[[a .family. hunt]];

[SHADE. :D]

The lithe, well muscled blue-grey shape of Skytomb emerged from the dense bush surrounding the pale humps of the Cloudy Hills. The tomcat took in a deep breath, a smile plastered upon his handsome features. He glanced behind him, and spotted the ginger tabby body of his small daughter, Halopaw. A depth of anxiety flashed in his warm yellow eyes as he noticed how the apprentice's eyes were dull and how her fluffy ginger tail trailed in the dust. He smiled comfortingly at her, but Halopaw just stared blankly back at him. Unsettled, Skytomb bounced on his paw pads, wishing Icelily, Dragonflydance, Midnightsky and Shoalpaw would hurry. In a moment, part of his wish was granted, and the pure white body and pretty face of Dragonflydance appeared. The medicine cat's clear blue eyes sparkled as she blink affectionately. Then the three cats sat in the frosty stems and waited for the rest of their family to appear.

[brook]

^{Silver fur made it's way through the tall grass of the cloudy hills. A light coating of frost lay on the ground. It was a bit cold and the silver's cats paws would sometimes stick to the ground. He spotted his family and few fox lengths away and sat next to his father. Shoalpaw did not look at his father, nor his sisters. He merely look straight forward.}

[FIREH!!]

Icelily padded over and licked Halopaw on the head. "Hey everyone," she purred.


A moment later, a replica of Skytomb burst through the bracken. "Sorry!" he meowed. Midnightsky plopped down.

[SHADE. :D]

[ooc;] Plopped down. xD
[bic;] Skytomn affectionately icked his mate's ear. "OK, I think it'd be better if we split into different groups. Dragonflydance and Icelily can go together, Halopaw can go with Midnightsky, and I'll go with Shoalpaw," He turned to his apprentice. "That way we can catch up on some training as well."
The blue-grey tom started to pad away, flicking his tail for Shoalpaw to follow. Dragonflydance smiled at her mother, but waited for her to choose which direction they would go. Halopaw just stared up at her oldest brother.

[FIREH!!]

ooc:// My mind is on the fritz... ;D


bic:// Midnightsky looked at his sister and meowed, "Where do ya wanna go?"


Icelily looked at her eldest daughter and yelled, "Race ya!!" And she ran.

[brook]

^{Shoalpaw stared up at his father and smiled. He looked back at his sister one more time before he dashed after him. He ran along side of him. He actually sort of had to run because his father took much largest steps than he did. "Father?"he began,"I'm a very good hunter! You want to see me?" He smiled and looked up at his father.}

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb ducked his head to Shoalpaw. "Yes. Catch as much prey as you can find, then return to me with all of it. After that we can do a bit of fighting training, then go and meet up with the girls and Midnightsky."
Dragonflydace smiled and shook her head. Her mother acted than her at times. She raced off after the white she-cat, snowy tail streaming out behind her. By the time she reached Icelily, she had pounced on a small vole, which dangled from her jaws.
Halopaw shrugged her ginger shoulders, then poked her tail west.

[brook]

^{Shoalpaw listened to his father and nodded his tabby head. "Okay!"he exclaimed with gleaming yellow eyes. He then turned and stalked off into a dip in the earth. He saw a rabbit at a little rock. He crouched low, keeping his wait in his haunches like his father taught him to do and crept silently toward the rabbit. When he was near, he pouced, landing on the rabbit and killing it in a few moments. He then set it behind the rock and went father down into the dip.}

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb waited for a few moments, then padded after his apprentice. He may as well asses Shoalpaw. He crouched, unscented and unseen, in a shrub as Shoalpaw pounced on and killed a rabbit; Skytomb's yellow eyes gleamed with pride. His son was progressing well. He watched as the silver tabby apprentice hid he prey, then set off again. Stretching his legs, Skytomb followed, taking his time was Shoalpaw would not discover him.

[brook]

^{As Shoalpaw made his way father down into the dip, he realized that the dip was steeper and more rocks jutted from the hard ground but that ment lots of mice hiding behind them. He soon smelled mouse all around him. Suddenly, a mouse scurried out in front of him about two fox-lengths away. He crouched low but sprang before he stepped and landed on the mouse. His own wait crushed it but he began to flip over and he started to roll down the rest of the dip, hitting his head and side many times on rocks until he finally landed on his back. He let out a little whimper but stood and shook himself. Pain racked through his body and head. He padded slowly up the hill but the pain soon was gone and he realized he had made a mistake. He picked up his mouse and padded back to where he put his rabbit. The gray tabby set his mouse down and shook himself a second time.}

[FIREH!!]

Icelily panted as she came to a stop. The smell of freshly killed vole wafted around her and she turned around to find Dragonflydance right there. "Hello!" she purred.

Midnightsky shrugged and flicked his tail for his sister to follow.

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb shook his head in amusement; Shoalpaw still had room for improvement. He watched the apprentice, yellow eyes gleaming.
Dragonflydance smiled at her mother, then dropped and buried the vole under some dead leaves. She then waited to see what her mother would do next.
Halopaw trailed along, her head down. She scented mouse, and clumsily pounced on where she thought the scent was coming from. Her paws landed a tail-length away from the mouse, which scurried away in a flash.

[brook]

^{Shoalpaw glanced up at his father. He suddenly felt extremely embarressed about his fall. He looked at his paws and shifted them. He felt horrible. He wanted to show how good he was at hunting but he fell and probably scared all the mice around him. Sighing, he picked up his catch and padded up the hill.}

[FIREH!!]

