The Apprentice's Hunt

[Brain]

Shadowpaw crept slowly across the sand. It was still dark enough that morning that she was nearly invisible, hidden in the shadows. This was her gift - to hide in the shadows of the enclosure, with the night as her greatest weapon. Only the night was ending and she didn't have much time left.

The lizard would have been perfectly camouflaged if it had known she was coming, but instead it was after some prey of it's own. She crept up behind it carefully, placing her feet just as she had practiced. The lizard happened to look back at that crucial moment and see a shadow behind it. It tried to run, but Shadowpaw was faster. She darted forward and scooped up her prey in one smooth movement. It hit the ground and she jumped on it and killed it. She sat up and began scanning the area for Beetlepaw.

[Ten]

Shadowpaw's pounce startled a passing black and white tom, who jumped back with his fur in puff. "Wh-what in the w-walls?" One eye twitched as he looked her up and down. "What w-was that s-supposed to be?" Then he noticed the lizard. "Oh, th-that was supposed t-to be hunting? W-wow. You're lucky y-you were able to k-kill it that way."

[Cloud]

"Prey is prey however it's caught, patchy." Yawned a large brown tabby tom who was watching the whole thing with half-closed yellowish green eyes. He laid down in the hot sand, tail whisking back and forth as he munched on a cricket. And saying that made him think of business - the same was true in it. No matter what the means was, if you accomplished your end, who cared? Not him.

So why bother berating the she-cat? Idiotic though he was, Darkfur did not tend to insult when unnecessary, nor rile cats up for the same reason. He was blunt, but not rude when he did not need to be. Unlike this stupid tom.

"So lay off the lady, patchy." He didn't even really care what the tom's real name was. Patchy suited him, anyway, with all those funny blobs of black fur. He wasn't even being honorable; he'd just rather tell the tom off than the she-cat.

[Brain]

Shadowpaw was surprised to find two toms instead of one she-cat. They were arguing, and her prey was involved. That "prey is prey however it's caught" statement sounded especially like something a thief would say. She picked it up in her mouth and prepared to run. Fast.

OOC>> Ten, your notebook says that both Shortwhisker and Grimykit have mated with Hailpaw.

[Cloud]

OOC: Which is true, Brain, believe it or not.

Darkfur's brow furrowed as he watched the sudden change in the little cat. He yawned. Perhaps she thought him or "patchy" dangerous? How untrue. "You don't have to leave, you know. I'm not going to claw your ear off; I detest unnecessary fighting. It's terribly bad for business, you know." He said conversationally, fully aware that she'd have little idea of what he was saying.

[moddy]

ooc: they did both mate with her, but that's possible so it's okay :3

Beetlepaw looked around, trying to spot something of interest. She saw a cricket and almost pursued it, but decided against it. Overhearing a comment about the way a dark she-cat hunted, she glanced over at who it was coming from and then at who it was directed at. Shadowpaw? She huffed and went to stand over by the other she-cat. "Aw, shut it, 'patchy'," she said, going along with what the tabby tom had said. "I think it was a fine way to catch it. I mean, she has it, don't she?" With that, she turned her attention to Shadowpaw. "Hi," she said quickly, then sat down. "You heard 'em, he wasn't gonna do anything to you. And I doubt that the other tom" - she looked over at Shortwhisker - "is gonna do anything either."

[Ten]

ooc| It's not really "okay", but none of the three are very monogamous.

bic|

"M-my n-name is Sh-Shortwhisker," he stuttered, shifting from paw to paw as more, older cats arrived. "P-please don't call me P-Patchy."

He eyed Darkfur. He had said he didn't like fighting, so that was good. Shortwhisker wasn't interested in fighting either -- in particular not with a tom so much larger and stronger-looking than himself. This second she-cat, on the other paw, was not so big, even if she was aggressive enough in her comments to make Shortwhisker flinch.

[Brain]

Shadowpaw lightly set the lizard down, feeling less worried now that her mentor was here and the cats around her were not interested in taking her prey. "Hi Beetlepaw!" Shadowpaw mewed, now not even really paying attention to the other cats. "Did you see me catch this lizard?"

OOC>> Wow. Hailpaw has an interesting taste in mates. I never thought Grimykit would find anyone.

Also, I kind of think that Shadowpaw is probably about warrior age by now.

[Cloud]

OOC: They're not...really mates. Hailpaw is a slut. .___. 'Nuff said.

BIC: The big brown tabby laughed when Beetlepaw came along and spoke up. She was funny, she was. Maybe he'd join the Rebellion one day just because of that. "Nope, don't mind me. I just sit here and watch the world go by."

Darkfur looked back with amusement at the little tom. His stuttering was funny. And things that were funny were hard to find in this dump, he was lucky to find two today.

He looked vaguely familiar, too. Perhaps he was one of the Experiment cats.

"So, uh, Shortwhisker, are you in the Experiment? You look sort of familiar. See, I just joined. For better or for worse." He added with he thought was a darkly theatric chuckle, but came out sounding stupid.

[Ten]

"Y-yeah, I'm in the Exp-perim-ment. Wh-what of it?" The nickname of "patchy" hadn't done anything to endear Darkfur to him, and Shortwhisker was waiting on an excuse to get away from these cats who didn't know anything about hunting form. It wasn't that he considered himself a graceful hunter; it was that he knew sloppiness and sheer luck when he saw it. If his mother had been here, she'd have chewed out this apprentice and set her right, but he himself didn't know the right words.