by Cradily » Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:43 am
OakClan
(@Animals, no problem! I wasn't trying to be mean either, there was just a bit of confusion but everything's fine. ^^)
"I will!" Sunflare waved to her with his tail before following Cedartail out of the den. "Who else is going with us?" he asked the tom once outside.
Dustkit opened her eyes when she felt Poppykit snuggle up against her, just in time to see Sunflare and Cedartail leave. She relaxed a little once the two toms were gone, leaving the den to herself, her mother, and her brother again--just the way she liked it. As if to tell her brother it was okay, she batted his face with her paws and let out a mewl.
Riverstripe waited patiently as Blizzardclaw rushed to Elmshade's patrol and back, no doubt changing them from a patrol to a search party, but the deputy barely waited for him and Tinybird before speeding out of camp. Leaping to his paws, Riverstripe sprinted after him alongside Tinybird. He sensed more annoyance than sympathy when the warrior began trying to rationalize with the deputy, but he was relieved when they finally slowed down. He let his tail tip touch Tinybird's flank once, a silent way of telling him to not take Blizzardclaw's annoyance to heart--he knew the deputy was just anxious, that was all. His tail moved from Tinybird to Blizzardclaw, gently brushing the silver tabby's shoulders for comfort. "Don't worry," he said gently. "We'll find her."
Splashfeather flashed a small smile at Jackdawpaw, grateful for the tom's comfort, but before she could say anything, Blizzardclaw came over and panicked words tumbled out of his mouth. She felt an icy chill run down her spine at the words, "Bearpaw is missing." The she-cat was only a moon younger than her other denmates at the time, and she had grown to become quite protective of her. She nodded understandingly at the deputy's instructions and her former mentor's suggestion. She wished Elmshade and Lostnight good luck in return before almost automatically turning to Tigerblaze. At times like this, and especially after Tigerblaze's earlier scolding, she couldn't help but almost feel like an apprentice again, looking towards another warrior to lead them.
Tigerblaze listened in silence to Blizzardclaw's words, his only response being a solemn nod. The deputy was so panicked one could hardly get a word in edgewise, and Elmshade had done the talking for him regardless. He watched as the brown she-cat left camp with Lostnight before turning back to Jackdawpaw and Splashfeather, who were both looking expectantly at him. "Yes, let's go." Not wasting another second, he padded out of camp at a brisk pace, not running but still maintaining a sense of urgency. He kept his jaws parted for any scent of the apprentice as he headed for the middle of the territory per Elmshade's instructions. Bearpaw's scent had been faint near the camp entrance, but it had been hard to tell where it led to before it trailed off.
EagleClan
Southstar had his own eyes closed, almost drifting off to sleep himself until he felt Streamspot stir beneath him and looked to see that she had woken up. "Sorry," he apologized as he rose to his paws, although he didn't sound embarrassed. "I didn't mean to wake you. I just thought you could use the warmth. Do you want me to bring you anything? Water?"
Littleflower simply nodded at her friend's response, not wanting to press further or draw unwanted attention to her. If there was something she wanted to talk about, she would talk about it. She had been considering suggesting that she and Mistflower pair up instead, leaving Quiverheart to go with Swiftbadger--maybe the she-cat would be more willing to open up if they were alone--when Quiverheart suddenly suggested an alternate pairing. Her ears pricked curiously at the idea, but she didn't hesitate to go right along with it. Perhaps Mistflower's former apprentice knew something that she didn't--the two seemed to share a special bond. "That's fine by me. I'd like to hunt with you more often, Quiverheart," she purred before looking at Swiftbadger and Mistflower. "Is that alright with you two?"
Darkpaw had to stop a smirk from forming when he realized he'd gotten under his mentor's pelt--he wasn't even sure why he found it amusing. "What, am I never allowed to go out hunting or training with another warrior if you're preoccupied?" he challenged, but he kept his tone light and neutral, almost innocent-sounding, as if he genuinely saw no problem with what he was doing. He may have been angry with Deertail, but he didn't want the tom to know that--to know that he was going out with other warriors because he felt neglected, or worse, jealous. "Besides, Goldenrose is my friend, and I'm practically a fully trained warrior anyway. Why don't you just ask Southstar if you can assess me already, that way I can do what I want and you don't have to worry about training me anymore?" There was a hint of hurt in his voice, despite his best attempts to keep it out, and he looked away. "I'll finally be out of your fur and you can focus more on your mate." Not that you don't already.
Nightwish's ears perked at Russetswirl's invitation and she turned to look at the older tom. "Sure, that sounds good! I guess I can let Gingerpaw sleep in this once."
Outside the Clan
It took several moments, but finally Thunder began to calm under the soothing licks of his mother and started nursing as well, if a bit aggressively.
