༺ 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙡𝙮 – wc rp

[satosugu]

‿꒰ NORTHPAW .ᐟ ‿‿
( apprentice ) ( they / them ) ( 11 moons ) ( bio ) ( previous reply )
[ location xx fallsclan border ] ⊹𓂅 ・🧭 ・𓂃𑁍 ࣪˖ [ mentions xx n/a ]
[ tags xx aspencurrent, firefly ]
‿.‿.‿.‿.‿.‿.‿.‿.‿.‿.‿.‿

xx This can't be real.

xx Northpaw's morning had been a blur. They woke up, drowsily fixed up their nest, and then gratefully allowed the early sun's rays to warm their mottled fur as they licked down from tufts of stubborn fur across their slender form; Despite their long fur, they never felt truly warm, so even the weak sunlight was appreciated. After their quick- and mostly fruitless- grooming was finished, they gazed out across camp with squinted eyes. No sign of Ghostrunner, which was ever the blessing to the young cat, but it was suspicious all the same. The wariness only amplified as they contemplated what their no-good brother may be up to, completely unaware that he was peacefully- lazily, soundly- asleep in his den. The thought didn't even cross Northpaw's mind. There was no way that he wasn't causing trouble...

xx No way at all. Privy to the movement of the cats around them, Northpaw made their way as nonchalantly across camp as possible so as not to stir up any anxiety as they certainly carried enough for everycat. As they surveyed the area, something caught their eye: their mentor, Aspencurrent, slinking out of camp alone.

xx Odd. He hadn't mentioned anything to Northpaw about going out, and the apprentice wondered briefly if Ghostrunner was luring the tom cat out to hurt him, or.. Something. Aspencurrent could have easily just forgotten to tell them as he wasn't always the most proficient when it came to remembering his apprentice, but a twinge in Northpaw's gut made them hesitate. They sat back on their haunches near the fresh kill pile, tapping their tail tip and contemplating their next move. They could follow at a distance, just in case their horrible sibling was prowling, but Ghostrunner was immensely observant and would sense them in a heartbeat. Still, maybe it was worth a try.

xx At once, though, there was a grating noise.

xx The voice of their brother, speaking oh so informally, boasting his glory to whoever would hear, hit poor Northpaw's senses like a monster. Well, that solved one mystery, but another still lingered, nagging at Northpaw's incessantly. If Aspencurrent wasn't being manipulated into a trap, what was he doing? Standing and not sparing a single glance back at their brother despite how witheringly they wanted to glare at him, Northpaw trotted out of camp. Only one way to find out, they figured, and the worst that could come of it was being sent back to camp. It was better to ensure their mentor's safety than sit idly by. Though it was likely that the warrior simply had no assigned patrols but wanted to hunt, Northpaw's gut once again urged them forward. Something was different.

xx The walk through Fallsclan territory was uneventful. What Northpaw stumbled across, however, was not.

xx This.. can't be real.

xx They crouched, cloaked by tendrils of shadows from the undergrowth around them, and watched, expression blank, as Aspencurrent extended his greeting to a rogue. A rogue! Northpaw, normally quite calm and collected, could feel themselves growing more and more confused. They had trusted Aspencurrent deeply as their mentor and fellow clanmate. So what was this? A betrayal?

xx Northpaw shifted their weight, heart twisting as they weighed their options. They could confront the two now and risk an "unfortunate accident", or they could watch. The latter was much more appealing, though it hardly satisfied the shock in their system. Sinking deeper into the bush around them, Northpaw narrowed their eyes, and observed their mentor.

[peachpit.]

« 𝚛 𝚊 𝚋 𝚋 𝚒 𝚝 𝚜 𝚘 𝚗 𝚐 ! »
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tom | forty-five moons | deputy | crush: swallowsight | heterosexual | location: patrolling | mood: teacher mode | tags: yarrowpaw
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Rabbitsong smiled to Yarrowpaw’s response, satisfied that the young apprentice was sufficient at catching mice. “Ahh yes, birds would be a great lesson!” The blue-pointed tom buried the fat squirrel, a quick note to circle back for the prey when their lesson was over.

“Now, for birds, the biggest rule is we must be silent as we stalk. And when the time comes, you cannot hesitate to be fast on your feet, mhm?” His soft words spooled like silver thread, his volume lowering as he continued.

