Once more she was out out on patrol at Rookfire’s side, a good trait of the young tom - to patrol so often - whilst she also took time to stand guard within the corners of camp where she could all the cats bustle out about their bbusiness and the entrance without issue, and doubled as her private sleeping quarters at that (though it was far less comfortable than it sounded). That said, the youngest enforcer - though her primary duty seemed to have become training apprentices and guarding camp - took no issue in accompanying Rookfire whenever the tom required it; she listened to few voices besides that of her family and high ranks, but aapatrol was something she never passed on. The white-tufted feline stood, unknowingly, at the other’s blind side as she padded along, towered over by both company and territory (and apparent curse, as all her siblings were either gaining on her or surpassing her in size, undoubtedly leaving her as the smallest of her family). But what she lacked in size she made up in willpower to provide and keep within her family’s favour, so much so, that she hardly considered their exact activity nor the place they were walking. The Mire was often laden with mud and murky water, and yet her focus on the papatromade her ignore the uncomfortably stickiness that clung to her paws as they moved through the territory, mostly focused on the job at paw.
But Rookfire posed a query, and this finally made Sleepysunrise stop in her tracks and - seemingly for the first time since they left - blinked, slowly, considering her options. Hunt, or gather. Did her mean gather herbs? Gathering herbs, somehow, seemed to be some sort of specialty of Rookfire and Sleepysunrise could only admit to being curious about the cause; whether Rookfire was simply oddly well-versed in plants, or if he actually knew what they did. Perhaps that influenced her answer, when she canted her head and mused. ‘’...Gather.’’
She paused. ‘’Mushrooms… Grow here.’’
She added quietly, blinking again, this time a little faster, as her eyes focused on the ground below and recalled her first patrol which had taken her to the Mire to gather mushrooms and… Broom, was it? ‘’You know… How to use them?’’
Sleepysunrise finally added in a dull tone, eyes lifted to focus solely on Rookfire on covered interest.
Four was enough for her, so she didn't try and gather anymore, instead she located Rookfire's scent and followed it so they could both head out to camp, only then Mudslide could go on her own rendezvous lonesome. Her lengthy body weaved through thick fog and her glassy eyes strained to see ahead of her. Four horsetail... What was it even used for? Nope, not her business. Her paws sunk into the ground with each step and Mudslide tilted her head just a bit higher in an attempt to see over the thick gray haze.
When she finally trialed her way back to the enforcer, she was surprised to see he was covered (shoulder high at most) in tar. Wait, no, mud. Ha. Funny. Mudslide simply stared at him. He didn't seem to be having any trouble, he was just stupid enough to want to pick horsetail in an area full of mud for some reason. There was plenty around, why pick the spot with mud all over it?
She didn't announce her presence for a good long moment, merely watching the tom literally slide through filth. She then lightly cleared her throat, allowing her soft mew to fill the smokey air around them. "Done." She managed, her voice verging on a hitch as though she was holding in a cough. Without a word of confrontation, she made her way out of the mire. Well, at least Rookfire hadn't dragged her out here to get berries, she had a feeling if he had Mudslide herself would be drowned head to toe with mud, slipping and sliding from the lack of solid ground.
entirely unbothered by the moisture and mud clinging to his pelt he had mostly forgotten about it, and when movement at the very edge of his peripheral vision caught his attention just a moment before mudslide softly spoke up, it didnt really change anything either. between hoisting his body out of the sludgy water and now, the enforcer had picked up two more stalks of horsetail, shaking some off the mud off as he turned to face mudslide. despite knowing he could comfortably carry more than what he had, the enforcer gave a nod, surpassing the slightly smaller and thinner feline to appease his need to walk at the front. it wasnt really a problem to let others go first most times, but he got the impression mudslide would walk slow if he wasnt the one to set the pace, and if he was stuck practically crawling back to camp he thought he might go insane.
