roachflare trotted alongside grousepaw, celandine, ladys mantle, stars he was feeling a bit shaky..maybe it was the heat.. grousepaws hesitance? to take on his position as patrol leader made him a bit anxious, their almost synchronised tap tap tap of paws on soil only ever so slightly calming these nerves. actually, if he thought about it enough they made him even more anxious, multi colour pelt ruffling ever so slightly at the sensation of cool anxiety against the hot burning of the sun. he focussed on his paws, a stark black on the brown soil, orange leg splotch coming in and out of view with every second step.
once they had arrived at the grotto, roach felt a bit better, if only slightly, knowing that he had to search by description alone made him hesitant and he could feel himself get more tense by the minute. celandine, ladys mantle. celandine ladys mantle. celandine, ladys mantle. its fine its fine its fine.
he had already forgotten everything mossfreckle had explained, only barely retaining the herbs characteristics. four petaled flower, uh yellow, fluffy leaves. and the other one was bushy, small yellow flowers and cylindrical -whatever that meant- leaves. letting the feeling of paws passing through thick grass lull him into something a bit more receptive for his other senses to work, the tortoiseshell tom made his way along a imaginary path, keeping paws within the space he had chosen as his path.
[ 5x for celandine: 16, 16, 9, 14, 8 ]
thoughts slipping past mental paws like a wet fish, the warrior scrambled for the name of the herb once he stood face to face with what he thought one of them might be. la- erm maybe the other one celandine yes. now, which of them was the yellow flower..was he even supposed to collect the flower? the plant he was standing in front of was relatively tall and how little four leaved pale yellow flowers with weirdly shaped leaves, this must be it...unsure what to collect, roachflare closed jaws around the base of the plant and gave it a few gentle tugs.
once he had his maw full with the stems of this mystery plant, he returned to where he had parted from the group, stepping form paw to paw as he waited.
QUILLPAW he/him. 9 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]
'i wouldn't really call myself the patrol leader,' – yes, exactly! quillpaw doesn't understand why grousepaw was assigned to be the leader instead of a warrior. not like he's too fond of roachflare or sagechaser so far, either. great, he's just surrounded by utter morons today. he feels so lucky. tipping his nose up, he incoherently grumbles something under his breath as the patrol leaves the camp. yep, he wants to get this wrapped up immediately.
traversing the pine forest, amber-blue eyes stay locked on the path ahead. soon the canopy gives way to a clearing, sunlight shining through the trees. not even sparing the others a glance, quillpaw swiftly breaks away from the group and further into the grotto to begin his search for herbs. celandine - a flower with four yellow petals and fluffy leaves - and lady's mantel, a bushy plant with ruffled leaves that fade into a large puff of small yellow flowers.
venturing further near the edges of the grotto, the tabby finds two yellow flowers which fits the description of celandine. reaching down to pluck them, he searches around for any plants that look how lady's mantel is described. in a more shaded area, he slows to a stop in front of a plant. it's..bushy, and there's big, ruffled leaves, and also yellow flowers near the bottom. this must be it, he decides before plucking some.
ah. evergreen grotto, they say? makes sense, he concluded, looking around at the pleasant scenery. shadowclan really wasn't all doom and gloom, though he's sure plenty of cats outside believed they only had pits with spiky stalagmites at the bottom. very shadowclan-esque.
16
sagechaser cleared his throat and sniffed around at the greenery, eye peeled for any herb-looking plants. what was lady's mantle, again? small puffs - or, no, large ones? he didn't remember. that was no good. was it yellow flowers? "...here's one," he muttered, picking, incidentally, two celandine flowers. well, it was yellow, and that was good enough for him.
13
now to look for some celandine. were those orange? probably. aha. here's an orange-looking bloom, settled atop a tall stalk. orange hawkweed, actually, but he sure didn't know that.
15, 11, 14
another one of those 'lady's mantle' (celandine) caught his eye, so he picked it gratefully. a ladybug perched on a piece of grass nearby, and he watched it with a faint smile. it felt nice to be back - the thought approached him from nowhere; he shook it off with a sigh and continued his search. he spotted another yellow flower. when he tried to recall Mossfreckle's instructions, he realized that this might actually be what celandine was - not lady's mantle. he faintly remembered it, though as a dried-up herb in Elmshadow's den.
with the herbs proudly clamped in his jaws, Sagechaser waited to see what Grousepaw's verdict was.
