Anger Hunting

[hedgie]

"I have a feeling that no manner of an apology will make you forgive me after this. It's my fault she's mad at you, Eclipsepaw." Flintpaw mewed, his head now hanging low. He felt horrible, but not for sneaking around and spying. No, it was this that made him feel like the lowest thing in existance. He'd screwed up big time.

Real Big Time.

"Either that, or I'm just going to have to find some way to make it up to you. I'm really sorry, Eclipsepaw. I'm just a big screw-up, and now I've got yor mentor and your sister mad at you." His tail hung low, like his head, and the tip flicked as he padded along. He didn't know what she'd do. He honestly wouldnt've been surprised if the black she-cat ran ahead, to get away from him.

What would really shocked him would be if she stayed. Running from him, now that he would understand. Despite wanting to say other things, the slim gray-and-white tom clamped his jaws shut.

[Yoko]

Eclipsepaw thought about it for a moment, being decisively silent as Flintpaw was speaking. She stayed walking a few paces ahead of him and did not look at him. She really should hate him. The rift he had just caused between Emberpaw and her might be irrevocable. For a moment, she had the sickening feeling that he might as well be Heronstripe. She quickly shook herself of the thought. Flintpaw would never purposely separate her from her sisters. It took Eclipsepaw a moment to realize that Flintpaw had stopped speaking.

"Quit the self-pity act!" she snapped. "I have a mind of my own, you know, and I chose to go so quit trying to cover me."

Lowering her voice she mewed, "Besides, that knock to the jaw Twistedclaw gave you is a pretty harsh punishment as it is. You don't owe me anything..."

She slowed her pace so she could turn and see if there was a bruise on his jaw or any blood. She wouldn't put it past her mentor to send Flintpaw straight back to the Medicine Cat Den for the disrespect the grey and white apprentice had shown.

[hedgie]

Flintpaw nearly stopped in his tracks. She snapped at him, but he wasn't taken back by that. He was surprised she weas even talking to him. The stone-colored tom could understand that she was mad at him. He looked down at his paws after glancing up at her, shocked golden eyes wide. his expression was hard to figure out.

He wasn honestly happy that she didn't hate him. She was miffed at him, yes, but there was nothing he could do about that but straighten up and watch how he worded things. "I'm sorry, Eclipsepaw. I didn't mean to make it sound self-pitying. i guess I'm trying to do what i can, damage-control wise. I don't really see why we have to be punished...they make it sound like we've commited the worst of crimes. All we did was sneak around."

She slowed down to walk beside him and he could feel her ice-blue gaze on his jaw, where Twistedclaw had hit him.

"It doesn't look too bad, does it? It still smarts a bit." He shrugged, slowing the pace just a bit. He didn't want to be near Emberpaw or the other cats along with them.

They didn't like him, couldn't stand him, and they obviously didn't want him around. He could feel that, whenever they looked his way. Flintpaw just made sure he was close enough to keep them from thinking he was going to run off again.

[Yoko]

Eclipsepaw repressed a sigh. He truly was incapable of understanding this. The bond between her sisters and her mentors was indestructible yes, but not to be tested. It was okay, she supposed. He didn't really need to understand. Flintpaw had his own battles to fight. She pressed her nose briefly on his jaw.

"Did that heart? I think its swelling, but it's not bleeding. I'm no medicine cat though," she mewed quietly, "That's the best assessment I can give. Do you think you can still hunt?"

Speaking of which, the squirrel on the tree ahead of them was too succulent looking to miss. Quietly, she slipped ahead of him, the squirrel saw her coming and darted up the tree. She snarled. If she ever saw that one again, she'd kill it, painfully.

Twistedclaw returned from the trail scent he had been following with a lizard...that was missing a tail and part of its rib cage. He smirked at Snaketail's astonished expression. The taller tabby was carrying a mouse and a frog. Snaketail buried his catch in the same place, daring any creature to steal it.

"The apprentices had better be catching plenty," Twistedclaw hissed. "At this rate, the Clan's gonna starve before we get enough to feed the kits alone."

[hedgie]

"I'm pretty sure i'll be alright for hunting. I'll just have to...improvise." Flintpaw shrugged. He glanced around for any sign of prey and when Eclipsepaw growled at the runaway squireel, he took it as a sign to hunt.

"i'll be right back. time to prove myself to those three up there." He grinned, breaking out into a sprint. Surpressing the shudders and coughs to the best of his ability, he throttled past them, following the scent of prey. Pushing off with his back legs, the sickly tom who was turning out to be quite the hunter, caught a squirrel under his front paws, breaking the spine. Okay, so he had to bite it carefully to finish it off, which made his jaw pulse with pain, but he padded back to Eclipsepaw, his expression triumphant.

"Your turn." He murmured through the fur, the coughs blocked by the piece of prey. He hoped and prayed he wouldn't start to hack like he had earlier. Shocked at his luck with hunting, he didn't notice a stone in front of him and he stumbled over it, nearly falling on his jaw. The squirrel fell out and he picked it back up, hoping no one had seen it.

