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Post by Frisby on Feb 21, 2011 10:15:24 GMT -5
Mistedstar felt herself grinning. "Well, alright then. Get out there and catch as much prey as you can." She nodded to her apprentice with a smile, churning the dirt under her claws as she waited. Finally the clan would have some new warriors. Surely Marblepaw would pass...The leader mulled over some possible warrior names as she waited, only to reprimand herself a moment later, realizing that she was getting ahead of things.
ooc: Sorry for taking so long to reply! Dx
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Post by froscogo on Mar 19, 2011 9:26:07 GMT -5
Marblepaw felt her pelt fluff out as her body filled with excitement. She dipped her head respectfully to Mistedstar and bounded over to the medicine-cat cave. She poked her head in a breathed in the scent of herbs, water, and Thunderpaw as they were warmed by the rising sun. She studied the tom more carefully. One could barely detect the thin layer of muscles covering his emaciated body. She was positive that if he had always been fed properly, he would be covered with rippling muscles under a shiny fluffy black pelt. She backed out and loped in the direction of the bramble passage. It would take a lot of rich fatty prey to restore the tom completely. /I'll have to catch bigger prey/ she thought as she arched her back as she slipped through the tunnel that led to the forest outside the clan camp. The sun's weak rays illuminated the fog stretching over the ground. /Time to get started/ she smiled and slipped into the fog and surrounded herself with the scents of the wild...
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Post by Frisby on Apr 1, 2011 18:08:39 GMT -5
The silver she-cat slipped silently after her apprentice, sliding over to the edge of the path and pausing amidst some bushes until Marblepaw had gotten a good lead. Then she followed by scent, begin extremely vigilant to keep silent. If she scared off any prey she's look like a complete fool. Mistedstar stopped and pricked up her ears, trying to determine what prey she'd have to look out for the most. Mice. Great. They'd be especially sensitive to the second set of pawsteps. /I'll just wait here and listen to see if Marblepaw catches anything. Don't want to take chances./
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Post by froscogo on Apr 2, 2011 14:57:06 GMT -5
Marblepaw lifted her nose to the air for the signs and smells of prey. There wasn't much since it was turning into leaf-bare. However, when she scented closer to the ground, many mice could be distinguished from the wet brown leaves and golden ferns. Slinking along the freshest scent, she listened carefully to any scrabbling sounds around her. With each gingerly placed step, the apprentice brought herself within range of an unsuspecting mouse sniffling at some seeds. With an easy flex of her back leg muscles, she was on top of the creature and her fangs severed its life before it could feel a thing. She buried it and with a twitch of her tail, she plodded along the game trail for more to hunt. She was passing under a bare oak tree when a black feather floated into her face and she sneezed. The sound echoed around and she hissed when she thought of all the prey she scared away. She glared up for the source of the feathers, but swallowed when she saw a huge fat raven looking down at her with cold steely eyes. As they kept eye contact, the bird tried to waddle onto another brach, sending down another couple of feathers. With a smile, Marbleclaw saw that the birds wing was broken.
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Post by Frisby on Apr 2, 2011 19:09:08 GMT -5
Mistedstar craned her ears, trying to determine what the apprentice was doing. Perhaps the fact that she couldn't hear anything was good news--it meant she was stepping lightly. To the leader's satisfaction there was a mute thump as Marblepaw pounced, followed by the scraping of dirt and leaf litter. Figuring that the kill would have sent most of the other prey scurrying up, the grey she-cat dared to advance, padding forward to watch the apprentice from behind a small holly bush. As the apprentice moved on, Mistedstar followed carefully, darting from one spot of cover to another when it was safe. She spotted a bird above the apprentice, watching in amusement as a fallen feather from it caused Marblepaw to sneeze. From where she lurked, the leader couldn't tell why the bird hadn't fled, watching it, mystified.
