Hawkfur
WindClan Fury
he/him | 54 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes] Purrks: Flock Together T3, Killer Aptitude T1
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Hanged Man ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
[Crowtooth - @Rani ] [Birchpaw - @Aroogi ] [Dapplebreeze - @Alchemist Kitsune ] [ Owlscreech - @Splitmoon ] [Vinepaw - @Tallstar ] [Nightfall - @Wingnettle ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Hawkfur followed close behind Crowtooth, careful not to lose too much water from the soaked moss in his mouth. As they arrived at the Sky Glade, Hawkfur could see Dapplebreeze and Vinepaw already hard at work. Good, they had found Owlscreech. He couldn't see the molly, but hopefully she was keeping back so she wouldn't be hurt. The fire had taken a good portion of the gorse at this point, but Dapplebreeze and Vinepaw had done a good job of containing it.
Another cat was standing nearby, and Hawkfur frowned over his bundle of moss. Wasn't Nightfall supposed to be in the patrol Hawkfur was in? Crowtooth confirmed this when he snarled about Birchpaw replacing Nightfall, which caused Hawkfur to scowl. Whatever--it wasn't his problem. Leaving that situation to whoever wanted to handle it, Hawkfur began tossing his moss into the flames. Water flung in whips as the moss spun, dampening the grasses and hissing as smoulders were put out. The moss didn't last--soon Hawkfur had used everything he had. The heat from the blaze singed his face, and he backed up a few pawsteps. He kept an eye on the others--he would gauge whether he needed to jump in there himself on whether or not they could smother the flames before they too ran out of moss.
Hawkfur wasn't going to stand idle, though. He ran for the trenches Dapplebreeze and Vinepaw had dug, grabbing dirt and chucking it onto the burning embers.
Hawkfur
WindClan Fury
he/him | 54 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes] Purrks: Flock Together T3, Killer Aptitude T1
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Hanged Man ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
[Crowtooth - @Rani ] [Birchpaw - @Aroogi ] [Dapplebreeze - @Alchemist Kitsune ] [ Owlscreech - @Splitmoon ] [Vinepaw - @Tallstar ] [Nightfall - @Wingnettle ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Hawkfur followed close behind Crowtooth, careful not to lose too much water from the soaked moss in his mouth. As they arrived at the Sky Glade, Hawkfur could see Dapplebreeze and Vinepaw already hard at work. Good, they had found Owlscreech. He couldn't see the molly, but hopefully she was keeping back so she wouldn't be hurt. The fire had taken a good portion of the gorse at this point, but Dapplebreeze and Vinepaw had done a good job of containing it.
Another cat was standing nearby, and Hawkfur frowned over his bundle of moss. Wasn't Nightfall supposed to be in the patrol Hawkfur was in? Crowtooth confirmed this when he snarled about Birchpaw replacing Nightfall, which caused Hawkfur to scowl. Whatever--it wasn't his problem. Leaving that situation to whoever wanted to handle it, Hawkfur began tossing his moss into the flames. Water flung in whips as the moss spun, dampening the grasses and hissing as smoulders were put out. The moss didn't last--soon Hawkfur had used everything he had. The heat from the blaze singed his face, and he backed up a few pawsteps. He kept an eye on the others--he would gauge whether he needed to jump in there himself on whether or not they could smother the flames before they too ran out of moss.
Hawkfur wasn't going to stand idle, though. He ran for the trenches Dapplebreeze and Vinepaw had dug, grabbing dirt and chucking it onto the burning embers.
Owlscreech moved close into line with her fellow warriors when they arrived. Her big owl eyes looked at each and everyone of them. Noticing they were probably stressed after everything they have been through. Her brown eyes turned away from her clanmates and on to the surroundings around them.
HE/HIM • APPRENTICE • 9M • WINDCLAN "A fluffy white & brown ticked tabby tom." PURRKS: N/A
---
Birchpaw didn't waste another second, jumping into the trench with Hawkfur and scooping up dirt and tossing it onto the flames - seeing it lick the air angrily, hissing and popping as it was snuffed out by the earthly pile.
