ShadowClan Territory

[Rani]

Originally Posted by Arie

[okay I didnt even realize the joke myself PFFT, so I do not fault Adder]

"No...worries," she mumbled underneath the feathers of the sparrow, blind eyes blinking briefly. Others were at times shocked to realize that her eyes, despite their blindness and occasional cloudiness, still held many elements that living cats' eyes did including the ability roll them. Which she didn't this time around, Adderfang had proved to be nothing but polite and Doetuft dipped her head in a mild gesture of gratitude. Dropping the bird in order to be able to speak properly despite her stutter that was already impairing her speech she perked her ears at the question. Oh yeah, she was technically supposed to lead this patrol, another strange thing considering she was quite sure she was the least experienced out of the pair. But they were two warriors with no apprentice, age didn't matter, in rank they were equal so none of them held more sway over the other. "Marsh would... be alright." No matter that she wasn't the biggest fan of the mud if it could result in a bigger catch of prey, she was up for it. It was like she had something to prove despite being quite content and competent when it came to her hunting skills. Her hunting skills were by far her most refined of her skills and despite the mud dampening the sounds it wouldn't be too bad. "Mud... can be washed off. A hungry clan... cannot. So... off to the marsh we... go... I presume." Tail flickering she waited for a moment and then once again same the realization that she was taking charge, and with a small puff of laughter she picked up the sparrow and set off, ears open and constantly flickering back and forth trying to pick up any sound that would signalize the appearance of prey. Some would say the tabby relied far too heavy on her hearing than she should but she'd trained that way, had gotten used to life that way and had no one to tell her it was wrong. Therefore it was how she did things and at the sound of something else, her paws neatly stopping just before reaching the marsh, she heard something... very similar to the sound of birds wings fluttering. "Heard that?" she mumbled through the feathers to her companion.

Adderfang gave a small hum of agreement at Doetufts comment turning it over in her head a bit before flicking her ear, pleased. It was rare that young warriors had the wisdom to so clearly acknowledge how unimportant discomfort was when compared to duty. The large warrior easily moved to keep pace along side the grey molly, scanning the area letting her thoughts drift. She hadn't really had the opportunity to wonder over the direction the clan was going since before Icestar had died and couldn't help but worry that she still wasn't ready to let such thought drag her out of her own head as they undoubtedly would. The clan was going somewhere dark in so so many ways and while Adderfang was determined to do the best for it she just wasn't ready to think about the horrible long term rapidly bearing down on them. Better to stay in the present. Speaking of the present Adderfang snapped to awareness at Doetufts words instinctively dropping low and focusing on the area around her.

Two large pigeons pecking around the edge of the marsh for worms completely unaware of the cats not that far away. The mollys pupils narrowed to slits as she grinned softly uttering "Nice catch I can see it. Those are the fattest pigeons Ive seen in awhile, seems like the prey in this area has forgotten about shadowclan. Im going to go move around to sneak up on the farther away one, think we can synchronise our lunges to be able to nab both at once?" She murmured with a good natured challenge in her voice as she slipped away into the bushes. Easily slipping around and edging closer to her target she settled down into a crouch. She'd lunge if the prey moved to leave or if she saw Doetuft pounce but otherwise she was happy to wait for a time for the other warrior to make the first move. It'd be interesting to see how a blind cat hunted firsthand (Adderfang couldn't deny she was curios) and the choices her fellow molly made would give a small insight into how she operated which would make continuing to hunt together easy.

[Arie]

Originally Posted by Goldenmac

Sparrowpaw seemed slightly confused, but padded away from his mentor. He sniffed again, it was near. The tom searched more to find a slimy little croaking fellow sitting on a tree stump, Great! he thought. Sparrowpaw crouched in the grass, he was conveniently behind the frog so this would be easy. There was mud sure but not much, he stalked behind before leaping on to the green amphibian and squishing it. Sparrowpaw looked down on his catch, kinda disgusting but eatable, might give it to some kits.
The orange tabby grab the frog in his mouth and looked for his mentor, this took a few minutes since the smell of squished frog and blood hid the flowery scent of Buckspring. He soon spotted the white tom, padding up to him but making sure he didn't get too close.
"I caught it!" Sparrowpaw exclaimed proudly.

