{ in the dark } open

[Apollo]

apollo wandered through the prairie, stopping to catch his breath no more than every few minutes. he wasn't used to, well, this, having to catch his own food - prey - having to find his own bed - nest - having to walk to where he needed to go. it was all so new, and the golden tabby wasn't sure if he liked it. 

his ears twitched, taking in sound. there was food all around him. he could hear it, he could smell it. and yet it seemed so far away. he couldn't hunt - he'd never learnt to - but he supposed there was a first time for everything. and if he was going to survive here - in the plains - he would need to know. 

nervously, he dropped to a crouch like he had seen wild cats done. i'm a wild cat now. his tail flicked briskly, as if reprimanding himself for forgetting.
he lowered his belly to the ground until it nearly touched it, pulling his hind legs in until he thought he would be able to move, and pushed out a long. deep breath. 

his eyes caught a flash of movement. quickly, they followed it. it was some sort of mouse, a rodent at least, but most importantly it was food. hastily, he leaped, and missed completely. panting, he flopped back on his haunches, and glared at the furry streak now making its way far, far away. 
"ah - well, i just need practise, that's all," he said to nobody in particular. 

[Deleted]

Angie had been walking and noticed a cat some distance away trying to catch a mouse. Predicting by his cautious movements that he would miss, she positioned herself so that she at least had a chance at catching the mouse. Sure it was a slim one, but it was worth the shot. She as glad when it started running in her general direction and quickly moved to a position where it would run right into her paws. She trapped it squarely with her paws and quickly bit its neck to kill it before she made her way over to the cat who had tried to catch it earlier. "This was what you were after, right?" she asked, placing the mouse in front of the other cat. "Have it."

[Apollo]

wide-eyed and open-mouthed, apollo watched as a calico took his catch, trapping it with her paws. they make it look easy, he thought, a pang of something unfamilar going through him. am i... jealous? no, of course not, he told himself quickly. she's just had more practise. i haven't had any at all. 

he was even more astonished when she came over and gave him the mouse. he stood there, for a second, before coming to his senses. hungrily, he tore into it. he slowed to savour it, letting the warm juices run over his tongue, and he gave the she-cat an abashed smile, swallowing the portion. 

"where are my manners?" he chuckled. how can something so furry taste so good? "here. have the rest." i can still taste it.
he nudged what was left of the mouse towards her, and waited for her response.
"i'm apollo, by the way. who're you?" curious amber eyes swept over her, and his mouth curled upwards in a warm grin. 

[Deleted]

Angie shook her head. "I already ate," she responded. In reality, she hadn't recently ate, but she still wasn't hungry. She also knew how to catch another mouse as this other cat seemingly didn't. "Do you want me to teach you to hunt? You seem rather new at it, and I know at least a bit." then as an after thought she added, "I'm Angel. People call me Angie though."

[Beast]

Beast was strolling along, getting used to his new territory. He wasn't very old at all, but he was eager to start his new life. Who knew where he came from? Only he knew, but he was just a kit when he had last seen his family. Despite the ferocious name, Beast was small and very unthreatening looking. He had the right name but the wrong looks. And he definitely didn't have the right attitude. But nevertheless, Beast stayed with the new group, preferring this to whatever he came back from. He was a small brown tabby, much smaller than his age. He was strange, that was for sure. He saw the two cats up ahead and his ears pricked up. Maybe he could try making friends? He wasn't sure. But he decided to try anyways. He strolled over, tail raised in greeting. "Hello," He said cautiously.

[Apollo]

apollo shrugged, and tore another portion out of the mouse, swallowing it whole. "suit yourself," he meowed. his ears pricked. "i mean, i would've gotten it eventually," he mumbled, trying to sound nonchalant. "but if you really want to." his smile widened as she introduced herself. "i'm gonna call you angel," he grinned. "much better than angie."

the fur on the back of his neck lifted momentarily, before flattening. this scrawny guy's no threat, he reassured himself. blinking warmly, he dipped his head in amiable, if somewhat formal, greeting.
"hello," he replied cheerfully, amber eyes gleaming. "i'm apollo, and this is..." he glanced at angel, expecting her to introduce herself.

[Deleted]

Angel nodded and was about to get up to show the other cat a hunter's crouch when another cat came up. She didn't really judge cats by appearances, but rather personality and seen skill level. She knew Apollo wasn't a threat by watching him hunt. Seeing as she hadn't watched Bear hunt or fight, she couldn't judge him the same way, but by the cautiousness in his voice she could rest at ease at least a little. "Im Angel, but most call me Angie." she responded. "I was just going to help Apollo improve his hunting skills. Wanna join us?"

[Beast]

Beast's hope flared. Maybe not every cat in DeathClan was so bad. He nodded. "Sure," He said. "I'm Beast," He added hesitantly. He didn't want anyone else thinking that he had chosen the name because he thought it was cool for DeathClan. The truth was that he had had the name ever since he was born.

[Apollo]

apollo grinned at the tom, glad to have company. "beast?" he repeated. he nodded slowly, as if understanding was dawning on him. "beauty" - he smiled warmly at angel - "and the beast. nice." it might have been tacky, but he had always been a flirt, and, besides, it was a great icebreaker.
or it could make everyone, including himself, uncomfortable. he grinned again, this time at both of them. 
"now, what was that you were saying about hunting?" he asked, only half-joking. he really did need to improve his hunting skills. 

[Beast]

Beast smirked at the joke. He wasn't sure if he should be smirking or not but he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to make friends. He needed someone his back in a Clan full of loners. Having allies wouldn’t be so bad, right?

[Deleted]

(It bothers me that I'm not sure these cats know about the movie... I shall create a story for it cat style!)
Angie nodded, the blush fading from the joke momentarily as she moved on. "Hunting, yes." she said, quickly getting into a hunters stance, the pressure mainly on her front paws and her tail out of the way. "Try this." she told the other cat. She wasn't sure what Beast know, but she figured he would add on when she did something wrong.

[Beast]

Beast was an alright hunter. He had caught prey before. But learning from another cat never hurt. He crouched down as well, his hunter's crouch realitively good. "Like this?" He kept weight distributed evenly to all feet, low enough to the ground, and his tail down.

[Deleted]

Angie nodded. "Both work." she shrugged and then turned to see Apollo's crouch. 

[Apollo]

quickly, apollo copied angel, most of his weight on his forepaws, while both his stomach and tail hovered tentatively above the ground. he tried moving, but fell flat on his face. with an embarassed chuckle, he got back on all fours, adapating beast's stance instead. he crept forward, pleased that it felt natural and, well, good. almost as if he was a wild cat. 
"is this good?" he dared to ask, slightly nervous that he wasn't quite up to angel's standards, but confident that he was doing it right. 

[Deleted]

Angel nodded. "Its good," she responded, watching to other cat as they stalked forward. Trying it herself she found her own way more natural and returned to that. "And then try to pounce," she said, demonstrating one and landing pourposly on a small rock.