The Light Of Dawn

[osprey]

Reserved for Silver

"I do have a sense of humor!"

The forest seemed completely silent. Every head was turned, every pair of shiny eyes were glued to the edge of the woods. Fiery light spread through the undergrowth, casting long shadows behind a solitary figure. The rising sun warmed the pelt of the creature, as it sat perfectly still, like an oddly coloured statue. Its glowing eyes were a vibrant amber, matching the shades of warm golds, reds and oranges of the dawn sunlight. The cat breathed in slowly, welcoming in the fresh scents. Oddly enough for Autumn, there didn't seem to be even the slightly hint of a breeze to blow any soft fragrances towards him. For a few more precious moments, everything remained perfectly still. And then, at last, the time of peace was gone and the woods roared into life. Rabbits rollicked in the nearby fields, squirrels scurried around and gnawed on acorns, mice squeaked hasty greetings to one another before darting off to forage.

A single, crispy brown leaf blew past the large paws of the muscled, shadowy black feline, and he lifted one forelimb before slamming his foot down to earth, pinning the leaf to the ground. Extending his claws, he gripped the leaf and ascended it up to his face. Eyes narrowed, he scrutinized the pathetic little thing before lazily flicking it away with one ebony toe. The cat lifted his stocky body to his paws before slowly padding away. It was clear he knew where he was going, as he confidently weaved through the verdant plants that seemed to constantly surround him. The tom arrived at what seemed to be a huge plank of wood, seeming to come from the hard bark of a towering tree. Around it there was an abundance of leaves and brambles, providing an excellent defense against anything that might want to intrude. The cat twisted to one side, and slipped through a gap in the wall.

Osprey had been living in the woods for just over a month, and was quite proud of his efforts so far. He worked alone, finding the brambles, leaves and wood to build himself a den without the assitance of others. You could say the black feline wasn't much of a 'peoples person' and he wasn't really used to spending vast amounts of time with others. He had been living in Nenbrook for quite a few months, and he had made some amazing friends, but it would be a lie if you said Osprey wasn't still withdrawn. Thankfully, he had managed to keep his temper away from the presence of others. All through his life the Coldenwing had known about it, he often had snapped at his siblings and felt bad about it afterwards. Perhaps he had grown out of it now, though. He was almost two years old.

Although he wasn't a kitten anymore, Osprey was still far from being what most would class as an 'elderly' cat, and he couldn't help but think of what might lay in store for him soon. Would he ever have a family? It seemed a ridiculous question. Well, he did actually have his brother and sister, but the problem was he had no idea where on Venus they were. He didn't think of it like that though... His mind was drawn towards another subject. Most cats either loved them or hated them - Osprey was particularily fond of them. The tom couldn't help but think about kittens. Driving the subject away from his mind, he settled down in a nest of grasses and feathers. His den was far too big for him alone, and he knew it. Maybe if he ever had a mate they could live here... But that idea was stupid. Impossible.

Osprey sighed, and waited to see what the day had planned for him.

"...I just don't use it much."

[silvermoon]

Silver paced threw the forest. After spending a night with Jarrah, she was a little hapier then normal. Scars still covered her pelt somewhat but they had dried up to be mostly scabs. Her quit paws covered over the ground. Her breath raise into the air like a fluffy cloud. However, Silver could not see any of the colors, or the breath cloud. She couldn't see the beuty of the day so it did not effect her. Maybe, if she had been a normal cat with perfect sight, she would have been fasinated, she would have stayed in one spot and watched every little color.

Sudenly, the cat stopped. Her ears jerked up. A scent filled her nose. The scent of yet another tom. At first, Silver decided to ignore the scent, however, she soon found thatthe scent had been too close for her to ignore. Sighing, she traced the generel direction where the scent was strongest. Her ears begain to pick up a tiny pattern of noise. the pattern of breathing. However, Silver did not move. The silver cat stayed still and silentt, hoping not to be seen, not really knoing what to do if he should start a conversation.

(ooc:sory its short, I have to go)

[osprey]

The large, muscular black cat lay in his makeshift den. His large round amber eyes were pinned ahead of him, as he tracked a small mouse. The tiny rodent was scrambling through the fallen leaves, squeaking randomly as it tripped over a large tree root. Sighing and shaking his large ebony head, Osprey smiled. It was only a slight twitch of his lips, but it was a smile nonetheless. The powerful cat stretched his spine and flexed each limb in turn. He slipped out of his den and breathed in the forest scents. He soon realized something wasn't quite right. There was a scent on the breeze that wasn't there before, Osprey noticed. Opening his jaw slightly, he scented the air once again. This time the fragrance was clearer, as if whatever had caused it had moved closer to him.