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Post by froscogo on Apr 7, 2011 19:43:02 GMT -5
Marblepaw breathed "Ally-oop!" as she clawed her way carefully up the oak tree, the scraggy bark cold and rough. She leveled off on the long branch were the raven was and took a deep breath to study the raven. "CRAW!" blared the raven at the still cat. Marblepaw flattened her ears at the sight of the bird's sharp beak and powerful neck. She carefully picked her way along the branch as she approached the broken bird. He scuttled helplessly backwards as the apprentice closed the gap slowly. As the raven stepped onto the last of the branch, Marblepaw shot out with her paw, and the the bird shouted loudly as it flapped and pecked towards the cat. Having enough of this, Marblepaw finally pounced on the creature and put it out of it's misery. She let it fall off the tree onto a bush as she clambered down to get more prey...
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 15:12:28 GMT -5
Mistedstar peered up at the apprentice from underneath the webbing branches of a holly bush. She frowned with concentration as she watched the younger she-cat's every move--the way her muscles tensed and weight was distributed on the thin branch. It would have been a better test if the bird had been in good health, but prey was prey. She crouched low as Marblepaw moved to stand above her, and struggled to see. To her alarm, after the apprentice caught the prey she let the bird drop to the ground, or rather the bush where the leader was hidden. Mistedstar gritted her teeth and pressed herself low to the ground, hoping to blend in and remain hidden when the apprentice came to retrieve the bird.
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 15:23:47 GMT -5
*By: Froscogo* Marblepaw clawed her way down the tree. The sun was beginning to touch the tree tops as it began its decent into night.The apprentice padded towards the river, leaving the raven where is was since the bush would protect it well enough from scavengers. As the sound of rushing water grew louder, she licked her nose and sniffed for the warming scents of prey. A toppling stone spooked her but she froze when she saw that it was a sniffling vole. Careful to keep her paws silent, Marblepaw strained and twisted until she could easily jump the distance between them. With a muffled scraping of river rocks, she landed beside the prey and face-planted the killing bite. She buried the creature, thanking Starclan and continued onwards.
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 15:35:42 GMT -5
Charcoalstar yawned, blinking up at the orange evening sky. His tail flicked and he glanced around, looking for Mistedstar. Her scent was stale, but there was a clear trail out into the forest. /Hmm./ He sighed, dragged himself to his paws, and rasped his tongue through his dull black pelt for a few heartbeats. Half-groomed, the tom trotted after the grey she-cat's scent into the DayClan forest.
---x
Mistedstar exhaled softly with relief as the apprentice moved away. She was a bit perplexed as to why the apprentice would leave the prey there, but it wasn't of much importance. There hadn't been any foxes scented in the area for many moons. With soft pawsteps she trailed Marblepaw, drawing in the prey-scents as she went. /Vole./ She'd have to walk very carefully so as not to scare it away, unless it was on the other side of the river. The scent mingled strongly with the organic, refreshing taste of water, so it was impossible to tell.
Just as the leader was heading up a slight slope after Marblepaw, she heard the bushes behind her rustle. She stiffened and whirled around, bristling when she realize it was a cat. /A loner?!/ But no.
Charcoalstar stood here, mouth half open, one eye wider than the other, perplexed by Mistedstar's reaction. "Wh--" A hiss slid through the grey leader's teeth, and her eyes were stretched wide, incredulous. "What?" the black tom mouthed, feeling a bit hurt. Mistedstar ground her teeth and flicked her tail wordlessly towards Marblepaw. After a few heartbeats Charcoalstar tasted the apprentice's scent. Too slowly for Mistedstar's taste, he put the facts together. /Training?...No, assessment, assessment./ His pelt burned and he grimaced at her, stifling an exasperated sigh. Disappointment pooled in his belly and with reluctance, the tom flicked his tail at her and turned back the way he came.
Mistedstar stared after him, jaw clenched with regret and frustration. She hadn't meant to upset him, but what could she do? DayClan needed warriors. She sighed a bit too loudly, smirking when she saw Charcoalstar jump at the soft sound. He was paying a ridiculous amount of attention.
