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Post by Moor on Dec 9, 2012 17:56:12 GMT -5
Cherrypaw stalked through the undergrowth, tail twitching in excitement. At first she had watched Finchpaw leave the camp with little interest; cats came and went all the time, either to hunt or to stretch their legs, it made no difference to her. It had been a slow, boring day, though. No gossip. No important news. Nothing happening. So when the idea popped into her head to follow him and jump him, maybe get into some sort of play-fight out on the forest floor, the idea was almost too compelling to resist. Almost immediately she had slipped out of camp herself, employing the techniques Wolfeye had taught her about hunting to keep herself hidden.
She scented the air again. The smell of Finchpaw was still strong, and the wind had been blowing steadily at her the whole way. They were a ways from camp now, almost the perfect distance. She stopped and squinted, training her eyes on the dark tabby form ahead of her. Yep, that was Finchpaw. She pressed herself against a tree to her right, contemplating climbing it. It would be the first time she climbed a tree, and she figured that it could either work out advantageously for her, or blow her cover all together. She decided to risk it.
Unsheathing her claws quietly, Cherrypaw reached one large paw up the trunk, digging the sharp ivory tips into the bark. She tugged at it, and when her paw didn't immediately fall away, she slid her other front paw up as well. Slowly, one paw at a time, she crawled up the trunk, pressing herself close. Each time she dug a front set of claws into the bark, she tugged on it to see if it would hold her weight. Her back paws tried to find the little niches that her front claws were making. So focused was she on her climbing endeavor that she forgot to pay attention to what Finchpaw was doing, until she was as far up as she was willing to go. She hadn't even made it to the first branch, but the distance off the ground was satisfactory enough. After all, what if she fell? That sure would be bad.
Looking down at Finchpaw from her place on the tree, she tensed her muscles and prepared to pounce.
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Chaos
Kit
Let's stir up some trouble, kitten!
Posts: 32
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Post by Chaos on Dec 9, 2012 19:36:44 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background: transparent;"]
FINCHPAW be swift and free as though you have wings... |
[/color][/div] [style=height: 300px; width: 350px; overflow: auto; background:rgba(255,255,255,0.5);] The afternoon sunlight filtered down through the trees as a young, sleek grey and black tabby tom padded amongst the undergrowth. His ears were pricked and his nose continuously scenting the cool breeze. Finchpaw wasn't really hunting. More so simply enjoying the feeling of freedom he always got while out in the forest on his own. He loved the way the dirt and grass and fallen leaves felt beneath his paws, and he loved the way he could slide easily from the path of clawing shrubs.
The camp hadn't been all that interesting this morning, and Finchpaw hadn't found his mentor ... although in truth he hadn't tried all that hard. He still felt a little guilty about that. But out here, out in the forest, Finchpaw was far more comfortable than hanging around in the chaos of the Clan camp. And it was such a nice day!
A sound snagged his ear suddenly, making him turn rather lazily in the direction it had come from. The young apprentice wasn't really interested in hunting today, but he was curious. Finchpaw couldn't see anything interesting, so he turned back and kept padding through the undergrowth.
Finchpaw paused for a moment to sniff an interesting leaf that had blown into his paw. He flicked it up into the air and leaped up to catch it again. His whiskers quivering with excitement, Finchpaw tossed it around and caught it in his mouth. As the leaf fluttered away, the young apprentice thought he heard something again. He looked around, trying to pin point the source of the noise. If it was prey, he supposed he should catch it and return it to the Clan.
But he saw nothing. Shrugging, Finchpaw caught the leaf again. [/style] OCC
words: 290
notes: I'm interested to see where this goes. XD
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Post by Moor on Dec 9, 2012 19:56:30 GMT -5
Holding her breath, Cherrypaw stared down at Finchpaw. He had turned, but he hadn't looked up. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to put herself in that position. Would she have looked up if she heard a sound behind her? Nope. Any prey up in the trees wouldn't really be a viable option, so why look up? She probably would have done the same thing as the younger tom.
She opened her eyes again, quickly, and loosened the grip of a front paw. She wasn't really sure how she was going to jump from here. She felt that she was probably close enough to the ground not to get hurt, but aiming her pounces had never been her forte, and she had never attacked anything from a tree before. After all, it was impractical in most hunting situations. How about fighting situations? Yeah, probably impractical in those, too.
In one somewhat jerky movement she let go of the tree with her other front paw and pushed off with her back. "Mrow!" As she hurdled through the air she had just enough forethought to sheathe her claws before making impact with something- hard. She opened her eyes, which she had closed in concentration when jumping from the tree, and the first thing she saw was the color green. Less than a second later she recognized the outlines of leaves and realized that she was looking up at the trees- Aw, shoot.
Rolling over onto her stomach, she looked around her. Had she hit Finchpaw? Or was that thing just the ground? She couldn't tell- the impact had been too quick to recognize the feel of fur or dirt. If she hadn't hit him, she guessed that he would be coming for her soon, so she crawled forward on her belly a little distance and pushed herself to her feet, ready to play-fight.
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Chaos
Kit
Let's stir up some trouble, kitten!
Posts: 32
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Post by Chaos on Dec 10, 2012 18:41:05 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background: transparent;"]
FINCHPAW be swift and free as though you have wings... |
[/color][/div] [style=height: 300px; width: 350px; overflow: auto; background:rgba(255,255,255,0.5);] The leaf fluttered away again, prompting Finchpaw to dart after it and snag it with a claw again. He knew this was a game kits played, but at the same time he felt it was doing something to help his hunting techniques.