Intrigued, he narrowed his eyes and scanned the forest. As the smell progressed even further towards him, he recognised it. Cat. It was not a foul smell, but he was surprised. He hadn't seen many other felines since he had been living in the woods. Ozzy guessed that whoever it was had already scented him, but he didn't really know what he should do. Awkwardly, he lowered his body down into a sitting position, and bent down to give his fluffy charcoal chest a few nervous licks. One tall black ear swivveled around on his cranium, picking up the padding paws of the other feline. He raised his large head as the cat entered the clearing. She was a silver tabby, Osprey noticed, with matching silver eyes. She seemed to have had a fierce battle recently, because the tom noticed she bore fresh scars, scattered across her body. They seemed to have already progressed into scabs; and they weren't that deep so they'd probably heal eventually.

The she-cat's scars seemed like nothing compared to the black cat's wound. It streaked down his shoulder and fore-limb, incredibly deep. He remembered how he had got it. He was in the Pumpkin Patch with his friend Twilight Spitfire, when they were attacked by a huge chocolate doberman named Caesar. Osprey had almost been killed, if Twix (Twilight) had not saved him. Ozzy would always be grateful to that cat. Blinking heavily, he turned to the silver female in front of him. He had only just spotted that her eyes seemed oddly out of focus, like she had sight problems or something. He pinned his lips together, he decided against mentioning it. He didn't want to hurt this cat that he's only just met. Uncomfortably, Osprey shifted from paw to paw before finally making his mind up on a course of action.

There was no way of avoiding it, he really had to speak to this cat. It would be incredibly rude just to dash out of the way, or into his den. Anyway, he'd look like a coward. No. That wasn't an option. But still, Ozzy wasn't exactly the most social of cats, to say the least. However, maybe this she cat could bring him to his senses - he couldn't live alone for the rest of his life: could he? Perhaps this cat - whoever she was - could become his friend and help him get back on the track to sucsess. Sighing deeply, he meowed a single word.

"Hello."

[silvermoon]

Silver kept on to the scent of another cat. She followed it till the scetn was overwhelming. It didn't stink or antyhign but it was starting to fill the area as if the other cat had been there for a while. The silver tabby's eyes seemed to not look at the tom but rather threw him as if he simply wasn't there.

"Hello."[/b] Crap, I've been seen. Silver thaught. It becae evident that she was not going to simpyl pass by. She held her head up, her eyes looking directly at the main source of the toms scent. She sighed.

In th sky, a bird crowed. The sound reminded Silver for a split second of something... but then it was gone. The silver female could smell he mice that ran over the ground, but she could not see them. Silver felt herself wishing that she could see. That she could se the sunlight that warmed her fur, that she could tell what the bird in the sky looked like,

"Mourning. and who might you be?" Silver asked, when she accepted the fact that she would indded have to talk.


ak my muse is getting attacked for the first time ever....

[osprey]

The black cat wasn't about to relax. Both of his ears were pinned to the direction where the cat was coming from; in fact all his senses were alert to the approach of the unknown cat. Resisting the urge to breath in the colourful scents once again, he messed with the grassed under his muscular figure. Slowly, he patted the into a strange-looking shape of a cat, and his whiskers twitched with amusement as he flicked it away with one claw. A few moments later, after she'd emerged and he'd mewed a hello, he listened as she spoke again. "Mourning. and who might you be?" Her question was hardly unexpected, and he quickly decided on an answer. Osprey hesitated before he spoke, as he re-inspected her. Although he knew she was perfectly aware of who he was, there was something a little bit different about her, and especially about her eyes.

Ozzy didn't want to mention anything much, but he did meow a longer greeting. "Good Morning. My name is Osprey Coldenwing." He wasn't really concentrating on what he was saying, his mind was on other things. The cat was unusually curious about her silver gaze, but he held his thoughts back. Maybe he'd be able to find out for himself without asking her outright. Scanning the horizon, he wondered what to do. Perhaps they could go on a little 'adventure' of some sort. Just to banish the boredom that seemed to be creeping up on him. Eventually he decided on what he was going to do next. Osprey waited until she had spoken again, before he meowed his idea. "So, do you feel like hunting?" His voice lacked enthusiasm, he wasn't really in the mood for it but it was something to do all the same.

