EYE TO EYE — howlpaw

[SLATE]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The warm morning sun peaked its way through the evergreens, filtering light onto the needle-scattered ground as birds chirped about all around the rather peculiar pair. Slate hadn't necessarily been thrilled at the idea of an apprentice accompanying him on his outing, but he supposed Blazestar's rule made sense — nobody could be certain if the danger of the twolegs had vanished from SkyClan's territory. Who was to say that those ugly beasts would be deterred by the big shelter escape? If anything, it might fuel their desire to capture the wild cats even more.

So, Slate had agreed as long as he had some time to get out and stretch his legs; he had been sulking about in camp and figured that a hunt would help clear his mind. At least Howlpaw wasn't a nuisance... or so Slate had assumed. He didn't know her all too well, really, only that she was Blazestar's daughter. He was somewhat surprised that her father would let her out into the territory so soon after she'd returned from the shelter, but it didn't make sense to keep her cooped up in camp after being cramped in a cage.

The burly Maine Coon caught a whiff of something... a bird of sorts, perhaps. He stopped in his tracks, lifting his nose to the air. "Somethin's close..." He utters under his breath, barely above a whisper so as not to potentially startle off whatever was lurking nearby. One of them would have to attempt to catch it....

// @Howlpaw ​

 

[Howlfire]

Much like Slate, Howlpaw was actually surprised when Blazestar had let her leave the territory. Granted, she wasn't exactly alone right now, but given that some cats had been taken by twolegs together you never could be too cautious.

Slate was proving to be a good guardian for what it was worth. She didn't really know the black tom too well in truth, but had always tried to treat him fairly and with respect, especially since he had done nothing to wrong her personally. Howlpaw was glad he had taken them on a hunt. It had been too long since she had enjoyed a hunt, much less get to stretch her legs like this. If circumstances were different she might have spoken more as they hunted, but she actually wanted to savour this moment. When Slate draws to a stop alerting her to the presence of something nearby, Howlpaw follows suit in scenting the air. "Bird," She says softly, nodding her head in agreement when she picks up on the same scent as he had. "Pigeon maybe? No...sparrow."

It was definitely a bird she knew that much. "I think it's up in one of those trees over there." With a flick of her head, she gestured to the trees she was referring to. A moment passed before she looked at Slate from the corner of her eye. "Can you climb?"​

 

[SLATE]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The apprentice is intuitive, able to differentiate the distinctive scent much quicker than he is even after more than a moon in the shelter. Howlpaw knows her stuff; what more training does she even need, he wonders. Isn't she close to earning her warrior name already?

When the younger she-cat indicates the bird's position situated up in the branches above, Slate tilts his head to glance up and flicks a torn ear back tentatively. Why must these creatures dwell above ground? "Er..." The Maine Coon gave a twitch of his tail, an awkward tic, before attempting to shrug it off, "Why don't we just keep walkin'. There's other prey around, yeah?" Why go jumping around in trees and risking their safety all for one bird? Perhaps they'd find a mouse, which would be much easier to catch.

In reality, Slate isn't a huge fan of tree-climbing, not even after months of training. The fact that SkyClan specialized in not only scaling these evergreens but hunting and fighting in them was utterly astounding to the former rogue. It was hard not to sink down and cling to the first branch; he had never managed to push himself to ascend higher than that. He wasn't going to embarrass himself in front of an apprentice, either.​

 

[Howlfire]

At her question, Slate promptly dismissed her. Howlpaw raised a brow in questioning, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "I'll take that as a no then," She says with a teasing tone. "Maybe one day I can teach you?"Bold words from a cat who was perhaps not the best climber herself, and what little skills she did possess had not been practised for some time.

Still if Slate was not keen to climb, she was happy to stay on the ground, searching for prey that did not like to hide in the branches up above them. They continued walking for some time, Howlpaw occasionally stopping to scent the air but not finding anything of note for a while. After a while Howlpaw pulled ahead, a stronger scent now detectable on the wind. "Squirrel," Howlpaw said, looking back at Slate. Not so much a question more of a statement. "If we're lucky it might be on the ground."​