Skinny Shrews and Nursery Tales [OPEN]

[Fablie]

[[Tagging Skiv, but feel free to jump in.]]

Sootpaw flicked her ears as the wind picked up, a particularly frigid breeze reaching through her fur to bite at her skin. Her mentor hadn't demanded anything from her, so she'd gone out on her own, but she was beginning to regret her choice of locations. Her gaze kept flicking to the strange thunderpath, and she wasn't sure if she shivered from cold or from the memories it brought back of her feeble littermate, now deceased. She padded onwards, sticking her nose in the air to sniff for the little mammals that frequented the area.

With the weather worsening and prey becoming scarcer, now seemed the perfect time to practice hunting on her own. If only she were better at it! Even at the place she knew best in the territory, the little apprentice had not found a single living thing exposed. For a heartbeat, the temptation to play here the way she did when she was a kit surfaced amongst her medley of thoughts, but she quickly pushed it down with a growl.

[Skiv]

Cloudpaw padded in the forest. He was once again avoiding his mentor but today he thought that he should actually do something other than pad around the forest. He remembered yesterday with Doebreeze the new warrior, that thought he was a new apprentice. He couldn't believe it those warriors thinking that they knew everything about everyone and they didn't seem to pay attention to any of the apprentice's. Ha. They would now. He just padded forward heading out into the forest. He continued on tasting the air as he went. His long white fur and flowed with the slight breeze as he continued forward. His blue eyes scanned the forest the the sight of prey.

Continuing forward tasting the air he smelt a sparrow. He stopped his ears pricked forward for the sound of the bird. He flicked his blue eyes and spotted the bird by the base of a tree. He crouched down instantly, his hunter crouch pretty well but need improvement. He stalked forward stepping over a branch he lifted his tail to make sure it didn't move the branch. He prepared his paws getting ready to pounce his blue eyes glued to the bird. Then he pounced leaping through the air to landed on the bird and snapped its neck. Then he held the bird in his jaws. He padded forward to find a good place to put the bird until later and he stumbled upon Sootpaw another apprentice. He just said with a mouth full of feathers, "Oh, Hi Sootpaw."

[Fablie]

Sootpaw swiveled around, fur bristling, as another cat stepped out of the bushes behind her. He had been upwind of her, so the tabby apprentice hadn't smelled him ahead of time - nor had she detected the juicy scent of the sparrow he held in his mouth. She opened her mouth to try to get a whiff of it as she approached, forcing her fur down as she identified the other.

The she-cat reached Cloudpaw and waved her tail, faking nonchalance, intending to slither behind him and spin around for a swat once she made it. How dare he show me up like that!?

[Skiv]

Cloudpaw just watched as the she-cat turned around and fur puffed out looked at him. He just blinked his blue eyes at the other apprentice still holding on to the sparrow in his mouth. He really didn't talk to Sootpaw that much and well what he knew was that she had a bit of an attitude. but Cloudpaw could care less about that he just watched as she seemed to smell the air to make sure that was there. He just raised an eyebrow to that. Then he watched as she seemed to be mad at him he just stood there as the apprentice just seem to slither around him and swat him right in the nose with her tail. He just dropped the sparrow at his feet and said simply, "What's the big deal Sootpaw?"

[Fablie]

"Hmph!" Sootpaw sniffed, already regretting her little outburst. She flicked her ears dismissively as if to say, "I felt like it!" and had just begun to move along when a new scent reached her nose. The she-cat spared a warning glance at Cloudpaw, chartreuse eyes narrowing for a heartbeat, before lowering herself to the ground as carefully as possible and creeping towards the origin of the smell.