It seemed Sparrowpaw was doing good and Buckspring let out a relieved smile. He would not have to do the hunting in the ugly mud and would not end up with white fur that was soaked to the bone by the mud. Despite his large appearance, Buckspring was not a very stocky cat. He was skinny boned and all and it hurt his ego every time it became visible. Hence he often preferred to not leave his nest when it rained. It was a bad strategy and all but such it was for the white tom. Watching Sparrowpaw catch and then pick up the frog, the tom once again nodded in acknowledgement as the apprentice made his way over. "Good job, Sparrowpaw. You've really impressed me today." And he had, Buckspring could not deny that and the tom let a small slip through somewhat. He was lucky to still have his crown of flowers balanced on his head but hey, it would hopefully remain there for the next good while too. "You've gone and done a lot of good work and I think its about time we head back to camp." More or less he wanted to sleep but he couldn't exactly voice that to the apprentice. So turning around he let out a smile, "You can take a rest when we get back too, get some food in that belly of yours and rest."

[gs29513]

Shrewpaw had begun to feel a bit nervous that his hole blocking skills weren't quite up to standard as he watched Marigoldpaw, and the looks she gave his, so he had quickly and he hoped subtly scuffled a bit more dirt into them when he thought she wasn't looking. He hoped she hadn't seen. He wasn't sure why he felt awkward, probably because he felt guilty for being happy. He had been gazing at the open hole, half expecting a mouse to run out of it, when Adderfang began to talk, and he quickly snapped his attention around to her. He didn't want to miss any last minute instructions.

As she told him what to do, basically just scare all the mice and make noise, he noticed with a wee bit of satisfaction that Marigoldpaw didn't look all that excited. So mighty Marigold wasn't that good at ALL things. Still, he normally wasn't a jealous or nasty cat, so he took a step forward. I'll go first. he mewed firmly, his tail whisking at the prospect of going INTO a mouse burrow. There'd be lots of them, that was for sure! And it would be fun he supposed. As long as he didn't get stuck.

His ears pricking and bristling at the thought, they quickly relaxed again as Adderfang explained that they could just shove their heads out, since it wasn't deep underground. Or she could dig them out. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that though. He would prefer NOT to be saved, thank you very much. With a nod as the warrior seemed to be finished with her instructions, he ducked his head into the burrow, and with a little wiggle and a small shower of dirt on his head, his small body was inside the burrow, creeping enough for Marigoldpaw to get in. @Rani @Katniss

[Caramel]

Originally Posted by Arie

It seemed Sparrowpaw was doing good and Buckspring let out a relieved smile. He would not have to do the hunting in the ugly mud and would not end up with white fur that was soaked to the bone by the mud. Despite his large appearance, Buckspring was not a very stocky cat. He was skinny boned and all and it hurt his ego every time it became visible. Hence he often preferred to not leave his nest when it rained. It was a bad strategy and all but such it was for the white tom. Watching Sparrowpaw catch and then pick up the frog, the tom once again nodded in acknowledgement as the apprentice made his way over. "Good job, Sparrowpaw. You've really impressed me today." And he had, Buckspring could not deny that and the tom let a small slip through somewhat. He was lucky to still have his crown of flowers balanced on his head but hey, it would hopefully remain there for the next good while too. "You've gone and done a lot of good work and I think its about time we head back to camp." More or less he wanted to sleep but he couldn't exactly voice that to the apprentice. So turning around he let out a smile, "You can take a rest when we get back too, get some food in that belly of yours and rest."

Sparrowpaw nodded and grabbed back his frog. He started padding through the forest back to camp, I can't wait to show it off! he thought. Something still bothered him about that squirrel, why though? It was just a squirrel Sparrowpaw, it's not like you let a windclan cat go. the tom thought.
The tom glanced back to check if his mentor was coming, he kinda still wanted to continue hunting though he should probably rest. The fact that his training was so slow kinda upset him, he wanted to wake up at sunrise and do some battle training instead of waiting what felt like moons! Maybe i should ask another warrior? Sparrowpaw considered, It would be nice to get some extra training from some noble warrior of Shadowclan..
The tom arrived at the camp entrance, glancing back again before dropping his frog off at the fresh kill pile.

