Hunting

[Lexie]

Stormcloud walked into the forest and sniffed the air. "Just as it was back then," he whispered. He stalked into the trees. He saw a fat, grey squirrel at the bottom of the old oak tree. "My favorite oak tree," he whispered. He went into the hunting crouch and pounced. He then bit down onto the limp squirrel. He put it down and started a pile.
"Coppertail? Duskfur? You here?" he asked.
He stepped onto a stick just to let them know where he was. He sniffed the air once more. "This is more loaded with prey then it was back about ten moons ago," he whispered to himself. "Hey? Does Icestar make you hunt in the different places to let the prey populate?" he meowed. He sighed and went back to hunting, without an answer. /I know these cats don't trust me, but maybe I can gain there trust talking and hunting with them/ he thought. He smiled and pounced. He laid a limp mouse with the squirrel.

[lord of all yellow mice]

Duskfur padded quietly through the trees, not letting himself get too far away from the others. He watched Stormcloud carefully as he quickly killed the mouse. He's a great hunter, he observed. It doesn't look like he's lost any skills during the time he was with the Twolegs. That could mean a good thing, he supposed, or not. Maybe he'd had the time to practice hunting. Should I ask him? A thrush landed on a low branch nearby, then hopped to the ground. I suppose I have time to make a catch first. He dropped into a low crouch, and quickly caught the bird. Setting aside his prey, he scrambled back to look for Stormcloud. "You hunt very well," he told the black-and-white warrior.

[Lexie]

"Thanks, the Twolegs had a lot of mice in their nest," he meowed. "I guess it was my job to catch them or something. They petted me on the head everytime I caught one, weird uh?" he meowed.
He jumped into a bush and watched. There was a a bunch of birds in a tree. He started to climb the tree, so the birds couldn't hear or see them. He noticed it was like a family. One of the birds flew away but there was three still there. "Aha!" he hissed, once one of the birds fell limp, into the bush below.
Then, two more fell. He jumped down from the branch. He grabbed the three birds and put them down into his 'little' pile. He smiled at Duskfur.

[lord of all yellow mice]

Duskfur flicked his tail and gave Stormcloud a curious look. "You caught birds there too, I assume?" His gaze flickered to the other tom's growing pile of fresh-kill. "Did they praise you for that?" I still need to ask him about his age too... How can I do that subtly? He was still suspicious of Stormcloud, but didn't want to ask him too many questions. The black-and white tom didn't seem like a bad cat to him - it was almost as if Duskfur wanted to trust him, but for some reason couldn't. Is there really something up with him, or is it just that I'm too afraid to trust any cat?

[Lexie]

Stormcloud nodded. "Well, at the shelter, but I was yelled at there, when I did it. I guess they like give them to other Twolegs for something," he meowed with a shrug. "Where's Coppertail?" he asked. He shrugged once more until at the corner of his amber eyes he saw a mouse. He did somewhat like a backflip twist and the mouse was in his jaws. He laid it in his pile and looked at Duskfur. Maybe he doesn't like hunting as much as I do? And this cat seems a little scared around me. I guess it's his personality. Stormcloud thought. "I wonder." he meowed, looking at the tom.
He went back into a hunting crouch. His eyes went into slits once he saw a deer. "Here, help me get this deer." he meowed. He pounced and attacked the deer like it was the average prey.
The deer fell but it was still alive. Then it's eyes closed. And the body laid limp.

[lord of all yellow mice]

Duskfur stood completely still, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, paralyzed with amazement as he watched Stormcloud take down the deer all by himself. If he can do that to a deer, can he do it to a cat too? Should I really be alone with him right now? What should I do? His legs shook a little. Move, you mouse-brain, he though to himself. Remember what happened last time you didn't move... He closed his eyes for a second, but the deer was still there when he opened them. He really did do it. He breathed deeply, finally building up the nerve to speak. "S-should I bother asking," he murmured, "whether there were deer at this shelter, too?" Did someone teach him those skills?
"I'd, erm, better go catch something else myself," he meowed quickly, eyes flickering to the ground. He dashed off as fast as he could, finally stopping when Stormcloud was out of sight. There was a mouse in the bushes nearby - he was able to drop into a crouch and catch it, but just in time. My hunting skills are affected by my nervousness. He scrambled back to the place he'd buried his thrush. As he dropped the mouse onto the pile, he recalled Stormcloud's backflip. Did the Twolegs train him to do that? He was becoming more and more worried - soon he wouldn't be able to think at all. Calm down... calm down...

