pafp fish out of water — hunting

[SCORCHSTAR]

The vast expanse of the moor stretches around them as far as the eye can see, dead grass stark against the blue of the sky. They scent the air, hoping to catch track of something worthwhile. They aren’t accustomed to hunting above ground—almost aren’t built for it. Short legs make them a slow hunter in the open, but underground, in cramped spaces where maneuverability is key, they are an important advantage. Their lack of bulk also doesn’t aid them aboveground; they’ll leave the more powerful prey to Badgermoon.

The deputy looks remarkably in his element outside of the tunnels, in stark contrast to Scorchstreak, but she hopes that she’ll be able to keep up with him anyway. She often takes her hunts alone, unused to working in tandem with another, but the calico doesn’t mind going with a group as well. When she catches scent of a rabbit, still fox-lengths away, the tunneler flicks an ear toward the prey animal, turning to glance at Badgermoon. She remains silent, unsure whether she should speak up or wait for a signal from the tom.

// @Badgermoon
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[ MONSTROUS WOMAN ]​

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[Badgermoon]

As much as he enjoyed hunting by himself, it was refreshing to hunt with his Clanmates, especially in a group smaller than a proper hunting patrol. Working together helped fill in the gaps in one's own ability, after all, and moreover gave him an opportunity to get to know his fellow warriors - something he especially valued now, after the whole Dandelionwish kerfuffle. Besides, it was hard to find the time to spend with the tunnelers - so often their day-to-day lives kept them busy in opposite places. It was nice to specifically work together regardless of role or position. Strolling at the elegant she-cat's side, he thought not at all of how she must feel above ground and out in the open; for him, it was indeed natural. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, to be under the open skies, to feel the wind buffet him at all sides, to see the whole landscape laid out before him.

Badgermoon caught the rabbit's scent a few heartbeats after Scorchstreak did and stiffened, inclining his head ever so slightly to indicate he, too, was aware of the prey. His mind whirred for a minute, trying to think of the best strategy considering that there were two of them; after a moment's pause, he lashed his tail to the right, hoping she would understand that he intended to circle around and pounce upon their prey - or, if it chose to ran, chase it into her waiting paws. Signal given, he shifted his weight downward and began to stalk forward, one careful pawstep at a time, yellow eyes narrowing into contemplative slits. Unbidden, the image of his freak-out in front of Weaselclaw came into his mind and he winced internally: embarrassing. Hopefully Sootstar's mate had forgotten the whole incident.​

 

[Bluepool]

Every single morning, like the trained circus animal she is, Bluepool wakes up and almost immediately goes for a run. If WindClan wanted her to be the very best she could be she had to stay in shape right? Usually, as it was today, said runs were alone and hardly ever did she run into the usual patrol. This, however was not a usual patrol.

She stops on the rise when she spots the two black and white cats and for a moment, she contemplates turning away and going the opposite direction, pretending she hadn’t seen Scorchstride and Badgermoon, but something draws her in and before she knows it her paws are guiding her down the hill, her tail flicking a greeting. "Mornin’!" she calls out to them, her curious eyes drawing to the tunneler "nice to see ya above ground!" she teases, a playful smile on her lips but a question on her mind. Why?

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