Flying fish-P

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Jude

Arwen was more focused then she had ever been. It was rare for her to put all her effort into one thing, as little things easily distracted her. Although she hadn't eaten since she got to Deathclan, which was at least two days ago. She could feel her ribs caving in and her stomach shrinking, the claw of hunger driving her crazy. She hadn't eaten a lot when she was a stray in the city either, although she had never been this hungry.

Arwen leaned in closer to the river, her nose twitching. She had never hunted fish, and she wouldn't risk plunging into the freezing waters to get one. Although by tomorrow she was sure that would be her last option. Arwen squealed in surprise as a fish streaked by, slapping her muzzle with its tail. She reared back, her face full of surprise before she hissed. " Stupid fish!"

Hearing a few leaves rustle behind her she whirled around, eyes wide with fear until she realized it was only another cat, smelling of Deathclan. She didn't say anything, her face flushed with embarrassment. She could only hope he hadn't witnessed her fish accident.

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Jude hadn't had any water in a day or two. Or maybe it just felt like that. He didn't know. His mind had been occupied with other things, like avoiding everyone new, or wanting to make sure he'd never hurt anyone again. That last thing he was still unsure about. He did like fighting, but now he was too afraid of hurting someone who didn't deserve it. It'd just add more negativity to his already large pile of guilt.

So, here he was at the river. Or, almost at the river. It was some amount of badger-lengths away, though he had stopped walking due to a sudden voice. "Stupid fish!"

He hesitantly parted some plants to get a look. It was a youngling, and one that looked really skinny. 'Must've had trouble hunting.' He could relate. He used to rely on dumpsters for food for moons before he learned to hunt. Then his ears perked up in alarm. Unfortunately for him, she had spotted him. 'Might as well greet her.'

Exiting his little hiding spot, he slowly padded out and nodded at her. "Um... Hi. Do you need help catching some food?"

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Arwen flattened her ears against her head, puffing out her fur slightly to appear bigger. Although she didn't think he would fight a kit, she just wanted to seem more competent. " No, I don't need help." She turned her head back to the river, sitting down firmly.

She looked down uneasily as her stomach growled, a small frown on her face before turning back around. " Okay.... Maybe I need a little help." She admitted, sighing. " But I don't want you hunting for me, I just want you to show me how." She quickly stated, making sure he understood. She knew she couldn't always rely on the rare nice cats in this 'clan' for help, and she was sure he wouldn't be so kind in leafbare.

" I'm Arwen." She smiled, all stubbornness gone and replaced with a friendly smile. She really was grateful for his offer, and wanted to make sure she didn't look like a stuck up brat.

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Jude watched through tired eyes as Arwen fluffed up to look bigger. 'Intimidating.' He thought sarcastically, padding up to the river's edge with a sigh when she declined his offer. He quickly lapped up some water as if he'd been needing it for moons. It tasted that good.

He lifted his head when she turned and spoke again. He chuckled quietly. "I can do that. I take it you like fish?" He personally didn't like the taste, but to each their own. He walked closer to her and waded into the water a few tail-lengths away. "Hook your claws out like this," he reached his paw out to demonstrate, claws unsheathed and facing the water, "and try to look for fish beyond your paw's length, that way your shadow doesn't fall on it." He flicked an ear, looking around for fish so that he wouldn't scare them away with his instructions. "When you see the fish, strike out with your paw and try to slam it down." He swiped out with his paw and smacked the water before looking back at her. "You'd hit a fish, of course, instead of hitting the water like I did."

He backed out of the river and stood on the shore, where he then gave his fur a rough shake to dry it. "I'm Jude. Nice to meet you, Arwen."

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Arwen shrugged, looking into the river with distaste. " I don't know, I'e never tried it." She admitted, trying hard to consentrate on his instructions. He seemed like he knew what he was doing, so she heeded his advice. She moved into the water after him, gritting her teeth at the cold, numbing sensation spreading through her paws. She hated the water, and if she fell in she had no idea how to swim.

