SQUIRRELRISE she/her. 12 moons. small, scarred russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.
[ chill of death ]
fortunately, it's not long before sleepysunrise joins the group. as expected of an enforcer. the youngest enforcer, speaking of -- "c-congratulations..on your promotion to - to..enforcer." she says. she mentally curses herself at the mention of the berries. crap, she should've remembered those. just a bit of brain fog, she reasons, shaking her head slightly.
"..let's go." squirrelrise meows with a glance between the two before she turns and heads towards the camps entrance.
the talk to darkwater mire is relatively quiet. well, for the warrior, anyway. she glances at the ground as the terrain slowly becomes more shadowed and the soil grows softer. very soggy. stinging nettles..dock, she repeats internally as the patrol approaches the bog, ears swiveling at the sounds of woodpeckers knocking away at tree bark somewhere in the distance. she slows to a stop, glancing at sleepysunrise and cinderpaw. she's never led a patrol..urgh. brows furrowing in mild worry, she speaks up.
"er..let's s-stay..within a yowls..distance from e-eachother. also...remember to..wash the..s-stinging nettles.." she reminds, ending off with a small nod.
Her fur bristled in the soft breeze, fur as unruly as it has been since the moment she came to the world. Her eyes swept across the land, bushes with red berries apparent as they treated through the territory, Squrrelrise's voice ringing in her ears. She seemed unwell. Was it because Sleepysunrise had given no more than a nod in acknowledgement of the congratulations she was given, or the space they were walking through? She pondered the situation surrounding them, memories of her last herb patrol coming to mind when vibrant eyes fell on Cinderpaw. She felt rigid. Another nod indicated she heard the patrol leader, but an uncomfortable feeling twisted in her stomach at the thought of Cinderpaw walking alone. A yowl's distance was not enough to keep Mirepaw safe. She couldn't lose another. "Close."
She murmured to her younger sister, shoulders squaring as the newly named enforcer stood at her sibling's side, unwilling to leave her alone.
The actual search of herbs that ensued - Sleepysunrise preferably sticking close to Cinderpaw, close enough to step in should anything happen - was relatively easy if one did not consider the marshy and soggy ground that coated her paws and left print in her wake. Dock was quickly found, the plant hidden away but recognisable and quick to gather. The real issue was the Stinging Nettle, one she found in much more abundance in the area. Now washing the nettle before carrying it was all nice and well, the problem she found was having to gather and then wash them - truly, how did Mossfreckle and Grousepaw do this on a daily basis? But the youngest of the enforcers did not want to come across as hesitant and incapable; she could not put her name or family to shame. Her ears flickered in thought as, on a whim, she bent down to grab the nasty plant by its very base and softly pulled to uproot it just a tad, nibbling the stem off with... Minimal pricking, she supposed, before throwing it in a nearby patch of water. Stomp the ground down, now, then push around the nettle in the water and the stinging was meant to be gone. Her whiskers twitched, cautiously picking it up, some areas around her maw stinging though she would not admit to it.
For a moment Bleedingpaw was confused on his sisters grumbling before remembering that she was blind and Grouse had mentioned nothing on the herbs scents that Wispypaw could focus on instead. Plus the medicine cat apprentice seemed a bit distracted and unable to respond and they were going soon so the little tom panicked for a moment before coming up with an idea and chirping a "Oh! Ill find some coltsfoot and watermint for you when we get there for you to smell so you can find some on your own Wispypaw dont worry!
And uuuuuh if I remember watermint smells super sharp but also sweet and enticing with an earthy undertone and coltsfoot... I dunno warm?"
He didnt really remember that one, he only really remembered watermint because it was super smelly and he wanted to eat it even knowing better then to eat anything not given to him in the medicine cats den after how Smokekit died. There were poisons like deathberries in there too. Speaking of which... "Wow I didnt know there were deathberries there, I promise to be super careful then and not touch any berries, only leaves."
Bleedingpaw wasnt gonna be the reason this patrol encountered issues! No way no how!
Apparently other clanmates were gonna do that.
