QUEST TRIAL ROUND ONE (SYNFEATHER VS SLASHFAITH)

[SpoodleDoodles]

HUNTING CHALLENGE
ROUND ONE - RIVER
SYNFEATHER VS SLASHFAITH
JUDGE: SHORESTAR

Slashfaith

The small ginger-and-white she-cat felt nervous.

Her leaf-green eyes were wide, flinching at every shadow or flicker of light.

This was it, her chance to show the whole Clan she wasn't the monster they all thought she was.

She had to show them. Her life wasn't worth living otherwise.

She knew her sister was judging this round not only to keep an eye on her, but to show the Clan leader didn't play favourites. She wished they could all be normal siblings again, but a giant void stretched out between them all. Pinewave was deathly sick, Shorestar had her responsibilities as leader and Slashfaith... was tainted by Gyrwing's blood more then the others had been.

She halted mid-stride, shaking her head fiercely. She'd had enough nightmares. Her grandfather Leafslash had taken her aside after she had volunteered, and carefully coaxed her back into warm-up training for the competitions. She wouldn't disappoint him. She wouldn't disappoint anyone this day. Once she had been one of the best apprentices, favoured by all for her boldness and willingness to help her Clanmates. Now she'd have to show them all again that Gyrwing's blood hadn't changed that fact.

She heard voices from up ahead, and realising she would have spectators, she took a deep breath, raised her tail and ears, and slipped quietly in the clearing beside the river bank.

In the early morning light she recognised one face instantly, a face she was grateful to see. "Beewings!" The small cream tom bounded over and gave her a playful swat between the ears. Once, he had been her older brother. "Pinewave told me to cheer for you since he can't. And who says a Medicine Cat can't have fun? I hope the fish run well for you and Synfeather." Too grateful for words, Slashfaith purred a reply before skittering across to sit on the bank, waiting for her sister and her rival to appear so the first round could begin.

[The one, the only FEATHER!]

[blcokquote]

The tom walked in light footedly, his long fur, moving in the breeze catching in the wind the lightly blew. the snow crunched with his every step. he casted his gaze seeing his opponent had arrived. he also saw beewings, the medicine cat here two. though shorestar was not to be seen yet. making his lower back crack he walked up to the gathered to. looking at them in silence, then looking past at the river that was half frozen up.. it would indeed be a challenge to hunt. but the young tom had a few tactics up his claws. There was more than one way to kill a fish. at that thought he glanced back at the she-cat. they both had something running on this..pride.

He wanted to prove his father wrong, an show he did not need him, and did not need him to care. like he seemed to have done when he an his brother volunteered. he blinked at the thought his brother was about to start his own competition. he silently sent his pray to his brother of best wishes. before his full attention was turned on to slashfaith an her older brother beewings. he dipped his head in greeting before mewing breifly to beewings.

" hello beewings" but that was all he said as he moved off to where slashfaith was. though she was older than him it seemed synfeather was taller an bigger and more mature. he walked past the she-cat dipping his head as his lime gaze looked her over she might be speedy but he would out wit that for sure. with that in mind he smiled a small smile before mewing " goodluck " you will need it he thought, he was not going to loose today he was going 5 for 5 today, an no cat would get in his way. but hunting was not the toms strong point fighting and battling using his muscles was his realm.

[/blokcquote]

[Deleted]

