[ never ] [ enough ]

[Slug]

Russetfang raced after Blackpaw, a grin stretching his features. He was hot on the black apprentice's heels when suddenly a flicker of ginger caught Russetfang's eye, and he turned soon enough to spot Gingernose padding out from behind a bush, panting. His furry brows shot up and he opened to his maw to question the she-cat if she was alright, stopping in mid run, but she spoke before he could voice a single letter. "Hey, Russetfang!" Russetfang dipped his head in greeting, then parted his maw again-- only to be interrupted once more.

"Mind if I hunt with you guys? I've got nothing else to do." She stepped closer to him, sending his fur crawling with warmth. Shifting his paws uneasily under the slightly older cat's gaze, Russetfang murmured an awkard "Okay". Was she leering at him? Great Starclan-- this was... how embarrassing!

"I see you're with your apprentice."

Russetfang couldn't help it. He laughed, purrs vibrating his whole body, limp tail quivering at the motion. "Blackpa' ain't my apprent', see. He's one'o Ashfang's, I believe." He purred some more, kneeding the ground with reacquired mirth. "I can hunt somewhere else if I'm intruding..."

That made his eyes widen to the size of saucers-- a look too big even for his own head. "Nononononono!" He sputtered, hobbling over to Gingernose's side, going as fast as his crippled self could go. "Stay with us-- hunt!" He grinned broadly, showing his pearly white fangs. "The more the merrier, as they say!" Then Russetfang glanced around, eyes darting from left to right.

"But be vewwy quiet, we huntin' wabbits!" Then he sniffed the air, sighed, and stood up straighter, looking towards Blackpaw with a goofy grin. "Did... did we scare off your mouse, Blackpa'?" He wheezed, ears flattening against his skull as he heard the scurry of the mouse disappearing. Russetfang promptly toddled off to Blackpaw's side and butted his head against the apprentice shoulder in apology.

"Sorry," The warrior whispered softly. "Won't happen again."

[laur]

Shifting uneasily, Gingernose felt her ears grow hot with embarrassment. I should have /known/ that! She yelled at herself in her mind, of course Blackpaw isn't his apprentice! Mouse dung! She tried to blow off her mistake with a quiet "oh." and a purr of a giggle. She glanced at Blackpaw, who wasn't paying much attention to her. Whatever.

Gingernose's face lit up at Russetfang's reply. "Awesome!" she mewed enthusiastically, pricking her ears and letting a small smirk spread on her face. She bounced on her paws, green eyes sparkling with joy. When the red warrior apologized to Blackpaw, Gingernose ducked her head and scoffed at herself. "Sorry!" she whispered to Blackpaw, the scent of fleeing mouse clogging up her dainty pink nose. "That's my fault. I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

The bright ginger she-cat crouched, twitching her muzzle to pick up scents of prey. The whole forest filled her nostrils, and she cursed herself in her head for having such a powerful muzzle. Gingernose tried to block out the must and dirt of plants, focusing mainly on the scent of the flowing blood and fluids of her next meal. She picked up the scent of a thrush behind a large oak, a squirrel digging just a few fox-lengths away, and that same mouse over in the next clearing, skittishly searching for food once again. "There's a thrush over there," Gingernose motioned with her orange-ringed tail towards the oak, "A squirrel just behind it, and that mouse is in the next clearing over." She pointed her tail to the right, feeling quite proud of her tracking skills.

Getting distracted by the presence of Russetfang, Gingernose then lost focus with the surroundings and bounced over to him, flicking her tail along his deep brown-red furred spine. "Shall we hunt?" she cooed, her soft voice directed right into the tom's large ear. "I'm ready when you are."

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[Crowzerplorodon]

The mouse ran off, Blackpaw's ears folding back and a low hiss in his throat as he heard the one who caused him his loss. His tail twitched angrily before he took a deep breath and turned around to face the ginger she-cat. Green eyes revealed nothing about how he felt at the moment.

"It's ok Russetfang," he told the older tom. "I probably wasn't gonna get it anyway! There's always more." As Gingernose so kindly pointed out to them. Blackpaw felt his fur boil with anger at the she-cat, added on by the glare from her he felt earlier. He was with Russetfang first. There was no reason for her to come in a spoil his fun!

Well, in the case, he'd spoil hers.

It was no secret that Gingernose felt... attracted to Russetfang. Even Blackpaw, a mere apprentice, could figure that out. The way the she-cat was practically draped over the tom warrior didn't help her either.

Blackpaw spaced, thinking of ways to mess with the two (mostly Gingernose) before he heard the she-cat list off what she could scent. He felt a little annoyed at how she showed off.

"Yeah, let's hunt!" He said, keeping chipper as he slinked off into the undergrowth, following the scent of another mouse he could just barely pick up. "Hunt alright..."

[Slug]

"There's a thrush over there, a squirrel just behind it, and that mouse is in the next clearing."

Russetfang quirked a fuzzy brow at Gingernose, ears pointing forward like two compass needles. Gingernose certainly knew how to use her nose, that was for sure. It was... slightly admirable, maybe. But Russetfang couldn't think any farther when she suddenly got close. Real close. So close, it got uncomfortable, the way she brushed her tail across his back was a big no-no for the warrior. He liked his space! Of course, Gingernose gave no such thing to him as she whispered into his ear "Shall we hunt? I'm ready when you are."

His legs turned into jello, but he managed to hobble away from Gingernose, tail dragging the ground as he took a place next to Blackpaw's side, sitting down with a breathless, shaky huff. "O'course, we'll hunt." He said. "I'm always ready when Blackpa' is." Russetfang grinned at the apprentice sheepishly, a look that said help me, turning his head to the side so Gingernose wouldn't see.

"It's okay, Russetfang. I probably wasn't gonna get it anyway! There's always more."