[Arie]

Originally Posted by Rani

Adderfang gave a small hum of agreement at Doetufts comment turning it over in her head a bit before flicking her ear, pleased. It was rare that young warriors had the wisdom to so clearly acknowledge how unimportant discomfort was when compared to duty. The large warrior easily moved to keep pace along side the grey molly, scanning the area letting her thoughts drift. She hadn't really had the opportunity to wonder over the direction the clan was going since before Icestar had died and couldn't help but worry that she still wasn't ready to let such thought drag her out of her own head as they undoubtedly would. The clan was going somewhere dark in so so many ways and while Adderfang was determined to do the best for it she just wasn't ready to think about the horrible long term rapidly bearing down on them. Better to stay in the present. Speaking of the present Adderfang snapped to awareness at Doetufts words instinctively dropping low and focusing on the area around her. Two large pigeons pecking around the edge of the marsh for worms completely unaware of the cats not that far away. The mollys pupils narrowed to slits as she grinned softly uttering "Nice catch I can see it. Those are the fattest pigeons Ive seen in awhile, seems like the prey in this area has forgotten about shadowclan. Im going to go move around to sneak up on the farther away one, think we can synchronise our lunges to be able to nab both at once?" She murmured with a good natured challenge in her voice as she slipped away into the bushes. Easily slipping around and edging closer to her target she settled down into a crouch. She'd lunge if the prey moved to leave or if she saw Doetuft pounce but otherwise she was happy to wait for a time for the other warrior to make the first move. It'd be interesting to see how a blind cat hunted firsthand (Adderfang couldn't deny she was curios) and the choices her fellow molly made would give a small insight into how she operated which would make continuing to hunt together easy.

It seemed like Adderfang had picked up on exactly the same thing as she had and putting down her sparrow, making sure it was hidden safely, she was ready and up for the hunt. The scent of pigeon washed over her as well as after a bit of time, the blind molly recognized the 'tip, tap, thump' that usually signallized a heavier bird than she was used to hunt. At least it wasn't any birds of prey, if it been Doetuft - despite her confidence in her own abilities - would've turned tail and gone back to camp to stay in her nest and then proceed to have a panic attack. Birds of prey and her did not go along well; after Dovekit's death it just did not sit well with her and probably never would. She knew it was a bad reaction she had at the sound of big birds, but to her... it was all but reasonable. But she understood why it happened but that didn't mean she could mitigate it because when she experienced no rational thoughts were able to make it into her head, nothing reasonable. It was just pure panic but now she had to focus on the hunt. Too often did she get caught up in her head and overcomplicated things that should not have been complicated at all because they were a simple actions but she was unable to help it. It happened. She got too stuck in her head and there was no way around that. It was just how she was wired. However as Adderfang spoke up, she flickered her ears back and forth in a wordless acknowledgement of the older warrior's words. Despite her technically leading, Adderfang had more experience and it was only reasonable. It wasn't like she could see if they were skinny, fat, rotten or anything; well if it was rotten she could usually smell it but the point was that it was hard for her to know such physical attributes and she appreciated the sighted and senior warrior for spelling it out for her. Ears perked as Adderfang walked away, she slid into a crouch, and then slowly, with careful movements pausing before placing a single paw down she felt her way through the grass until she could hear the nibbing and was fully able to adjust her body to how far she needed to leap. She could not see the neck, could not see where she was supposed to aim for but nonetheless, ears fully aware and perked towards the pigeon she shifted her hindpaws underneath herself before leaping and grapping the pigeon by its neck and easily killing it, hoping that the other warrior had gotten the other pigeon. But... what she'd not accounted for was the fact that it was muddy. And as she stood there with her prey... she was stuck. Stuck in the mud.

[Rani]

Originally Posted by Arie

It seemed like Adderfang had picked up on exactly the same thing as she had and putting down her sparrow, making sure it was hidden safely, she was ready and up for the hunt. The scent of pigeon washed over her as well as after a bit of time, the blind molly recognized the 'tip, tap, thump' that usually signallized a heavier bird than she was used to hunt. At least it wasn't any birds of prey, if it been Doetuft - despite her confidence in her own abilities - would've turned tail and gone back to camp to stay in her nest and then proceed to have a panic attack. Birds of prey and her did not go along well; after Dovekit's death it just did not sit well with her and probably never would. She knew it was a bad reaction she had at the sound of big birds, but to her... it was all but reasonable. But she understood why it happened but that didn't mean she could mitigate it because when she experienced no rational thoughts were able to make it into her head, nothing reasonable. It was just pure panic but now she had to focus on the hunt. Too often did she get caught up in her head and overcomplicated things that should not have been complicated at all because they were a simple actions but she was unable to help it. It happened. She got too stuck in her head and there was no way around that. It was just how she was wired. However as Adderfang spoke up, she flickered her ears back and forth in a wordless acknowledgement of the older warrior's words. Despite her technically leading, Adderfang had more experience and it was only reasonable. It wasn't like she could see if they were skinny, fat, rotten or anything; well if it was rotten she could usually smell it but the point was that it was hard for her to know such physical attributes and she appreciated the sighted and senior warrior for spelling it out for her. Ears perked as Adderfang walked away, she slid into a crouch, and then slowly, with careful movements pausing before placing a single paw down she felt her way through the grass until she could hear the nibbing and was fully able to adjust her body to how far she needed to leap. She could not see the neck, could not see where she was supposed to aim for but nonetheless, ears fully aware and perked towards the pigeon she shifted her hindpaws underneath herself before leaping and grapping the pigeon by its neck and easily killing it, hoping that the other warrior had gotten the other pigeon. But... what she'd not accounted for was the fact that it was muddy. And as she stood there with her prey... she was stuck. Stuck in the mud.