Shorestar laughed, talking to the other senior warriors before dipping her head and walking off to attend her first trial. She had reviewed with Fleetfoot, Leafslash, and Redfeather about how to go on with these competitions and how they shall be held. She was confident enough with Fleetfoot's rouge experience that he would be holding these in the most fair manner and so far everyone seemed confident that it would work. In the first time in a long time, her clan was happy and laughing amongst themselves. It was a good feeling knowing that she was doing the right thing for once. Her long gray fur lay flat at her side, not a breeze filtered through the area as she was preparing for the competition to being. Once she got to her area, she grinned seeing Slashfaith and Synfeather were already present and waiting. Shorestar trotted in a big smile on her face. "Sister. Synfeather." She said with a tone of amusement in her voice, happiness glinting her eyes. "Let's begin shall we?" Shorestar sat by the river bed and spoke with a clear voice. "As you know, today's challenge is Hunting. Your objective is to catch as many fish as possible in one hour. Each fish must be successfully caught and brought out of the water and placed on shore to count." She said, pausing to let that information sink in. "Each fish will score you one point and I shall determine the winner afterwards. You may not interfere with the other, Beewings? Would you mind sitting in between the two to prevent any interference?" Addressing that manner, Shorestar grinned and moved to the spots. "Synfeather, this will be your fishing spot." Marking the place by digging out the stones and dirt, she moved over a bit and marked out that area. "Slashfaith will fish here." Moving back to where be was she awaited them to take their marks and grinned nodding. "Then let the games begin!" she said letting out a clear yowl, off in the distance, she heard another yowling starting. Was that Leafslash? Fleetfoot? Maybe Refeather? Either way everyone was off, and she could hear the scattered clanmates that came to watch cheering everyone on.

[SpoodleDoodles]

Slashfaith

Synfeather appeared, and his manner as always was short and to the point. She blinked at his words to her. "Good luck to you also."

Her ears pricked as her sister arrived, looking like a model warrior, but it was clear from her manner she wasn't going to display too much sisterly affection in front of everyone. The judge was in the house.

Slashfaith's ears pricked as the instructions were spoken, and she dipped her head ina greement with each one. Their places were marked out beside the freezing river bank, and Beewings gave her a friendly wink as he was called from his spectator post to serve as the barrier. "Aww, come on, don't you want to get frozen toes Shorestar?" Clearing a patch of snow he took up his appointed mark, and the small ginger-and-white she-cat did the same, aware Synfeather was also prepared to begin.

As her sister yowled, Slashfaith could hear another yowl sounding off from somewhere close by, followed by another, and several heartbeats later the last one. Faint cheering also echoed, and she had to catch herself from spacing out. She wasn't a spectator, she was a participant. Narrowing her leaf-green eyes she spun on her spot to face the fast-flowing black water behind her. Ice had been broken from a deep stretch of the river, wether Shorestar had arranged for several heavy cats to do so or it had occurred naturally didn't matter. She spotted an overhanging rock near her marked position, and she crept over to it, careful to angle her shadow away from the rushing water. The rock created a lee in the water, a small space where it barely moved, where it would be warmer.

And where fish would stop to rest.

Sure enough, one was hiding there, and her paw flicked it out like lightning and landed it on the bank, a swift blow killing it as she pushed it behind her for Shorestar to count. Her gaze flickered back to the lee. She wouldn't have to wait long for the empty space to fill again. Most thoughts of the competition had left her mind, she was focused on the task at hand, as she had always done during her apprenticeship.

[The one, the only FEATHER!]

SYNFEATHER;

The tom settled himself down his ears flicked towards shorestar as the she-cat began mewing that they were hunting today the tom nodded his head. they had to catch lots of fish. the tom nodded again knowing this. the fish have to be caught to be placed on the shore to be counted the tom noted his place for placing the fish. the leader told him to sit and slashfaith to sit. the tom blinked his orbs.the yowl was sounded. and the tom stepped upon the ice that soon broke under his paws. he was standing in the water. half way up his legs. he stood absolutely still, letting the fish think his long furred body was see weed.

and soon after his splash into the water the fish thought it was nothing. his limeo rbs were silently as his ears flicked at slashfaith fishing something out of the water. he frowned she had caught one already, he narrowed his eyes. when he saw a big fish came his way he smiled thinking the size would give him extra points the silly tom. when the fish came close to him the tom grabbed it with both paws and flung it up in the air, it swished it's tail, synfeather used one of his paws and pushed it over to his spot. it flailed around and synfeather watched it silently, as it stayed in it's spot, he looked down he scared some fish, he smiled that was oki it wouldn't long the river flowed towards him.

he stayed silent and still he saw another fish not sure going close to him he launched after it, it was slippery in his paws he growled in frustration it slipped out of his paws over and over. hr growled giving it a hefty whack which stunned it, he smiled tossing it over to his pile. two for two. he smiled in his mind. maybe today he would be lucky in hunting. for once. his eyes gazed down looking for the next catch to come his way.

