Rat Hunt

[duckyaisha]

Patchfur quickly dropped into a crouching position as he neared a group of cats hunting. Obviously it was a rat- nothing else in the enclosure required a team effort to take down. Besides, he could smell the rat and its fear scent from here. The tom didn't know if he should participate in the hunt, which looked like it was drawing to a close, but he didn't want to ruin this for the cats that were involved and his ginger and white fur would be highly visible among the sand. But maybe while he was here he could help.... Patchfur slowly, slowly crept across the sand, his belly fur brushing the ground. The sand caught in his fur would be dealt with later. He had more important things to do right now. The tom positioned himself next to a wall, a tail-length or so behind a branch that was sticking out. It was high enough for a rat to duck and run under it, but a cat would have to crawl. The rat might try to go under it because the cats would have to go around the branch and they'd lose speed. But Patchfur would be waiting right behind the branch, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting creature. If the rat didn't come near him, the tom would give chase. He just wanted to help in some way- maybe he'd be rewarded with prey.

[holly60zz]

Sandwhisker pricked her ears in interest as the sound of rapid paw-steps caught her attention. Raising her head, she quickly caught sight of the group of cats chasing something small and grey; evidently a rat. Perfectly camouflaged with her light brown fur, the rangy female set off at a fast trot; not in the least worried how the other cats would react to her joining in. Prey was prey - if you caught it you got it and Sandwhisker was hungry.

[Darky [Megan]]

Orangestorm bolted around the rat and leapt several times when he thought he was close enough to capture the rat. Alas, the speedy little rodent evaded his every attempt, and to his dismay the tom found himself tiring.

Speckledclaw was not far off behind. She had been planning for the tom to tire the rat out so she or one of the other cats nearby would catch it with ease, saving her and the other cats some energy. The thin scent of lurkers whipped around the she-cat's nose. Speckledclaw only hoped she had enough strength left over to deal with them.

The rat ran on doggedly, and was nearing the walls. desperate, it began to try to squeeze through an extremely small hole in the wall. It was going to be caught soon, it knew - but wait, what was this?

Orangestorm leapt at the grey creature, and in mid-air, found himself confused. There were two rats! He was leaping right into a signed contract for death! Fortunately there were a good many cats around now, but two rats was a chore to handle.

Doubting help, Orangestorm braced himself, teeth bared, claws drawn to their fullest, and landed right on top of the second rat. Speckledclaw, who had been paying sharp attention, streaked in and helped him pin it down.

The first rat turned and opened its mouth. Crimson liquid stained Orangestorm's white hind paw.

[holly60zz]

Sandwhisker sprang forwards as soon as she saw the blood spurt out of the tom. With skillful agility, she snapped her jaws shut on the vicious rodent's back and whipped it back and forth. Hot blood ran down her chin as the rat jerked spasmodically a few times and then was still. Nodding coldly at Orangestorm, Sandwhisker hastily bent down and took a bite out of her catch, eyes flitting back and forth in case some other hunter tried to steal her kill.

[duckyaisha]

Patchfur was impressed. Three cats had taken down two rats. A small group for a relatively large kill. He didn't want to take the prey, ignoring the hunger raging in his belly. The ginger and white tom came out from behind his branch- it was just bad luck the rat hadn't come his way, and he hadn't wanted to antagonize the other hunters by running straight for it. Being a young warrior, he hadn't had much experience hunting rats. He looked around and spotted a few lizards on the wall; his stomach still growled after he had finished, but not as loudly. His paws kicking up streams of sand, Patchfur ran over to the others. He kept well away from the prey, making it clear he wasn't going to eat any, no matter how much he wanted to. Slowly his gaze traveled down to the orange tom's hind paw, bleeding onto the sand. "You should clean that," he said, concern showing in his eyes. "If it gets infected, you might die." /Like my brother./ The unspoken thought echoed through his head and he lowered his eyes to the ground as a pang of sadness hit him.

[jamie103]

Duststripe emitted a loud yawn, his white teeth glinting in the sunlight. His tongue curled, and the sound stretched on until his mouth closed, after which he flexed off the cobwebs of sleep still clinging to his body. After a quick and finalizing shake to full wake himself, he trotted off to quiet his gurgling stomach. His pads hit the dry, cracked earth lightly as not to disturb any nearby prey.

Soon, Duststripe spotted a group of cats. There was a speckled she-cat, an orange-and-white she-cat, a brown tabby she-cat, an orange tom, a light brown she-cat, and a ginger-and-white tom. Five of the six were devouring some rats. He had missed the hunt, but still, there was prey. However, as hungry as he was, he was above stealing.

Duststripe trotted over to the eating group. "Hello," he greeted. "I noticed you were eating some rats. Mind if I have a bite?" He eyed the light brown she-cat, who was intently gorging herself on her prey. She didn't look too willing to share. But the tabby she-cat seemed kind. He sat, waiting for a reply.

[holly60zz]

Sandwhisker flicked her ears up as the tom approached. Looking down at her rat, she knew it was far too much for her to eat by herself. Rolling her eyes at her own conscience, the she cat took one last chunk out of the carcass and pushed the remains towards the tom. Sitting back, she started to clean her ears slowly whilst watching his reaction carefully.

[jamie103]

Duststripe stared hungrily at the chunk of meat he was given. Slightly surprised that it was the light brown she-cat who had given him the piece, he gave her a "Thanks" and began eating. The meat was juicy and tender on his tongue, and he ate it quite quickly. Once finished, he sat on the dry earth, waiting for the others to finish their small meal. He wondered if they would converse, or if he would be turned away; he figured that they would not send him off if the light brown she-cat, of all of them there, had given him a piece of her prey. Surely this had been presented as a welcoming?

[Gosh]

Frailheart sat not too far away from the cats eating their catch. Her stomach rumbled, but she told herself there were too many cats there to steal even a small piece. She hoped a little that one of them would see her and pity her, but she felt too embarrassed to plead for a piece.

'Perhaps there will be leftovers,' she thought hopefully.