| Sprucepaw |
Kitty Softpaws - Active | Ultimate Predator - Active | Agatha Kitty - Active
Fudge puffed up at The Boulder's silent praise, allowing his crouch to relax as he sat down, watching his mentor going around and correcting the young paws. The less knowledgeable ones. He kept emeralds hues locked on them, always willing to catch little errors here and there that he could keep in mind for the future. It had been some moons since he had been brutally bullied by prey, but he would prefer to not go to those days if it was all the same to everybody. It took some time - there were an awful lot of apprentices in this clan... no wonder the den had been feeling so cramped of late - but they managed to get through everyone, and soon the gauntlet was thrown, and a challenge was issued to those who were advanced enough for the next part of the training to be little more than kit's play.
Whether the tom wanted to admit it or not, he knew full well that he was in that group of paws who had honed their skills beyond this paltry exercise. Easy as it would be to simply stay the course and do the bare minimum, the chocolate point did not wish to disappoint his mentor. He had other apprentices already to compete against, to show how
he was the better one. The one more worthy of attention. If he failed to demonstrate that he in fact took what the brown mountain of a feline said during their lessons together, then he would lose without having even begun. The Birman mix was far from competitive, but he did not wish for those warm eyes to ever gaze upon him coldly. Angrily. With dejection.
And so he took The Boulder's words to heart. If they wanted to be approached from the open, how about Fudge doubled that challenge? Closed the distance not just from the open, but from the front as well. There were many cats here. The warrior would be forced to divide their attention. Look in all directions at all times. Meaning this former kittypet would be able to approach head on. It was risky. Had every potential to fail. And yet the challenge of it lit his deadpanned gaze with the slightest hint of a thrill. Of entertainment. He would convince himself that he was doing this fully for them and to show how he could think outside the box, but frankly, he was doing it just as much for himself. To prove to himself that he could do this. And if not? Well... just another technique to master. Because he would prevail in this... make no mistake about it.
Thinking through the giant's words, he bounded off, making sure to rub into the shrubbery he intended to use to cover himself. His brown fur might hide him well in trees, and admittedly it was much easier to blend in with the dirt than if he had been born with his sisters' and Cookie's much lighter, cream colored fur, but it still didn't make him invisible. Some extra help would be appreciated, and if he was going to smell like the flora of the place, he might as well look the part, too. Carefully, he grabbed twigs, branches, and leaves, covering himself and tangling the brush on his long fur until he resembled more plant than cat. Getting them all on him was easy enough. The hard part would be cleaning himself later... but he would go about that in due time. For now, it was time to hunt a mountain.
Slowly, he got into position, keeping his gaze alert for every motion his so called prey made. Every time their eyes darted elsewhere, he made his move, hoping to have avoided detection. He would continue along the stretch for as long as he could, becoming an immobile bush whenever he sensed any movement from the warrior ahead. Fudge wasn't certain if it would be enough. If he would be able to pounce and catch the much more experienced feline. Hopefully his innovation would gain him so points if his attempt here failed.
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Rani [Mudhound]