Open Territory RC There, Right There! - Groundhog Hunt

[Silverspirit Silverspirit]

Prey dwindled as the weather grew colder. Any cat who lived a warrior's life, or indeed simply survived without the assistance of Twolegs, understood this on a deep, intimate level. When the Clan was fortunate, there was just enough to go around, just enough to sustain their bodies into newleaf; the river, which they alone had mastered the use of, was particularly important in helping RiverClan survive. But to act as if there was abundance was sheer folly, and Silverspirit felt it acutely as he moved through the territory. The ground was cold against his paws and his stomach was tight with hunger as he sprang lightly over a dead clump of wildflowers. Sunset Meadow sprawled out ahead of him, a ghost of its colorful greenleaf self, but still possessing a certain romantic quality in his estimation. Not that there was much romance in his life at this time, but...well, he wasn't out for social reasons, anyway. He was on the tail of a groundhog: he could smell it on the frozen grasses, tantalizingly hot and pungent against the leaf-bare chill. It would be a challenging creature to bring down on his own, but hunting was one of his areas of expertise, and he was confident he could manage it.

As it happened, that confidence was...misplaced. The initial approach had gone excellently - Silverspirit had spotted the fat rodent nibbling on some half-dead stalk and dropped at once into the proper posture. Nearer, nearer, nearer the tabby had crept, drawing so close to the unsuspecting, nibbling beast that he could almost taste it. He had been about to pounce when the wind shifted, bringing a traitorous gust of his scent to the groundhog's nostrils. It let out a grunt of alarm and began to run, hastening toward the nearby entrance to its burrow. Silverspirit hissed in outrage and launched himself after it, hoping against hope that something - or someone - would intervene, and that a twist of bad luck wouldn't cost his Clan this sizable meal.

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OOC: Anyone is welcome to catch the groundhog, or corner it/scare it back towards Silver!

 

[Damselflyfrost]

DAMSELFLYFROST

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DAMSELFLYFROST — RIVERCLAN WARRIOR

A pale-bodied seal point with striking blue eyes. He moves with a swanlike grace and confidence, each movement decisive without calculation. In public, he is kind and affable, a friendly face around RiverClan — but in private Damselflyfrost becomes much colder. Harshly critical, selfish, and yet self-loathing, her tongue can become as sharp as her claws in the right circumstance.

14 moons old | He / She | Bisexual
Antlion x Unknown | Sibling to Dragonflyflame
Mentored by Silverspirit | Mentoring none
"Speech" & Thoughts
Biography | Toyhouse

It only makes sense that Damselflyfrost should join her former mentor on this outing. Even the river, haughty though it is, cannot withstand Leafbare's frigid fingers, and land hunting hardly seems worth it to her in these barren moons. And it's strange, going through Leafbare here, as opposed to on the docks. It had been just as harsh then, maybe harsher; Antlion had always shielded Dragonflyflame and himself from the worst of it, but he can remember the cloudy whispers of cats eating each other, the ribs peeking through shaggy pelts, the bite of winter matched only by the bite of a cat defending what was his. And, maybe worst of all, the way the shelter had unraveled in the middle of the night, acquiescing to the ice that sought to claim it.

So far, this Leafbare has been kinder, but it is still not kind. Her paws ache with cold as she trails after Silverspirit, breath clouding about her mouth. The groundhog's scent only reminded him of how empty his belly was; he can almost feel its heat on the wind, and his mouth wets with saliva at the thought of digging into it. It has been many weeks of skinny minnows and leftover vole — the idea of a real meal tortures him sweetly.

At some point the duo separates by a few fox-lengths; when Silverspirit falls into a crouch, so does Damselflyfrost. She disguises herself among a tangle of barren shrubs, sharp blue gaze locked on the groundhog they track, and when Silverspirit bolts so does the groundhog, and when the groundhog bolts so does Damselflyfrost. His claws unsheathe, aiding him in his travel across the frost-hardened earth, and he tears towards the mouth of the burrow with such speed that he ends up crashing into it entirely. But he has at least succeeded in blocking the groundhog's escape — it now has nowhere to go except back towards her former mentor.

The thing scrambles to not crash into the warrior entirely before tearing back towards Silverspirit. She cannot right herself in time to pounce, but at least she has afforded them another chance for success.

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