- PEACECLAN !
- ★ user + clan link: coffee.berry + clan archive
★ responding to: coffee.berry's last post
★ xp stats: [opted-out for death rolls!]
xx+10XP for writing, + 10XP for patrol sent, +5XP for border skirmish
xx+3XP for prey collected, +4XP for herbs found
- Autumn was close, but… effortlessly subtle with the evergreen, unchanging essence of the clan. Of home. Perhaps the only change was from the winds flowing from the north ━ both stronger and bolder. Colder.
And the cold created desperation. It hardened hearts when the frost settled and the prey dwindled.
Cloudpelt shook her head. Her paws glided over the soft field grasses in tandem to the pair beside her, chasing aside the unease snaking in her belly. Oakspeck had said it himself. The cats appeared worried, not volatile.
Right?
“Squirrel!” Mosspaw darted forward, lunging at a russet creature lurching through the grass. Its tail trailed along the ground, patches of fur scraggly… other patches missing. It was slow; too slow. Unsteady.
And… uncertain. Was it sick?
She stepped forward, blocking the squirrel’s path. Dull eyes flickered, its lean muscles tensing, freezing, with indecision. A frenzied look left, then right…
The apprentice pounced, pinning the bushy-tailed creature between her claws. “I got it! I caught it!” Soft blue eyes shone, twinkling like the ripples of the seas, but it faded, morphing into… disgust. She scrambled back with a yelp. “Ew! There’s a spider on it.” (+3FP squirrel)
“It’s just a spider.” A soft chuckle eased from her throat as Mosspaw backed away, sidling up beside the tortie tom. Shaking her head, she flicked the tiny, dark arachnid off. The spider landed lightly, clinging to the top of a blade of grass. No… a reed. (+1 sweet sedge)
“Can we go meet the cats now?” Mosspaw tilted her head, tail flicking down the hill. “I think I see them! They’re close… can we go? Now?”
“Hold up, sport!” Oakspeck rested a tail along the apprentice’s back. “Cloudpelt, how about we meet you down? We can see what those cats want━”
“Yeah! Good plan.” Mosspaw’s ears perked, muzzle twisting into a sheepish grin. “Race ya!”
Her jaws parted. “Here, wait a sec━”
The apprentice was gone.
And… Oakspeck not too far behind.
Shaking her head, she traced the two forms, disappearing down the crest of the hill. So much for those two waiting. Even the spider was far more obliging. Fighting the frown threatening to crease her brows, she slipped through the grass. They’d be fine. Oakspeck was experienced. He’d know what to do.
Her gaze found the scrawny squirrel, its small head at-rest in the sea of green ━ in a bed of rose-tinted flowers and soft, curled leaves… at peace. She eased a breath out. And perhaps, she should be as well… learning a lesson from the little creature. (+1 stinging nettle, +1 watermint, +1 bright eye)
But peace was fragile ━ shattering like ice under pressure.
A soft cry pierced the air smothered by voices. Harsh tones with spittle and steel. The song of an encounter gone wrong.
Her head swung around. Jaws closing around the squirrel and herbs, she ran, dashing down the hill. It was a race, not against friends, but against time. The verdant of the evergreen hill blurred as she hurtled down, tracing the scent of a certain pair in the air.
It was a race she couldn’t win.
Oakspeck’s head was lowered, his nose nuzzling a small form along the ground. Mosspaw. His voice was soft, a comforting murmur as he nosed the form. His head lifted, ears flattening as she neared. (-15% health for mosspaw!)
Her jaws were frozen. Numb. She blinked, stepping closer. A breath in and breath out. A pause to form the proper words, sticking in her throat like the scarlet tingle stubbornly staining the grass. “What happened? Is she… is she okay?”
“We were attacked.” Oakspeck’s shoulders tensed. “The cats… they weren’t as friendly as I thought. Mosspaw, she… got hurt. I-uh… she needs help. Some herbs, I think? Do you have any?”
★ Mosspaw has been injured during the border skirmish! She needs one herb (any type) to stop any further health loss! ★
★ totals;
xx+0% hunger for each patrol cat (patrol was fed!)
xxxx↳ cloudpelt (0% hunger), oakspeck (0% hunger), mosspaw (0% hunger)
xx-15% health for mosspaw
xxxx↳ mosspaw (85% health)
xx+32XP → level 1 (107/200XP)
xx+3FP squirrel
xx+1 stinging nettle, +1 sweet sedge, +1 bright eye, +1 watermint
★ notes; n/a!
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