[SpoodleDoodles]

Slashfaith

Hooking out another fish from the water, she was distracted from her concentration by the loud splashes made by her rival. Glancing upwards, her leaf-green eyes widened as she saw beyond Beewing's small frame what Synfeather was doing. Leg-deep in the freezing river, he was hooking out another fish that swam between his legs, sending up water cascading everywhere. She grinned as Beewings made an annoyed growl, shook the water from his pelt before settling back down. She returned to the rock's lee she was using, noting the changing angle of the sun and moving over slightly accordingly to keep her shadow out of the water. She had to make sure the rock's lee looked as inviting as it could. Not a bare moment since she'd moved and another fish, larger, its back mottled black and grey, had taken the position. Trout? Trout!

Using her strongest fishing paw, she hooked out the larger fish with her claws, sinking her teeth into the back of its head straight away instead of landing it first, the fish flaying wildly. Only once before had she caught a fish like this, and it had tried to flop away when she'd landed it. Now she'd learnt her lesson. Holding it till it had stopped struggling, she shook the water from her pelt and added it to her growing pile, returning to her fishing spot and knowing it would be a little while before another fish returned after the disturbance she'd just caused with the trout.

From the look of both fresh-kill piles, the Clan would be well fed tonight.

[Deleted]

Shorestar watched the two closely, and smirked at Beewing's snarky comment. "Nah, I like having warm paws thank's." She said with just as much sass. Laughing, as Slashfaith and Synfeather started, she noted that Slashfaith's skills haven't decreased despite how much she's holed herself up in the medicine cat den with Pinewave. Her frowned a bit thinking about her sick brother, and then shook her head clear of those sick thoughts and put her focus back on the two hunting. Slashfaith seemed to be advancing more than Synfeather was, and had even caught a trout. But the competition was still in the process - they still had time to out rank each other. "Keep going! Nice trout Slashfaith! Synfeather, the size of that fish will make the queens very happy." She said, praising both of them with a purr as she turned to look at Beewings and grinned. "Say brother, how are you're paws feeling?" She said smirking, and laughed.

[The one, the only FEATHER!]

SYNFEATHER;


His orbs looked up as his rivial had caught a trout. he hissed in his mind, he was not going to be beaten and not be beaten by a she-cat at that. his eyes for a moment looked around to see whom was a round kind of wondering if she was here. but no sight of her anywhere. he hissed more. No cat supported him. at that shorestar mewed to him a well done. her flicked his ears in thanks to his leader. but.. thats not whom he wanted to hear.


Gazing back at the river the tom let his lime gaze watch the fish. the cool water lashing threw him still going on it's path. He saw two fish coming his way he smiled the odds we for him getting at least one. he dove in without thinking strategy the two fish seemed to have glanced up seeing him and one of one went to their sides. synfeather hissed as he landed face first in the water. bubbling the water. in the water he glanced back as the fish swam fast. he growled with bubbles, as he turned to see other fish fleeing he launched for them he grabbed a tail of one and flashed it up in the air. synfeather was no longer patient with hunting he was over hunting he was not a hunter. The clan knew it. the one he fished in the air landed on the river bank but flopped like a jellyfish and flopped back into the water. his lime orbs growled with frustration.


As he looked back down at the water, he kept still waiting for more willing prey to come his way. hopefully if he had not scared them off with his pouncing and splashing.

[SpoodleDoodles]

Slashfaith

So concentrated she was on fishing that she almost fell into the river when her sister spoke. She glanced backwards at Shorestar and blinked in gratitude for the praise, but her gaze flickered straight back to the little rock-lee she was using. She was interrupted again as Synfeather plunged into the water, sending up a cascade of spray that again soaked Beewings. She heard the adoptive older brother turn and remark cooly to Shorestar. "They're fine, that is, if these warriors stop splashing me." He shot the grey she-cat a wry grin. "Aren't you supposed to be judging, not teasing?"