Through the fleeting greenery, a faint scuffling could be heard, and the tiny, gray-brown figure of a mouse scuttled into view. Her dark tail-tip twitched, and the tabby took another step forward, placing a paw gingerly in front of a fallen twig. The rodent flicked its ears, and before Sootpaw could realize her mistake, it was already dashing towards safety under the roots of a birch tree. The she-cat sprang, her claws outstretched, only to miss by a kittenstep as it darted into a tiny hole. "Foxdung!" she hissed; a hesitant glance backwards told her that the other apprentice had seen her blunder.

[Skiv]

Cloudpaw just rolled his blue eyes clearly she didn't feel like chatting today. but he just padded over and started digging a whole with his white paws. He then dropped the sparrow in the whole before carefully covering it back up. He paid no attention to Sootpaw at the time because he got the vibe from her that she really didn't feel like talking to him. but he turned around and tasted the air. He caught the scent of a mouse but turning towards the direction he saw Sootpaw disappear. He just shrugged and then slowly padded after her. He want to see how she hunted, because he got the feeling that she was mad at him for some reason. He followed her slowly weaving his way through the under brush but he stayed behind not wanting to ruin her hunt. Weaving to the side silently he then got the view of the mouse. Waiting crouching in the bush he just watched as the dark tabby just stalked after the mouse. He just watched as she sprang and fail.

Clawing his way out of the bushes to his white fur pulling against the bushes he came out to the apprentice with out saying anything. His blue eyes were not judging the cat and he said with a hint of teasing in his voice, "I'm no expert but I think you were supposed to catch the mouse instead of letting it go." Then he flicked his long white tail and waited for her to say something or to storm off like a kit.

[Fablie]

Sootpaw spun around at his words, ears flattened against her skull in anger. She puffed out her fur, flustered, before it sank in that Cloudpaw didn't seem to be blaming her for losing a valuable piece of prey, as she would have expected. The remark still stung, but she hung her head for a moment and replied, "you can have the next one." She half-hoped he would mess up, but pushed the thought away as it came.

The tabby trotted a little ways back, towards the metal thunderpath. She turned her head just enough to make out the puffy white figure behind her; would he follow, or set out on his own? The steel beams between the rails extended into the distance, and Sootpaw was reminded of the tales her mother would tell her littermates and her when she was a kit. She dug her claws into the ground, suddenly imagining a giant, snakelike monster emerging from the horizon. How in the name of StarClan would she even go about fighting such a thing? Would she just have to run away and hope for the best? How pitiful.

[Skiv]

Cloudpaw just didn't react when the other apprentice whipped around at him with a glare on her face. He just looked down at her an raised an eyebrow almost if saying, 'Are you done acting like a kit yet?' The he watched as she seemed to get the fact he wasn't mad at her at all. He just shrugged and then chuckled saying, "Nah, I personally like watching you hunt. Its quite entertaining." Then he just curled his fluffy white tail and then shrugged as she padded away. The white apprentice just didn't move and he watched as she seemed to set out on her own towards a thunderpath. He just waited to see what she would do. Then he noticed that she was just staring out at it. He just then padded towards her noticing her claws stuck in the ground. Cloudpaw just smiled slightly and than said in an easy voice, "Come on, no prey is going to stick around this stench." Then he turned flicking his tail hitting her in the process.

Fablie

[Fablie]

Sootpaw cast one final, furtive glance at the steel tracks, then turned to the white apprentice. She was shocked at how calm he was being; most cats would have been provoked by her behavior, or at least bothered enough to leave. "There's prey around here sometimes!" the she-cat shot back upon hearing Cloudpaw's remark. "...It's just a matter of actually catching it."

She sat down and began to groom herself while she considered her options. Between licks, she spoke to Cloudpaw, "I wanted to come here because I know it better than other areas. I've been here as a kit, of course," she paused, drawing her forepaw quickly over her face to get some of the grime off before continuing with a question, "Why did you come here? What's the point if you think there won't be any prey?" The tabby ceased grooming herself and stood, tail twitching back and forth; she looked as if she was preparing to do something.

[["Race you!" --Future!Sootpaw.]]

