Raggedfur && Grizzlypaw

Raggedfur watched as his apprentice entered the clearing. Though he didn't catch what Grizzlypaw said under his breath, the Windclan warrior could easily deduce that it was something negative, and his eyes narrowed in displeasure. It was obvious that the younger wolf disliked their arrangement just as much as Raggedfur did, but Raggedfur wasn't about to let himself be shown up by some arrogant youth. "I didn't ask," Raggedur snapped after Grizzlypaw spoke, fixating his apprentice with a piercing stare. "First things first - I ain't gonna tolerate disrespect. You mighta been able to treat the rest of them Windclan pansies like dirt, but it won't stand here. Understand me?"

(Pansies,hehe)

Grizzlypaw perked up his ears. The apprentice snorted. He sat down and stared at the wolf. "...Lets see what happens,but I'm not making any promises." The brute flicked his tail.

[haha, they're gonna have the weirdest relationship.]

Raggedfur's eyes narrowed at the half-hearted acceptance, but he said nothing. Obiviously Grizzlypaw wasn't willing to cooperate, and Raggedfur wouldn't fight him on it. If the brat decided to be troublesome, well, Raggedfur would punish him then. "Whatever, kid." He snapped back, a waspish tone in his voice, before quickly clearing the space between them. One of Raggedfur's massive paws shot out to land on Grizzlypaw's haunches, and he applied light pressure over the smaller wolf, aiming to force his hind legs close to the ground. "This is the proper hunting crouch," He explained, dropping into a crouch of his own. "Copy my movements. Keep your legs straight and muscles relaxed."

Raggedfur was bracing himself for some insult or retort to fly from the apprentice's mouth, but he was slightly surprised when Grizzlypaw held his tongue. Relenquishing the weight his paw had put on Grizzlypaw's haunches, Raggedfur straightened and looked at the younger male, his calculative eyes scanning for any flaw in the wolf's composure. Much to Raggedfur's chagrin, Grizzlypaw had almost perfected the move on his first try. Darn. Raggedfur had been looking forward to smugly correcting him. Oh, well. "Yeah," Raggedfur finally said, a begrudging note of approval in his voice. "Keep your tail still, though, you look like a rattlesnake. C'mere, we'll test it out." Raggedfur crossed the clearing, stopping near a patch of bramble bushes. One deep inhale confirmed that there was some small creature hiding in the undergrowth. Jerking his head towards the bush, Raggedfur sat back on his haunches and waited to see if his apprentice could put the position to good use.

Raggedfur sighed in exasperation as Grizzlypaw quickly turned away from the undergrowth and asked what he was supposed to be looking for. Holding back the waspish answer at the tip of his tongue, Raggedfur took a step closer to the bush and his apprentice. He lowered his muzzle to the base of the brambles, gesturing for Grizzlypaw to do the same. "Concentrate," Raggedfur insisted as he inhaled deeply, the smell of prey washing against the roof of his mouth. "If you actually pay attention, you'll be able to pick up scents. Don't focus on anything else, just the prey."

Raggedfur scowled, sensing the impatient contempt in Grizzlypaw's voice, but he didn't comment. As insufferable and aggravating as Grizzlypaw may be, Raggedfur knew they were only butting heads because, in essence, they were both so alike. Though Raggedfur had never been quite able to hold his tongue and had always been much more volatile than Grizzlypaw, the bitterness and grumpy attitude that rolled off of them was practically identical - except for the fact that Grizzlypaw was younger and a fraction of Raggedfur's size. Though he didn't know what, Raggedfur could sense that something had happened in the younger wolf's history to make him so bitter. Raggedfur would never probe on such an intimate and personal topic, but he could relate to the fact that their hostility wasn't totally natural. Raggedfur grunted as he realized that he was connecting with the insufferable kid. Who knew.

Raggedfur was jolted from his thoughts by a loud rustling of undergrowth and Grizzlypaw's growl. Head shooting upright, Raggedfur watched as a rabbit bolted from its shelter in the undergrowth, having sensed the wolves. Grizzlypaw tore off after the hapless creature almost immediately, his small body struggling to keep up with the rapid movements of the hare. Raggedfur couldn't supress the grin that quipped his muzzle as he trotted off down the slope to keep his apprentice and his prey in seeinb vision. Grizzlypaw began to lag behind slightly, obviously tired after sprinting so suddenly, but then he leaped forward the remaining distance and bowled over his prey, dispatching it with a clean bite to the neck. Raggedfur loped the remaining distance to the young wolf and the dead rabbit. He heard Grizzlypaw's comment and let out a snort of laughter, pride welling up in Raggedfur as he looked down at the scene. Grizzlypaw may be a bratty idiot, but he couldn't deny the fact that the kid knew what he was doing.

"Good job, brat," He said, voice not as venomous as usual on the last word. "You can take that back to camp later and brag to all your friends. Rabbit on the first attempt, they'll be impressed."

Raggedfur nodded slowly as Grizzlypaw talked. He could understand the bit about speed - being so large himself, Raggedfur had deduced at an early age that strength equaled lowered quickness. It was strange being surrounded by the lithe and fleet-footed wolves of Windclan when Raggedfur was so burly. At the second part, however, Raggedfur was surprised. He'd never expect Grizzypaw to swallow his pride and apologize - though, Raggedfur supposed, their training was allowing them to get closer together than they ever would in other circumstances. "Its alright, brat," He said dismissively, looking down at the pup. "I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't put up with you." Raggedfur's words were dripping with sarcasm, but he flicked Grizzypaw's flank with his tail to let him know he was joking, barely noticing the apprentice's sudden drop in mood. "What do you wanna do next?"

