Username: ivyy.
Clan: ≋O≋c≋e≋a≋n≋ ≋C≋l≋a≋nQuest Number: 1
Response: -
spruceflight's lullaby (rider's lullaby) -
The feathery shadow of a night hunter crossed through the midnight sky, a scree echoing through the sandy, deeply rooted trees of oak. Her mighty cry could be heard from near and far as she searched the land, looking. Hunting, even. Her tawny feathers glistened in the light of the half-moon, her eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of what she had seen earlier. Nothing. With a defeated caw, she flew downwards and landed in a tree just beside the shoreline, facing the direction of the camp entrance. A slight coo was all that could be heard as she settled for the night. Her search would continue shortly, all the barn owl needed was a good rest, her wings tender and sore from having flown all night in search of what hid in the shadows. Tomorrow she'd find it. Tomorrow she'd unveil it. Sorrel had not yet given up.
---
Spruceflight blinked sharply against the glare of the sunrise making it's lazy ascent above the sea line, the waves crashing against the shore before melting back to meet the big body of water once more. He hadn't seen his companion for a long minute- something that worried him. Where was she? Surely there was no danger to a barn owl like her? He sighed heavily and relaxed his shoulders- worrying had gotten him nowhere the past few hours. He'd have to look for her himself, the rest of the clan had duties to attend to and wouldn't have time. He wouldn't want to bother them with his unreasonable thoughts.
The dying chirp of the remaining crickets grew louder as he trudged through the forest undergrowth, ferns and bracken brushing gently against his pelt as he walked the path many of his clanmates had every day, the paw prints of the dawn patrol freshly worn into them. They must've just recently left although he hadn't noticed, too deep in thought and distracted by the busy noise of the waves to have noticed. The forest heavy with plant and flower scents, he could still recognize the scent of three of his clanmates-
Acornnick,
Rosetta, and
Dusteye. The tabby tom quickened his pace, his tail swishing to and fro as he walked, a habit he had picked up from Acornnick who almost always seemed stressed or agitated.
Placing his paws carefully, he reached a pathway that not many chose to go unless they were sent on an expedition by the Empress or they were scouts. Luckily for him, he knew this path well. In fact, he purred as he remembered discovering it with his companion for the first time, having found a secretive way to get to the valley where loners and outsiders tended to roam, especially those of the Ashen Trail that had the tendency to haunt those of OceanClan. Shaking out his fur and the uncertainty that rested on his striped shoulders, Spruceflight continued throughout the bushes, a few tiny tufts of fur left behind as he squeezed through the brambles that crowded his way. He felt thoroughly aware of every chirp, caw, and cry of a bird within his listening radius, perking his ears against the aggressive wind, eager to seek out the familiar noise of his owl.
Soon, the lush, dense undergrowth gradually gave way to rolling fields of the Valley, leading to the border of OceanClan territory and the unclaimed lands of the ones who weren't apart of OceanClan's exclusive allegiance. Spruceflight had often seen or run into passing loners, rogues, even gangs from time to time. It's what being a scout was all about, surviving the bad to tell the Empress and her court about it when they returned. Spruceflight found himself humming along to the sound of the bees, the greenleaf haze dragging his thoughts to a dead end as he let the world whisper it's lullabies around him- something that often naturally calmed him.
Spruceflight's eyes widened when the warm scent of blood reached his nose. Mind rushing, he blindly hurried through the undergrowth, his thoughts and stomach at the flashing predictions of the scene he could discover connected to the blood. Paws pounded the ground as he quickened his pace, his leg muscles working over time as he raced through the valley, following the scent of what could be Sorrel's blood. The sun beat hard on his back, adrenaline urging him on to the source of the iron scent, his paws only slowly coming to a halt when he saw it.
A tom lay slumped against a tree. Strange- the sight was, only a small slash across his cheek was the source of where the blood had been scented from. Upon crashing into the field, the black cat was rightfully spooked, having tried and failed to climb up the tree he laid next to. With caution overpowering his burning curiosity, Spruceflight unsheathed his claws and asked in a calm voice, "Who are you?" The scarred tom, who, covered in ribbons and twoleg monstrosities, stammered a name-
Rook. He didn't look like much of a threat, if one at all. He looked tired and seemed to be suffering against the heat wave. Taking a few paw steps closer, Spruceflight twitched his nose as a response and sheathed his claws upon deciding this cat was no threat. "Don't take another step, clan cat!" Rook murmured, not threatening- more so
threatened.
Despite his timidness, Spruceflight was still highly suspicious, noticing that the tom was blinded and seemed unfamiliar with his surroundings- especially the new part that consisted of sharp claws and fangs. "I'm not planning to hurt you," Rook only relaxed slightly, seemingly suspicious as well. "I need to find my bird. She's a barn owl that answers to the name Sorrel- tawny feathers, small wingspan..." He drifted away, anxiety gnawing at his belly as he cursed himself for having lost sight of her at all. Rook seemed to perk up, "I was... I was looking for my bird too. Peony- she's a- she's a duck. My twoleg's pet but my good friend as well." Spruceflight felt the blind tom's gaze searching him through the thick blue velvet of the ribbon wrapped around his head. "Have you seen her?" Rook asked at last after the silence had stretched uncomfortably. Spruceflight sighed quietly and shook his head, "No. You should go home before you get an injury worse than that, kittypet." Rook flattened his ears ever so slightly but nodded. "When I find my bird I'll be away from this wretched land." He muttered, his voice thick with mysterious tension. Something told Spruceflight that the slash that decorated the soft tom wasn't one from a predator or a bramble.
