Fangs, paws, and morning meetings [Private]

[Hound]

Kestrelpaw
7 moons || ShadowClan || short-haired blue tom with amber eyes
Tags @chrysanthemum.petals

The sun had just risen over the horizon as the tom sauntered out of the apprentice den. He gracefully stretched, dipping downward before settling into a sunlit corner of camp to enjoy the warmth. Yet another lazy day stretched before him. Fiercefire once again hadn't shown up to take him training. Amber eyes half-heartedly scanned the camp for the dark brown tabby pelt of Leopardfang, or his brother Starrynight, or anyone really. He was so very—very bored, and he had nothing to do! Poor him.
After a while of mournfully and frankly overdramatic gazing at the slowly waking bodies of his clanmates, Kestrelpaw saw someone he recognized. Kestrelpaw dashing forward twisting around other cats, tripping at times but popping up again to continue his pace. ' ' Holy heck!' ' Kestrelpaw exclaimed, realizing a bit too late that he was going to crash into somecat! Kestrelpaw quickly sat down his hindlegs sprawled out awkwardly as he tried to slow his acceleration. Swerving, and, Turning, Spinning, he'd slid to bump into the chest of the cat he’d been looking for. He looked up and smiled “Hi Leopardfang”

[chrysanthemum.petals]

@Hound

the morning luminance filtered through the brambles shrouding the entrance of the warrior's den. inch by inch, the rays of sunlight crawled their way across the den floor, until their gentle warmth was lapping at the she-cat's nose. leopardfang twitched her whiskers, scrunching her eyes at the morning knocking on the front of her eyelids. with a snort, she curled her body into a tighter ball, tail whisking around her svelte frame in an attempt to sink back into the slumber that she had not been ready to leave- one that proved fruitless, soon enough.

raising her angular head, the dark brown tabby she-cat unfurled her maw in a lavish yawn. alright. if sleep was off the table, she had better get off her rump, then.

in several elongated strides on her long limbs, the rather tall warrior slinked out of her nest and into the shadowclan clearing. she had made it no more than two tail-lengths towards the leader's den before a flash of blue fur caught her eye, and she had no more than turned to her right when it careened right into her chest.

she swallowed the impact with a soft grunt, tail lashing with the rest of her frustration to quickly salvage the honed tone ready to leap from her maw once she recognized the face hovering between her fore-legs. "kestrelpaw," the older warrior mewed in her gravelly, rasping voice. "clearly your legs have not woken up as quickly as your mind, this morning."

she stepped back from the young tom and raked her gaze over his ruffled fur. "looking for fiercefire?" it was a bit late for the mentor to be scooping up their apprentice now, the warrior could not help but note. surely they had not forgotten their duties... right?

[Hound]

Kestrelpaw
7 moons || ShadowClan || short-haired blue tom with amber eyes
Tags @chrysanthemum.petals

Scrambling to his paws, Kestrelpaw lightly shook out his fur. “Ugh, no. Fiercefire’s out on dawn patrol or something” Correction—his mentor was out on dawn patrol, again. Because he was always out on dawn patrol. Because every morning just had to be boring. “I woke up early and everything, too. So lame,” he added, frowning. He glanced around the camp before his eyes turned back towards Leopardfang. “But! I so cleverly realized you’d probably be doing something interesting, and I thought I could join you.”

Every time he imagined this plan, he always assumed Leopardfang would be doing something exciting. But even going to eat fresh-kill would be good enough. Surely he wasn’t asking for too much. He’d take anything really. “Are you doing something interesting?” he asked. He couldn’t just waste another morning lounging around! It was probably against the warrior code, and more importantly, he might die—might actually die of boredom.

[chrysanthemum.petals]

@Hound

leopardfang opened her mouth to object, but the earnest zeal in kestrelpaw's eyes had her stitching it shut. she was not eager to step on fiercefire's toes as the young tom's mentor, but the she-cat had been alive long enough to detect the beseeching disappointment in kestrelpaw's tone. not to mention the heavy presence of evasion there, as well, guiding his words in a dance around the obvious. fiercefire's absence seemed more like a pattern, then just happen-chance.

leopardfang hadn't harbored any particular plans, when she first departed her nest. just a general inclination to make herself useful to her clan. and perhaps this was an opportunity to do just that.

