todays just not my day // first catch + mud

[Periwinklebreeze.]

DONT EVER WANT TO SEE THINGS CHANGE
periwinklepaw | 06 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff

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Periwinklepaw had thought there could be nothing worse than the bitter cold of the snow that had piled into their camp, chilling every bone of his body. He had been wrong.

Looking downright miserable, Peri quiet literally slips forwards, feet sliding on the slick mud underpaw. Hunting in this seems impossible - all he can smell is damp and earth and... nothing. The only thing he has to rely on is the path of pawprints that he's still not certain are fresh, but he's tired and hungry and desperate to keep his mind off of everything. His recent mentor change weight heavily on his mind, and though he's glad its snowshadow he's still not as close to the tom as one might think for them being siblings - there is so much he worries to say, to do.

Wincing as his paw sinks into a particularly deep patch of mud, nose twitches as he finally catches the scent of something appetizing. Rabbit! Sinking down into a crouch - ignoring the icky feeling of mud clinging to his soft underbelly, pawsteps go silent to the best of the boys ability as he tries to catch sight of his prey. Finally, he spots it - thick brown fur nearly as cacked in mud as his own. He's never put much thought into stealth - windclan is a clan of runners, of speed and stamina. And he's not much different - his long limbs have always helped him chase down the prey, though he's yet to be successful in anything but chasing it into another hunters path. But today, he tries somethin new. It cannot do any harm to try - he's already brown with mud, scent smothered, and his prey is nibbling away on fresh growth seemingly unawares.

He creeps forwards, slowly, carefully, paying more attention to the ground this time, and then when he feels he's finally close enough, he pounces. The creature flees but even the boy can tell he's already won. With only a few paces of distance between them, he pushes forwards, body flattening to gain speed, and as paws leave the ground once more he feels and tastes success as teeth and claws dig into his catch. Everything tastes of mud as he snaps its neck, sending them both tumbling head over paws, but the deed is done and he's trebling with pride.

It takes longer than he expected to drag his prey back to camp, and by the time he does he looks a sight - soft black and white pelt now a drab brown, flakes of dried mud already flaking off his pelt. Even that doesn't diminish the look of excitement in pale gaze, as he sets his significantly less mud-soaked catch down upon the small pile they've collected.

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[VULTUREMASK]

Vulturemask had been trying to memorize some of the herbs in the den, to tell apart which one were what and...tch, this damn herbs. They where giving him a headache and he just couldn't stand it anymore. In his own frustration and to prevent himself from tearing this stupid leaves into shreds the medicine cat in training had got up to escape out from the den for some air, to give up for the time being. How was he supposed to learn all of this in just one month?. It was insane for any cat to learn this quickly. Vulturemask would give a bitter frown as he walked with angry steps through the camp, huffing and muttering to himself up until he spotted Periwinklepaw by the food pile.

Instantly he would stop to observe the situation from afar. Was that a rabbit they had just placed on the pile?. Vulturemask briefly forgot all about his own frustration and his miserably position here as he made himself over to investigate this further that had sparked his interest. " Periwinklepaw, have you...caught that rabbit?" he asked as he stopt behind them, one of his long ears twitching as he sent first a gaze at the rabbit on the pile before his attention went to the apprentice himself. Until the youth had answered his expression remain blank, unreadable.


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[TIGERFROST]

Tags and Information

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He's grooming the mud from his own paws when the apprentice strides back into camp. Tigerfrost lifts his head, eyes flickering curiously across Periwinklepaw and the dirtied rabbit that they carried into camp. Blinking surprise away, he rises to his paws and strides closer, a mere few paw-steps behind WindClan's newest medicine cat. Tigerfrost ultimately decides to hang back, but he's close enough to see the prey a bit more clearly, and the excitement that seems to twinkle within the apprentice's eyes.

"Good catch." Rare praise from the gruff chimera. In leaf-bare, they'd take anything they could get their claws on, but this was certainly no small capture. It would fill several bellies.​

 

[SUNSTAR]

Mud has been a familiar friend throughout the warmer moons of his home. With travel-tracks mashing their paths to a slurry of tar-stone, they had learned to sink in it as they did the snow. Only there it was far less clean, and a great deal warmer. He can be glad for that on these moors as well, though Wolfsong's reminder rattles its teeth at the back of his skull. Come the sun-burnt moons ahead of them, he would be but a puddle beneath the flames. This is better than the deep frost, but far from the warmest these lands will become. That reminder is a miserable one. Perhaps, in the end, he is nearly as miserable as Periwinkle looks to be. Returned from a hunt of his own, agonizingly unsuccessful, he is likewise joining the others that pry the earth from their fur. Legs flex, coaxing the dried bits from muscle and sinew. Unlike the others, he does not stand to appreciate the apprentice's success.

Even from his distance, he is warm. The pride that rolls off this youthful form does not escape him with distance. His ears flick, and his shoulders roll, and Suntride laughs softly from his distance. "I cannot tell if you caught the rabbit or wrestled it from a sunken pit of mud!" Joke as he may, it is a welcome addition to their prey pile. It should more than make up for his own failure earlier in the day. "I am glad to count you the victor in either way."