Trying her best not to shift in place the thick furred cat tried her best to be patient with her hunting partner. Maybe it was because she was generally around her own apprentice who always approached things fast and as far away from slow and steady as one can get but the other taking her time was making the large molly twitchy. Or maybe it was just the general anxiety running through her blood, she reflected forcing the feeling down and watching. Doetuft would strike when she struck and the warrior was blind besides, let her take her time. And finally spotting the other molly inching forward Adderfang grinned, control paying off. Closer... Closer... Doetuft was shifting to pounce... Strike now!

Rocketing forward there was a low thud as the brown warriors broad chest made contact with the startled bird, stunning it. With the animal confused it was easy to grab it and bite down with a crack finishing the weakened prey off and the serious she cat let a low murr of pleasure vibrate her at the good catch. Turning her head to see how her partner did the noise only increased seeing the others own luck, she'd caught the backhanded comments against the blind warrior before, but like Dawnstripe could snarl after a catch like this! Mouth full Adderfang only watched as the other shifted a bit catching on to what'd occurred, the mud had gotten Doetuft stuck. Instinctively moving to help the other out a wet awful 'shlorp' stopped the action dead and sent ice blue eyes flying wide as the older cat realised what had happened in its entirety... In her haste to catch such fat prey Adderfang had made a blunder she had, not too long ago, lectured her ex apprentice about... Leaped before she looked straight into a mud pit and gotten stuck for her trouble.
How humiliating, how embarrassing, how foolish, how.... Hilarious. It was hilarious. She was up to her belly in wet mud, fat pigeon in mouth, while her blind clanmate (no blaming anyone but herself for not seeing it) stood as trapped as she was next to her.

The stress fuelled haze over the warriors mind broke, the first time that'd happened since before the windclan raid, as soft chuckles started up in Adderfangs chest. The chuckling, transforming into laughter, moved through her lungs and up her throat until the molly was laughing hysterically (ugly snorting as she did so) around her pigeon, awful 'shlorps' filling the air as she wiggled around trying to free herself. (totally trying to free herself yep. Totally not just messing around a bit to make those stupid mud noises that in this moment made the situation that much more silly). She couldn't even bring herself to care if the other molly found her actions immature, for the first time in so so long Adderfang was having fun.

(This got super soft for adder tbh I love it)

[Ziera]

// @bmkmb | @Finpaw

Sparkpaw didn't realize how much she needed a break from camp. Every pawstep further into ShadowClan territory came easier than the one before, made her feel lighter, and that was good. Kind of an unexpected mood boost! She could actually breathe out here, whereas in the new apprentice's den, even the air was heavy.

The cream-colored molly trailed behind her mentor and another apprentice whose name she...kind of forgot to ask. Talonstone might have said it back in the clearing, but Sparkpaw was too frazzled at the time to catch on. This apprentice was older- that she knew. A bit lanky, maybe, with hazel eyes and a sunny pelt.

It was with a hot feeling of shame that Sparkpaw realized if she was present for announcements, she would've heard his name. Embarrassing. Especially for a she-cat who liked to know everything. It wasn't a total loss, though. Sparkpaw figured if she let Talonstone do some talking, the apprentice's name would come up naturally, and she could pretend she knew it the whole time.

"Where are we going, again?"