His amber eyes flicked around once more, calculating where the best place to hunt would be, before sighing once again. 'This is a great oppurtunity, 'he convinced himself inwardly. 'Now, I'm going to make the most of it. Come on, enthusiasm Ozzy! Be lively or something!' The tom forced a grin onto his face and leapt to his paws. "Come on then, hopefully this is going to be fun!"

Osprey wasn't exactly the kind of cat who was good at being energetic.

ooc:; Sorry for the shortness. I'm museless after replying to another thread. Dx

[silvermoon]

Silver smiled. Osprey was a good name. It also reminded her of the brids.
Hutning was something Silver would like to attempt. Other then a chicken and tuna, she had not had any kind of meat...ever. My name is silver. Yes, i would like to hunt." Silver replied, a little unsure. It was plain obvious that she wasn't going to catch anything. Her catching anythign would be like a babby wlking on its first day. Impossable.

Suddenly, the tom seemed to have gtten more excited. The tiny bit of change disturbed Silver a tad. She didn't see his actins but the sound of a few thumps, almost not audable, told the blind she-cat that he had stood up. Silver followed his lead and stood up as well, with no where near as much ethusiasm as she had.



ooc: sory for not replying earlier. Was grounded...still is. This post wont be long mainly because my parents are coming home so onyl have a few mintues)

[osprey]

The black cat encouraged the slight positive energy that began to pulse through him. He grinned at the idea of hunting, it would be a great adventure; even though he had hunted before. Pausing for a minute, he felt the warm light of the sun against his pelt, and relaxed slightly. The warmth of his fur urged him on, and he smiled softly as he heard the silver she-cat reply. "My name is silver. Yes, i would like to hunt." Osprey nodded as he heard her name. It suited her, describing her pelt and eyes almost perfectly. Her response to his question about hunting was very polite, and it pleased the ebony tom. He was glad she wanted to hunt; it wouldn't be nearly as good on his own. Although he was sometimes a little withdrawn and bad tempered, he could be social at times as well.

The muscled feline sprang upwards with all the enthusiasm he could muster, before spinning around to head towards a clearing where he had hunted a few times before. He glanced backwards, hoping that Silver had the sense to follow him; he did know these woods quite well. Ozzy hesitated before bounding away, for a moment he rested his gaze on Silver's silver eyes. They didn't seem focused at all now, but her head was turned towards him, but she could probably track him with her ears. He had seen this before, one of his sisters had been blind - and he could tell ever since. Breathing deeply and hoping he was doing the right thing. He held his fluffy black tail next to her shoulder, his long ebony hairs brushing against her pelt. Slowly, he began to walk forwards, guiding her through the trees. Then he increased his speed slightly, realizing she was just as fit and able to run as any other cat. This was going to be difficult.

Before very long they had arrived at their destination. There was a gap in the thick mass of trees, allowing the cats to move around a little more. It was especially good for a larger feline like Osprey - he'd never be able to crouch properly in the undergrowth. Besides, one of his large paws would probably snap a twig or something. There was a towering tree not far away, Ozzy guessed it was an oak, which was usually crawling with prey. The tall tom signalled to Silver to remain hidden. A variety of different scents wafted past his scent glands. There was clearly a strong frangrence of many different mice, plus an abundace of voles a little furthur away, a selection of different birds and even the slightly fainter smell of squirrel. The charcoal cat carefully scanned the area, attempting to choose his victim. It suddenly struck him that perhaps Silver wasn't very knowledgable when it came to hunting - and he might need to give her a couple of lessons!

"Have you hunted before?" He murmured, his voice barely a whisper. "I mean; do you want me to give you some hints and tips? I know quite a bit myself." Osprey hoped he didn't sound like a show-off or anything.

That would be the last thing he needed.

[silvermoon]

Silcer followed the tom, not knowing where they were going. His scent started coming back. Somehow, she guessed that he knew about her blindness. When he put his tail on her shoulder, that comfirmed it. Silver felt like yelling at him as she stiffened. She had lived her whole life without a guide. She didn't need one know.

Curse her shyness that she didn't speak up. She followed him silently, mentelly screamin gat him. When his tail left and he sped up, Silver took it as her chance to show him. Her mouth opened to use the glands on the roof of her motuh to get a better scent. In one breath, she was able to locate the trees and the bush. When the tom seemed to slow down, Silver did as well, coming up right beside him.

