A Turn of Events [Lostpaw]

Bulging eyes narrowed as Owlfur observed Lostpaw's hunting techniques, widening when the blind apprentice pinned and killed the mouse beneath his paws. It had been a lucky catch, his crouch and leap needing work, but she couldn't help but feel impressed that he had concealed himself to hunt, and even then, actually gotten his prey. With a huff, the gray and white she-cat stood up, and stalked forward to stand beside Lostpaw.

"That was good work," she admitted grudgingly, "Your technique can be worked on, but you had me surprised."

Owlfur brushed her tail against his side to indicate which way they were going as she padded forward and took the lead. Despite feeling a tad embarrassed of her earlier behavior, and even a little bit more irritated, she had decided the moment he had demonstrated he could hunt that she would let him off the claw. In the end, it mattered only that he could hunt after all.

Owlfur let out a raspy purr at his thanks before spinning around, startled. She stared at Lostpaw for a moment, and chuckled as she padded over to his side to help him back up. "I'm more surprised you didn't fall before your catch," she meowed in good humor, "For a blind cat, you are usually not so fast to fall. Are you ready to move on?" The thin she-cat shivered as she began to become aware of the cold again. She had to keep herself moving if she wasn't to freeze, but she stood next to the black apprentice, waiting for a response before she continued on to the hunting grounds she planned on leading them.

A rush of sympathy pushed its way into Owlfur's chest as she listened to the apprentice explain himself. It made sense after all. Although their interaction in camp had still left a bitter taste in her mouth, she was willing to forget about it if the rest of the hunting expedition went well. It's not as if she didn't remember being an apprentice. How exiting it would have been to hunt for the clan rather than patrol the territory. After all, she quite enjoyed the sport of hunting prey.

"Right. Let's go then," she commanded as she brushed her tail across his flank before moving forward to take the lead. "Next time, let me take show you the correct hunting crouch."

After a little while of walking, Owlfur paused as she opened her mouth to scent the air. The crisp air swept over her tongue and she felt the urge to snap it shut at the stinging sensation, but ignored it as she caught the scent of a thrush. Releasing a soft hiss to warn Lostpaw to stay quiet, flinching as her voice carried a little over the soft crackling sound of the falling snow.

Owlfur spotted the bird a heartbeat later, hopping about a few fox lengths away. It was searching for seeds in the snow, and she felt a moment of satisfaction as she realized their scent was downwind from it too. Her bulging yellow eyes swept the area with quick observation before crouching down and carefully stalking forward towards the small creature. She flicked her tail across Lostpaw's nose, hoping he would get the idea to follow her step as she continued to creep ahead. The small warrior paused when she was a tail length away from the dull witted animal, and carefully glanced over her shoulder to see if the black apprentice had followed.