His fluffy fur was slick to his body with water and yet he could still feel the fire's slashing heat - feel it reaching for him as if he was merely a snack to fuel its rampage. But he pushed the fear down and gritted his teeth, continuing to scoop pawfuls of dirt onto the raging inferno.
Vinepaw
9 Moons
He/Him
Vinepaw had been hard at work when he heard pawsteps over the crackling roar of the fire. With a frenzied dig, Vinepaw had turned the earth into a trench with his paws. He stopped when Crowtooth got closer, automatically straightening up, even though the fire blazed menacingly nearby. A mixture of anxiety and resolve filled Vinepaw as she watched the deputy. With great eagerness to obey, he listened intently. Feeling the tension in the air, he wanted to be prepared for anything Crowtooth could require. Keeping his eyes on the deputy and prepared to act again at a moment's notice, he continued, "Just tell me where you want me”.he said while looking around he saw Birchpaw a fellow apprentice and he gave a curt nod he also saw Hawkfur they had really did have every paw on deck.
Suppressing the flame is going well so far, with the flame shrinking slowly and steadily with the smoke becoming ever more manageable. But alas, today Windclans breeze has turned against you! A gust of wind has created a flare of the flame, arching over the bare patch like a dangerous grasping hand. It luckily doesnt seem to catch any plant matter, proving the suppressor group has been doing their job, but it puts the group in direct danger!
Flash event: The fire has flared up, fueled by some wind and breaks away from the contained fire towards the group of cats! It cannot be fought, only waited out but in that time it poses a huge threat! After the danger has passed feel free to put the fire out at your leasure, unless something goes critically wrong we're hoping to put out the flames by 11th
Nightfall wasnt responding but Crowtooth wasnt sure how much he cared really. Twilightstar would deal with this mess later, even if the wayward warrior decided not to wise up. It'd just be worse on Nightfall then.
He had bigger fish, or in this case a fire, to fry right now.
The group worked in sync, Crowtooth noting Owlscreech still watching over the area and nodding at her. Given the deputy still desperately needed Vinepaw and Dapplebreeze to keep up with the ring around the flame, to keep it contained, she'd be extra useful if the tom needed something fetched. For now though he just instructed Owlscreech to wait and be ready however.
As the group worked there was a period where the flame seemed to almost lean a certain way and the tom barked an order of "Vinepaw! Dapplebreeze! Widen the trench on that side we cant let the fire escape!" As he worked to fling the water from his soaked moss over the fire so it wouldnt harm the two to do so. Not knowing that action endangered him terribly.
See, it put Crowtooth right in the path of a gust, a gout of flame, moving too fast to dodge. The tom only had time to widen his eyes before scrunching them shut in a bid to protect himself from the fire coming at him, yowling "SCATTER!" at the other cats nearby in danger.
The tom had been certain he was doomed, feeling the water on his pelt protect him for just a moment as it dried under the burning heat racing towards him, until a strong weight crashing into his side send him flying.
Crowtooth crashed, safely out of the range of the fire only slightly singed and now dry for the event and blinked his eyes open, trying to understand what just happened only to meet a sight he never wanted to see.
"HAWFUR NO! Owlscreech go get some soaked moss from the falls! Hurry! Dammit ya stupid cat why did ya do that?!"
Hawkfur
WindClan Fury
he/him | 54 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes] Purrks: Flock Together T3, Killer Aptitude T1
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Hanged Man ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
[Crowtooth - @Rani ] [Birchpaw - @Aroogi ] [Dapplebreeze - @Alchemist Kitsune ] [ Owlscreech - @Splitmoon ] [Vinepaw - @Tallstar ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Heat scorched his damp pelt, the protective layer of water rapidly evaporating as the heat of the flames wafted towards them. His eyes stung from smoke, and his nose and mouth burned with every inhale. But they were beating it. Slowly, the flames were shifting back, the damp ground and bracken too wet to catch.
When the breeze hit, Hawkfur's first instinct was to welcome it to cool off his hot pelt. In an instant, Hawkfur saw several things playing out. Dapplebreeze and Vinepaw were shifting to the other side. Owlscreech was several cat-lengths away. Birchpaw had used up his moss and was tossing dirt. But Crowtooth...
