STREET-WISE HERCULES [🌇] hunting patrol

[SILVERSUN]

Wide paws carry Silversun gingerly across the leaf litter, aware of how much noise the crunch of a dry leaf underfoot would make if she misstepped. The ground near Sunningrocks is clearer than under the thick canopy of the trees, a small blessing that Silversun dutifully counts, but one can never be too careful. With leaf-bare mere moons away, prey has begun to dwindle, the population slowly picked off over the past year with no new arrivals emerging from nests in burrows and trees. The healthier the Clan is from eating well in the warmer moons, the better their chances of surviving the colder ones.

A glance is given to her patrol as the approach, a wide motion of her tail indicating for them to spread out around the sun-warmed granite. Without the extra noise, it's easier to hear the sound of a mouse shuffling through a collection of fallen leaves. The large warrior drops to her belly, slowly stalking towards the noise with her tail raised level to the ground. The shape of a small whiskered head emerges from its meager cover, and she strikes. There's a barely audible crunch of bone as she lands, and when her large paws lift to reveal her prey, it's flatter than she intended it to be. Oops. Well, at least it'll be tender?
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[ HEAR ME NOW, YOU DEMIGODS -- ☀ ]​

 

[Houndshade]

Hunting patrols were simultaniously the worst and an okay thing to experience, she enjoyed the casualness that they can sometimes bring. That was usually when the weather was warm and pleasant, when the prey starts to get harder to come by in the coming season that would change. Houndshade was pretty certain that she would grow to hate hunting patrols then, all that pressure... eugh no thank you. Despite reluctance she's always joined any patrol they can come by, having something to try and prove to herself these days had to push them past that comfort zone of doing nothing.

They took the invitation to spread out, gingerly stepping around the crunchier looking leaves and attempting to quietly sweep small sections away from the path she walked. Though it seemed the crunch from another clanmate nearby seems to alert the prey in the area, they huff in frustration but take that time to wait for the sound of the escaping prey to skitter in her direction. Taking the opportunity to pounce, narrowly catching a a mouse in the commotion. It wasn't grand by any means but it'll have to do.

Spindly tail dangling from her maw she moves to reconvene with the rest of the patrol, plump body safely carried between sharp teeth. Staring at the rather flat looking mouse as a result of Silversun's hard work. "Hm" she hums, biting remark at the tip of their tongue. "Trying to save space on the fresh kill pile?" they mrrow around the mouse in her maw, chuckling softly.

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[sunshinespot]

Sunshinespot honestly shared a similar base sentiment to Houndshade - in that hunting patrols were not his favorite. He could do with border patrols, given more often than not their borders were peaceful and marking them took no more than a whisker's twitch of time sometimes. But hunting... is not a well maintained skill of his (if it happened to be a skill at all.) Even Silversun's flattened catch would be far better than anything the mottled tom could muster.

Houndshade teases the older warrior whilst Sunshinespot sniffs the air. The warmth from the prey already caught permeates his senses, and with embarrassment he makes a full circle back to the duo before realizing it. He blinks, blurred sight only making sense of what he's done after he's done it - standing idly by them once more and staring deftly between the two.

"I, uh..." a half grin morphs onto his face, trying to hide his shame. "Couldn't smell anythin'. I'll give it another shot," and he pads away again.​

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

Like the warriors on this patrol, Raccoonstripe wonders if Roeflame had assigned him to hunt as part of some strange punishment. He is not one of the Clan's finer hunters, and his skills are blunted further as he tastes the frosty hint of leaf-fall chill in the air. He yearns for his paws to take him to the outlying borders, to rub his bulk against the greenery in a show of strength, to show his teeth to passing enemy warriors — but he must serve his Clan as directed.

Silversun is quick on her paws, and has a (flattened) mouse to show for it. Houndshade pads up beside her with their own meager catch. "Trying to save space on the fresh-kill pile?" The brown-pelted warrior's voice has a teasing edge. Raccoonstripe pointedly looks at her own catch and mews, "Looks like you both are."

Sunshinespot sheepishly admits he's had no luck; Raccoonstripe nods, flicking his tail against his apprentice's mottled flank to draw her away from the bulk of their hunting party. "I'm sure Badgerstripe has taught you the basics," he murmurs, "but hunting in leaf-fall is different. The prey is beginning to fatten up and store food for the winter, but they're also beginning to hide."

His whiskers twitch. The scent of something lustrous brushes his senses. Dark eyes flick to where an auburn-bushed streak flings itself across an oak's trunk. They have precious few moments before it scales the tree and is lost to them.

"Show me you can catch it," he mutters, fixing Scarletpaw with an imploring look.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: @Scarletpaw
• 
• Raccoon . Raccoonstripe, he/him w/ masculine terms.
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — 45 moons old, ages realistically on the 5th.
  — mentored by n/a ; mentoring Thistlepaw ; previously mentored Wildheart, Moonwhisper
  — thunderclan lead warrior. gray wolf x howlingstar, gen 2.
  — currently mated to Nightbird.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  lh black tabby with white and dark brown eyes. charismatic, charming, calculating, ambitious, shallow, manipulative.

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[Scarletpaw]

Scarletpaw feels her claws flex instinctively into the cool earth beneath her as Raccoonstripe's words sink in. She flicks her ear, her gaze snapping to where the squirrel scampers across the oak's trunk. The weight of his dark eyes on her stirs something stubborn inside. She's already proved herself once by choosing the side of good after Skyclaw fell, but the challenge of hunting in leaf-fall is new territory. This is about showing she's more than just a survivor.

Her muscles coil, and she sinks low to the ground, her dappled fur blending into the patchy leaf-litter. She knows the drill - stay silent, stay focused - but it's different now. This isn't Badgerstripe watching over her shoulder; this is Raccoonstripe, her kin. Her new mentor, someone who knows the weight of family expectations just as well as she does. The pressure is tangible.

Scarletpaw moves with deliberate, careful steps, each one softer than the last, her heartbeat steadying as she narrows her world down to the squirrel. Its bushy tail flickers tauntingly just a whisker's breadth away from the trunk, and with a sudden burst of energy, the she-cat springs. She drives her claws into the bark just as the squirrel darts higher, but she's quicker - pushing herself up the tree with a burst of strength, her claws snag the squirrel's fur. A fierce satisfaction wells up inside her as she drags it down from its perch, a swift bite ending its struggle.

Panting lightly, she climbs down, dropping the squirrel at Raccoonstripe's paws. "Won't be saving much space on the fresh-kill pile now," She mutters, her words half a tease but edged with the lingering thrill of success. Her blue and orange eyes glint as she meets his amber gaze, waiting for his verdict.
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