Sunset Grove

[Estelle]

He delayed their entrance; or more accurately, undoubtedly, he was checking the safety of these tunnels, if anything because of the minks. Silverrose couldn't help indistinctly trying to glance over the tunneller's shoulder as he did the quick sweep, half expecting thorough and lengthy instructions as soon as he was done. But, much to her surprise, his words were short and straight to the point. Stepping back to give some space, a silver ear gave a flick of acknowledgement before her head followed in a subtle nod. Groundhogs; sounded like silly little creatures. This certainly would be of interest and good practice.

The newly named warrior did not hesitate before ducking into the burrow behind Crowtooth, tail level behind her and steps careful as the light slowly faded away and her other senses took charge. Her whiskers gave a light twitch, ever so lightly brushing against a wall, silently noting the scent trail Crowtooth was leaving behind. And soon enough, she could already hear alarmed barks as the first two catches were made - shortly followed by a catch of her own. Scattering about, though not quick enough to escape the warrior (...that doesn't sound too bad), her claws sunk into the rabbit-sized creature with one swift movement, its life quickly fading away. That was one - and her eyes were already seeking the next target.


[ @gs29513 @Lillith @Rani @zozelen - +1 Groundhog ]

[gs29513]

Groundhogs. Deadmoon couldn't claim to be familiar with the critters, and was mildly concerned by Crowtooth's description of them as funky. What exactly did funky entail, in a prey animal? Did it mean they were more likely to fight back? It was a horrible cowardly thought, but Deadmoon didn't particularly feel like getting attacked by a rabbit-sized rodent today. Or ever, actually. And the mention of swiftness being required....it made her a bit nervous. It would be fine, she was sure, there was no way they would be as dangerous as a cat. It would just be a bit embarrassing if she got injured and needed Lightingstorm's attention on a hunting patrol, regardless of their quarry's size. Her slight, stupid nerves delayed Deadmoon's entrance into the burrow until after Silverrose and Winterpaw had already gone ahead, and then she realized as a warrior she really ought to hurry up.

Stars, and Fallownose was with them too. There went any of HER hopes to lead patrols in the future. With a small shake of her head, a physical manifestation of her desire to clear her thoughts for groundhog hunting, Deadmoon followed the patrol's younger members into the tunnels. It was almost warmer within them, and the air felt a bit moister on her tongue. Regardless she was able to pick up a clear trail of rodent-scent, unpursued by her clanmates, and follow it. It had taken a side tunnel of some sort, a narrower one, as her whiskers informed her in place of her eyes. Evidently, one with a dead end of sorts too, as it was facing her and showing no sign of retreat when Deadmoon came into close quarters with the groundhog for the first time. It seemed willing to fight, and with no small amount of reticence she approached it, claws unsheathed.

Lunging forward with as much speed as she could muster, Crowtooth had said to be fast after all, the molly was able to secure a tooth-hold on it's neck. Unfortunately, this brought her face into close proximity with it's gnashing teeth and she winced violently, jerking away as a nibble was taken out of the scruff of her neck. Fortunately it was not long for the world after that, slumping to the ground as she kept a bit of distance. It had been something of simultaneous attacks, though hers had involved more force and been in a more critical location than that of the groundhog. With her prey downed she did her best to heft it up off of the ground to an extent, pulling it back towards the main part of the tunnel. If there were any still in the area after her patrolmates had done their work she could always try another one, but for now she was content with her large prize. (+ 1 groundhog) @Lillith @Rani @zozelen @Estelle

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler | He/him | 49 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Swiftfire had shown but Scalescar had not, and after some time in waiting in silence a single shared look between the two was enough to move them on to the patrol without the tom.



Though, for a change, eventually the silence had to be broken. "Fair warnin' we encountered mink last time I was here. It was only two an' we're pretty sure they were here huntin' incidentally an' dont spend time here so we should be fine. But prolly best not ta drop yer guard." Even if he viewed the other molly as foolish the tom would be damned if a clanmate got hurt on his watch because he was being petty. Especially not to the damn mink and the tunnelers tattered ears pinned at the thought of the vermin, muttering a "Stars damned pests are everywhere, too many ta deal wit' an' keep yer sanity intact." under his wheezy breaths.


Still, as warning stated Crowtooth was pretty sure the mink were just at the grove to hunt the same prey the patrol was coincidentally hunting, and did not dwell in the area so there was no stopping the pursuit of herbs here.


If for no other reason then the area was good for herbs, evident by the lingering cluster of broom the tom spotted. It was obviously fading with the season, barely hanging on, so Crowtooth fleeced it bare with no hesitation, frowning as it still didnt come up with a full mouthful and that he'd need to look elsewhere.


