TW: Sensitive Content Open The Farm Backwritten BELLADONNA ᯓ [ HUNTING ]

[Solace]

{$title} CW: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ANIMAL DEATH

♰ The thawed ground beneath their paws squishes unpleasantly as Solace pads alongside their small party of hunters. He supposes it's a good thing, though, they no longer had to worry about the frost threatening to take Temperance under. Still, Solace had a somewhat petty gripe with the feeling of wet paws, and she would indulge in a bit of disgruntlement this morning.

Watching the horizon as they pad further from the barn, the irony of this place does not escape her. The rolling prairie with all of its tender new grass returning shrubbery was reminiscent of that idyllic meadow beneath their castle he'd called home. She could not help herself, she thought darkly, through no intention of her own of course she had found herself in another rolling meadow.

Perhaps his somewhat poor mood this early morning was heightened by the huffing and puffing of the tom striding alongside him. Sassafras (she'd learned was his name) was a prickly sort of young cat, especially to strangers. Which, he would not blame him for, given the somewhat too-hospitable nature of his fellow barncats. Still, being on this side of his icy glare made his whiskers itchy.

Fawn striped ears twitched, and he swiped his tail once in a 'wait' motion. The rustling of brush proved to not only be the wind as a brown bit of fur hopped into their sightline. A rabbit, either too young or too hungry to yet notice the cats as it grazed. They knew the trick to hunting rabbits was more in the chase than it was in the stalk forward, and so Solace hunkered down only a few paces to ready his position and give a quick prayer that his rusty joints would not embarrass him today before leaping forward. The chase was short, blessedly, and they were upon the rabbit swiftly. They delivered an expert bite to the small creatures throat and it was finished with little fanfare.

"Enjoy your sleep," she hummed at the spirit exiting the carcass, and glanced back at the rest of the party,"I confess I have missed the taste of rabbit. Perhaps this will be a good place to continue hunting today."

Admittedly, there was a certain smugness to be had in this catch, Solace was pleased that luck was kind to him in the face of a perhaps ... judgmental sort of audience.

♰ THERE IS NO BAD. THERE IS NO GOOD. I DRANK ALL THE BLOOD I COULD.

• ooc: @sassafras
• ♰ solace- barn resident - 32 moons - she/they/he - parent of temperance and two other kittens. a handsome stranger with a ghost-filled past, a longhaired fawn point of average build that looks soft around the edges despite the hardship of leafbare. their dark blue eyes have an unnerving, too-watchful quality to them.
  
  - solace seems relatively polite, if cagey around questions of his life before his arrival. in any case, he's patient with the kittens and doesn't rile up any trouble around the barn, so the other residents don't mind her hanging around for the season.
  
  - speech in "A87C7C" , attack in underline, penned by eezy
• 

 

[Merry]

—————————— Dreaming along in a pace you'll understand. ✦

Despite the sodden mud under paw, a purr couldn't help but roll from the back of the tom's throat. Little could dampen his mood as the group of hunters padded from the barn; while he was often apprehensive of straying too far, he knew and trusted his follow barn cats to keep everything safe and under wraps. Not even a dog attack could make the lot falter, so wandering out to the rolling hills for a hunt wouldn't be anything they couldn't handle together. He hoped to bring something hearty back to the barn; he didn't mind all too much the mice if it meant getting something good and fresh for those growing little tykes among them all.

Merry paused as a fawn tail twitched in the air, halting the cats to a stop; he watched with a grin as Solace pounced upon an unsuspecting rabbit and killed it swiftly. The tom stepped forward, past an ever-scowling Sassafras, a smile still knit across his face. "Nice catch there!" He purred, eyes flickering out to the land spread all about them, a blur of dark feathers flickering not too far away, which caught his attention. "Yer all too right, mighty fine place for a hunt ya' lead us to here Solace.".

With that, the tortoiseshell motioned to silently alert the group to what he'd noticed too. Without another word, he stalked away from the group; just some lengths away were a few stray crows, the larger murder cawing off in the distance. He supposed these may have been the younger group; straying off from the rest without the protection of the flock was unwise and something he'd make sure one wouldn't get the chance to learn from. He'd rather if there was one alone, but social birds made it harder to pick them off alone unless they were sick and weak, and like hell, Merry would risk bringing that back to the barn's own youngsters.

He stalked through the grass, lithe form slipping through the grass soundlessly, gentle paws padding over soft ground. Merry knew he'd need to clean himself up later anyway; hunting was a bloody affair, so there was no need to fret about a little mud. Once he was just a fox-lengths away or so, one of the birds had their back to him, a mistake they'd come to regret. Unfurling sharpened claws and baring well-used teeth, the tom lunged forward and caught the crow beneath his paws, claws digging into panicked wings. The poor thing got a single strangled cry out before Merry swiftly plunged teeth into the thing's throat, fresh, warm blood welling between his lips as he muttered thanks to the bird for its sacrifice for the cats' survival. The other bird scattered the moment Merry got his claws into its kin, cawing in a panic, though the cat strode off with the corpse between his teeth before the birds could investigate closer, only left with splatters of blood that remained of the lost bird.