Well, that made him feel better. A lot better, actually. He didn't feel ashamed anymore, but the feeling of uncomfort was still there. Probably because Gingernose was still there as well. Had it been a bad idea for him to accept Gingernose into him and Blackpaw's hunt? Russetfang shook his head. Of course not. It would have been rude if he turned her down!

"Yeah, let's hunt!"

"Okay." Russetfang purred, trailing after Blackpaw, tail quivering as he dissapeared into the undergrowth. "Are ya comein', Gingernose?" He called through the foliage, voice questioning.

[laur]

Gingernose recoiled as the large tom padded away from her. Well, THAT was a no-go. Her tail drooped -- not the reaction she was looking for. Studying Russetfang with her bright green gaze, she watched every twitch of his muscle and every glint of his eyes. Sighing inwardly, she crouched, silently padding along the dirt with her tail weaving left and right behind her.

"Of course I'm coming!" the she-cat half-snapped. Instantly regretting it, her eyes turned soft and she continued, "thanks again for letting me hang with you guys." She stalked past the two toms, perching herself cautiously on the root of a large oak. She pinpointed the thrush, pecking the ground with its small tan beak. Preparing to spring, she rocked on her haunches, breathed in, and pounced.

Gingernose dispatched the bird with a quick bite, hopping over and burying the prey by Russetfang and Blackpaw. "Who wants that squirrel? I'm up for a good chase," her soft voice echoed around the three, her mouth twisted into a delightful smile. Turning tail and bounding back towards the squirrel, she mewed to the toms, "I'll spook it this way, and chase it into your paws. One of you guys can catch it. Got it?" With that, she silently crept behind the busy squirrel, got as close to it as possible, and gave a fake, high pitched roar - it sent the squirrel flying!

"Catch it!" Gingernose mewed between breaths as she sprinted behind the small red creature, "Or it will get away!"

[/center]

[Crowzerplorodon]

Blackpaw kept himself as far from the intruding she-cat as he could, but close enough so it didn't look like he was avoiding Russetfang. His quarrel wasn't with the older tom, after all. Once Gingernose's voice was no more than a muffled sound, Blackpaw let himself relax as he slipped into his hunting mode.

His ears pricked, listening for any sound while his nose scented the air, mouth open for extra support in finding prey scents. A few stray ones hit him, but none close enough for him to attack now. He'd have to go farther before he was close enough to actually begin hunting.

"Or it will get away!"

The apprentice heard the she-cats 'yowl followed by the strongest scent of squirrel. He could just feel the animal getting closer and withing seconds it would be in front of him. Legs hunched down in a crouch.

The squirrel burst in front of Blackpaw and he leapt, back paws hitting the ground as he took another leap, this time launching for the tree the squirrel was headed for. His forepaws were outstreching, claws unsheathed.

He hit his marks (barely), finishing off the catch with a swift bite before turning to the two warriors.

[Slug]

Russetfang watched as Blackpaw pounced, a smile gracing the warriors face as the black apprentice hit his mark. Blackpaw faced them, the limp, dead squirrel hanging from his maw. Russetfang hobbled over to him, purring with all his might.

"Ya did a good job, Blackpa', at pouncing at the right moment, I think." Russetfang grinned, butting his head against Blackpaw's shoulder. "Your mentor would be proud." He said suddenly. "Shoot, if I was your mentor, I would be proud, too!" A silent And I am hung in the air, the atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Now, then, burry that squirrel and let's head for the hollow. My paws are aching for some practice!" He crowed, waddling around the apprentice excitedly in circles, beaming at nothing in paticular.

[laur]

"Great catch!" Gingernose padded out behind the trees, a spring in her step and a smile on her tiny ginger face. "You're a good hunter. Your mentor would be proud, for sure!" She added on to Russetfang's statement, trying to be friendly to the young black tom after interrupting his hunting session with Russetfang. She looked the apprentice over, her pale green eyes boring into his pelt for a few seconds before she turned and faced Russetfang.

"Already? I was just starting to have fun," she mewed to him, letting her tail droop in emphasized disappointment. "Oh well. I may be needed somewhere else.. like on a patrol, err something like that." She twitched her thin, drooping whiskers and tried to shoot a smirk at Russetfang. Skipping over to the pile where she buried her kills, Gingernose uncovered the prey and turned, looking to see what the two toms would do next.

ooc:// fail. I'm still drowsy. Sorrayy.

[/center]

[Crowzerplorodon]

Blackpaw purred at the praise he recieved, though took the ones from Russetfang a little closer to heart. For a moment he wished with all his heart the Russetfang was his mentor, but it was put out by Gingernose speaking again. Quickly he burried the squirrel, ready to help Russetfang out with however the warrior was gonna train. The apprentice cast a quick glance at Gingernose first, wondering if she should be invited to come along with them on this part. She wasn't so bad, after all.

Her interuption had been forgive, at least. As long as she didn't pull any overly-she-cat things than Blackpaw would be find with her.

"You wanna join us?" He said to Gingernose, looking at Russetfang to make sure his invitation was ok. "Y'know... Like Russetfang said, more the merrier.

[Slug]

"You wanna join us?"

Yes! Russetfang thought, glancing at Gingernose with hope. She may make him feel uncomfortable at times, but she still had feelings... and was admitively nice to him. He should be happy he had a friend like her-- and Blackpaw, too! He grinned, tail quivering with excitement.

"Y'know... like Russetfang said, more the merrier."

"Yessiree!" He practically blurted. "The both of y'all can help lil' ol' me get some new fightin' skills!" Russetfang purred, pawing at the ground eagerly. "Let's gooooo." He whined, marching off as best he could, each forced step shaky as he tromped toward the Hollow, head held high and shoulders square.

/Crap. D: