πDragonstar - Leader - Male - 68 moons - 7 lives left - Tags: Poppywisp, border patrol 1 [Poppywisp, Charmingpaw, Smokefeather, Spiritfeather, Spindle]
Dragonstar smiled warmly at Poppywisp's words. "That does sound nice," he admitted. But when the she-cat drew closer to him, he stiffened, instinctively pulling back only the tiniest bit. He hoped Poppywisp hadn't noticed--or any of their other clanmates for that matter. He hadn't been lying when he'd said Poppywisp's offer sounded nice. But he'd always had a difficult time accepting comfort and affection from his clanmates, even before he became leader. It was a wonder he'd ever had a mate, and even that hadn't lasted long. He just always felt...awkward, when it came to closeness with other cats. "I'm not sure any of us will have dry fur today though," he added with a small chuckle, hoping to diffuse any awkwardness he may have caused. Just then, Sunningrocks came into view. "Thank StarClan," he breathed, feeling relieved that they'd made it without any further interruptions. The rocks, which were usually a light grayish-brown in the sun, now looked almost black from how wet they were. They could hardly be called Sunningrocks. "I suppose they're more like Rainingrocks today," he mewed under his breath, a pitiful attempt at a joke. Then, sighing, he said, "Let's refresh these scent markers and get out of here."
π Raventongue - Warrior - Female - 44 moons - Mate: Dustystomp - Tags: Beetlewood, Feverpaw, Ravenscream
Raventongue winced slightly as Beetlewood applied the poultice to her paw, but almost immediately it began to feel better. "Thank you, Beetlewood," she meowed, blinking gratefully at him before stepping aside to let him treat Feverpaw, whose injury was much more serious. She moved closer to Ravenscream, her gaze full of concern for the black tom's apprentice. "What happened to his tail?" she asked Ravenscream, her voice little more than a whisper so as not to distract Beetlewood.
πͺΆKestrelclaw - Warrior - Male - 35 moons - Crush: Foxcloud - Apprentice: Starlingpaw - Tags: Starlingpaw, Rivercry, Jaxton, border patrol 2 [Starlingpaw, Wrenfoot, Sunflowerpaw, Rivercry, Fogpaw]
Kestrelclaw barely stifled a chuckle at his apprentice's frustration. "Don't worry, it's all over now," he assured her, letting his tail rest on her shoulders as they padded after Wrenfoot. "I don't think the loner was trying to invade. He was probably just hunting close to our territory--a little too close for comfort. Usually our scent markers are enough to keep loners and rogues away from our territory, but sometimes cats stray farther when they're hunting. It's best to let them off with a stern warning, and avoid a fight if we can." He overheard Rivercry giving similar advice to Fogpaw when it came to loners, and nodded his agreement, glad that they were teaching their apprentices valuable lessons. Although he knew most apprentices were just eager to fight because they never had before, it was best to squash that eagerness before it turned into something more. Just then though, another unfamiliar cat-scent touched his nose. At first he thought it was the same loner, but he quickly realized it was different, just as he heard Sunflowerpaw make the same discovery up ahead. "Another loner? I guess the rain must be driving them all towards our territory," he mumbled, shaking his head. Peeking around, he saw a ginger-and-white tom up ahead, a fairly young one at that, only this one looked much more tired and defeated, not at all like the arrogant Cloud.
π¬οΈSouthwind - Warrior - Male - 35 moons - Tags: Whirlpool, hunting patrol [Littlefoot, Slashpaw, Whirlpool, Magpieflight, Herbpaw, Foxcloud, Jackdawpaw
Southwind had just caught a frog when he heard rustling in the bushes behind him. Whipping around, he spotted Whirlpool, and flashed a smile at her, looking rather funny as frog legs dangled from his mouth. Trotting over to her, he set his frog down and purred, "Hey, Whirlpool. Catch anything yet? Aside from a cold, in all this rain."