[ roll 2x: 19, 7 ]
he had quietly hoped to come across something else to pick along the way, and luckily, that scenario came true shortly before darkwater mire bled into the drier ground of their general territory. a slight cant of his tail to signal her continue walking was the only information he offered mudslide before taking a detour into the brush by the side, led by the sight of spiky leaves and slightly sweet scent that made his mouth taste waxy. rookfire ripped out a stalk off the plant more or less without stopping before speeding up to a canter and catching up to mudslide easily.
Sparrow
Outsider
he/him | 40 moons
[Gruff dark brown tabby tom with orange eyes and a lighter chest]
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Emperor ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
[Freya - @taillow ] [Darkfall - @Dark ]
· · ────────────── · ·
He'd kill her. Or more accurately, she'd get herself killed and he wouldn't care. The girl had been bugging him for moons ever since he came across her, weak and frail, outside the Twoleg place he frequented for herbs when he found himself injured by a spat with loners. He'd been content to leave her there, not interested in taking a young cat under his proverbial wing. He left the clans because he couldn't stand having cats depend on him when all they did was ruin things in turn, and this kid seemed to be more trouble than she was worth.
But as troublesome as she was, she was twice was stubborn. She went by the name "Freya", which he could only imagine was something that Twolegs or Kittypets came up with. She'd revealed that she used to be a ShadowClan cat, but Sparrow had stopped her before she could go into her whole life's story because he really did not care. He was content living alone, and he didn't want this runt to get attached to him.
But great stars, she would not leave him alone. He had left her at this very border what... five or six times? Telling her to go home and to never bother him again. But each time she returned, boasting a smug smirk and claiming that she had tracked him to whatever outskirts hollow that was his current home. He'd tried telling her that life on the move was no place for a cat her age, but Freya didn't seem to care. Or listen.
She wasn't completely useless, though. She could hunt, she knew a few herbs--something about her mother being a medicine cat? Sparrow vaguely remembered the name Lostspark from his time in the clans, and he was admittedly a little curious as to why the daughter of a prominent clan figure wouldn't want to go home. But Freya had proven to be able to hunt for herself and had watched his back while they traveled, so Sparrow begrudgingly let her stay. Not like he could do much to dissuade her.
Returning from a scouting trip for his--their--ugh--next location and finding their hollow empty should have been a relief. Finally, the runt had had enough and returned home. She had revealed something about a wish her mother made when she was pregnant, something about her kits being born with defects and diseases in return for her eyesight being restored. Sparrow hadn't bothered to listen until that part was brought up. Well, it was no wonder she didn't want to return home. Until, one day, she did. Vengence, she claimed. Closure. Sparrow hadn't expected her to return.
But here he was, at the ShadowClan border, having tracked her scent here. Sparrow had stood there, staring into the swamp as if waiting for her to show her dark striped face. Why was he waiting for her? He'd wanted nothing to do with her this entire time, but now that she had seemingly returned home... Sparrow turned, fluffy tail lashing behind him. Whatever. It was better this way.
Then her scent enveloped him again, and Sparrow turned to see Freya smirking at him from the other side of the border, her paws muddy. The former warrior scowled in her direction, tattered ears pinned back. "Dunno why I bother with you." He muttered, then turned to head back to the hollow.
That was when another scent came forward and the blundering pawsteps of an idiot sent dry leaves scattering. Sparrow glanced over his shoulder at the newcomer, noting immediately the similarities in form and color between the ShadowClan warrior and Freya. He looked distraught, and for a moment Sparrow's orange gaze shifted to the young molly a little ways away. The coppery tang of blood was infused with both of their scents. Sparrow listened to the warrior sputter something about mom, Larkfire, Mirepaw... Mirepaw. Right, that was her clan name. Tch. This must be her father. And the blood... Sparrow looked fully at Freya, then at the ShadowClan tom. Oh. Had she gone and done it? Sparrow had been under the impression she just wanted answers. Well, good for her. Sparrow waited, intelligent eyes taking in movements and expressions as the standoff began. Freya could answer for herself, he wasn't going to help her.
Tilting her head in response to Sparrow's grumpy face - and even grumpier words - Freya's smirk only grew. "Yeah, yeah. Heard it before, but yet you're still here," she chided, flicking his shoulder with the tip of her tail as she flanked him. She was ready to return back to the hollow they stayed in for now, having gotten what she needed here.
