Sky Glade

[lesbianism]

♡ s o f t s o n g
she/her - 97 moons - WindClan - bisexual - tags; @birdie @MangofDoom @Micanomancy
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Softsong nodded, resigning herself to a long patrol. She had hoped that Poppysong had spotted the roses before, or at least the mushrooms. It was fine - she was sure they'd stumble across them soon enough.

She let out a small sigh of relief as Bravebird slipped ahead and scouted the area, quickly leading the way. She was glad not to have to waste time going up and down the tunnels looking for them. She followed behind her, taking note of which tunnel they went through - if they needed more of the roses, she wanted to be able to get back.
She padded behind, placing her paws carefully to avoid stepping on the mushrooms. Cowtuft had said they were poisonous - she didn't want to lick her paw later and end up dead.

Softsong glanced behind her again, keeping an eye on their numbers. Hawkfur seemed a little nervous for her liking, and while she was glad Poppysong was eager, she didn't want them to get carried away. She slowed down, letting them slip past her - she'd feel better at the back of the patrol where she could keep an eye on all of them.

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[I've already got an injured cat in my roster but I'm fine to do a cave collapse if Softsong's unharmed! posting order is a great idea - let's reply to this and then continue posting in that order?]

[Mica]

Hawkfur [he/him, warrior, 45 moons]
[ @MangofDoom ] [ @birdie ] [ @lesbianism ]
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Hawkfur began to feel a little more comfortable when Bravebird spotted the mushrooms, and he followed her along their trail towards the roses. With a clear path ahead, he focused less on the tunnels and more on his goal. "These mushrooms are beautiful!" He chirped quietly, admiring them while still keeping his distance. "A shame they are poisonous-"

He kept up with the others, keeping an eye on tunnel branches so they weren't surprised by any freaked out rabbits or voles.
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[Oh yes, of course!! I'm so sorry birdie D : Post order is a good idea. I have no real preference on when Hawkfur goes!]

[MangofDoom]

╔ Poppysong ═ ✱
╚ windclan warrior║nb they/them║19 moons║tags; @tags; @birdie @lesbianism @Micanomancy

═ ═ ═

Poppysong flattens their ears, which are growing hot. “Sorry, Bravebird,” they say, letting Softsong pass them before following, staring down at their paws as they do, making sure they don’t trip as Bravebird suggested.

At the mention of mushrooms, Poppysong glances up at them. Their eyes reflect their glow, and they pause for a moment. They reach out a paw to poke one- but when Hawkfur mentions them being poisonous they quickly place their paw on the ground and move forward.

“My favorite prey is rabbit, by the way,” they whisper to Hawkfur before being able to slip past Softsong. Now behind Bravebird, Poppysong keeps their eyes peeled for these flowers. They’ve seen a few flowers in the tunnels, though doesn’t remember individual types, unfortunately, but they continue on, following the mushrooms and Bravebird down the tunnels.

—
(Yay trauma! Also, so sorry Birdie, an order is a good idea : D) (so its brave, soft, hawk, then poppy?)

[taillow]

Bravebird
She/her | 40 moons | Beefed Up T3 ᐧ One with the Warren

Despite the moons she hadn't been down here, Bravebird's memories of the tunnels were coming back piece by piece. They were easier to collect, nothing short of engrained in her just as her loyalty to WindClan was. Eventually the tunnel they were in seemed to widened a bit and at the end she could just make out a faint glow.

"There!" Relief washed over her as the liliac lynx-point darted forward, coming to a point in the tunnel widened a bit and veered off in two different directions. There were two of the flowers here and Bravebird bent down to pluck them from the ground. Their glow could be used as a light, and there were likely more flowers deeper in the tunnels. She turned to look bac at her patrol mates and flicked an ear as she set the flowers down. "I think we should split up - two go down one end and two go down the other. Not too far, there's got to be more flowers nearby. Once you see the tunnel you're in split again, turn around and come straight back; we'll meet back here."

With a paw she nudged the two flowers up against the wall, knowing its glow would be a good beacon. "Softsong, you and I will take this one," she indicated with a flick of her tail, gaze already sliding over to Hawkfur and Poppysong. "You two take this one." Hopefully it was clear enough. With a nod of her head she hurried into the tunnel to the right, keeping her eyes peeled for the flowers.