π·οΈMagpieflight - Warrior - Male - 24 moons - Apprentice: Herbpaw - Tags: Herbpaw, hunting patrol [Herbpaw, Littlefoot, Slashpaw, Whirlpool, Foxcloud, Jackdawpaw, Southwind]
"I'm sure he will," Magpieflight reassured him. "Dragonstar's a big softie deep down, and he pays attention to the apprentices. He won't refuse you your ceremony after he sees how hard you've worked." He helped Herbpaw dig up the rest of the prey he'd caught, deciding to heave the rabbit onto his back while he carried the vole in his mouth, and left the finch and sparrow for his apprentice to carry. He had half a mind to simply return to camp right then and there, but he knew he'd be in for an earful from Littlefoot if he did that, and so he set off to find the deputy. If he was lucky she would just let him and Herbpaw return to camp once she saw their catches. He beckoned his apprentice with his tail before setting off in the direction they'd last seen the rest of the patrol.
βοΈBrightsnow - Warrior - Trans-female - 20 moons - Crush: Pigeonflight - Tags: Pigeonflight
A small purr could be heard from Brightsnow's chest. "That means a lot to me, thank you," she meowed softly. "I know there's nothing you or I can do to change it, but...it does help to have someone who understands." This had probably one of the most open and honest conversations Brightsnow had had with Pigeonflight, but there was still a question on her mind, a question that, though she tried to silence it, kept nagging her like a mosquito. "Is it...Is it okay if I ask you a personal question?" she asked finally, after much hesitation. "And if it's too personal, you don't have to answer it."
πΊWolffeather - Warrior - Female - 19 moons - Tags: Hawkthorn, Ladybirdflutter, Longtail, Iceblood
Wolffeather narrowed her eyes at Hawkthorn as he stalked away. She could never understand why a tom his age wanted the attention and company of a younger she-cat like herself, or why he'd be so offended when she didn't want to give it. Maybe because his kits want nothing to do with him, she told herself, and she couldn't say she blamed them. Still, something told her that wasn't quite the reason the older tom sought out company from she-cats her age. She could hardly suppress a sigh when the black-furred cat returned and began conversing with Flickerwisp instead, and, realizing she wasn't going to get any more sleep, rose to her paws and padded out of the den. She decided she might as well join Ladybirdflutter with the elders, and made her way to their den, grabbing a mouse along the way from the prey pile. Poking her head inside, she saw Iceblood resting and Ladybirdflutter and Longtail sharing tongues, all looking quite comfortable. "Do you mind if I join you all?" she asked softly, setting the mouse down. "Oh, and I brought this in case anyone's hungry." She could guess from the faint trace of prey-scent in the den that everyone had already eaten, but knew it was a good gesture to always bring prey just in case.
π§Frostedpaw - Apprentice - Female - 11 moons - Mentor: Chivewhisker - Tags: Dustystomp
A purr rumbled in Frostedpaw's throat at her father's concern. "No, he doesn't," she promised. "He's a good mentor. An even better one for letting me stay in the den today. Most mentors are torturing their poor apprentices, making them go out in this weather..." She shook her head in dramatic disapproval, then winked at Dustystomp. "But seriously, you have nothing to worry about. Except for maybe Iciclepaw catching whitecough in all this rain, but hey, he can handle it." Deciding it was time she get up and at least get a snack, she gave one more good stretch before slowly getting to her paws. "Is there any prey on the fresh-kill pile? Any that's still fresh, I mean, not something that's been poured on all night long..."
πHollypaw - Apprentice - Female - 10 moons - Mentor: Pumpkinspirit - Tags: Iciclepaw, Pumpkinspirit, Pyrefire, Purpleflower
Hollypaw padded after her mentor, cast a side glance at Pyrefire and Iciclepaw as the tom instructed his apprentice to do his best. They quickly arrived at the Sandy Hollow where they trained, and Hollypaw turned to Pumpkinspirit. "Any advice for me?" she asked him, unsure if she should try to beat Iciclepaw. He was closer to his battle assessment after all, it may look bad if she bested him.