"YOU'RE TOO CLOSE--" Hawkfur bellowed to the Deputy as the fire jumped. Almost like a sentient being, the flame leapt into the air and arced with the grace of the most nimble moor cats towards the suppressors. With the speed of a trained moor-runner, Hawkfur darted forward towards his friend. Heat slammed into both of them as Hawkfur checked Crowtooth with his shoulder, sending the sturdy tom stumbling away while catching the brunt of the flame on his right hind leg. Sharp heat bloomed up over his back and down to his paw, rendering him temporarily immobile as he yelped in pain. His vision swam, teeth grit to creaking as his leg spasmed from his muscles reacting to the heat. Away, he had to get away--
Crowtooth's yelling managed to reach him over his ragged breaths, startling Hawkfur into motion. The russet Fury heaved to his paws, pulling himself away from the fire's edge so another cat could get in there and contain it. He collapsed again several cat-lengths away, tears from the smoke and pain trailing down his cheeks. Crowtooth's order earned a groan. "No no I'm good, I swear--It's not that ba--" Hawkfur snarled several curses not meant for young ears as another wave of pain slammed into his leg, making it jump. "STARCLAN, this SUCKS." Well, at least he wasn't blubbering about it. "I'll be fine! Take care of the fiRE!!" Azure fire matched the inferno a ways away, fueled by adrenaline even as his voice cracked.
The senior warrior was far from an expert tunneler, but digging, gratefully, came with ease. She kept her rhythm besides the younger tom, imitating his expert strokes to the best of her abilities as she kept her attention on the rising flames. It took a surprising amount of self restraint to not attempt to combat the fire herself there and then. The memories of the last inferno ran deep within her, but she was not above orders given. She clung to the commands her leader and deputy had given, having them be her guidance and sense where fear and instinct might have made her falter instead.
The sounds of felines arriving forcing her attention towards the sopping wet cats that made their way towards their contained flames, Dapplebreeze could feel a breath of relief wash over her. The battle wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot. But the plan was going swimmingly so far. If they could make this all work out... If they could put this out in time thanks to the message Lightningstorm had gotten? Optimism spurred her onwards, and with renewed vigor she scraped away at dirt, stopping only when Crowtooth called her attention.
Blue hues darkened as she realized the expected party wasn't all that had joined them. Arriving shortly after the deputy's patrol was Nightfall, one of the cats that had been called on to join him but faltered for far too long, getting replaced in an instant by the dark, massive tom that now yowled at him. She had assumed Nightfall had simply balked at the thought of the flames. An understandable enough occurrence. He had lived through the last fire. No doubt lost many a family member like she had that day. No one in WindClan would dare raise their voices at such a thing. They all carried emotional scars still.
Indeed, had the tom remained put, Dapplebreeze would have assumed leniency would have been given. But of course, it couldn't be addressed at the moment. Their territory was up in flames! If they wished to avoid a disaster like what had happened last time, they needed to act as swiftly as possible and follow the chain of command. If things devolved into chaos like they did last time, far too many cats would be lost again... not to mention their home. Their last territory would no doubt still be bearing the scars from the last inferno. Where would they go if everyone was so focused on doing whatever they pleased that no plans came to fruition? Nightfall no doubt understood this, didn't he? Then why was he here, asking for directions that had been given back at camp and he had failed to address then?! Was his pride so thick he thought his presence was more urgent than the safety and well being of the clan as a whole?!
Taking note of the deputy's gesture, the molly twitched an ear, letting him know she was alert and ready to handle the situation if it got out of paw. Hopefully the warrior would understand that now was not the time to argue. That he was not equipped to handle this battle, and his joining it would potentially endanger not just himself but everyone involved. Besides, if he had frozen once already, surely he could understand why he was a liability in the face of the actual flames, could he not? Gratefully, her task with Vinepaw had been completed, and the tunneler padded towards the deputy, asking for more instructions on what to do. Sticking close, the molly kept her attention on her surroundings. On the building embers. On the soaked felines she fretted would get hurt while fighting for the safety of the clan. On the warrior gone rogue who had remained silent in face of the deputy's orders.
