rivalry [sandfire]

The cold sheets of rain that fell upon ShadowClan during leafbare were long gone as the biting chill of the season gave way to newleaf's bright sun and rays of warmth. Though the warmth brought good weather and prey, meaning a healthy, well-fed clan, Kitefang disliked it. Heat had always made him feel as though he was suffocating, and although it wasn't so terrible yet, he could already imagine the discomfort that would inevitably come during greenleaf, when his thick, heavy fur would be less of an advantage and more of a hindrance.

The tom decided to escape camp, where the sun's severe rays shone down below relentlessly, and instead headed to the marshes, where he could find relief in the cool mud underpaw. He immediately felt more at ease as his paws sank into the first of the mud, and although he'd have to go through the pain of washing out the dried mud that would cling to his fur later, he was at least temporarily content. As Kitefang padded through the tall grasses that rose up around him, he decided to hunt while he was out in the territory. He'd accepted long ago that he'd never be one of the clan's better hunters, but he still had to make an effort, in order to feed his clan.

He paused, his paws slowly sinking further into the ground, as he scented for prey. The mud covered the scents well, but he eventually latched onto one coming from his left. Kitefang veered towards the source, continually stopping to scent to ensure he was headed the right way, and soon, he was close enough to see it, although it would've been easy to completely miss. The frog sat in a shallow pool of water gathered on the surface of the mud, and its striped brown skin blended in easily with its surroundings. Once the warrior caught sight of it, he slowly lowered himself into a crouch, eyes focused on the prey the entire time.

Kitefang began to carefully move forward, each pawstep gingerly eased into. His ear twitched as he caught a slight sound somewhere behind him, likely another warrior out to hunt, but thankfully the frog didn't seem to register it as his eyes still stared blankly ahead. It was, unfortunately, his own misstep that would lead to the frog escaping him. The mud that had provided him relief earlier failed him now as one of his paws made a loud squelch noise. In front of him, the frog had definitely heard the sound this time, and it snapped out of what Kitefang was sure were very interesting amphibian thoughts before leaping away into the grasses.

"Foxdung!" he hissed under his breath as he watched it run from him until it was completely hidden in the vegetation. He eventually turned away and let out a sigh as he prepared to start another search for prey.

tagged: @sandfire
notes: sorry for the bad starter ahhah