pafp ⋆˚࿔ How it feels to fall | Hunting 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

[Batscreech]

Bat had been resigned to himself for the better part of the entire day thus far- the sun rising higher and higher into the sky in a steady motion so that it had now reached its peak, incessant rays of prickling heat beating down on the terrain below it. It warmed everything that it touched, an inviting embrace that coaxed out every living being, the earth and all its inhabitants eager to relish the ever fleeting season that brought endless prosperity before it would inevitably retreat. Replaced with the plague of leafbare, robbing the world of its ease with a biting chill and hooked claws that grabbed at any of the remaining slivers of life that remained, robbing them of whatever little chance for survival they may have retained. Bat found himself afraid of the concept of being unable to feed himself, and now the clan as a whole, regardless of how bountiful the prey proved to be. He himself did not eat much even if he had the opportunity to, for he believed rationing what little resources available to you yielded the best results to ensure you would endure. An old habit picked up from his many years as a rogue, without question- at times, he swears he still felt like one, the disconnect between himself and those who he was expected to call his "clanmates" was palpable.

He was so lost in thought that he failed to realize he had been entrusted with a task- set at the bottom of a tree, laying in wait for the squirrel that Owlheart had been stalking to startle and run downwards in hopes of finding safety below, where Bat would be waiting to intercept its desperate escape route. She had called out to him as a little brown blur flew past him, time suddenly swinging back into motion as Bat turned too late to run after their would-be catch, watching first with shock and then disdain as it threw itself up towards another tree and hid away somewhere in the highest part of its canopy where the branches would surely be too thin to hold the weight of a cat. He had lost it. He knew he should have chased after it, climbed up the trunk of thick pine and pinned it by its tail- however he did nothing more than watch its frantic movements as it scrambled away with a rapidly beating heart.

Bat's eyes grew heavy as he looked downwards at his paws, his useless paws with ivory claws still tucked safely within their sheaths- pristine without a single drop of blood nestled between them that would be a testament to a successful hunt. Time after time, all he had done was miss the mark just slightly, but still enough for the entire attempt to end in jeopardy- nothing short of an embarrassment given the season, even an untrained kit would be able to catch something with the way fat little morsels basically threw themselves straight into your opened jaws and outstretched limbs. He would have been better off dead on the dirtied city streets somewhere- he was a burden and a liability to those who had allowed him to stay within their ranks, taking him in despite his dodgy roots and the way they had zero reason to trust him- and yet they took a chance on him regardless. He was proving all those who hated him right- he was of no use here.

With bared teeth and a frustrated growl, he ran off at breakneck speed in whichever direction where he thought he would be able to escape the presence of his peers, the thought of them watching his incompetence a burden that was too great for him to bear.

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OOC: Please wait for @Owlheart !! Also sorry if this isnt my best piece of literature I haven't had a lot of motivation to write recently and this is the first thing I've been able to do in like...a week if not more </3​

 

[Owlheart]

Owlheart always expected the best from her clanmates, especially recent joiners. Clearly her mothers council and by extension her mother herself saw potential in everyone who joined their ranks so why would she assume anything less than the best. Perhaps that was a little unhealthy, she didn’t really see an issue with it though. That’s why she encouraged Bat to join her hunting today, she didn’t shy away from involving new faces and had faith that he would participate well. The plan is simple enough, she’s to run up the rather intimidating tree in front of them in hopes to scare prey down to Bat’s claws, or maw if he was so inclined. She had to admit that she was curious to see which was optimal for him. “Does that sound fine?” She asks, taking a lack of protest or questions as confirmation for the plan she then begins her climb. The climb up is easy enough, as it was her first climb at the day she embarrassingly had to concede to the fact that her paw slipped as she reached her destination.

The tabby was here though, that was one part of her job done. Crouching on the branch she jumps back onto the trunk of the tree, scrambling from branch to branch until it catches the attention of a squirrel. Naturally, it runs away, and naturally she chases it. “Stay sharp!” She calls out to him as some kind of a heads up about the squirrel steadily making it’s way down to him. Halting herself at one of the lower branches to try and get a better look at whatever technique he would decide to choose. The disappointment that he misses it is bitter, short lived but noticeable enough to her. With a soft exhale she has to remind herself that what is seen in him is potential, it would take time to hone it. There is a heavy silence in those heartbeats as she mulls over her perceptions of the ex-rogue, eyesight shifting to the tree that the squirrel sought refuge in. It wouldn’t be too hard to just chase it down again right? It may even die of fright! That sounded reasonable to her but as she went to suggest the idea the warrior was met with the sound of a frustrated growl.

Before she had the chance to finally blink he had taken off, she was quick to follow. Taking a risky leap from the trunk that she had only half climbed, the land was awkward but nothing felt broken or sprained. With a scrunch of her muzzle in discomfort she raced to try and catch up “Bat, it’s okay we can find another squirrel” she calls out to him, wincing at the sound of herself raising her own voice in an attempt to make sure that he can hear her. “There’s no need to beat yourself up, you could try scaring the next one and I can try to catch it?” would these attempts at comfort just make things worse? She wasn’t really sure but to her it felt worse to let him presumably wallow in self hatred instead.
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