There was a glimmer in Merry's eyes as he strode towards the rest of the cats, placing the catch at his paws and licking his lips of the blood before speaking again. "Only just got here 'nd already gonna come home with a good pair 'f catches. Plenty more to catch, though."

— And it's harder than you think,

Telling dreams from one another. —

• Rolls (uses this dice chart for successes)
  𖧧 1d2: 2 - Bird
  𖧧 1d20: 17 - Great success (didn't break a sweat)
  𖧧 Prey Caught - Crow (Moderate difficulty; high success roll + high hunting skill)
• 
  Merry
  ✦—Barncat | 25 Moons
  ✦—He/Him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A skinny, tortoiseshell cat with bright green eyes and pelt speckled with hay.
  #9D6E46

 

[sassafras]

SASSAFRAS, 29 moons / barncat mouser
a pale blue tabby with scraggly fur and a large shoulder scar
sister to honey, mate and parent to none
a scrappy cowboy who feels he has something to prove. stupidly stubborn but gentle and kind
Tagging person here

---

Leafbare had crept back as time passed and with it came the rains. Newleaf was a special time for the farm, it's when the twolegs from inside their nest came out again and cleaned up what the snow and ice had destroyed. There were few that survived the cold and Sassafrass' moons as a mouser had taught him not to let any desperate vermin near them. Deep underground, the sprouts of kale, potatoes and carrots were all the twolegs had for herbs- however they used them was nothing of interest to them tom. All that mattered was that they survived so that horseplace could, too.

Solace had taken to hunting a bit further from the barn today and after seeing Merry jump in, he had decided to as well. He still didn't know much about this outsider and it is a curse of his stubborn nature that he doesn't want to, either. He wouldn't prod for question he would hate to have thrown at him, too, and so he found himself in an uneasy distance with Solace, watching, measuring his actions when their paths crossed and keeping his nose out of her way when he could.

They all pause at the motion of prey nearby and Sassafras lowered himself down beneath the blades of grass, watching her intently. She is successful- of course. Sassafras found he would have worn the same frown in any swayed result. Had Solace missed it he might have cussed her back to the barn for being dead weight, but her success meant he is stuck with him instead. Now the pressure is on him.

Merry doesn't make it any better, finding a crow for himself. "Guess that makes it my turn." His fur had already tufted into spikes in their trip outside the barn, unable to shake the cold chips from his shoulders as he stalked off. A scent came across his senses and he dropped to his belly once again. A mouse, and he could hear it digging for seeds in the dirt. Sassafras flicked his tail down behind him, careful to keep it in line with his spine as he took careful, quiet steps.

His pounce is timely, his claws prepare to clutch around dusky fur and his eyes widen in disbelief as they slam into dust. The mouse outmatched him in speed, darting to its burrow he had failed to spot so close. "Mm. Just my luck today." The pale tabby growled, his tail returned to irritated lashings.

 

[HoneyflowerHoneyflower's icon]

Slow Down, Just Breathe

She is reminded very quickly why she doesn't normally venture out too far from the barn- especially out to the tall grasses of the moors. If the burrs and stickers getting caught in her long fur didn't spark her ire it was the grass that would quickly grow to tower over her as spring continued. For now while the grass was still relatively low however, she was happy to follow her brother and and a few others on a hunting patrol. Even if the mud under their paws was unpleasant and made their footing a bit less stable than they were used to.

Solace, the newcomer, catches a rabbit. Merry too makes a catch of a crow and the molly lets out a purr in response before nodding at the two's words in turn.

"It's a nice day for hunting too. And no wind to have to worry about being upwind of." Honey is almost sure she can feel Sassafrass scowling behind her at her friendliness towards Solace.

Her brother mutters something about it being his turn to catch something and she gently flicks his shoulder with her tail in a gesture of encouragement. Unfortunately, it seems, that today was not his day as the mouse makes a narrow escape into its burrow and Honey can't help but let a snicker escape.

"I'm sure you'll catch something next time Sass~!" She chirps before more rustling in the grass catches her own attention and this time it's Honey who crouches. A vole.

Like her brother she's quick to get into position, paws flexing in the mud before the thing comes into view and she pounces. The vole does not even have a moment to realize the danger it's in until it's too late, a bite to the neck ends it before so much as a squeak can get out and Honey stands up proudly with her catch.

"Here Sass, we can share." She murmurs, dropping the vole at the other's feet.

xxx

All We Have Is All We Need

Tags

Honey

✿—Future Moor Runner Of WindClan
✿—She/Her
✿—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
✿—Dilute Calico Shecat With Green Eyes And A Floppy Ear
#a4e1ba