πΈοΈJackdawpaw - Apprentice - Female - 6 moons - Mentor: Foxcloud - Tags: Foxcloud, hunting patrol [Foxcloud, Littlefoot, Slashpaw, Whirlpool, Magpieflight, Herbpaw, Southwind]
Jackdawpaw's face lit up as her mentor praised her. Maybe she was better at this than she thought! She listened carefully as Foxcloud explained the plan to her, following her gaze to the birch and then back to the sparrow, then gave a brisk nod. "Got it!" she meowed confidently, already dropping into a hunter's crouch. "I'm ready when you are." Her eyes glittered with excitement. This was her first time tag-teaming a hunt! She'd seen warriors do it before, and she was sure she and Foxcloud could pull it off.
π₯Fire-eyes - Elder - Male - 101 moons - Tags: Crowflight
Fire-eyes always took a walk a little after dawn, and today was no exception, despite the poor weather. He had tried to stay in camp, but he got far too restless being cooped up in the den, and so he ventured out. After all, a little rain never hurt anyone. Even if it was more than a "little" rain. He hadn't made it very far when he noticed Crowflight leave camp not long after, looking a little lost. Fire-eyes slowly padded over to the black-and-white tom, his legs a little stiffer than usual. "Hey there, Crowflight," he greeted the tom with a gruff, but soft purr. "Where are you off to?"
πͺLucky - Loner - Male - 35 moons - Tags: Lola
"You wouldn't stand a chance against me," Lucky told the she-cat, his tone teasing. "Besides, you'd never hurt a handsome tom like me, wouldja?" He laughed a little before responding, "Oh, my home's here, there...a little bit of everywhere." He flicked his tail to and fro. "My home's wherever I want it to be at the time. I got a brother somewhere around here, see him every now and then...but he's not nearly as handsome as me." He licked a paw and drew it over his face, smoothing his rain-beaten fur. "Trust me, I look much better when I'm not sopping wet."
Dragonstar smiled warmly at Poppywisp's words. "That does sound nice," he admitted. But when the she-cat drew closer to him, he stiffened, instinctively pulling back only the tiniest bit. He hoped Poppywisp hadn't noticed--or any of their other clanmates for that matter. He hadn't been lying when he'd said Poppywisp's offer sounded nice. But he'd always had a difficult time accepting comfort and affection from his clanmates, even before he became leader. It was a wonder he'd ever had a mate, and even that hadn't lasted long. He just always felt...awkward, when it came to closeness with other cats. "I'm not sure any of us will have dry fur today though," he added with a small chuckle, hoping to diffuse any awkwardness he may have caused. Just then, Sunningrocks came into view. "Thank StarClan," he breathed, feeling relieved that they'd made it without any further interruptions. The rocks, which were usually a light grayish-brown in the sun, now looked almost black from how wet they were. They could hardly be called Sunningrocks. "I suppose they're more like Rainingrocks today," he mewed under his breath, a pitiful attempt at a joke. Then, sighing, he said, "Let's refresh these scent markers and get out of here."
π Raventongue - Warrior - Female - 44 moons - Mate: Dustystomp - Tags: Beetlewood, Feverpaw, Ravenscream
Raventongue winced slightly as Beetlewood applied the poultice to her paw, but almost immediately it began to feel better. "Thank you, Beetlewood," she meowed, blinking gratefully at him before stepping aside to let him treat Feverpaw, whose injury was much more serious. She moved closer to Ravenscream, her gaze full of concern for the black tom's apprentice. "What happened to his tail?" she asked Ravenscream, her voice little more than a whisper so as not to distract Beetlewood.