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail brushed up alongside Duskfur, dropping a blackbird onto the pile. "Sorry for vanishing," he whispered," I needed some space. Stromcloud is going to drive me insane. He's brave, strong and an amazing hunter. No doubt I'll go back to camp to find that's he deputy." He glanced at Stromcloud, seeing him as an enemy rather then a Clan mate. He looked back at Duskfur. "Up for some investigating?"

ooc://
Stormcloud actually killing a deer is unrealistic. Let's just say that Stormcloud attacked the deer but didn't kill it.

[lord of all yellow mice]

Duskfur jumped a little as Coppertail's pelt brushed against his, but quickly relaxed when he realized who it was. "Y-yeah," he meowed to the ginger tom, trying to keep his voice steady. "You know, he's driving me insane, too - literally. There's - There's really something strange about him." He sighed, still trying to get his breath back. "He's been using all these crazy hunting moves - moves that I doubt any Twoleg could teach him. And I still think it's a bit strange that I don't remember him - he claims to remember my mother, but if he really did leave the Clan before I was born, he'd have to be at least, say, ten or eleven moons older than me." Saying his suspicions aloud to someone he knew he could trust had calmed him down a little, but he was still a little nervous about what might happen if they got too far into this investigation. All the same, he nodded. "We really should find out as much as possible."

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail shrugged. "I probably wasn't even born when he was in BeachClan. Let's just keep watching him and ask a few questions. We don't want to upset him. If he's as great a fighter as he is a hunter I don't want to get on his bad side." He licked a patch of white fur on his chest trying to calm himself down. "We've got to be careful about this."

[lord of all yellow mice]

"Alright," Duskfur meowed softly. "I guess I should, erm, try to get near him again." He moved quietly through the trees in the direction of the place where the black-and-white warrior had attacked the deer. A few tail-lengths away, something stirred in the bushes, and Duskfur opened his mouth to scent the air. Another mouse. Slowly, he stalked toward the small creature, legs still trembling. A branch creaked behind him, and he jumped and whirled around. Stormcloud? The mouse let out a small squeak and dashed off. Mouse dung... there's nothing even there. He let out a sigh as he stared at the bush where the mouse had been moments before. He was instinctively staying alert, but because of it, he couldn't focus on what he was doing. Watching carefully for another chance to catch something, he continued to look for Stormcloud.

[Lexie]

ooc;
okay..... sorry it was my cuzin who was typing, I had to get her out of my hair!! And she's 14!!! Can't she figure out that she's annoyying !!!!

bic;
Stormcloud sat down. These cats hate me... Why can't that stupid Twoleg stay away from a cat once and a while. Okay, well I'm a little more advanced than these toms but maybe I can teach them a few moves, to gain their trust, he thought. He nodded and smiled. "How about I teach you how to bring down a deer, like I just did," he suggested. "Or I can teach you how to wound a dog at the farm, and steal a chicken or two.." Stormcloud meowed.
He smiled and stared at the two toms.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail frowned. "Never steal chickens or hurt twoleg dogs. Never," he meowed, his voice cold and harsh. "Do you want to get us all killed? It is common rogue knowledge that you don't touch prey or any other animal that a twoleg keeps. It's okay if the dog is hurting you but never on purpose." Amber eyes blazing and ginger fur bristling, Coppertail stalked away. Some wild cat he is! He doesn't even know the basics. He hadn't realised that Stormcloud was trying to be friendly. He thought the tom was just gloating. He wondered if Stormcloud would be confused that he knew something about rogues. It won't be long before he asks about my family...

[lord of all yellow mice]

Duskfur could feel anger toward Stormcloud welling up inside him, as well as annoyance and fear. Well, he's certainly not afraid to show us what he can do. If he really did plan to use his skills against us, why would he show them to us first, and even offer to teach them to us? Or is this an attempt to intimidate us? He slunk slowly closer to the warrior, his heart pounding. If it is, it's working on me.
"Coppertail's right," he told Stormcloud. He tried to keep his voice gentle, but it was near impossible for him to hide his anger and fear. "Remember that we're hunting to feed our clan. Doing anything else right now would be pointless." He had to keep himself from spitting the last word. Casting a small fake smile in Stormcloud's direction, he prepared to follow Coppertail, but looked back over his shoulder before doing so. "By the way, Stormcloud, how many moons old are you? Your remarkable agility tells me that you must still be young, and yet it surprises me that a young cat could learn so much..." He sighed. There. I've asked it.

