|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2012 4:00:03 GMT -5
Leafbare had taken hold of LightningClan's territory, frosting the moorland in about an inch of snow. The tall grass the carpeted the area was brittle with frost, and it stiffly quivered as a bright orange-and-black pelt brushed through them. A trail of her small pawprints followed Mapleheart as she trekked out towards the rim of the Star Field. The light breeze was positively frigid, and her paws were cold. Tense and uncomfortable in the brisk, wintry air, she paused, her tail twitching impatiently. Her green eyes scanned the horizon, and then glanced back behind her. He's supposed to be here, too, so where is he? Her thoughts were exasperated and accusatory, and she huffed.
She'd been assigned to an early morning hunting patrol with Rootstride, and wasn't overly pleased about having to go out in the cold at such an unholy hour. The sun had just began to stretch into the sky, and she stifled a yawn. It wasn't that she had anything against Rootstride – she hardly knew him – but she most definitely had something against this hunting patrol. She felt like whining about how she was a she-cat, and she'd catch her death out here, but she stayed silenced and looked around once more, as if something might have changed in the past four seconds.
She could see her breath, for StarClan's sake. And, oh, her paws were going numb! Where was he? She was here, wasn't she? Did he even care about the effort that she'd put forth to venture out into the cold, alone, to go on some dumb hunting patrol? It had been such a valiant gesture, and not one cat had said one thing about her being so dedicated to her clan to even bother with this patrol...
Her thoughts were cut short as she heard approaching pawsteps and turned, ears pricked forward, to see her clanmate. Character; Mapleheart
Words; 326
Notes; n/a |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2012 5:18:20 GMT -5
birds flying high
you know how I feel
sun in the sky
you know how I feel
it's a new dawn it's a new day it's a new life for me
-- and I'm feeling good --
ROOTSTRIDE~
Rootstride had never particularly liked patrols. As an apprentice, the tan tomcat had been on them all the time and his notions towards them back then were still rather similar. He did not like going on forced hunting trips with cats he did not know well when he simply felt that he was more of a solo act. But, loyalty refrained Rootstride from ever questioning those in charge.
On this particular frozen Leafbare morning, the tom was meeting Mapleheart for a hunting patrol. The tan tom rather liked the morning time, when few cats were around to get in the way of his thought process. In fact, the LightningClanner liked it so much that he had already been out hunting earlier that morning for the clan, before the sun had even started its ascent.
It was also the reason for why Rootstride was late to meet with Mapleheart. While the tan tom was usually a very successful hunter, he had been hard pressed at locating any food. The tom had spent quite a bit of time scenting before he found a measly dormouse to bring back to him clan. This hunting patrol should just be cancelled. Today is not going to be a successful hunting day, Rootstride though to himself, inwardly groaning as he spotted the young calico warrior waiting for him at the entrance to the camp. "Don't get your whiskers in a twist, I'm coming," Rootstride called out in a muffled tone before pushing past the other warrior to bury his kill in snow. "I wouldn't be too upset about this, I've been up for quite some time. Just lost track of time," Rootstride added warningly, his whiskers twitching with amusement as he could practically see the warrior's impatience radiating from her.
"We won't find much to catch here," Rootstride added, the smile slipping from his features as he watched the frozen world, still.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2012 13:36:05 GMT -5
Mapleheart was embarrassed to see that her companion had already caught something. Of course she should have already begun to hunt, and she felt flustered for a moment before really getting a good look at Rootstride. She'd seen him around before, sure, but she'd never really looked. For just an instant, she marveled at the way that his muscles lay defined beneath his light tabby coat, the way he carried himself, the way... Maybe this hunting patrol wouldn't be so bad after all.
She calmed down a bit, and nodded to the warrior. "There's not much to catch anywhere this leafbare," she agreed, twitching her tail. She hadn't caught his underlying suggestion that the whole patrol was a waste of time, and began to pick her way through the snow, trying to be light-footed and graceful. It wasn't an easy task, with the way her paws would sink into the inch or two of snow, and she didn't seem to realize how silly she was actually making herself look. Nonetheless, she kept a good pace in this strange gait. "Nice catch by the way, Rootstride," she said, trying to make her voice sound breathy and feminine.
It was hard to sashay in the snow; the freezing temperatures only made it more difficult to appear elegant, as all she wanted to do was hunch over and get warmer. But she managed to keep herself mostly composed, though her movements were a tad awkward and she kept getting more and more cold.
