GOIN’ DOWN THE BAYOU // night hunting

[STUMPYSPOTS]

STUMPYSPOTS ♀​ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ ♡​

Starlight twinkled through the boughs of pines above as a she-cat stalked through the mud. The waning moon’s light was not what guided her in the shadows, in the swamplands at night, her nose was her torch. With scent she knew how to find her prey without even having laid eyes on it, only when her fangs aligned with it’s neck would she glance at what all her had work had been for. She crouches, her belly filled with mud hung only inches from the floor. Ears were perked to attentively listen to the sounds around her, the rabbits of frogs roaring all around her. It doesn’t distract her, it was like the sound of the tides to a RiverClan cat. A bird wades through the muck nearby, and though she cannot see it, she pinpoints it precisely. Only the sound of paws kicking up sludge and the brief beating of feathers is heard before all is quiet once more. The tortoiseshell sprints to the trunk of a tree, snipe in maw and clambers swiftly up to a low hanging branch. Purrs of content join the chorus of frogs as feathers rain from the branches. The birds plumage is plucked clean and when she spots flesh she dives in for a bite, blood sprinkling her muzzle and she eats her fill. //tldr; late middle aged woman catches snipe and eats it in tree enjoying tunes of frog

 

[GECKOSCREECH]

expertly hidden among the bushels of undergrowth is yet another hunter of the night, she is crouched low to the ground with ears perked forwards and jaw partially opened to ocassionally taste the air for anything decent to track and while a toad or frog would be the easiest to sniff out due to their non-stop croaking giving away their position she wanted to go for something a little more tougher. sandy paws would glide almost effortlessly across murky terrain as geckoscreech continues to prowl through the darkness in search for trickier prey and during this trek she'd catch the scent of another cat alongside the smell of snipe which she can only assume has been caught already. the strange thing is that when she arrives where the scents reach an abrupt stop there is no one around and it causes the warrior to let out a small "hm", surely whoever was here couldn't have gone that far.

they were infact not far at all because feathers began to flutter down from the trees closeby which made geckoscreech tilt her head up towards the source where she spots stumpyspots lounging comfortably upon a branch enjoying a freshly caught snipe. "impressive catch, stumpyspots. i see you wasted no time tearing into it-" it's spoken in a light hum, might as well induldge in some idle chatter before she continues on with her own hunt.​

∘₊✧ ONE LAST LIFELINE, I'M HANGING HIGH. ✧₊∘​

 

[DUSTCALL]

If asked why he’s out so late at night, Dustcall will cast the blame upon unruly apprentices, rather than simple insomnia. His inability to sleep is his business and his alone, though as he crosses paths with a couple of clanmates he realizes that his excuse isn’t likely to hold up to scrutiny. Still, he approaches Stumpyspots’ lounging place with heavy, lagging steps, tipping his head back to look up at her. Echoing Geckoscreech, the brown tortoiseshell calls up to the older warrior, "That is a pretty outstanding catch. Say, where did you find it? I would love to try and find one for myself."

They recall a seemingly random fact about snipe, dredged up from the depths of their mind, and the night around them is forgotten as they open their mouth. There is no air of excitement around them, as would be expected of an overeager apprentice sharing lesser-known information, but instead there is only a calm, detached sort of interest. A curiosity. "A group of birds like that is called a wisp, you know… I think it would be pretty interesting to call a group of cats a wisp, as well. Fitting for the clan, no? A wisp of ShadowClanners—it suits us well." They snap their mouth shut with a raspy chuckle, glad that they had something to say.
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[ stuck in a lonely loop ]​

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[Rainecho]

Hunting at night - under the cover of shadows and darkness was perhaps one of the better ideas that the cats of the marsh had had. Rainecho, at least, can see the logic in it. Most animals were asleep in their nests or tucked away in their dens. If a cat had a keen enough nose, they could sniff out their prey and get em while they were asleep. Its a dark thought but she can't help but wonder if that same tactic might work on an enemy clan. Could sure come in handy if ever came the day they went to war with WindClan - which she is certain must be coming soon. Theres a rustling in the bushes, the sound of voices and congratulations and Rainecho turns to see the catch her clanmates had been appraising.

She does not say anything though. The bird feathers make her think of her apprentice. Strange little fellow. Perhaps she could take one of these bird feathers for him? She lets out a soft humming noise as she hooks one with a claw and brings it up to her face to study "I like it" she says in regards to Dustcalls new name for a group of ShadowClanners. "It reminds me of a story my grandmother used to tell me when I was a kit" she does not bother elaborating. If she wanted to get any of her own hunting done she did not have time to sit around and chat.

// @Magpiepaw just in case hes out of the med den!
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[Swiftclaws]

Swiftclaws likely didn't endear himself much to the older members of Shadowclan like Stumpyspots; he was a scrappy hyperactive kit when he first arrived on the marshlands and had little filter when it came to letting his complaints be known about having to do anything that wasn't chasing frogs or sparring with the other apprentices. It'd taken him a long time to learn some responsibility; he still really hadn't - he lived by his own whims he'd only learned not to shirk his work though it could be said a lot of the time he did much more then the bare minimum when it came to doing anything that wasn't fun. It's part of that reason he lost the chance to be a mentor, he still had plenty of growing to do but somehow the fleetfooted warrior doesn't seem to be in such a rush. There was enough cats who acted like ole' dust-bags he thinks he can try to hold onto to his youth a little longer, it was better for him to try and not take things so seriously.... He struggled to completely swallow the direness of everything that had happened in recent moons all he wanted was for things to be a little brighter and Starclan he'd take on that undertaking himself. The morose atmosphere was eating away at him.

He's not as stealthy or effortless as many of his clanmates sure he may resemble them has a pelt that lends well paired with the undergrowth and faint moonlight but he's not exceptional his paw steps are a little louder then most but it's not his noises that perk ears tonight it's the joyous sounds of Stumpyspots feasting. He approaches the warriors that surround Stumpyspots not quite understanding what they were talking about. The sounds of laughter croon from the young toms throat ❝I think the whole territory can hear your purring❞ he points out with a smirk drawing closer while his other clanmates give the older Shadowclanner more semblance of space. He licks his lips looking down at the snipe ❝Never tried one of those, mind if I steal a bite?❞
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(★ )

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

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"nice catch, indeed."

they have to agree with their clanmates about this being a very nice catch. stars knew when the last time they saw a snipe caught within the jaws of another, but they don't want to jinx it, especially since they wanted to finish their own hunt. there was a scent nearby, and they intended on catching whatever it had been, too. they only stop at the sound of the purrs, almost in tune with the croaks of the frogs. their gaze shifted and they find themself curiously listening. hm. how interesting was that. it was almost a choir... nearly harmonious... it was just missing something. perhaps if crickets joined in, then they'd have a real band, hm? imagine that. stumpyspots and the croakettes. now that would certianly be something, now wouldn't it?
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