Rabbitsong crouched low to the floor, pawsteps silent as he inched forth. He glanced back to Yarrowpaw who had assumed the same form, crouching by his side. After a bit of quietly stalking, a small finch had revealed itself, pulling at worms from the ground. Rabbitsong’s blue gaze darted quickly to his apprentice, signaling the prey in front of them with the stiffening of his blue tail. In barely a whisper, he spoke directly to Yarrowpaw’s ear. “Stalk silently up to it, once you get into a range where you’re comfortable and able to dart at it quickly, do not hesitate to do so and restrain it with a pounce. Make sure you’re delivering the final blow right under their beak, okay?” He finished his tips, then took a few steps back, eager to see his apprentice in action.

« 𝚙 𝚞 𝚖 𝚙 𝚔 𝚒 𝚗 𝚙 𝚊 𝚝 𝚌 𝚑 ! »
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molly| twenty five moons | warrior | crush: eeleyes | lesbian | location: med den | mood: scared | tags: owlsong's patrol, briarseed
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Pumpkinpatch heaved Mistback’s body halfway to camp before she needed to pause for breath. Owlsong’s offer to take over was much needed. “If you wouldn’t mind taking over that would be much appreciated.” She purred to the molly, endless gratitude in her heart. A soft pant had manifested itself in her maw, attempting to catch her breath.

Lynxspring and Wolfpath had quickly stepped in with another offer to carry the limp Mistback to camp upon their backs. Pumpkinpatch figured this was a much better idea, though she worried for Lynxspring’s health. “If he had Wolfpath to help him it shouldn’t be much of an issue” She thought silently, a quick nod before she made up her mind. “I’ll run to camp and alert Briarseed.” She spoke hastily before taking off in a full sprint towards camp.

A flash of orange and white, she streaked through camp and skidded to a halt at the entrance of the medicine cat’s den. She entered, feeling rather embarrassed as she interrupted Sykestar and Briarseed, seemingly having an intimate conversation. Chest rapidly rising and falling, the molly could barely get the words out of her mouth. “I- i’m sorry f- for i- interrupting… Briarseed,” She swallowed hard, catching her breath a bit more. “There has b-een a terrible accident, Mistback was swept in the river, we think? S-she’s unconscious and bleeding at the head… I a-applied some damp moss to stop the bleeding, a- and c- cobwebs.” Her face was hot, feeling more and more embarrassed, especially that she had been caring for Mistback, despite there being no medicine cat present.

It was no secret about Pumpkinpatch’s wish to have been a medicine cat. Her conservative mother forbade her to apprentice in it, as medicine cats are not allowed to have mates or kits, and this went against everything her mother was raising them to be. “She-cats are supposed to thrive on being mothers, and let the toms do the more serious tasks, darling.” She could hear her mother’s voice now, standing silently in the medicine cat’s den.

“I can take you to her.” Pumpkinpatch mewed quietly, making eye contact with Briarseed for the first time.

« 𝚖 𝚘 𝚝 𝚑 𝚐 𝚊 𝚣 𝚎 ! »
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molly| twenty five moons | warrior | crush: open | heterosexual | location: in camp | mood: reassuring| tags: snakepaw
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“No worries dear, I'm not sick.” Mothgaze purred, her yellow eyes hazy as it seemed she was lingering on a memory. The cough was a gentle reminder of her delayed warrior training, and the quick beginning of insecurity creeped into the back of her mind. She shook her head, passing it off with a gentle shake of the rest of her body.

Her attention focused back to her apprentice who began on the hunt of a mouse. Instantly, Mothgaze recognized a couple faults in Snakepaw’s hunting as the mouse eventually got away from the young apprentice. Snakepaw returned, whimpering sadly.

“It’s alright Snakepaw, you’ll get it next time.” She purred, grooming the top of the apprentice’s head affectionately. “As for now, some pointers.” Mothgaze began, thinking back to the apprentice’s form. “When you begin to stalk, well, any prey really, you want to lower your body entirely to the floor, making sure you have all your spring in your haunches.” Mothgaze demonstrated in a low crouch. “Make sure you step on the outsides of your paws, this makes your pawsteps almost silent. When you decide you are close enough to the prey, you need to be fast about your pounce. I loved that you had no hesitation about going after the mouse, you can hold onto that when you are ready to pounce. You need to be swift and silent when it comes to hunting. As this was only your first time, I think you did really well.” Mothgaze finished, peering down to her attentive apprentice. “Would you like to try again?”

