who stole the sun from the sky ★ first catch

[Hazelbeam]

She was learning rather quickly but maybe not as quickly as she would have liked. Hazelbeam found herself adapting in more than a few ways, picking up on the lingo and learning what her duties were. She knew what the ranks were in the clan, knew what a leader was and that the deputy was their right paw, knew what a medicine cat was and found theirs especially amusing. There was something about the tom that didn't lend itself well to much else than strange plants and stranger mutterings. She knew to guard the borders well, if a cat trespassed she was to chase it off unless they wanted to join, in which case she fetched either Blazestar or Orangeblossom to give said cat a bit of an inspection; it was similar to how she had joined herself!
The black and white she-cat had a fondness for the place so far. Climbing trees, talking to cats from so many different backgrounds, up until the sickness began to spread it had been alarmingly peaceful here and she thrived in it. And even after this horrible thing occurred, she still felt a sense of companionship with the cats here strong enough to keep her coming back. They needed all the help they could get right now and she was more than happy to deliver.

White and black gloves paws carried her along on light steps through the forest, she wore no hat to avoid hampering her sense of hearing so the molly was quickly aware of the soft scurrying of tiny clawed feet moving ahead in the distance before her. She saw the bushy tailed critter long before she could even smell it, a reddish brown shape perched on the gnarled root of a nearby tree. There was no need to scent it or strain to see it; the little vermin had just presented itself in such a way that it might as well just go and throw itself on their freshkill pile now!

Hazelbeam slowly eased into a crouch, the fur of her belly just barely touching the cold ground around her and with only a moment to act before the wind threw her smell in the squirrel's direction she launched forward; surprising even herself with her swiftness. Dirt kicked up around her paws, gravity fought to hold her down, but her spring into the air helped get her distance; the squirrel twisted around to try and escape up the tree but she was faster.
As its tiny claws dug into the bark and hoisted itself up against the great pine she lunged upward after it and a snap of her teeth ripped it down out of the air as it struggled to climb. Her own momentum pushed her upward and she scaled the base of the pine slightly to catch herself, slowing and stopping before pivoting around to drop back to the ground with the now limp rodent hanging from her mouth. The thrill of the hunt, the exhilaration at having snatched it right from the sky itself, saying she was proud was an understatement. She'd caught her first prey and she'd done it so cleanly. Bright blue eyes widened as she glanced around - man, if only someone had seen it...it had felt really cool.
"You'll make a tasty snack for Mottledove and her kits I bet!" She murmured, muffled, to the dead squirrel, giving it a brief shake to make sure it wasn't going to rear back up and strike her face but it seemed pretty gone thankfully.
​

 

[cocoshine]

Hunting. Unlike most cats- especially her clanmates, now that she found her place among the ferals and fighters- Cocoshine does not relish the thrill of the hunt. But she can pretend well enough, and she certainly reaps the benefits of hunting. Anything beats the kibbles she grew accustomed to eating at a young age- even the sinewy, gristly squirrels that make their homes in SkyClan's trees. Begrudgingly, Cocoshine had eventually done her own first catch, too. Anything to be on even footing with Momowhisker.

Cocoshine spots Hazelbeam from a bit of a distance, but catches up quickly. At first she's a bit quizzed by the warrior speaking to and shaking the carcass of a squirrel. Hazelbeam is strange enough on a regular basis, what with her oversized hat she's usually seen wearing around camp and while sharing tongues, and Cocoshine briefly wonders if the other is trying to conjure spirits or something from the dead squirrel. Well, until Hazelbeam picks it back up and shakes it one final time. She feels ridiculous for not realizing the other was just confirming its status as alive or dead.

"Nice catch," Cocoshine compliments Hazelbeam politely, a smile plastered on her tan-and-blue maw as she addresses the other. "Sorry I missed the actual hunting part," she continues with that same smile which hides her insincerity "I bet it was good."
​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

Cocoshine's bet was correct, and Twitchbolt was not afraid to confirm it- from where he perched in the trees, ever-wide gaze piercing through the pine-needles, he'd seen the new warrior wrench the squirrel out of the sky. A talented tracker, he'd scented the rodent in his sky-bound trek... but Hazelbeam had gotten to it first. Squirrels were skittish creatures- when he'd been learning with Daisyflight, it was never a task to find them, but always a task to catch them. His mentor had trained him well enough to be what most would consider a good hunter at this point, but... even that shred of self confidence did not dampen how impressed he was as he leapt from the pine branches, closing in beside Cocoshine.

"It was," he confirmed, wobbled smile creaking across his face. There was sincerity there, despite his ever-present trembling... an affliction he wished to be rid of. The last thing he wanted was for Hazelbeam to think he was afraid of her- who knew what curses she had stashed away in her brain. She seemed to know well enough about good-and-bad luck charms... "The- the kits'll want to hear that story, I bet... when you give it to- to the nursery," he surmised, a little shred of positivity twitching the tip of his crooked tail.​

penned by pin ✧​