BOUNTY AWAITS \ hollypaw

[WEASELCLAW]

It’s been so long since Sparkspirit had been so small—Hollypaw has just left the nursery, but this is not a traitor’s kit he must mold from kittenhood. This is Juniperfrost’s daughter, raised by a loyal WindClan queen who does not openly question their leader as Echolight had once done. The tabby has fewer qualms about Hollypaw, though he is beyond proud of the young warrior his former apprentice has grown into. He traces his steps, as though waltzing through memory, toward the young black she-cat curled in her nest. He noses her and murmurs, “Time to go.” In case she protests about it being too early, he adds, “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. In greenleaf, a moor runner’s best time to leave camp is before the sun rises.”

Though the sky is dove-gray still, a halo of pink rimming the horizon, the day has all the marks of greenleaf heat. The breeze is somewhat still, though once they are out on the moorland proper, their fur will buffet either way. “We will catch something and eat it while we explore,” he promises. “For now, give yourself a quick grooming and meet me by the heather tunnel. We’re going to explore our territory today, and then I will show you each of our borders.” With a nod, Weaselclaw stalks away, waiting for his charge.

Once she appears ready to go, Weaselclaw will duck through the heather-lined gorse until the two of them are out in the glory of their territory. Grasses gilded with greenleaf’s blazing sun roll in all directions, and the scent of rabbit on the wind is strong at this early hour. The sun has begun to show its face, pale and wan as the ashen sky. “We’ll first go to Outlook Rock,” he explains to Hollypaw. “I’d describe it, but it’s better seen first. You’ll be able to see it once we’re atop the hill.” His limbs flash, surging down the hill they’ve crested and dipping down into the sea of wheat-gold grass below.

// @HOLLYPAW.

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — weasel . weaselclaw
  — he/him ; lead warrior of windclan
  — heterosexual ; taken by Sootstar
  — short-haired chocolate tabby with white and blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Oliver

​

 

[HOLLYPAW---]

☽༺♰༻☾​

it was odd to now sleep under the open sky. hollypaw had grown all too used to lying close with her siblings, with spiderbloom. she hadn't known a cold night until now, the soft lull of the wind tossing her fur as she tried to sleep. it was a change, a big one. however, they did this to be closer to starclan, so she had to at least give it a good shot.

after a relatively sleepless night, hollypaw was nudged awake, blinking away the tiredness. she lifts to her paws, yawning as weaselclaw justifies waking up so early. it didn't matter what time she slept until in the nursery, but her new name came tandem with responsibility. she nods as her mentor speaks, explaining that it was best to rise before the sun.

he says that they will catch and eat something while they are out. outside of camp. a small grin lights her features at the idea of catching her own prey. spiderbloom had prepared her brood for apprenticeship well, from the moment they could walk they were stalking and chasing. learning from her, things that would undoubtedly push them ahead of their peers. today would be a long day, she didn't know how large the moor truly was but it sounded exhausting as weaselclaw explained. still, she nodded with vigor, groomed her pelt quickly yet precisely before trotting over to join him on the beginning of their journey.

outlook rock was their first destination. although she had never seen it herself, rumor said that when atop you could see across the whole moor. hollypaw was eager to see it for herself, she would guess weaselclaw was too with the way he was gone in a flash, running down the hill. a wide green stare watched him for a moment before her paws thudded in chase. her paws were nearly caught up beneath her multiple times as they descended, but once they treaded uphill again it was easier to stay balanced. that was not to say there was no struggle, muscles that had never been used before pulled and stretched as she heaved herself up the hill.

once they reached the top, her chest moved quickly, jaws parted as she trapped air back into her lungs. a few moments went by before she was looking forward. a stretch of stone jutted out of the earth so grand it put tallrock to shame. awestruck, she took a minute to just stare, study it before speaking. "it's so big! have you been on top of it?" hollypaw asked shamelessly, turning a wide eyed gaze to weaselclaw.
​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

Weaselclaw’s muzzle creases in the ghost of a smile at Hollypaw’s excitement. It’s like seeing their territory through new eyes, and he’s reminded again of taking Sparkspirit to Outlook Rock for the first time—of taking his moor runner kits to tussle and play at fighting off rogues. The tabby nods at her solemnly. “I have been to the top… and you will go to the top soon, too.” He flicks his tail against her flank. “Not today, though. It’s a big climb for someone so small, and we have much to see today. We should conserve your strength.”

