__PawPrints__ wrote:I love the pictures next to your posts amnesia!
I was just about to say the same thing! They're really cute :> Did you make them yourself, Amnesia?
OakClanRiverstripe had been so focused on anything that could lead them to Bearpaw that he didn't even notice the commotion going on by the river several fox-lengths away, until Blizzardclaw brought his attention it. "Just what we needed," he heard the deputy sigh, and turned to see what was going on. He followed the tom's gaze to the river, his eyes growing wide when he saw that Ivypaw had fallen in and was now struggling to get out. Tinybird was the first to run over, followed by Blizzardclaw, with Riverstripe not far behind. By the time they'd arrived, Dappleleaf had jumped in, holding Ivypaw up by the scruff, while Tinybear and Weaselstripe attempted to pull them out. Robinwind soon came running over with a branch, which he extended for Dappleleaf to grab onto. All the while, Riverstripe stood there, feeling helpless and unsure what to do. He wanted to help, but there were already so many cats crowded in one spot that he felt he would just make things worse if he got any closer. Thus he simply hung in the back in case he was needed.
"No luck," Splashfeather responded sadly to Elmshade's question, her tail beginning to droop, although a verbal response was hardly needed. It was clear that neither patrol had found the apprentice. When her former mentor and Jackdawpaw began discussing going beyond their own territory to look for her, she tried to look more hopeful, giving a determined nod. "Yeah...Yeah, you're right. We can't give up now. We'll--" But she was cut off by Tigerblaze.
"No one said anything about giving up, so I don't know what you two are going on about," Tigerblaze interrupted Splashfeather, shooting both her and Elmshade an unimpressed look. "We're wasting time, and we're certainly not going to waste any more by running back to camp to get Beestar's permission to cross the border." His amber eyes glinted as he went on. "Elmshade, I want you and Lostnight to start searching EagleClan territory--now. If you're confronted by anyone, tell them you're there looking for a missing apprentice per your leader's orders. Splashfeather, Jackdawpaw, and I will follow the stream down to the edge of our territory before we cross into Twolegplace. Both Bearpaw's and the fox's scents end here, so they must have either crossed to the other side--which is unlikely, given the current--or gotten swept downstream. Understood?" His gaze swept across the other four cats, as if inviting them to challenge him.
"Happy to see me, are we?" Sunflare bumped his own head ever so gently against Poppykit's, a wide smile on his face. He watched with love as his son then teetered over to Cedartail and Lynxfoot. "That's Cedartail," he told the tiny tom-kit, pointing with his tail towards the brown tabby tom, "and that's Lynxfoot," he nodded at the long-furred silver tabby she-cat. He knew Poppykit wouldn't know anyone's names yet, or even understand what a name was, but it was good to talk to the kits anyway. When Cedartail complimented the kits' beauty, he nodded in agreement. "They get it from their mother, don't they?" He gave Creamflower an affectionate nuzzle as she followed Poppykit over. "Poppykit's a social one," he observed aloud to his mate, before his gaze turned to Dustkit, who was still hiding in the nest. "Now Dustkit, on the other paw...She's a bit shy, isn't she? I wonder who she gets that from..." As he pondered this, he couldn't help but purr at how captivated Lynxfoot looked by his kits. The she-cat had been so aggressive just a moment ago, but now she looked like she was in love. "Thinking of having some of your own?" she asked the silver tabby teasingly.
EagleClan(Blackkit and Moosekit are literally the cutest thing ever <3)
Darkpaw just grunted in response before padding back to Goldenrose, who had finally seemingly awoken Wolfpaw. "It's about time," he meowed, echoing Goldenrose's words. "Come on, let's go hunting already." Turning tail, he headed back to where Deertail was waiting, not making eye contact with his mentor.
Littleflower watched the younger warrior bound off with a smile before heading in a separate direction. The cold scent of snow combined with the musky scents left over from leaf-fall hung heavy in the air, but prey-scent was almost nonexistent. Her heart lifted a bit when she spotted the thin, hairless tail of a mouse peeking out from under some brown leaves at the base of a tree, and she crouched, starting to creep towards it. She stepped as lightly as she could, but there was nothing she could do to stop the snow from crunching beneath her paws. She winced at the noise, hoping it wasn't loud enough to alert the mouse of her presence. She spotted movement beneath the leaves and saw the tiny mouse head poke out, freezing as it did. But when the mouse turned its head slightly, she knew it was now or never. She ran at the mouse, spraying snow behind her as she went, only to skid to a halt just in time to stop herself from crashing into the tree as the mouse darted into a burrow at the base of the trunk. She shoved her paw down the hole, desperately trying to hook the mouse out, but it was no use. "Mouse-dung," she sighed.
Perhaps Quiverheart has had better luck. Turning around, she headed back in the direction she'd come and followed her Clanmate's scent until she spotted her familiar brindle tabby pelt. She hung back when she saw the bird a few tail-lengths in front of Quiverheart, silently rooting for her to catch it, but to her bewilderment, the she-cat didn't seem to notice it until it had already flown away. A pang of sympathy stabbed her heart when she saw the dejected look on the warrior's face.
I guess she wasn't paying attention. But despite the loss of a potential meal, she found it hard to feel angry with her younger denmate. "Hey, Quiverheart," she meowed, padding up to her as if she hadn't even seen anything. "No luck yet, huh?"
Southstar knew there was no use in arguing with his deputy. But although he wanted to go with her, he could see from the absence of warriors in both the den and the camp clearing that most cats had already gone out to hunt or patrol. Even Deertail and Goldenrose seemed about to head out, with their own apprentices in tow. "Alright," he meowed reluctantly. "But I should stay here and watch camp." He said this as if she were expecting him to go with her, even though she hadn't even implied as much. "Just be careful. Maybe you could have another cat go with you." He spotted Stagleap and Frostpetal talking and nodded at them. "You could ask them to join you."
Nightwish's gaze softened despite Blazepaw's cold words. "Yes, but it's still good to have time to grieve. Besides, it isn't as if you've been stuck in camp the whole time--you're still going out patrolling and hunting. I'm sure Southstar will appoint you a new mentor soon, though."
