[ti]Open[/ti]Trippin' Through the Trees

[mewmehh]

The warm, honey-hued light of the noon sun trickled through the cracks in the canopy above, illuminating the inner greenery of the woodland with a radiant golden shine and the aroma of prey floated pleasantly on the breeze. A sleek, spotted body of silver slipped through the soft undergrowth, dark-tipped ears twitching only on occasion at the varied sounds heard in the hustle and bustle of the spring forest floor. The faint scurrying of mouse footsteps and soft flutter of birds' wings batting the leave-filled air signaled to the stealthy hunters that prey was afoot and prime for the catching. And stalking at the head of the small posse was the spotted huntress with orange eyes aglow.

Saltweed crept with care as she honed in on any small bodies that could act as prey for her clan. Scarlet and orange eyes like fire scanned the small clearing in the trees which had grown rather crowded with shrubbery and undergrowth. Perfect nesting for mice and other rodents, she was certain. Flicking her dappled tail low to the ground to signal the rest of her hunting patrol, she took to a crouched position and locked her gaze on a bit of scuffling happening just a few foxlengths away as some leaves on the ground rustled in the grass.

[Miss Tactical]

The black she-cat woke up muscles aching. She had been training in the dark forest for a couple of moons now, by the way she was bulking up, any cat could tell she had been doing some serious training. One blue eye, the other orange looked ahead, she supposed she had better go on a patrol before anyone got suspicious of her. Her sister lilycloud already questioned what she did at night, but as of lately she had been distracted by Smokeshade. She had other things to focus on which she supposed was a good thing. She was certain Lilycloud would have his kits at some point..kits..yuck... she would be a good aunt but she didn't want any of her own. She would be a horrible mother.

Her sore paws took her to the forest, she let out a wince with every paw step trying not to make it obvious. Her tail lashed back and forth, her eyes face forward. There was a flash of fur and Scorpionfang lifted her eyes ah yes Saltweed. She waited in silence lowering her body not wanting to ruin any type of catch she may have found. After a few moments she raised herself upwind and padded forward. Sure she wasn't the NICEST in the clan, but she wasn't going to spoil a good hunt especially if it was prey for the clan,.

"umm...Mind if I join you." She mewed deeply.

[mewmehh]

Within the time that it took for the dark form of her clanmate to approach her, Saltweed had launched herself towards the undergrowth. After a moment of stillness, she rose her head and dangling from her jaws she held the limb body of a shrew. Her silver ears swiveled and she turned to face Scorpionfang as her clanmate reached her side. Saltweed gave a nod of greeting and dropped her catch to answer the she-cat's question. "If you would like to." It was a simply response, but it was all the black cat surely needed. After all, they had both been apprentices not too long ago and Satlweed knew the fierce cat was not one to be trifled with. That was something the dappled cat could respect.

Craning her neck down, she picked up the shrew and looked around briefly for a spot to bury it before returning to her new hunting partner. Hopefully Foxflight, who was hunt nearby, wouldn't mind the extra company. She was almost certain her friend wouldn't.

Looking to Scorpionfang, Saltweed tipped her head in the direction she was heading next and quickly scanned the she-cat up and down. Despite only having been a warrior for a few moons, it seemed as if the black molly had lost much of the downy fuzz that she had sported since kithood. It was still slightly apparent, but not enough to mask the mature muscles of a powerful warrior just beneath. The spotted silver molly nodded to herself at the improvement she saw and mentally wished her new hunting partner good hunting before padding off further into the woods.

[Miss Tactical]

The black she-cat nodded before dropping into a crouch swiftly navigating the undergrowth. Hunting wasn't her best skill but she wasn't horrible at it. Her one blue eye, the other amber scanned the tendrils and perked up when she heard rustling. She curled her muzzle into an awkward grin. Good, at least hunting wasn't as suspicious as her night terrors. Were they night terrors? She woke up every
fur messy and slightly battered. Her muscles would ache and she would Cry out often from Pain. She sighed as she launched herself forward swiftly killing a mouse with her sharp claws. She picked it up dropping it into the clearing. She supposed this would be a good place to keep their prey. She looked at her companion and raised a brow, her training in the dark forest made her much stronger and her progress as a new warrior versus Saltweed was rather apparent.

"How do you enjoy being a warrior." She mewed finally breaking the silence. "I'm hoping to get an apprentice soon since I've been training really hard." Scorpionfang mewed. Sure training an apprentice would probably keep her out of trouble, and that was exactly what she needed, a task that would keep her mind clear and perhaps keep her from going into the dark forest at night time.

[mewmehh]

Saltweed arched a brow as she gave the dark she-cat a sideways glance with her orange eyes. Something was...weird in how Scorpionfang seemed to be trying to converse with her, of all cats. Saltweed had never been one to make small talk, or friends for that matter, so the situation made one of her ears twitch with an itch. It also sounded as if the older warrior was boasting.

Shrugging it off, the spotted warrior simply gave her head a quick shake and meowed evenly, "Can't say I really enjoy it. It's just what I'm meant to do. My purpose is to defend and provide for my clan." She could hardly understand how other cats could just give into their desires at any given point in time. Did they have no honor? At least from how Scorpionfang looked, she had some diligence towards her training. That was something to admire. But not by Saltweed herself. She, too, had been far too preoccupied with her own training- albeit the good ol' fashion way. She spent waste no free time and it was quite evident in the sleek muscles that rippled and bulged beneath her rosetted coat. Even in her young age, she was a formidable fighter. Always had been.

As she took a few steps away, the silver and black cat added a final quip, "Apprentices will be award to those who show most effort. It would not surprise me if we both have a chance at mentorship in the coming moons."

Miss Tactical sabs (throw in Foxflight yo)

[sabs]

FOXFLIGHT >>

    The new warrior had been listlessly wandering through the trees, her head clouded in thought. It had been many moons since Robinpaw's passing but the images still flooded her nightmares. Oh, how unfair it was that his life was cut so abruptly short, while she was here, a warrior, wasting her time away. It was then that she heard them, two of her fellow Clanmates. She decided that moping around the forest wasn't doing any good to befit her Clan, so she decided to follow them and see where they were. Once the voices were louder, she noticed it was Saltweed and Scorpionfang, both of them newer warriors as well. "Hey guys." She mewed, hoping that she wasn't interrupting an important conversation or hunt. "What's going on?" The red she-cat had secluded herself from much of her Clan after the passing of their clanmate, so she had to admit that she was somewhat socially awkward, especially around girls. Don't screw anything up, she scolded herself.