"i had a bug for a morning hunt," leopardfang said, gesturing with her tail towards the entrance of camp. "perhaps we can practice that crouching form of yours? we should be done, by the time fiercefire returns." she paused, then offered a small, fanged grin to kestrelpaw. "and even if we're not, they can't argue with us if we return with a couple juicy voles."

[Hound]

Kestrelpaw
7 moons || ShadowClan || short-haired blue tom with amber eyes
Tags @chrysanthemum.petals

The apprentice's brow lifted in surprise, ears twitching slightly. As he tried to process leopardfang’s remark. In prior moons he’d been trying to perfect his crouch And how best to get the jump on prey. Yes he mentioned this to her one, but that'd been moons ago he couldn't imagine that She’d particularly listened or noticed what he told her much less remembered it.

bearing all his teeth, he offered a smile in return "Really? That sounds great” he bounced on the back of his is paws delighted with the idea. Kestrelpaw turned already heading for the entrance of shadowclan's camp, Kestralpaw’s new intention for the morning had been set upon a quick hunting trip. He briefly turned back to face at leopardfang "come on, come on, come on! Lets go"

[chrysanthemum.petals]

@Hound

leopardfang watched the small bundle of blue fur bounce towards the camp entrance. besides herself, a warm smile curled across her muzzle. something in her heart swelled at the innocence and sheer enthusiasm radiating off the apprentice, untroubled and unburdened by the inevitable throes of age. for a moment, a blink of reminiscence shivered through the older warrior's frame. a sudden cloak of clarity cast upon her own moons, her own memories, from a time when her limbs moved with the same robust youth that powered kestrelpaw now. those throes had caught her early, she recalled with no lack of remorse, as the memory of her mother's furrowed face flashed through her mind. but that was all they were, the she-cat reminded herself. memories.

leopardfang stared after the young tom for a moment, some part of her lurching with a determination to prevent the same fate for him. so she padded in his wake, quickly catching up to him on lengthy strides. a purr rumbled in the depths of her throat as she led the way through the entrance and into the darkness of their territory.

scents bombarded her from every direction: pines, a distant storm, herbs and flowers and somewhere to her right... mouse. she raised her angular head on a long, elegant neck, nostrils flaring and mouth hanging open ever so slightly to taste the air. that was certainly mouse to her right, but a few fox-lengths north promised vole. she turned to kestrelpaw, sweeping a long tail to gesture him forward. "what do you smell, kit? show me what you've got."

[Hound]

Kestrelpaw
7 moons || ShadowClan || short-haired blue tom with amber eyes
Tags @chrysanthemum.petals

Kestrelpaw's ears pricked up at Leopardfang's question, "Okay, let's see!..Or smell i guess" He raised his head high, mimicking Leopardfang's stance as he took a deep breath, tasting the air. His tail flicked back and forth unconsciously, as if already preparing to lunge. He closed his eyes for a moment, and focused on the array of scents that filled his nose picking them apart one at a time. "I smell... pine, for sure. And something wet, like... like rain. But there's more! Over there," he pointed with his nose to the right, "definitely mouse. And... and up there, north, I think there's vole or maybe a shrew? "
Kestrelpaw opened his eyes, looking at Leopardfang. He’d already assumed She’d smell what he did and surly she did "Did I miss anything?"

[chrysanthemum.petals]

( omg i'm so sorry i've been traveling the past few days and just got settled back home!! )

@Hound

leopardfang purred in praise, green eyes glittering. "sheesh. do you even need me, little warrior?" she mused. she stepped up to his side and flicked his shoulder affectionately with the tip of her tail. then, she nodded her head deeply. "you got one more than me. i hadn't picked up that shrew. i think i lost it under the smell of flowers nearby." her smile widened, yet, a flicker of pity flashed through the she-cat's spirit. how could fiercefire ignore such a talented young tom? kestrelpaw was bursting with energy and fervor - it shouldn't go so wasted.

she crouched down, leveling herself with the young tom. that smile cracked into a toothy grin as she inclined her head in the direction of that shrew. "i'm going to catch this one. then, you're gonna out do me, right?"

before waiting for an answer, leopardfang prowled forward. her maw hung open, sifting through every scent percolating on her tongue until she could single out the one belonging to the shrew. on silent steps, she slinked closer and closer, until suddenly, the scent struck her with such a strength, her legs gave out beneath her.