πͺΆKestrelclaw - Warrior - Male - 35 moons - Crush: Foxcloud - Apprentice: Starlingpaw - Tags: Starlingpaw, Rivercry, Jaxton, border patrol 2 [Starlingpaw, Wrenfoot, Sunflowerpaw, Rivercry, Fogpaw]
Kestrelclaw barely stifled a chuckle at his apprentice's frustration. "Don't worry, it's all over now," he assured her, letting his tail rest on her shoulders as they padded after Wrenfoot. "I don't think the loner was trying to invade. He was probably just hunting close to our territory--a little too close for comfort. Usually our scent markers are enough to keep loners and rogues away from our territory, but sometimes cats stray farther when they're hunting. It's best to let them off with a stern warning, and avoid a fight if we can." He overheard Rivercry giving similar advice to Fogpaw when it came to loners, and nodded his agreement, glad that they were teaching their apprentices valuable lessons. Although he knew most apprentices were just eager to fight because they never had before, it was best to squash that eagerness before it turned into something more. Just then though, another unfamiliar cat-scent touched his nose. At first he thought it was the same loner, but he quickly realized it was different, just as he heard Sunflowerpaw make the same discovery up ahead. "Another loner? I guess the rain must be driving them all towards our territory," he mumbled, shaking his head. Peeking around, he saw a ginger-and-white tom up ahead, a fairly young one at that, only this one looked much more tired and defeated, not at all like the arrogant Cloud.
π¬οΈSouthwind - Warrior - Male - 35 moons - Tags: Whirlpool, hunting patrol [Littlefoot, Slashpaw, Whirlpool, Magpieflight, Herbpaw, Foxcloud, Jackdawpaw
Southwind had just caught a frog when he heard rustling in the bushes behind him. Whipping around, he spotted Whirlpool, and flashed a smile at her, looking rather funny as frog legs dangled from his mouth. Trotting over to her, he set his frog down and purred, "Hey, Whirlpool. Catch anything yet? Aside from a cold, in all this rain."
π·οΈMagpieflight - Warrior - Male - 24 moons - Apprentice: Herbpaw - Tags: Herbpaw, hunting patrol [Herbpaw, Littlefoot, Slashpaw, Whirlpool, Foxcloud, Jackdawpaw, Southwind]
"I'm sure he will," Magpieflight reassured him. "Dragonstar's a big softie deep down, and he pays attention to the apprentices. He won't refuse you your ceremony after he sees how hard you've worked." He helped Herbpaw dig up the rest of the prey he'd caught, deciding to heave the rabbit onto his back while he carried the vole in his mouth, and left the finch and sparrow for his apprentice to carry. He had half a mind to simply return to camp right then and there, but he knew he'd be in for an earful from Littlefoot if he did that, and so he set off to find the deputy. If he was lucky she would just let him and Herbpaw return to camp once she saw their catches. He beckoned his apprentice with his tail before setting off in the direction they'd last seen the rest of the patrol.
βοΈBrightsnow - Warrior - Trans-female - 20 moons - Crush: Pigeonflight - Tags: Pigeonflight
A small purr could be heard from Brightsnow's chest. "That means a lot to me, thank you," she meowed softly. "I know there's nothing you or I can do to change it, but...it does help to have someone who understands." This had probably one of the most open and honest conversations Brightsnow had had with Pigeonflight, but there was still a question on her mind, a question that, though she tried to silence it, kept nagging her like a mosquito. "Is it...Is it okay if I ask you a personal question?" she asked finally, after much hesitation. "And if it's too personal, you don't have to answer it."
