Open TC Providing for tomorrow // hunting patrol

[Copperstorm]

You walk along the edge of danger
AND IT WILL CHANGE YOU

.

" Alright. " the brown-furred Storm Guard murmured, his tone steady but alert as he padded a few steps ahead of the patrol. The cool air of leaf-fall carried a thousand scents, moss, leaf rot, faint prey trails, and the distant tang of SkyClan. Neutral ground. Which meant they weren't alone out here. His whiskers twitched, and he lowered his head to taste the air again before straightening. Still, his thoughts drifted, as they often did these days, to Dewshine. She was growing rounder by the day, the gentle curve of her belly a promise of new life. The image brought a flicker of warmth to his chest, the corner of his muzzle curving into a faint smile. Soon there would be the tiny, mewling sounds of kits filling their den... Their kits.

' You'd better make sure there's enough fresh-kill for her to eat, Copperstorm... ' he told himself. ' Enough to keep her and the little ones strong. ' Leafbare was creeping closer. It would be Dewshine's first outside the safety of two leg walls, and though she was tougher than she looked, he couldn't stop the quiet thread of worry that tugged at him. He exhaled slowly and turned to face his patrol, Nightpoppy, Gingerflame, Cardinalpaw, and Thistlepaw, his eyes bright with purpose once more. " Don't stray too far. " he ordered, his voice carrying the steady authority of experience. " Keep to our side of the border, and stay sharp. Quick paws and quiet steps, let's make this count. "

With that, he moved forward, spotting a plump vole nosing through the roots of an oak. Instinct took over. His muscles coiled, ears flat, tail still.... And then he pounced, too early. The vole squeaked and vanished down its hole before his claws even grazed it. Copperstorm froze, a low growl rumbling in his throat as he glared down the burrow. " Rat dung. " he muttered, flicking his tail in irritation. Then, after a beat, he turned back toward the patrol with a wry, good-natured grin. " And that... " he said dryly. " Is precisely how not to do it. "

The humor in his voice lightened the moment, but the determination in his eyes didn't fade. " Right then. " he murmured, settling back into a hunter's crouch. " Let's try that again. "

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

33 MOONS

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THUNDERCLAN

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SONG

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bio

HELPFUL HUNTING INFORMATION HERE!!!

ooc: he rolled a 9. nearly had it, but not quite...

 

[Nightpoppy Nightpoppy]

Nightpoppy's nose twitched as she took a breath in, listening to Copperstorm. She didn't miss the small quirk of his muzzle, a response to something she was unaware of. She flicked her ear in acknowledgement of his instructions.
"Don't stray far and keep to our borders." She repeated in her mind. "Obviously."

She didn't wait, turning to pad a few tail-lengths away from the rest of them. She lowered into a crouch, opened her mouth to take in more scents. She moves her head side to side, and just as she locks onto a prey trail, she hears Copperstorm again. Nightpoppy looks back, ears swiveled towards him in time to catch the tail-end of his sentence, '-not to do it.' She doesn't bother listening to the rest, once again focused on finding that scent.

She turns her head side to side again, the scents in the air wafting over her tongue. She freezes. There. She's got it. It's a rabbit. She crawls forwards, belly fur lightly dragging across the ground as she moves towards the source of the scent, placing her paws lightly. Nightpoppy finally spots it, eyes locked onto rustling movements under the leaves, only able to see is its tail fluff. She moves forward, one near-silent step after the other, drawing closer. Three tail-lengths, two...one. She shifts her haunches beneath her, preparing to pounce and then...got it. A swift bite to the neck and it's dead. A clean kill. She lifts it in her jaws, padding a few paces back towards the patrol to bury it. It's a decent size, probably one of the few she'll be able to get so near to leaf-bare.

OOC

• 19 and 5 for my hunting and quality rolls. How'd I do so good the first time? ;-;