...Except that it seemed here wasn't quite done with her yet.
Paws stopped dead in their tracks at the familiar voice, blood turning to ice in her veins. That name... she hadn't heard in quite some time. A quiet snarl started in her throat and she glanced over, meeting Sparrow's gaze. She had told him about her deranged family back in the Clans, about why they were here and why she wanted to see her m- Lostspark one last time. She hadn't said much about her fa- Darkfall though, mostly because her memories of him were little to none.
"That's not my name anymore." Dragging her gaze away from Sparrow, Freya looked back over her shoulder at Darkfall and blinked. Well, didn't he look pathetic. His voice was shot, tears made his blue eyes glisten in the light. His dark fur was disheveled and his paws were bloody - much like hers were. Damp, muddy water slicked his fur back and it made Freya snort to see how much he had struggled to find Lostspark among the dark water.
"Oh, you mean Lostspark? 'Cause last I checked, a mom puts her kits before her own fox-hearted wishes," she yawned, irritation sparking briefly in her gaze. Did neither of them think their kits would figure it out? Hear rumors about the dark wish she had made in exchange for her eyesight - at the sake of her kits? Freya had been lucky - or perhaps it had been her bleeding heart that had been her defect. But her siblings...
Standing now to fully face the tom before her, she eyed him up and down. What happened? He wanted to know what happened? Freya could go into detail and recount the experience, but she simply shrugged as the anger dissolved into indifference. "Drowned." Well, sort of. "Two cats were there with her - don't their names and don't really care to. She got the death she deserved; whatever creature was in that swamp made sure of it." Lifting a bloodied claw, Freya inspected it as she smirked once more. "Surprised you went through so much trouble to look for her," Freya continued as she glanced back at his soggy frame, placing her paw back down onto the ground. "Didn't seem like she cared for you all that much. I mean, how could she when she wished her own eye sight back at the sake of her kids?"
Yeah. She wanted that one to sting. Maybe Darkfall knew, maybe he didn't. Either way, Freya wasn't going to conceal it any more. Part of her wondered if her siblings had figured it out, too, or if they were still being fed the lies of one big, happy family. But Freya knew the truth, and that was all she needed. Perhaps that's why her sister had fled all those moons ago - she had known, too.
Turning around and looking now to Sparrow, she briefly wondered what he thought about all of this. "We can go now," she stated, starting to head out. The quicker they got out of this swamp, the better.
[ adding this because i feel terrible about this post: freya's thoughts do not reflect my own! i'm really sorry for her somewhat abrupt change in personality since her departure from shadowclan. i know you guys had a specific image in mind of the family. again apologies for her and this post ;w; <3 ]
Birdpaw
ShadowClan Apprentice
she/her | 9 moons | 86/100
[Grey tabby with a dark overcoat, white underside and amber eyes] Purrks: Lyrebird's Lullaby [PERMANENTLY ACTIVE], Don't Mind if I Do!
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Fool ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
[Rookfire - @alec ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Birdpaw didn't look away even as Rookfire did, her piercing eyes staring straight at his soul, his heart. His bumbling words earned a narrowing of those same amber eyes, Birdpaw not believing him for a second. "You didn't answer my question!!" She chirped, sticking her nose up so she could look closer at his face. "Are you going to ask to be his mate or what??? Because I think he's smitten with you and I need to know that you're not going to break his heart so I don't have to break your knees!!" It was... odd, a threat from Birdpaw. She was typically very sweet and friendly, but the almost childish way she threatened Rookfire still held weight. She might have been averse to fighting, as it made the intrusive thoughts worse, but if anything hurt Freckle she would hurt them so badly they wouldn't be able to be a warrior anymore! Shrimple as that!
when rookfire looked back, much to his regret, birdpaw was still staring and boy if she could do something it was stare..and also freak him out with her weird voice copying thing.. whatever, it was quite impressive that he had felt her amber eyes practically burn a hole through his fur and skin without even seeing her gaze. "i- i dont know- i wasnt really thinking about doing that any time soon-" he practically stammered. embarrassing, jeez he had to get a damn grip on himself. what kind of impression was that giving birdpaw now huh? good for nothing enforcer going for her brother but cant even speak a sentence to a child without falling over his own words.