[ @lesbianism @Micanomancy @MangofDoom you guys are all good! no need to apologize also! since you said yo want soft unharmed i figured her and brave could scout one of the tunnels, and the tunnel that poppy and hawk go into could collapse? perhaps it traps poppy and traumatizes hawk because he tried to dig him out - when brave and poppy hear him calling they come running back to help? ]

[lesbianism]

♡ s o f t s o n g
she/her - 97 moons - WindClan - bisexual - tags; @birdie @MangofDoom @Micanomancy
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Softsong's tail lifted as Bravebird spotted the first flowers of the patrol. The soft orange glow they gave off lit the tunnel pleasantly, making it feel almost cozy.

She tilted her head, considering Bravebird's suggestion. She didn't love the idea of splitting up, but it would be more efficient to take care of both tunnels at once. If they did as she'd suggested, walking back the way they came when the tunnels split, there was no chance they'd get lost.

"Alright," she agreed. Poppysong's a warrior now. They can take care of themself, Softsong thought, giving her head a little shake.
She pressed her nose into Poppysong's cheek. "Be safe," she mewed, then after one last glance at them, she followed quickly after Bravebird.

The scent got thicker and staler as they continued deeper into the tunnels. Softsong let out a tiny sneeze, whiskers twitching as the dust got into her nose.

"You seem to know your way around down here pretty well," she mewed to Bravebird, keeping an eye out for the tell-tale glow of sunset roses. "Have you spent a lot of time in the tunnels?"

She saw something out of the corner of her eye and stopped short.
"Bravebird," she mewed, "look here."

A hole in the wall, big enough for an apprentice to get through, with mushrooms growing up the wall and around the little entrance. She crouched down, trying to get a better look.

"It looks like an old burrow," she mewed. A small, short tunnel lead to a little den of sorts, a flourishing plant growing inside. "I'm going to see if I can squeeze in." Would she be able to fit? Softsong was a small cat, but even then it would be a squeeze.

[dice roll: 18]

She wriggled into the tiny tunnel, the walls pressing against her on all sides. It was a tight squeeze, but she fit. She inched her way forward, dirt crumbling off into her coat. Eugh. She would have to groom well later. After what seemed like an eternity of shuffling, Softsong squeezed out into the little den. It was roomier than the tunnel, but there was still little enough room that she touched the plant no matter where she was.
Careful not to damage the leaves, she carefully bit off three roses. There were more growing, but only buds - there was no use taking them back to Cowtuft.

"Alright, I'm coming out!" she called, taking the stems in her mouth and wriggling back the way she had come. She held back the urge to shake the dirt out of her fur as she emerged - Bravebird had already gotten one face-full today, she doubted she'd be grateful for another.

"We can still carry more, and the tunnel hasn't split yet. Let's keep going," she mewed. With any luck, they would find some more further down.

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[ty birdie, sounds good to me!]

[Mica]

Hawkfur [he/him, warrior, 45 moons]
[ @MangofDoom ] [ @birdie ] [ @lesbianism ]

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Hawkfur nodded along to the suggestion of splitting up, giving Poppysong a respectful nod as Bravebird assigned partners. He did not know Poppysong or Softsong that well, but he trusted Bravebird's opinions. He slipped down the tunnel on the left, using his whiskers to guide him along the walls. He felt a little better now, especially after the hushed confession Poppysong gave him about their favorite prey. It was a little while after winding through the tunnels when a faint glow lit up the tunnel floor, mushrooms sprouting out of the packed dirt. Hawkfur made an excited noise, padding over to them and sniffing them. "Great! I was beginning to wonder if we would be out of luck."

He looked back to Poppysong, a cheerful look on his face. Once he got over his anxiety, he seemed like a rather friendly fellow. "Keep close, yeah?" And he trotted further into the tunnel, along the mushroom trail until the faint glow turned into a brighter one, lighting up Hawkfur's face in a lovely orange hue. "Wow... look at that." He nosed the flowers, careful not to damage the petals. "I don't think I've seen anything like it." He reached down to bite off the stem, collecting the flower in his mouth, careful of the thorns.


[Coin flip: 1]

[Hawkfur gained 1 Sunset Rose!]
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[Good idea Birdie about the tunnel collapse! I sense some trauma bonding ahead perhaps?]

[Kieran.]

