Luckily, Newtbelly's pelt wasn't very thick, so the water didn't weight too heavy in this coat. However, pelt slick to his skin with cold dirty water, he felt like shivering. In his mouth, he carried two measly dandelions, thankfully Tuftedtusk had explained the situation, so he didn't need to say all too much... "Uh, erm, sorry Grousepaw," he dipped his head as he dropped the herbs by the apprentice's paws. "Tuftedtusk kinda saved our butts." He exclaimed, head bowed in awkward apology. To be honest, he'd made a total fool of himself on patrol, hopefully that wouldn't come across to Grousepaw. His tail swung hesitantly as he glanced at the rest of the patrol. All of them were pretty clearly soaked, but drying off as time went by. Silently, he hoped to StarClan that he hadn't made too bad of an impression on Tuftedtusk and Magpiepaw.
Ah, right. It had been an unusual, she supposed – perhaps something that was expected of her to complete even as forever queen, Nightshiver did not complain; marking borders and hunting for the clan remained within her area of skill, and if anything, the practice served her well. All she truly worried was if this was a mere test to see if she could still serve as a warrior should Dawnstar deem her unfit to care for the kittens any longer, but anxiety cast aside, that did not appear to be the case. She worried, still, what reaction her response would warrant but… Honesty. She valued it, and Mistlewhisker she hoped did too. Hearing her praise her work to the clan, if anything, was an odd sound coming from a rank. “I.. appreciate… your.. consideration.”
She began; hesitant, but tone genuine. “I su..suppose, stretching… my legs… some time. does… some good; I felt… alright.”
A lie, after all. She felt nervous, anxious; but the practice was much needed. “If you… require me… to go on.. patrol, then I… will not… complain. My duty… is to serve… ShadowClan, but – most… of all. to care… for the kittens. I suppose… I will.. say, the kittens… are my… priority… in that… regard, but. I will… not complain… over… the occasional… patrol. If… I am to… care for… the kittens, I must…. Be capable… of feeding… them as… well.”
Mirepaw was gone. It was all her fault. She should have watched her sister better. She should have done better. Should have been faster, should have protected her, should have watched her. The white tufted feline felt conflicted as the white tipped feline took her in paws, his words soft. Her fur bristled, still, she let herself be held close as he posed his question and left his sentence unfinished, deepening the pit of doom in her stomach. “Upwalkers.”
She finally answered. “A small one.”
Her voice came out in a whisper, expression dull and frozen. How could she let this happen?
Ah, right. It had been an unusual, she supposed – perhaps something that was expected of her to complete even as forever queen, Nightshiver did not complain; marking borders and hunting for the clan remained within her area of skill, and if anything, the practice served her well. All she truly worried was if this was a mere test to see if she could still serve as a warrior should Dawnstar deem her unfit to care for the kittens any longer, but anxiety cast aside, that did not appear to be the case. She worried, still, what reaction her response would warrant but… Honesty. She valued it, and Mistlewhisker she hoped did too. Hearing her praise her work to the clan, if anything, was an odd sound coming from a rank. “I.. appreciate… your.. consideration.”
She began; hesitant, but tone genuine. “I su..suppose, stretching… my legs… some time. does… some good; I felt… alright.”
A lie, after all. She felt nervous, anxious; but the practice was much needed. “If you… require me… to go on.. patrol, then I… will not… complain. My duty… is to serve… ShadowClan, but – most… of all. to care… for the kittens. I suppose… I will.. say, the kittens… are my… priority… in that… regard, but. I will… not complain… over… the occasional… patrol. If… I am to… care for… the kittens, I must…. Be capable… of feeding… them as… well.”
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Deputy
she/her | 41 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye] Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend, Mind Reader
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Chariot ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
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Mistlewhisker nodded as Nightshiver gave her thoughts on the matter, though the deputy could tell she was lying. The large feline shook her head before leveling Nightshiver with, frankly, a rather gentle stare. "I believe you misunderstand me. I should have asked before, if you were comfortable going on patrol. That was my mistake, and I apologize. Your work caring for the kittens, as I said, is commendable. Putting you on patrol was done with your benefit in mind, though could have been enacted better. If you are not comfortable leaving your post, then I understand." Mistlewhisker did not want Nightshiver thinking that she was going to be replaced, or that this was a test. "No answer is wrong here." She meant it.