« 𝚐 𝚘 𝚘 𝚜 𝚎 𝚙 𝚊 𝚠 ! »
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tom| 8 moons | apprentice | crush: open | bisexual | location: patrolling | mood: concerned | tags: swallowsight
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Relief was quick to follow as Swallowsight snapped her maw around the duck’s neck, its weight doubled instantly as it fell limp. Goosepaw’s face beamed with excitement, honeyed glance crinkled at the edges by an unmistakable smile around the duck’s foot. This was Goosepaw’s biggest catch yet, a feat to be discussed in dramatics with Hopperpaw and Yarrowpaw later after breakfast.

“We did it!” Goosepaw purred excitedly, struggling to speak against the bird’s leg. He repositioned his grip on the duck, now onto the wing, for easier transport back to shore. Absolutely beaming with glee, he looked to his mentor, who’s pride quickly sizzled into a strange look of fear? Goosepaw knew Swallowsight to worry often, but this was much more than that. There had been genuine fear in her face.

Hastily following his mentor’s orders, the pair managed to drag the bird from the water and onto the shore. Pelt slicked down with water, it was more obvious how far his stomach ballooned out from his stout frame. Spitting feathers out from his mouth, he began the meticulous task of grooming the water from his dense pelt.

He peered at Swallowsight who was doing the same, a question itching at the back of his brain. “Swallowsight,” He began, a bit of hesitation before he spoke. “Why did you look so scared out there? In the water?” The apprentice wondered if he was speaking out of line, and quickly pondered if he even wanted to know. For all it’s worth, maybe she just has a fear of water.

He peered down to his paws, silent as he awaited a response from his mentor.

[Nunavik]

❛ 𝐥𝐲𝐧𝐱𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

( 35 moons / tom / apprentice, Finchpaw / crush, Wolfpath / tags: Owlsong, Pumpkinpatch, Briarseed )

Always the gentleman, Lynxspring had begun to feel the weight of his choice to take the weight of Mistback from the she-cats on patrol with him. Thankfully, Wolfpath was strong enough to shoulder the majority but the effort to keep up and pull some of his weight took a toll on the cream-colored tom as he trailed beside the warrior. As they walked through the remenets of the forest, Wolfpath and Lynxspring's pelts brushed against each other. The moisture from Mistback causing friction and making Lynxspring's crawl with the added humidity. He was never one to complain about the closeness of cat fur and the added moisture from the falls. After all, he had grown up around it; However, in the close proxomity of both, it left Lynxspring feeling ill. With the pair of toms carrying the deadweight of Mistback, the patrol had made their way back to camp relatively quick. Lynxspring was panting hard by the time they reached the camp again, devoid of prey and instead, with an injured clanmate. Together, the two placed Mistback on the ground. By now, the bleeding had reduced to brief drops but the cobwebs had soaked through. He was quiet as he attempted to collect his brief, awaiting Pumpkinpatch and Briarseed.

[wonpil]

☇ wildfleck
━━━━━━━━━━━━

( rank: warrior ) xx( location: in patrol group ) xx( mentions: dapplepaw, ghostrunner )xx ( tagged: stormpaw, russetnose )

she bent her head in greeting to ghostrunner, her eyes narrowing down at his appearance. he definitely just woke up.. she thought to herself with a bemused grunt. she let her eyes wander to her patrol, and with a flick of her speckled tail she signaled for them to leave. she sat up at once, and bounded quickly over to stormpaw, giving a nod in greeting, "you can train with myself and dapplepaw if you'd like today, stormpaw." she spoke softly to her, not wanting her to feel indifferent for not having her mentor with her, wherever he was. "that is if we don't see him on our way out.." she trailed off with a mutter, feeling herself get curt with annoyance.

stepping out of the camp entrance, she felt the chilly breeze ruffle her, fluffing out her fur. though she was used to living here her whole life, whenever she stepped out of camp she felt exposed - the warm, familiarness of the camp left behind her. she had traveled this path for many many moons, yet it still felt all too different each time. maybe that's just because everything is weird right now.. she thought, trying to convince herself.

her gaze traveled to the pale sky above them. clouds dotted the sky, and dark storm clouds were settled on the far-away mountain tops in front of them. unease riddled the depths of her gaze, and she suddenly felt very underqualified to lead the patrol. she lifted her head higher, trying to make up for her insecurity. once they traveled a little farther from camp, the hard rocky surface she was used to turned into springy grass and the high treetops above her deflected some of the chilly breeze. if you listened carefully, you could still hear the rushing of the river besides them. she slowed her pace and settled right in besides russetnose. "should we hunt here, in the shrubs or travel a little farther?" she questioned him, her claws scoring the earth beneath her.

