| Sprucepaw |
Kitty Softpaws - Active | Ultimate Predator - Active | Agatha Kitty - Active
His task done, the squirrels well hidden from the prying eyes of any potential thieves in the area, the young apprentice looked up, emerald hues opening only slightly in surprise as he saw his mentor's head popping out from the foliage, a rather ridiculous gesture being made that he understood full and well meant he was doing a good job at the very least. Despite himself, the chocolate point felt his whiskers twitch in mild amusement. Alright... as silly as The Boulder had just been, it was a boost in confidence. He knew he was going about this the right way, in any case. Now to keep at it until it was enough, he supposed.
Fudge knew he could take to the trees once more and hunt there. He had always been more comfortable up in the trees than down on the ground for some reason. Less likely to fumble. There was a very real possibility that his keener senses up on the canopy had more to do with his survival instincts kicking in than anything else, the fear of death upon impact if he fell to the ground all too real. However, he had already hunted on the trees, and he was aiming to impress. To showcase just how useful he could be. So that maybe, when his less than stellar spar came to fruition - seriously, neither of his two battling options were a cat an apprentice could realistically do any notable damage to - Angry would take a rare - impossible, the word was impossible - moment of mercy upon him and decide his climbing and hunting prowess was amenable enough to merit keeping him around.
With this thought in mind, the Birman mix kept to the ground, more focused on his every step than he'd ever been before, his deadpanned glare taking in every bent twig, every track in the snow. Nothing caught his eye for some time when he remembered... the seeds! Dark ears perking up, he retraced his steps, digging around the base of the tree, in the areas that looked most recently disturbed until he found them. A small stash of various seeds and nuts. There was no way this was all the squirrels had stored up for winter, but it would do for now. With an odd, satisficed smirk in his maw that didn't quite reach his eyes, the tom dipped his head, grabbing as many of the seeds as he could into his mouth before heading off again.
While he didn't usually pay attention to what other cats spoke about, not really caring much to get to know cats that would either leave or die before long, Fudge was always attentive when it was time to learn. And he still remembered his first catch. A bird. Busy eating seeds on the ground. With all the snow about, he was certain there wouldn't be all that much in terms of food for birds like those in the area, so his little cache would no doubt be enticing as all hell to whatever bird spotted it. It was a simple matter of hiding well while he waited.
It didn't take the paw long to find an ideal spot, and spitting the seeds back out of his mouth, he took to the base of a tree and made himself as small as possible among the exposed roots, his eyes narrowed as to not be too overly visible. The long furred tom had no idea how long he waited. He was a patient cat, spending many a day quietly doing nothing but observing. This was nothing to him, and he was soon well rewarded, two red birds - one's plumage much more vibrant than its smaller companion's feathers - landed on the seeds, inspecting the area with little hops as beady black eyes stared at their surroundings before they began feasting upon the seeds he'd left there. With them distracted, the chocolate point opened his eyes, blank half moons gazing at the two birds as he gave one careful step forward, ready to pounce.
He had miscalculated. Unlike the squirrels, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to how these two checked their surroundings. Not to mention they certainly seemed to be eating much quicker than the two furry critters from before. Perhaps it was the idea of staying on the ground for longer than needed that coaxed that need to ingest their food as quickly as possible, but as the lighter of the two finished and raised its head, it spotted the crouched apprentice, giving a warning cry before taking flight. Gratefully for the tom, the brighter, bigger cardinal was slower to react. Not having seen him, it took to the air, but the feline's reactions were quicker, and before it had taken too far to the sky, the paw jumped to the air, catching the red feathered bird in midair, claws unsheathed as he gripped its wing tightly, bringing it down to the ground with force before he dipped his head, delivering the final blow.
Disappointment furrowing his brow, he stared up at the sky. At the bird he had lost. Wishing he'd been able to catch both. This might count against him... and he couldn't afford to make mistakes like these. Fluffy tail giving a small, annoyed twitch, he grabbed his prey, ready to bury the bird as he had the squirrels. He would probably have to make up for having allowed that second bird to get away, but he wouldn't be able to do anything about it without hiding this one first. With feathers as bright as these, any thief would be able to see it against the white snow, and he would not lose this cardinal as well.
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dino. [Bumblestar] | @
Rani [Mudhound]