An Icy Walk -- Brackenfeather; Windchill -- OPEN

Windchill lowered her head to sniff the base of a large oak tree. She was hunting near one of the many streams that ran through RaggedClan territory, in the area west of camp. It was early in the morning, but a fresh start never hurt anyone. She'd been up before dawn, which was a regular occurrence despite her dislike of waking up early, padding quietly out of camp and down the mountain side. Normally, she'd have gone straight to Pebble Lake to do some fishing, but for some reason, she'd decided to go west instead of east, to where the stones of RaggedClan and sands of TidalClan began to intertwine.

Flicking her ears, Windchill could hear the scurrying of tiny paws beneath the snow. She paused, remembering a time when she was an apprentice where she'd watched a fox from behind a bush as it leapt into the air and crunched down through the snow with it's paws. The unfortunate prey beneath was startled, and in the confusion, often burst up through the snow right into the fox's powerful jaws. Windchill had adapted the technique as a youngster, and now, she did the same. Pinpointing the whereabouts of a mouse beneath the white blanket, she bunched her muscles before jumping up, coming down heavily and paws crunching down through the upper layer of snow, revealing the prey tunnel below, and it's surprised occupant.

Windchill shoved her muzzle into the snow, teeth snapping, her yellow gaze focused. After a moment, Windchill's tail suddenly straightened, and she lifted her head out of the snow triumphantly. A mouse squeaked and squirmed in her jaws, but with a simple snap, the tiny creature fell limp between her teeth. Sinking her sharp fangs in deeper for a better hold, Windchill opted to take her prey with her, rather than burying it. She was a long way from camp, and she didn't want to have to come back for it later.

Trotting through the snow, Windchill's ears pricked after a little while. It sounded like another mouse was nearby. But as she dropped her catch on the ground to scent the new prey, another smell entered her nostrils. It was a RaggedClan scent, and Windchill squinted through the trees, glimpsing a dark brown pelt. She opted to stay quiet so that whoever it was could successfully go after their prey.

Windchill was as still as a stone, snow drifting gently down from the sky and settling in her fur as she watched her Clanmate stalk the mouse. The other cat was close enough now that Windchill could identify him by sight; it was Brackenfeather, a tom not much older than Windchill who was well known in RaggedClan for his fiery personality. She half-smiled to herself at the thought. She wasn't the only cat in RaggedClan to be trifled with, that was for sure.

Movement snapped her from her thoughts as Brackenfeather made his move on the mouse, leaping forward and snatching the creature in his claws. He straightened, looking very pleased with himself, and Windchill grinned, quirking a brow when he stiffened, finally catching her scent on the breeze. When he looked over at her, she waved her tail in greeting, leaning down to pick up her prey before trotting over to her Clanmate.

"I see that you've had good fortune as well in hunting."

Windchill let out a amused snort. "Am I in a Clan with warriors or mice?" she asked, nudging the striped brown tom playfully with an outstretched paw "Surely a little snow doesn't bother you that much Brackenfeather." Windchill got to her paws, and shook out her pelt, watching as little flakes of snow flew off of her and onto the ground. "Personally, I'll be sad to see it all gone. Prey might be scarce sometimes, but there's nothing quite like the crunch of snow beneath your paws, and the crisp Leaf-bare wind in your fur."

She knew that not many felt the same way. Greenleaf was much more preferable to most cats, as the weather was warm and sunny, and prey was bountiful throughout every part of RaggedClan territory. Windchill smiled and shook her head. "Ah well, you've got a point all the same. RaggedClan could use whatever prey we can find, right?"

"With the prey moving right now, would you like to hunt together? Maybe with our luck combined, the prey will just leap right into our claws for some warmth,"

Windchill let out a laugh, her eyes bright, suddenly feeling quite cheery. When she wasn't out with Slatepaw, Mudpaw or Singewhisker, she usually hunted and patrolled alone. The idea of joining Brackenfeather and perhaps working as a team was very appealing, and she heartily agreed. "Sounds good to me," she replied, whiskers twitching slightly. "I hope you're right about the prey. I can't imagine anything wanting to jump into my claws just to get warm." She unsheathed the claws on her right paw as she spoke, brandishing them proudly before placing her paw back on the ground. She then dug a quick hole in the snow, and took both her mouse and Brackenfeather's in her jaws, placing them in the hole and hiding them from scent and sight. "We can come back for them later," she meowed, straightening. "Now, where are we off to?"

"You got that right!" Windchill said, in response to his little quip about Leaf-bare. "And Burrtuft has got good taste then! ...But I've got to admit, it is a lot less slippery on the mountain in Newleaf and Greenleaf."

"Well, since we've both been hunting around here, want to try heading towards Pebble Lake? Might be more prey around there, if you aren't afraid to get your paws a little wet,"

"C'mon Snailpaw!"
Windchill grinned back at brown tom, waiting for him to catch up. She watched a sly look grace his features, and before Windchill could blink, Brackenfeather was off. The grey she-cat shut her eyes tightly, letting out a laugh as Brackenfeather streaked past her, showering her pelt her snow as he ran off into the woods, headed for Pebble Lake. "Oh, you're in for it now!" She called, bunching her muscles before taking off, her legs nearly a blur as she ran to catch up with her Clan-mate.

The two cats raced across RaggedClan territory, leaping through bushes and tearing across snow-covered clearings, laughing as they went. The two cats made quick time to where the hunting paths split in the foothills of Mount Talon, one in the direction of camp, and one to the Dark Forest portal and beyond.

Her breath was coming in pants now, fogging out into the air before dissipating in the breeze. Windchill had to admit that running wasn't a strong suit of hers, unless she was being chased and it was absolutely necessary to get away. She was better at fighting, to be sure, and as such, she was going to need a break soon. So instead of asking Brackenfeather to stop (which would in turn mean admitting defeat), Windchill put on a burst of speed, enough so that she was alongside her companion. Flashing him a wicked grin (which turned out to be the only warning the tom got), Windchill took a flying leap at him, propelled forward by her powerful hind legs. She knocked Brackenfeather's paws out from under him, in doing so unbalancing herself as well, and the move ended up sending them both tumbling into the snow.

Windchill had intended to pin Brackenfeather into the snow after recovering from the fall, but she was not expecting his paws to wrap around her legs. She tried to wriggle them free, but the tom had them pinned down. There was no getting out of it now.

Hitting the ground, Brackenfeather and Windchill tumbled head over paws through the fluffy white snow, eventually landing in a fuzzy heap of fur and tails. Windchill hit the ground laughing uncontrollably, her sides heaving and her breath fogging up into the air as her whole frame shook with mirth. She hadn't had this much fun in a very long time. Most cats would say they felt like they were young again but Windchill had never experienced this sort of thing. A large chunk of her youth had been spent in isolation, away from other cats as she grieved Stonepaw's passing. It was only when she became a young warrior that Windchill was finally able to let go, and move on with her life. But even then, she'd never really let loose before. It was exhilarating.

"You know, I think that could be called cheating... or sabotaging..."

"Oh really? Well, I guess that makes us tied then, wouldn't you say?"