Promptly on arriving Bleedingpaw had been drawn right to some watermint and had collected the two leaves he could reach without tipping into the bog, walking them back over to Wispypaw and bringing it to her nose to sniff before kinda wobbling his way to a coltsfoot bush and inviting his sibling to fleece it with him so she didnt have to feel around for some without sight. Hopefully it wouldnt be seen as pushy or doubting his big sis' capabilities given he was just trying to be helpful.
After all he got how disabilities went, just because he was wobbly didnt mean he wasnt capable, he just needed help if they were to climb today and couldnt go near the mires edge at risk of wobbling himself right in.
Not much time was given to dwell though as Hawkbite clearly heard something and the little bengal fell silent, ears pricking to try and catch on too. Was that.... the faint sound of voices. And the mire smelled too much like the camp, catty, to boot. Bleedingpaw nodded, holding tight to his herbs as he faded into the shadows like a fiend despite his blond pelt using his rosettes to appear just a sunbeam dapple on a bush.
One that spoke a quiet little "We'll be right on your tail Mr Pats." the slight hesitance belaying his age.
Wispypaw I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere
But you can't catch me now + she/her + No purrks
It was no effort or trouble for her to trail behind Hawkbite and beside her sibling. Following others was pretty easy for her, she found it funny when Fenneldrop had stomped while leading them to another part of the territory. She had been tempted to let the moron know she could smell where he was, she didn't need the extra stuff. For her, it was funny to her when others thought she couldn't tell where they were standing at the moment. Wispypaw would say that half the clan wasn't quiet in the least bit, they were noisy as hell. The paw could probably name a pawful of cats who would prove problematic for her to trail after. "Thank you brother that would be helpful!" unlike a few of her siblings, she was willing to at least get along with her family even if they weren't blood-related. After all, she didn't judge based on relations, she did so by their character. Last she checked the younger adopted sibling hadn't done anything to deserve her ire like Grousepaw or Cloverpaw has.
Blind dark eyes stared into Hawkbites general direction, if she got it right or not didn't matter. "Are you for real right now?" she hissed out, she again didn't care if he heard her. How was she supposed to tell where he was pointing? Just for him forgetting her impairment she stretched out her front paws across the grass and patted the ground. "here? there? or is it in the sky somehow?" she had to be a smart ass, if it was possible she would be wearing a dead-panned look at the enforcer. Just as they were about to give another snarky call she could smell the scent of the watermint that Bleedingpaw had described earlier. Their nose twitched as they ingrained the scent into her memory, this was going to be easier. "Thats strong, my god" she almost sneezed at the sharp scent.
The paw traced the strong-smelling herb to where her brother had gotten in from. They wanted to scream at the fact they were in a messy and dirty area, that menace sent her here on purpose! Was that mud fight not enough for him when he nailed her with the mud!? With audibly loud grumping they stepped through the bog to get some watermint. Once they made it back she was going to shove these herbs where the sun don't shine for that menace. Once she had the plant in her grasp she made her way back towards Bleedingpaw, or hoped he was still there.
[ +2 Watermint ]
Wispypaw didn't seem to have to go far as they were being led right to what they guessed was the coltsfoot. That would work too she guessed, at least she could smell the plant herself instead of it being brought to her. The dark-pelted feline reached a paw out and snagged some of the coltsfoot once she felt what seemed like a flower, she swore she felt petals. Wispypaw was about to say something inline of thanks to her brother but she heard the enforcer speaking. Tufted ears perked so she too could try to catch what the other two were hearing. So someone was dumb enough to come to this place, they weren't sure if they could recall if there were restrictions on this place but guess Hawkbite didn't like it. All they gave in response to the older cat was a nod since they didn't want to alert these other cats of their location.
Marshypaw
Male / 6 Moons / ShadowClan / Pansexual
Russet tabby tom with cream-brown fur around the torso, blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes, and a naturally sinister expression
“Well there’s no point to misery without joy, now is there? Just like there’s no point to beauty without brains! That last part is something that you, my friend, need to work on!”
~Marshypaw
✽❀✽
(Weekend Wondering had chosen stealth training, if that’s alright. In his own words: “Marshypaw needs to learn to walk without alerting the entirety of ShadowClan that he is doing so.”