[Skiv]

Cloudpaw just chuckled when he got another look from Sootpaw. He really didn't care how pissed she was, he wasn't going to let it bother him. He just then just started padding forward. Then he heard a remark from Sootpaw. He just looked over his shoulder at her and rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, thats part of hunting. but it seems to me you aren't very good at that are you?" Then he just watched as she sat down and started grooming herself Cloudpaw turned around again to face her. Still standing but his tail curled at the end as he listened to the she-cat speak. He just nodded to her first statement. If he remembered correctly her brother died here or something like that. but He didn't bring it up but just waited for her to saying something else. Cloudpaw just rolled his eyes, "I didn't come this close to the thunderpath to hunt." Then he flicked his tail towards the thicker trees. "I went there to hunt which. I said that right here wouldn't have much prey. but over there well thats a different story." Then he noticed that she was getting ready for something he just narrowed his blue eyes slightly.

[Fablie]

[[Sorry I took so long to respond! WARNING: Sootpaw being immature ahead.]]

Sootpaw glanced at Cloudpaw as he gestured to the trees from which he'd emerged. "I'll tell you what," meowed the she-cat, "If you can beat me to that tree over there, I'll follow to wherever you think we should hunt!" Without waiting for a response, she shot off along the thunderpath; she was running parallel to the tracks, vision locked on the tree she'd specified. She hoped to get a head start on the fluffy apprentice by taking off so promptly. The leaves crunched beneath her feet, and suddenly the tabby swerved into the trees. Whether this was behind or ahead of the other cat depended on whether he had complied with her challenge, for Cloudpaw was a superb runner in LeafClan; Sootpaw did not know this, however, nor was she looking to see his position. She scrambled up a birch tree, dark gray form stark against the white trunk until she reached its branches at the top. She crept outwards, towards the thunderpath below, the wobbly branch threatening to break under even the small apprentice's weight. A couple leaves fluttered down as the she-cat situated herself atop the branch, crouched down, chest fur brushing its bark. Her yellowish eyes were widened, glaring intently at the ground as she waiting for Cloudpaw to pass. She'd show him how good she was at being a warrior, bad hunter or no!

[Skiv]

Cloudpaw just blinked at her. Looking at the tree then when he looked back towards where Sootpaw was standing she was gone. He just started running after her form. This was a thing he was good at, the lean white tom was built for speed and he took of after her. He chased her down into the trees, her gray tail always in his line of sight. Thats when she took off in the forest and he continued around heading straight towards the tree. He knew that she was up to something but he didn't know what really. He just looked a head his paws thudding against the ground with speed and he then came to a tree with leaves falling on the ground. He looked up to see a gray form in the tree, his blue eyes blinked in surprised and he focused on the tree that he was racing too. He speed up, his paws throwing leaves up in the process. He needed to get to that tree now. He knew that Sootpaw would try to stop him but that wasn't going to happen. So he headed for the tree and Sootpaw would just have to get out of his way.

Fablie

[Fablie]

((Oops, forgot about this. Here you go.))

Sootpaw held her breath, listening to the pounding of pawsteps and the crunching of leaves as they approached. What's taking him so long? wondered the tabby angrily. It sounded as if he was almost upon her, but not a speck of white could be seen through the dying leaves where she waited. Sootpaw was not a patient cat. With a hiss, she swung around, facing the side of the trunk that she'd climbed to reach her current position.

She balanced on her branch in a reckless, daring fashion as she retreated inward. It was spindly -- thinner even than Sootpaw -- and it swayed under pressure. Fear pricked at her skin, not bothered by the fur hat was meant to protect her from intangible outside forces such as weather; this feeling came from inside, after all, and it was all Sootpaw could do to swallow it and take a dainty step forward. She regretted her choice to straighten herself like this, but she wasn't about to back down now; it had become a challenge -- albeit self-imposed and frivolous -- and Sootpaw wasn't one to shy away from challenges.