The Ash Tree

[|Morn|]

An uncommonly dense, forested area. It is very close to the StormClan border, therefore holding some of the other territory's vegetation. It is typically used as a place for hunting or training apprentices to climb. A thin coverage of oak trees surrounds one large ash tree, marked by the claws of IceClan's warrior ancestors. 

[|Morn|]

Brightstar prodded just ahead of Whitefish into the more forested area, her claws unsheathed and ears perked. The scent of StormClan put her on edge, and visions flashed in her mind of her father and Cloudfur.
"Alright, I'll hunt more toward the Ash Tree, and you go further out near the border. Be careful," she warned, her voice holding a serious tone. "If you see a StormClan patrol, come get me. Don't try and deal with them on your own."

[toasty123]

"Got it, you be careful too," Whitefish said heading near the border. Her white pelt didn't really camouflage into the green forested area, so she knew she could easily be spotted by StormClan patrol.

[|Morn|]

Brightstar breathed in, separating each smell until she found the scent of prey. She immediately fell into a low hunting crouch, her fluffy tail sweeping against the ground - another bad habit she had. She forced it to stop, feeling every muscle in her tense.

It took awhile to spot it - a marmot. It was terrifying to her, since it was larger than even a StormClan cat. They were not very common - but it was Greenleaf. She swallowed hard, knowing her only option was to at least try to hunt it. The Clan needed fed, and a fully grown marmot such as this one would feed at least three warriors.

She stalked forward, her belly churning nervously as she inched closer. Finally she pounced, landing on its back. It squealed, trying to roll on top of her but only exposing its belly. She dug her claws in - it wouldn't be a clean kill. Her fur became ruffled with fear as she looked at its teeth, much like a beaver's. It took a long time to kill it, and with its squabbling and yelping it would have scared off any prey nearby, but Brightstar felt triumphant that she had even killed it.

However, she wouldn't be able to carry it back to camp alone. She'd need Whitefish's help, and so she sat patiently, waiting for the warrior to reappear. She took the time to wash her paws, covered in blood from the monstrous rodent. She now noticed the long scratch on her shoulder, and began to lick at it to stop the bleeding. How long would Whitefish take?

[toasty123]

After an hour of hunting, Whitefish finally returns to Brightstar with three mice. "Oh wow that's one big marmot you caught," Whitefish said kinda terrified. "I'll help you move it back to camp."

[|Morn|]

She eyed the mice, a small purr rumbling in her throat. "Nice catch, that should feed Dapplesky and Sweetfern for the night." She praised the warrior, looking back to the marmot. "I suppose you carry one end on your shoulders and I'll carry the other end."

She hoisted part of the marmot onto the warrior, and then the other half on her. "Ready to return to camp? Or do you feel we'll need another warrior?"

[toasty123]

"Let's return to camp," whitefish said determined. "I'm really impressed that you caught this marmot, I would've been too terrified to even look at it," Whitefish said with a purr while nudging her friend.

[|Morn|]

She glanced back at her friend with a grateful look, the muscles in her shoulders visible through her pelt as she strained to keep the marmot held up. Her icy blue gaze searched around almost fearfully. If there was one marmot, it was possible there could be another. They weren't afraid to kill a cat, however they weren't as dangerous as the white foxes that roamed in the territory.

Her paws were silent as she moved forward, just as determined as her close friend to get back to camp without further help.

{Cont. Clearing}