Sleepy Thicket

[occultation]

( @Rose @Tiabirb @finley.exe )

( Since this is a public thread and Melody is a trespasser, I'm going to be throwing Fading in )

After the whole situation with Minkpaw and Brownie, Fadingsun was on alert for more issues with outsiders. RiverClan needed to defend its borders as fiercely as possible. Birdsnow had been around the Clan, but hadn't been quite as present as Fadingsun would've hoped. He figured she was still adjusting, and that things would improve soon.

As he patrolled, he caught the disappointing scent of RiverClan mixed with outsider, and the sound of voices... talking peacefully. Stars, whoever this was better have a really good reason for whatever it is they're doing.

Bounding forward, the warrior rounded a corner to see Cobwebpaw and Sweetsong chatting it up with a cat who most certainly did not belong in RiverClan. As he approached, the words "StarClan shines mercifully upon you, Melody. Had it been anyone else from our Clan, you would have not been so fortunate" hit his ears. Sweetsong was about to be in a world of trouble for that.

Fadingsun turned angry eyes on his Clanmates. "I don't know why on earth the two of you are standing here having a friendly conversation with an outsider who is clearly trespassing, especially after all we've gone through over the past season with outsiders. Especially you, Sweetsong; as a warrior you ought to know better."

Unsheathing his claws, Fadingsun swung his gaze around to rake Melody with a cold look. "Get out of our territory right now, or I'll send you out at the ends of my claws."

[poppy]

Birdsnow

Frustration was clear across the leaders face as she stalked to stand beside Fadingsun. Two cats she has heavily been considering as her Clans potential healers were having a normal conversation with a rogue. A trespassing rogue. Seeing as Fadingsun had the hang of the rogue, she turned her attention back to the two other cats. "You two have no clue how disappointing this is. Both of you, back to camp. I have half a mind to demote you, Sweetsong, since you clearly didn't get taught the code well enough." Great. Who else was she supposed to pick as her healers? Cursing under her breath, she eyed the trespassing rogue, in case she needed to ahead some fur.

// @Rose @Cherry~ @finley.exe @Tiabirb

[Rose]

Melody
She/Her

Ears pricked, Melody listened to Cobwebpaw and Sweetsong speak with rapt attention, wonder filling her eyes the longer they went on. This. This was what she'd been looking for, she just knew it. Melody didn't know how she knew, but a warmth unfurled in her chest, spreading outward. "Would I- Could I-" Melody's words abruptly cut off when a new, very clearly pissed-off cat lunged into view, somehow his words sounding frostier than his demeanor.

Shock, and (emotional) hurt, crossed Melody's expression as she lurched back a couple steps in alarm. "What did I do wrong?" She spluttered in bewilderment, glancing between the three cats with rising panic. "I'm sorry, I- I didn't... what's a territory?" The newest cat looked openly hostile, and Melody didn't know why. "I'm sorry." She repeated again, trying to figure out what the problem was. Whatever it was, it was seemingly her fault. Her gaze flitted to Fadingsun's extended claws, and her heartrate picked up, tripling in speed as fear washed over her - that fear undoubtedly seeping into her scent.

Despair followed onto Melody's expression - the former kittypet's ranging emotions were very transparent - when another cat stalked into view, clearly as pissed as her predecessor. "Wait," she rasped, pale gaze dancing between the four Clan cats, unable to settle on just one. In the end, Melody settled on the one who spoke of demotion. Melody was slightly daft, but if this cat was wielding that much influence over these two - ordering them back to 'camp', whatever that was, it had to mean something, right?

"Please, it's not - not their fault." Melody's ears pinned back against her skull. She really didn't want to get clawed. "Please don't be angry at them, they were just... being nice to me." Was that such a crime? "I'm sorry, I..." Melody swallowed roughly, blinking rapidly. "I didn't know I wasn't allowed here. I can leave." Melody took another step backward, but faltered. Her earlier, unasked and unanswered question niggled at the back of her mind. "How could I apologize? Is... do you have someone I can talk to? Would I... be allowed to come with you? I just want a home." She implored, tail tip flicking nervously. Her voice trailed off, turning into a quiet whisper as Melody bowed her head, eyes trained on the ground, on her paws. "Please, I don't have a home anymore."

