pafp fleeting feathers — owl sighting

[SCORCHSTREAK]

The camp is quiet just after sunset, with the clan either settling in to sleep or quietly staying up to do whatever they do before the nighttime hits them in full. The air has turned nearly frigid beneath the dark sky, but still Scorchstreak lingers outside the entrance to the camp, blazing eyes scanning the horizon for movement. Perhaps if she just waits long enough, the prey creatures of the moor will get bold, and she can catch a quick meal aboveground. But rather than a rabbit or even a mouse, the tunneler spots something else, a quick movement at the corner of her eye.

There, flying high above the grassy plain, white moonlight gleaming against pale feathers. An owl. Scorchstreak has never faced one down, head to head, never been directly in the path of one—but she knows danger when she sees it. And the night bird, with talons much longer and sharper than the calico’s own, is one of the most dangerous predators of the moorland. Luckily, this one’s interest seems to lie elsewhere, a good ways out from WindClan’s camp and the tiny owl-bait kittens who toddle around inside of it.

Their head jerks to the side, gaze landing squarely upon the first clanmate they know is nearby. "Icepaw," they hiss, quiet in the darkness. They jut their chin toward the sky, pointing out the owl. "Look." They know the apprentice is smart, careful; surely they‘ve seen an owl before. All the same, though, the birds are a treat to observe, especially when they make sudden dives for prey. We’re Scorchstreak a braver—or perhaps more foolish—cat, they may attempt to snatch an owl’s prey right from beneath those talons.

// @icepaw
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[ MONSTROUS WOMAN ]​

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[icebreath]

TAGS — Icepaw looks up with a start when her name is suddenly hissed out, reflexively wondering if she'd done something wrong even though all she's doing is standing around wondering if she's tired enough to settle down for the night. Had she forgotten to do one of her chores? Or done one poorly? Scorchstreak's quick to dash these concerns with their gesture; her pale gaze follows the warrior's skyward, eyes widening further at the sight of the owl soaring overhead. Predators like this are one of the many reasons she's grateful to be a tunneler, especially given her size; sometimes she thinks about how easy it'd be for a bird like that to snatch her up and wishes she were safely underground. Granted, the tunnels present their own set of animal-related dangers, but there's something particularly horrifying about the thought of being carried off into the sky.

"Ooh," she murmurs, looking a little unnerved. Dainty paws carry her closer to the tortoiseshell, instinctively seeking out security despite how far away it is. Even so, there's intrigue in her gaze. "I wonder what flying feels like." It's a thought she has about many creatures; swimming like a fish or being as small as an insect must be so uniquely interesting, too.​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

Weaselclaw knows how dangerous hawks are -- has faced them down and succeeded, although some WindClanners had not been so lucky. Owls, though, are a bit of a mystery to him. He notices Scorchstreak and Icepaw observing something near the camp's entrance and pads their way. He sees their faces tilted upwards, toward the darkening sky.

In the distance, he can see what it is that's captivated them. An enormous bird of prey, circling some unfortunate bit of prey out in the moorland. Weaselclaw can imagine the glint of moonlight off of the fearsome creature's talons; the hair along his spine threatens to raise. He checks behind his shoulder, as if to reassure himself camp is safe, that his kits are tucked away in the nursery.

"I'm sure it would be easier to hunt, that's for sure," he mutters to Icepaw. "We could see rabbits from high up. It'd be less chasing."​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[rainpaw]

Rainpaw initially joined the trio not because of the owl, but because she was seeking out Icepaw. Some question about tunneling the next day was on the tip of her tongue, but it fell right off when she followed her clanmates' gazes. Silhouetted against the dark blue sky, an owl soared over the moor, all wings and talons. Rainpaw wordlessly pressed herself into Icepaw's side- sure, there was plenty of distance between the owl and the camp, but it could close in. Rainpaw had been warned enough times to know that large birds were a real danger, espesically to small cats... then again, it probably wouldn't bother them, not with Scorchstreak and Weaselclaw right next to them. Only a monumentally stupid owl would try to take on four cats.

Lightly raised fur flattened, and her ears twitched at the quiet conversation. Weaselclaw had a good point, one that prompted a moment of thinking from Rainpaw before she added, "I bet it's kind of freeing- like, you'd get to travel without worrying about anything dangerous on the ground." No dogs, no foxes, no badgers, no enemy cats- birds could avoid all of it if they wanted to, as long as they didn't land. Rainpaw thought birds of prey were even luckier, since they wouldn't have to really fear anything in the sky, either. Her eyes kept tracking the owl's flight, and she posed another question, to no one in particular. "D'you think it's hunting something right now?" ​

 

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Like usual, the night-colored tom finds himself avoiding bedtime and instead staying up to eavesdrop on whatever else his clanmates do in the evening. When green eyes notice a small gathering of cats just outside of WindClan's camp entrance, he slinks out of his nest and joins them all, stretching his neck and peering out from behind the others to see just what they were focusing on.

