a twist on hunting (open)

[Creekwhisper]

Today was what most would consider a beautiful day, with the sun shining high in the cloudless sky and the wind teasing the reeds that lined the river's shore. Creekwhisper hated it. Okay, she didn't hate it, she just would have much preferred the safe shadows that the clouds provided instead. But even without the cover of shadows, Creekwhisper was still a rather good hunter. She padded over to the side of the river and sat down, staring into its waters. She had no intention of catching any fish at the moment; no, she was waiting not for a unsuspecting fish, but for an unsuspecting cat. The morning earlier, an idea had popped into her head and she couldn't stop thinking about it all day. She wanted to have a little bit of fun with hunting; a contest! The only problem was that no cats really enjoyed her presence too much, and really the contest was mostly to fuel her ego. But still, it could be fun. All she had to do was wait for a cat to stroll on by.

[Minnowleap]

Minnowleap was restless, being on dawn patrol hadn't been enough to cure her lust for excitement and adventure, and so she had taken a walk around the edge of the whole territory, waiting for something interesting to happen. Unfortunately, nothing came, but the young, energetic warrior wasn't about to give up. Well, actually, she was about to give up, but upon seeing Creekwhisper, Minnowleap perked up, then thought better of it. Creekwhisper wasn't the meanest cat Minnowleap had ever met, but she was definitely high up on the list - with a full-of-herself attitude and a grouchy streak, she was the type of cat that Minnowleap liked to avoid. However, given the silver tabby was in the vicinity of Creekwhisper, it would be wrong for her to not greet her. Hoping that Creekwhisper wouldn't respond cruelly, Minnowleap approached her Clanmate and said, "Hello, Creekwhisper. Doing some hunting?" Bracing herself for the response, Minnowleap tried to look into the eyes of the other warrior, hoping to prove that she wasn't afraid (in spite of the fact that even she knew that was completely ridiculous - Minnowleap was definitely afraid).

[Creekwhisper]

[okay hi so before i start i want to say that my character is mean, but i'm not, so plz don't take anything she says to heart! ; v ; ]
Creekwhisper's ears perked up at the sight of Minnowleap. She recognized her as one of the newer warriors; and as a still-playful cat as well. Creekwhisper didn't particularly dislike Minnowleap, but she did find her too childish for her taste and often questioned the cat's dependability. If it wasn't for the mere fact that she didn't know Minnowleap that well, and desperately needed another cat to hunt with, she would have probably ignored the young cat's greeting. Still, Creekwhisper managed a sort of half-smile and flicked her tail in welcome. "Does it look like I'm hunting? Well, I guess it sorta does, but I'm not." She let out a short laugh, which was more of a snort than anything. "You see, I was looking for another cat to hunt with. You know, for a little competition."

[Minnowleap]

(Of course! I've roleplayed for years now, so don't worry about anything like that. I've had my fair share of rude characters. xD)

Minnowleap felt her muscles tense, and she realized she would have to make a mental effort to hold herself back from headbutting Creekwhisper into the river. All she did was greet the warrior and ask her if she was hunting, and off Creekwhisper was, leaping into the rude river faster than any cat could say "fish". Minnowleap was about to give a sarcastic retort, but Creekwhisper mentioned competition, and this piqued Minnowleap's interest. The young she-cat's ears perked and she mewed, "Competition, huh? What are the rules?" Minnowleap took a few pawsteps toward the edge of the river, settling herself down about two tail-lengths from Creekwhisker - not fully trusting her because, even though Creekwhisper had not, to Minnowleap's knowledge, struck out at a Clanmate before, there was a first time for everything. Many cats found Minnowleap to be a very annoying cat, and she would not have at all been surprised if some attempt at attack came from Creekwhisker.

[Creekwhisper]

[haha okay that's good, i've had a couple rude characters and people were actually offended before so.. yeah.. xD ]
Creekwhisper's eyes glowed with something bordering mischief. She won't deny it, she was way too excited for this. "Okay, so the competition itself is simple, a kit could do it. You see those rocks over there?" Her tail flicked in the direction of a pile of gray stones. They weren't as big as Sunningrocks, but they were close. The sunlight made them cast a shadow that faced the two cats. "We're going to see who can catch the most fish when the shadow faces to the right. Not too hard to understand, is it?" she said, a smirk on her face.

[Minnowleap]

Minnowleap looked at Creekwhisper, listening to her completely, then, when the she-cat was finished, Minnowleap gave her a confused look, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that. Do you mind explaining again?" Minnowleap fought back a snicker, feeling very proud of herself, as she surely annoyed the snooty warrior before her. In Minnowleap's mind, there was nothing more annoying than being ignored, and considering what an egotistical brat Creekwhisper was, it would not surprise the silver warrior if this got under Creekwhisper's skin.
"I would have known, except I was very distracted by some birds up in the sky, right there. See them? They're very pretty and I was observing to make sure that, if they came close to the ground, I'd be able to catch one for the Clan. Where were we again?"