"im not going to do anythin' ta hurt him intentionally, cool it on the threats 'a violence yo" rook half muttered, lips quirking up ever so slightly, transforming his expression from something akin to a frown more towards relaxation, or perhaps even a unidentified positive emotion. he didnt like feelings. specifically not getting caught up in someone elses troubles and especially not his own so this was far less than a neutral experience. had he not gotten himself into this, he mightve called it a day and made his way back to camp as quickly as possible to escape having to talk any more.
'so? do you love my brother?' oh why had he ever agreed to this. simply thinking this simple four letter word made his skin crawl. whilst his mind was trying its best to avoid just going 'hmm' as if that would help and also trying to form a sentence avoiding active confirmation of him fancying mossfreckle, the enforcers striped tail flicked nervously, possibly ruining any and all chances of actually catching anything on this patrol. "'m not jus' pretending i like him, alright" he finally managed, avoiding birdpaws gaze in favour of eyeing their surroundings for herbs.
Once more she was out out on patrol at Rookfire’s side, a good trait of the young tom - to patrol so often - whilst she also took time to stand guard within the corners of camp where she could all the cats bustle out about their bbusiness and the entrance without issue, and doubled as her private sleeping quarters at that (though it was far less comfortable than it sounded). That said, the youngest enforcer - though her primary duty seemed to have become training apprentices and guarding camp - took no issue in accompanying Rookfire whenever the tom required it; she listened to few voices besides that of her family and high ranks, but aapatrol was something she never passed on. The white-tufted feline stood, unknowingly, at the other’s blind side as she padded along, towered over by both company and territory (and apparent curse, as all her siblings were either gaining on her or surpassing her in size, undoubtedly leaving her as the smallest of her family). But what she lacked in size she made up in willpower to provide and keep within her family’s favour, so much so, that she hardly considered their exact activity nor the place they were walking. The Mire was often laden with mud and murky water, and yet her focus on the papatromade her ignore the uncomfortably stickiness that clung to her paws as they moved through the territory, mostly focused on the job at paw.
But Rookfire posed a query, and this finally made Sleepysunrise stop in her tracks and - seemingly for the first time since they left - blinked, slowly, considering her options. Hunt, or gather. Did her mean gather herbs? Gathering herbs, somehow, seemed to be some sort of specialty of Rookfire and Sleepysunrise could only admit to being curious about the cause; whether Rookfire was simply oddly well-versed in plants, or if he actually knew what they did. Perhaps that influenced her answer, when she canted her head and mused. ‘’...Gather.’’
She paused. ‘’Mushrooms… Grow here.’’
She added quietly, blinking again, this time a little faster, as her eyes focused on the ground below and recalled her first patrol which had taken her to the Mire to gather mushrooms and… Broom, was it? ‘’You know… How to use them?’’
Sleepysunrise finally added in a dull tone, eyes lifted to focus solely on Rookfire on covered interest.
sleepysunrises reaction to rookfires question confused him a bit, even though he was usually the kind to either send his patrol mates off to do whatever they preferred or decided what they were gathering, sleepysunrise shouldnt really be surprised to be asked. they ranked equally, even if rookfire could say something else about social ranks and how they stood in that regard, but that was just him and the deeply engrained insecurity speaking. however, the time she took to reply was almost enough to have him getting impatient, not really, but he had always been one for dramatics. when she finally made a decision, to gather (thank god), rookfire was quietly yet positively surprised by this choice, having never really observed a certain liking for gathering in his fellow enforcer, though, like the woods, he could get behind not immediately figuring out everything about every cat he met. "they do" the tom confirmed during the second pause sleepysunrise took to say approximately hardly any more than eight words, how many? well, wouldnt you like to know weather boy (rook cant count). 'you know... how to use them?' a humm escaped his throat before a decision had been made about this situation. that being, decide whether or not revealing anything would be worth the trouble. he could also pretend to not understand where she was getting at and simply go 'yes i do' and not elaborate but he suspected sleepysunrise might flay him for doing that kind of thing to her. besides, his knowledge about mushrooms was far more limited than he wouldve realistically liked, yet bugging mossfreckle about them felt a bit too rude so shortly after grousepaws disappearance and with how busy he had been as of recent. "i do not." the older feline offered truthfully even if that admission gnawed at his confidence a tiny bit. a simple query about her knowledge about any other plants growing around here hovered at the back of his mind, too badly worded to sound anything close to curious and rather like he was talking to a young child or making fun of her.
