Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2018 0:03:11 GMT -5
ALL LIMITATIONS ARE SELF-IMPOSED
Dustclaw
WARRIOR | STONECLAN | 21 MOONS
Dustclaw was unprepared for the unusual drop in temperature. Yesterday was freezing, but today was almost unbearable. The wind tore through the territory like a wild beast, chilling everyone in Stoneclan to the bone. There was no way even those with the thickest of pelts could keep warm.
Dustclaw kept glancing enviously towards the forests beyond. Some of the other clans are lucky to have trees sheltering them from this wind. The brown tabby thought jealously, pausing to drop his prey: a plump, greedy hawk. It was foolish of the bird of prey to have been out in weather like this, and it was probably even more foolish of Dustclaw to have even attempted to bring it down himself. I guess I was the greater of two evils. He assumed smugly.
It was by no means an easy endeavor, and Dustclaw was covered in many scratches from the hawk's talons. Sandblaze was going to be irritated.
As the warrior picked up his catch continued battling through the intense gusts of wind, feathers choked him up, tickling the back of his throat and the tip of his nose. He probably looked like a monster, the bird's wings splayed out, thrashing in the wind, its feathers fluffed and ruffled in all directions. Okay, it wasn't the cleanest kill, Dustclaw admitted uncomfortably. but at least I got it! The feathers will be great for Petalrain's nest, and the hawk will make a great meal too.
While the warrior was trapped in his thoughts, Dustclaw stumbled off of a boulder. Both him and his prey went flying over the edge. In that instant, the tom's eyes widened in horror. He made an unusual sound, something between a yowl and a grunt as he tumbled down into the sandy soil. He looked around self-consciously, and once he was comfortable that no one saw, he walked casually over to the hawk and picked it up by the nape, once again dragging it clumsily towards camp. His long, powerful legs came in handy sometimes, and others not so much. I don't think I'll ever live that down. He thought, his front right paw aching.
"Your paw hurts? Not good! Injured from taking down that massive hawk I bet." Dustclaw mimicked a clanmate, mumbling through a mouthful of feathers, huffing as he dragged the bird.
"Er...yeah. That's right."
If one looked closely, they could see a smile flashing from beneath the bird's feathers, and the light of laughter in the warrior's green-tinted eyes as he battled onward into the fray.
By the time Dustclaw got to camp with the bird, he was truly beat. Just the thought of plucking the hawk made him tired, but the congratulations warmed him to the bone. Even if he couldn't really hear his clanmates in the wind, he knew by their eyes that they were impressed. Dustclaw would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy basking in their praise, though the gusts were relentless and violent.
"I'm going to take this to the elders!" He told his clanmates, voice raised to a yell in an attempt to conquer the roaring of the wind.
Dustclaw parted ways relatively quickly, dragging the hawk into the shelter of the elder's den, setting it down by the entrance. The change in temperature warmed him like summer sunlight, and after a breath of featherless air, his eyes searched for company. He greeted Wolfclaw and Crowdance warmly, offering his catch willingly before retreating after a quick recap of how he came to bring down such a monster of a bird. Perhaps he embellished a few parts and excluded some others, though the admiration shining in the elders' eyes was worth every moment, every word in his story. Dustclaw smiled and slipped outside and slunk over towards the warriors den.
He desperately wanted some shelter from the wind, even if only for a few moments! Perhaps he should have made his way to the medicine den, though it was easier to ignore his wounds for the time being.
I'll take care of it later. He promised himself as he slipped into the warrior's den. Dustclaw stood near the entrance, basking in the warmth of still air as his eyes searched the dimly lit den for his nest.
Word Count: 723 | Tags: Hellion
Notes: xxx