Toes itching to get more action in, to do anything to further contain the flames, she went back to the trench, digging wider still. Gaining more upturned soil for the fire fighters to have access to if it was of any use to them. Or so had been her plan. The flames, however, much like before, had a mind of their own. An attack planned to bring everything to a chaotic halt as a spark flew towards Crowtooth, the deputy standing too close to the flames. Too close to run away.
"Hawkfur!"
With a bravery that would have made her daughter proud, the fury had leapt to save their deputy, earning a scorched strike of his own. The former queen's cry was desperate, lacking the calm demeanor it always carried. She had lost her daughter to the last inferno. Her young son as well. Her darling apprentice had gone up in smoke. She would not lose her newest son to these wicked embers as well! It was only the sound of his call that brought her back to her senses, and with a resolute look of determination, she turned glinting sapphires on the deputy. She could keep widening the trench if need be, but with Owlscreech on moss fetching duty and Hawkfur injured, it was more than likely that more paws would be needed, and she was nothing if not versatile in the face of danger.
"Your command?" she asked Crowtooth, muscles tense as she prepared to spring into action.
Even as the young tom began scenting the air for prey, Dapplebreeze imitated him, her own mouth open as she tasted the hints lurking within the breeze. There was ample prey in the glade, with mice and shrew - this one was surprising, they were much more fond of the falls and the grove - easily scented, along with precisely what they were here for. True to form, Birchpaw did not disappoint, and the patched warrior purred in approval. Despite his lack of practice with this particular prey, she knew her young apprentice was studious, and wondered how he would fare putting in practice what she had just taught him. With the prey pile being filled to the brim when they had left, there was no stress in catching a rabbit on the first try. But then, some paws were just better after they had witnessed someone's attempt first. Blinking reassuringly to let the dear know that he wasn't forced to choose one over the other, the molly spoke.
"Right you are, my darling. Now, rabbits, as I told you, are swift to flee to their burrows. Usually they are in numbers, and from my experience teamwork tends to work extremely well when it comes to hunting them, as it means multiple rabbits can be obtained from a single hunt. In fact, a well seasoned warrior might be able to nab two rabbits if they are lucky in a solitary hunt as well, but that's getting quite ahead of ourselves, isn't it, my dear?" the former queen mewed, blue eyes regaining some shine as a soft, delicate trill of laughter escaped her before continuing.
"But that's quite enough of that, isn't it? I believe that for our lesson here today, we will try some solo hunting, what do you say? As pleasant as teamwork is, I do believe it is best to hone one's skill before attempting to combine said skills with another's. So tell me, Birchpaw. How would you like to tackle this? Perhaps throw caution to the wind and test your mettle? Take what you have learned today and try and piece together your own plan of action? Maybe a recap? A small explanation provided of how best to tackle these critters before you try your paw at them? Or a demonstration is potentially your preferred method of learning? All excellent options, my dear. We are here for your prosperity."
HE/HIM • APPRENTICE • 10M • WINDCLAN "A fluffy white & brown ticked tabby tom." PURRKS: N/A
---
Birchpaw would ponder the question for a moment before letting out a purr. "Can I try to make my own plan today?" He would ask, kneading the ground in anticipation. He wanted so badly to prove himself. He was so close to warriorhood he could taste it on the wind.
HE/HIM • APPRENTICE • 10M • WINDCLAN "A fluffy white & brown ticked tabby tom." PURRKS: N/A
---
The tom bristled and leaped out of the trench as he heard Crowtooth's howl to scatter. He darted out of the fire's reach. He heard a painfilled yelp and came out of hiding, seeing Hawkfur on the ground. Did he get hurt?
Trotting forward, he looked at Crowtooth. "Sir, where do you need me? I want to douse this fire."
Vinepaw
9 Moons
He/Him
Vinepaw looked up as the fire shifted and roared his blue eyes widen An overwhelming sense of duty possessed him; this was his opportunity to prove himself alongside the warriors protecting their home. He looked at the others as he shifted to dig a little further; Nightfall's reluctance troubled him, but there was no time to think about it at this point. "Give me the go-ahead, and I'll take care of anything you require," he continued, his eyes bright with determination.
His white paw was now caked with dirt he looked as if he hadn’t bathed in three days but that was besides the matter. He wore the grime like a medal. Proof of his hardwork.However when Hawkfur rushed towards the flames he felt true fear for his clanmate