camp think fast! ;; dragonfly hunting

[brookstorm]

Brook-kit is a quiet soul - one would claim her to be judgmental, even, given the way her nose creases as she watches the apprentices, or the way her eyes narrow when warriors leave camp once again. She says so little and yet her expressions spout so much. Still, she's but a child, following the whims of her parents. One, sickly, in bed, repairing all that Brook-kit cannot understand at her age. And the other, nearly noncommittal however in the first's absence, doing all he can without being a detriment to himself. Distant. Brook-kit sees oh-so little wrong with the family dynamic she's been allotted - to her, it's perfectly fine.

Regardless, for once the young kitten is not people watching. Instead, she is tempted by the fish lingering on the fresh-kill pile. She knows not how to properly pick one, even less how to avoid the bones or pull the scales off prior to a healthy bite. All she knows is that they smell good, and if she were any bit impatient, she would not care for the details. Her attention is captured quickly by a stray dragonfly, likely also tempted by the dead fish and landing, briefly, atop one. Brook-kit's eyes widen for a moment, and her paw flashes out to smack the insect - though it darts away before she can injure it. Oh, it's on.

The grey-furred kitten follows with sage green eyes as the dragonfly flies from one stationary position to the next, remaining out of catching distance. It does not stop her. She follows it at a pace only slightly greater than a trot (she'd sooner trip over her own paws again, if she weren't gifted a spot of luck for the moment.) As soon as she deems herself close enough, she leaps into the air in an attempt to clasp it in her paws - only again to miss the tiny beast entirely and watch it escape her. She finally fumbles over her own paws and lands unceremoniously back on the ground, a puff of loose dirt exploding around her.​

 

[STORMWHISKER]

Stormwhisker had never had siblings before, not before he had met Brook- Rainwhisker- and she had taken him from his home and he had met Lightningstone. Now though, Rainwhisker was gone and he was not terribly close to his brother. Lightningstone remains an enigma to him. His children, however, Stormwhisker finds a curious fascination for. He had never thought he would be an uncle, had never imagined having younger cats who looked up to him. But now that he has, he wants it. He wants someone in his life who thinks something great of him.

He doesn't want to say he has a favorite, but when Lightningstone had introduced his niece to him as Brook-kit his heart had almost melted. He missed his sister and while he knows that Brook-kit is not the same cat, he cannot help but feel extra protective over this particular niece.
He watches with pale green eyes as she dances forward, chasing after the dragonfly as it flits around camp. Impressively, she even launches herself at it in an attempt to catch it. "So close!" he calls out from where he lays watching. "If you keep practicing you'll be a great hunter I'm sure" Lightningstone and Buckgait were both great warriors, it would only make sense their kits would be too right?
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[DARKWHISKER]

( /ᐠ｡▿｡ᐟ\ )ﾉ — Darkpaw had been watching Brook-kit with a soft smile, settled down with a minnow of his own near the makeshift apprentices' den. While he didn't know Lightningstone or Buckgait personally, outside of cherishing them as clanmates and admiring them as strong warriors, he couldn't help the fondness that settles in his chest whenever he sees kittens being kittens. Their innocence brings forth the warmth of nostalgia, reminded of his own days spent carefree and playing with his littermates.

A dragonfly lands on a fish Brook-kit had been staring at, drawing the she-kit's attention to it. Darkpaw puffs out a laugh at her goggling—but he quickly chokes on the laughter when Brook-kit tries to smack it. "Oh!" The chocolate-furred tom gasps, his own eyes widening; not in amazement, but in dismay. It's not the first time a kitten has chased after an insect, and Darkpaw's certain that it wouldn't be the last... But the Stars do not appreciate living beings being hurt or killed without purpose, no matter how small, and neither does he.

He scrambles to his paws, rushing towards Brook-kit as she leaps towards the fluttering insect again. "Hey! Don't hurt it!" Darkpaw yelps, his voice coming out sharper than he intends it to—and he immediately feels guilty. He knows Brook-kit doesn't know any better, that she's just having fun. And he knows he shouldn't be so curt with his clanmates. But he doesn't want to see an innocent animal get squashed.

Stormwhisker praises her on how close she was to catching it, seemingly not at all worried about his niece hurting the dragonfly. Darkpaw puffs out his cheeks, only slightly miffed by his clanmate's (perceived) callousness towards the sanctity of life, but he chooses not to comment on it. "Sorry. But, please don't hurt it." Darkpaw glances over his shoulder at Stormwhisker as he speaks, softer this time. "StarClan wants us to respect all life, 'cause the dragonfly has friends and family, too, and they'd be really sad if he got squished."

Even though Darkpaw doesn't want the dragonfly to be hurt, he still feels bad about interrupting Brook-kit's game. Hastily, he adds, "If you wanna practice hunting, you can try it with something that isn't alive?"​

 

[CRAPPIEPATCH]

The calico apprentice has never been one to indulge in hunting—or any physical activity—without being specifically asked to, especially in the case of hunting. So to see a cat such as Brookkit simply leaping after bugs for no apparent reason… it is strange. Why kill something that does not provide prey value? Still, Darkpaw is already attempting to deter Brookkit from her bug-killing, so the calico settles to sit a fox-length away rather than intervene themself.

They do not know Brookkit well, which is to be expected since she is a kit. They have been shunned from the nursery since the first day their illness returned, for fear of their sickness somehow spreading to the clan’s most vulnerable. So approaching the blue-furred kit now may very well be the only chance they get to speak with her before she becomes an apprentice. Not that they are particularly interested in her—Crappiepaw merely wants to know more about Brookkit. They will observe her from a distance, for now.

Stormwhisker’s encouragements are sweet, directed at the tom’s niece, but Crappiepaw sees the fault in his words. There is not much of a point, when the bugs are so small, and harming them is different from killing a mouse or a fish. Mice and fish are killed to be eaten, to nourish the life of another—a bug will not feed anyone. "Chasing them will not help you to get better at hunting. Hunting is not about catching things, anyway. It is about killing them quickly and easily." Their words are not outright rude, but their tone is dull.

What good would a quick fish-catcher be, if they could not kill the fish in one swift bite? The fish may end up on land, but if it is left to flop and flail around—what good will it do for RiverClan, if the fish flops itself right back into the water? It is a dilemma, but the calico finds themself supporting Darkpaw’s angle, no matter how soft-pawed it may sound.
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[ my my, cold hearted child ]​

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