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 Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:54 pm
 Duskwing jumps from branch to branch looking for the tell tale sign of birds nesting. She hears the flap of wings further ahead. She stalks close to the sound and spots birds flying and making their way to the floor of the forest. She moves silently closer until she jumps to a tree right above the birds suspected landing area.
She lays flat on a low hanging branch, dubiously dangling her forelegs back and forth. She watches as the scant looking birds land underneath the tree to peck at the ground to find any kind of food. Like the cats the prey of the mountains was feeling the unfortunate lack of food. She watches as one finds a worm and plucks it from the ground. She's has been noticing that birds are able to find more worms lately, she hopes it is a sign that things are looking better.
She could drop down and tackle a bird, but she has learned that it could be a miss and a waste of energy. She would rather wait for the birds to fly and get closer to her so she can just leap and grab one while it is in mid-flight. Birds don't seem to be able to pick a direction all that fast if they startle from above. she thought to herself as she moves into a silent crouch above them waiting for their next move.
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 5:09 pm
 Skysong had been a warrior longer than most of the cats who remained in MountainClan. As such, she didn't let the way her clan was falling apart effect her, not outwardly at least. She buried her fear and doubt deep inside and focused hard on her warrior duties. Today, she was hunting. Her dusty fur made her stand out, so this well-experienced hunter knew how to keep herself hidden. The dried grasses and reeds concealed her well as she watched her prey from the brush. When the wind blue, rustling the plants, she would also move. Creeping forward on silent paws, blue eyes locked on to her favored prey, narrowing into slits. With one final gust of wind, she flashed out. A blur of white, the older she-cat lunged at her prey, swiping with deft paws but missing, sending the two scrawny birds upward. Hissing, she pushed her strong legs beneath her and nearly flew herself. But not fast enough. She had failed.
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Blinded By Silence Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:47 am
Duskwing watched as the light gray she-cat, Skysong, if she remembered correctly stalked towards the birds on the ground. She was curious as to how she would try and catch the birds. She flicked an ear and waited to see what she would do. Birds were surprisingly hard to catch from the ground. She watched as she paused at each interval of wind, it was a smart idea moving when not heard, when she lunged the birds took to the skies just a little ahead of the she-cat.
Duskwing didn't even see her take a jump at the birds, she just launched out of the tree right on top of a bird. She grappled it in her claws and made the motions to land safely on the ground. She immediately bit its neck when she hit the dirt. It was quiet after the catch. She looked over to the she-cat and nodded a greeting at her. "Here, this is yours. Birds are easier to catch off guard from above, they don't ruffle feathers from noises over them." She sat down next to the dead bird. "That was an amazing use of the gusts though! I've never seen cats do that." She was bouncing slightly from paw to paw. Splitnose was a good teacher, but even he never used the wind to move towards prey only to stay downwind of it.
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:31 am
Skysong leapt backwards as the young warrior pounced down from the tree branches, bringing their claws down on the startled bird. Her mouth pressed into a hard line as she quickly drew in a breath, silencing a gasp of surprise and frustration. She watched with icy eyes as the dark she-cat killed the bird, flicking her ears in annoyance when she didn't even thank SunClan for its life, 'Kits these days...' she hissed inwardly. Before the she-cat could notice, she licked a paw and rubbed her ears to try and wipe away her irritability. No, this cat was a Warrior in her own right. Dusk-something or other. She should congratulate her. "Nice catch," She bit the words. She meant it, in a way. Any fresh-kill was a good thing, no matter who caught it. She blinked at the young cat when she offered her the bird, her blue eyes icy, "Thank you, but I wasn't hunting for myself," For a moment, she thought of the kits back at camp with empty bellies and reached out, hooking the bird's corpse with her claw, "I will take this back to camp. Others need it more."She flicked her ears as the she-cat explained her hunting technique, "Perhaps. But the risk of injury seems a bit high, don't you think?" Her tone was a bit sharp, she shook her head, "I apologize. Duskwing, is it? Thank you. Hunting is much harder when your pelt doesn't blend in with your surroundings. My mentor taught me to make the most of what's around me."She glanced upward to the branches with a dubious look, "Though, I don't know if your technique is what she meant." Skysong looked back to Duskwing, "Aren't you worried you'll fall?"
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Blinded By Silence Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:42 pm
Duskwing nodded to Skysong and thought about how much like her the she-cat was. She wasn't actively hunting for herself, she never truly did and she always thanked Sunclan at the end of the day for when she did bring prey back to the clan. Thanking them in the moment was a hard concept for her. She was taught it yes, but between catching, landing, and killing the prey there just wasn't much time.
She flinched slightly at the tone that the she-cat used. Her thoughts started racing to try and find what she did that the other would be displeased about. Did she intrude? Should she have just left when she spotted the she-cat? She was,... confused seemed like an understatement.
She almost missed the entire conversation. She blinked and thought about both perceived questions, spoken and unspoken, for a moment. "Hunting from the trees can be dangerous yes, but it gives me a wider view of everything. Most creatures don't bother looking up when the only danger they know has been on the ground. If I spend my time thinking and worrying about falling, I'll end up falling and truly hurting myself." It was like a switch was flicked in the little cat, all bird puns had melted from her speech and she spoke seriously. Her body was tensed in a way it wasn't at the beginning. "Never climb higher than you think you can safely fall. Worrying about falling will just make you fall. Just like worrying about failing will make you fail. Second guessing yourself is never acceptable if you are in the trees. You must trust that Sunclan will guide and protect you in the trees." She had sat down through her little speech, the tension in her subsiding a bit. She never played around when it came to talking about tree safety. Her voice never raised that much above a whisper, still able to be heard, but shockingly silent compared to before when she spoke of herself.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:12 pm
Skysong, too, had settled on her haunches, her ears facing forward, listening carefully to the young Warrior. Despite her original feelings toward the she-cat, she was surprised, and impressed, by her shift from bumbling to collected. She purred slightly, amused. "You're very smart for your age. I'm impressed, did you learn all of this yourself or did your mentor teach you?" They went back and forth, sharing tips and strategies, things that they've learned. Skysong even practiced her tree-walking. Together the two she-cats walked back to camp, each carrying some hard-earned prey for those who needed it most.
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Blinded By Silence Vice Captain
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