Grubpaw walked through the heathers mindlessly. He had been wandering around for what felt like atleast 3 hours. It was a beautiful place and it gave him a type of weird peace. Finally he ended up beneath the Lone Pine. He gazed up at the twisting branches of needles touching the sky in wonder.

[MangofDoom]

╔ Poppysong ═ ✱
╚ windclan warrior║nb they/them║19 moons║tags; @birdie @lesbianism @Micanomancy

═ ═ ═

Poppysong nods and waves with their tail at the other two before creeping through the tunnel after Hawkfur. They begin to breath a little more heavily, fear creeping up their spine. But once they come into view of the mushrooms their eyes light up.

“Hey, look at that! Nice!” They purr and poke their nose between some mushrooms to see if there are any flowers. They look back up to say something but sees that Hawkfur is farther ahead, so they leave it and rush ahead to catch up.

“Woah…” they say as they catch a glimpse the flowers from behind Hawkfur. As Hawkfur harvests the flower, they glance at a little patch of the glowing mushrooms. Blinking, they poke around them to see if there are any flowers.

[Coin flip: 1]
[Poppysong has found 1 Sunset Rose]

As Poppysong grabs it with their teeth and pulls, the stem tightens against their pull. They furrow their brow and dig their paws into the dirt and pull harder, and all at once, it is ripped from the base of the wall, roots and all. The dirt flies into the air, and as Poppysong is shaking their head to get the dirt off of their face, the wall shifts, causing a rumble to churn in the walls.

—
(Woo I love the collapsing idea! I set up the collapse- but it can happen whenever! I’m planning on making it happen my next post but lmk if anyone wants it postponed!)

[taillow]

Bravebird
She/her | 40 moons | Beefed Up T3 ᐧ One with the Warren

Once the group agreed with the decision to split up, Bravebird made her way down the tunnel assigned to her and Softsong. Ears perked up at her question, she nodded. "Quite a bit. After that windstorm that drove us down here a few seasons ago I wanted to know all I could about the tunnels. I'd had some training as an apprentice, sure, but nothing that could really help the Clan during that time." It had been that self-appointed inadequacy that had driven her to learn as much about the tunnels as she could - and now, navigating them was as easy and natural as breathing.

Stopping as the older warrior took note of a smaller burrow, Bravebird watched as she squeezed in. It looked to be a tight fit but soon enough she heard the scuffling stop. "Find anything?" the warrior called, and was shortly answered by her Clanmate indicating her return. A satisfied grin spread across her muzzle as she saw the three flowers that Soft emerged with. "Excellent."

With a nod the lean warrior continued down the tunnel, eyes peeled for anymore of the flowers. The glowing mushrooms seemed to be clumping closer together up ahead and just ahead of them, a patch of sunset roses. Bravebird let out a 'mrrp' and ducked her head down to pluck two of them from the ground, leaving the other budding ones alone. As she turned to look at Softsong, a distant rumbling alerted her.

"Did you hear that?" she asked her Clanmate, eyes darting back the way they came. Nothing seemed out of place but the tunnels would be prickly when it came to staying open. These ones seemed sturdy enough because of how much paw traffic they likely had, but it was never fully concrete surely...

[ @lesbianism @MangofDoom @Micanomancy - i apologize for the delay! the mentions here for me completely slipped my mind. feel free to start the tunnel collapses in your next post! i asked wolfie for a small extension just incase we need it ]

[lesbianism]

♡ s o f t s o n g
she/her - 97 moons - WindClan - bisexual - tags; @birdie @MangofDoom @Micanomancy
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"Well, it certainly paid off. Your knowledge of the tunnels is of great help now," Softsong mewed, "and in the event that WindClan needs to take refuge down here again, it will be a great deal easier with you." Wherever Bravebird had been for the past moons, it was good to have her back. She was clearly driven, and an asset to her clan.

She watched on, pleased, as Brave hunted down another two roses. That made four for her and three for Softsong - she hoped Hawkfur and Poppysong had been as successful.

She felt the rumble in her paw-pads, a low warning growl from the tunnels. She stiffened at the feeling, ears swivelling back to hear better.
"Maybe we should head back," she mewed warily. "We've had good luck so far, but we don't want to overstay our welcome."

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[thanks birdie!! i'm also good to go for tunnel collapses ^-^]