[Lexie]

Stormcloud was shocked of the way his new deputy. He felt bad, and shocked. Morningstar always let us have some fun and steal the chickens. And fiddle with the Twolegs, he thought. He went to walk away till he had heard his new clanmate ask the question. "Well, I'm twenty-three moons old, you?" he responded.
He let out a sigh and started to walk away. Again... Well, it's here or to live with the loners... he thought, If I can't fit in here.
He stopped in his pawsteps. "You know what Coppertail? You'll never learn the way of life that Morningstar taught," he hissed.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail turned back. "I never knew Morningstar," he meowed simply," I've had two leaders in my lifetime; Burntstar and Icestar. Now, do you want to take a wild guess and figure out why I might be so serious, hmmm?" He is eyes were focused on Stomrcloud's. The anger had faded and was replaced by playful, yet slightly hostile, teasing. A thought crossed his mind as he started adding up the numbers. "Duskfur, how long as Icestar been leader of BeachClan?"

[lord of all yellow mice]

"I don't really remember, actually," Duskfur murmured to Coppertail. He would've thought about it a little more, but for now was busy with his own calculations. Twenty-three moons... He really isn't much older than I am. When I was born, he was probably three or four moons old - not even an apprentice yet. Does that mean he's not telling the truth? He looked at the tom curiously. But I don't even remember being a kit, or much of being an apprentice for that matter. I never really talked to anyone. If Stormcloud had been captured when he was an apprentice, there was a way it could still make sense, he supposed, but his suspicion had grown even more. "I'm about twenty moons," he told Stormcloud slowly. Should I voice my suspicions aloud to him? He paused before adding, "We could have been kits at the same time. That's interesting, isn't it?"

[Lexie]

"No, actually I was just given my apprentice name when you were born, it was the same night actually. Silentstep became my mentor and taught me everything her mother told her to do. Morningstar was a great leader." he told the two toms.
"And so I'm seeing your pretty close to my age. You were Burntstar's kit once he was exiled correct?" he asked. "How old are you?" he asked. He let out a smile.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail frowned. Stormcloud must've lived close by if he was so well-informed. Burnstar was exiled probably a few moons after Stormcloud was born. "I'm about 23 moons old as well," he meowed stiffly. He padded back towards the group. "Burntstar is my father. Suntail my mother. My siblings reside in other Clans. Flaxeyes in FrostClan, Honeyfrost in RainClan and Owlspot in AquaClan."

[Lexie]

"Interesting." he meowed. "I'm guessing you were the cats away's wondering around the shelter picking up a meal or two. We had a lot of mice. And the Twolegs tried to get you away with a thing on a stick......" he purred.
"I remember you, you had Burntstar's sent on you," he purred. "Nice to see you again," Stormcloud teased.

[lord of all yellow mice]

"You seem to be rather interested in other cats' histories," Duskfur meowed softly. Something about the way Stormcloud had so suddenly began speaking about Coppertail's heritage was annoying him. How does he know so much? Looking around, he could see a large pine tree a few fox-lengths away - that tree. Quickly, he turned away. At least there's no way he could know about that... but it won't be long until Stormcloud realizes how much of a coward I really am - No doubt he'll find a way to take advantage of that.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail crinkled up his nose. "I would rather not talk about that aspect of my life."
He turned and began padding away. "Come along Duskfur," he meowed," I want to have another go at those pesky magpies. Want to help me?"

[Lexie]

Stormcloud said nothing and frowned. These cats really don't want me here, they don't even give me a chance! The black and white tom thought. "I'm going to take my prey back to camp." he told them. He picked up his birds and mice and headed back to camp. I'll never gain they're trust, maybe Silentstep can talk to them. No, that shows fear, and weakness. Now I sound like that Tigerstar! He thought as he walked away.

[lord of all yellow mice]

"Sure," Duskfur murmured to Coppertail, beginning to pad after him. He couldn't let Stormcloud do all the work! He'd have to pick up the prey he'd caught earlier, too.
At Stormcloud's words, he slowly looked back over his shoulder. "The Clan will be pleased," he called to the tom as he began to walk off. "You've caught a lot. Do you need help carrying it back?" He paused, unsure if he'd just said the right thing. He won't think I'm implying that he can't carry prey or something, will he? I wasn't trying to make him mad...