The sun begins to warm their pelts now. Weaselclaw is reminded young Hollypaw hasn’t eaten yet, and she’ll certainly need some fresh-kill in her stomach for their next journey. He orders, “Wait here. Do not make a sound… but watch me carefully.” There’s a scent of fresh rabbit just down the hill—and the wind is in their favor. The blue-eyed tabby crouches so that his light fur blends in with the sun-gilded moor, and he focuses silently until he sees a rustle of foliage several foxlengths down the slope.

In an instance, he springs, his back legs kicking up like a hare’s. He shoots down the slope, the wind buffeting his face and concealing his scent from the twitching bunny. It’s over before the creature realizes it’s being hunted—it’s young, so although it must have felt the tremors in the earth from his pounding paws, it had not pinpointed the direction of its attacker in time to flee. Weaselclaw’s teeth sink expertly into the back of its neck.

He beckons Hollypaw to join him at the foot of the hill, rabbit dangling from his jaws. When the black she-cat gets to the bottom, he’ll drop it at her paws. “Take what you need from it, but don’t overstuff yourself.” He flicks his battle-scarred ears. “Tell me, why do you think the rabbit was so easy to catch?” Wind position and age of the prey animal is a bit advanced for a three month old kit, but Spiderbloom had not kept her children idle, and Juniperfrost’s blood runs strong in their veins. It’s not a test she can fail, as long as she’s earnest.

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — weasel . weaselclaw
  — he/him ; lead warrior of windclan
  — heterosexual ; taken by Sootstar
  — short-haired chocolate tabby with white and blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Oliver

​

 

[HOLLYPAW---]

☽༺♰༻☾​

he has been to the top, of course. there was no way that he would not have made the journey yet. but, she can't. not right now, soon is the promise. hollypaw could wait, she was patient. besides, surely there would be more awe-worthy landmarks they would see today, and she would rather witness every one than spend all her time attempting to reach the summit of the large formation before them.

her green gaze is pulled away once again by his command, wait. for what, she had yet to find out but quickly weaselclaw descended from the crest of the hill. silently and just as ordered, she observed as he made chase, power in each stride. hollypaw was not yet able to clearly decipher the scent of the prey from the rest of the new moorland smells, but before she knew it, he had halted. a limp earthy toned creature hung from his jaws as he signaled for her to meet him down at the bottom.

the rabbit was dropped at her feet, a kill more fresh than she had ever known. it was impressive to see the hunt happen before her eyes, exhilarating although she had remained idle. it nearly allowed her to forget that she hadn't yet eaten, but the gnawing in her stomach became demanding with the scent of a fresh kill. relieved, she bent down to quell it. still warm, it was hard not to be tempted with eating the whole thing. hollypaw restrained herself, lifting her head after a few bites.

a question had her head turning as her eyes lingered on the rabbit. the extent of her knowledge on hunting was not too impressive, especially not to a warrior. it did not take expansive expertise to examine the rabbit, however. she had seen many, whether sitting amongst the other fresh kill or sharing one with her family. large creatures, usually they beat her in size. admittedly, this one did not. "it's small. does that make it slower?" she asked, finally lifting her head to meet a blue gaze. hopefully, her answer would prove to not be embarrassingly incorrect.
​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

The tabby watches the young she-cat’s whiskers quiver with thought as she takes a few bites of meat from the bunny. Her mind appears to be working, green eyes bright but narrow with thought. “It’s small,” she observes. “Does that make it slower?” Her mentor’s blue gaze gleams with pride. “It doesn’t always mean that, but yes. This is a younger, more inexperienced rabbit. You can tell by how tender the flesh is, too. It hasn’t turned tough and lean from moons of hopping across the moor.” He purrs, leaning to snatch a few bites. The flavor is splendid, the mouthfeel soft with a chew, but without the grit of age and muscle. “You’re very observant. That will serve you well as a moor runner.”

Weaselclaw will take a few moments for the two of them to finish the small piece of prey before he will nudge her to bury the remains. “We don’t want to attract foxes or hawks,” he tells her. “They prefer live prey like we do, but a meal is a meal to them as well.” He scrunches his nose a bit. “Hawks this close to camp mean trouble, and you’re not much bigger than a kit yourself yet. Best to use those observant eyes and turn them skyward, too.” Memories of Cottonpaw nearly losing her life, small gray body tucked into the talons of one of the ferocious birds, cloud his gaze.