Her ears flicked as she heard a bird cry from a distance. Her nose told her the story of a mole underground, the mice that hid under leaves, and the squirell that had passed by a while ago. However, not one of these did she know how to catch. Nver before had she ever needed to supply her own dinner. It was always the owners filling her food dish. "Truth be told, This is my first time hunting...ever." Silver smiled. Deep down, Silver hoped that she didn't sound like she knew nothing. She hoped he ddn't take her for a weakling. She wasn't weak...just differ

[osprey]

The forest was buzzing with energy now, prey literally crawling all around. It was a perfect opportunity to hunt, and Osprey was obviously going to take it. He had to admit he did feel slightly stupid as he slipped through the undergrowth, his tail on the shoulder of the blind silver she cat whose name suited her so well. She'd probably be able to manoeuvre through the thick woodlands on her own, but the black cat thought that this was probably the easiest way they could get to their destination. He hoped that Silver was grateful for his assistance - he was only trying to help her. But, his amber eyes picked up the subtle hints of annoyance on her face. Maybe she hadn't realized the effort he was putting into this yet. Perhaps this wasn't worth it after all, if this genius hadn't noticed that all he was doing was trying to assist her. He didn't think she was any less able than any other cat, but they would have to do things differently.

"Truth be told, This is my first time hunting...ever." Her voice knocked him to his senses, and he turned around slightly to see her smile. He returned her grin and flexed his claws slightly. "That doesn't matter. There's a first time for everything," he whispered in his deep voice. "Now, we'll start with a mouse. I'm not an expert myself, but it helps if you keep your body low to the ground - especially your tail. If a mouse sees your silver tail poking up above the undergrowth, he'll be out of the scene before you can say 'fresh-kill'. Now, try this." The tall black creature leaned down, pressing his muscled figure as close as possible to the floor. His eyes were narrowed, and his ears were pressed back slightly. Ozzy's tail was hanging down low, not brushing against the ground, but about a whisker-legnth above it.

After that, he waited for Silver to copy. When she had, he remained in his crouched down position. "Look over there. We can aim for that mouse." He bit his lip as he remembered her blindless. "You can hear him, over there, by that tree? Breathe in his scent if you need to. Now we can't pounce on him back here. And we're going to have to do things a bit differently from normal, because, let's admit it. You can't see. But blind cats usually have exceptional hearing and sense of smell, which is a benefit. So now we're going to creep up on him. Stay low, control that tail. Step lightly, and you will need to test the ground with your paw before each step, testing for twigs. Now I don't know, but you may be able to feel the vibrations of the mouse through your paws. If you can, it might be able to feel you. So step lightly," he paused thinking. He took a careful step forwards, demonstrating what to do.

"Imagine you're walking on clouds."

[Silver moonfall]

"That doesn't matter. There's a first time for everything,Now, we'll start with a mouse. I'm not an expert myself, but it helps if you keep your body low to the ground - especially your tail. If a mouse sees your silver tail poking up above the undergrowth, he'll be out of the scene before you can say 'fresh-kill'. Now, try this."

Osprey's scent seemed to lessen as he crouched down. Instantly, Silver did the same. She could feel the ground tickaling the fur on her stomach and the fur right on the botoom of her tail.

"Look over there. We can aim for that mouse.You can hear him, over there, by that tree? Breathe in his scent if you need to. Now we can't pounce on him back here. And we're going to have to do things a bit differently from normal, because, let's admit it. You can't see. But blind cats usually have exceptional hearing and sense of smell, which is a benefit. So now we're going to creep up on him. Stay low, control that tail. Step lightly, and you will need to test the ground with your paw before each step, testing for twigs. Now I don't know, but you may be able to feel the vibrations of the mouse through your paws. If you can, it might be able to feel you. So step lightly,"
Indeed, Silver could smel the mouse not too far away. She could even hear it's tiny breaths and it's heart rates.

"Imagine you're walking on clouds."
Silver nearly laughed but she managed to surpress it. The she-cat knew what a cloud was from her mopthers discriptions, however, never before had she actually thaught of the ossablitity of walking on them. She knew you could walk threw them for sometimes her fur would get treally cold and wet without it raining.

Silver's shoulder's haunched as she took a tentative step forward.


(ooc: sorry if it stinks and that i hadn't replied sooner. My muse is slowly passing away...)