[Arie]

Originally Posted by Rani

Trying her best not to shift in place the thick furred cat tried her best to be patient with her hunting partner. Maybe it was because she was generally around her own apprentice who always approached things fast and as far away from slow and steady as one can get but the other taking her time was making the large molly twitchy. Or maybe it was just the general anxiety running through her blood, she reflected forcing the feeling down and watching. Doetuft would strike when she struck and the warrior was blind besides, let her take her time. And finally spotting the other molly inching forward Adderfang grinned, control paying off. Closer... Closer... Doetuft was shifting to pounce... Strike now! Rocketing forward there was a low thud as the brown warriors broad chest made contact with the startled bird, stunning it. With the animal confused it was easy to grab it and bite down with a crack finishing the weakened prey off and the serious she cat let a low murr of pleasure vibrate her at the good catch. Turning her head to see how her partner did the noise only increased seeing the others own luck, she'd caught the backhanded comments against the blind warrior before, but like Dawnstripe could snarl after a catch like this! Mouth full Adderfang only watched as the other shifted a bit catching on to what'd occurred, the mud had gotten Doetuft stuck. Instinctively moving to help the other out a wet awful 'shlorp' stopped the action dead and sent ice blue eyes flying wide as the older cat realised what had happened in its entirety... In her haste to catch such fat prey Adderfang had made a blunder she had, not too long ago, lectured her ex apprentice about... Leaped before she looked straight into a mud pit and gotten stuck for her trouble.
How humiliating, how embarrassing, how foolish, how.... Hilarious. It was hilarious. She was up to her belly in wet mud, fat pigeon in mouth, while her blind clanmate (no blaming anyone but herself for not seeing it) stood as trapped as she was next to her. The stress fuelled haze over the warriors mind broke, the first time that'd happened since before the windclan raid, as soft chuckles started up in Adderfangs chest. The chuckling, transforming into laughter, moved through her lungs and up her throat until the molly was laughing hysterically (ugly snorting as she did so) around her pigeon, awful 'shlorps' filling the air as she wiggled around trying to free herself. (totally trying to free herself yep. Totally not just messing around a bit to make those stupid mud noises that in this moment made the situation that much more silly). She couldn't even bring herself to care if the other molly found her actions immature, for the first time in so so long Adderfang was having fun.

(This got super soft for adder tbh I love it)

They were both stuck. Utter stuck. Completely near unmovable stuck. And there was some stupid hilarious concept to it that Doetuft didn't get but still... it did brighten her mood to some extent. More or less the ridiculousness of it. The sounds of the mud moving around just made it even worse, but for once she couldn't bring herself to care. This ridiculousness was allowed, having fun while out on a patrol wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it wasn't a crime to enjoy herself while she was doing this, it wasn't a bad thing to have fun. And this took a while to settle in Doetuft's mind but eventually it did. Eventually it settled in quite well with her and she couldn't help the small smile that glittered on her face around the pigeon. It was just pure luck that she was part of the group who'd end up not watching where they were going and then end up in the mud. It was... strange but nonetheless enjoyable in its own disgusting horrible way. The frustration would come when she had to remove the mud from her fur but she decided right then and there it would be a job for another day. Frosty could complain all he wanted if she went to sleep with a muddy fur, it wasn't exactly her nor Adderfang's fault they'd ended up in mud and had fun. It was something she was still learning about... fun. Never with another cat, another cat that wasn't Snowflake in this circumstance, had she been able to laugh as freely as she did right in this moment, even around the large prey they'd managed to catch. "Splosh," she voiced, laughter evident and soon she burst into giggles, something that too was perplexing for Doetuft, it wasn't something that occured often but... this was enjoyable despite 'sticky' situation they were in. "Seems... we find our... selves... in a sticky.. situation," she couldn't help but voice, relishing in the joke. "At least... we got some... food for the clan.... that's a bonus. Maybe... we can stick... more prey... unto our fur... now. Carry... more than.. usual." It was a ridiculous idea but everything about this moment was ridiculous so she didn't exactly care.

[Finpaw]

@bmkmb @Redtalon

Finpaw bounced alongside the other two as their patrol made its way towards the grove, awfully peppy in contrast to the more composed warrior and tired apprentice. The truth was, he’d been getting just as little sleep lately himself, but he’d always had a seemingly infinite eel of energy to pull from regardless- especially in times when his clanmates needed him. Besides, they were out of the camp and on their way to go hunting! What could lift some downtrodden spirits better than that??

“I know a lot about hunting, actually!” Finpaw chirped in answer to Talonstone’s question. His eyes shone brightly at the prospect of getting to discuss his training with a mentor, any mentor, for what had to be the first time. “I had to do a whole patrol once kinda by myself, ‘cause everyone got lost but I didn’t want to go back empty-pawed. It took me all the way until it got dark out to return to camp, but Beastspark - uh, he was still the deputy back then - Beastspark seemed pretty proud of what I’d managed to catch! I’d also gone to a special lesson for all the apprentices about how to be super sneaky and sense things in the dark around that time, too, which I like to apply to my hunting now that I know how to do it.”