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Deputy
she/her | 41 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye] Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend, Mind Reader
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Chariot ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker nodded as Nightshiver gave her thoughts on the matter, though the deputy could tell she was lying. The large feline shook her head before leveling Nightshiver with, frankly, a rather gentle stare. "I believe you misunderstand me. I should have asked before, if you were comfortable going on patrol. That was my mistake, and I apologize. Your work caring for the kittens, as I said, is commendable. Putting you on patrol was done with your benefit in mind, though could have been enacted better. If you are not comfortable leaving your post, then I understand." Mistlewhisker did not want Nightshiver thinking that she was going to be replaced, or that this was a test. "No answer is wrong here." She meant it.
The deputy pushed, seemingly keen on getting a clear answer from her. Nightshiver had attempted to dance around the topic, leaving the decision to the ranks themselves but here she was asking again - a slight discomfort filled her senses, and the forever queen had to remind herself to smile, batting away the discomfort. "There is... Discomfort... in leaving... m-my post. Accidents... have... have happened, even... while not... on... patrol."
She bit her lip, thinking back to Smokekit. "I am more... comfortable... among the... kits. I want... to ensure... their safety. If you... require me... I will patrol..., but if it is... avoidable, or not... too frequent. I cannot see... kits... harmed under... my watch."
With everyone carrying herbs and ready to return, as assumed by Squirrelrise's words, Sleepysunrise this time took the lead leading them back. Her ear flickered back sometimes, eyes searching, looking for any threats within the territory and looking back to observe Cinderpaw's safety until they returned to camp, where she could silently deliver the herbs to Grousepaw.
Owlthroat
he/him | Shadowclan Warrior | 39 moons Beefed Up T1 - Just A Scratch The Dancing Bird
Owlthroat crawled into camp following Tuftedtusk, laying his moss down at Grousepaw’s side. Everything felt blurry, the day had been far too much for him to comfortably handle. He grimaced, then lowered his haunches for a well deserved rest. Most of his underbelly was slick and damp, he began to run a tongue hastily through it to try to remove the last of the moisture. Stray clumps of leaf litter stuck to a couple of tufts, he hated being so untidy it was unlike him. Meticulous grooming til he gleamed in the sun was more his thing, not that he was afraid to get mucky. It just became an inconvenience when it happened as a surprise like today had.
Still bristling his tail curled around his paws in hiding, he thought not to bother mentioning the sting on his pad he received. As the swelling had already mostly died down, adrenaline had covered most of the pain before, now he could barely feel the ache. He’d be fine without medical attention.
”Grousepaw, a warning should be issued out to other patrols nearing that part of the territory.” Owlthroat’s low rumble lacked much nicety. ”We were lucky to escape unscathed'', it wasn’t the young healer’s fault but others needed to be made aware nonetheless.
He gave a tired smile at the other cats, lingering on Tuftedtusk. He had a lot of respect for him, that had snuck up on him without realisation. Newtbelly had flapped, but done his best. Magpiepaw, well she wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the apprentices. She got things done when they needed to get done, perhaps he could score some points and offer her a training session or two. Owlthroat pondered if he wanted more work on his plate, but decided to swallow his own complaints.
He turned to face the apprentice, ”If you ever want some extra combat lessons, let me know birdie.” There was clearly somewhat of an attempt to sound upbeat, but it just came out as a grumble. Anything to earn some respect, he almost retched at the sickly sweet efforts.
Being wet absolutely sucked. The adrenaline was nice, but the water part? Nuh-uh, she'd rather eat two voles. Yeah, TWO! A real impressive feat. Anyways, padding back onto dry ground was such a relief. She made sure her herbs were nicely set in her jaws before passing them onto the medicine cat apprentice. Some words were shared about putting a notice on the area, and Magpiepaw couldn't agree more. Those bees were the nastiest creatures Starclan could ever put on this earth. Perhaps they found it amusing to see animals of all kinds running for the hills whenever seeing a bee. Especially an angry one.
Just as she was about to pad off, she felt an orange gaze linger on her pelt. She immediately met Owlthroat's eyes, her brow quirked up in a questioning expression. Birdie? What a name. Nothing she didn't hate. Since Magpiepaw was horrible at reading tone, the absence of interest in Owlthroat's voice went completely over her head. Battle training... Yes!
Her paws tingled with excitement, offering the older warrior a toothy smile. "Loud and clear," she said, giving the training herbalist a quick nod before padding off completely, more than ready to sulk in her den and lick her fur bone dry.