Raggedfur snorted at Grizzlypaw's usual lack of tack. Rising to his feet, the large male shook his pelt vigorously and inhaled, smells of the moor assaulting his nose like a brick wall. "Alright, kid," He agreed, admiring the younger wolf's determination. Even if he wasn't nessicarily the best hunter as of yet, Raggedfur could admit that the effort he put into learning was surprising. "Remember, though, speed isn't everything," He admonished. "You can be the quickest wolf on the plains but you ain't takin' down nothin' without strength. C'mon," Turning, Raggedfur began to trot further away from the training clearing and into the vastness of the moor. He supposed that, now that Grizzlypaw understood the mechanics of hunting, they could pair up to try a larger animal. Raggedfur stopped as they reached the outskirts of the little patch of woodland on Windclan territory. "Tell me what you smell," Raggedfur said, watching his apprentice fixatedly.

Raggedfur nodded his head in approval as Grizzlypaw snuffled around the outskirts of the little patch of woodland. His apprentice was right - a deer herd lay within the trees of the forest. Judging by the stale scents, they had grazed at the edge of the moor earlier that morning when few wolves were out and about, but now they had retired to the more shaded, covered area of the woods. "Yeah," Raggedfur finally said, taking a deep inhale of his own. "They've taken cover under the trees. C'mon, brat." Flattening himself to the ground, Raggedfur began to creep into the dark, cool habitat that made up the forest. Though Raggedfur had never been one for stealth due to his size and clumsiness, he put every effort into perfecting the move - both so that their prey wouldn't be alerted, and so that Grizzlypaw would know what to do.

As Raggedfur crept into the depths of the scruffy forest, he craned his neck and cast a glance over his shoulder. Grizzlypaw was copying Raggedfur's posture, down to every last detail, and the warrior let out an exhale of relief. Even if his apprentice wasn't nessecarily the quitest wolf in the clans - his size made that practically impossible - Raggedfur had faced the obstacle in his training years and knew that it could be worked on. Turning back to face the forest, Raggedfur prised his way through a clump of tightly packed bramble bushes, instantly coming to a halt. Through the gap in the trees, he could see the grazing deer herd. "There," Raggedfur hissed, gesturing with his tail for Grizzlypaw to settle beside him. "You see them, brat? I want you to pick a target. Be smart about it, think with your brain, not your muscles. We'll take it down together."

Raggedfur grunted as the snarky apprentice shoved him lightly, and had it not been for the quiet that was required around their hypersensitive prey, he would have aimed a blow at Grizzlypaw's head. Raggedfur, however, could sense the light teasing to the younger wolf's words, and he felt a rush of protective rise up in him for his apprentice. Pushing down the paternal sense to guard his younger comrade, Raggedfur narrowed his eyes as they fell on the buck Grizzlypaw had pointed it out. Though it was larger than most of the other deer and it displayed its rack of horns with an air of forboding, Raggedfur could see that it was weak by the quavering that gripped it and the feebleness as it attempted to walk. "Okay," Raggedfur replied. "I want you to creep up to it on one side. I'll go on the opposite - we'll split the buck from the rest of the herd. Wait for my signal." Extracting himself from the undergrowth, Raggedfur began to prowl along the outskirts of the deer herd. He took the left side, leaving the right flank open for Grizzlypaw. The buck raised its brown, doeful eyes as Raggedfur approached, and he stopped a few feet away, waiting for Grizzlypaw to take position. As soon as the younger wolf did, Raggedfur would give his signal and the chase would ensue.

Raggedfur's muscles began to twitch in anticipation and mounting trepidation as he waited for Grizzlypaw to take position. Not only was he anxious for completion and sucess of the hunt, but he was slightly frightened and doubtful of Grizzlypaw's abilities. Though the young wolf was strong and obviously capable, he had only just started his apprentice training - had Raggedfur made the right decision by letting the young wolf in on such a detrimental hunt? Squaring his shoulders, Raggedfur told himself to stop acting like a worrisome female. He knew Grizzlypaw would be furious if he could hear his thoughts, and it was stupid of him to be acting so hesitant when he hadn't even given the kid a chance. Realizing that the younger wolf had flanked the bull, effectively separating it from the rest of the herd by a thin barrier, Raggedfur tightened his muscles and let out a loud bark. Instantly, the herd began to scatter, but the bull was isolated from its comrades and forced to bolt forward instead of towards the safety of its species. Lunging forward, Raggedfur set off in hot pursuit, his jaws salivating at the thought of a kill.

The thrill of the hunt began to pulse through Raggedfur's veins as he charged after the deer. Pure adrenaline replaced his usual bulky clumsiness and gave him the energy to sprint forward after his prey, his paws pounding rhythmatically against the ground. He saw Grizzlypaw out of the corner of his eye, the young male nothing but a grizzled grey and brown blur as he approached the old buck on the opposite side. Pride welled up in Raggedfur as he deer let out a bleat of pain; Grizzlypaw had managed a wound to the shoulder and was snapping with effort at the animal's neck. Straining his legs, Raggedfur lurched forward, his powerful jaws clamping shut over the left flank of the deer. It let out a groan of agony and bucked weakly with its free leg, but Raggedfur was out of range and the buck was too weak. As his jaws grew sore with effort, he finally dropped, but his mouth was full of salty blood and the taste gave him the strength to sprint forward after the animal for a second time.