stumble and fall [skyy, open]

○ His muzzle hurt. His muzzle hurt a lot. And his leg hurt even worse than his muzzle. These was the sole thoughts that passed back and forth through Hawkpaw's mind as he limped back through the camp's entrance. His head held low and tail dragging the ground behind him. Grasped in his jaws, a small rat snake hung limply. Tattered and lacerated as it was from the struggle it had taken to kill it, the catch was now barely a mouthful for anyone. The scaly creature had put up quite a fight for its life; coiling tightly around Hawkpaw's leg and latching its sharp teeth onto the small apprentice's muzzle over and over. In the end Hawkpaw had won; the element of surprise and the added advantage of being bigger than the slender snake helping his case. But the meager reward and terrible aches were hardly worth the effort. Hawkpaw really shouldn't have been out of camp without a warrior today; he'd barely started training with Hareleap, and there was so much about his new home that the newly minted apprentice had yet to learn. That included proper SkyClan hunting techniques and etiquette. Two very important things that might've aided him in his endeavor.

○ Now though, he had another problem to sort out. Like how he was going to explain this mess to everyone. There was no way he could present this... this pathetic excuse for prey to anyone. Did SkyClanners even eat snakes? Or had he made a terrible mistake in hunting the one animal that hadn't run from his clumsy attempts at stalking? The small brown tabby stared nervously over at a few nearby warriors as he limped off to the side, forgoing placing his hard won kill into the pile of prey. Prey that was, for the most part, still very much in one piece. Ambling over to a corner in the camp, he set the torn apart serpent upon the ground and carefully settled himself onto his haunches. He dare not try and lay down on his stomach; he might not be able to get up if he did. Curling his tail around his hindquarters, he settled himself and turned his pale green gaze to his kill. His first kill. And no matter how long he stared at it or thought about it in different contexts, still not a kill to be proud of. Gingerly, he raised his sore fore leg, prodding at the limp, pathetic thing as though trying to coax it to get back up and slither away with one small bloodstained paw. The battered thing twitched at the prodding, but otherwise didn't move.

○ A few more moments of prodding passed before the rusty brown apprentice sighed and lowered his head in defeat. Sooner or later he'd have to put this snake in the pile. If only because the Warrior Code demanded he do it. Prey was suppose to be killed for food, not sport. Though how much of a meal this serpent was going to be to anyone. 'Hawkpaw! There you are!' an excitable young feminine voice snapped Hawkpaw out of his thoughts, jerking his gaze up to find the sleek spotted pelt of Leopardpaw barreling towards him. Behind her, Lightingpaw's fluffy longhair coat was seen following. Panic surged through every nerve in Hawkpaw's small figure; jerking his gaze back to where his kill lay, he hastily let his body fall over the bloody and torn snake to hide it, his chest and stomach hitting the earth with a hard 'thud!' that jarred his sore leg. He barely had time to bite back the pained hiss and smooth out his features before Leopardpaw was skidding to a stop in front of him. 'Where have you been? Lightningpaw and I have been searching all over camp for you. We wanted to know if you wanted...to...' Leopardpaw never finished her sentence, her voice trailing off as she caught the coppery scent of blood in her nostrils. Lightingpaw must've noticed too, because the quieter of the two siblings' eyes narrowed suspiciously. Hawkpaw attempted to turn his muzzle away and hide it, but it was far too late.

○ Carefully, Leopardpaw raised a fore leg and placed it on the side of Hawkpaw's muzzle, intending to turn her foster littermate's head back around to her line of sight. But her paw fell right on a particularly sore bite wound; Hawkpaw's pained hiss had her reeling backwards. The smaller of the three apprentices curled in on himself, staring up at the two who called themselves his siblings in fear as they moved around him to regard his bloody appearance. 'Hawkpaw! Are you bleeding?!' Leopardpaw mewed, a strangled tone of horror shading her vocals. Her tongue was quick to rasp over the small apprentice's muzzle, cleaning it of the blood - both snake's and his own. 'What in StarClan's name happened, little brother? Did someone hurt you? Someone did hurt you didn't they! Just tell me a name and I'll rip their ears off!' the longer she spoke, the harder her voice became. The promise of pain and vengeance pouring off her tongue in waves. Lightningpaw remained quiet, regarding something beside Hawkpaw with steely intent. 'Is that a snake's tail under your underbelly?' he asked evenly, meeting Hawkpaw's gaze with a steely eye that dared the apprentice to lie to him. Hawkpaw glaced between the two larger apprentices nervously, Leopardpaw's gaze confused and Lightningpaw's serious as stone and neither offering any respite. There was no way to escape.

○ Timidly, and very very gingerly, Hawkpaw struggled to raise his front up and reveal his catch. In all its tattered and crushed and dusty glory. Leopardpaw was the first to give into her curiosity, leaning down to give the pitiful prey item a courtesy sniff before glancing back up at Hawkpaw suspiciously. 'Did you kill this snake, Hawkpaw?' she asked softly. Hawkpaw hesitated only a moment before giving a nervous nod, lowering his head and refusing to meet their gazes afterward. "I... I just wanted... I mean," he began, trying to convey his need to be useful. To show that he wasn't just a waste of space to the Clan, that he could provide for the Clan and not just take. He never finished. 'Wow, Hawkpaw! Your first kill!' Leopardpaw's voice rose up, joyous and praising, surprising her foster littermate with her abruptness. 'And a snake too! You must be the bravest apprentice in the Clan!' she reached over and touched her nose - gently - to Hawkpaw's in approval, purring in praise and resolutely ignoring the way her foster sibling froze in numbed surprise. Lightningpaw too purred deeply, reaching down to claim the snake between his jaws and lift it into the air. 'Mother will want to see this before its placed on the fresh-kill pile.' he stated calmly, scanning the frozen little apprentice quickly. 'Mother's in the Nursery with Tigerpaw. We can show her your kill and get your wounds looked at. Can you walk?' he asked, taking note of the way Hawkpaw favored one fore leg. Not a good sign.

○ It took Hawkpaw a bit longer than he would've liked to shake off the shock. He came back to himself suddenly with rapid blinks of his pale green eyes. He was being... praised? The very thought was inconceivable, especially for such a poor result. Leopardpaw nudged his shoulder gently, helping him onto all fours. He didn't protest - he was still trying to wrap his head around it all. Hawkpaw had expected many things: to be scolded, tattled on, maybe even punished. This... hadn't even registered. Numbly he allowed himself to be led to the Nursery, where Leopardpaw ushered him in with Lightningpaw right behind them still carrying the snake. 'Mother! Mother! Hawkpaw killed a snake!' Leopardpaw announced.

TAGGED: skyy and her socks , tikker ♪ ♫ ○ WORD COUNT: 1304 ○ MUSIC: 'HOPE IN FRONT OF ME' BY DANNY GOKEY