Amberpaw raised her gaze when the tom gave her encouraging words. He had a point, hunting didn't always go well. It was luck that he first hunts went well and now he luck seemed to be running thin.
What the tom said then supposed her. He wanted to help her hunt. What she was torn about was territory. Didn't this belong to Creekclan. It would be bad if she aloud the tom to help her hunt. Yet, if all they caught went towards Creekclan surely that couldn't be wrong.
The she-cat's dark amber eyes turned towards the water as he spoke of fishing and hunting birds. Amberpaw had never tried to catch a bird before. She was curious. To hunt a bird most times you need to climb a tree.
"What's it like to hunt a bird," Amberpaw said as she looked back at the tom.
Then her ears perked and a gentle smile appeared on her face. "Oh, sorry about that. My names Amberpaw, it's nice to meet you. May I ask your name?"
"Oh, sorry about that. My names Amberpaw, it's nice to meet you. May I ask your name?"
Ravenstar hesitated. Although he had expected he'd be asked his name, it was still strange. He didn't talk to many cats who didn't already know who he was; he wondered if revealing his name might alter their interaction. She seemed very willing to allow him to hunt with her and teach her about birds. If she knew he was a leader of an enemy Clan, would she retract her interest? Ravenstar had no choice but to find out.
"It's nice to meet you too, Amberpaw. I'm Ravenstar." he said, giving her a wink and then trying to brush off his name casually. He tried to change the subject before the words sunk in, checking his surroundings curiously.
"Well... They're like fish, in some ways. Generally you only have one chance to catch them, and then they're gone. Unlike fishing, though, you can't always wait for the prey to come to you." He began to walk along the shoreline, though he keenly avoided the water. He looked around, apparently thinking, until he looked over his shoulder. "You've probably never climbed a tree before, but it's quite the experience. Nowadays I generally prefer to be underneath them; however, when I was an apprentice my brother and I climbed the tallest tree in the Deep Woods. It's breathtaking up there -- it's like you can almost touch the stars." Ravenstar smiled and looked away from Amberpaw, shrugging off his sudden reminiscing.
"Right. Anyway... I'm not sure what kind of birds you have here. There are a lot of water fowl I'm not acquainted with, but they should generally be the same thing." Ravenstar's eyes scanned the shore, searching out a familiar shape -- anything with feathers and a beak.
[searching for tern] BsWOeW4A1d100
Ravenstar almost missed the grey and white figure hiding among the pebbles. It blended well into its surroundings, but as a GlenClan cat, Ravenstar was trained to be observant. It also helped that he recognized this bird -- terns could sometimes be found at the Great Arch. Ravenstar was confident that killing it would be no issue -- but he wasn't sure if he could sneak up to it on this noisy terrain. Rather than try to creep forward, Ravenstar suddenly shot forward with great speed and pounced on the bird, killing it with one precise nip to the neck.
That had been an easy kill, thankfully. Ravenstar picked up the bird and turned to show it off to Amberpaw. He padded over and dropped the bird at the apprentice's paws. "Here you are," he purred. "Your Clan should be pleased by this. And we'll just say you caught it, okay? It'll be our little secret."
Truthfully, Ravenstar would love for this whole situation to be kept secret. He expected that this she-cat's Clanmates would cease any future interactions -- exercising greater judgement than Amberpaw was. But if they never found out, then there was opportunity here. Ravenstar was excited at the prospect of getting to know the she-cat better, building her trust and having an actual link to CreekClan. Of course, he could temper his excitement with patience. No need to rush things -- all he wanted was to leave a good impression for now.
Ravenstar, hoping he could influence the she-cat to not tell anyone of this meeting, added gently, "We'd both be in trouble if anyone knew about this, right? It would probably disappoint your Clanmates..." Ravenstar looked down at the tern and sighed, but then glanced up and smiled slyly. "But I'll share a secret with you, Amberpaw. Personally, I wish that the Clans were closer. All this suspicion and hostility, even when it's apparently "peaceful"? It isn't necessary. Of course, the Clans fight because they think they're doing what's best for their Clan." Ravenstar paused and shook his head. "But I think that's foolish. Wouldn't it be better to just not fight at all? We could help each other, like... well, like what we're doing right now. This is nice -- but I don't think anyone will understand. Not yet, anyway. I hope they will one day."
Ravenstar gave his best convincing performance, although he wasn't outright lying. In fact, he believed almost everything he had said. The lie was more of an inaccurate representation of his beliefs; Ravenstar only played the pacifist when it suited him. He had embraced this persona as best as he could when interacting with the other Clans, though it wasn't certain how effective the act was. Of course Ravenstar didn't want to fight -- but he did want to rule. He wasn't so much interested in compromise as he was willing submission, though he'd try to make the latter look like the former. It was incredibly easy to let someone think they have the upper paw; Ravenstar was glad to encourage that perception, preferring to twist circumstances to his favor behind the scenes.
