WindClan Territory

Padfoot nodded and smiled, completely ignoring Icefeather's disappointed look at his arrival. Turning he headed over to Gorsepaw and stood in their way. "Not so quickly, there." he said with a twinkle of amusement in his voice. "We'd like you to join our patrol. The more, the better. Especially in this heat." he said and nodded towards Icefeather and Ashstar, waiting for them to gather.

Icefeather sighed and shrugged, her smile returning.

Gorsepaw saw Ashstar and nudged Pollinpaw. "I guess we're supposed to join them?" He meowed and padded over to join them.

Icefeather smiled at her Gorsepaw and her brother rolled his eyes. This made her smiled more genuine and she nudged Ashstar's flank. "Let's go." She purred and began to pad toward the entrance, she looked back hoping the would follow.

*Ashstar smiled as the cats arrive for the patrol. It was a fair sized patrol. Hopefully they would catch lots. As Icefeather nudged his flank and purred, he flared his nostrils in confusion. Shaking it off, he was determined to make this a successful hunt. Padding out of camp at a comfortable pace for everyone to follow, he scented the air constantly for any forces of prey.*

Icefeather giggled softly at his look of confusion and tried to focus on the hunt. She scented a ward of rabbits nearby and broke into a run as one broke its cover from a heather patch. She bound after it, easily catching up, and leapt on it. She killed it quickly and brought it back to the group, panting a little.

Gorsepaw flicked his tail happily as Icefeather brought back her kill.

Padfoot smiled lightly and followed the group, allowing Ashstar to take the lead. He too kept sniffing the air, the wafts of faint prey turning onto his nose. However, he couldn't make out much fresh. Suddenly, the odor of a hare hit his nose, and his ears perked. "Hare." he muttered silently, flicking his tail to touch each of the cats as he lead them towards the prey.

Spotting it through the bushes, he flicked his tail, pointing at each cat and showing which direction he wanted them to go in, so they could surround the creature.

Pollinpaw nodded and nudged him as she darted out of camp to find prey. She kept her nose alert, her eyes not too well at seeing far. She padded keeping a pace as she did.

Quietecho padded into camp and sat down as she sighed. She had caught nothing today, but knew she could catch something tomorrow.

*Ashstar scented the same rabbit Padfoot did and prepared to capture it but Pasfoot was quicker. Twitching his whiskers in amusement, he scented the air again. After what seemed a lifetime, he finally saw the white tail of a large rabbit. Stalking after it with acceptional form, he then sprung up and pelted after it as it heard something. In two quick bounds, he snatched the rabbit and gave the killing blow. The rabbit dropped dead and blood pulsed from the gaping wound on its throat. Carrying it back to the patrol, he set it down and made a plan to share this rabbit with Sweetpetal when he returned back to camp.*

(He didn't catch it though, he was just gesturing they could catch it together o3o I find it slightly boring when they're a hunting patrol, and every cat hunt by themselves... Not much of a patrol, eh?)

Padfoot sighed, and realized that even if the sun was settling, it was burning hot. He could feel his fur get matted and glossy, and he hated having to clean it several times a day. Shrugging he followed the patrol, his nose alert for signs of prey.

(Oops! Sorry! Eating a muffin and reading and typing! XD)

*Ashstar saw Padfoot padding further through the moor. Walking up to him, he raised his head to whisper in his ear. "Earlier today, I was hunting and I lost my first life from heatstroke. Just letting you know that your leadership is only eight lives away now." and twitched his whiskers in amusement, as if he didn't mind dieing.*

(That's fine x3 We'll just try again, mh?)

Padfoot was surprised by the news, and frowned. "I wondered why you returned without any prey." he whispered and shrugged. "Don't talk like that." he muttered, not feeling comfortable that he joked with that. It made him feel filthy, for wanting to be leader. If he was to be leader one day, Ashstar would have to die. And he refused to think that he wanted his leader any harm.

The soft pawsteps of a hare interrupted him though and he glanced at the cats. "There's another hare over there.." he said, stopping and watching Ashstar for a moment.

*Ashstar shrugged. "We all die one day. StarClan has a plan for all of us and we must accept it with joy and thankfulness." smiling, he knew these words by heart for he had recited them many times while he was an apprentice. He wanted to be medicine car very badly. When Padfoot motioned to a rabbit, he nodded and mewed, "You can go for it." and smiled. Despite his lack of fighting, he was wiser.*

Padfoot shrugged and nodded. Instead of going straight at it though, he circled it. As he feared, the dry leaves crackled under his paws, and the grass didn't make it any easier. The hare stood upright, it's ears pointed and looking around nervously. Instead of spending time trying to figure out when to pounce, Padfoot leaped forwards and yowled: "ASHSTAR! Get the hare!" The hare, obviously startled jumped off in the direction of the patrol, not stopping to think twice about where it was headed.