rookfire didnt love border patrols, but it was better than hunting and still left the option to catch or gather whatever they came across, however, racing roachflare through dark conifer forest, waving around trees and shrubs, undergrowth and bushes. healing muscles giving into a regular running cycle with little to no complaint as trees flew by besides, a little faster, finally taking this serious, rookfire overtook roachflare with ease. left in the dust with shorter legs and annoyingly long pelt, the tortoiseshell arrived in their destination, the evergreen grotto, a few seconds after the dark enforcer, giggling happily through his gasping for air. "i'll beat you next time" roach winked, whilst rook simply rolled his eyes, canting his head up in a half nod to signal they start looking around. he liked roach, had never expected to befriend the other like he did. he had been a mentor for the most part, a fellow clanmate for the rest of the time, but only recently a friend. rook liked the way it sounded, liked the lightness roach made him feel. like he didnt have to hide who he was for once, like it was okay to just be for once, with no expectations at all. trapped in mushy sweet thoughts, he remembered the semi successful chervil trip he had taken with lostspark and decided some chervil would be a nice thing to bring back in addition to information. splitting up, roachflare still letting giggles slip every once in a while, rookfire finally eased into work mode entirely, carefully mapping out the area he had to cover with sharp silver gaze before starting to work his way through from the outside in. whilst he had never been a very vocal person, he still felt like shadowclan and their tendency to replace words with actions, the slightest twitch of ears, flick of tail, another cats pose, had influenced the amount of words he let slip through..
but that wasnt relevant now.
HOLLYFALL he/him. 18 moons. black and grey tom with cream speckling; orange eyes.
[ shadow fiend ]
grrrgghh...this is so not a good idea, hollyfall thinks bitterly as he traverses through the territory. it's past sunset, the territory blanketed in twilight, and it's proving more difficult getting to the evergreen grotto than the warrior would like to admit. he's already tripped over roots and rocks more times than he can count! ugh..I'm supposed to be a shadowclan cat, soo embarrassing, he thinks with a groan. isn't shadowclans whole thing, you know, the shadows? darkness? being incredibly angsty? how the heck is he so bad at this! arghhh!!!
fortunately, he stumbles into the small clearing without a broken bone or sprained paw. and boy, the trouble was worth it. orange eyes gleam with wonder as hollyfall looks at the glowing yellow orbs lighting up the grotto. fireflies danced around the clearing, providing for a warm (literally, it's warm, even at night) and calming scenery.
"oh..woah," he mumbles, settling down. yeah, he thinks he'll just stay here for awhile.
rookfire didnt love border patrols, but it was better than hunting and still left the option to catch or gather whatever they came across, however, racing roachflare through dark conifer forest, waving around trees and shrubs, undergrowth and bushes. healing muscles giving into a regular running cycle with little to no complaint as trees flew by besides, a little faster, finally taking this serious, rookfire overtook roachflare with ease. left in the dust with shorter legs and annoyingly long pelt, the tortoiseshell arrived in their destination, the evergreen grotto, a few seconds after the dark enforcer, giggling happily through his gasping for air. "i'll beat you next time" roach winked, whilst rook simply rolled his eyes, canting his head up in a half nod to signal they start looking around. he liked roach, had never expected to befriend the other like he did. he had been a mentor for the most part, a fellow clanmate for the rest of the time, but only recently a friend. rook liked the way it sounded, liked the lightness roach made him feel. like he didnt have to hide who he was for once, like it was okay to just be for once, with no expectations at all. trapped in mushy sweet thoughts, he remembered the semi successful chervil trip he had taken with lostspark and decided some chervil would be a nice thing to bring back in addition to information. splitting up, roachflare still letting giggles slip every once in a while, rookfire finally eased into work mode entirely, carefully mapping out the area he had to cover with sharp silver gaze before starting to work his way through from the outside in. whilst he had never been a very vocal person, he still felt like shadowclan and their tendency to replace words with actions, the slightest twitch of ears, flick of tail, another cats pose, had influenced the amount of words he let slip through..
but that wasnt relevant now.
rookfire crossed through the length of the evergreen grotto, keeping close to the border, without much of anything out of the ordinary happening, the crickets still chirped, birds shuffled in bushes and fluttered above, bees and bumblebees were still buzzing around the lush meadow. nothing but peace and quiet for the moment. he turned, having reached the other end of the border, though not before marking it and ensuring he couldnt spot anything out of the ordinary, to walk back to where he came from but a foxlength or so further into the space. he was usually not the careful when checking territory, especially not those bits that lay in between other shadowclan land and didnt share a border with other clans, but he had the time to do so, so why not. the sun had been high in the sky when they left camp, but was tinting the sky a brilliant red now, like blood shed in a puddle, curling in the sparse clouds and bleeding a light yellow into the pale blue sky. the enforcer tried to not let the sky be a distraction for now, but allowed himself to take in the view every once in a while.
Man, Shadepaw was a tough crowd. Nothing to contribute to the conversation, quite different from Silkpaw who hadn't shut up for a moment. Shrewstep didn't mind too much, he could carry a conversation on his tiny little back with the sheer power of his immense enthusiasm. He put this into use now, prancing along to the grotto. It was one of his favorite places, green and lush in a way other parts of the pine forest weren't. Plus, the grotto had an air of mystery his romantic little heart couldn't resist. So, it was hardly a surprise that his voice was just a bit high and juvenile as he began his little spiel.