After she’s discarded the remains, Weaselclaw will run the tip of his tail briefly along her flank to indicate that they’re moving forward. He breaks into a steady gait again, much faster than she’ll be used to and with more power used to ascend the slopes. It’s tactical—though he does not want to leave her too far behind, he wants her kittenish paw pads to become hardy quickly, and her muscles will need days and days of developing. He will give her a look over a narrow brown shoulder, saying, “WindClan warriors are known for their speed. We may not be the biggest or the brawniest in battle, but our wits and our quickness make up for it tenfold.”

Weaselclaw races north from the Outlook Rock, but skirts the Abandoned Badger Set. He will allow her to look over it for a moment, questioning, “What do you think that scent is?” Though the badger stench is faint and old, even a kit’s nose could pick up the rankness.

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — weasel . weaselclaw
  — he/him ; lead warrior of windclan
  — heterosexual ; taken by Sootstar
  — short-haired chocolate tabby with white and blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Oliver

​

 

[HOLLYPAW---]

☽༺♰༻☾​

hollypaw doesn't notice just how gentle the skin of the young rabbit is until highlighted by weaselclaw. she was right, well partially, but still there is a glow of pride that makes her ears twitch, lips following as she is granted a compliment. observant, and although she did not fully understand the meaning yet she can tell it is a good aspect.

as the prey is finished she moves to bury it as prompted, licking the remains of blood from her dark muzzle. he speaks of predators as she does, foxes, hawks. they meant trouble, hollypaw remembered. playing with her littermates one moment, the next all warriors seemed alert to the sky as shadows circled over camp. they had found cover in the nursery then, only here there was no cover. solemnly, her head dipped in a nod, but a brush to her flank announced that there was no time to reminisce. they would be moving on, to where she had yet to find out.

they were running then, short legs working twice as hard to keep within a foxlength of her mentor. hollypaw feels her chest move quickly, claws extended to propel her further. windclan was known for speed, he says. she was fast, even beat scorchkit in a race when they were kittens. but the odds were stacked against her here, a larger opponent, deviance from the flatness of camp. she could only try her best to keep up, thank starclan once they slowed down.

catching her breath would come at a price, however. sucking air in, she wanted to immediately spit it back out. something stank. so foul it had her nose wrinkled in disgust. what was it? she didn't know, didn't really want to find out either. the apprentice could only imagine the beast that let off something so pungent. her eyes caught a dark entrance, bigger than any cat she knew. "i don't know," she admitted, slightly defeated that those words were all she could muster. "it's gross though, not a cat." cleanliness was not reserved for felines, a glance at some of the tunnelers at that would be apparent. but none of them had a stench like this!
​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

Weaselclaw has to stifle a purr of amusement, watching Hollypaw’s kitten-soft paws stagger with spent energy, her ribs showing as she does her best to suck in sufficient oxygen. The expression on her face when she scents the set is comical. “You’re right,” he agrees. “Not cat. A scent you must remember. This is the Abandoned Badger Set. What you’re smelling is a stale scent. When it’s fresh, it’s much worse.” He nears the set, scanning the openings for signs a badger has moved in. “You can tell because they’ll have bones lying about, droppings, and sometimes you’ll hear their cubs make squeaking noises. But there’s none of that here today.”

He looks at her, still so small at three moons. He waits a moment, then mews, “Badgers are very dangerous. They do not eat cats, like hawks might, but they will not hesitate to kill us if they feel we are a danger to them or their kits.” He nods again at the set. “You won’t be crawling about in the dirt as much as your tunneler littermates, but we must be aware just the same. At any sign of a badger, you tell me first. Don’t do anything foolish like try to fight it yourself.”

With a flourish, he beckons her away from the set with his tail tip, his blue eyes scanning the horizon. “We’ll go to the gorge next,” he decides. “It’s our border with RiverClan. We may meet some of them, and no doubt they’ll fling insults our way.” He gives her a wry look. “Do your best to ignore them. Their pelts will feel our claws again before long, and they won’t be so quick to get smart with us.” He begins to pad away, adding, “And before we go… stay away from the edge. The drop will kill even a grown cat.”

// out; I’ll make them a thread in RiverClan and ping you for it :D

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — weasel . weaselclaw
  — he/him ; lead warrior of windclan
  — heterosexual ; taken by Sootstar
  — short-haired chocolate tabby with white and blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Oliver

​