Ah, an owl. Snakepaw has spotted one a few times before; they were awfully large, probably his own size if not slightly bigger. It was good that it was keeping its distance; he certainly felt a nervous tension in his chest as the thought of an owl swooping down on them all loomed over him like a dark cloud.

"D'you think it's hunting something right now?" Rainpaw asks. In response, Snakepaw mutters, "Not us, hopefully." From kithood, Snakepaw has been schooled on all of the dangers that roamed the moors, owls being one of them. It was silly to think that a bird could scoop up a kit and eat them, but apparently they could pose a real danger to those smaller in size. They had evolved to be much stronger and fiercer than other birds, like how old nursery tales painted the stories of lions and tigers to be much bigger and scarier versions of average cats. Would a lion eat him if it got the chance?

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[SNAILSTRIDE]

Stirring the classic tabby in the night could be a harder chore than resurrecting the dead at times, for the past half a moon, it had been difficult to sleep even with the constant threat of unconsciousness looming over them. It is no great mystery why Snailpaw slipped towards the camp entrance, but upon seeing a gathering of clanmates, they froze with a stare reminiscent of a deer in headlights. Excuses made their way to the forefront of the apprentice's brain about how they couldn't sleep and wanted to witness the glory of Silverpelt atop a moor, no words ever slipped past their nervous smile though. Everyone's attention was elsewhere, focused on a winged shadow that came and went from sight. It was an ethereal creature, free and dangerous, too dangerous for Snailpaw to ever long to be reincarnated as one. They padded closer to the gathering on uncertain paws, their mouth slightly agape in wonder as they tried to catch a glimpse of the feathered beast once more. The conversation picked up the more cats arrived, upon hearing Rainpaw's voice amidst the flock, they subconsciously moved closer towards the tunneler apprentice. Her admiration for the bird of prey caused their voice to split through the chilly air.

"Hey, I bet the sky's dangerous too! All that wind and thunder and birds that are bigger than you - why, I bet it's almost as dangerous as being a tunneler!" The irony that a Tunneler praised the sky did not escape them, even when plenty of other subtleties did. They knew the avian could be dangerous, but so were their clanmates, whose eyes seemed to hunger for bloodshed at every possible slight. Sapphire eyes squinted as they turned back around to assess the owl's path, their neck craning and bobbing in as many directions as their skeleton would allow.



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[SCORCHSTREAK]

The pale-furred apprentice looks startled at first, and Scorchstreak feels a bit guilty for giving her any sort of fright. Upon spotting the bird, Icepaw seems a bit more unsettled, a fear which the calico can understand. As tunnelers, they would make easy targets for just about any bird of prey. Even if not outright lifted into the air, Scorchstreak can’t imagine they would survive the damage done by those talons. After a moment Icepaw seems curious, though, and though the calico has never found herself so curious about much in life, she does wonder what it would be like to fly. "I imagine flying would be freeing," they concede, offering a dip of their head to Icepaw.

Weaselclaw has the idea that being so high up could aid in their hunting out on the moor, and Scorchstreak agrees. Owls most have great eyesight, hunting from so far up in the air. Rainpaw also points out that it must be safer up in the sky, where no common moorland predators could reach them. The only threat that the calico can think of for an owl is a hawk, or perhaps a larger owl. The tabby-striped apprentice questions whether they think it’s hunting anything, and Scorchstreak nods. "I’m sure it’s hunting right now. I don’t think it cares about us now, though." She turns to look at Snakepaw, hoping to reassure the dark-furred tom.

Snailpaw, a rather sleepy apprentice, wanders over to join the gathered group of WindClanners. Scorchstreak doesn’t mind their presence, but as she understands it they aren’t too popular with some of the other apprentices. They seem just fine among the owl-watchers, though, and even faded another layer to the conversation. "I hadn’t considered the wind. But I’m sure other birds are a threat," she says. "At least owls don’t have to worry about avoiding badgers." Scorchstreak has had many dangerous encounters with badgers and other underground enemies, so she finds herself envious of the elegant bird.
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[ MONSTROUS WOMAN ]​

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