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail looked back frowning. "Why don't you just cache it and join us? We can come back for it later Stormcloud," he meowed. "If we don't get those magpies know they'll keep harassing us. What if they attack the apprentices?"

[Lexie]

Stormcloud ignored Duskfur. But once he heard Coppertail he dropped his prey and sighed. "Fine, here, Silentstep taught me this trick her." he sighed. He watched the magpies closly until he hopped from tree to tree, quietly flicking his tail back and foruth. He landed onto the same branch as the magpies. The black and white birds went to fly away. Stormcloud let them, until he had the chance to pounced. Into mid air. Stormcloud only caught two out of the six magpies. He dropped them and jumped down from the branch. He landed with a thud.
"Sorry, I only got two." he sighed.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail crept silently towards the magpies. He always fround it hard hunting in BeachClan territory, the ground was so dry. He could feel the dry twigs under his white paws and was careful not to break them. Once he was within range he pounced into the group of birds. His claws dug into the back on one bird and he felt it struggle underneath his paws. He buried his teeth into the feathers, biting down hard. The bird went limp. Spitting feathers he turned to see where the others got too. The magpies had taken sanctuary in the trees, squawking alarm calls. He hissed as one suddenly swooped. Magpies were noturious for attacking back. He jumped at the bird in midair, snarling as he felt its talons brush against his head. "Mousebrained bird!"

[lord of all yellow mice]

With his flank almost pressing against the edge of the tree trunk, Duskfur glanced up at the large birds on the branch. He'd been planning to attempt to climb it, but now that he actually stood by the tree, the branch looked so much higher and so much thinner. If one of them attacks back and I'm caught by surprise... He slunk away from the tree, coming back around in front of the branch. I need to catch them by surprise. But even if I catch one of them, I might be attacked by another - or all the others. He was becoming more and more reluctant to do this. Stormcloud and Coppertail have already caught a few. It can't be that bad. Breathing deeply, he began to stalk toward the tree. The magpies have already been stirred up by the others. They're more alert now, more annoyed, more vicious. His breath caught in his throat as he made the sudden leap, claws extended for the nearest bird. It almost had time to dive out of the way, but Duskfur snagged its wing in his left front claw. He landed awkwardly on the other side of the branch, and almost immediately felt a sharp pain in his front leg. The magpie, though trapped, had been able to claw him. He winced and pulled his paw away, allowing the black-and-white bird to escape, though its wing dragged across the ground behind it as it walked. Duskfur made a final leap for the injured bird, killing it with a quick bite to the neck. Immediately after, however, there was a rustle of wings and three of the birds dove toward him. "Coppertail! Stormcloud!" I won't be able to fight them on my own...

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail smiled in triumph as the magpie flew up into the trees to join its companions. Duskfur had lept at the birds and managed to snare one, but not without getting a minor scratched. Coppertail tensed as the birds became more agitated and dove down straight at Duskfur. Snarling, he dashed over to the dark warrior and swiped at the magpies. His eyes scrunched up in pain as one of them managed to create a cut across his forehead. "Stormcloud. A little help here," he meowed through clenced teeth.

[Lexie]

Stormcloud saw the two cats attack and kill the magpies. Then he saw they needed help. Here's my chance! he thought. He pounced and dove into the fight. Birds v.s. cats. She bit into another bird. Then one had attacked him from the rear. The black-and-white bird ripped his flank open. His eyes became angry slits. He snarled and leaped out, hitting one of the birds with his paw. It fell to the ground limp. He saw more and more birds attacking. "Help!" he hissed.
Birds came flying over him, leaving all sorts of wounds. "Coppertail, Duskfur. Help." he meowed softly. His eyes closed, he heard nothing more. He wasn't dead, but somewhat was so hurt. Stormcloud had passed out.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Coppertail slashed at the birds, which had now turned to Stormcloud. The BeachClan deputy was thrilled by the crunch the magpie's bones made as his paw pinned them to the forest floor. He shook blood from his pelt, little droplets falling onto the leafs. His wounds were nothing compared to Stormcloud. Coppertail nudged the warrior with his nose and called his name gently. "Duskfur," he commanded," Can you fetch Quietshadow and some of the apprentices? Stormcloud appears to have fainted."