"In any case, it's probably best--for both of us--if I leave soon. But before I do, I'd like for you to try to catch a bird yourself. It's a shame that no one has taught you this before, but I suppose the best cat to learn from is a GlenClan warrior. Also, it won't be a lie to say you hunted and caught prey for your Clan -- more like a half-truth." Ravenstar chuckled and mused over the fact that not only was he teaching her to catch birds, but also training her to lie. Talking to Amberpaw, he suddenly missed having an apprentice of his own.
"Alright, let's see..." he looked around again for a bird he was familiar with, but particularly for one that Amberpaw could reasonably catch with little trouble.
[searching for plover] 1d100
He spotted such a bird rummaging among the pebbles some distance away. He motioned to it with a flick of his tail, hoping to draw her attention. He stepped closer to her and whispered, "That is a plover. They're of average difficulty to catch, so what you'll want to do is sneak up on it as best you can but attack as soon as you come within range. They can be vicious, but for this season they should simply sprint away rather than attack." he said, then glanced back at her with a warm look. "I'll be right here if you need help, so don't worry."1d100·1d100
Last Edit: Oct 20, 2015 11:00:13 GMT -6 by Deleted
Amberpaw's round eyes grew wide with surprise. Raventar! He was a leader and with his scent he was the leader of Glenclan! Why had he been on Creekclan territory? Surely there had to be a reason? Perhaps he was trying to meet with the leader or deputy? To speak with someone about the gathering perhaps, Amberpaw was lost in thought and confusion.
Before the apprentice had time to ask her question the tom had changed topics and went back to training. He began to inform her about birds. Her mind had been swept of her curiosity about the tom's position and became ingrossed with learning once more. She watched in awe as the warrior tracked and killed his prey with such ease. It was really amazing to watch another Clan warrior hunt.
When the tom brought back his kill, he offered it to her Clan. Amberpaw's eyes began to have a golden shine as she realized she had been saved from her embarrassment of returning with nothing. Then what he brought along next rather shocked her. Her face slowly grew soft and gentle.
"I agree Ravenstar. I would love to have moments like this with our Clans. Even thought we all go through life's struggles we end up turning against each other in competition. Yet, I don't think other realize when we have finished our struggle we all go to one place. Starclan. There we hunt and protect each other."
Amberpaw felt overjoyed that someone shared her ideals. To forget war and embarrass peace. It was an idea that seemed to be more a fantasy than anything else. Then, Ravenstar spoke about their meeting and how it should be kept secret. Even thought this saddened her, she understood. She had the unsettling feeling when they first meet. This feeling could also be felt among her Clan-mates. More strongly in those who didn't share Amberpaw's peaceful ideals.
"Don't worry Ravenstar, I won't tell anyone."
Changing their conversation's course once more, they returned back to hunting. The young she-cat puffed out her chest, feeling ready to take on the challenge of hunting once more. She watched the tom scent out a prey. He identified the bird as a creature named plover. Amberpaw had never really seen one before let alone hunt it, yet she felt she could do it with Ravenstar's training.
Amberpaw replayed the leader's words in her head as she drew low to the ground. With light swift paws she crept towards the white and gray feathered bird. ZO0ol4Li1d6+3 Amberpaw leaped forward, digging her claws into the birds flesh keeping it from flying away. With swift movements, she bite down upon it's neck. The bird slowly stopped struggling and Amberpaw eased up. Her eye shine with pride as she manged to finally kill something. She turned her gaze back to Ravenstar and gave a joyful laugh.
"I did it!"
Picking up her kill, she began to run back to the tom's side.
Dewdapple was following Amberpaw's scent, but was wondering if she should worry about her apprentice. The she-cat had made her proud before - but then again, she had run off without even asking her. Then again, she was nearly old enough to do so on her own. Not that Dewdapple wanted to say that about herself, of course - losing her first apprentice like that, even if she trained her the best way possible.
Still...there were more things she should have been worrying about. Because the scent was changing. Or rather, combining with another scent - all too familiar.
Glenclan scent.
As this was a familiar spot for her, Dewdapple ducked as low as she could under a swell before the hill of pebbles leading to the shoreline, peeking over the ridge and hoping that her spotted coat would provide her with some much-needed camouflage. If it didn't however, it wouldn't matter - as she dug her claws in and prepared to fight, to defend her apprentice.
Imagine her shock then, when she saw Amberpaw was not in danger...necessarily. Instead, she was amicably talking with a dark black tom. She wasn't born yesterday - she knew who that tom was. But what exactly the scheming leader of Glenclan would want with her...she didn't know.
"Amberpaw!" She called from beyond the ridge, carefully controlling her voice as if she was simply looking for Amberpaw and hadn't already spotted her. "Amberpaw, where are you?!"
Amberpaw's heart sank when she heard the sound of her mentor's voice. She began to look around in a panic, trying to find where her mentor was. Her panic eyes turned back to Ravenstar.
"That's Dewdapple! You better leave before she finds you!"
What would she do? She had been out of the camp witout permission and now here she stood chatting and hunting with the leader of Glenclan.
