CLOUDY AND DAZED // missing prey

[BLIZZARD FANG]

Dew clung to the grass as the sun slowly rose into the sky. ThunderClan was already up and at ‘em this dawn, Blizzard Fang had been asked to accompany a hunting patrol. They’d split up to follow the scent trails they had picked up and now it was time to return to the planned meeting spot. Blizzard Fang had caught a squirrel that had been too slow to scurry up the branch of a tree, and a mouse who had been nibbling on seed. He’s already sitting and waiting for the rest of the patrol when he realizes with a jolt he did not bring his squirrel back with him.

Shouldn’t be too big of a deal, he knew exactly where he had buried it. Explaining the situation to the npc at his shoulder he leaves the mouse with him and heads in the direction of tall pines. The squirrel had been stashed in the earth underneath sprawling roots, or at least… that’s what he had thought. When he arrived at the sworn location he couldn’t find a trace of the fresh-kill, even after scraping at the earth. Thick brows furrow in frustration, well where in StarClan’s name had he put it then? He feels his head swell in confusion and anger as he paces around the location remaining dumbfounded as to where the prey had ended up. He begins to mumble curses as he frantically digs through leaf piles and the slightest mounds in the dirt.

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[saltmane]

He'd watched curiously as Blizzard Fang departed, leaving his mouse with another warrior, and overheard his exiting comment. After a sole heartbeat of debate, Saltmane followed him— and now plays spectator to the old man's mumbling, frenzied upheaval of anything capable of concealing prey. Saltmane is still young and his mind sharp, and though Blizzard Fang would doubtlessly hate it if he knew, he pities him and hopes he falls in battle long before his own memory weakens.

"My long-toothed friend, you will dump the entire forest on its head if you keep that up for much longer." He hops down from his stone perch and nudges his shoulder against the paler tom's. Though his smile is slight, his voice carries the warmth of camaraderie. "Rather than track your prey, we should track you. You smell so much like the trees it might give our noses a challenge for once!"

I N F O R M A T I O N
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[crowflower]

Crowflower lingers nearby, intrigued by Blizzardfang's pacing and muttering. He seems distressed, as if looking for something he's misplaced, but she isn't sure how to approach him. The senior warrior could be a little grouchy at times and he had gone after her enough times to teach her to be wary. Even so, she is rather scatter-brained herself. Easily distracted with a tendency to lose things as soon as they leave her sight, Crowflower is accustomed to the art of painstakingly retracing her steps until she finds what she's looking for. "I can help," she offers a little shyly. "I'm pretty good at tracking."​

 

[Flamestar]

Dawn hunting patrols were always her favorite. She didn't like waking up early for a border patrol...but rising for a hunting patrol was a different story. When she had been asked to go out with this morning's hunt, she didn't feel the usual invigorating thrill that normally burned within her. She kept telling herself that they wouldn't be going near the river, but it still didn't seem to matter much. She had felt something when she had caught a squirrel...and a small spark of happiness when she caught a bird..but it all fizzled away once the initial thrill died down.

She would gather up the two limp pieces of prey, and pad towards the agreed meeting place. Cloudypaw had came with them, and she had sent her off to hunt as well. She wondered how well her apprentice had done by herself. As she arrived at the meeting spot, the NPC had informed her about Blizzardfang's missing squirrel. She tilted her head curiously, wondering if someone had stolen it, or if he had simply forgotten where he had stashed it. That had happened to her a couple of times after she had joined, when she was still learning the territory. She sat down, placing the squirrel and bird at her front paws. Once Cloudypaw came back, she would go help out the older warrior search if he still hadn't found it.

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@Cloudypaw

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[RACCOONSTRIPE]

He's just kicking earth over a freshly-caught vole when Raccoonstripe notices Blizzard Fang's absence on the hunting mission. When he locates the other warriors, he sighs with exasperation. "How do you lose your prey?" He is sure he'd done such a thing before, especially as a new hunter under his mother's watchful eyes, but part of him wonders if the senior warrior is going senile. Raccoonstripe grimaces before tasting the air. A shadow falls over his mood as he considers a possibility. "You haven't scented fox or badger, have you? Or... rogue?" The idea that a predator or outsider has stolen ThunderClan prey has him bristling immediately.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[BLIZZARD FANG]

The hunting patrol is swiftly alerted of his trouble and wave of embarrassment crashes over Blizzard Fang. This was not something even expected out of an apprentice, let alone a tom his grown age. Sneezing dirt particles off his nose he looks to Saltmane with a furrowed brow of concern for his own situation, but appreciative of their lightheartedness. "Mm, cats should take note then. If an apprentice can track me down they've got a fit 'nough nose to be a warrior." He grins for a moment, but the jolly demeanor falls flat. If he's really lost this piece of prey his day would be ruined, not only was it humiliating but for the kill to go to waste would be a shame. Crowflower offers aid and though he's tempted to turn it down he nods, two noses were better than one.

His pelt bristles a bit at Raccoonstripe's question, defensive words rest at the edge of his tongue but they never take flight. "Badger? Oh- rogue? No, I don't think so... It's just..." He hesitates on a word, what was up with himself? The lead was right, how did he lose a piece of prey? "A bad morning." He decides to explain, the best explanation he had for the situation.

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[Cloudyfur]

Cloudypaw reunited with the rest of the patrol with pride in her eyes and a thrush between her jaws. Even after having been a part of Thunderclan for moons, returning with a fresh catch always filled her with satisfaction. With the memory of when she never caught anything at all so close in her mind, every piece of prey felt precious to her.

Her pride faded to confusion as she watched her clanmtes exchange words. Dropping her prey between her paws, she listened a few moments as she tried to catch up on what was happening. They were too caught up in their discussion to fill her in, it seemed.

"You lost your prey...?" she asked Blizzard Fang in genuine confusion, before realizing in a jolt how rude the question sounded. The thought of her losing one of her catches was outlandish, and vaguely anxiety inducing. Which was why she was so surprised that a senior warrior like Blizzard Fang had. Then again, she rarely caught enough to need to bury her kills to come back for later.

Attempting to make up for her words, she rushed to say more. "I could help you look for it, if you'd like?" Only after she had made the offer did she remember to look to her mentor in askance for permission to do so.​