Synfeather landed a fish after all that racket, but it flopped straight back into the water and look on Synfeather's face would kill.

Slashfaith turned her gaze back to the water, her leaf-green eyes narrowing as two fish hurriedly swept in behind the lee, looking panicked. One had a side shredded. Her green eyes blinked. Were these the fish Synfeather had just missed?

She waited until they had settled, resting in the rock's lee, very carefully planning her move. Two fish at once was indeed a prize worthy of the best hunters. And was Slashfaith not one of the best hunters? She knew it would make a terrible splash, but there was no other way to get them both securely. She wasn't going to loose it like Synfeather had.

Bunching her muscles, she leapt down into the water, one paw hooking its claws into the already injured fish, her fangs sinking straight into the other. Kicking off from the bottom of the river she emerged, carrying a dead fish in her jaws and flicking the other up onto the shore, pouncing on it with a heavy killing blow. That made four. Four fish to Synfeather's... two. She added the news ones to her pile, before turning back to the water, but she sensed their time would be up soon, and she doubted she'd have another fish come by anytime soon after the disturbance she'd just caused.

[The one, the only FEATHER!]

Synfeather;

The hour was almost up the tom had two fish his orbs glanced up looking to slashfaith she had four fish already. He hissed deep down, loosing wasn't his thing. He looked to the shore seeing shorestar getting herself ready to call it quits. Taking a gulp the tom heard some splatters of water looking forward the tom could see a school of fish floundering his way they were happy and gitty flailing about. Synfeather posed himself at the ready. The fish swam not like a good hunter waiting until they were all there but as so as the first one came near him the tall handsome tom launched his claws into the water missing the first sadly. The first fish slashed at him before swimming fastly behind him. The other fish then began to panic. growling the tom launch into them trying to catch each one, each one fumbling out of his grasp. Water ran threw his fur, dripped out of his ears Slashes landing on his eyes. The tom growled turning around in the water chasing after the fish whom swam after him. Though in the midst of the toms running Synfeather saw one was slightly injured by his tackle Synfeather took it upon himself his tail slashing into the water as the large tom took a dive head first into the watery depths. grabbing the fishes tail hauling his head up and out of the water the fish floundered about the tom tried walking back taking large steps until re reached the bank there he threw the large fish on the ground spitting out a coupel scales the large fish continued to flounder about with a quick bite the fish was dead. Taking his seat the tom took a breath knowing the hour was up. he had only caught three fish. looking up the tom wanted to see if slashfaith had caught anymore he wasn't able to hear because of all his noise.

[SpoodleDoodles]

Slashfaith

She could her sister and the others stirring, and she knew the call was about to go out. Synfeather was splashing around frantically now, and she knew if he landed more then one fish in the next few heartbeats she was in trouble. Her leaf-green eyes flashed in fear. If she lost in the first round, the respect she had been hoping to win from her Clanmates would turn to even greater disgust and disdain. Worse, her own sense of self-worth would plummet. Hunting was one of the things she had trained hard at. She could not lose. Perhaps later, but not in the very first round.

She spotted movement around the far side of her over hanging rock, and sensing her sister's yowl, Slashfaith took a chance, a moment in time when a huntress knows the right action to take to secure her quarry. Without hesitation she leapt over the rock and into the water on the other side, sending up a cascade of water, her tail thrashing around at the surface before it sank from sight. Underwater, her claws dug into the madly wriggling scaly thing as she kicked towards the surface, biting at it until it stilled. When she surged out of the water and onto the rock as her sister's yowl echoed out, she held in her jaws her fifth fish catch for the day, perhaps a little messier then normal but a catch non the less.

For a moment she felt her spirits lift. No matter how Synfeather had done, she knew she had done her best.

And then the fear returned. Was she about to loose in the final round?

[SpoodleDoodles]

Due to time constraints with the plot, this thread is now FINISHED AND LOCKED.

The winner is SLASHFAITH, who will participate in the Hunting Challenge Final Round!

Make sure you post there to find out the winner for the first Challenge!