The day was growing warm and the humidity on the air smelled and promised of rain later. It wasn't too bad yet as Hickorystorm dutifully made his way around camp. Every day since he had left the medicine cat's den and claimed a spot in the elders' den, the young elder tom made a lap around the camp, rememorizing everything's location and keeping camp's layout fresh in his mind's eye. He hadn't been able to physically see the camp in over three moons, but he was determined to train himself so that he could make his way around camp without any help at the very least.
His nose twitched as he neared the freshkill pile and his ears perked as his belly growled. The hunting patrols seem to have seen good hunting and the smell of a mouse tickled his fancy. From where he was in camp, the freshkill pile was right..... there!
Hunkering down into the hunter's crouch, perfected since he had been an apprentice, the chocolate brown tabby moved as stealthily as he could until he was close enough to shoot a paw out to hook a claw into a mouse and toss it. Although he was unable to see where it went, his head snapped up as he perked his ears and scented the air eagerly to see where he had flung it. Hearing the soft plop of thge body on the ground close by and smelling how close it was, he pounced and eagerly sank his jaws into the soft body. It wasn't too warm anymore, but it was still caught that morning and he had felt the itching need to hunt in his claws. This wasn't the same, but it would have to make do.
Not caring if he looked like a kit playing with it's food, he lifted his head with the mouse in his jaws. The craving to hunt had been soothed for the time being and Hickorystorm made his way over to sit between the apprentices' den and warriors' den to tuck into the first bite of his meal.