Well, the whole hunting thing had been going well. It was best he stop trying to show off now or risk injury. He just had to grin and bear it. This just wasn't his day.

((And this is where we say they all hunted, caught a lot of prey, and Flintpaw falls over a few more times. There we go.))

[Yoko]

((OOC: Spore, do you mind if we move this back to camp after your post? I think the majority of the action here is over.))

The crickets began their song, a fast steady stream of chirps along the swamp floor. Overhead, the sky had turned a brilliant blend of orange, yellow, red, and violet. Sunset had arrived, and it seemed long past time that the patrol should return to camp.

Snaketail padded forth with his fresh-kill firmly between the gleaming white of his teeth. The small bundle was composed of a frog, a mouse, and a squirrel. He hoped the others had done better. His mind had not been on hunting at all. Twistedclaw emerged from the shadows with his torn lizard, along with an unfortunate squirrel, two fat toads, and a mouse. All were equally distorted. Snaketail shivered, doubting any cat would pick those out of the fresh-kill pile unless they were starving and that was all that remained.

"Where's Lizardeye?" the tall tabby grunted from behind his prey.

As if created by the darkness itself, the middle-sized tabby stepped out from behind a tree, completely silent with cold observing eyes and a mouthful of prey as well. His was not so big as Twistedclaw's but all the limbs were in tact.

"The apprentices?" Snaketail mewed, hopeful that the sound would conjure them out of the air as it had his brother. There was silence for a moment.

"Over here!" Eclipsepaw hissed, struggling to tear her raven fur out of a bush. She tore it off, but there was no bald patch left, just a hint of uneven fur. Her pile consisted of a pitiful thrush (half its feathers lost), a toad that was missing a leg, and a mouse that was so bloody and beaten it could have just as easily been half a squirrel were it not given away by the scent.

"Where's your sister, and Flintpaw?"

"Flintpaw's right behind me," Eclipsepaw mewed and quite pointedly did not mention her sister.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

OoC// Brindlepelt says; Oi, Lizardeye! I was told I would be getting prey! How long do I have to wait? It's sunset already! D<

Brindlepelt: I do not say that. -_- ShadowClan has a dozen apprentices, I'm sure one of them has made sure to feed Feathercloud and her patients.

.O^O. Buhhhhh... But-but-

Brindlepelt: Please keep your twisted fantasies to yourself. For the sake of us all.

T.T

BiC//

Emberpaw padded automatically to a nearby clump of ferns and hid her prey there for the time being , but decided not to bother. She wouldn't be long; it would be easier simply to keep the prey with her. Moving without effort, she sped along the swampy ground, her senses alert for more prey. The lithe apprentice plotted the course she would take, curving around to reclaim her frog while keeping a sharp eye out for more prey. By the time she reached the site of her first catch, a plump mouse was hanging from her jaws by its tail alongside the lizard.

Digging the frog up, she grasped it by a foot and started to bring it back towards the chestnut tree, where her shrew, and probably her mentors, would be waiting. Four catches wasn't going to feed the whole Clan all by itself, but it wasn't a catch to be ashamed of. Suddenly a frog leaped away in front of her, startled by her approaching pawsteps; she hadn't smelled it over the scent of the frog she was already carrying, and it had been well hidden under the algae of a spreading puddle. Dropping her catch, Emberpaw stared after it, pinpointing the spot where it had landed. Frogs were such stupid creatures; they always stopped fleeing much to soon.

Dropping into all fours, she stalked closer and pounced on a tussock of grass. Cold, slimy limbs squirmed under her paws, and the young she-cat took a second to locate the frog's neck before moving in for a killing bite. Picking up the unfortunate amphibian, she carefully grasped her other three catches and made her way back to the meeting place to reclaim her fifth. Emberpaw arrived just after the rest of the patrol, and set down her prey while she dug up her mauled shrew. She said nothing, only glanced at the other cats to assess their catches. Well enough. ShadowClan wouldn't go hungry tonight, at least.

[Yoko]

Lizardeye examined the prey gathered. They were a pretty large patrol, so the amount of prey was actually a little poor for six cats hunting. Specklestar probably would not complain though. The Clan would be busy with other activities, and hungry cats can't be too picky. He glanced at his apprentice. All were here. Without a word, he turned with his freshkill and padded towards camp. Immediately, he heard his brothers fall into step on either side of him. Eclipsepaw was probably lingering back with Flintpaw, he didn't bother to look. After the mess that had been caused today, he had to reorganize the entire plan. He woul have to keep close eyes on Flintpaw. And the apprentices would have to be informed of their plans sooner rather than later. He would have to trust Snaketail to get Honeypaw back on track, meomory loss or not. And as for Eclipsepaw...Twistedclaw was not one to tolerate mistakes. She would fall in line easily. In the fading light, the patrol returned home.

((OOC: XP Closing.))