development don't wanna drink alone today } first real catch

[ONYXPAW]

I WISH YOU COULD SEE THE WICKED TRUTH — It was rainy. That was the first thing Onyxpaw had noticed when she had woken up in the moment, squinting at the darkened skies outside of the apprentices' den with no small amount of wariness. She hadn't really wanted to go out in such weather, but she also knew she didn't have much of a choice. She could see a hunting patrol gathering a short distance away, one that included a few familiar faces - including Scorchfrost. A heavy sigh left her as she trudged out after her mentor, shooting down the brief idea of pretending to still be asleep that her mind supplied. The chimera really didn't feel comfortable with lying, not to mention that she did need the practice with hunting. So she continued alongside the others even as her paws sank down into the mud, making her face twist in displeasure with each step.

At least there was one advantage to the weather, and it was one that became abundantly clear as soon as they were out of camp - the frogs. They adored the wetness that had consumed everything, and she was shocked by just how many of them that she could hear croaking in the distance. It was actually enough to encourage her forward, certain that it at least wouldn't be a fight this time to find what she wanted to catch. In the end she was right, blue eyes widening with both joy and shock when one of the noisy creatures came into view on a nearby log. Onyxpaw wasn't delighted just because she had found a frog, though. She was excited because she had found a huge one, a plump and rounded beast that looked like it had positively gorged itself on every bug that it could find. She was sure it would be a great catch - provided she could actually manage it.

Her whole body was on edge as she glanced behind her at the rest of her patrol scattered around the area, wondering if it might be a good idea to call on Scorchfrost. Ultimately she decided against it, wanting to show him that she had already begun to internalize their training together - even without his active guidance. Her pawsteps were short and silent as she grew closer to the beast of a frog, lowering herself to the ground once she found at least one patch of dryness. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she stared forward, muscles tensed and front lowered until finally... she leaped. There was a heavy sense of dread inside of her, ready for a repeat of what had happened during her hunt with Lividpaw and Snowpaw. Instead of colliding with the muck, though, her claws dug into the flesh of the frog, just long enough to scoop it up and into her maw so that she could bite down into it hard.

For a moment she just sat on the log, frozen, the last death rattle of a croak that it had let out echoing in her mind as it hung limply from her jaws. It was only when she heard the rest of the patrol approaching that Onyxpaw sprung into action once more, a cheerful cry that burned her lungs leaving her as she rushed towards them. "Guys, look! Look what I caught! Isn't it huge?" Her attention darted from one cat to another in front of her, before eventually landing on Scorchfrost as she puffed her chest out with pride. He had to know how major this was for her, right? She had finally caught a real piece of prey, not just some dinky thing she would be afraid to present to even the kits.

CAUGHT UP IN A RUSH ✦ IT IS KILLING YOU

• // mentor tag for @scorchfrost but no need to wait !!

• 

• 
  ✧ shorthaired tortoiseshell point and chocolate point chimera with blue eyes
  ✧ 7 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✧ bisexual; crushing on yellowpaw
  ✧ daughter of monarchroot and sleetjaw
  ✧ shadowclan born; silently loyal to her home
  ✧ difficult to befriend; shy to most except yellowpaw
  ✧ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[Duckshimmer]

*+:｡.｡ Onyxpaw was such a polite, timid girl that when she used her voice to bellow rather than mewl, Duckshimmer couldn't help but jump. Still, the surprise only widened her smile with amusement as she padded forth, ahead of the patrol, in time to witness Onyxpaw's exuberant cheer. "It's as big as you are, my dear," Duckshimmer would purr, for a moment forgetting all about how irritable this rainy weather made her. Duckshimmer often forgot how big of a milestone hunting could be for apprentices. It came easy enough to the woman with a sharp nose and piercing eyes, and when it didn't - it was merely a fact of life. Shadowclan's murky land did not invite a bounty. Onyxpaw wasn't wisened yet, however, to the many experiences of disappointment that left a cat immune to just one more. It was nice seeing someone so happy about something that felt so mundane. However, for Onyxpaw, it was anything but.

Pushing aside her cynicism, she focused entirely on Onyxpaw's joy as she stepped closer, making a big show of sniffing the frog and purring loudly. "Big and healthy! You're sure to feed the entire nursery with this one, sweetheart" Periwinkle eyes aglow, she said, "Be proud of yourself, for this is surely the first of many more successful hunts to come"

*+:｡.｡ Updated 12/15/23

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
  GENERAL:
  ⚜ Duckshimmer
  ⚜ DFAB— She/Her — Bisexual
  ⚜ 30 moons — Ages 1 moon every month real-time
  ⚜ Mother to Singepaw, Swallowpaw and Sneezepaw
  ⚜ Shadowclan — Warrior
  
  
  
  
  
  COMBAT:
  ⚜Physically hard | mentally hard
  ⚜ Attack in bold #ffa98f
  injuries: None currently

​

 

[mapletail]

The voice of Onyxpaw and Duckshimmer caught her attention and a frog was successfully caught between the apprentice's jaws. "Wow! You did amazing Onyxpaw!" The rosette tabby exclaimed happily, a large smile curling on her lips at the excitement from the apprentice. The frog was quite the plump one and probably had gotten overfed from the marsh they lived in, but had fallen claim to the apprentice who bubbled in pride from her catch. She remembered her first catch and how adrenaline took over before being replaced with pride at her capture, but Onyxpaw had caught something much bigger than her first catch.