Cinderpaw
~<>~
49/100
9 moons || she/her || ShadowClan Apprentice small black tabby with minimal white markings and 3 legs; amber eyes
Following after her patrol mates, Cinderpaw returned to ShadowClan's patrol center and set her bounty down beside Squirrelrise and Sleepysunrise, blinking up at Grousepaw where he stood waiting for patrols to return.
The deputy pushed, seemingly keen on getting a clear answer from her. Nightshiver had attempted to dance around the topic, leaving the decision to the ranks themselves but here she was asking again - a slight discomfort filled her senses, and the forever queen had to remind herself to smile, batting away the discomfort. "There is... Discomfort... in leaving... m-my post. Accidents... have... have happened, even... while not... on... patrol."
She bit her lip, thinking back to Smokekit. "I am more... comfortable... among the... kits. I want... to ensure... their safety. If you... require me... I will patrol..., but if it is... avoidable, or not... too frequent. I cannot see... kits... harmed under... my watch."
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Deputy
she/her | 41 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye] Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend, Mind Reader
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Chariot ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
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· · ────────────── · ·
It seemed the forever queen was intent on giving a vague answer, though she was leaning towards not going out at all. The deputy dipped her head to Nightshiver, blinking in acknowledgement. "Of course. Thank you for your honesty."
。゚゚・。・゚゚。
゚。 Mossfreckle (ShC)
゚・。・゚ they/he ~ medicine cat
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The High Priestess ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
❦ White tipped feathery tail flicked idly over the oriental toms petite paws as he lay sprawled out on the sun dappled grass beneath the conifer canopies that swayed in breezes scented by floral blooms, sweet crushed grasses, and their own heady alpine twangs, spotted tabby pelt remained taunt with the form of muscles that rippled beneath at the ready of any moment to stand and escort the two apprentices back to camp along with the herbs that Grousepaw - along with the medicine cats help - had requested of them. Mossy hues darted around their peripherals to catch the flutter of blue and russet feathers that mingled with humble browns, the slight skuttle tiny paw steps making their way through the shaded underbrush that puffed with the verdant adornments of Newleaf but always remained in absentminded and carful fixation on the two dark pelted mollies who - with the quick and practiced ease of patrols past completed - find their task as well, ”Back to camp,” was the soft chirped response that slipped form the toms white twinged maw through the bundled package of herbs he held delicately within his canines. Chamomile, lavender, an almost warrior, and a commander princess in tow, Mossfreckle padded back to camp with haste beneath his white tipped paws, strolling movements nonetheless to accommodate not only the apprentices but the fact that they were not late at the end of the day - there was no need to hustle their way back at the speed of light (they were Shadowclan so that speed would be ironic any). Crossing the border back into the clearing and shedding the freedom of the forest that resided just beyond the walls the freckled herbalist picked his way through gathering or returned patrols and sat his lanky form down with a polite curl of his long tail over his white tipped paws next to his apprentice whom seemed to be handling his internal wars with authority quite well - well, assumed wars… he seemed tense… so similar yet so different where the two toms - making sure the apprentices had caught up - and not been swallowed by the crowd - Mossfreckle motioned to either side of himself as he spoke in the even tons of his calm demeanour, ”Grouse,” a nod of acknowledgment before his attentions split to address the two apprentices that made up his patrol, ”You two can leave your be a here, we will sort them out once the other patrols return. Thank you, Midnight paw. And thank you my darling birdie,” small felicitations for a job well done followed by a soft smile and a nod of approval and a gentle nuzzle respectively, ”You are doing good Grouse. I will be here if you need me for anything,” a friendly exchange before he moved to lay on a shaded, ancient, and of course low branch of the Grimpeak to watch the hustle and bustle of the goings on of the camp which buzzed with the actives of the afternoon and sent out patrols of the day.
{ @Omari ~ Midnightpaw } { @Mica ~ birdie princess }
[ I love you both dearly for putting up with my hiatus patrol <3 ]
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PSA: I am currently on a roleplay hiatus and partial staff hiatus. I am more than happy to answer questions but any requested replies will be going out next week when my hiatus ends on the 11th of November. Thank you and much love to you all!
౨Mossfreckle is Shadowclan’s Medicine Catৎ
it is not a fate cast in the stars, it is a calling written in blood and etched in bone