Bird Hunting

[Flamepath]

Chirp Chirp Chirp. 

Birds fluttered over-head , singing songs of New-Leaf. The shrubs and bushes were filled with bright green leaves, prey was plentiful, and flower petals littered the rocky dirt and kits were taking turns chasing them down around camp. Leaf-bare was definitely a thing of the past now and everyone was appreciating was that the snow...was finally gone.



The air was cool and refreshing as Flamepath took in a deep breath. It tasted like dirt, rain, and flowers. He grinned at this before looking around camp. It was a little after sun-high and everyone was beggining to desperse to take care of their afternoon duties. Apprentices searching for the mentors, warriors getting ready to go on patrol, and he was sure that Anemonemist would probably be going out to check on herbs in the territory soon. Flamepath on the otherpaw had nothing to do this evening. He had formed patrols, checked up on the nursery this morning, and helped with some spring cleaning in the dens. He gave slight stretch before deciding he would go look for a hunting partner.



Curiously walking around camp he tried to find someone who wasn't too busy. Most everyone was already preoccupied but in the distance he spotted someone just sitting around idly. The deputy quickened his steps to a trot and approached the cat, tail high in friendly greeting.  "Good evening! Are you doing anything right now....because if not I was-I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going hunting with me?" he asked with a slight stutter as he tried to find his words, but the deputy still wore a huge grin. He hoped they were not too busy, a hunting partner was always nice...especially on a beautiful day like this.

[Dapplecloud]

The sun arched high overhead as I shook a few clods of dirt from my paws. The recent weather, combined with the pleasant warmth of newleaf, had brought out most of the prey... and everyone's spirits. Of course, no one really liked going out in the rain, which had been on and off for the past few days. That was nothing compared to the benefits of newleaf, though.
Birds darted through the sky above the walls of the camp, calling loudly. I looked up at a wren taking off above my head as the wind ruffled my fur. Just as I was about to get up, I saw a cat approach me. I had to blink a few times in the late afternoon sun to see who it was. It was Flamepath, the deputy.
"Good evening! Are you doing anything right now....because if not I was-I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going hunting with me?" he inquired.
"Good evening to you too, Flamepath." I replied. "I don't mind, I was just about to head out hunting myself before the sun sets."

[Flamepath]

The deputy's tail rippled behind him happily and a smile spread across his face. "Great! I was thinking about trying my luck farther down the cliff ,right along the creek. I heard from an earlier patrol that there were berries growing on the bushes and the birds are apparently everywhere" he explained as he began walking towards the entrance of camp, expecting Dapplecloud to follow him.

"That is if you are okay with that plan Dapplecloud?" he said with a whipped cream of his head as they made their way out of camp into the territory.

[Dapplecloud]

" I heard from an earlier patrol that there were berries growing on the bushes and the birds are apparently everywhere" he said. Birds, eh? Well, they were a bit more difficult for me to hunt, because I was built for fighting and strength, rather than tracking and stalking, but it was definitely a good spot for hunting. If they weren't all in trees, that was.

I nodded when he asked if the plan was okay. "Sure. Let's go and get some birds, then." I said, increasing my pace slightly to match his as I looked out over the rocky cliffs of RockClan's territory. The brush of the territory gave way to some spruce trees and towering cliffs and boulders; ideal places to start searching for prey such as birds.

[Flamepath]

Flamepath, along with his new found companion Dapplecloud, made their way down the cliff-side towards the creek. The closer they got to their destination, the more trees and overall vegetation began to pop up. "So...." he began, his green eyes glancing at Dapplecloud, " How have you been lately? Any trouble, good luck, apprentices, or maybe just nothing out of the ordinary?" The deputy flicked his tail curiously, trying to make a bit of small talk as they walked. Flamepath was a very social character but he couldn't say he knew too much about Dapplecloud.

The rocky ground began to get a bit mossy and patches of grass poked through certain spots. Flamepath took a deep breath as he saw the creek up ahead, breathing in the coolness and freshness from the water. He already saw the bushes one of the patrols had told him about, dark purple berries spotted them all the way down the creek and in the distance he could easily hear the chattering of birds. "Alrighty we are here!....time to keep our voices low actually I guess..." he chirped excitably until realizing they were trying to find prey and he needed to lower his voice just a notch.

[Dapplecloud]

(sorry I didn't post before, busy studying for my biology and European history exams)

"How have I been?" I said, restating his question for the sake of conversation. I had to scramble down the cliffside, going a little too fast because of my big paws. Slewing to a halt at the bottom, I answered it. "Well, now that Spruceclaw is a warrior, and I haven't seen Fernpaw around much, it's just life as usual in RockClan." Windy and scarce in prey, but that was what made us tougher than the other Clans, of course.

The rocky terrain became less dense as vegetation poked up between them. I looked from behind him over at the creek that ran through the territory. The smell of some squashed berries reached my nose, as harsh calls of birds reached my ears. Thankfully, none of them were alarm calls yet. "Yep. Should we split up for now?" I asked in an undertone. Group hunting was good when you were trying to catch a bird, but a separated group could cover more ground. It was quantity over quality.

[Flamepath]

Flamepath nodded in agreement, " Yeah I can definitely relate with that, without an apprentice it is usually same old, same old for me as well.....well I mean besides my recent becoming a father of course...they keep me on my feet." he chuckled with a small smile thinking about how he has seen his kits grow this past year. " I am glad nothing is going badly for you though, that is always good." he noted, glancing up at her.

Flamepath hummed as he looked up and down the banks. Splitting up gave them the chance to catch more prey quicker, though team hunting would make the task easier for sure. The deputy flicked his tail as he thought, they were both warriors...both of them capable of catching birds without assistance. "I agree that for now splitting up is a good plan....you can take the right end of the bank and I can head left." he directed as he lifted on paw and pointed as he spoke. "The berry bushes are everywhere as well as the birds so we shouldn't have trouble finding any...ready?" he asked as he mockingly got into a fake hunters crouch, eager to go catch something.

[Dapplecloud]

I stayed mostly quiet, listening to what the deputy had to say. I purred inwardly as he started to ramble. "Glad to hear you have kits. And life for all of us is pretty uneventful. Not that it's a bad thing..." I added. Even though it had happened many moons ago, the thought of the many raids upon RockClan still festered at the back of my mind. Kitnappings, deaths, and overall injury. But we recovered: we always did.

I flicked my tail and nodded as he agreed to split up. Veering off to the right, I tried with some difficulty to keep my paws silent as I strained for the sound of birds, either in the beating of wings or bird calls. Sniffing at a nearby berry bush, I noticed several berries strewn and flattened upon the rocks and grass. My ears pricked and I stiffened as a particularly loud call came from my left. Dropping low, and creeping through the budding plants, I saw a plump thrush pecking at the roots of another berry bush. I felt a gleam of satisfaction as I began to work my way around it.