☇ patchpaw
━━━━━━━━━━━━

( rank: apprentice ) xx( location: in a patrol group ) xx( mentions: xx )xx ( tagged: wildflecks patrol )

(i got writers block for him so if anyone on wildflecks patrol wants to start up a convo let me know ;w;)

[rey skywalker]

❝ 𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 ！
( ＷＡＲＲＩＯＲ |ＴＯＭ | ２８ ＭＯＯＮＳ )

apprentice: northpaw setting | in the trees of the surrounding forest, close to the falls
tags | firefly
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

✦

━━ having successfully startled the rogue, aspencurrent gave an adorning lick to his own chest, as though grooming himself for the betterment of the molly before him. yes, she was pretty, but she was no clan cat ... yet, that was. his loyalties, and vain, were clan-deep and not even firefly could shake them.

━━at the molly's questions, aspencurrent's ears flicked to a faint sound that seemed to resonate around them. in the silence, he strained to hear it again, his fur rising partially at the thought of having to protect himself, or others. "no, no it's nothing," he told himself aloud. he did his best to press the concern to the back of his mind as he answered the ginger tabby.

━━"we suffered a falling tree last night. it ruined our herb supply." he informed firefly, a somber tone gracing his voice. gaze cast to his paws, he added, "sykestar seemed to rip into all cats around her. poor briarseed looks like a picked carcass, she..." the image of fogfern faintly rises in his sight of view, his heart tightening at the last and final devastating moments he had of their beloved medicine cat. the tom shook his head. "things are not, well firefly. i haven't heard anything about the rogues, is something going on that we should know?" at the pit of his stomach, aspencurrent feels knots exploring the space of his belly, winding tighter and tighter.

━━ eager to change the subject, the tom's focus zeroed in on a fresh scratch adorning the molly's ear. "what happened there?" he gestures with his tail, the darkening sorrows in his gaze now absent as his unbridled curiosity mars any emotion he could bare for his own clan's current ruins. "you should come back to came, briarseed can treat that, make sure it doesn't get infected, you know?" aspencurrent mentions, a nervous shuffle possessing his paws at the thought of more injuries incurred by the cats he cared about. "we can't, lose you too, ya know?"

❝ 𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐏𝐀𝐖 ！
( APPRENTICE | TOM | 10 ＭＯＯＮＳ |

mentor: ghostrunner setting | camp clearing
tags | ghostrunner, russetnose, patchpaw,
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

✦

━━gentle gaze now hardened with annoyance, lemmingpaw resembles patchpaw's irriation at ghostrunner's nuisance. following the other apprentice and the moving patrol, the tom avoids his mentor's gaze, hoping to glare in the annoyance but ghostrunner seemed unavailable to cater to lemmingpaw's emotions. the tom continues forth, paws prancing over the mossy flooring of the forest.

━━"russetnose," the tom says suddenly, prancing up to the larger tom, happy to create distance from his mentor, "what do you think is going to happen now that fogfern is gone and briarseed is without her herbs? fallsclan has surely been through worse, have we not?" the apprentice's gaze swirls with concern, the edges framed by the intense nature of his visionaries.

━━interested in a second opinion, lemmingpaw turns to patchpaw, "what's supposed to happen to us now? if the only remaining cats in fallsclan fit enough to survive this weather are any cats like ghostrunner," the apprentice nearly growls his mentor's name, "we're doomed."

[Lights.Out]

• Owlsong •
warrior | bio | tags: Lynxspring, Pumpkinpatch, Mistback | mentions: Briarseed

Owlsong had just barely reached to grab Mistback when Lynxspring offered. She nodded to him gently and let him take over. While she would never admit it out loud, she sometimes worried for the toms health, and questioned if he would be able to do it. The thought made her feel guilty, he was a capable warrior, how dare she question him. To distract herself, she was just about to take off to alert Briarseed when Pumpkinpatch went ahead. She let out a sigh of relief knowing that everything was in order, now they just needed to get Mistback to camp.
As Lynxspring and Wolfpath set Mistback on the ground in camp, she sat down, suddenly aware of the toll that the stress had taken on her. Mentally exhausted, she wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep, but she wouldn't give herself that opportunity just yet. She refused to relax until she knew everyone was okay. That included Lynxspring, she could tell he was fatigued from the trip and wanted to keep an eye on him.

