Oh, a-hunting we will go![Crewe/Open]

[shiningheart]

It was cold. It was cold, snowy, and wet. All things of which Tawnypaw despised. It made hunting difficult, and her Clan needed fresh-kill more than anything right now. Well, maybe that was a lie. She heard Cloudfall say earlier she needed herbs, so maybe the Clan needed herbs more than anything. But if the Clan were stronger, they wouldn't need the herbs, would they?

The tortoiseshell she-cat grunted to herself as she stopped moving forward. She was going to try hunting near the Great Sycamore. She'd once heard that it was a favorite place for squirrels to store their leaf-bare cache, so maybe she'd have some luck. StarClan knows she'll probably need it...

[crewe]

Swallowstrike follows her apprentice from above, leaping from tree branch to tree branch to keep pace with her. With her slight weight, even lower thanks to the lack of prey this leafbare, the branches hardly bent beneath her, allowing her to move swiftly. She was clearly visible against the gray sky, but luckily she wasn't trying to avoid being seen; she was avoiding walking through the snow. Hopefully Tawnypaw's final assessment will come when there are leaves on the trees, she thinks idly, digging her claws into the bark as she lands on a snowy patch.

Swallowstrike notes her apprentice's path. So, she was heading for the Great Sycamore. A good choice; she was a smart young she-cat, Swallowstrike had known that since they'd been training together. Well, if they were going to the tree, they could hunt as a team. The small black she-cat lifts her muzzle to scent the air and make sure there wasn't any prey around to scare, before making her way down to the ground beside Tawnypaw.

"When we reach the Sycamore, we'll hunt as a team," she says. "I'll climb the tree and see if I can scare some squirrels down so she can catch them. Got it?" She tilts her head and looks down at Tawnypaw, waiting for acknowledgment before climbing the tree again.

[shiningheart]

Tawnypaw was forced to stop when Swallowstrike dropped down from above. She'd known her mentor was following her; she hadn't exactly been trying to hide herself. The apprentice hadn't been expecting her to suddenly appear right in front of her, though. Her eyes expressed her shock, but she didn't say anything.

The warrior spoke, giving her instructions, and Tawnypaw tilted her head to the side. An ear twitched once, but that was it. "What makes you think the squirrels wouldn't just leap tree from tree? As light as starvation makes us, the squirrels could still climb higher than you can get them."

[willow]

What a dreadful bore.

Not far from the shadow of the Great Sycamore, a chocolate brown tabby tread upon the decaying earth of the forest, grassy green eyes kept in a constantly narrowed stare as one paw after another was placed in front of him towards the hunting spot in search of prey. The goings on in the territory had been little to none lately, even with Bloodclan hunting on their land. Not much prey seemed to be out either and those who he had failed to see scattered into the brush at the sight of Eagletalon. Too bad, he was hoping to get his blood going in this cold weather.

Besides the hunting, the tom had not gotten his fill for the thrill of battle for almost an entire moon, which caused him to grow very bored and agitated . The only way to soothe him from going on a rampant whining spree was by hunting prey for the rest of the clan to eat. Eagletalon tended to be good about controlling himself, but these days he was becoming impatient. The pile of prey caught was steady and more than needed was going to waste. Until he got his claws on something that was more...feisty, more intelligent, the Thunderclan tom was a walking battle causer. Perhaps a new place to search would bring him more luck...maybe he could finally find one of those Bloodclanners and get some excitement. Sure Tigerstar might be ticked off, but since when did his opinion matter?

Finally, things become interesting. Eagletalon thought to himself as the sounds of hard paws meeting solid earth tore the silence of leaf-bare. Veering off to his left so he was heading towards the voices and quickening his pace as he tore through the undergrowth. Once he felt he was close enough to the sound, he kept himself in place, rooting himself to the earth with his white claws and awaiting for the time to come out in the open. Crouching low on his creamy belly, Eagletalon peered through the vegetation and was able to see two of his own clan-mates: the black and white Swallowstrike and her apprentice Tawnypaw. A grimace and grin distorted his expression since he couldn't decide between being happy and displeased. Here he was in the position to pounce on another warrior and get some blood pumping but then again there was Tigerstar's daughter. Would he be able to hide his pity? Eagletalon decided to remain quiet and see if the apprentice was vigilant enough to catch his scent before he revealed himself.

[crewe]

Swallowstrike's whiskers twitch in amusement at the surprise on her apprentice's face as she suddenly appears before her. She said nothing, though, so she didn't comment on it. Other apprentices might have snapped at their mentor for startling them, but Tawnypaw was made of sterner stuff. Just like her father. As it often did, pride surged through Swallowstrike. She was mentoring Tigerstar's daughter! It was such an honor! As she did nearly every day, she vowed to make her leader glad to have chosen her to mentor Tawnypaw.

Swallowstrike smiles as her apprentice questions the plan. She was thinking, instead of mindlessly questioning orders. Obedience to one's superiors was essential, especially in these dark times... but obedience to bad orders could be fatal. It was a good thing Tigerstar never gave bad orders. Flicking her tail, the small she-cat considers Tawnypaw's question. True, squirrels could jump from tree to tree, and were rather better at it than she was.

"I'll come at them from above, and herd them towards you," she says. "Squirrels have the brains of, well, squirrels. They should run straight down if I come down on them." Lifting her muzzle, Swallowstrike swivels her ears and sniffs the air, hoping there might be some sort of prey near by, in case they didn't have much luck with the squirrels. To her surprise, rather than prey scent, she noticed ThunderClan scent nearby--a warrior watching them? Her nose twitches, and she looks down at Tawnypaw. Let's see if she finds it. A test.

"Before we go, tell me if you can find any prey around here," she says, gesturing to the surrounding area with her tail. Perhaps searching for the scent of prey might distract her from the scent of the nearby warrior, or perhaps she would assume it was Swallowstrike's own scent. Or perhaps she would find the lurker. Well. Let's just see. Swallowstrike had confidence in her apprentice. After all, she was Tigerstar's daughter.