[ t ] The cougar learns the territory with the hawk!

[kira]

Cougarpaw
ShadowClan Apprentice | She / Her | 6 Moons
6 / 100

Cougarpaw scanned the camp clearing through dark blue eyes, her ears twitching. Let’s see….who could she pester about taking her out to see the territory?

Eenie, meenie, miney…you.

Cougarpaw’s gaze landed on ShadowClan’s Enforcer Commander—Hawkbite—and in an instant, the apprentice was up on her white-tipped paws and bounding towards him.

“HAWKBIIIIIIIIITE!” the mottled tan, cream, and white she-cat squealed, plopping back on her haunches in front of him. “Will you take me out for a territory tour? Brightstripe hasn’t taken me out yet! At all!”

[ @SuspiciousMindz | Hawkbite’s in for a time lmao ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws T2

Why.

Why was it always during his mid-day naps that someone needed something? While he didn't mind the apprentices reaching out for training, he still wished for the days he could fully rest during the day. It was just too logical to nap in his nest in the Warriors' Den when the sun was always lovely to warm up his fur -- especially in the cold leaf-bare conditions when he would find a rock exposed to the light to curl up on.

His green eyes blinked a couple times, fixating on an apprentice running full speed at him, only to come skidding to a halt, throwing snow up onto his pelt and into his face. He'd huff, letting the hot air escape him as he sat up and shimmied the flakes off himself. Now, to address the apprentice begging for a territory tour. "Fine, fine, we can run through the territory real quick. Moving keeps the muscles warm, I suppose," he kept the last part more to himself. He got fully to his paws and gestured for Cougarpaw to follow him as he approached the camp entrance next.

@kira - Cougarpaw

[kira]

(7/100)

Cougarpaw beamed and scrambled to her paws, racing after the dark tabby.

[ @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws T2

Hawkbite led them out into the basic part of the territory. Once they were a few tail-lengths in, Hawkbite would take in the surrounding scents and sounds. It was quieter this time of year, snow lingering on the branches of the pines and settling on the forest floor, making it brighter than it typically would be. He nearly had to squint to keep the reflecting light from blinding him.

"So, obviously, this is ShadowClan Territory. This is our home, what you're going to be hunting in and protecting. The pines expand all the way until Dawning Woods where the trees change. You'll see that soon," Hawkbite spoke, giving her a moment to appreciate the area before moving on.

They quickly came up on an old building. Hawkbite would swipe his tail in the way of Cougarpaw to keep her from approaching. They'd stand at the edge of the pines, admiring it from afar. "This is the Mourning Ruins. We have a bit of an owl problem right now, so we must keep a good distance away from it. It's an old camp of ours and it can be used as a temporary camp, but only if we really needed it. Now, let's move on before Dawnstar finds us and shreds us for even glancing at it," Hawkbite spoke, half-jokingly before leading the apprentice away.

They'd come across the next area. Usually, the ground would become mushy, like a swamp, but right now, everything was frozen over and semi-safe. "The bushes we're passing are deathberry bushes, keep away from them. One berry will kill you," Hawkbite warned darkly, moving along to a frozen body of water. "Usually it's pretty marshy here, but it's frozen over right now. You'd have to be careful when walking through here, but it's a good area for frogs and other small prey items. Some herbs, but I'm the wrong cat to ask about those," Hawkbite spoke, casting a glance at Cougarpaw. "We call this area the Darkwater Mire," he finally finished. This is where Lostspark died. "Questions so far?"

@kira - Cougarpaw

[kira]

Cougarpaw's eyes widened at the sight of the bright-red berries among the dark-green leaves of the bushes. She swallowed, taking a step closer to Hawkbite all the while staying away from the muddy waters' edge.

Instead of saying anything, however, the apprentice just looked back up at the Enforcer Commander with wide, dark blue eyes, waiting expectantly for him to continue.

------> [ @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws T2

Alright then, Hawkbite would move along with the tour if there was no comments or questions. Weird for a new apprentice, but he wouldn't question it. He'd met a lot of weird cats since he started doing his lessons everyone took advantage of.

The Commander moved swiftly through the territory, bringing them to a gorge that split the territory. One part of the gorge had a tree fallen down, the bridge that ThunderClan used to come over and mark their border. "Take a deep breath and guess which border this is," he'd instruct. He'd make Cougarpaw interact if he had to.

@kira - Cougarpaw

[kira]

Cougarpaw opened her jaws to taste the air, an earthy, musty scent hitting her nose. ''If I had to take a guess, then I would say. . .ThunderClan,'' the apprentice meowed, her dark blue hues flicking over to Hawkbite for confirmation on whether or not she was right.

------> [ @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws T2

Hawkbite would simply nod in her direction. "Correct," he half-praised, continuing a steady pace alongside the border. "This is the easiest border to mark and the easiest one to tell when there's been trespassers because ThunderClan's only access to this side is that tree bridge right over there," he'd gesture as they walked by it. "This border can also be considered our more hostile of the three. ThunderClan is known to stir up trouble, so we have to be wary being out here," Hawkbite warned as they came to the end of it. He'd lead them to the next one.

This time the trees thinned out to an open moor. This should be more than obvious, but Hawkbite would ask anyway. "This is the Whispering Wetlands. Whose border do you think this is with?"

@kira - Cougarpaw