~ BRIARSPLASH ~
very large & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 27 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]
~
[ patrol is due in 4 days, will be posting again with briar in three and wrapping up the patrol - pls get in a post or two if you can! sorry for not bumping earlier, got lost in replies :"( ]
Briarsplash was having some luck. Well, not the first time. The first time she made the mistake that she'd adamantly warned about, tripping over her own paws in the mud and completely missing her catch.
[ Roll: 3 - Fail ]
The she-cat spat out a low hiss of a curse as the lizard escaped her claws, scurrying away and leaving her to drag her paws out of the sopping mud. Shaking off the wetness as best she could, the grumbling Enforcer made her way to her next prey she'd spotted: a fat toad hopping along.
[ Roll: 12 - Success! ]
Lunging for it after carefully maneuvering through the drier parts of the mire, Briarsplash managed to sink her claws in and kill the toad before it could hop away. Good. At least she'd get something...
As she was passing by some of the bushes, a thrush that was pecking at a particularly low-hanging branch caught her eye; dropping into a stealthy crouch, she slunk forward, her pawsteps gliding over the mucky ground until she could launch herself towards it.
[ Roll: 20 ]
Managing to snag its wing, she yanked it down to the ground, stunning it before snapping its neck between her teeth. A perfect and seamless catch. With a huff of satisfaction, the warrior picked up her two pieces and decided to see how the others were doing; the mud had slowed them down, and it was already nearing time to return. Only two pieces was far less than what she'd wanted, but... she also didn't want to risk coming back late to Mistlewhisker.
"Nightpaw, whaddya get?" Briar called as she padded back to their meeting spot, dropping her prey while she waited. Yuck. She shuddered as she uselessly tried to dislodge some of the mud caked in her claws, knowing there was no point until they were far out of the mire. Still, the way it clung to her fur was uncomfortable. At least they got some prey out of it.
when rookfire looked back, much to his regret, birdpaw was still staring and boy if she could do something it was stare..and also freak him out with her weird voice copying thing.. whatever, it was quite impressive that he had felt her amber eyes practically burn a hole through his fur and skin without even seeing her gaze. "i- i dont know- i wasnt really thinking about doing that any time soon-" he practically stammered. embarrassing, jeez he had to get a damn grip on himself. what kind of impression was that giving birdpaw now huh? good for nothing enforcer going for her brother but cant even speak a sentence to a child without falling over his own words.
"im not going to do anythin' ta hurt him intentionally, cool it on the threats 'a violence yo" rook half muttered, lips quirking up ever so slightly, transforming his expression from something akin to a frown more towards relaxation, or perhaps even a unidentified positive emotion. he didnt like feelings. specifically not getting caught up in someone elses troubles and especially not his own so this was far less than a neutral experience. had he not gotten himself into this, he mightve called it a day and made his way back to camp as quickly as possible to escape having to talk any more.
'so? do you love my brother?' oh why had he ever agreed to this. simply thinking this simple four letter word made his skin crawl. whilst his mind was trying its best to avoid just going 'hmm' as if that would help and also trying to form a sentence avoiding active confirmation of him fancying mossfreckle, the enforcers striped tail flicked nervously, possibly ruining any and all chances of actually catching anything on this patrol. "'m not jus' pretending i like him, alright" he finally managed, avoiding birdpaws gaze in favour of eyeing their surroundings for herbs.
