Sunkissed Creek

[dino.]

Skies above, Bumblestar had missed this part of the territory. She hated having lost it to ShadowClan, but it was back now and Cattail Pond was no longer hers to worry about, which meant it was about time to get some use out of it again.

She trotted ahead of Mudhound and Skunkstripe, the two she'd dragged out of camp regardless of their levels of enthusiasm, because while her outing with Larkswoop had proven fruitful, the Clan could always use more prey. The trickling of the creek reached her ears as she slipped through the break in the trees and paused, surveying the area. Birdsong signaled the presence of easy prey and she could practically taste mouse.

"Alright, both of you go crazy," she said with a glance over her shoulder. "The pile's been looking pretty low lately, I wanna see it overflowing by the time we get back, yeah? 'N be sure to keep an eye out for ShadowClan, Mudhound 'n I had a run-in when we went to reclaim this."

[ @Rani @Tiabirb ]

[Rani]

Mudhound
Thunderclan Hornet | They/them | 35 Moons
Bilingual T2 | Flock Together T3 | Rapid Recovery | Beefed up T3

Another day another set of WALKIES!!!! Mudhound was pretty sure that by now Bumble-sis had figured out they needed regular outings lest the tripod get twitchy and start up bouts of (oft destructive) stupidity but it didnt matter as long as they got walkies! And it was hunting too! The thing besides training that Mudhound was arguably best at, not that they were a slacker at other areas, so this was a double bonus!


The tripod was happily prancing along as the patrol walked to the creek, occasionally diving into interesting bushes at random and getting into all sorts of tangle without a care, but promptly ditched the others as soon as they all arrived. The reason? Well they stated it blatantly with a "I smell pigeon!!! DIBS!" as the warrior disappeared into the undergrowth after the scent.



Mudhound doubted shadowclan would come back so they werent worried right now, they just needed to catch the birds! Which turned out to not be hard really, given the dumb animals didnt even startle or fly away when the tripod walked right into them eating some sort of seed on the ground.


.....Seemed the hornets weird quirks (purrks) were striking again as the tripod shrugged to themself, looking down at the cooing animals at their paws before taking advantage of the situation.



With a few quick lunges and swats and a sudden panicked flapping of wings from fleeing birds (probably audible by the rest of the patrol) three birds were downed and the rest of the small flock was making a desperate break for it from the 'surprise' cat.


@dino. @Tiabirb (+3 pigeons)

[Tiabirb]

Skunkstrike
-------------

Okay normally? She'd be stoked to be out with the one and only Bumblestar, fiercest and greatest leader ThunderClan's ever had. But Skunkstrike knew where she fell awfully short....and today that was just the task.

Hunting.

She knew how to hunt. She knew all the 'tricks' to it....but time and again, she was either following a dead trail, pouncing on some rock or stick, or her bulky and eye-catching self was alerting every piece of prey within earshot. So this time she was walking practically on her toes, and acutely in line with...well...better hunters than her. Even if she was a cruddy hunter, she could still keep quiet and let them hunt in peace.



Her single blue eye flashed in guilt, a preemptive apology for what would like be the worst and most embarrassing moment in her life; Catching bees for Bumblestar instead of birds, and a wrecked paw for the medicine cats. Her claws tore anxiously at the grass as she sniffed the air. Her head whipped around to Mudhound, watching him run off in pursuit of his pigeons. Lucky. She hadn't even gotten a hint of pigeon.

But with the startled pigeons taking flight, it didn't matter if stealth wasn't her strong suit. Skunkstrike snapped her attention around, bunched her muscles, and she leaped, her paws clapping down on either side of a fleeing pigeon a fox-length above her head. She pulled to the ground, crushing its neck with a paw until the bird went limp. Ha! Her first catch wasn't actually a disaster after all!

Okay well, that wasn't so much hunting skill as it was luck and timing. Which she had. But prey was prey regardless, and she gave Mudhound an appreciative blink. That was a lot easier than having to sneak up on them herself.

@dino. @ Rani

[dino.]

Hell yeah, that's what she was talking about. Bumblestar watched as Mudhound immediately gunned for the pigeons, Sunkstrike hot on their heels, and went off toward the opposite end of the creek to give the both of them space.