Character; Mapleheart
Word count; 262
Notes; Tee hee. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2012 14:27:19 GMT -5
birds flying high
you know how I feel
sun in the sky
you know how I feel
it's a new dawn it's a new day it's a new life for me
-- and I'm feeling good --
ROOTSTRIDE~
The yellow gaze of Rootstride watched Mapleheart shuffle awkwardly in her paws, clearly embarrassed that she hadn't arrived earlier and already gone about hunting. The fluffy tabby was not disapproving of the warrior's actions, however. He knew that his morning nature was a little unconventional and therefore, didn't place judgment on those who were less accustomed to his early hours. At least she showed up at a reasonably early hour, Rootstride added to himself, watching as she got over her moment of anxiety and began to straighten up. 'There's not much to catch anywhere this leafbare,' Mapleheart commented and the tom nodded, keeping quiet for the most party. Yes, obviously, Rootstride thought to himself, but was kind enough not to embarrass the newly named warrioress too much.
The tan tabby sat on his haunches for a few moments as the excitable she-cat began to pad through the snow, picking each foot up and placing it down with such effort that it made her look terribly awkward. "Is there something the matter with your legs?" Rootstride commented, padding up beside Mapleheart, his fluffy pelt tossed in the wind and his muscular chest pumping outwards with each stride. 'Nice catch by the way, Rootstride,' Mapleheart commented, but Rootstride ignored the she-cat's words for the most part. Though he had been successful in his hunt and was pleased, the fluffy tom wished that he could have caught more and did not think it was appropriate, based on the amount of time he had spent on hunting, to say that he did a good job. In any case, the warrior just thought that he was doing his job -- he wasn't trying to prove anything or better himself in any way. Not when there are mouths to feed, Rootstride thought, grimacing.
The tom parted his jaws to scent for anything about. He wished that Mapleheart would stop walking like that -- it was both distracting and loud. He didn't want they prey to get scared away.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2012 15:50:23 GMT -5
Though she envisioned herself moving daintily through the drifts of snow, her flame-and-black pelt gleaming against the white, it became apparent to her that she did not appear so graceful. Her fur hot at Rootstride's comment, she stopped her odd gait and settled into a more natural one. A tail-length away, she fell in beside him. Glancing over, she noticed that he was scenting the air, and hastily began to do so as well. Her maw open, she inhaled several times before actually paying attention to what she was doing.
All the prey scents that were easily evident were stale, and it all tasted strange, mingled with the ice. Again, she glanced over at Rootstride, his pelt rippling with his long, even steps. How did he manage to move so... grandly? Anytime she tried to look even half as impressive as that, she made a fool of herself, clearly. Discouraged and a bit damp, she sighed heavily. Her mind lingering more on how to get his attention than the prey she was supposed to be hunting, she tripped over her own paws, stumbling a bit before regaining her balance.
Why do I even try? Coughing a bit, trying to distract him from the blunder she just made, she said, "So, uh, how's leafbare treating you?" Small talk would do. Character; Mapleheart Word count; 224 Notes; Meh.[/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2012 19:47:49 GMT -5
birds flying high
you know how I feel
sun in the sky
you know how I feel
it's a new dawn it's a new day it's a new life for me
-- and I'm feeling good --
ROOTSTRIDE~
The tom let out a heavy sigh ad his pale yellow eyes watched the she-cat change to a more natural looking pad. She's an odd one, for sure, Rootstride thought, casting judgment on her in a way that was not necessarily harsh, but simply like a comment. From his experience with his odd sister, the tom knew better to treat others differently based on their oddities. The young warrior seemed very hesitant about catching prey, for some reason. Most young warriors would have lept for joy at the idea that they could catch something for their clan in a hunting patrol. When Rootstride was young, he thought getting assigned to a patrol was an honor.
The tom remained emotionless as his bright gaze followed her lithe body from the upright position to stumbling and falling in the deep snow. "Pick up your feet more to avoid falling," Rootstride commented simply, unsure about how to handle the cat. 'So, uh, how's leafbare treating you?' Mapleheart asked and Rootstride let out another small sigh. "Well, it's cold, wet, and busy. Like usual. There's nothing to eat here, though. We'll have to move further along," the tan tabby meowed before padded forward, leaving Mapleheart to catch up.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2012 21:15:24 GMT -5
A bit indignant at Rootstride's remark, Mapleheart huffed a bit. It was cold, and her paws hurt! Bah, it was positively miserable out here. Now she understood what Willowtail had meant. It was better to stay in the nursery and have a few litters of kits before really going out and being a warrior. Being a warrior was no work for a she-cat.
Noting Rootstride's reply, one she interpreted as curt, she ran to keep up with the other warrior's pace. The least he could do was to at least acknowledge her. Sighing, she searched her head for topics, then blurted out the first one on her mind, "So, uh, do you want any kits?" It never occurred to Mapleheart how that might sound.
Peering sideways at the tom, she almost forgot what it was they were doing here, and was almost disappointed to remember. Opening her maw quickly, as if scenting, she remembered several moments too late to nod in agreement with his declaration about not finding any prey here.
Character; Mapleheart
Word count; 182
Notes; xD |
|