• Russetnose •
warrior | bio | tags: Wildfleck, Lemmingpaw, Patchpaw, Gorgefang, Stormpaw, Ghostrunner | mentions: --

A breath of relief escaped Russetnose as Wildfleck finally signaled for the patrol to set out. Travelling along with the patrol, he focused in on the ominous clouds in the distance. It sent a shiver down his spine. His gaze flicked to Wildfleck when she fell back beside him and he thought for a moment. “Maybe we can go a little farther, hopefully we might find some more prey up there,” he replied, hoping it was a good suggestion. The sound of Lemmingpaw's voice hit his ears and he turned to see the apprentice. “Show some respect to your mentor,” he snapped. But his gaze quickly softened and he sighed gently. The young tom still had a lot to learn, but aggression would get him no where. “I'm not sure what will happen to us, but I have full faith in Sykestar and Briarseed, I know they will be able to pull us out of this,” he added, not sure what else to say, he didn't want to slip up and stress out any of the apprentices.

• Stormpaw •
apprentice | bio | tags: Gorgefang, Wildfleck, Russetnose, Patchpaw, Lemmingpaw, Ghostrunner | mentions: --

Stormpaw looked at Gorgefang with big eyes as he demonstrated the move, and she did the same. “Cool!” she told him, cringing at the thought of what could happen if her claws were unsheathed, but the image quickly evaporated from her mind. “Thank you for showing me!” she told him happily, all thoughts of her mentor were gone. She turned to see Wildfleck approaching and gave her a friendly look. “I'd love to train with you guys, thanks!” She was back to her usual, bubbly self, following the patrol out of camp with a little bounce in her step. She stayed mostly quiet, not interacting with the others much and just listening to them speak.

• Falcon •
rogue | bio | tags: Gullsplash, Hopperpaw | mentions: Sykestar

Falcon had been awake for a while, unable to sleep. She had been missing Sykestar a little more than usual recently, and her dreams were haunted with the pretty she-cats face. Whenever things got especially unbearable, she would sneak to the edge of the clan's territory and watch, hoping to see a glimpse of the leader. She usually retreated without seeing a single cat, but today was different. Her gaze narrowed on a white pelt spotted with grey patches, and a smaller golden tabby. They were getting uncomfortably close to her spot in the shadows of the forest, and her ears flattened on her head. Lowering down, she prepared to fight if they came near. Just then, the smaller one bolted in her direction and she let out a yowl, pouncing on him.

[wonpil]

☇ WILDFLECK
━━━━━━━━━━━━

( Rank: Warrior ) xx( Location: Deep parts of the forest ) xx( Mentions: x )xx ( Tagged: Stormpaw, Russetnose, Lemmingpaw, Ghostrunner )

Her paws felt stiff beneath her, like she could move but with every step it took more force out of her then it should. Her ears swiveled to Russetnoses' response towards her, scared that she would let out a squeak of a reply - she let out a quick grunt instead. Bounding a little bit ahead, She let her shoulders droop, trying to relax her stiff posture. Tranquility soon washed over her, being surrounded by the trees had made her feel more comforted; safe even. But she was a Fallsclan warrior at heart, she knew sooner or later it would feel overbearing that she couldn't feel the breeze whistle through her fur or the suns dull rays warm her fur tips.

Her ears strained ahead to sense anything, the thought of warm prey juices flowing on her tongue made her quicken her pace deeper into the forest, where you couldn't hear the water as much and the only sounds above the rush of wind was birds chirping nonsensically. She was so consumed in the mouse scent she could smell a little ways off, she had just heard the rest of her patrols strained voices. "Russetnose is right." she stated, swiveling around and meeting the gaze of the apprentices. "Whilst the future may seem bleak now, there are better days to come." Her voice trembled a bit as she struggled against her own demise of fears before continuing, "Sykestars a great leader and Briarseed is one of the smartest cats I know!" She finished off with a brighter tone, letting the gnawing mounts of doubt sit in the back of her head for now. "Now we can't stand by and chitter like a nest of baby sparrows, lets split up and we'll find better prey that way." Her tail swept lowly above the forest floor, feeling the prickly stems poke through her fur. "Russetnose can lead the other half of the patrol. She said, nodding towards the flame colored tom, 'Lemmingpaw, Gorgefang and Ghostrunner - would you like to come with me?" She suggested, unable to hide the twitching of her whiskers.