As the shadows swallowed the black tom's pelt, Mistedstar turned back watch Marblepaw relieved that she had managed to catch the prey. As she watched, her thoughts kept slipping back to the tom and she willed her apprentice to catch her prey quickly so she wouldn't have to keep struggling with her mind.
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 15:55:07 GMT -5
Marblepaw sat back on her haunches for a bit and let the scents of her world wash over her. As she sat, a bug that had fallen into an eddy was swallowed by something. Something big... Curiosity got the best of her and she tiptoed over head of the mystery creature. / What?!, That's a BIG fish!/ It had a lot of meat and it was unaware of her presence. She could have the perfect ambush.... As she pondered whether it was worth a wet pelt, she watched the fish suck down another bug. It really was quite peaceful in the presence of the giant. She smiled as her plan came together and curved her white claws around a small pebble. As the fish crept towards another bug, she dropped the pebble into its mouth. Greatly alarmed, the fish struggled backwards toward shore as it desperately tried to expel the foreign matter. SPLASH! Marblepaw was sure Mistedstar would be able to hear such a loud noise from where ever she was spying from. She landed clumsily on the fish and the eddy's current was destroyed as she battered the choking and flailing fish with outstretched claws. She slipped and found herself holding onto the slippery fish as she was between it and the cold stones against her back. Bubbles escaping from her nose, she clamped her jaws down over its mouth and scratched furiously at its gills. As her lungs burned and screamed for air, the fish finally surrendered and died. The sodden she-cat spluttered as she balanced atop the floating fish. She held onto it with her back claws and anchored herself to the bank as the current threatened to take away her prize.
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 16:02:13 GMT -5
Mistedstar watched Marblepaw, feeling guilty as she realized how badly she wanted to be elsewhere, sorting things out with Charcoalstar. With great effort she tried to focus and figure out what the apprentice was thinking, but from her angle she could only infer that there was a fish. She bit her lip, concerned that Marblepaw would do something stupid like jump in the river. The last thing they needed was the poor cat drowning. Her muscles tensed, ready to help if there was a problem, but to her surprise and relief, when the cat pounced, the river didn't swallow her. Mistedstar watched, impressed as the apprentice struggled with the large fish. Although she hadn't been able to figure out all of the cat's plan, it was an impressive catch. That factor, combined with the obnoxious matter of Charcoalstar weighing on her mind, inspired the leader to step out of hiding and conclude the assessment.
"Nice catch!" she called, sounding more enthusiastic than she felt with all the guilt gnawing in her mind. She padded lightly down the slope towards the fish. "I'll help you with this and you can go back and get your other prey," she meowed, sinking her teeth into the soft fish flesh and heaving Marblepaw to shore. It would be hard to carry on her own and she wished Charcoalstar had stuck around to lend a paw. Her eyes glinted, amused at the apprentice. No doubt she'd be wondering how she did, second guessing herself, perhaps, even though the assessment was an obvious success. But of course, there was no telling until they got back to camp...
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 16:17:10 GMT -5
Hot embarrassment crept into Marbleclaw's pelt as saw her leader praise her. She probably looked like a weasel the way she was stretched out. "I kinda got stuck towards the end..." she chuckled as she dug up her vole. She followed her scent back to the holly bush that stashed her raven. She coughed to conceal her laughter as she realized that she had dropped it onto the bush Mistedstar was hiding under. Weighed down by the bird and vole she flicked her tail gratefully at her mentor since she was carrying her giant fish. The wet and tired apprentice padded back to camp as the sun sank lower in to golden sky...
