i had a dream | hunting

[Cricketpaw]

He'd already forgotten why he was out here despite being told only a few moments ago. The chocolate point furrowed his brow, frowned intently at his reflection in the river as he tried to recall what it was his sister had sent him out to do. It was important training so he could be a warrior properly one day, so it was awful that he just forgot it so easily! What if it was the very lesson that would hold him back when he finally took his assessment? He'd lament this day for the rest of his life if he couldn't just remember why he was here. As if the river itself took pity on him the faint glimmer of silver that darted beneath its surface snapped him back into focus; minnows! He was here for some tasty minnows! Three of them in fact! They were fast and would surely test his reflexes and once he presented them to Applestem she said he'd even get to keep one if he did a good enough job! Which meant he didn't want just ANY minnows, he wanted the fattest ones their territory had to offer. Nodding to himself, pleased with recalling his task, the apprentice stood and wandered along the shoreline looking for a proper cluster of the little darting fish to observe in preparation for catching them, when he finally found a spot he settled down in a crouch at the very edge of the water to wait, so close that the tips of his paws just barely touched the surface.
The literal second one of those fish got beneath him he was going to swat it good, a good well-placed strike from his mud-colored paw would land it and knock it out easy peasy! Cricketpaw's tongue darted out, swiped around his maw in anticipation of getting to snack on one of them soon, he had forgone his breakfast in excitement to accomplish this special training task and it was starting to get to him...

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[RAVENSONG]

Ravenpaw was not one of the best hunters out of the apprentices. His mentor had been plenty disappointed with him. With the chill of leaf-bare settling in, things would only get harder.

Wandering out similarly for an assignment, Ravenpaw's large ears twitched as the sounds of the river grew nearer. He had not realized how close he had gotten to it. The long-legged apprentice decided to check it out—there was usually prey here even if he did not like the water. He squinted, seeing a dark-furred figure crouched at the very edge of the river. Cricketpaw was hunting, by the looks of it, with a very admirable eagerness. Not wanting to disturb him, Ravenpaw settled down, tucking his feet underneath his body, and watched for now. Maybe he could claim that hunting spot when the other apprentice finished. Ravenpaw's eyes glinted greedily.​

 

[applestem]

[ ☾ ]

The she-cat loved her siblings deeply. Yes, truly! Family was important to the entitled self-proclaimed princess of the river, but that did not mean her beloved siblings were above doing tasks for her. When her sweet little brother had paraded into her bubble earlier in the day, it was almost like destiny really. Her stomach had been rumbling and grumbling and here was Cricketpaw ever so desperate to be a valiant member of their society. So, she told him to catch her three minnows. Not quite so hard a task for an up and coming apprentice such as he, but far too much work for a busy lady like Applestem. It wasn't hard at all to convince him either. Truly she was so lucky to have such a caring and hardworking brother. She had even offered him one of the minnows as a reward for his courageous efforts! Applestem was quite a generous soul.
Of course, the warrior felt it appropriate to keep some sort of an eye on her sibling. What if he kept all the minnows for himself? That wouldn't do. She'd never known him to be a glutton, but who was to say he wouldn't take the best morsels for himself and leave her with tiny scraps? Or worse, what if he hurt himself and she was blamed? No, no, that also wouldn't be ideal. So, the she-cat kept her distance and watched her sibling through shrubbery just beside the river, though the urge to sleep was hard to resist.

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