instinct clamped down upon her consciousness; ears pinning back against her skull, the older warrior scraped along the ground, belly just high enough to avoid brushing the forest floor. her eyes narrowed, concentrating on every bouncing leaf in the breeze, every dancing blade of grass - until there. a flash of brown amidst the greenery.

her tail curled over her back to avoid flicking against any of the brush foliage, leopardfang lifted one weightless paw at a time, creeping closer and closer to the shrew until she risked compromising her vantage. for a long moment, she waited - giving the diminutive rodent time to relax, to think itself safe, should any alarms have sounded.

as it turned its back towards her in favor of a particular acorn, leopardfang made her move.

in an explosion of power channeled to her hind legs, the lean she-cat burst from the brush, not so much as a hiss slipping from her throat as she landed square above the shrew. the tiny mammal had no time to register the paws trapping it on either side before her fangs sank into the tender flesh on its throat, snapping it in two. blood coated her fangs, her tongue - and against all impulsions from her primal instincts, the she-cat forced herself to straighten, carrying the delicate creature gently between her teeth as she turned to look back at kestrelpaw.

she dropped it back at her paws once she found him in the backdrop of the forest, nudging the still body with a claw. "have you eaten today?" she asked suddenly. it had been early when they left - had the little tom filled his belly before they trekked all the way out here? should she had thought of this earlier?

[Hound]

(Don’t worry about it it's cool )

Kestrelpaw
7 moons || ShadowClan || short-haired blue tom with amber eyes
Tags @chrysanthemum.petals

Kestralpaw beamed at Leopardfang's praise, his eyes shining with pride. "Of course I need you!" he mewed, puffing out his chest. He grinned back at Leopardfang and added, "I guess I've just got a really good nose for shrews."

“Not this time at least” He let out a playful laugh, flicking his tail amused at his own joke. But the large warrior prowled forward without waiting for him to speak. Kestralpaw watched her for a moment before slinking off on his own in a different direction, presumably to hunt something of his own. That was how this worked, wasn't it? Scenting the air, Kestralpaw slunk off after a... mouse, was it? He wanted to hunt! Was ready to hunt, that was why he came out here after all. Whiskers twitched with excitement as the smell of a rodent grew. Kestralpaw began to walk towards the prey in question, his heart light and his pawsteps lighter.

He sniffed softly, parting his mouth to single out the scents of prey. He could smell the light wafting from his prey, taste it on his tongue. Mouse. The blue-gray tom paused, steps slowing as he angled himself downwind. ‘A mouse can hear you before they feel you.’ His mentor’s mantra rang in his ears. He silently dropped into a hunting crouch, pausing for a moment to check his position. Stalking forward on quiet haunches, he inched his way to his prey.

As he neared, only a thin curtain of grass hid him. He saw the grass move, twitch, turn. His prey would sense him soon. He pounced, a single paw dove in front of the mouse blocking it from escape, the other delivering a killing blow to the nape of the neck. ‘But a mouse can't feel you even when you're just a paw's-length away.’ For a few moments, Kestralpaw only crouched in place over the dead rodent. His mentor would approve. He’d been perfectly silent and stealthy, just as a ShadowClan apprentice should be! Well, perhaps a second before it had felt Kestralpaw's vibrations against the floor, but that didn’t matter; he caught it anyway.

He lifted his head slowly, looking over as Leopardfang walked towards him. “Ugh, n-o not reall-y?” he replied, his words slurred as he tried to speak through the mouse dangling from his maw.

[chrysanthemum.petals]

leopardfang purred with praise as she saw the young tom creep out of the brush with a mouse dangling from his jaws. "shadowclan will not have to worry about hunger this leaf-bare it seems," she mewed. she approached him, pressing her nose between his ears affectionately. she then stepped back to where her shrew lay and settled on her haunches, bending her head down. her verdant hues lingered on kestrelpaw. "well then, eat. the queens, kits and elders have had their share by now."

while not many warriors fancied eating before such information could be confirmed, leopardfang was not bound entirely by the rules of her clan. she cared not to pressure the young tom to break the warrior code - but instead, to learn the patterns of his clan. by the height of the sun in the sky, the dawn hunting patrol had surely returned with their rations. and hunting on an empty stomach almost guaranteed you'd return home with one, too. if he needed the confirmation - she would certainly offer it. maybe fiercefire couldn't be bothered to teach the young cat, but leopardfang would not leave a stone unturned.

as she took a delicate bite from her shrew, the older warrior watched and waited to see what the young tom would do.