This is the Evergreen Grotto! he chirped, waving his paw at the dark opening in the rocks. The grotto's over there, that little cave! It's a fancy word for a cave that isn't very big, but it might have been bigger once, since there's a rockpile at the back. He'd tried to squirm his way through, but had never managed it and he doubted any cat would beyond a kit if HE was unable to fit. It's really pretty here, a nice place to take cats on dates! He hadn't done it himself yet, but it had always been on his radar for a potential Wooing Location. @snowflake.
__________________
All hail the Rat Queen's!!
Shrewstep has Silver Tongue and Mind Reader purrks
Pit has Just a Scratch and Beefed Up Tier 2
— “What is this, your daily routine? Patrol, patrol, patrol.”
His voice was getting on her nerves. And unfortunately, it was also becoming ever-familiar. Lostspark chose not to respond as her strides lengthened. But the tom at her side was taller, and annoyingly enough, was more than comfortable keeping up with her quickened pace.
— “I get it, sweetie. You’re a very busy lass. No time for stragglers like me. Speaking of…” he watched as she rubbed her scent onto yet another tree, which felt excessive considering the other trees she’d marked were only a pawful of steps away, and tilted his head. “You should teach me how to climb.” Icethroat dropped into a stretch, back arching, more-than-the-normal-amount claws sliding out to dig into the soil, chest fur brushing against the ground. Shaking out his back legs as he rose from the stretch, Icethroat’s smile bloomed into a grin.
— Of course, he had ulterior motives for the request, those which Lostspark herself would realize soon enough. When he scaled her tree. But for a fraction of a moment, when Lostspark merely turned away instead of accepting his request, his smile disappeared, gaze flickering with anger. And then he was grinning again, a growl ripping from his throat as he lunged, and as expected, the Enforcer whirled to meet his tackle, refocusing her attention where it should belong, on him.
Darting to the side, one limb sweeping under Icethroat’s front two, Lostspark brought the tall white tom to the ground with a heavy crash, a half-smile of satisfaction on her own face at his pained grunt. Until he was springing back to his paws and had successfully tackled her because she hadn’t moved away in time.
The ensuing struggle was one to witness, considering the size and skill difference of the two ShadowClanners, where one lacked much of the former and one lacked much of the former, but eventually it was sheer strength that had Lostspark overpowered. That didn’t stop her from slipping out from under Icethroat the first second he loosened his hold.
Amateur.
And before he could re-capture her, Lostspark had hooked her claws into the tree she’d been eyeing earlier, pulled herself onto sturdy branch by sturdy branch, and arrived to the top within moments.
She needed to do this more often.
Looking down at the white bengal who stood at the base of the tree looking up at her, Lostspark smirked, amused. “There. Climb. It should be in your instincts, if you have any.” If anything, Lostspark had realized he took well to pain. Injuries didn’t phase him that much. She could exploit that, considering he’d probably fall quite a lot during this. “If you’re stuck, I’ll help you.”
He hated this so much. Icethroat scowled up at Lostspark as she lounged in her tree, eyeing him with amusement. Or as much amusement that a blind cat could muster. His carefree, laidback facade was gone, replaced by pure annoyance. At least she couldn’t see the irritation so clearly scrawled across his face.
He’s climbed this damn tree so many times, only to make a mistake or a wrong hold and fall back down. His behind was going to be so sore eventually. “You said you’d help me.” The words were flat. It was hard to keep the irritation out of his voice, especially when the corners of her mouth ticked up even further.
— “You’ll get it eventually,” came the breezy reply. “Look at the grooves I made when climbing up. Also, stop trying to get where I am in your first try. The other branches will hold you while you rest. Maybe.” Hm. Maybe he’d fall.
Thinking it over for a couple moments, Icethroat looked down at his polydactyl paws. “I have two extra claws than you do, sweetie.” He drawled, and Lostspark lowered her head to her paws as she kept her face turned in his direction.
— “Exactly. You have more than enough claws to grip the bark. Now get to it.” Her plumed tail flicked. “We don’t have all day. My apprentices learn faster than you.”
She was goading him on purpose at this point. And it seemed to be working, because with his irritation fueling him, Icethroat succeeded in clawing his way up the tree bark to the first branch. Then the second. He almost slipped and fell on the third. The next few branches were the closer together ones because he’d rather not fall, thank you very much. Until he was perched beside a certain former Medicine Cat, eyeing the ground a bit too far below for his liking.
Lostspark was a crazy lady for willingly sleeping on top of a tree every night. But he was here. It would take a little practice, but soon enough he’d also be able to bother her on her perch in ShadowClan’s camp.
The blind mute deaf kitten falls on a mouse and it dies but she grabs it with curiosity and sniffs it not knowing she is on clan territory she then walks around with the mouse in her mouth
Re: Evergreen Grotto
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