SAY IT ONCE, SAY IT TWICE — first catch

[GREENEYES]

A fresh dusting of snow lays upon the ground for the hunting patrol that Greenpaw finds himself on. Cold air surrounds them and the apprentice swears it's colder than what it has been, a temperature that leaves him wanting to go home to the warmth of the apprentice den.

But, he must focus. He's determined to catch something on this patrol. SkyClan needs something to fill its kill pile and the stomachs that feed off of it. Dwindled into nothing as of late, a struggle to find anything catchable.

A struggle the hunting patrol finds. A catch has yet to be found, and a suggestion to split off arises. So, that's what they do.

The apprentice wanders for a bit, until he finally catches a scent. Bird. He follows it for what feels like forever in the frosted air, the setting sky. The snow leaves no trace of evidence for Greenpaw - as if the bird wasn't there, as if Greenpaw had made it all up.

His trail stops, leaves his own paws no other choice than to slow to a stop too. Gone, the bird is. It must be. A realization that leaves Greenpaw's heart sinking. Disappointment yet again.

He turns to return the way he came from - to follow his pawprints back to his patrol - when he sees it. The bird, swooping down to find its next resting spot. Bright eyes go wide, paws racing forward to catch up to the bird, to meet it just in time. He has no time to waste - every movement must be swift. Perfect.

Greenpaw leaps upward, claws ready to connect with plumage. He does it. He does it. Claws dig into the bird as gravity pulls them back down, a killing blow delivered. Clumsy still, but less clumsy than what his hunting attempts were known for. Improvement.

He stares down at the catch - his catch - below him, disbelief filling his eyes.

"I... I did it?" he squeaks to himself, tilting his head at the bird. A bird beneath him, crimson blood contrasting the white trail beneath him. His first catch. "I did it!" The apprentice scoops up his catch between his teeth, paws racing to meet back up with his patrol. He has to show them!

"Look!" he calls to the patrol upon his arrival, voice muffled by the feathers in his mouth, "Look, what I caught!"
​

 

[Fireflyglow]

WE'VE BEEN DOIN' ALL THIS LATE NIGHT TALKIN' ✧​

// retro to his sickness thread! has the sniffles in this one. <3

Fireflypaw is sniffing the air for his own chance to hunt not far in front of the patrol, his first catch something more of a sloppy kill that could have gotten him seriously hurt. He'd been praised for it, but his own adventures would come to an end after the scolding he'd gotten from the Elders when he bragged about it. His pride wounded, Fireflypaw wanted to properly hunt this time. Maybe even catch something for Morningbird and Mushroomkit?

His thoughts are disrupted by the shouts of Greenpaw, and panic sets in as Fireflypaw expects the worse. The smell of blood is faint, but Greenpaw doesn't sound hurt. I did it! Look, what I caught! Fireflypaw's ears perk up, eyes shooting wide open with a wince to look at the prey his friend caught. It's blurry, barely a shadow in his vision, but it's there. A bird. He caught a bird! Those were hard to catch!

"Oh, man! Greenpaw, you did amazing! Birds are super hard to catch! Sheepcurl's gonna be so proud of you!" Fireflypaw mews in excitement, grinning wide as he joins his friend's side. His tail whips behind him in a blur of shadowy black, happy to bound alongside his excited friend. His first catch, and Fireflypaw was lucky enough to be present for it. Oh, man!​

 

[BASILPATCH]

Basilpaw remembers his first catch, how happy he had been, and how proud to show his mentor what he had done. It was a great feeling, while it lasted because immediately after some random cat had come along and ruined it for him. Stolen right out from under him before he got a chance to bring it home and share it with his mother, given away to another cat because they needed it more than him. Just the memory makes him want to break out into tears as he digs his claws into the ground, an anchor into this earth to keep him from swaying as he watches Greenpaw have the moment he should've had. He wants to cry now but he was supposed to be older now. He couldn't cry all the time anymore.

Instead, he sucks it up and smiles at the orange-and-white tom. "Congrats Greenpaw, that's a great catch" he says but it's obvious his heart is not in it. He looks to Fireflypaw and nods before turning on his heels. Perhaps catching something of his own would make him feel better.
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[sheepcurl]

Where Greenpaw is Sheep isn't too far away, an ear flicked in frustration at the lack of prey. She trusted him to be by himself but her heart does not let her stray far and so when he shouts shes kicked in to gear, bolting towards him faster than she think she had ever ran before. She cannot let him get hurt, not on her watch, not him next. Fear courses her heart and fuels her steps and like Firefly she expects the worse, sliding and spraying snow in to the air as she spots him, a crowd around.

"Greenpaw, is everything-" eyes move downwards as she catches Basils words and from her apprentices mouth hung a bird. Pride ignites in her like wildfire at the sight and she shoulders a couple of NPCs out of her way as they come over. "Oh, look at you mijo!" all smiles, a soft look as she attempts to rub her cheek against his. "You did so well!" what Firefly had told him was an understatement, she was beyond proud, he was learning. He was learning! He has come so far from the kitten she had been given moons ago. "We'll have to tell everybody when we get to camp! Daisy will be so happy as well!" and most of all shes proud of his determination, he had never quit before and look at where that had got him! She couldn't have asked for a lovelier apprentice.

She hadn't let the twinge in Basils voice go unnoticed so she sends him a sympathetic look after shes done talking. She has faith in him! She's sure he'll catch something.​

"speech"​

 

[GREENEYES]

Pride fills the boy as he sets the bird down before him for the rest of the hunting patrol to see. A bird! A whole bird!

Firefly tells him that birds are supposed to be hard to catch. He thinks this must be true, but Greenpaw can't help but wonder why it'd been easier for him to catch a bird, rather than the numerous squirrels and mice he'd failed to get since learning to hunt. A stroke of luck, for the cursed child.

"It swooped right in front of me!" he explains to his friend, "All I had to do was jump up and get it!"

Basilpaw arrives next, and doesn't seem as happy about Greenpaw's catch. Had he... had he done something wrong? Was Basilpaw trying to catch his bird? He opens his mouth to speak, only for the older apprentice to turn away before he can get a word out. Oh.

But he has no time to dwell on the patchwork apprentice and their interaction, because Sheepcurl is here to see his catch, now!

"Sheepcurl! Did I... Did I do good?" he asks, and yes, he did so well, Sheepcurl tells him. Crooked tail thumping against the ground behind him, he looks down at the bird before him. He did good, he confirms to himself. His first catch, a challenging one - one he'll be able to place into the kill-pile. He'll be able to give their stock a fuller appearance, will be able to free someone from their hunger. He did good. He did good.

Sheepcurl mentions his mother, and his eyes light up further. "Do you think she'll be really, really proud of me?" Greenpaw asks, and he hopes so. He thinks his mother deserves some happiness from her children, rather than the worry they've brought on as of late.
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