There was a little offshoot of water that soaked into the moss and the grass near the creek bank, dampening the immediate area. Apparently something had decided to make its den there, if the tiny hole in the dirt was anything to go by. And as luck would have it, four little somethings filed out as Bumblestar crept up behind it.

A quick lunge forward and a few well-placed pounced secured the bunch of tiny rodents. Small, sure, but they'd do the trick for a few cats. She glanced up, curious as to how the other two were faring.

[ @Rani @Tiabirb +4 lemmings ]

[Rani]

Mudhound
Thunderclan Hornet | They/them | 35 Moons
Bilingual T2 | Flock Together T3 | Rapid Recovery | Beefed up T3

Oooh looked like they'd helped out! Mudhound returned Skunkstripes grin, waving a tail as they trotted off in search of more. Though.... Perhaps that act of trotting off carefree and unaware was one they should kick given the trouble it soon got the tripod into.


Following the scent of mouse into the trees Mudhound noted another weird scent but, distracted and not super familiar with it, ignored it in favor of the prey scent. One that lead them right to a mouse, bursting out of some tall grass right at the hornet in full sprint which said hornet, in a totally instinctive reaction, quickly swatted it right to the ground the force killing it instantly. It was an odd interaction, a mouse running uncaringly at a cat (even one who went unnoticed by prey like Mudhound), but not one that got to be dwelled on as the maine coon soon discovered why.



Owl to the face.


The impact, harsh as it was by diving raptor, was muffled at least by the amount of feather fluff of the bird and the fact that the owl was smaller then some Mudhound had encountered. A different type maybe? This one was small brown and spotted not large brown and barred or white speckled from what little the cat could see as they went tumbling back in a mess of feathers and fur. Well owl didnt know what hit it as much as the cat did, and the two tangled predators rolling out from the bushes by force of impact each with their own startled shriek, both scrambled to re orientate.



It was a shocked scramble and while Mudhound earned a cut from an errant claw they eventually won against the bird, chomping down on its neck before sitting down and panting eyes wide in shock. There... There were just no words for this situation of a sudden owl to the face, just confused eye contact with anyone who happened to see any of that. It was prey at least(?).... Kinda?


[+1 mouse, 1 small owl, 1 confused Muddy] @dino. @Tiabirb

[rubberRatroom]

SNAKEPELT

Non-binary | Moons: 21 | Kin: ? | Purrks: ?

Snakepelt lightly smiled at Porcupinepaw before heading over to the trees. They were almost as magnificent as the glistening, sparkling creek. The hues varied significantly, emerald greens, forest greens, moss, shale... it was beautiful to behold. The sun brought out the more yellow shades of the tree's leaves.

"Alright,"

They said simply. Their whisker twitched as they anticipated how to word this. Snakepelt tended to overcomplicate explanations. So, of course, they would try their best to not do that.

"You want to unsheathe your claws and then -"

Snakepelt grumbled as they flung themself at the tree's bark, hanging onto it vertically. Though, they didn't fall, and they made an effort to sink their claws into the bark.

"- Sink your claws into the bark after catching this. Make sure your tail is straight, for balance. Then ..."

Snakepelt gradually hoisted themself up... up... up! Until they were on one of the lowest, sturdiest branches. Snakepelt then, subconsciously, set that for their apprentice's goal. Make it to that branch.

"Keep sinking your claws in and use your lower-body strength!"

They had to yell so that Porcupinepaw could hear them. They made sure to stay steady on the branch, the last thing Snakepelt wanted was to face-plant and have to take a visit to the medicine cat den.

Snakepelt waited for their apprentice to make their way up.

************************************************** *************
@Katiethewolfchild

OOC Notice!

Hello! I have asked for an extension from Bear, thought it might be useful! It is now due the 26th ^^! Also sorry for a bit of a late reply! I think I might've accidentally forgotten to post my other one. Either way, very sorry for that :,D

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by BEAR.

In the days after reclaiming the creek, Wolfhive had his paws full with a variety of tasks and duties. He didn't forget about his plans to steal Beachpaw for another outting though, and that's exactly what he did today.