"That's a huge frog, did you ride him when you got on him?" Mapletail teases softly as she glances at Duckshimmer and nods her head at the warrior's words. Her long tail sways slightly as she glances at the nursery's direction for a moment before focusing back on the apprentice. "You're going to be an amazing hunter! Soon you'll be catching anything and everything like a frog catching a fly!" The older lady would respond with a purr as she holds her gentle yet bright smile, her sunshine yellow eyes twinkling.
​

"speech", thoughts, attacking

 

[smogstar]

Smogmaw holds a profound distaste for the stringent traditions and structures imposed on cats by the Clans' founders and their successors. Too much emphasis lies on blind reverence and servile adherence to narrow values, whilst too little focuses on the here-and-now, the practical. This world is quite beyond the control even by the most exalted former; only the present remains steadfast, and without room to debate or scrutinize the past, it is left to wither and decay.

But, there is no doubt in his mind that the cultural pillars built by the Clans lend their bearers great strength, stability and purpose. Little things like celebrating first hunts, naming ceremonies, sharing tongues, and the like foster strong bonds and a unified sense amongst any given population. Smogmaw, for one, cannot recall his first-ever hunt. He knows it'd happened well before the Great Battle, somewhere in this very territory, but he cannot pinpoint when, or where, or who'd accompanied him. Shared experiences are the adhesive which holds cats together. Without them, a Clan falls apart.

It is for this reason that the always aloof, sometimes anti-social, and every-so-often hostile deputy strives to extol such shared experiences whenever they arise. One emerges today, on a hunting patrol, in which Onyxpaw has made use of the territory's abundant prey and her own honed technique to nab herself a particularly juicy frog, and her first-ever catch to boot.

A smile coaxes itself upon his maw as the tom circles around Mapletail's flank, making himself a reflection to his patrolmates' perspectives. They are, by and large, ecstatic for the apprentice. And they ought to be. Based on current standards, a first catch at a ripe seven moons old is remarkable. "Well done, Onyxpaw," he meows next, dark-addled limbs brushing through swampgrass as he moves. "Very well done. Promise us it is the first of many, will you?" ​

 

[ONYXPAW]

I WISH YOU COULD SEE THE WICKED TRUTH — Even as pride had flooded through Onyxpaw's chest, it had inevitably been mixed in with anxiety as well. Worries over whether she was celebrating too much over nothing, and was about to be laughed at. A knot in her stomach that told her the frog wasn't nearly as impressive as she thought, and everyone would be brushing her off and scolding her for being too loud. Relief and joy only blossomed once more when the rest of the patrol grew nearer, their words full of encouragement rather than disdain. The corners of her muzzle immediately sprang upwards once more, carefully placing the plump frog down at her own colorful paws so that her next words weren't muffled. "Thanks, Duckshimmer! That was actually what I was thinking too, I was hoping all the kits might like it..." She could already imagine the group of them tearing away eagerly at the frog, bickering over parts and tumbling around the nursery - aside from Slugkit, who she was sure would just lay there in leisure to snatch whatever was left over.

Her cheerful attention turned over to Mapletail and Smogmaw next, a flare of heat beneath her pelt at the praise she was receiving. No one in Shadowclan had been unkind to her in the past, but this was admittedly still a new feeling - albeit, a welcome one. "I hope you're right. I spent so long thinking I wouldn't be able to catch anything... but I guess I just wasn't quite ready." Or believing in herself hard enough, which certainly wouldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone in Shadowclan. The more restrained praise of Smogmaw was especially important to her, considering her respect for the deputy - beaten out only by her respect for Chilledstar, obviously. "It will be, I'm sure of it. Now that I know I really can... well, that just means I have to go even bigger, right?" Onyxpaw glanced down at the frog beneath her paws, claws lightly poking at its skin as she kept on grinning. She was unsure if she'd actually be able to top it in the future, but she knew that she intended on at least trying.

CAUGHT UP IN A RUSH ✦ IT IS KILLING YOU

• 

• 
  ✧ shorthaired tortoiseshell point and chocolate point chimera with blue eyes
  ✧ 7 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✧ bisexual; crushing on yellowpaw
  ✧ daughter of monarchroot and sleetjaw
  ✧ shadowclan born; silently loyal to her home
  ✧ difficult to befriend; shy to most except yellowpaw
  ✧ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed

​