Marshypaw padded as quietly as he could through ShadowClan’s territory, blue and yellow gaze sweeping the ground as he went. It was his first official training session, and as much as he wanted to do well, his main priority was still drama. It always was, and it would take a lot of sudden traumatic events to end that constant requirement of the russet and cream tabby tom. The newly made apprentice piped an, “OH!” when his paw suddenly decided to casually start drowning in the ground’s soil itself, and with a light shackle, he stumbled back. With a wide smile spreading across his face, Marshypaw sighed, taking a brief glance around the at the environment. Here they were, this was where he had been leading his current teacher. Taking a quick glance back at the warrior that had supposedly been following him through the woods towards their destination of the Darkwater Mire, Marshypaw swished his tail around at the area. Then merrily, he exclaimed, “Ah, what a wonderfully dark, eerie, lovely day! Beautiful, isn’t it? The old, nasty mire? Well, as a matter of fact, I quite like it. And oh, what a better place for Marshypaw to get himself trained than… the marsh! Such a lovely… coincidence, yes?” He drew out the word coincidence as if to purposely hint at the fact that it certainly was not a coincidence. Then confidentally, he strode forward, carefully placing his paws on what ever marsh appeared to be the driest. “Now, I’m sure that nobody appreciates their fur coated in goop and the horrid scent of cool, old mud- so naturally, I will be very, very considerate as to where I am stepping, and where my paws land on this beautiful scene, to prevent myself from-” And that’s when it happened. He slipped on a slippery area of the marshland, front paw flying out from underneath him. With an uncharacteristic yelp of, “GAH, damn-” The tabby apprentice found himself tumbling into the marsh, completely ruining the cleanliness of his russet and cream pelt.
He found the entirety of the upper half of his body coated in cold, wet mud, and paddling wildly to get his stuck-self out of the unexpectedly soft mire, the young apprentice hopped along briskly back in Bristlethorn’s direction. He forced the usual smile to fly right back onto his face, and exposing his teeth for a moment, he mumbled politely, “My apologies, that was… rather silly of me, I’ll say- now, I would take a step back if I were you, ma’am- now-” Then quickly, he began to shake, sending bits and droplets of mud flying in every direction, landing messily on nearby trees, the ground, back into the marshland, and possibly even Bristlethorn herself. Then once he was finished, with a satisfied sigh, Marshypaw stared at the warrior with a thin layer of mud caked on his face. “Ah. Well, now that I look like a germaphobe’s worst nightmare, we can get to stealth training. Shall we?” As the mud-covered tabby tom waited for a response, he scrubbed some drying mud from his pelt with lazy brushes of his tail.
✽❀✽
// Tiny starter, whoops! Sorry if there isn’t much to work with, and so sorry that this is so late! ;-; Also, what better place for Marshy to be than the Marsh, right where he belongs- \\
The Commander waited for his duo to line up with him, herbs in paw. He'd watch as Bleedingpaw seemed to melt into the shadows, unable to catch his outline. He'd just have to hope the stumbling little apprentice would keep up with him. He could almost feel his breath and pelt on his, so obviously the little dude was close. Next was Wispypaw, Hawkbite would melt into the shadows near her. His tail would rest on her shoulders, shielding her figure from outside eyes as he started to guide them towards the scent was tracking.
Within a few minutes, Hawkbite spotted the apprentice standing in the Mire. His gaze shot to their surroundings, looking for a warrior or Enforcer, but finding no one. His fur prickled and he slowly approached. Once within a tail length, he'd exit the shadows and give Marshypaw a hardened stare. Placing his herbs at his paws and standing over them protectively, he'd address the apprentice before him. "What are you doing out here?" He'd ask sternly. His tail tip twitched with annoyance. How hard was it for an apprentice to find a warrior or get permission to come out here? "Where's your mentor?"
[This is taking place before Dawnstar is lifting the three cat patrol restrictions unfortunately for Marshypaw]
Marshypaw
Male / 6 Moons / ShadowClan / Pansexual
Russet tabby tom with cream-brown fur around the torso, blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes, and a naturally sinister expression
“Well there’s no point to misery without joy, now is there? Just like there’s no point to beauty without brains! That last part is something that you, my friend, need to work on!”