Birdpaw
ShadowClan Apprentice
she/her | 9 moons | 89/100
[Grey tabby with a dark overcoat, white underside and amber eyes] Purrks: Lyrebird's Lullaby [PERMANENTLY ACTIVE], Don't Mind if I Do!
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Fool ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
· · ────────────── · ·
Birdpaw frowned at Rookfire's answer, not pleased with it in the slightest. Was he just going to sit there and make it awkward for everyone? What about Freckle? Birdpaw's eyes narrowed, a retort on her lips, but then Rookfire's final statement was uttered in the space between them and she paused. He admitted it. It wasn't the grand confession she had hoped for, but at least Birdpaw knew that Rookfire really did care for Mossfreckle.
Suddenly breaking from her stillness, Birdpaw shrugged and jostled Rookfire with a friendly nudge. "Okie dokie! He deserves someone hardworking and nice. So you better get nicer!" The comment was left between them as Birdpaw spotted something slithering through the undergrowth, immediately going to investigate. Her interrogation was done.
Birdpaw
ShadowClan Apprentice
she/her | 9 moons | 89/100
[Grey tabby with a dark overcoat, white underside and amber eyes] Purrks: Lyrebird's Lullaby [PERMANENTLY ACTIVE], Don't Mind if I Do!
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Fool ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
· · ────────────── · ·
Birdpaw frowned at Rookfire's answer, not pleased with it in the slightest. Was he just going to sit there and make it awkward for everyone? What about Freckle? Birdpaw's eyes narrowed, a retort on her lips, but then Rookfire's final statement was uttered in the space between them and she paused. He admitted it. It wasn't the grand confession she had hoped for, but at least Birdpaw knew that Rookfire really did care for Mossfreckle.
Suddenly breaking from her stillness, Birdpaw shrugged and jostled Rookfire with a friendly nudge. "Okie dokie! He deserves someone hardworking and nice. So you better get nicer!" The comment was left between them as Birdpaw spotted something slithering through the undergrowth, immediately going to investigate. Her interrogation was done.
rookfire let out a good natured huff in response, slight smile sneaking onto his face to replace the rather pitiful one he had been wearing for most of the conversation until a moment ago. "enough enough, we gotta finally hunt or gather something ta' make this trip worth it." his tone remained lighthearted even as birdpaw bumped into him and disappeared to investigate after making what could be interpreted as a rude comment. he couldnt quite believe he'd let her distract him from what he was here to do for this long but besides the conversation (or rather interrogation) birdpaws character was a nice one and rookfire could maybe understand why people had children now. honestly, if all children were like birdpaw and cinderpaw who wouldnt want to be able to be proud of them?
finally done with thinking about 'children' that werent even that much younger than him, rookfire wandered in the opposite direction to the one birdpaw had chosen to actually hunt for once (stars help him). perhaps he had originally wanted to gather some specific herb but the conversation had been long enough to have both him and his roleplayer (who also happens to
be too lazy to check) forget if there was ever a goal for this.
it wasnt like tracking down scents was something he had a hard time doing, quite the opposite, he felt his sense of smell was pretty good and he picked up the scent of mouse quickly. the main issue was his inherent disliking of the fact that it ran and then put up no fight. creeping up on the mouse, entertaining enough. the final leap, muscles tensing up right before and the uncertainty of it, alright for a few times once in a while. landing on the prey, this time it was a small brownish grey mouse, pinning it beneath large paws and delivering a killing bite or blow, boring. boring boring boring. this was something you did because you absolutely had to, not something fun like gawking at plants for long moments at a time. rookfire dropped the mouse off, not bothering to hide it at all, jaws kept agape to let any and all smells pass his receptors. the worst part was the repetition tho, pick up on the squirrels scent, track it down. the last few meters pressed low to the ground, moving slow but steady, paws soft on sturdy grass and soft moss, leap, land, bite. done.
two wasnt enough, stars he wished it was. but two wasnt even enough to feed a warrior for one day, and very much not enough to keep all queens and kits and elders fed.
Re: Darkwater Mire
Berryshine is RiverClan's medicine cat! 