[osprey]

The ebony ears of the equally dark coloured cat were directed towards the blind silver she-cat next to him. Osprey was concentrating on his teaching now, fixing his mind on the target. He kinda enjoyed it - maybe he'd be able to teach young cats to hunt for a living, a job? He'd heard of how humans used this 'money' system, but perhaps someone could offer him something for it... The feline didn't really know. His amber eyes carefully studied the small silver paws of the she-cat, The crouch wasn't bad - but he spotted an immediate error. "Now that looks quite good but you need to lower the back half of your body a bit more. I know it seems stupid because you'd think your head and tail would catch more attention - but I can't tell you how many times I've seen a hunt fail because of it." Osprey continued to whisper, his deep voice as low in volume as possible.

Ozzy's eyes were still glued to Silver, scrutinizing her hunting crouch. She took a step forwards, remembering to keep her paws light and careful. Osprey nodded at her, she was doing well. Leaning downwards into his own position, and murmured a few quick words to the silver tabby. "I'll take it from here, and show you how it's done." Stealthily, he progressed over the forest floor. The black cat it back an irratated gasp as he almost treaded on a long, thin stick. Narrowly avoiding failure, he slipped around it and crept behind a bush - his amber eyes glowing with anticipation. Bunching the muscles in his powerful back legs, he threw his body up into the air in a swift pounce. Soaring over a small fallen log, he landed with one of his paws pinned down on the tail of the small dusty brown mouse.

The creature let out a terrified squeak, and dashed for cover. Another large black paw swiped the mouse, knocking it over. Osprey pinned it down with the same heavy foot. Rapidly he leapt forwards and leaned down to quickly take its life with a single bite to the neck. Picking up his prey in his jaws, he carried it back over to the silver she-cat. Dropping it at her feet, he glanced up at her. "Well I don't think that was such a bad example, but I did make a couple of mistakes. I missed the mouse on my first pounce. If that happens to you, use your ears to quickly locate it so you can pin it down and kill it with a bite to the throat." He paused, glancing around. Ozzy spotted a larger mouse nibbling at a berry not too far away. "There. Another mouse. Can you hear him? Now it's your turn."

[silvermoon]

Silver followed Osprey's directions without a single word of an argument like but or if. She lowered her but, not realizing that it had been sticking up a little. Her acute sence of hearing detected tiny pit plats as he walked forward. She almost felt sory for the nouse when it sheirked. However, sory wS soon replaced by hunger.

Silver's ears detected the almost inaudable sound of the mouse's neck cracking. Based of of sound alone, she recreated what just happened in her mind. Every step he made had sounded differnt as he positioned his body differntly.

When it became Silver's turn, she tried her best to make her own foot falls sound just like his had as she crouched up to the soruce of the smell. Her ears could hear his heart. The tiny mouse's heart rate was almost twice as fast as hers. When the scent of the mouse was almost drownign her, Silver pounced.

The mouse, having seen the silver's cat's movement, eeked and fled. To her dismay, Silver landed on not but the berry the mouse had dropped. She sniffed around, intending to give chase buyt the mouse was already safe under a hole by the tree.


ooc: sory for not replying sooner. Been a little busy.

[osprey]

It was odd how he felt like a teacher. A mentor, a guide. He felt like a walking tutorial. The feline with the amber eyes was slipping into a dedicated state of mind, he was almost completely focused on helping Silver learn now. It was strange how the sometimes bad tempered tom was at peace now. It wasn't a perfect, unicorns-and-rainbows kind of peace, but oddly calm and at ease. Almost happy, yet more relaxed. Osprey glanced over at Silver as she slipped into her hunting position. Narrowed amber eyes tracked Silver's movement as she made her way swiftly across the clearing. He scrutinized her long, quiet steps before staring itently at the mouse, half expecting it to see her and flee. As she grew closer Osprey bit his lip. Surely she could pounce now? If she gets even closer the mouse is going to...

His thought were cut off by a startled shriek as the rodent fled. It darted off pretty quickly, but she might have been able to catch up to it if she hadn't paused for that precious moment. Ozzy quietly reviewed his options, deciding on what he was going to say. Making a rapid choice, he padded calmly up to Silver. "Right. Well, that wasn't bad. The crouch was good, and the approach. Quick and quiet. But you left it way too long before you pounced. Try not to linger so long next time - the mouse could easily spot your shadow or sense your movement when you're that close. After you leapt, you could have dashed over a bit quicker. Then you'd have the chance to swipe at it before it escaped; but I can't teach you that. Your speed and agility will increase in time, and except from telling you practise, there's nothing I can do to speed up that process. Now try again."

