from the ground. "Who's there?" she called out, leaving no patch of ground free of scrutiny. She knew there was a cat nearby- the musky scent of another cat hung in the air, unwelcome as a skunk's. Starclan simply couldn't leave her be, could they? The situation really wasn't that deep, per se, but it always seemed as if some divine force loved preventing her from any form of success.
In any case, whoever was responsible for it was better off not sticking around; the little she-cat was quite irked now. Trotting lightly, carrying herself in a loose, lazy circle about the general vicinity of where she heard the noise, Possumpaw began scanning the area, her nose trained close to the ground in some imitation of a lazy hunter's crouch. She was getting somewhere, and before she knew it, the little mottled molly practically recoiled as she finally found Lizzardpaw, whose pelt was still strewn with leaves. "Oi," Possumpaw sniffed, glaring at the fallen apprentice. "Was that you?"

Lizardpaw stiffened as she saw Possumpaw. She stretched her sunflower yellow eyes wide and pretended to not know what the other apprentice was meowing about. "Was what me??" Lizardpaw was suddenly conscious of the fact she still had twigs and leaves sticking out of her grey pelt at all angles. She looked quite a sorry sight. "I was just hunting a thrush but you scared it off!" Lizardpaw scrunched her nose, pretending to have been going for the thrush instead of the crow she failed to catch and letting out a fake annoyed huff. The tabby molly was quite a liar, but not a very good one.
She gathered sat herself up and groomed the depris from her pelt. "I just tripped. You know, my mentor says if you trip while your hunting it means you are doing a good job." Lizardpaw realized she sounded ridiculous. "I could have caught that thrush if you didn't come barging in." Lizardpaw squinted at the amount of lies she had just told, but she didn't feel guilty at all. I am only doing it to defend myself and keep my dignity, Lizardpaw always told herself. She had no idea it was wrong and quite frankly she didn't care. It had always been herself before others in her mind.

[oats]

Originally Posted by otterchild

Lizardpaw stiffened as she saw Possumpaw. She stretched her sunflower yellow eyes wide and pretended to not know what the other apprentice was meowing about. "Was what me??" Lizardpaw was suddenly conscious of the fact she still had twigs and leaves sticking out of her grey pelt at all angles. She looked quite a sorry sight. "I was just hunting a thrush but you scared it off!" Lizardpaw scrunched her nose, pretending to have been going for the thrush instead of the crow she failed to catch and letting out a fake annoyed huff. The tabby molly was quite a liar, but not a very good one.
She gathered sat herself up and groomed the depris from her pelt. "I just tripped. You know, my mentor says if you trip while your hunting it means you are doing a good job." Lizardpaw realized she sounded ridiculous. "I could have caught that thrush if you didn't come barging in." Lizardpaw squinted at the amount of lies she had just told, but she didn't feel guilty at all. I am only doing it to defend myself and keep my dignity, Lizardpaw always told herself. She had no idea it was wrong and quite frankly she didn't care. It had always been herself before others in her mind.

"Did they, now." Possumpaw scrunched up her muzzle, mocking the expression Lizardpaw had just made. Did the she-cat take her for a fool? She simply would not stand for the fact that the little grey molly had lied so openly- no mentor in their right mind would tell their apprentice that. "Lizardpaw. Did your mentor, pray tell, also inform you that getting eaten by a monster is good for your health? I believe a fountain of knowledge like them would have to bestow you some information like that." Sure, she sounded like a prissy foxheart, but Possumpaw was certainly no fool. Sitting down comfortably, the small slate-grey she-cat looked her companion right in the eyes and blinked, hoping to show open defiance.
"You know what, kit? I think you weren't trying to catch my thrush. I think you were trying to jump through the trees like some kind of weird squirrel-cat." With a flick of her ear, she rolled over, exposing her underbelly for a brief second and then slamming right back onto the forest floor, a smirk plastered on her face. "If so, you ain't that smart, pal."