[i can go the distance] open

If anyone asked why Merlincry was out in the middle of the moor in the spitting rain he certainly wouldn't tell them the truth. Silversong had been telling his disgraces to the clan again and to be frank the brown tabby's ears had begun to burn with the lies. She'd made no attempt to hide her gossiping when Merlincry had walked past her and her friends to leave a freshly caught blue jay on the fresh kill pile. If anything she'd spoken louder, intent on making him feel shame that didn't exist. Still his jaws had remained shut against the flood of his sister's hurt and instead of standing against her the young tom simply excused himself. Grey clouds had hung low and heavy over WindClan's territory since daybreak but it was only when Merlincry had set out into the blooming heather that the cold rain had begun to fall. It didn't even have the good grace to fall heavily over the sharp-faced tom, instead it fell in spurts and shots, ticking at his face and dampening everything just enough to make tracking a nuisance.

To put Silversong from his mind, Merlincry headed for the southern border, intent on hunting rabbits on the warren. It was unlikely many rabbits would be running about given the weather but if it was one thing Merlincry knew how to do it was wait. The rain was light and the clouds were light, not the threatening black of thunderheads. Given a few hours the weather would clear and Merlincry's scent would be so drenched in heather, gorse and wildflowers that no rabbit would think twice about leaving its burrow. Plan in mind, the leggy tomcat made his way across the sparse moorland, his impressive stride allowing him to cover the ground quickly. In no time at all he had found himself a bush of gorse to hide in, the yellow flowers heavy with their sweet scent, effectively smothering Merlincry's smell. Settling in a low crouch, the young warrior set his amber gaze to the closest bunny burrows.

And there he remained.

Time ticked by with the thud of Merlincry's steady pulse and the sporadic drip-drip-drop of lazily falling rain. It was nearly sunhigh by the time the rain properly stopped. Still he waited. Lean muscles cramped, weary from crouching for so long but Merlincry made himself ignore the physical discomfort. To keep his mind busy, Merlincry imagined possible routes that a rabbit might run depending on which burrow it came from, guesstimating how many rabbits were likely to be in each burrow given the time of year. His mind rotated through how much prey it would take to feed the clan comfortably and how many moons were left before bountiful hunting gave way to scavenging.

It was in the midst of contemplating a possible new border patrol route that Merlincry's attention was drawn away from his mind and the still absent rabbits. A shift in the wind brought the tang of a cat scent to the tom's nose. It was a WindClan scent without a doubt, washed by the rain but carrying the heady scent of wet earth. Someone that had walked quite a ways. Maybe Merlincry should leave his secluded hiding place, let his clanmate know they weren't out hunting alone, but stiffness and a general distaste for trivial company kept Merlincry in his crouched position hidden in the gorse. He would watch and wait, let the other hunter pass him by. Shifting just a bit, Merlincry curled his tail around his paws and settled to wait out the other hunter.

NOTES;; merlin's first post!
WORDS;; 599
TAGGED;; open to WC warrior or apprentice