Hunting 101

[TawnyClaw]

TawnyClaw padded through the forest till she came upon the Burnt Sycamore tree. She sat down by it, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws, as she waited for Nightpaw to catch up. The young she-cat had to constantly shake her fur to prevent a blanket of snow from covering her pelt.

[NightStalker]

NightPaw slowly crept up behind TawnyClaw, trying to catch her unawares. He jumped out from behind the burnt sycamore tree and scared TawnyClaw. "Man, I am awesome," thought Nightpaw. Then remembering to check his ego, promptly purred an apology to TawnyClaw and sat at her feet awaiting instructions.

[TawnyClaw]

"That was the saddest display of stalking I have ever seen. You sounded like a wounded bagger." She let out a mrrow of laughter as she turned around to face her apprentice. She flicked him on the nose with the tip of her tail. "Are you ready to learn how to hunt?"

[NightStalker]

NightPaw sniffed poudly at TawnyClaw's snide remark "Twas ment to sound so, you didnt expect a kit to be coming now did you?" Then swallowing his pride lowered himself before TawnyClaw "I am ready to learn to hunt."

[TawnyClaw]

"Good now when you hunt mice you must be very light on your feet because they can feel the vibrations in the earth. You must also stay very low and keep upwind so they wont detect you." TawnyClaw then dropped into a perfect crouch and staked forward to demonstrate how would would move. "Now you try. Use you tail for balance too."

[NightStalker]

NightPaw attempted to immitate TawnyClaw by crouching down as low as he could go and standing on the balls of his feet so he would not make any vibrations, however, he forgot to use his tail to balance himself and fell on his face. He hissed and spit the dirt out of his mouth. He looked to TawnyClaw to see if she saw, and he thought he saw the slightest hint of a smile cross her face. He tried again, this time he got it perfectly. After running through the excercise a few more times he felt confident that he had this stalking business down.

[TawnyClaw]

"Good job. Lets put this lesson into practice now. Lets hunt for our Clan, but first let me get that off your face." She padded over to her apprentice and licked the snow of his cheek. She then looked into his eyes as she back away, her pelt growing warm for a second. She shook herself quickly and flicked her tail for him to follow. She padded through the forest, her mouth slightly open looking for the slightest bit of prey. Then the smell of mouse hit the roof of her mouse. The spotted she-cat froze and dropped into crouch. She scanned the clearing looking for a hint of brown fur amoung the white snow. She quickly spotted the shivering body, looking for food of its own. She kept low and light on her feet as she padded toward the mouse. She could hear its heart beating faster and faster. It then shot up and looked right at TawnyClaw and tried to escape, but it was too late. She sprang onto the mouse and scooped it up into the air. It fell back to the ground, stunned. She quickly killed into before it could get back up. She then buried her prize by the Burnt Sycamore and continued hunting.

[NightStalker]

NightPaw watched TawnyClaw back away and felt an emotion that he didnt quite understand, he reminded himself to ask TawnyClaw about it later. He put the thought to the back of his mind and followed TawnyClaw as she stalked for prey. He saw the mouse a moment before TawnyClaw tossed it up into the air. He admired her grace and beauty as she killed the mouse, there was that strange emotion again, he really needed to talk with Tawny about that he thought. He ran ahead of Tawny and got down in the stalking position and followed what he had learned. Allowing his mouth to hang slightly open to the sents of the forrest. He quicky caught the scent of another mouse and followed it, barely able to contain himself as he stalked his unknowing prey. He sighted the mouse cowering under the leaves of a nearby bush attempting to shelter itself from the cold. He sprang into action and snatched the mouse up off the ground, quickly breaking its neck with his powerful jaws. He buried his catch proudly next to TawnyClaw's and sat down to clean himself.

[TawnyClaw]

TawnyClaw was extremely impressed with how quickly her apprentice learned to hunt. "You did a great job! Here, lets hunt a bit more and bring this prey back to camp." TawnyClaw paced forward through the forest looking for prey to feed her Clan

-is hunting-

To: Restocking the Fresh Kill Pile

[NightStalker]

NightPaw followed TawnyClaw off into the forest looking for prey