teamwork makes the dream work | hunting

[Addervenom]

Life doesn't discriminate

Translucent claws hook and cleave the ground beneath him as he tears across the open moor. His target, a hefty rabbit fattened by green leaf abundance. Wind whips against his frame, whistling within tufted ears as he takes a sharp turn. The prey in question had tried many times by now to fake him out, attempting a false turn here and there. But Adderpaw had long since learned to think ahead of such tricks. What the rabbit did not know was that it was being corralled straight for his sister's jaws. Cottonpaw lay in wait within its tunnels, ready to trap it within her grasp. Long, even strides begin to slow, taking some of the pressure off the fleeing critter to allow it time to seek refuge.

His lungs expand and contract, greedily gulping down air as he watches the rabbit's ivory tail bob through the tall grass. Finally, after a long chase it dips below ground. "It's coming your way Cottonpaw." Adderpaw speaks from afar, elevating his voice just loud enough for his littermate to hear him. It was all up to her now and he silently hopes she is strong enough to handle the rather large doe. Licking his lips he lopes toward the entrance of the tunnel, hovering above the dark opening just in case it tries to shoot back up. Either way, there would be jaws waiting for it on both sides. (@cottonpaw) ​

Between the sinners and the saints​

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[cottonsprig]

She had seen others commit to tactics like this (namely Azaleafrost and Marmotpaw.) Cottonpaw feels that it's a great way to keep unity between moor runners and tunnelers - though, she is selfish in this moment particularly, as she's finds herself bonding with her more sharp clawed brother. Adderpaw can see this as a training exercise all he wants, she sees it as two siblings having fun.

She waits nearly impatiently for the brown furred tom to chase any game her way. Cottonpaw tries not to blame him, given that her above-ground skills are subpar when compared to those specifically trained that way. Her patience, in the end, is rewarded. She hears distant thrumming getting closer, and her brother's voice carries in the wind. The blue smoke crouches, using the limited light in the den to cloak herself. A single breath in, a single breath out, and -

She launches down the thin tunnel shaft, claws outstretched. It's unnecessary, however, as fangs collide with the prey's throat. The creature kicks haphazardly with its hindlegs but Cottonpaw holds on tight, letting out a growl of frustration. In time, its life fades, and Cottonpaw drags their shared catch up and out of the tunnels.

"Nice job, Adderpaw!" Cottonpaw is quick to praise her brother, though she can't help but tack on, "You could use being a little quieter, though." A jest, of course, and her smile shows as much.​

 

[SOOTSTAR]

SOOTSTAR ♀​

Sootstar had heard the sound of paws thumping after a smaller pair above her head. Bluepaw and her had been doing maintenance on tunnel routes just a couple of turns over when she heard the faint voices of her children ring out. Her head cranes to look past her shoulder to Bluepaw, ”Let’s go see if they were successful.” She mews prior to beginning to pad off. The two reach the tunnel exit where Cottonpaw and Adderpaw stood with a now deceased rabbit at their paws. Sootstar’s praise comes rarely, especially in the verbal form, but both apprentices are given a warm look of satisfaction. Looks like this for Cottonpaw and Adderpaw had likely been rare as of late, ”Sunstride and Scorchstreak’s training is doing well I see.”” // @BLUEPAW

 

[SUNSTAR]

He knows that his training is not typical of a moor-cat's. Unlike these warriors, he is not a beast built for speed. It takes great creativity to teach Adderpaw skills that he himself does not possess. He is a far heavier beast with paws and fangs shaped for battle. That he can pass on without trouble. This, however...well, it is in moments such as this that Sunstride can find rest with the knowledge he has taught him something. As he comes to a stop near where the catch had fallen, his eyes and mouth both glitter with a mirthful grin. "Well done!" he congratulates as well. If Cottonpaw worries about Adderpaw's noisiness, it is clear where he had learned it. Though his paws may be silent as they needed to be, the warrior's voice is warm and rattling with pride. Sootstar's assurance of his training does naught but add fuel to the flame.

"It is good to see where the lines of our duties may cross. Though we may not fit within the tunnels, it can only serve us well to recall their entrances." He dips his head to the apprentices in a curt nod of approval one final time.

＞ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES ╱ REFERENCE ╱ 07.10.2023 𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘋𝘚𝘖𝘔𝘌 𝘈𝘚 𝘓𝘐𝘍𝘌 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘗𝘖𝘐𝘚𝘖𝘕 〙ˊˎ＜

• ooc: —

• 

• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, he - him. approx. 40 moons old. lead warrior of windclan + former rogue.
  —— gay, monogamous. mate to wolfsong from 07.05.2023.  npc x npc, no larger family.
  —— has recently regained some of his earlier lightness, but maintains his steady facade.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.

• "speech"

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[SCORCHSTORM]

Scorchpaw and @Badgermoon had been on their own expedition across the moors, but her focus had gotten away from her when she'd spotted Cottonpaw and Adderpaw twining in tandem through the moorland grasses. Cottonpaw's disappearance underground had confused Scorchpaw at first, but seeing their teamwork, there is a new flame ignited in her heart as hot as the embers that dance upon her pelt. The success of their hunt only further incenses the girl to ask questions; and it dually sparks jealousy down her spine, not only for the prospect of hunting rabbits in the tunnels, but also for the bond it must have taken for the siblings to work so well together.