"Alright then. Good luck, Rook." The black tom nodded, his eyebrows furrowed nervously as he hurried off, huffing as if he had been running this whole time. Eyeing him curiously, he noted to keep an eye out for a duck named Peony, although he didn't know how exactly he was supposed to find out which duck in the area was named Peony. Clearing his head by shaking it, he decided to leave Rook to find his own bird- Sorrel should be the priority. His eyes darkened as he searched the land tree-touched valley around him, the tall clumps of grass blocking his gaze from searching the earth around him properly. Feeling as though he had ants in his pelt, he took off, still determined to find his feathery friend.
---
The sun's fading light was no council as he grimly continued to scour the unclaimed lands beyond OceanClan. Where was she? What caused her to leave? Surely something important, right? Or was she tired of him? Solemn tears made his eyes glassy as he continued through the thick grass, checking every tree, clump of grass, and even burrow that he stumbled by. Forelegs burning from his trek and paws scratched up from climbing every tree he was able to get his claws into, he felt hopelessness gather in a hole in his belly, sinking him deeper and deeper into his depressive thoughts.
A shout drew his attention sharply from his mind, stirring a wisp of hope within his growling, hollow belly. He ran towards the source after checking for scents- however, he was downwind and had to risk getting closer without scenting what was ahead. Loud laughter and cheers echoed in his ears as he slowed his pace, closer now to the source of the chatter. The sounds of squawking and flapping sounds grew louder, forcing his heartrate to leap as he recognized the struggling sounds of his bird. "No!" He snarled, leaping into a clump of undergrowth, his eyes glowing in the gathering gloom as he bunched his muscles, ready to hunt whoever was harming his owl.
Past the few tall blades of grass in front of him, he could spot two cats, both black and white toms, holding down two birds. One a dark blue color with an elongated bill and stout body- the other... sickeningly familiar. It was Sorrel. She was pecking at the air close to the younger black and white tom's muzzle as best as she could reach but the strength and weight in the young tom easily overpowered the small barn owl. The other feathered creature appeared to be a duck, one struggling even more so against the larger and older tom's grip. The grass where Spruceflight was hiding in rustled quietly, a black shape slipping beside him, the cat's ribbons dragging against the ground signifying who this stranger was before he even saw him. Rook flicked his tail and nodded in the direction of the birds, signaling Spruceflight silently that he was on his side. The other bird must be Peony.
Silently, the two circled back through the tall grass, Spruceflight needing every shred of patience and planning to prevent himself from leaping onto his companions' attackers. Next to him, the slender black tom was crouching, his belly to the ground and his ears flattened plantively- nothing like the fearful tom he had seem earlier. Nodding, both cats made it to the older tom's back as they were finally able to overhear their conversation. "I'm done toyin' with 'em, father! When can we just finish 'em off?" The younger tom growled, licking his lips as he dug his claws into Sorrel's wings, earning a squawk of pain in response. The other tom seemed just as bored with his prey, rolling his shoulders and barring his teeth. "Right no-" Leaping with a fierce snarl, Rook in sync with him, the toms leaped on the large, older tom, overpowering him with their combined weight and flipping him off of Peony, the younger black-and-white splotched tom shocked at their ambush. He leaped toward them, letting Sorrel get away into the night sky alongside the now freed Peony.
Clawing and snapping at the big tom, their yowls were sharp and harsh as they rolled and worked together to draw blood from the great brute of their companions' attacker. Spruceflight couldn't suppress his feelings of surprise as he saw the timid black tom fighting viciously alongside him, blocking the big tom's advances and snapping at his ears, catching the tips in his maw before ripping them away, leaving a scarlet, hairless wound in it's wake. Spruceflight dodged the clumsy tom's swipe, ducking under the black and white underbelly before jolting his spine into the soft fur and flesh of the big cat, throwing him into the air and across the dirt clearing.
As the younger copy of the large tom bunched his muscles to leap at their attackers, his father grunted, lifting himself from the ground, tail lashing angrily at his clear defeat. "Stop,
Thistle. These two scraps aren't worth fighting." Thick claws still digging into the ground, the young cat named Thistle backed up to stand beside who Spruceflight assumed was his dad. Eyes narrowed in a newfound hatred, Rook stepped forward, arching his back and hissing furiously, "If we ever see you again, be sure you'll end up with scars like mine!" Blood trickled down Rook's cheek and onto the floor but other than a few bruises and scratches here and there, he seemed alright. They had managed to avoid many injuries due to the element of avoiding the big idiot's swipes.
Thistle looked at his father, seemingly trying to copy his expression of fury before growling and stalking off without another word, silent tension being left in his wake as his son confusedly trailed after him. The black and white tom casted unfriendly glances at Spruceflight as they stood sturdily against the pebbles and dust. After a long stretch of silence, Rook let out a sharp whistle out of the blue, catching Spruceflight off guard.
Within seconds, a blue shape quacked and dove out of nowhere to join both toms. Rook opened his maw to speak as she landed softly in front of them. "This is my friend, Peony. She's the duck I was looking for earlier." Rook turned to look at him quietly. They exchanged searching glances for a long moment when the nearly quiet twitter of Sorrel alerted him of her presence. "Sorrel!" He gasped in relief, hopping over to her when she landed, Peony flapping her wings and landing on Rook's shoulder. As he gave his owl a warm embrace, he flashed Rook a grateful smile. "I didn't tell you earlier..." He began after hugging his companion.
"But my name is Spruceflight."
Word Count: 2,266 words
Quest Number: 2
Response: wip
