Open Territory minions at work [apprentices / hunting competition]

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN​

---

The sun hadn't climbed far yet, but Wolfpack had already finished sending out the patrols that morning. Sans apprentices, of course. He'd kept them behind for a different activity, one that didn't require the input or interference of their mentors. The mottled deputy had made it abundantly clear that if any of them did show up to watch, that they were to remained sidelined and out of the way in order to avoid interfering with anyones run.

Pack of children in tow, the Deputy made his way down to The Barrens. The trees had been stripped bare and cut down seasons ago, leaving behind a scarred stretch of stumps and dry, brittle underbrush. The scent here was different from the rest of Shadowclans marshy sprawl; no stagnant pools of water, no waterlogged vegetation rotting away in the sun. Just earth and brambleand the faint scent of feathers from whatever ground birds were nesting nearby. It was by far the driest part of their territory, the underbrush having grown in so thick that the rain didn't even leave puddles or splotches of mud to sink into.

A good place for a test– even if it was an unnoficial one.

He turned to face the group once they reached the edge of a sun-warmed clearing, eyes sweeping over the apprentices as they gathered. Some looked more eager than others to be there. Others looked tired or wary, sizing each other or even Wolfpack up. Good.

"You've all been training long enough to know the basics." he said, voice neutral but carrying. "Now I want to see you put it to use." he let the words settle a beat, then continued/ "The Barrens are known for their groundbirds– killdeer and quail, among other things. Whoever has the most impressive prey pile gets claim to the title of Best Hunter in their rank."

Bragging right. Good for stirring up that sense of 'friendly competition' among clanmates.

"And the rest of the afternoon off."

Because bragging rights might be fun, but they weren't a prize on their own. Being able to lounge, or mess around while everyone else had to work or do chores- now that was something to look forward to.

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OOC- This is open to all Shadowclan apprentices as a friendly competition of sorts! This does not actually count toward any kind of assessment or anything ICly, and doing poorly in the competition does not mean your cat is a poor hunter- maybe luck just wasn't in their favor this time around!

You may attempt to catch up to 3 pieces of prey (1 per post). Whoever has the most points at the end wins bragging right + the afternoon off!

Roll a 1d20 to determine what you catch!
1-3 Fail To Pick Up Scent Trail // 0 points
4-6 Missed Your Catch // 0 points
7-11 Caught Poor/Scrawny Prey // 3 points
12-18 Caught Average/Normal Prey // 5 points
19-20 Caught Excellent/Plump Prey // 8 points

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shadowclan deputy - male - a large, monochrome chimera with mismatched eyes and several scars​

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[Pepperpaw]

The almost warrior eyed the deputy with a smirk that promised danger. Her ears were perked the moment best hunter left the deputy's maw, causing a tremble to course through her body for a second. A sharp flick of the tail as she felt a certain feeling build up inside of her. Anticipation for what would come. This was her moment, damn it this was HER moment! She didn't care if it was unofficial. Especially because it was unofficial! No mentors, no hovering! Just apprentices. Just her and the prey and the chance to be seen.

Maybe nobody would whisper questions in the dark for the moments she was gone, for the moments when she found comfort in the paws of an old friend she couldn't say goodbye to. Her mind lingered, if only for a moment on Eaglepaw. No, no she had to focus.

She turned her head toward Fleapaw, a smirk curling across her lips as she leaned just a hair too close, voice syrupy and smug. " Try not to trip over your own paws, yeah? " she mewed with a certain fake kindness in her tone as she shot forward, without waiting for a response from the temperamental kit.

Her strides were long and full of confidence that had no business being quite so loud. She moved like someone who knew they were going to win, shoulders high, chin up, like the forest itself would roll over and offer its prey to her. But honestly... The Barrens didn't care about confidence.

The brambles snagged at her fur, and the birds quicker than she anticipated. Her steps were too loud, her tail too high, her mind too focused on looking impressive instead of sharp. She lunged too soon on a plump quail, sending it flapping off in a whirlwind of dust and feathers, and barely managed to scrape together a scraggly thrush for her trouble, its wing already torn, half-starved from the season.

She stared at it in her jaws. This was not Best Hunter material... This wouldn't do.