﹥ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〙ˊˎ﹤

• ooc: —
• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, uses he - him. thirty-four moons old. warrior of windclan and former rogue.
  —— cautious of clan life, but an apt learner. encourages close bonds between clanmates.
  —— loyalty uncertain, cares for those surrounding him. undoubtedly closest to wolfsong.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red at its base and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.
• "speech"

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[Firefang]

Things were kinda improving which wasn't say much in Firepaw's opinion prey was still scarce but with the snow for the most part melted a far cry from what it was at during the blizzard that ravaged them what was now about a half-moon since. The moor are easier to run across scent trails lingered in the air and paw steps could be traced back to burrows. It's not preferable, it wasn't fair hunting but it was better and she's noticed that the prey pile wasn't as bare bones as it once was. Not that it matters much to her who still can't catch a single damned rabbit but regardless at least they're not starving like they were before; fueled by their bitterness towards the traitors and Skyclan that kept the best of them motivated. She's just never been the best hunter at the best of times something she'd never care to admit but her stubborn pride kept her from giving up. She'd been out on the moor for a while now, wind blowing behind her urging her forward as each stride took her further through the territory. She's happy out here but sadly hunt is over she cannot exhaust herself when there's nothing for her to find at this hour, and she soon slows down as the camp comes into view.

The scent of blood enters her nostrils as she returns, it's fresh poignant in the air. She pads over coming to stand near Tigerfrost; eyes focused on Periwinklepaw and the rabbit dangling from his jaws. A twinge of frustration already building within her at the sight. It's irrational, a jealous streak she can't prevent but she knows better then to let her tongue fly, she can only bitterly wish it would be her one of these days hare blood dripping from her muzzle as she basked in the praise of her clanmates. Today isn't the day and she tempers her envy ❝Nice catch❞ she'd meow but her tone does indeed betray her emotions, it's not as elated or kind as it should be. Her tail twitches, Sunstride was right about the way the younger apprentice looked that was for certain and she can't help but make a quick jab. ❝You look like a overgrown mole even more so then the Tunnelers❞ she chuckles ❝Good luck findin' someone to share tongues with today❞ ​

( PLACE ME IN MY CASKET TONIGHT ; BECAUSE IM ALREADY DYING INSIDE )

 

[icebreath]

TAGS — Though the tunnel entrances are often slick with mud these days, Icepaw's grateful that the underground is mostly dry. She hates the mud; it's slippery and gross and only makes her colder, so she always stops to clean it off before getting to work. Consequently, the state that Periwinklepaw's in nearly makes her jaw drop, discomfort washing over her as she imagines being in the other apprentice's position. They can all too easily picture how uncomfortable they'd feel if they were so thoroughly coated in the stuff — especially with fur as long as his! That'll definitely be a pain to clean. Thank goodness he'd managed to bring food home; if she'd gotten so dirty all for nothing, she'd be miserable! "Good catch," she joins in the chorus of congratulatory meows, her own voice soft from where she grooms herself — almost with newfound vigor, spurred by the thought of all that mud. Firepaw's teasing earns her a narrow-eyed look from the pale apprentice, but as per usual she says nothing, trusting the warriors to tell her off. Leave it to her to stomp over Periwinklepaw's accomplishment — and sneak in a jab at the tunnelers! Can she ever just be normal?
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[Periwinklebreeze.]

DONT EVER WANT TO SEE THINGS CHANGE
periwinklepaw | 06 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff

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Between his speech im[pediment and the prey clutched tightly in his jaws, the boy can't even be bothered to try speaking, settling instead for a half-garbled noise of affirmation that slips past the fur in his mouth. "Mhmh..." he answers, head bobbing eagerly, or as much as he can manage to anyways. While he's certainly grown from his kit-like figure, the rabbit is still almost the same size as the boy, thin with leafbare hunger or not. Then again, so is he.

Dropping his prey as he finally wades his way to the near empty pile, he grins even brighter, gaze landing first on vulturemask and staying there, searching and hopeful. He's still not quite sure what that warm feeling in his chest is when the other tom spends time with it, but its comforting and he wants to bask in it in a moment like this - a moment where he can actually feel the pride bubbling up in his chest as though about to burst. Gaze flits to tigerfrost the moment the tom speaks, dulling the apprentices enthusiasm with a reminder of why he is ever present here these days, of another of those he love soon to be exiled. Smile turns tense but he gives a stiff nod of acknowledgment, padding just a bit closer, though he's careful not to brush pelts with any passerby for fear of muddying them too.

"C-c-caught it eat-ing n-new g-g-g-grow-th, k-k-kind-a s-slipp-ed though," he admits to sunstride, glancing down at the mud soaking most of his limbs and underside, though a few streaks have managed to splash the rest of his once-white pelt as well. More and more congratulations spill from his clanmates mouths, leaving him feeling warm - is this what it's like, he wonders, to have them be proud of you? Its a strange and heady feeling, being praised for something he's actually accomplished and not just his mere existence. As gaze flits back to vulturemask one more time, he thinks absently that he wouldn't mind more days like this.

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[VULTUREMASK]

" You did good Periwinklepaw." A praise would come from the medicine cat and his eyes cold eyes showed pride in them for the small apprentice. " Catching a rabbit as your very first prey is something you should feel very proud over yourself for. Rabbits are the most difficult prey to catch on the moors. " Not to mention they where big and would feed more than one cat in the clan and not like a vole. Lets not forget the danger of hunting a rabbit all on their own as well. They where almost at the same size if not sometimes bigger then they where and so many things could go wrong when hunting them.

Hearing what Firepaw said to them earned nothing but a snort from the medicine cat. "That mud you are covered in only proves how determinated you were to catch that rabbit giving everything you had and was not afraid to get dirty to get it. You will feed more than one mouth today for not giving up and that is exactly the sort of warrior Sootstar wants in her clan especially in this season." [don't let anybody else tell you anything else. That mud should be wore with pride and not shame.


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