Simply Hunting [[IL+]]

[♠♣♥K.I.D.A]

The Hunting Patrol

[♠♣♥K.I.D.A]

[/color] She whispered to herself, wiping her nose with a paw. Her tail swished and she continued her walk, forcing herself to be more alert and less careless.[/ul][/sub]

[&&ANGEL]

”Snowstep messed up, Father. The mouse ran away” Butterpaw murmured, her ears twitching eagerly as they sprinted forward. Tail lashing and paws pounding, she eagerly padded by her father’s side. However Dustpeak was not so happy at her obnoxious comment. Yet it was quite true. The blind apprentice could easily hear it from so far away with her sensitive ears that have been trained to seek out these kinds of sounds ever since she had lost her sight. A gift you might say but from time to time, it was only a curse to those of the innocent heart.

”Butterpaw! You have no right to say that. It was probably a mistake and you are lucky Snowstep had invited the two of us to be on her patrol. Hurry now before we lose her.” His light blue eyes focused eagerly upon the land before him, yet his eager daughter had her mind elsewhere. Seeing that she had not the ability to see, she was feeling the ground under her paws and with each unsure step, she brushed along her father’s side, trusting that he would lead her from sticks, twigs and longs that may hurt her. Butterpaw rarely got out of camp- and that was a fact due to the danger of falling or tripping our crossing aimlessly into another’s territory- when she clearly protests against her father and grandfather, yet they were warriors [her grandfather the leader] and she could disobey.

Soon enough, they arrived, quietly behind the snowy white she-cat, Dustpeak’s eyes softening lightly as he examined her with a delightful fondness. Ahh…. She’s so pretty…. He purred, tail lashing as he thought to himself. He couldn’t help himself, being the drooling tom that most male creatures have within him, yet as Butterpaw nudged his side, he straightened himself up and quickly cleared his throat. Snap out of it Dustpeak. You are a gentle-cat. ”Hello, Snowstep. I hope you don’t mind I bring my daughter along on the trip. She was so eager to get out of that medicine cat den.”

