Under Spiderstripe's Command

[Darky [Megan]]

Speckledclaw immediately made her way towards the rat, the pressure of her paws on the sand below gentling as she neared. This rat was large, and she didn't want to lose it, so she took extra care to demonstrate the proper hunting form to cats in the group who probably did not know much about chasing down rats. It was rather immodest of her to do this, but seeing as she was still subconsciously sour at not having been chosen as the leader of the hunt, she decided to do it anyway.

So, crouching into a pouncing position much slower than she normally would, about two tail lengths away from the rat, Speckledclaw readied herself to pounce upon the creature as soon as she had made sure that everyone was in position.

[kayte103]

At Spiderstripe's command, Barkpaw slowly crept towards the rat, pausing when he was about two tail-lengths away. His breathing was steady, but his heart was pounding; he hadn't been on many rat hunts since his apprenticeship had begun. But he needed the rat meat to quell his complications, so he pushed away his nervousness and fear.

[duckyaisha]

Patchfur looked over at Barkpaw, hoping the apprentice wasn't too nervous. Rat hunts were always a nerve-wracking thing for him even now that he was a warrior, and they could be downright terrifying for a young cat, who was about the size of one. The tom wasn't a skilled hunter like Speckledclaw, but he'd hunted a rat before, and knew the basics. Next he checked on Speckledclaw, and delicately walked across the sand, taking care to displace as little sand as he could. Silent steps were important.
He positioned himself in such a way that he could look at both Barkpaw and Speckledclaw, though Shortwhisker was outside his field of vision. Just looking at the tom might set him off, and if the two of them ruined this for Speckledclaw, he had a feeling he wouldn't be returning to the experiment.

[Gosh]

Spiderstripe followed suit, silently creeping towards the rat, falling into position. It was wounded - this would be an easy catch, an easy victory for the Leadership Experiment. Then again, if something went wrong and one of them got hurt - if one of them died - it would be bad. One of the things that Clanners said would be best about a Clan was that there would be more organized and safe rat hunts. A mishap here could shaken the outcome of the Experiment greatly.

[Ten]

Eyes on Speckledclaw, Shortwhisker sunk into a crouch as she had done, some instinct drawing him to imitate her didactic motions. Then he locked his gaze on Spiderstripe. He dared not move a muscle without orders. Inside, his emotions were spinning -- boiling resentment and envy of Patchfur, who had won praise from the leader for his choice of prey (despite not even wanting a leader, the ingrate!), the natural and familiar fear that clumped like warm, wet sand at the beginning of any rat hunt, and an added nervousness about his performance. What if he messed up? What if Spiderstripe saw him mess up? He couldn't let that happen. He must be perfect -- not just for his own sake (for the consequences could be dire, in particular if he survived) but for the sake of Clanhood.

[kayte103]

Barkpaw was coiled up like a spring, ready to pounce. He could feel the anticipation and tension in the air, and the mix of feelings the other cats had for each other. But though he knew he couldn't stay in this position forever, he resisted the temptation of shooting forward at the rat. Just a little longer, he assured himself. Then that rat will be dead at our claws.

[duckyaisha]

Patchfur was tired of waiting. Normally he didn't take orders from anyone; he was strong and independent! He could make his own decisions, unlike that idiot Shortwhisker who practically fell to pieces every time a decision had to be made and a leader wasn't there. However, this was a rat hunt and the tom knew that he was quite unexperienced in this area. Spiderstripe might've been as well, but this was a chance for him to evaluate her leadership skills and he had to let her make the calls, however much he despised it. But just because he had to listen to her didn't mean he had to be agreeable towards the rest of the cats, Shortwhisker in particular. He glanced over at the tom, turning his head slightly so his face was in plain view of him. It had to be subtle, nothing that could be considered offensive unless you had a mind like his. Motioning towards Spiderstripe with a small nod, he smirked and unsheathed his claws. This would be considered anticipation of the hunt by the others, but by Shortwhisker- well, he was about to find out.

[Ten]

ooc| I'm afraid Shortwhisker just wouldn't give him the time of day; he's focused on Spiderstripe. However, if Patchfur resolved to try again after the hunt, that might yield some results.

[duckyaisha]

Ooc: Well, even if it wouldn't work I just wanted Patchfur to try something. I'm thinking of an idea...

[Darky [Megan]]

ooc
Sorry about the late reply, I've been drowning in real life issues and haven't got much time for the computer.

bic
Speckledclaw could feel the air thick with anticipation as the other cats fell into a close semi-circle behind her. She decided to make a move before the rat noticed the crowd of cats.

She set to close the distance between herself and the critter first with a few deft, soft leaps, and then charged at it full-on. The rat, finally alerted, dove into a speedy attempt at a getaway, but was limping. Speckledclaw saw that this hunt wouldn't last long.