[ @finley.exe - Cobwebpaw / @Tiabirb - Sweetsong / @Cherry~ - Fadingsun / @poppy - Birdsnow ]

[finley !!]

ᗢ cobwebpaw ᗢ

purrks ; the collector , herbal knowledge tier 2
she/they . rc . 14 moons . one lame leg . tags ; @Tiabirb , @Cherry~ , @poppy , @Rose

[ 109 / 200 ]

trigger warnings for this post: panic attack, small ptsd meltdown

' wait, what- i- ' cobweb's head turned on a swivel from the three cats in the thicket- then there were four. ' i didn't mean to- birdsnow, i- i'm sorry- i- ' a quiet choke of fear and hurt overwhelmed cobwebpaw and her fur bristled up. ' i'm sorry- '

cobwebpaw lunged back, stumbling with her paws seeming too big, her fur too uncomfortable, why was this happening, what? the air felt choking, too stifling, too wrong. ' birdsnow- i promise i didn't mean to- i- ' she turned to sweetsong, eyes pleading, tears welling. ' i didn't mean to do - anything- '

' please stop it.. i didn't want to- i can't- i'm sorry.. '

[Tiabirb]

Sweetsong
34 Moons
She/Her
Purrk(s): Herbal Knowledge T1/ Flock Together T1
-------------------------------------------------

The arrival of Fadingsun and then...Birdsnow, caused Sweetsong's heart to drop in her chest. But she took a deep breath, her eyes closing momentarily, and then she rose to her paws, facing her Clan's leader, and her fellow warrior. "Are we so ready to unsheathe our claws on innocents, now? Are we as cruel as ThunderClan, who raided our home and killed our children and wounded our loved ones?" Sweetsong said, holding her gaze level with Birdsnow.

"This cat, a kittypet, is lost. We only just came across her. Very little time since we came upon her, and less when you came upon us. Is it not fair to inform them of the dangers being here poses without resorting to violence first?" Sweetsong frowned, "Shall we close our hearts entirely and treat those who have done us no wrong as our enemies? Are we so blind now that we can no longer see what is truly a threat and what is simply a lost soul?"

"I am sorry for disappointing you, Birdsnow, and I accept whatever punishment is fit for my mistake. Cobwebpaw is not to shoulder this blame either; As...the warrior..." She shuddered at herself, "It is my responsibility to take. But do keep in mind this; We only just came across her ourselves. To properly begin to lead this stranger back to where they belong, without harming them, could take a small bit of persuasion. A friendly conversation hurts no one. Venomous words hurt much more deeply. They poison and kill one from the inside, like an infection. Why should we treat someone cruelly if they do not warrant it? Trespasser or not, there are ways to handle a situation without violence." She looked down at Cobwebpaw, then back to Melody. "Are we so lost ourselves, that we cannot muster compassion for even a stranger who is no threat?"

Sweetsong shook her head. It hurt. It all hurt inside. She turned to Cobwebpaw, who had become a flustered, panicked mess, and she gently swept her tail over the apprentice.

But then Melody had...asked to come with them? She swallowed, but she cast her eyes down. That was entirely Birdsnow's decision, and their leader was very unhappy with them. With a tiny nudge, Sweetsong urged the apprentice forward, "Let's go, darling..." She purred softly, "You will be okay, I promise."