She nodded blandly as he stated his name, to focused on the river to respond. She was determined to have a successful hunt, and she wouldn't sleep until she got one. Leaning forward slightly she waited impatiently for a fish to swim underneath her paw, tail twitching wildly. Instantly as she saw a flash of silver her paw shot into the freezing water, not nearly touching it. She backpedalled with a scowl, her ears flattening against her head. " Its hopeless! I'm gonna starve." She groaned dramatically, half sarcastic and half serious.

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Jude watched her quietly, giving her a soft smile when she sat back and groaned. "You're not hopeless." He looked back at the water. He didn't want to get in, but he supposed it was worth it if he was helping someone out. Padding back in, he went to his former position and looked for fish.

Soon the sunlight glinted off a silver scale that was coming right over to him. Readying his paw, he swiped out and hooked it with his claw. Instead of crushing it, though, he lifted it out of the water and tossed it to Arwen. "Catch it before it gets away!" He called, tail lashing behind him in anticipation. She said she didn't want him to catch it for her, but she didn't say that he couldn't help out.

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Arwen flopped onto her back just to be an even bigger drama queen, watching him upside down as he trudged back to the water. She didn't bother to try and watch what he did again, looking up at the cloudy sky. She hated the weather, she hated hunting, she hated fish. Everything sucked.

Arwen jumped in surprise at the call, scrambling to her paws as the fish wildly flopped around in front of her. She scrambled after its jerking body, pouncing on it energetically. She managed to sink her claws into it, although it didn't stop moving. It continued slapping her around before she finally dug her teeth into its throat, wrinkling her nose at the slimy body. " I did it! I did it!" She cheered, spinning in a tight circle before awkwardly clearing her throat. " I mean, we did it." She corrected herself, smiling sheepishly. She crouched in front of it, not bothering to sniff it before digging in. She was surprised to find she didn't hate the taste, although the texture could make her vomit if she hadn't been so hungry. She looked up when the fish was almost gone already. " Oh sorry! Did you want some?" She questioned, looking down at the measly scraps that remained. She had scoffed it down fast...

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Jude grinned as he watched her scramble up to catch it. This was like watching one of the kits in IceClan play with a moss-ball. 'How does she hold in all that energy?' He wondered, making his way back to the bank. The thrashing noises behind him made him laugh, and by the time he was on land, the ruckus had stopped and he turned to find Arwen with a dead fish. Shaking his fur once more, he trotted closer and stopped a few badger-lengths away. "You did it! Congrats!" He exclaimed, watching in amusement when she dived into the fish.

The tabby politely shook his head when she offered some. "I'm okay. Are you still hungry? We could catch some more."

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Arwen stood, shaking out her thin fur roughly. She swiped her tongue over her red stained muzzle in thought, looking back towards the river. She didn't want to bother the tom, and she was full enough to keep going. " Nah, this was a lot. Anyway, I don't want to throw it all up either." She offered him a lopsided grin, her head drooping to one side casually. " Thanks for the help though, I know most cats around here wouldn't stick their necks out to help." She pawed softly at the bones, eyeing the now meatless ribcage. It was disgusting, how she suctioned the meat off like it was her first meal in years. Although she didn't regret it for a second.

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"Alright then." Jude responded, secretly thankful. He wasn't in the mood to get his fur wet for the third time. "Don't worry about it, I like helping others. Besides, DeathClan needs its strength to make it through leaf-bare." He wondered how she'd hold up in the colder moons. Prey was scarce, and in DeathClan it wasn't unusual to fight over it. 'Then again... she eats fish. I don't know many cats that would fight over a fish.'

He glanced behind him. She probably didn't want to be bothered anymore. "I guess I'll see you later, then."

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" I guess so, although I don't know how much strength I can give." She shrugged, noting how scrawny she really was. " You like helping others? I think you should try Rainbowclan or something then." She huffed, smiling lightly. It was nice to know there was still some good cats hanging around.

" Cya, Jude." She opened her mouth to reveal a toothy goodbye before bounding off in the other direction, deciding now that she had a full belly it was the best time to try again further upstream.

(End of thread unless you want to sneak in one last post)