[/color] He said in the most sweet and gentle voice that he had practiced long ago for the courting of another she-cat of his, who had passed away long ago.

~~~~~~~

”Ok, Shadepaw. Now what can you smell?” The dark shaggy long haired tom, grumbled in this familiar dark voice. His shimmering crimson eyes focusing eagerly on his little apprentice who he towered over easily, yet who could blame him? He was taller than most cats and his fur didn’t make him seem any smaller, yet it only reveals more about his personality. Raggedstep was a hefty fighting tom. He wasn’t built for just hunting. He was built for killing and ripping creatures into shreds. Yet being a clancat he had to wait for those moments when battles would break out and there he would fight for his one clan: ShadowClan.[/blockquote]

[Wdalm]

“Uhhh…I smell you,” Shadepaw muttered back at his mentor, swatting a paw in front of his small pink nose. His dark brown fur, striped with an even darker brown, stood up as the tabby expected a punishment for disrespecting Raggedstep. The cat looked up at his mentor, feeling small and insignificant next to the giant tom. Raggedstep wasn’t exactly the kind of cat that Shadepaw thought his mentor would be. Shadepaw accepted the warrior’s hard training, however, as he dreamt of becoming Shadowclan’s leader one day. The apprentice flattened his ears against his head, waiting for his mentor to punish him in some way.

[♠♣♥K.I.D.A]

[/color] She grew silent as she heard a mouse a few steps away. Lowering into the hunters crouch, her black pupils widened as she approached the mouse. She shifted her weight onto her haunches and prepared her jump, calculating the distance and angle, and shifting her weight accordingly. She finally leaped, landing on the mouse that had started to run away, but was not fast enough to escape the she-cat. Letting out a laugh of relief, she picked up the prey, looking for a good spot to bury it to retrieve it later.[/sub][/ul]

[&&ANGEL]

Butterpaw gave a squeak of near excitement as her paws bounced lightly off the ground. She was just so excited for the hunt and with the scent of fresh blood upon her sensitive nose; she couldn’t wait to begin hunting. ”Great catch, Snowstep!”

[/color] She purred, taking a few steps and lashing her tail from side to side in delight. ”Can I go out and hunt now, father?”[/color] She asked turning her head slightly as if she could properly face her father in her lack of sight and as usual, their eyes could not lock and she faced in the utmost opposite direction of her father. However, he didn’t mind. He was quite used to it already just like the question she had asked him. Dustpeak rolled his eyes and gave a humph. ”I don’t know, Butterpaw…You might get lost!” The yellow, sunshine of an apprentice shook her head and began her ‘pleading ritual’ by bouncing up and down like crazy. ”Please, please, please, please, Father??? I know the territory, I know the scents! Please, please, please, PLEASE?!?!?!?!” The tom gave a gentle chuckle before nodding in amusement. ”Ok, Ok. Go on, Butterpaw. Just be careful ok?”[/color] He called out, yet he had a feeling that his message didn’t exactly reach the springy apprentice.

As his daughter left sight, he turned his shaggy head toward Snowstep, purring lightly. ”Perky little apprentice ain’t she?” He gave another laugh, lashing her tail lightly from side to side. ”It’s hard to believe she is actually blind.”[/color] Dustpeak gave a sigh of good relief. He had always been worried for his little kit that she would someday realize how much she had lost in loosing her sight, yet she accepted it rightfully and she still is as happy and joyful as any apprentice down the lines. The dark grey tom’s eyes shined back onto the beautiful she-cat, awaiting her reply as admiration shimmered brightly in his eyes.

~*~

The yellow she-cat was enthralled at her father’s answer. Rarely did he ever say yes and this was one opportunity she was going to use to prove herself well. She stopped, tail poised, ears swiveling in response to each little noise. Hmm…Prey…. She thought. Crackle crackle tat tat came the quiet chattering of a bunch of wily squirrels. Yes… She turned her head and slowly began creeping upon her perfect prey. Adding to the excitement, she was quite happy to see that there was more than one! A bet chance of catching one! She licked her lips before bunching up her muscles in anticipation. Ready… set… POUNCE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[/color]

The tom narrowed his eyes finding the apprentice’s arrogant personality flashing once again. He gave a low growl, raising his paw; with a mighty huff, he brought it down, claws sheathed, upon the little tom’s furry head. ”You imbecile! Can’t you act like a real warrior for at least two seconds?”[/color] He grumbled. Raggedstep definitely wasn’t in the mood for this kind of horse-play. He didn’t want to be out here with this tiny piece of fur, yet he was required to, being the tom’s mentor. ”Now go catch 5 pieces of prey and you can only go back and eat at camp once you return. Five. Pieces. Of. Juicy. Prey. Got it?!?! Now GO!”[/b] He growled in a sort of hissy fit before turning his gaze away. His tail flickered in one direction, telling and leading him that way- of which was toward the young Butterpaw who was innocently hunting around the dividing line of the two clans. [/blockquote]

[♠♣♥K.I.D.A]

[/i] of amusement. "Yes, it is quite amazing that a small one like her can be that cheerful and bouncy." Her tail twitched and she perked her ears forward, searching for the next prey. There wasn't any in the area. "Let's keep going." The she-cat said, heading ever closer towards the ShadowClan border, without her realizing it.

{Sorry, I'm in a Writer's block and I have the sudden urge to play Sonic games. >.O}[/ul][/size]

[Wdalm]

Shadepaw bounded off in the opposite direction of Raggedstep. The young cat wasn’t looking forward to this task, as he was not very good at hunting. His movements were too clumsy and loud, so he would scare off the prey before even getting close to it. The apprentice’s claws dug into the ground as he skidded to a stop.

“I’m going in the wrong direction aren’t I?” Shadepaw muttered to his mentor. The cat lowered his head and swiveled his ears back to hear the insults Raggedstep would throw at him.