[ＳＩＬＶＥＲＣＬＡＮ] ; silent and graceful - OPEN TO ALL!

warrior | 34 moons | determined

Once again, Foxtrot wanders beyond his company, but Gorseleaf feels little anxiety this time. In her absence, the gray mackerel tabby scents the nearby area; he takes to a tree stump and marks it gratuitously, then moves near the twoleg nest to mark the entranceway with fresh claw marks and a good spray. Satisfied, Gorseleaf moves to meet Foxtrot as she returns from her brief departure and frowns when the she-cat relays to him the unfortunate circumstances.

"Mm," he says simply, rolling his shoulders back in a shrug. "That's a shame, but feeling sorry for it won't help. Just be more careful next time; we can't afford to lose more prey." His tone is far from scathing or condescending, but his disappointment is apparent. At her question, he adds, "I think the lake is the better choice. If we can't find many land-faring prey, we can always turn to fishing."

With a flick of his tail, Gorseleaf takes the lead. He's careful to move quietly, his steps falling with little sound. He doesn't move in a linear direction, choosing to zigzag so that he can remain on softer soil and prevent any unfortunate mishaps with twigs and dried leaves. He briefly stops and tastes the air, picking up the scent of a woodland mouse not far from their position. The warrior pauses and lifts his tail in a halting motion, then twitches his whiskers toward the source of the smell, hoping to cue in Foxtrot to the prey that lies ahead.

Without looking back to be sure that she got the message, Gorseleaf quietly stalks forward with his body gradually lowering itself closer to the ground. He tastes the air again to be certain that the mouse is near, and finds that the scent is overwhelmingly strong. As if on cue, the small creature scurries out from its hiding place, its little form soon burying beneath fallen leaves to nibble on whatever nutrients lay there.

Gorseleaf gently eases himself forward, drawing nearer to the unsuspecting creature. When it looks up from its gorging, the tom pounces on it with a low growl. His mouth finds his target and it wraps around its tiny form, and he squeezes just so. The mouse falls limp in his jaws, and the warrior drops it to the ground before scraping up debris over the carcass.

Turning back to the smaller warrior accompanying him on the patrol, he says, "Hopefully it'll be this easy closer to the lake." He looks down at the small lump on the ground, then continues, "If we could catch four more of these, it would be a good day. Though I doubt much of the prey we find will be as fat as this one."

{ bump! }

warrior | 34 moons | MOOD

The sound of a chase brings Gorseleaf's attention back to his fellow warrior, and he watches intently as she pursues a flighty squirrel. As she runs out of his sight, he begins to follow quickly, ears keen on the sound of the chase. He hears the squirrel chuckles in distress before silence, and Gorseleaf's ears flick forward as he hears the sloshing of water. Soon, Foxtrot meets him with the squirrel dangling between her jaws. When she speaks, he snorts.

"I'm sure it was worth getting a wet tail," he says, eyeing the soaking she-cat with amusement. "Good work. It'll make a good meal for someone back at camp." At her suggestion, he nods, leading back to the river she'd approached from and following the stream. His eyes catch the gentle shimmers of fish swimming beneath the surface, and his claws itch to snap one of them up; his fishing skills could use some refreshing anyway. "What do you think about hunting this area before heading to the lake? Or would you rather go there now and hunt from there," he inquires, tail curling slightly. He glances back at the slow moving river, then says, "I could fish. Or both of us could. I haven't gotten my paws wet in quite a while."

buuuuuump

She let out a quiet giggle at the tom's miss, ears perking up as as she heard and registered the plop of the fish back in the water, she readied herself to attempt and catch the escapee. As the slimy creature began to gracefully swim down towards her, the small she-cat unsheathed her claws. Once it grew close enough, she struck, her paws breaking the surface of the crystal clear water and flipping the fish into the air.
Unfortunately, it was a miss. She reached to try and grab it with her teeth, but it had wiggled out of her grasp and this time landed back in the water, with a louder plop than before. Snorting, she seemed embarrassed at how she had failed. The fish got a second chance at living peacefully, she thought to herself, although she wished she could've caught the thing. It could've fed two full grown cats, and Halfstar would've been proud. A sigh left her mouth, but she didn't give up. She focused her emerald eyes back on the current.
It took a while of waiting before another fish was nearing, she could smell i faintly. As it neared, Foxtrot positioned herself just behind the riverbank, her paw lifted and claws unsheathed. It was within grasp as she struck, flipping it out of the water and this time, she caught it in between her jaws, digging her teeth hard enough to deliver a swift kill. Proudly, the russet feline set her catch by the squirrel she'd caught, tail flicking in both annoyance and accomplishment. "Dumb fish!" She meowed, more to herself, but loud enough for Gorseleaf to hear her.

warrior | 34 moons | MOOD

Gorseleaf hears the younger warrior's gentle laughter, and his whiskers twitch in irritation. He shoots a scathing look her way as she bats his missed prey from the water, and watches with mild irritation -- or perhaps envy? -- as she grabs for it with her mouth and --

She misses. How, he's not sure, but the fish plops back into the water with a great splash. The notion of both of them failing to catch it startles a laugh out of him, which he quickly quiets in favor of not scaring away any prey. "It seems we're both a bit out of season," he remarks, tail curling behind him to show his amusement.

Gorseleaf turns back to the river then, eyes focusing on the soft, rippling water. The bubble of the current lulls him, though not so much that he becomes unaware of the task at hand; it simply brings the tom peace as he hunts, and he finds that a tranquil mindset often boasts great bounties. So when he sees a soft sheen from beneath the surface, his paw lifts slowly from where it was placed on the bank. The fish beneath the water grows closer still, and he waits until it is within striking distance before he allows his paw to break the surface and scoop the fish from the river.

Instead of catching it in his mouth this time, he lets it flop onto the riverbank. From there, he slams his paw onto its wiggling body to still it, then delivers the killing blow with a soft crunch. The meat on the fish is supple and tender, which makes his mouth water, though he knows he needs to save it for his Clan.

Gorseleaf looks up and sees Foxtrot has shared in his good fortune as she produces a fish as well. She says something in triumph, though Gorseleaf barely catches her words. "Nice catch," he hums, nodding at her catch. "A few more fish or maybe a mouse or two would be perfect to bring back to camp." He turns his head towards the looming forest just near the river, flicking his ear at the birdsong that trills from the treetops. "Either way, though," the warrior meows, "Halfstar will be pleased to see we made well with out patrol this morning."