*Ashstar watched and when Padfoot yowled at him to catch the rabbit, the rabbit seemed to have pelted right into his claws. Ripping the throat with his claws, it fell to the ground, dead. Muttering a quiet prayer to StarClan for its life. Pushing the rabbit to Padfoot, he mewed, "Your kill." and smiled.*

Padfoot smirked at Ashstar, especially when he pushed the hare towards him. "For me to carry? You shouldn't." he joked and picked up the hare. "Arf fee goingf backf to campf? Or shoulf I burie itf?" he asked, through the bundle of fur, not managing to speak properly through it. His mouth, however, was filled with hairs and he coughed slightly after he inhaled (h)air. His eyes, however, was glowering with amusement at the entire situation. Even though he was a deputy, he wanted to have some fun as well.

*Ashstar gave a hearty laugh and mewed, "Exactly!" and smiled. Looking at the patrol who had caught quite a lot of prey, he smiled in pride and mewed, "I think heading back would be a good choice. We have enough prey for a while." and headed back to the patrol. Picking up his rabbit, he yowled, muffled by the fur, "'et's oh evyone!" and began to pad back to camp.*

Padfoot nodded, turning slightly more serious than earlier, even though the hare hairs still covered his tongue and madehim rather uncomfortable with carrying it. He didn't complain though, and loyally followed Ashstar's tracks. He kept his ears perked for sounds though, always ready for the sound of a dashing hare, a fluttering bird or something else.

He couldn't pick up a lot of sounds though. Just when they saw the camp entrance though, a blackbird took flight. Releasing his hare he caught speed by a few leaps, then slammed his hind paws into the ground and leaped up, catching the bird by it's tail. Dragging it back to the ground, the bird squawked and caused quite the mayhem before Padfoot managed to kill it off. Looking at the small, bloodied bird he shrugged and brought it back to the path, grasped the hare and continued like normal.

*Ashstar watched Padfoot catch the prey and nodded in praise and knowing that he watched the clean kill. Padding back into camp, he immediantly padded to the nursery. Stopping outside of it just short of entering, he set down the rabbit and began to shake the moss and heather out of his ragged pelt. Picking the rabbit back up, he timidly padded into the nursery. Poking his head in to see the rise and fall of the large belly of Sweetpetal, swelling with kits. Setting the rabbit down again, he mewed with a hint of shyness. "Sweetpetal, do you want to share some prey?" feeling his head throb at those words, he deeply wanted to prove to Sweetpetal he was a good tom.*

Sweetpetal had been rather lonely these days, the only cat she'd spoken to had been Ashstar, and that was just because she'd found him dying. She frowned slightly, thinking about why she didn't have any friends. Not like that, anyway. Pricking her ears she noticed that Ashstar appeared with a rabbit and offered it to her. Right then, she realised how hungry she'd actually been. "Sure." she purred, a hint of happiness in her voice.

Icefeather padded into camp, her hare in her jaws. She was about to ask Ashstar if he would share when he trotted of to sweet petal. She sniffed unhappily and dropped her kill in the pile, suddenly less hungry. She saw Padfoot nearby and smiled at him instead, though her paws itched for Ashstar. She ignored the feeling she didn't understand. She padded up to him and his kill. "Want to share some of that with me?" She asked, swishing her tail, eyes glittering flirtatiously.

Gorsepaw rolled his eyes at his sister when she began flirting with Padfoot. He smiled at Pollinpaw ruefully. "We didn't catch one thing did we?" He meowed, secretly a bit ashamed. "Want to share something now? Then we could go hunting again later. The two of us, like you wanted to before." He suggested.

Pollinpaw nodded and meowed,"Sure, we can go later." She stared at the pile as she got something from it and brought it back, a small rabbit. She sat down and sighed.

"You okay?" He meowed as gently as he could. He looked down at the rabbit, he actually felt happier than he had ever in moons.

Pollinpaw ate a piece and meowed,"Yeah. Perfectly fine." She purred as she chewed another small piece.

Gorsepaw smiled." Cool." He meowed and took a bit of the prey, feeling the tender meat in his mouth he purred with content.

Padfoot had barely settled down to groom some of the burrs out of his fur when Icefeather had appeared. The cat, which he viewed as very strange, asked if he'd share prey with her. Reeling his mind, he tried to make out why. He caught her slightly flirtatious tone and frowned softly. He'd caught the message. "Sorry, but I'm not particularly hungry." he explained, his thick tail curled around his paws as he resumed to grooming out burrs from his pelt.

Icefeather felt hurt bolt through her. Not only because she had been rejected but also because of how alone she felt. "Suit yourself." She meowed, suddenly quiet and not so hungery herself. She kept her head held high as she passed Padfoot, and with a flick of farewell with her tail she ran onto the moor.