@Rose @finley.exe @Cherry~ @poppy

[Toya Todoroki]

Originally Posted by tallulah

Dusklion
She/her | 25 moons | RiverClan Warrior
[ Shadow Fiend • Go with the Flow • Beefed Up T3 ]

As Cobs joined the patrol and head-butted her, Dusklion let out a purr and ruffled the kids head with her paw. "'Course I can, kiddo! Land huntin' 's pretty easy; once you get the basics down, you'll be bringin' home quite the big catches in no time!" With a swish of her tail the dark tabby lead her patrol out towards the thicket.

It brought back memories being here; the dogs that had ravaged their dead, destroyed this part of the territory - how they had crashed into camp due to the incompetency of their high ranks at the time. A bolt of frustration shot through her as she recalled it. "Lionstorm would've never..." she muttered under her breath with a shake of her head.

Tearing her gaze away from the mounds where her fallen Clanmates rested, Dusk glanced at Fluttercove. "Hey Flutters, make sure to call if you get into trouble or see anything suspicious. I'm gonna teach Cobs a few of the basics." Looking now to Cobs, she grinned. "First things' first is the hunter's crouch. Now, we might need to think about alternatives because of your leg, but let's try it first before we get to that okay?"

To demonstrate the tabby slid into hunter's crouch and stalked forward a paw step or two, glancing back at Cobs.

[ @Dyna Fox @finley.exe ]

, @finley.exe

Fluttercove nodded and paddled off to hunt

[occultation]

( @Rose @finley.exe @Tiabirb @poppy )

The arrival of Birdsnow caught Fadingsun a bit off-guard, but he was pleased to see her there- and even more pleased to see her take his side on this issue. Good; RiverClan needed a leader willing to put their foot down.

Cobwebpaw immediately began attempting to apologize, but that wouldn't fly with Fadingsun at least. Sweetsong's attempt to rationalize the situation filled his ears next, causing anger to boil in him so much that he almost missed Melody's request to join. While that startled him, the issue at paw with Cobwebpaw and Sweetsong was more pressing.

"Cobwebpaw," he growled, "You're 14 moons old. You've been in training for ages, and quite frankly should be a warrior by now. You ought to know better than to chat it up with an outsider; you're not a child." Swinging his gaze towards Sweetsong, he continued,

"As for you, quit trying to justify your decision. You know that warriors are expected to always put their Clan first and defend our borders from all trespassers. That's the case whether they're kind or not. If we just let anyone who's anyone wander into our territory without fear of violent response, then what the hell is the point of having borders? The moment you start going easy on trespassers, the moment you appear weak to those out there who don't have your best interests at heart.

"We aren't here to hold paws with everyone in the forest and chant lullabies. We're here to survive. To do that, we need a territory that's secure. If you'd rather frolic with outsiders, then you can easily leave this Clan and go do that. If it were up to me, you'd be heading to the outskirts for a moon to remind you why we live the way we do."

After that, he shifted his attention back to Birdsnow and Melody, trying to shove down the anger within him that kept pushing at his fringes. He wanted so badly to say a few more choice words to both Sweetsong and Cobwebpaw, but he didn't want to take it too far.

[taillow]

Dusklion
She/her | 25 moons | RiverClan Warrior
[ Shadow Fiend • Go with the Flow • Beefed Up T3 ]

\

...Well, that was quite embarrassing. Turning her head this way and that, Dusklion realized that Cobwebpaw was nowhere to be found. Her ear twitching was the only thing that revealed her slight frustration before she shook her head and parted her jaws to draw in the scents around her. In the opposite direction that Fluttercove had gone, she caught the trail of what smelled like a water vole and slunk after it. Coming over to the other side of the thicket's graves it was easy to spot the creature over by one of the more marshy areas. A quick crouch, leap, and bite later, and the warrior was quickly burying her first catch.

Since she had managed to kill the creature without much fuss, Dusklion turned to see what else she could try her luck with. Not much came to her as she continued to pad along quietly, keeping one ear perked incase her Clanmate ran into danger. While stepping around a thick piece of undergrowth, her eyes came to rest on the form of a crow. Immediately alarm bells rang in her head and Dusk had to do her best not to shriek. Crows. Hatred burned in her chest as she crouched down, hidden partially from the vile creature's view. It was pecking along at the ground without a care in the world and the very sight of it drove her mad.