Ravenstar quietly spectated Amberpaw's kill, purring in delight as she ran back to him. When he opened his mouth to praise her, another voice interrupted him. The tom tensed and surveyed the ridge, trying to discern the exact spot it was coming from. It was obvious that it was one of Amberpaw's Clanmates. From the voice, Ravenstar knew it was a she-cat. He could only tell that it was not Pearlstar, however.
"That's Dewdapple! You better leave before she finds you!"
Ravenstar blinked and looked at the ridge again. He tried to recall a CreekClan warrior with the name, but it did not jar his memory. In any case, his time here had run out. Readying himself to run, he nodded to Amberpaw. "Right. Thank-you, Amberpaw. I hope we meet again."
Not waiting for a formal exchange of farewells, he turned and leaped away from the pebble-strewn shore. It wasn't until he had bounded past the treeline that he looked back at the lone apprentice behind him. His eyes drifted from her to the ridge, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of Dewdapple. It may be necessary to identify her, should she bring any accusations against him. Then again, it did not seem like she had even seen him.
With that in mind, Ravenstar padded further into the familiar forest. It was time to go home. (Ravenstar exits)
Amberpaw watched the black tom begin to run back to his Clan. She looked once more around for her mentor, but still didn't see her. Grabbing the prey, she ran to the water trying to dispose of the Glenclan scent.
Picking up the prey she ran from the shore and looked around for her mentor.
"Dewdapple, I'm over here!"
Amberpaw prayed that she hadn't been caught talking with Ravenstar.
Dewdapple determined she would play this calm and cool - at least at first. She made her way over to her apprentice, acting as if she had not just seen her apprentice talking with one of their usual opponents.
"Why did you run off on your own?" She snapped. "I know your nearly old enough to be a warrior, but for the time being, you are still under my orders, are you not? Who knows what you could have run into!" She walked around her apprentice, and feigned seeing the birds for the first time. Of course, she was somewhat impressed, despite her suspicions. Her apprentice had yet again proved herself a formidable hunter.
"Birds? And here I thought we hadn't worked at catching birds for some time." She said, feinting ignorance. "I suppose I can't be too mad at you then, seeing as you managed to hunt something down while you were out. I dare say a Glenclan Apprentice couldn't have done better!"
She added that last bit in as a jib at her own apprentice, but kept her tone as light as possible. This would just be her little secret, for the time being.
Amberpaw gave her mentor a bright smile when she finally caught sight of her. This smile quickly vanished as her mentor began to lecture her about how she shouldn't have left camp without saying anything or without anyone.
"I'm sorry Dewdapple, I was hungry and our fresh-kill pile didn't have anything on it. Everyone was busy and I didn't want to become more of a burden than I already was."
Amberpaw's ears fell flat and her head lowered with disappointment till her mentors words changed and she gave small praise. When she made a small comment about Glenclan her heart sank. Did she see or was it because Glenclan was famous for hunting birds?
Amberpaw felt a drop upon her face and she gazed up. The sky had become cloudy and rain began to poor down upon them. This was refreshing given Ravenstar's scent would star to disappear.
Amberpaw looked down at her paws, the prey she had caught with Ravenstar. The dead corpses began to decay it seemed causing a fowl stench to fill her nose. It was a great shame that no one ended up touching them. They could have at least feed two cats.
Letting out a sigh, Amberpaw made her way to a patch of dirt and began to dig. Creating a hole that both the tern and the plover could fit in. Once it was done, she carefully moved the prey. Looking down at the prey, she frowned. Lowering her head, she pluckeda feather from the tern and held it in her mouth. She planned to keep the feather as a reminder of Ravenstar and their hunt, but of course she wouldn't tell anyone. She then kicked the dirt back over the corpses and hoped they scent wouldn't linger.
"I'm heading back to camp Dewdapple."
Amberpaw shouted her course to her mentor and then began to make her way back. (Amberpaw exits)
Amberpaw did not admit to her discretion, and Dewdapple didn't call her out on it, though she stared down her apprentice and waited for her to say something. Truth was, she would keep the secret herself...seeing as Amberpaw, as her apprentice, would likely bring her some, well...problems. Would they look at her as a disappointment for allowing it?
No, it was best to say nothing.
"Too bad. Head back to camp; I'll follow soon." She told her. And when the Apprentice was gone, she was careful to walk around the area and cover up any foul scent of Glenclan. Making the markings so clear that a cat would have to have no nose to be able to tell who owned this area.
Then, realizing that some of Amberpaw's words were right, she began to search for prey.
There - another turtle. Filling and wonderful. Dewdapple grinned and didn't worry about stopping away from the turtle as she crept forward and swiped at the hard-shelled creature.
Attacking Turtle LZau4tc_1d6+11
Automatically evading
Attacking Turtle 1d6+11
With quick paws, she lopped through the creature's fleshy neck, and began to pull out at it's throat, eating some of the juicy, tender meat before picking it up and carrying the rest of the creature back to camp. A successful hunt, of all things.
And an interesting day if nothing else.1d6+11·1d6+11
Last Edit: Oct 30, 2015 12:20:27 GMT -6 by Deleted