"This spot will be new to you! We recently got it back from ShadowClan, but I think you'll like it." The trek from camp wasn't too bad either, definitely not in comparison to Cattail Pond. As they neared the scattered trees that surrounded the creek, Wolfhive slowed his pace. "Pretty nice, right?"

[ @Fawn ]

°•. info & relations ✿ they/them ✿ finder coming soon ✿ challenge mode! [skill-perk free]   .•°

Beachpaw -

Beachpaw diligently followed Wolfhive, sticking close by, until they reached the newly-acquired landmark. From there, they branched off to explore -- sniffing, scenting, peering around, trying to take everything in. "Why did they give it back?"

No recent territory skirmishes with ShadowClan came to mind. Maybe they were just really intimidating to those Shadowcats. "Ooh, look! A river!" They spotted the creek itself. Much smaller than a river, but nonetheless impressive to them, and they examined its trickling waters with big eyes. "Are there fish in it?"

[BEAR.]

The why was a good question.. Wolfhive paused, mind wracking to remember what Dawnstar had said. "We were havin' some minor border disputes with them, 'n Dawnstar gave it back to try to soothe some of the tensions. We all got a lot more to worry about than some stupid skirmishes with the Fish Cats actin' unruly." Dawnstar probably had ulterior motives, but Wolfhive wasn't going to go down that rabbithole with Beachpaw.

"It's a creek!" Not quite a river - very different, actually, when one compared it to Smallpines. "Rivers are much bigger and deeper, I'll take you to it later." He stopped by the creek's edge and beckoned Beachpaw to join him. "Why don't we watch and see? I think creeks can.." And if on cue, a tiny minnow darted through the water in front of them. "Do you wanna try to catch one?"

[ @Fawn ]

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by BEAR.

The why was a good question.. Wolfhive paused, mind wracking to remember what Dawnstar had said. "We were havin' some minor border disputes with them, 'n Dawnstar gave it back to try to soothe some of the tensions. We all got a lot more to worry about than some stupid skirmishes with the Fish Cats actin' unruly." Dawnstar probably had ulterior motives, but Wolfhive wasn't going to go down that rabbithole with Beachpaw.

"It's a creek!" Not quite a river - very different, actually, when one compared it to Smallpines. "Rivers are much bigger and deeper, I'll take you to it later." He stopped by the creek's edge and beckoned Beachpaw to join him. "Why don't we watch and see? I think creeks can.." And if on cue, a tiny minnow darted through the water in front of them. "Do you wanna try to catch one?"

[ @Fawn ]

°•. info & relations ✿ they/them ✿ finder coming soon ✿ challenge mode! [skill-perk free]   .•°

Beachpaw -

"Oh, that's like... weird." It went against everything Beachpaw knew about the Clans and how their catsociety functioned. Territory-giveaways didn't fit into that schema of understanding. "What's Dawnstar like, anyway?" Soon, they'd be finding out for themselves, even though observing leaders had been the last thing on their agenda all the times they'd daydreamed about attending a gathering. The next one couldn't come fast enough.

Beachpaw dropped into a hunting crouch at the creekbed, preparing to pounce on the tiny fish prey. "It can't see us?" they questioned, quiet. They were closer than what would usually be acceptable to a prey animal, even if they weren't hovering directly above the water.

But yes. They did want to catch it. That was evident enough in their glittering gaze and wiggling hindquarters, anticipation budding.

[BEAR.]

"Don't know her that well, all I know is the stories." Wolfhive hmmed thoughtfully. "Tough acorn, no-nonsense and expects obedience. If you're not with her, you're against ShadowClan 'n you'll paint the swamps red." He didn't want to be too detailed - knowing Beachpaw they didn't wanna hear it. "Usually has a good grip on her Clan, but recently it seems kind of... lacking. Maybe their new deputy will help keep those frogheads in line."

He raised a brow quizzickly at Beachpaw's hunting technique. "Fish aren't like normal prey, if you pounce you'll just miss 'n scare them. Sit by the bank with me and let them come."

Wolfhive waited til one was fluttering near him before his paw shot out and he hooked it, tossing it on land and killing it. "I don't think their eyesight is that good, but they do have some. Give it a shot!"

[ @Fawn ]