SUGARCUBES ⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ snow hunting practice

[Swansong]

⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ "Here, like so..." Swansong moves a pale paw slowly, skirts it across the surface of the snow. It sinks in, through the gentle white and into the slushy marsh-mud beneath. She does her best not to cringe; such are the realities of hunting in the marsh. She will have to clean the muck out later.

The cold lingers, though the blizzard has long passed. Snow has made its claim, more greedy this year than ever. Swansong's tail flicks. No matter how difficult, they must adapt.

Her pelt makes it easy to hunt in such conditions, but not all are so lucky. ShadowClan's night-pelted warriors stand out like blood on snow. They must rely on their quietude, and so she speaks softly to her hunting partner. "Test the ground with your paw... Find where the snow is softest, quietest..." Patches of crunchy ice are quick to give them away. She takes another quiet step. "And be cautious... Ice hides beneath, do not let yourself slip." Night hunting hides them well, but also makes them vulnerable. More than one clanmate has lost their balance on a patrol. Now, the sun glares above head, turning the white blindingly radiant. Not the best conditions for hunting for those with darker pelts, but it makes for a fine time to hone skills.

I FELL ASLEEP WITH A VISION ⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ AND I ALMOST PULLED IT THROUGH‎

• open to both warriors and apprentices, anyone can be the cat that swan is talking to! optional apprentice tag @AGATEPAW.
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  "SPEECH"

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  SWANSONG ☾ she / they, warrior of shadowclan, 20 moons.
  ★ a pale, silky-furred cream tabby with tired blue eyes.
  ★ dreamy and detached, known for her perpetual sleepiness.
  ★ halfshade x smogstar, littermate to applejaw, garlicheart, & ashenfall.
  ★ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ★ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[SCREECHSTORM]

✦ㅤ─ㅤThe snow's glare strikes his eyes as Swansong's soft voice fills the air. Screechstorm squints, dark paws shifting against the snow, itching for the pale-furred warrior to just get on with it. He's not her apprentice, after all.

She is better equipped for this than he is, hunting in the snow. Not only was his last opportunity to learn his way through a leaf-bare hunt at the height of his distaste for training, but Screechstorm is one of many dark-furred warriors in their aptly named clan. Where his strengths lie in night hunting, his weaknesses lie here, in stark daylight against snow brighter than the sun above them.

Shadowed plumage flicks in response to the slightly older warrior. " Yeah, yeah, " Screechstorm meows, still insistent that his abilities are better than what they truly are, " I know what I'm doing. " He takes a step forward, a flame-struck paw dipping into a cold cloud, and a smug look finds its way toward the molly. See?

He becomes bold in his next step forward, a paw moving further out than he probably needed to, and a failure to test the snow beneath him gives way to his blunder. The tom steps, only for his paw to struggle to find a grip on the lack of muddy marsh beneath the snow. Almost immediately Screechstorm loses his balance on hidden ice, and the warrior falls forward into the snow in front of him.

" I meant to do that — ! " he quickly meows as he moves to get up, only for his paws to slip again. Screechstorm's pelt grows hot — perhaps if he lays here long enough, he can melt the ice away by himself.

[ SCREECHSTORM ]ㅤ

BIOGRAPHYㅤ⋅ㅤTOYHOUSE

✦

Named after his birth-given warning cry, Screechstorm appears in shadowed tones — save for splotches of orange that litter his left side. His mismatched green gaze almost always carries a mischievous glint, a crooked grin in tandem. Scars wrack his sides, a harsh reminder of his near-reckless nature.

⋅ He / Him ⋅ Single
⋅ Warrior of ShadowClan
⋅ Forestshade x ???
⋅ Brother to Briarthorn, Sweetpaw †
⋅ Mentoring no one ⋅ Mentored by Chilledstar †
⋅ Penned by Abri ⋅ Message _abri_ on discord for plots!

 

[BOUNCEPAW]

Bouncepaw is still awfully new to hunting. With how scarce prey was this time of the year in the marshland it'd be a shocker if she's ever gotten the chance to pounce for real prey yet. When food was seen, a warrior who for sure catch it usually took the lead, they couldn't afford missing out on meals. Not now.

She follows @BATCHASER on this patrol. As his apprentice she's become his his shadow, following him along everywhere he went, never straying too far… Well- mostly, she tried to behave but sometimes she just couldn't help wandering! There were so many cool sights to explore now that she could leave camp.

For now, she manages to focus as Swansong explains how to tread through the snow while keeping quiet. She's noticed that the snow always crunches loudly between her paws, likely scaring away anything with ears. If she wanted to catch her first piece of prey soon she best learn how to be quiet! Which… was really, really hard for her.

Gently she places her paw on top of the snow, moving it around until the surface feels soft. It gives way to the weight of her paw with ease and makes minimal noise. "Ohhh… Like that?" Her eyes flicker to both her mentor and Swansong for approval.

Before she gets any feedback, Screechstorm who had confidently shrugged off the advice of the older warrior fell straight forward into the snow. Bouncepaw can't keep a straight face. "PFFT-AHAHA!" The girl squeals, falling onto her back into the soft snow and kicking her legs into the air with glee. If that wasn't enough, when he gets up he falls AGAIN! Bouncepaw laughs even harder, her throat tightening as she struggles to calm herself to breathe. "Oh it hurts- IT HURTS!" Bouncepaw yowls as she continues to laugh her tail off.

ღ

BOUNCEPAW . BIOGRAPHY / TOYHOU.SE
✦ female (she / her) / heterosexual, single
✦ 6 moons old / ages realistically, every 1st of the month
✦ apprentice of ShadowClan
✦ Myrtlefoot x Bristletooth / littermate to Juniperkit
✦ mentored by Batchaser
✦ penned by ava / message av.a on discord for plots!

Bouncepaw is a warm, brown she-cat with black tabby markings caging her fur. She has a broad muzzle and big, cream colored paws. White fur cascades from her chin and flows all the way down to pool at her underbelly. She has big, owlish, hazel eyes.