☇ PATCHPAW
━━━━━━━━━━━━

( Rank: Apprentice ) xx( Location: Deep parts of the forest ) xx( Mentions: Ghostrunner )xx ( Tagged: Lemmingpaw )

Patchpaws broad shoulders weaved there way through the path Wildfleck was taking them, large trees swayed above them as the wind caught the leaves, leaving them all comfortably warm, though a bit humid. Even he had never been this deep before in the forest, she seemed to know where she was taking them - he hoped. Instead of catching the eyes of his clanmates or sparking up conversation, his ears were fixated on Lemmingpaw and Russetnoses conversation. Amusement glittered in the depths of his eyes at Lemmingpaws brooding retort. He heard his soft pawsteps catch up to his own, and locked eyes with the younger apprentice, letting a smirk grace his features. "Hey give Ghostrunner more credit." he said stifling a laugh and playfully knocking shoulders with Lemmingpaw. "But I'm sure he would trade us off for a few mouse tails if that meant no more dawn patrols for him." He teased, turning his gaze back towards where the cats ahead of him had stopped.

His heart had ached at Wildflecks deliverance, he never really had thought about how much had happened since he was an apprentice. And how much all of this was new towards every single cat in the clan. No one really knows how to deal with this.. he thought as waves of dread smothered him to his paw pads.

[selasphorys]

𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗗!
(location: wildfleck's patrol, forest by cliffside) (tags: patchpaw, stormpaw, wildfleck, russetnose, lemmingpaw, ghostrunner, gorgefang)

For a fragile moment, all was at peace. Birds shook the remnants of rain from branches, their merry songs a note of normalcy amidst the nervous chatter of the patrol. The cats pressed on into the forest. Paws stepped through puddles, the dampness of moss and mud soaking through fur. Their uncertain future loomed ahead, not unlike the jagged cliffs that fenced them in on all sides.

Then a low rumble shook the forest floor. BOOM! The crack resounded through the canyon, as if the earth itself had let out a cry of pain. In a rush of dust and mud, the cliff beyond collapsed. Its shattered remains surged toward the patrol. Trees creaked and snapped, toppling with the force of the flood. The mudslide barreled on. It swept up roots and rocks, shrubs and sludge. Their cover was ripped away by a relentless wave. In barely a blink of an eye, the cats could see the open sky.

All at once came the noise--- the roaring of water, the cracking of trees, the thudding of a thousand falling things. This deluge crashed upon the cats. Ghostrunner and Gorgefang stared up at a tall walnut tree as it teetered and swayed above them, ready to snap at any moment. The flood sent splintered branches and hardened soil hurtling toward Wildfleck, Russetnose, and Lemmingpaw. A great plume of dust enveloped Stormpaw and Patchpaw, shrouding them from view.

When the clouds settled and the torrent slowed, only bubbling muck remained. The pair of apprentices had been swallowed by the earth.

𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧
(warrior) (40 mns) (she/her) (appr: goosepaw) (x)
(location: near whirlpool, on cinnamonthorn's patrol) (tags: goosepaw) (mentions: none)

Shore. Now. Shore. Now.

It was all a blur of blues and browns, her panic rendering every sense to static. The warrior kicked blindly against the water, a desperate scramble for the solid touch of ground. The whirlpool consuming her thoughts only settled when her paws hit sand. Swallowsight collapsed on the riverbank, the duck's weight the least of the burden on her back. Chest heaving, she helped Goosepaw drag the prey away from the hungry waves. The molly slumped into a seated position. She numbly groomed the mud and water from her sodden pelt until the world stopped spinning.

Her ear flicked at Goosepaw's question and she sighed. "We went too close to the Whirlpool," she mumbled, the taste of minerals and mud hard on her tongue. "We shouldn't have risked hunting for ducks out here. It's not safe. You should've known better. I should've known better. I should've stopped you." Her voice took on a shrill edge at these last words. It could hardly be an apprentice's fault for a lapse in judgement like this. Swallowsight felt the old fears creep back, like the cold water dripping down her flank. Her blue eyes took on a faraway look, reflecting distant waves across space and time. "Grebecrest-- my brother-- he drowned under the waterfall. He thought he was strong, but the currents were stronger. They always are. There's a fine line between brave and foolish, and if you get too close it's all over. So I stay as far away as I can, and you should too. No matter how enticing the prize." Her claws curled into the earth, as if she would be swept away without holding on. Her wandering, wavering gaze traveled over Goosepaw's white pelt, and in that moment his form blended with Gullsplash's, then Grebecrest's. "I can't let anything happen to you too!" she finally choked out.