Finpaw turned his bright and eager expression to Sparkpaw beside him. “I can even help with a few tips of my own, if you’d like! The more who know about stuff, the better, they say.” He briefly scrunched up his nose and glanced away to mutter the last part to himself, “They do say that, right? Why does that sound just a little bit wrong..?”

After walking a bit further in silence, the quiet was broken by Sparkpaw’s voice. “This one spot on the other side of a stream, I think, if I remember correctly,” he replied with a quick glance in the other apprentice’s direction. He knew he could probably offer a better description, but he figured it’d be more polite to allow her mentor to speak up himself, instead.

Suddenly, just after Talonstone [presumably] finished speaking, he pricked his ears up as they caught the faint trickling of water. Despite talking so much, Finpaw had still been getting into the habit of keeping himself on alert at all times, staying aware of his surroundings with all his other senses besides just sight alone like he’d been taught. The more he consciously did it, he figured, the easier it should be to do it subconsciously, something he hoped could maybe impress his one friend who’d inspired him to strive for it in the first place.. But back to his initial realization.

“I think I hear the stream just up ahead, actually- does that mean we’re close?”

(( I would love to volunteer Finpaw for getting face-slapped by a fish! And perhaps, Sparkpaw can catch it - intentionally or not - after it falls towards her..? :0 ))

[nocturnal]

// @Redtalon | @Finpaw

The best thing about being a warrior, in Talonstone's opinion, was the ability to leave camp without supervision whenever one wished. It was stress-relieving, the pine forest. Even in the night, being shrouded by the dark branches and clustered leaves was better than being hunted from his nest. Twice, now, it had happened. He knew the pattern, or so he hoped.

Leading came naturally to him, strange as it might seem. He enjoyed the subtle surge of power that thrummed through his veins. It was there, but not overwhelming. Never overwhelming. He was not the type of feline to be entranced by strength, unlike some lesser monsters he personally knew.

The warrior flicked an ear in acknowledgement at Finpaw's words. He had forgotten the other cat's age, although he suspected for it to be somewhere around ten moons. Yes, that sounded like something Beastspark would do. At the mention of that stealth session, Talonstone felt a reminiscent sensation flow through him. He had been there, too, and gotten top scores despite his frosty pelt. It felt as if it had happened so long ago, but it hadn't, not really. Only three moons in the past.

The way that Finpaw described the session amused him; he spoke as if explaining to someone who didn't know anything about it. Which would help Sparkpaw, but not Talonstone. He wasn't that much older than either of them, and he felt a bit strange, telling Finpaw what to do. They had been equals only a moon and a half ago. That was no longer the case.

The frosty warrior didn't mind that Finpaw wanted to help. He might be able to explain better, in apprentice terms, rather than however Talonstone might word it. The tom had nothing to say about the older apprentice's phrase; he spent little time listening to those types of things, although he had to admit that it did sound a bit off.

They walked for a bit longer after he explained their destination, then Finpaw's voice broke the silence. As silent as it could get in the mornings while trekking through the forest, that was. The occasional rustle of leaves, caw of birds, and increasing volume of the light trickle of water, prevented pure silence.

"We are," Talonstone responded simply. Another minute of walking and slow-flowing stream came into view. There was a grassy clearing around the bank, and for the most part, the rivulet was shallow enough for larger cats to walk across the bottom of the stream, assuming that they didn't mind the water reaching up to their jaws. Neither Finpaw nor Sparkpaw fit the height requirement, however, so they would have to swim... or ride atop Talonstone if that's what they would prefer.

As they approached the back, the warrior turned to face his other patrol members. "The stream is slow and shallow; there is no chance for you to drown. Finpaw, if you know how, you may swim to the other side. Sparkpaw, I presume that you cannot swim as of this moment. Would you like to learn now, or would you rather me carry you when we reach the deep area?" He flicked a tail at Finpaw, signaling that the option was also open to the other apprentice.

To be completely honest with himself, Talonstone mentally preparing to give these apprentices swimming lessons mid-patrol. Sparkpaw, he bet, valued her dignity and would refuse to be hoisted around the stream. As for Finpaw, it was not customary for shadowcats to take swimming lessons. Such a skill tended to be reserved for riverdwellers.

(Alright, then! Finpaw will be slapped by a fish, in the shallow part of the rivulet so that no one accidentally drowns.)