[/color]

___________________ I'VE GOT THICK SKIN ☆ AND AN ELASTIC HEART ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• PEPPERPAW she/her, ShadowClan, eight moons.
  ☆ a sh black rusting cat with lightgreen eyes
  ☆ mentored by who / mentoring no one
  ☆ whichever relations / want listed
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by lion ↛ lionheartedphoenix on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Tickpaw Tickpaw]

TICK

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

Tickpaw sat near the back of the group, his wiry frame half-hidden behind the healthier apprentices who were clustered close to their deputy: Wolfpack. Orange eyes narrowed as he slunk a bit closer, peeked around to watch the deputy, his ears swivelling attentively as the other spoke. As interesting as all sounded, his eyes were not locked upon Wolfpack... Not immediately, no. Instead he searched the crowd for his siblings, a smile touching at his maw momentarily when he found them and a warm blink was shot their way. Then, he saw Pepperpaw shoot forward and there was a trickle of annoyance. She had said something he hadn't heard...

A lash of the tail, he flicked an ear, absorbing the information Wolfpack had just given him. Best Hunter... A small competition between apprentices... His chest rose and fell with a slow breath. No one ever said it outright, but Tickpaw knew what some of them thought when they looked at him. All legs, ragged fur that never quite lay flat, a tail too long for grace. Scars on a body that was still growing. He didn't look like much. But he'd been listening. He'd been learning. And today, he'd show them.

Without waiting another heartbeat, Tickpaw surged forward, paws barely making a sound against the brittle underbrush as he slipped into the Barrens. He didn't waste time trying to outpace anyone or flare his presence. He lowered into a practiced crouch, lean muscles coiled tight, breath steady. Every bit of him turned toward the hunt, ears pricked, eyes scanning for the twitch of feathers, the flutter of shadowed wings.

He moved like a ghost, threading through the thickets with a precision hard-earned through trial and failure. Each scent trail he picked up was a story, and he read it fluently now. He didn't chase blindly, like some would do... No, he stalked, watched, waited. And when the moment came, when the brush rustled and a groundbird lifted its head, he was already there.

One clean strike, but he made no pause to celebrate, not yet... Instead he continued forward.

═════════════⊹⊱ ⟡ ⊰⊹═════════════

 

[Stoatpaw Stoatpaw]

——————————————— Together, we'll make our way home ✦

Stoatpaw looked like she didn't want to be there. Because she didn't. Somehow, some way, someone jostled her out of her nest only having managed to fall asleep a short while before. Whomever it was clearly forgot her training schedule was completely misaligned to her peers and now she begrudgingly dragged her paws near the back of the group with Fleapaw. Usually confident strides, not even attempted to be masked as a yawn parted her lips. Frankly, she could have stayed back at camp, Sablestar would have allowed it, but it was too late for that now.

She sat when they reached the Barrens, trying not to yawn too much so as not to seem rude to the deputy. Her tail dusted the ground as he laid out the rules for a... Hunting competition. Stoatpaw perked up for a moment, actually a little more intrigued. It felt like the last couple of days had been downright awful, very little seeming to go right so maybe some friendly competition could lighten her mood. Or at least prove to Wolfpack she wasn't completely fumbling her training.

He mentioned something about birds; she wasn't all too confident hunting the feathered things yet, so when a squirrel caught her eye, she thought she might try her paw at it. With the deputy sending them all off on their competition, Stoatpaw trotted off before her paws dropped her into a sneak. The scent of the squirrel was strong, downwind of the thing, which should make it a little easier to grab. She knew she was at a disadvantage in the day, bright white fur making her all the more obvious against the dead grass. But at least the stumps were plentiful to hide behind.

Stoatpaw held he breath, she couldn't hear her prey but instead watched the thing with unmoving eyes, her fur and whisker bristling as she tried to predict any movements. Though it seemed the thing was distracted with something in the soil its trying to dig up. She took it as an opportunity, creeping around the stump before pouncing on the creature.

For a moment, it desperately squirmed in her maw and below her paws, before she sussinctly drove her teeth into the thing's neck with a jerk of her own. Its movement ceased immediately, and the smallest trace of blood hit Stoatpaw's tongue as she purred triumphantly. It wasn't the fattest thing, nothing like some of the ground birds, but for her first strike, she was more than proud.

She looked to Tickpaw and shot him a smile, seeing the bird he had caught just as swiftly. It was hard to talk through a squirrel dangling in her jaws but she was sure to keep an eye on all her friends progress, she wanted to see them win just as much.

——— While you were sleeping,

Everything changed at once. ———

• Rolled a 17 -> 5 points
  Total points: 5
• 
  Stoatpaw
  ✦—Shadowclan apprentice | 8 Moons
  ✦—She/Her
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK, PAWSPEAK
  ✦—A slender white cat with faint lilac markings and blue eyes.
  #96d5f1
  ⤷ Written by Phoenix