Paws slid forward as silently as they could, careful to not alert the vermin of her presence. Blue eyes tracked every movement until she was finally close enough... With a low snarl Dusklion pounced. The crow started to take flight but her claw lashed out faster, ripping into the dung-wing's back and bringing it back down to ear. It let out a caw, wings flapping viciously. "Oh, shut it vermin," the dark tabby spat as she brought her claw down hard onto its head. That was enough to stun it while she went for the killing bite. Eventually the wings stopped and the bird fell lifeless at her claws.

With a huff, she picked up her bird and brought it to where her water vole was, burying the two and glancing around for signs of Fluttercove. She wanted to make sure her patrolmate was alright before starting to hunt one last piece to bring home.

[ +1 water vole, +1 crow ]
[ @Rogueheart - Fluttercove ]

[Toya Todoroki]

Originally Posted by tallulah

Dusklion
She/her | 25 moons | RiverClan Warrior
[ Shadow Fiend • Go with the Flow • Beefed Up T3 ]

\

...Well, that was quite embarrassing. Turning her head this way and that, Dusklion realized that Cobwebpaw was nowhere to be found. Her ear twitching was the only thing that revealed her slight frustration before she shook her head and parted her jaws to draw in the scents around her. In the opposite direction that Fluttercove had gone, she caught the trail of what smelled like a water vole and slunk after it. Coming over to the other side of the thicket's graves it was easy to spot the creature over by one of the more marshy areas. A quick crouch, leap, and bite later, and the warrior was quickly burying her first catch.

Since she had managed to kill the creature without much fuss, Dusklion turned to see what else she could try her luck with. Not much came to her as she continued to pad along quietly, keeping one ear perked incase her Clanmate ran into danger. While stepping around a thick piece of undergrowth, her eyes came to rest on the form of a crow. Immediately alarm bells rang in her head and Dusk had to do her best not to shriek. Crows. Hatred burned in her chest as she crouched down, hidden partially from the vile creature's view. It was pecking along at the ground without a care in the world and the very sight of it drove her mad.

Paws slid forward as silently as they could, careful to not alert the vermin of her presence. Blue eyes tracked every movement until she was finally close enough... With a low snarl Dusklion pounced. The crow started to take flight but her claw lashed out faster, ripping into the dung-wing's back and bringing it back down to ear. It let out a caw, wings flapping viciously. "Oh, shut it vermin," the dark tabby spat as she brought her claw down hard onto its head. That was enough to stun it while she went for the killing bite. Eventually the wings stopped and the bird fell lifeless at her claws.

With a huff, she picked up her bird and brought it to where her water vole was, burying the two and glancing around for signs of Fluttercove. She wanted to make sure her patrolmate was alright before starting to hunt one last piece to bring home.

[ +1 water vole, +1 crow ]
[ @Rogueheart - Fluttercove ]

Fluttercove held a mouse in her jaws as she paddled back towards her clanmates "where's Cobwebpaw?" she meowed with a tilt of her head

[taillow]

Dusklion
She/her | 25 moons | RiverClan Warrior
[ Shadow Fiend • Go with the Flow • Beefed Up T3 ]

"Hell if I know," came the huffed answer from the dark tabby as she glanced up at Fluttercove, nodding approvingly at the mouse she had in her jaws. Dusklion had thought the apprentice had followed them out of camp but it turns out that had not been the case. It disappointed her a bit because she would have to report her absence. "Let's head back though - we're a bit late already 'n I know my brother can be a bit strict." There was a small chuckle at that though as Dusklion moved to pick up her crow and water vole.

With a flick of her tail she motioned for her Clanmate to follow her back to camp. Maybe once they were back she could find Cobwebpaw, see what might've happened.

[ @Rogueheart ]