Swallowsight turned away suddenly, blinking water out of her eyes and rapidly grooming her disheveled fur. She shook her head, voice level when she finally spoke again. "I'm sorry, Goosepaw. I told myself I wouldn't let my fear of water stop you from getting a proper warrior training. I guess I still let myself get carried away again." The beginnings of a sheepish grin spread on her face. She appraised the duck with a satisfied nod, a cheerier tone returning to her words. "We're okay. You made a fantastic catch. You should be very proud, as proud as I am of you. When we get back to camp, let's celebrate!"

𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗨𝗧
(elder) (121 mns) (he/him) (x)
(location: fallsclan camp) (tags: lightpaw, neritebloom, lynxspring, owlsong) (mentions: mistback, pumpkinpatch)

"Now hold on just a minute..." Rumblespout muttered, his ears flicking toward the camp entrance. He heard a terrible crashing through the undergrowth. No patrol would return with such reckless abandon, not unless something had happened. He turned sharply away from Lightpaw and Neritebloom, guard senses on high alert. His suspicions were confirmed when an orange-and-white comet flew through camp, one he eventually recognized as Pumpkinpatch from the scent. No more time for fun and games. The smirk disappeared from his maw, replaced with a serious, stony exterior. He fixed the queen and apprentice with his yellow gaze, meowing, "You two stay put. I fear the worst. Best not to go out herb-hunting now. I'll see what's goin' on." He stood guard at the entrance, scenting the rain-soaked air for any sign of trouble. The metallic tang of blood struck his senses. Rumblespout braced for rogues or coyotes or raccoons, any number of gruesome beasts.

He didn't have to watch for long. Owlsong, Lynxspring, and Wolfpath soon arrived, huffing and puffing as if they had been chased by a monster. His questions died on his tongue when he recognized the familiar gray shape slumped on the ground. "Mistback!" he screeched, hobbling toward the limp form of his daughter. The elder pushed past the warriors, checking his daughter all over for injuries. Her bleeding head wound was like a wound to his own heart. "Lightpaw! Briarseed!" he wailed, his booming voice resounding over the rumble of the falls. The tom's ragged breath steadied with the unmistakable rise and fall of her chest. She was alive. Thank StarClan. Initial panic now subsiding, he had to take control of the situation. "What happened? Where was she? Was anyone else injured?" he interrogated Owlsong and Lynxspring, words tumbling out of his jaws in a harsh, frenzied torrent.

[Queen of flames]

Neritebloom
Female Gueen, former loner, 21 moons, crush is open, mate was Jinx
tags: Rumblespout, Lightpaw, open
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She listened to the elder speaking with the medicine cat apprentice not saying anything as his questions to the younger cat didn't belong to her at all. She was waiting for the Lightpaw's answer to the herb-collecting question. Her ears perked toward the patrol coming back, or half of it was, she was not sure what was going on here, but she could see everything was not good on the patrol. She silently followed the elder to see the happening, shocked as she saw the Mistback wounds. She felt like her head was spinning and she started to shake "Is it happening again? Is the fall coming to us again?" she meowed suddenly in panic "Seriously we need to leave, or this cursed lands will kill us all..." she murmured in panic, her breath was fast and she felt like she could not get any air even if she was breathing.

Perchwood
male warrior, 62 moons, crush is open, apprentice is none, mate was Flintflower
tags: open
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He was left behind by the patrol he was likely being invited, but he was not feeling so well this morning for some reason. He left the camp only a few minutes before one of the patrols walked back to the camp with the injured warrior. He walked toward the apprentice's ring where the deputy died yesterday and where the terrain was still unstable. He felt like he could've done more as he was close to the place when it happened last night, but he didn't get in time what was happening before it was too late. He felt like he betrayed the former deputy and those others who died in the fall.