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 16:27:02 GMT -5
Mistedstar gave a quiet sigh as she sank her teeth deeper into the fish. The prey's scent rose to her nostrils and made her head swim dizzily. With great effort she pulled her head back and lifted the front half of the catch off the ground, then began to pad towards camp, feeling her muscles burn and strain against the load. After not too long she spotted the shadowy form of Charcoalstar ahead. He must've been watching and waiting for her to finish. His tail flicked and she could sense the tension wafting from him. The leader sighed and set the fish down on the leafy earth before her.
"What're you doing there, Charcoalstar? Lend me a paw?" She tried to speak casually, but was anxious after upsetting him earlier and her eyes scoured him for any response. When he spoke, his voice was numb. "I was waiting for you. Just wanted to go hunting earlier..." His words trailed off. After a heartbeat he suddenly lurched towards her and took up half the fish.
Mistedstar hesitated, watching him carefully, the fish forgotten on the ground before them. "I'm...I didn't mean to upset you, okay? I just needed to let Marblepaw have her assessment. Its not like I have anything against you." "Of course not," Charcoalstar meowed. The tom had set the fish back down on the earth. He was certain of Mistedstar's intentions, but still couldn't help but feel hurt. He needed some kind of proof. "Well, I just wanted to go hunting...Can we, can we do that now?"
Mistedstar squirmed. They had to bring the fish back to camp, of course, but just a quick hunt...If that could fix things with her fellow leader, well, then, why not?
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 16:39:05 GMT -5
Marblepaw scuffled into camp and set the prey down. It appeared that the only prey caught that day was hers. She wondered if her amount of prey would make up for her daredevil-ish actions. She wondered if she ought to dig the pebble out of the fish since she didn't want anyone to choke on it. Dragontooth padded up behind her. She could sense that he was still upset about what she had said about the dead she-cat, but was also sorry for swiping at her. "Impressive" he rumbled, "Ravens are nasty strong things, how did you get away unscathed and why are you all wet?" Marblepaw sat with her back still to the orange warrior and mewed between licks, "The birds...wing was bro...ken and I ...went fishing... giant... fish. Mistedstar... is bringing it ...back now." She turned around to only to the bramble-passage empty and her leader no where to be seen. Dragontooth sniffed and padded back up to where his brothers were. Marblepaw let her eyes close as she cleaned and dried her marbled pelt.
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Post by Frisby on Apr 22, 2011 16:48:11 GMT -5
Wolfecho raised his head, nodding to his brother, wearing a strange, amused grin. "What is it now, Dragontooth?" he rumbled, tilting his head at the orange tom a moment before rasping his tongue over his left claw a few times. It seemed like there were always ants in Dragontooth's pelt.
---x
Charcoalstar smiled back at Mistedstar as he led the way towards the base of The Ridge. He had always preferred the more rugged terrain. Perhaps it was his paws, hardened by moons of crumbling concrete, or perhaps it was in his blood. In any case, he was always inclined to think there was the most prey in such places. He watched Mistedstar for a few heartbeats before glancing forwards again so as not to step in a dip or walk into a bush. She was always so stressed out--it annoyed him and he was intent on seeing her lighten up. "Come on," he urged, wearing a devious smile. "I'll race you there."
Mistedstar scowled a moment, annoyed that he was giving her this ultimatum, but what could she do? Despite her hard outer shell, she really did just want to forget the world and do something stupid. Well, was stupid the word? Kitlike. She wanted to be a kit again. His ridiculous grin broke her. "Alright, fine," she grumbled, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. it was hard. She had grown her own smile to match.
With a soft laugh the black tom was running, and she was after him, and the ground flew beneath the two. The craggy peaks of The Ridge rose before them, and the air grew heavy with pine-scent, stronger and more worn than the fresh taste of the river.
"I'm winning," Mistedstar flatly informed him as she pressed ahead. He was silent, and just before she could turn to see what was the matter she heard a faint grunt and was tackled to the ground. "Charcoalstar!" she cried, half alarmed and half amused as they tumbled to a halt.
He grinned at her, green eyes bright. "Come on, Mistedstar. You know you want to laugh. It's good for you."
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