The apprentice pricked his ears, becoming aware of a strange scratching sound a little way above his head. Raising his gaze he peered around at the trees. Just as a small dark shape launched itself at him! With a surprised meow, Finchpaw leaped from the way, forgetting all about his leaf, which was suddenly obliterated as a heap of fur gracelessly hit the ground and sprawled there for a few moments.
Finchpaw's fur slowly fell back into place and his eyes lost their look of anxious surprise as he realized it was another ForestClan apprentice. Cherrypaw, he thought, slightly bemused. Was she trying to hunt me? The thought was quite amusing, and as Finchpaw padded over to Cherrypaw to make sure she wasn't hurt, the dark tabby's whisker shook with humor.
The apprentice she-cat scrambled forward on her belly as though she were afraid she might be attacked. Then she got to her paws and Finchpaw was suddenly standing nose to nose with her. "Uh, hi Cherrypaw." Finchpaw took a step backward. "Are you okay? That was a pretty good jump!" [/style] made by karrie of btn[/color][/center] [/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by Moor on Dec 14, 2012 17:27:38 GMT -5
Cherrypaw blinked as she realized Finchpaw's face was right in front of her. "Whoa," she meowed in surprise, and took a step back. Her whiskers twitched in frustration. She had missed him! After all that work of climbing a tree and being all sneaky so that he wouldn't hear her! She felt like trying to tackle him again, but that would do no good- he would see it coming, after all, and it would be more effort wasted.
"That was intended for you, Finchpaw!" she exclaimed, forcing herself to sit and play with her paws rather than jump at him. She wasn't angry with him- far from it. She just had a lot of energy, and her muscles ached for battle training. She hadn't had any yet, and if she was frustrated at anything, it was that. "I'm bored. There's nothing to do in camp." She turned her head to the side, first looking at the trees around them and then sliding her eyes over to give him a sideways glance.
Do you want to do something... dangerous? She wanted to ask him, but she didn't dare to. She didn't know Finchpaw that well, wasn't yet ready to invite him into her world of adventure and fun. Instead, she laid down, stretching out and unsheathing her claws to pick thoughtfully at the ground. "What do you do out here in the forest, alone? How do you have fun?"
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Chaos
Kit
Let's stir up some trouble, kitten!
Posts: 32
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Post by Chaos on Dec 17, 2012 20:13:04 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background: transparent;"]
FINCHPAW be swift and free as though you have wings... |
[/color][/div] [style=height: 300px; width: 350px; overflow: auto; background:rgba(255,255,255,0.5);] Finchpaw drew his face away when Cherrypaw blinked in surprise. He hadn't meant to scare her, but she had sure given him a fright. She meowed her surprise and took a step backward. Finchpaw's whiskers twitched when he noted her frustration, mildly amused. Finchpaw wondered if Cherrypaw wanted to play fight. He tensed his muscles when he saw Cherrypaw glance at him, but she seemed to think twice about it.
Finchpaw understood. They didn't really know each other. But maybe that could change. Finchpaw hoped it would.
"That was intended for you, Finchpaw!" she told him, sitting down and fidgeting with her paws. Finchpaw sensed a lot of pent up energy radiating from the apprentice's pelt. He wondered if she would be interested in going hunting. "I'm bored," she added suddenly, "There's nothing to do in camp."
"No, there isn't," Finchpaw agreed. "That's why I'm out here."
Cherrypaw glanced at the trees around them, a daring sparkle in her eyes that made Finchpaw wonder what she was considering. She gave him a sideways look. Finchpaw thought she was about to race off into the forest, or fling herself at the trunk of a tree and try to climb again ... but instead she laid down and unsheathed her claws, picking at the ground.
"What do you do out here in the forest, alone? How do you have fun?" she asked.
Finchpaw thought about for a moment. How could he explain to her the feeling of freedom and excitement the forest bought him? How could he tell her how good to felt to just run across the forest floor without having to wait for anyone to catch up or keep up with him? There were no words he could find to put his feelings into perspective for her. So instead he settled for, "Oh, I just kind of find things to do. Like practice hunting by chasing that leaf."
Finchpaw was suddenly embarrassed. It had never occurred to him that going alone for a walk out in the forest (and admiring the trees and how the sunshine filtered through the branches) was ... well, a little bit strange. Finchpaw wondered what Cherrypaw would think of him if he told her about that ... [/style] made by karrie of btn[/color][/center] [/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by Moor on Dec 26, 2012 15:44:44 GMT -5
Cherrypaw tilted her head to the side, a little bit confused. If he wanted to practice his hunting skills, why not on something more useful for the clan, such as real prey? Why would he waste his skills on a small leaf? Well, to each his own, she thought...
"Well, do you wanna-" Nope. Don't even go there. She pushed her paws down in the ground, and then crossed one over the other. She looked at Finchpaw for a moment, then slid the bottom paw under her chest and pushed the other out in front of her. Her claws slid in and out uneasily as she thought. She doubted he would even be able to handle what she had in mind. After all, it was kind of dangerous.
"I mean, I'm still bored. But I don't wanna playfight." She frowned, lowering her head to rest on her one outstretched leg. "Surely you can come up with something better?" A playful glint entered her eye. Oh, she wanted to playfight all right. If she couldn't explore as she liked, and lead a great adventure such as she was under the impression every apprentice had to go on once in his or her life, at the very least she could get her energy on out play-fighting. "What do you think?"
She closed her eyes, stilling herself as best she could. Her body still quivered with excitement, but her paws had stopped twitching. She opened one eye to look at her opponent, watching him almost warily. "We could pretend to be great cats of old." She closed her eye again, appearing to be in deep concentration.
Then her muscles tightened, and she sprung, paws outstretched and tail straight out behind her. She would knock this little apprentice over eventually if it took all day!
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