[Moonraven]

Trailing after the scent of rabbit, Batglare's thoughts continued to turn to Twistedpaw with each paw stepped further he took from her. Normally, he wouldn't be so overprotective of the apprentice, but the way Swiftfire had been treating her made him antsy. Perhaps he shouldn't have left her alone with the warrior? Against his better judgement, he ignored his concerns and continued on hunting down the rabbit he was after. It wasn't hard to find, thankfully in a stationary position. Batglare fixed his gaze on a small brown shape over yonder.

Aware he wasn't exactly downwind, the tom maneuvered carefully so using tender steps so as to not alert his prey. The rabbit perked up, no longer occupied by what it had been doing it sniffed at the air and looked around for the phantom it had momentarily sensed. Batglare was absolutely still and kept a locked and focused gaze on the prey.

The rabbit kept the notion it was being watched, but cautiously returned to what it was doing in paranoia. Very, very slowly the tom advanced in the motion and speed of a sloth, with ever touch of an object being ginger and noiseless. Batglare edged closer, downwind, to the suspicious prey, halting every time the rabbit popped its head up for a security check. He was one fox-length away.

He prepared himself to get into the hunter's crouch. Head bent down focused on the target, eyes intense and undistracted, and teeth itching for the kill bite. Shoulders hunched, foreleg elbows slightly bent, claws unsheathed to provide traction and back legs bent ready to give a boost in his chase to come. Then the takeoff, the powerful launch created from the push off of his back legs nearly closed the gap between the predator and prey.

His muscles rippled like violent tremors breaking still water. Toes and claws outstretched yearning for contact with the petrified rabbit. However, the deer in headlights only lasted for milliseconds, with the last second sparing the rabbit as it took evasive action.

The small being of fur scampered away from Batglare yet he wasn't easily phased, persisting the chase with unwavering determination and confidence. The tom's long-legged stride kept him within range, but he wouldn't strike again just yet. One stride, two strides, now! With one might pounce, he sank his claws into the back of the rabbit's body, pinning it to the ground and ending its life with a quick bit to the neck.

Satisfied, the tom dragged the limb body to a nearby bush and dumped it there. He was more than ready to continue hunting, but once again concern tugged at his heart. Twistedpaw. Seeing that he was not going to be able concentrate on hunting without ensuring the she-cat's safety, Batglare turned to head back the way he had come. He caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and turned fully to face the silhouette. He stared up at the long-legged molly, waiting to see the dark pelt of his apprentice behind or nearby her, but no sight...

Mini alarm bells sounded in his head as he dropped any pretense of hunting and padded over to the younger warrior. "Swiftfire." He greeted her in a monotone once he was within a tail-length of her. "Where is my apprentice?" Batglare's intense green-yellow eyes drifted around behind the she-cat and then beyond in search of the smaller one. He didn't see her, didn't smell her. Aftering done one more sweep with his eyes and finding no sign of Twistedpaw, he returned his searing glare to Swiftfire obviously expecting an explanation.

@Tiabirb @TheNyanCatMinecart