πΊWolffeather - Warrior - Female - 19 moons - Tags: Hawkthorn, Ladybirdflutter, Longtail, Iceblood
Wolffeather narrowed her eyes at Hawkthorn as he stalked away. She could never understand why a tom his age wanted the attention and company of a younger she-cat like herself, or why he'd be so offended when she didn't want to give it. Maybe because his kits want nothing to do with him, she told herself, and she couldn't say she blamed them. Still, something told her that wasn't quite the reason the older tom sought out company from she-cats her age. She could hardly suppress a sigh when the black-furred cat returned and began conversing with Flickerwisp instead, and, realizing she wasn't going to get any more sleep, rose to her paws and padded out of the den. She decided she might as well join Ladybirdflutter with the elders, and made her way to their den, grabbing a mouse along the way from the prey pile. Poking her head inside, she saw Iceblood resting and Ladybirdflutter and Longtail sharing tongues, all looking quite comfortable. "Do you mind if I join you all?" she asked softly, setting the mouse down. "Oh, and I brought this in case anyone's hungry." She could guess from the faint trace of prey-scent in the den that everyone had already eaten, but knew it was a good gesture to always bring prey just in case.
π§Frostedpaw - Apprentice - Female - 11 moons - Mentor: Chivewhisker - Tags: Dustystomp
A purr rumbled in Frostedpaw's throat at her father's concern. "No, he doesn't," she promised. "He's a good mentor. An even better one for letting me stay in the den today. Most mentors are torturing their poor apprentices, making them go out in this weather..." She shook her head in dramatic disapproval, then winked at Dustystomp. "But seriously, you have nothing to worry about. Except for maybe Iciclepaw catching whitecough in all this rain, but hey, he can handle it." Deciding it was time she get up and at least get a snack, she gave one more good stretch before slowly getting to her paws. "Is there any prey on the fresh-kill pile? Any that's still fresh, I mean, not something that's been poured on all night long..."
πHollypaw - Apprentice - Female - 10 moons - Mentor: Pumpkinspirit - Tags: Iciclepaw, Pumpkinspirit, Pyrefire, Purpleflower
Hollypaw padded after her mentor, cast a side glance at Pyrefire and Iciclepaw as the tom instructed his apprentice to do his best. They quickly arrived at the Sandy Hollow where they trained, and Hollypaw turned to Pumpkinspirit. "Any advice for me?" she asked him, unsure if she should try to beat Iciclepaw. He was closer to his battle assessment after all, it may look bad if she bested him.
πΈοΈJackdawpaw - Apprentice - Female - 6 moons - Mentor: Foxcloud - Tags: Foxcloud, hunting patrol [Foxcloud, Littlefoot, Slashpaw, Whirlpool, Magpieflight, Herbpaw, Southwind]
Jackdawpaw's face lit up as her mentor praised her. Maybe she was better at this than she thought! She listened carefully as Foxcloud explained the plan to her, following her gaze to the birch and then back to the sparrow, then gave a brisk nod. "Got it!" she meowed confidently, already dropping into a hunter's crouch. "I'm ready when you are." Her eyes glittered with excitement. This was her first time tag-teaming a hunt! She'd seen warriors do it before, and she was sure she and Foxcloud could pull it off.
π₯Fire-eyes - Elder - Male - 101 moons - Tags: Crowflight
Fire-eyes always took a walk a little after dawn, and today was no exception, despite the poor weather. He had tried to stay in camp, but he got far too restless being cooped up in the den, and so he ventured out. After all, a little rain never hurt anyone. Even if it was more than a "little" rain. He hadn't made it very far when he noticed Crowflight leave camp not long after, looking a little lost. Fire-eyes slowly padded over to the black-and-white tom, his legs a little stiffer than usual. "Hey there, Crowflight," he greeted the tom with a gruff, but soft purr. "Where are you off to?"
πͺLucky - Loner - Male - 35 moons - Tags: Lola
"You wouldn't stand a chance against me," Lucky told the she-cat, his tone teasing. "Besides, you'd never hurt a handsome tom like me, wouldja?" He laughed a little before responding, "Oh, my home's here, there...a little bit of everywhere." He flicked his tail to and fro. "My home's wherever I want it to be at the time. I got a brother somewhere around here, see him every now and then...but he's not nearly as handsome as me." He licked a paw and drew it over his face, smoothing his rain-beaten fur. "Trust me, I look much better when I'm not sopping wet."