[Creekwhisper]

Creekwhisper was silent for a few moments, a smile plastered on her face. Surely this was a joke. Right? But when the young she-cat mentioned the birds in the sky, Creekwhisper's fur began to spike up slightly. Her tail twitched to and fro as she hissed,"Were you dropped on your head as a kit? What in Starclan's name was so hard to understand about that?" Creekwhisper's forest green eyes narrowed slightly as she bit back insults. As much as she wanted to claw the silver cat's ears, she knew that her opportunity to show up the young warrior would be lost in a fit of bristling fur and maybe even a few injuries to the both of them. Didn't your mother teach you manners, kid? Geez, pay attention this time, okay? Creekwhisper cleared her throat, then explained the rules again. "If you still don't get it, then maybe I'll just play with some other cat with a fully-functional head."

[Minnowleap]

Minnowleap felt her whiskers begin twitching in amusement, but she forced them to stop, playing it off as just a twitch by taking a paw and flicking the whiskers on the right side of her face. The she-cat looked innocently at Creekwhisper before mewing, "I'm ready to listen, Creekwhisper." Minnowleap's voice came out very apologetically. The she-cat sat down and focused her attention on Creekwhisper, ecstatic that her little plan to annoy the warrior worked well enough.

"No, no, I get it this time. Thank you," Minnowleap meowed quickly, standing and trotting closer to the edge of the water. She cast a glance back at the rock, and upon seeing that the shadow had moved only just enough to be noticeable (which wasn't saying much), Minnowleap flicked an ear and crouched, preparing for a long time of fishing.

After a few moments, Minnowleap said challengingly, "Ready when you are, Creekwhisper."

[Creekwhisper]

Creekwhisper gave a short nod. "Good. I was about to drown you in the river," she meowed, trying to make it seem that she was only half-joking, but of course she really wouldn't. "Oh yes, I should mention, if you spot a vole and wish to catch it, go ahead. It counts." And with that she positioned herself in front of the river and waited a few moments. It was silent except for the sound of the river gurgling before them. "Okay," she mewed in a quieter voice,"On your marks... get set... Go!" She spotted a shadow in the river; a smaller-sized fish, but a fish nonetheless. She lifted her paw steadily in the air, then quickly dashed her paw into the water. She hooked the fish out of the water with a tiny mew of glee. The fish flopped around hopelessly on the ground for a few moments before Creekwhisper delivered a killing bite. "That's one point for me!

[oh yeah, Minnowleap can win if you want; i think it'd be interesting if she did haha]

[Minnowleap]

(Heheh, okay. c:<)

Minnowleap hissed in mock irritation, pretending to be oh-so-annoyed about losing already. Minnowleap flung a trout out of the water, slamming her jaw shut on it, its body growing still and cold. "Now we're even," Minnowleap purred snootily, pretending to be Creekwhisker, "but that won't last long, because I'm going to win." The she-cat lunged forward, plunging her head underwater, and came back up with a small fish that was too weak to squirm out of the feline's mouth.

Glancing back at the rock, Minnowleap realized she'd forgotten what time Creekwhsiker said the contest would end. She figured they had quite a bit of time, though, considering only a few fish had been caught. Minnowleap didn't want to seem like she was scared of losing, so she didn't bother asking Creekwhisper about the rock's shadow.

Catching a third fish, Minnowleap cast a smug glance at Creekwhisker, snickering, "oh, don't worry, Creekwhisker, I'm sure you can catch up." In a way, it was really fun acting like the other warrior, but it was a bit tiring and Minnowleap didn't understand how a cat could act snobby all the time (then again, her acting was based off only a few previous experiences with Creekwhisper, so she could have easily been missing the mark on the other cat's personality).

[Creekwhisper]

Creekwhisper let out a hiss as Minnowleap caught more fish; the warrior was more skilled at hunting than Creekwhisper had initially thought. Okay, gotta step up my game. Creekwhisper hooked another fish, this one only slightly bigger than the last. She slammed it onto the ground in frustration and clamped her jaws on it, killing it. She glanced back at the rocks; there wasn't much time left, she noticed. She peered back into the waters, spotting a rather large fish. If she could catch it, then even if she did lose then she'd impress the clan with her catch. She squinted her eyes, then lifted her paw as she waited for the fish to swim closer. Not much time left... The fish wasn't close enough. In a fit of desperation, Creekwhisper sudden pounced into the water face-first as she tried to hook the fish.

[Minnowleap]

Minnowleap stifled a mew of amusement as Creekwhisper was growing frustrated. She'd started the competition with the goal of winning in mind, yet that might not be the outcome. Minnowleap wasn't a very good hunter normally, but her competitiveness boosted her ability a little bit, and the idea of beating her snooty Clanmate at something put enough pressure on Minnowleap to help her out. "What's wrong, Creekwhisper? You seem a bit upset. This is just a fun game to get more food for the Clan, right? Some friendly competition never hurt anyone!" Minnowleap meowed cheerfully, flicking a tiny fish out of the water. Her catches weren't the biggest, but this contest was about who caught more. Quantity over quality wasn't the usual route for Minnowleap, but it wasn't a bad one here for sure.