+65 XP [1124 words written]
+10 XP [Patrol sent]
+10% Hunger each
Ashcloud took a deep breath as she and the others spread through the grove, tasting the air for any other unpleasant surprises – namely more predators or cats who had come by earlier, scaring away the prey. Luckily, though, all she smelled was the scent of a vole somewhere to her right. Flicking her ears back to protect them from the prickly branches she dove between the bushes to her side, carefully paying attention not to step on any of the dead leaves littering the floor. Luckily, most of the last season’s fallen leaves had rotted away, leaving only young, soft shoots that didn’t produce much noise as she slowly placed her paws near them.
Keeping her body low to the ground she crept closer to where, by now, she could hear the soft rasping of the vole gnawing on a seed and continued inching forward until she could see it moving between the leaves.
She held her tail steady so it wouldn’t brush against any of the plants, adjusted her hind paws, and then launched herself forcefully thought the ferns, her right front paw swiftly pinning the rodent to the floor.
It struggled, but she quickly broke its neck with a well-placed bite and then picked it up, hurrying back to her place in the formation.
[+1 Vole, +2 FP, +2 XP]Somewhere behind her she heard something heavy rustle through the greenery, then a loud screech sounded. For a second, her heart stopped beating as she readied herself for yet another predator to burst from the bushed, but instead Jaggedmoon emerged. His face was cloudy, and his hackles raised, but in his jaws he held a fat squirrel.
[+1 Squirrel, +3 FP, +3 XP]“I was too slow to stop it,” he growled, clearly dissatisfied with himself.
“Great catch, though,” Ashcloud meowed in an attempt to pacify the tom, who only huffed.
With a sigh, the commander raised her voice. “Cinderpeak, Swifthare, let’s head back!”
The two of them had only to wait a few moments until the other two members of their patrol joined them, Cinderpeak carrying a few herbs.
[+1 Borage Leaves, +1 Wintergreen, +2 XP]Though she noticed Jaggedmoon still wasn’t happy with himself, Ashcould was fairly content with the outcome of their patrol. Surely, Rowanclaw would have arrived back at the camp with the hawk by now, and with this prey and the scraps they had buried earlier, not even Buckstar would be able to find fault in the results of their patrol – hopefully.
She breathed in deeply, trying to calm her nerves down, and then lead her patrol back up the mountain.
Total+5 FP | +1 Borage Leaves | +1 Wintergreen | +82 XP | Level 1 [157/200]
+75 XP [1300 words written]
+10 XP [Patrol sent]
+10% Hunger each
After saying goodbye to Echo, ShadeStar invited his cats to go hunting so they would have something to present the cats that had stayed at home. The apprentices went off, meowing to each other in excitement, and he could only remind them to stay in hearing range before they were all but vanished between the trees and ferns.
Rolling his eyes, he turned to SageFur and LionStep.
“I hope RussetPaw will do well,” he meowed, and LionStep nodded in agreement.
“I’m sure he will,” SageFur answered, her gaze fixed on a butterfly keeping pace with them as they strolled along the path leading back to their camp. They were well within their schedule if they wanted to be back before nightfall, so the three of them walked rather slowly, relaxing after the excitement of meeting the tribe.
They had been chatting idly for a while when suddenly the ferns lining the path to their left rustled and SongPaw burst through. “I caught a mouse!” she meowed around the rodent between her jaws, her tail held high in pride.
“Good job,” ShadeStar purred warmly. “And you, too!”
BirchPaw had emerged right after the other learner, a small shrew hanging from his mouth.
[+1 Mouse, +1 Shrew, +4 FP, +4 XP]He had just breathed in to say something else when LionStep hissed sharply.
ShadeStar whipped around to see what his Second had noticed and found the tom staring at the sky, his golden eyes narrowed.
“An eagle,” he growled. “A big one. We have to protect the apprentices and take it down.”
The leader folded his ears back as he searched the sky for a trace of the predator.
There it was! It was circling over the treetops, no doubt having spotted a few of the learners bumbling about between the greenery.
He gave a sharp cry, letting the rest of his clanmates know they should return to him immediately.
“Maybe it will be deterred by the number of cats we are and give up the hunt,” SageFur theorized hesitantly.
“I doubt it. But it’s your decision,” LionStep meowed, turning to look at ShadeStar.
“Should we try to take it down or should we leave it be?”Total+4 FP | +89 XP | Level 1 [44/200]
Congrats, you levelled up! As a reward, you receive 1 FP!