~Marshypaw
✽❀✽
As Marshypaw stood, waiting for Bristlethorn’s response, he kept on sweeping away mud from his pelt. As much as mud and goop was some sort of ShadowClan stereotype, it seriously seemed to get onto Marshypaw’s nerves, and now that it was fully coating his pelt, this was confirmed. With a visible hue of disgust in his eyes, the russet and cream, now mud-brown, apprentice kept on sending mud pooling down to the marshy ground beneath him, shaking each paw individually to “clean” them all properly. It’s bound to be quite a shame if I, Marshypaw, am unable to even navigate through marshy lands… clumsy me. I’m sure Bristlethorn will cover that in this stealth lesson… she’s bound to teach me how to walk without face planting before trying to show me how to blend in with the shadows, is she not? Satisfied, Marshypaw flicked away one last nasty glob of mud, before mumbling to himself, “Anyway, when it comes to getting all of this nastiness of of my fur, Bristlethorn might know a trick or two, I’ll ask h-” He was cut off. The newly made apprentice noticed the figure of a feline, certainly larger in size than Marshypaw, exiting the shadows form a slight distance. The small apprentice squinted for a moment, just to confirm that it was in fact a ShadowClan cat he was staring at, and after a moment, he identified Hawkbite, ShadowClan’s Enforcer Commander. The young tabby’s heart wrenched in a sudden discomfort, and puzzled, he gazed at the enforcer. Well, he looks as if he’s about to eat me… shall I say something? Simply wait? I heard silence is respectful. Yes, I’ll go with option three: stay shut up? Goodness, what’s wrong now? Onviously something was not quite right, because by his point, the larger tom-cat was giving him a hardened stare. Marshypaw simply blinked innocently, turning to him fully and quietly.
When Hawkbite asked him a question, Marshypaw confirmed his anxieties. He was in some slight trouble, it seemed. Why? The apprentice was not quite sure… somebody had mentioned something about a patrol number requirement, but it had lost his mind (and his roleplayer’s, unfortunately) when he found Bristlethorn’s company. Sternly, the enforcer commander asked him what he was doing out here, so casually, Marshypaw gave him the best, most accurate answer he could. In a slightly smaller voice than his usual, he told him, “Trai…ning? Stealth training?” Then after a slight hesitation, he added, “My apologies, sir, have I done something wrong? Broken a rule, by any chance?” When Hawkbite’s tail tip twitched with annoyance, Marshypaw bit the inside of his cheek. Well, alright, this was not good. By now, the best thing he could do was just go with the flow, and accept any punish,ent. Marshypaw barely resisted the urge to glance towards the ground. And of course I’m in ShadowClan, where I’m sure punishments are never… fun, let’s just say that. Well, I’m sure I won’t be executed or anything for training, at least. When Hawkbite’s next question hit him, Marshypaw’s ears perked, and he raised his eyebrows. The Enforcer Commander was asking him where his mentor was. Marshypaw had that answer ready and honest, so he replied as soon as he could confirm that Hawkbite was done questioning him. “My mentor? Yes, my mentor is Raspberryswirl, and she is not the one training me today,” He tried to speak a bit more simply than instinct was telling him to. He did not want to make this interaction any longer and/or more complicated than he needed it to be. “I’m here for a stealth lesson with Bristlethorn, and I mean-” He took a quick glance around, confusion blaring up in his expression. “She uh… followed me here, I… thought? Maybe??? We arranged a lesson here, and although I was pretty sure she came with me, and I don’t have much of a history of hallucinations- but what do I know? Do what you will, because chances are, I deserve it, yes?” Then without much else to do, brightly, the small apprentice gave the tom-cat standing ahead of him a smile.
✽❀✽
// Completely my fault for misremembering that detail! I apologize for any inconvenience, and feel free to do with Marshypaw what you will. ^^ \\
~ @SuspiciousMindz { Hawkbite } ~
~ @/Rowan { Bristlethorn } / Not mentioning Rowan again, since Bristlethorn’s reply hasn’t come out yet, and Marshypaw is not speaking to her directly \
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- My characters’ opinions, thoughts, and behaviors are not necessarily a reflection of my own. I can assure you that we are certainly separate beings. -
Re: Darkwater Mire