Cinnamonthorn
female warrior, 30 moons, crush on Rabbitsong & Aspencurrent, an apprentice is open
tags: Rabbitsong, Yarrowpaw, Swallowsight, Spottedfeather, Mothgaze, Starlingflight, Snakepaw, Kyanitepaw
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She got further up to where the Whirlpool was, it was not the safest place to hunt anything, but she wanted to see the beautiful views the high rounds gave to there. Her eyes looked to the rocks there and the water as it rushed down and moved with high speed, she could've seen some of her clanmates lower their hunting as well. She enjoyed the views for a moment when decided to try to get some prey back to the vamp as well as they were on hunting patrol. She stood up to turn around the leave the high place when she heard a heavy yet weird noise, which took her attention to look back to the forest. It took her a while to see anything before she could see some rocks and earth moving down there around the tight forest. She was shocked at the sight, and without any toughs she started to run down the same path she got up to the high spot, and she didn't care how the branches or small rocks hit her paws "Rabbitsong, Swallowsight...mudslide at the forest" she called out as she lockated some of the others. She was not sure of the whereabouts of the other patrol members at all, she just called for those she saw at the very moment.

Yarrowpaw
male apprentice, 7 moons. crush on Hopperpaw, a mentor is Rabbitsong
tags: Rabbitsong, Goosepaw, the patrol
__
He looked over to his mentor, his ears flicking as he listened, lightly rolling his eyes when he didn't look his way. He repeated the movements after the warrior, the jumping and the speed were never being his problem. He saw the bird there, a little surprised that he wanted him to try the bird there now rather than showing the hunting himself. Of course, the movements could scare all of the birds away there and they could need to find another unlucky bird for him to try. He took a deep silent breath as he took he started to crouch closer to the bird, so far it was going well and the bird didn't seem to notice him. He stopped for a moment, before deciding to go for the bird, he pounced toward the bird, hitting it, but the bird was too fast and he few a few centimeters too far. He landed on his paws as the bird flew away. He felt rather disappointed in himself, flicking his ears over to the warrior calling for his mentor, his ears flattered as he looked at the warrior coming their way "Not again?" he murmured silently.

[TheClockmaker]

Gullsplash
Warrior | 25 M | Male | Tags: Hopperpaw, Falcon | Mentions: none

When Hopperpaw asked why Gullsplash didn't explore anymore, Gullsplash said with a sigh, "The reason why I don't explore as a warrior is because I am still too busy with all of the mousebrained patrols." Gullsplash was happy that the apprentice left to catch a rabbit, since they could bring back prey and say they hunted. He decided to slip into a crouch to hunt as well. However, before the warrior had time to catch anything, he heard a rogue's yell. Gullsplash rushed in the direction of the sound. Seeing a rogue attacking Hopperpaw, he felt the old rage he remembered from when his father was killed by one of them. Gullsplash tackled the rogue with claws unsheathed.

Snakepaw
App | 7 M | Female | Tags: Mothgaze | Mentions: Cinnamonthorn

As Snakepaw heard Mothgaze's advice, she practiced stalking and tried to adapt the techniques that her mentor had told her. After her mentor was done talking, Snakepaw said, "Yes! I would like to try again!". She started to stalk a leaf and did all of the techniques that Mothgaze had explained. She lowered her body to the ground, stepped on the outside of her paws, and pounced at the leaf. Once she caught it, she cheered, "Look! I caught a leaf!", scaring away all the prey in a 5 fox-length radius.

However, Snakepaw then heard a deep rumbling sound. Was this like the rockslide from yesterday? She heard Cinnamonthorn yell that there was a mudslide in the distance! She immediately got all puffed up and yelped "A mudslide? Where?" The terrified apprentice tried to run back to camp as fast as possible, even though she was getting closer to the mudslide. She screeched to a halt when she saw trees falling in the distance, realizing that she couldn't go back to camp that way.

Gorgefang
Warrior | 48 M | Male | Tags: Ghostrunner, Stormpaw | Mentions: none

Gorgefang smiled when Stormpaw tried his move, meowing, "That looks great! Glad you liked it!". He then followed her out of the camp. As Gorgefang walked through the forest, he thought about the delectable birds he could catch today. Before he was able to turn the thoughts into reality, he felt a deep rumbling beneath his paws. He then saw a massive deluge of mud coming from the cliffs, as the huge storm that morning had turned the stone into sludge. The flood pushed into a nearby tree that fell toward Gorgefang and Ghostrunner. When Gorgefang noticed this, he immediately ran to the side and yelled "Look out!" to get Ghostrunner's attention.