Sighing deeply, he flicked his eyes around the scene, before spotting a target. A small, skinny brown bird was perched on a low branch of a bush, not far away. Tick, tick, tick. His mind calculated possible solutions to this problem. But this was not his challenge. "Hey, Silverm come over here," he summoned the she cat under his breath. "Up for a challenge? There's a bird over there, quite a way away. You'll be able to scent it, and hear the subtle noises it makes. Well, try and get it. I have a couple of ideas, but I'm sure you're a smart enough cat to work out a tactic yourself."

Osprey laughed but didn't smile.

[silvermoon]

Silver, not one to waste time in sorrow, quickly got over the mistake of missing the mouse. Mentally, she noted to do excactly as Osprey had todl her about not lingering and dashing. She needed to learn how to hunt on her own. If she planned on ,iving in the wild by herself, she could not always count on other's to supply her food. No, that'd ake her apear weak.

Silver could smell the bird, as well as the tree it resided in. She could tell it wasn't too high of te ground, for she could still hear little scratches on the bark as it moved. Silver begain moving, making a giant wide circule around the tree, smiling when her back was turned on osprey. She was glad that the person teaching her wasn't trying to tell her excactly how things were supposed to be done but rather ,letting her figure stuff out on her own.

The silver feline aproached the tree, hiding her small form against the grass and shrubs, bare from the cold season. Her ears trained on the bird, her mouth wide open for a better scent. Silver backed up, needing to get a good run. Gathering her legs, the cat ran as fast as she can. The bird, whose back was turned, stayed where he was. It wasn't untill the cat was airborn did the bird notice. Starteled, the bird begain shaking his wings to prepare for take off. Silver twisted hre body upwards and anaged to grip the birds toe between her paws. As she sank her claws into the poor birds legs, the two came crashing back down to the ground.

The bird and the cat landed with a small thud. It wasn't too hard becuase one, the bird was trying to fly and two, they had fallen only from a foot. The bird thrashed and beat Silver with its wings, choking the cat in a fury of feathers. However, the she-cat reufused to let go. Somehow, she managed to bit into on of its wings,. With erh new hold, Silver released it leg, only to have it start clawing at her. Thankfull that the bird was still small enough that its talons didn;t really hurt more then normal fingernails, she pinned it down and swiftly broke its neck. Just like that, the bird stopp moving. Satisfied with catching something, Silver turned towards Osprey. "Like that?" she asked.

[osprey]

The black feline had noticed that Silver seemed to have quickly recovered from her mistake, and was now concentrating on improving. The thought did occur to him about how she might struggle because of her lack of sight, but he wasn't one to be very sympathetic and rapidly pushed it aside. His amber eyes narrowed slightly, puzzled as she began to circle the tree. It was kind of odd, he'd never seen that style before. But if it worked for her, he'd happily stay silent. Osprey's own tactics were much simpler - he tended to get on with it, yet find a way around the problem that his victim wouldn't be expecting. For example, in this situation he would probably creep up silently, until he managed to get directly under the branch, before leaping up in front of the bird and knocking it off it's perch. Risky, yes. But it was a developed scheme and it would probably be sucsessful. It was facing the wrong way to flee for starters, and if it took off it would fly straight into his outstretched paws. Or, if it tried to turn around, it would fall backwards agaisnt his stregnth.

The muscular cat watched carefully as she backed away slightly, as if hesitating. Had she given up? His suspicions were swiftly proved wrong as she bunched up her muscles and ran at the bird from a distance. The bird noticed her once she leapt towards it, but miraculously she managed to catch one of its toes in her claws. They tumbled down and it put up a brave fight, but eventually Silver won. Osprey nodded, surprised that she'd managed to make this catch. "Exactly. Well done. But there is one thing," he paused for a moment. "This might not work for you (if it doesn't, pay no attention to me) but you might want to try and get a bit closer before pouncing. Then you won't need to have such a battle, it might be easier to pin the bird down and then quickly slit its throat."

Osprey glanced around the scene, and spotted a squirrel. "You can start eating, I'll catch something for myself," he murmured. "But eat quietly!" For a moment, he thought out his plan. What could he do? The rodent was high in a tree, and it seemed impossible to get anywhere near the creature. Most cats, if forced to try and overcome such a challenge, would try and climb the tree. But that was idiotic. It would see, hear and probably scent them before they got anywhere near. No. The branch was probably just out of his reach in his highest jump, so he needed a different plan. Most cats would give up at this point. But not Ozzy. He was a hunter. A heartbeat later, his plan was decided and he slowly raised himself to his feet. It was probably the most daring thing he'd done in a while. He glanced up, checking the distances. Checking, checking and checking again.