She thinks of her own littermate with bitter pity. Luckypaw was nervous to pad through the tunnels, she remembers. There's no way he could catch a rabbit like Cottonpaw could, even with Scorchstreak's blood in his veins. And quietly, Scorchpaw wonders if she would even be capable of chasing the thing in the first place. Surely she'll learn to tear across the moors just like Adderpaw, her elongated stride and sense for the wind wiling to aid her in her endeavors. But jealousy ebbs her bones anyway.

Scorchpaw bounds to a stop near Sunstride and Sootstar, her mentor in tow. Sunstride's words bounce about her skull. She's spent so long dividing moor-runners from tunnelers that the advice makes little sense to her, though maybe she'd come to realize its efficacy in time. "Nice catch," she congratulates the two apprentices softly, though her gaze lingers on Cottonpaw. It must be Scorchstreak's influence.​

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[Badgermoon]

If his daughter had vocalized her thought that Scorchstreak's influence was what made Cottonpaw a successful apprentice, Badgermoon likely would've agreed. He held the calico in high esteem, even if the feeling wasn't necessarily mutual, and he was always eager to join in any chorus praising her. And Sunstride, as it happened - though that fondness was hopefully more reciprocal. Despite recent events, the black and white tomcat was in a good mood - bounding along the moors with his daughter and apprentice was a dream come true - and he coasted to a stop as they came upon the knot of WindClanners.

"Excellent." remarked the deputy with a flick of his shadowy tail, thinking back to when he and Cloudedsky had tag-teamed a rabbit in a similar fashion. The apprentices' catch was a good one - fat and robust-looking. Surely the meat would taste of the wind and pulsing adrenaline. He glanced over to Scorchpaw, trying to determine what was going on behind her blazing, mismatched eyes. "Can you think of another way tunnelers and moor-runners could work together to hunt?" he inquired of Scorchpaw - though if any of the other apprentices wanted to contribute an answer, he wouldn't object.​

 

[BLUEFROST]

Bluepaw had heard a moor runner’s paws thumping just behind the steady beat of a rabbit’s. She gives her mother a knowing look, jaws full of leaves she’s collected from the path they’re clearing. “I need to get rid of this anyway,” she says, muffled through the trash she lugs from their tunnel. Sunlight hits their face, and she spits the leaves away, ridding her tongue of the slime they’ve accumulated from being in the damp darkness.

Sootstar’s looking at the mouth of another tunnel, where Cottonpaw had burst through, hauling the rabbit Adderpaw had chased below the earth. Bluepaw’s ear twitches at their mother’s approval. “We heard you chasing it,” she coolly offers her brother, eyeing the notch in his ear that now matches her own. Equally embarrassing and almost equivalent, being injured by a Twoleg and a SkyClanner. “Well done.”

She turns her attention to Badgermoon, Sunstride, and Scorchpaw, all appearing through the heather and gilded grass to praise her littermates. Her fur prickles with frustration. Couldn’t Adderpaw have asked her to help him hunt the rabbit? She’s surely better at it than her harebrained sister… but she doesn’t allow herself to dwell for too long, because Badgermoon is asking his apprentice if she can think of other ways tunnelers and moor hunters can aid one another while hunting. Bluepaw’s tail tip twitches. “We could work the opposite way and chase burrowing rabbits out into the moor,” she suggests.

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — bluekit . bluepaw
  — she/her, apprentice of windclan
  — bisexual ; single
  — long-haired blue she-cat with white and green eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — art by Meg

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[Addervenom]

Life doesn't discriminate

Breath flows in and out from his lungs as he steadies his breathing. Tufted ears rotate, straining forward evermore as he listens to the erratic scuffling and thrashing happening below ground. It was obvious Cottonpaw managed to catch the rabbit. But could she subdue it? Claws flex impatiently from their sheathes before slipping back in as he waits, waiting for his answer to inevitably come and come it does in the form of abrupt silence. Adderpaw takes a single step back to allow his sibling more room to escape the tunnel and lay the catch at their paws. A scoff leaves his jaws in response to her comment. "Silence? Victory was already in our grasp despite what it heard." He drawls, turning partially as their mother arrived.

The rare show of verbal praise wafting from the blue smoke's lips was like refreshing water upon parched earth. It was something he craved more of, it was what his heart yearned for. What could he possibly do to gain more of it? Straightening his posture, to make himself more presentable he nods. "Yes, I have taken to all of Sunstride's teachings." His mentor soon arrives and he too nods in greeting to the lead warrior. "Thank you." The tom's training was something he was truly grateful for, even if he did not always express it.

As Scorchpaw and Badgermoon arrive to congratulate them he nods, falling silent as he wonders how the young apprentice will answer the deputy's question. In the meantime he glances over at Bluepaw as she emerges from the earth, listening as she offers an answer of her own. "A tactic I would not mind attempting with you someday." He murmurs, humming his approval. ​

Between the sinners and the saints​

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