Midnightsky looked at his sister and placed a paw on her shoulder. "what's wrong?" he asked.

ooc:// How about she confides in her brother??

bic:// Icelily smiled and attacked a mouse that just darted into her path. Ithad a faint smell of Halopaw on it. "This must be one that Halopaw tried to catch," she murmured through mouse fur.

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb blinkd silently at his son before sidestepping out of the silver kitten's view. He then watched the tabby pad away with his catch. He hoped he hadn't given up.
Dragonflydance twitched her ears. "It's not like Halopaw to let a mouse go," she commented lightly.
Halopaw glared at her brother. "It's nothing!" She hissed, shaking his paw off. She hesitated. "It's... complicated."

[brook]

^{Shoalpaw set his prey down at the top of the hill. He looked around and took in a deep breath. Then letting out a soft sigh, he padded a little ways to the east before he smelled the air again. He smiled slightly and crouched low, keeping his wait in his haunches like before and he sprang when he was close enough. The mouse saw him and tried to run away but was too late and was crushed by Shoalpaw's wait. He smiled and picked up his mouse, before turning to his pile and padding back over to it.}

[FIREH!!]

Icelily sighed. "I hope she's okay. I know Midnightsy's gonna take good care of her though."

"Tell me." Midnightsky sat down and looked at his sister.

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb smiled, surpressing a purr; if he made but a tiny noise his son's sensitive ears would tell him where he hid. He had got his skill back. He thought for a moment. He will be a great hunter when newleaf comes. The blue-grey warrior looked about, realising the season of newleaf was much sooner than he thought. The sun shone bright above, swallowing the cats below in warm light, much unlike the watery rays it had spewed only a few suns ago.
Dragonflydance murmured to herself. As a medicine cat, she could tell something was troubling her little sister. But she did not press the matter, only said to her mother: "We should hunt. If we bring back the least prey, Midnightsky will be unbearable." She purred. She and her brother were very close.
Halopaw stood stock still for a few long moments, before crouching down, looking tense. Her bright blue eyes were fixed on her small, pale ginger paws and the fur on her skinny shoulders bristled slightly. "Eaglefeather's in love with a loner," she blurted out all of a sudden.

[brook]

_{Shoalpaw set the mouse down and stretched out his stiff legs. He then padded over to a large boulder near the edge of the dip and sniffed around it. Surprising, there was no prey anywhere near it. He thought a mouse would be hinding. He then went over to a bush and took in a scent. Still nothing near except faint fox and mouse. Sighing he went over to his pile and smiled proudly down at his catch.}

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb watched the young apprentice through narrowed yellow eyes. He wondered whether he was finished. He turned and let his scent waft towards Shoalpaw, to let his son know where he was in case he had finished his hunt.

[brook]

Shoalpaw now smelled his father and wipped around to see his hiding place but not him. He sighed and padded over to his father. "Father?"he asked,"Can we start training now?"

[FIREH!!]

"Okay," Icelily laughed. "Let's go!" She pounced on a vole and swiftly took its life.

"Really? Maybe for revenge, we should report him to Cormorantstar," he meowed softly.

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb smiled and nodded. He padded over to his son's pile of prey, examined it for a moment, then swept leaves and dirt over it, to hide it. He had done quite well. The blue-grey warrior trotted back over to Shoalpaw, then ran a few paces ahead of the tabby apprentice. He loosened his shoulders and let his muscles relax. "Attack me."
Dragonflydance smiled and streaked off into the bush. She padded back a few moments later, looking sheepish. "There was a rabbit, but I scared it off," she sounded ashamed.
Halopaw thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know what I want, she admitted.

[brook]

^{Shoalpaw shook himself from head to tail to relax himself. He then crouched low with his ears pinned and teeth bared. He unsheathed his claws and circled his father slowly to his side and stood still for a while. He then sprang as fast as he could at Skytomb's shoulder.}

[FIREH!!]

"Okay. But remember. I'm here and you can tell me whatever you want. If it's in the midle of the night and you can't sleep, come in and wake me up. We can talk, hunt, or we can sit there looking at the sky. I'm, your brother. That's what I'm here for." He licked Halopaw between the ears.

"That's all right. There will be plenty more!" Icelily dashed behind a bush and came back with a mouse.

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb rolled to the side a second too late, and he felt Shoalpaw's paws graze his shoulder. It knocked him slightly off balance, but he quickly regained it and stood. He flicked his ears and smiled at his son, yellow eyes glimmering. "You nearly had me there!" he purred. He then switched back to serious-mode again. "Try again. This time try not to let your eyes betray where you are trying to strike."
Dragonflydance twitched her whiskers. "Yes," she agreed, then dashed into the thick bushes again.
Halopaw looked relieved, then pressed her bristling pe;t against her brothr as if she were suddenly cold. "Thanks, Midnightsky," she whispered.

[brook]

^{Shoalpaw stood back and shook himself again. He nodded and thought for a moment. He got in his fighting position and circled him until he reached his side but this time he was closer to his father's neck so if this time he moved he could still get him, maybe. And again he sprang at his father's neck.}

[SHADE. :D]

Skytomb sprang out of the way as soon as Shoalpaw's paws left the grass. He pinned his son to the ground with a blue-grey paw. "I expected that, Shoalpaw. Come on, I know you can do better." The tom let his apprentice up, then returned to his usaul position.

[FIREH!!]

"No problem. Now how about we go hunt?" he asked.

[SHADE. :D]

Halopaw nodded. "OK." The ginger tabby jumped neatly into the bushes. A moment later she returned with a limp mouse hanging from her jaws. She placed it down, then covered it with leaves and twigs.