@Tiabirb

[Tiabirb]

Swiftfire
------------


It seemed that their patrolmate was a no show. This caused her to grow irritated, and after that silent exchange, she trailed after Crowtooth.


She was more than happy to keep the silence. But then the old jabber-jaw started going on again, and the fur on her spine lifted. Swiftfire liked silence, but she still had a fair few opinions about the course of action the Clan was on board with taking.

"Tell it to someone who doesn't use the space between their ears," Swiftfire spat angrily. "Blindly following orders because there's a chance for death, is how fools get killed or used." She swung her orange and black head around to glare at Crowtooth.
"And I frankly don't care who is related to who," Swiftfire added, remembering Crowtooth's hard defense of that jerk Leechscar, "That doesn't give them permission to tear others down without any actual constructive input." Swiftfire sneered, "I never called anyone a coward. I called the idea of running to ShadowClan as cowardly. I think its foolish and cowardly to run to the next Clan over just because we have a problem. I don't trust them, and anyone who does, who agrees that this is the ONLY way we can resolve our little mink issue, is a fool. But instead of asking what ideas I might have had, I was shut down, berated, told to go 'take a walk' to cool off. Not ONE of you asked if I actually HAD any real ideas, which I did, but forget it."


Swiftfire had stopped walking, lashing her tail. "It isn't the only way we can solve this. But if you want to put your faith in ShadowClan, be my guest. I'll be watching for them to turn around and make you all look like the fools you are."
She could care less about some overgrown weasels. She took down bigger prey than a mink on a daily. Today, their prey was herbs. Less exciting, but whatever. So with her piece said, Swiftfire pointedly moved to the far side of the grove to look for herbs. She wasn't an herb cat, and she had no idea what they were looking for. Cobwebs, sure, but since The old grump had whatever broom was covered, Swiftfire turned her attention to finding cobweb. She was mildly successful, finding a narrow crag but the inside was simply loaded with old webbing.

With a heavy sigh, Swiftfire set about to her task, using her claws to fish what she could out.

@Rani

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler | He/him | 49 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Oh boy we were doing this now? Ok.
The tom remained silent through the rant, internally sighing as his ears dipped less in an angry way and more of a slightly annoyed one.



He listened, took in Swiftfires words, and once he was done bluntly stated "Bein' so blindly terrified o' shadowclan yer unwillin' ta use their forces in a fight against an opponent is completely cowardly. Its completely foolish an' dumb ta not take advantage o' the deal they will take advantage of, regardless if we do or dont do the same." he waited a beat for that to sink in and, lighter tacked on "Now I dont believe that (kinda, Ill expand), but can ya see how callin' someones ideas cowardly can feel the same as callin' them that?"

Crowtooth knew the first statement was biting and mustve stung, that was the point especially how blunt and cuttingly he said it but he hoped it at least shone a light on how the other side of the argument took things.


"See the problem here aint yer ideas Swiftfire, 'ts how and where ya said em. I know ya may view 't that way and ya may be half right but how ya pitched thin's was not constructive. And Ill admit, I among others had a bad reaction ta that, thats on us. But ya assumed we forget the past an' you didnt and thats patently untrue, an' ya lashed out wit' insults fer it."

As it always did when he thought of it the large and deep bitemark on Crowtooths throat ached, no matter how long he'd been living again there was no escaping that Dawnstar had killed him and even below a new calm the toms rage boiled. His life again for a chance to end her for good, even now.
"She killed me, she killed Twi, she and them killed an' hurt so many and no time can change that. I cant tell ya much but Swiftfire I was there fer the talks about the alliance an' its not forgotten in a flight o' foolishness. We aint blind.



But stars Im tired of loss Swiftfire, aint you?"
Sometimes the tom felt like an elder already, with how much his soul ached.



"I can explain the thoughts behind the decision if ya want, but fer now Ill tell why ya were shut down so hard. Ya came in wit' anger, wit' insults and wit'out an 'even' plan. Ya had one, sure, but ya had a plan made missin' key details an' one ya werent capable of hearin' constructive criticisms wit' either.


Both options are foolish an' cowardly, we're aware but actin' like we're not is frustratin', frustration that burst out as anger. One insult flung means more ta follow an' even now ya dont recognize the flaws in yer own plan. More frustration.


Yer plan has some merit, but so does ours an' had the insults stayed inside or everyone had the maturity ta let 't go meshin' them mightve happened. But frustration an' tempers an' we couldnt. All o' us shoulda taken that walk really."


Taking a walk was never bad advice the tom was finding and he was increasingly trying to put his prey were his mouth is and just go when mad. Admittedly he hadnt always been successful in doing so however.
For now though he tried to do so, to cool the building frustration by nosing through the foliage and turning up some more yellow bells and plucking them, and eventually spoke again.


"Continue ta be mad 'f ya want but Im too tired an' am done. We can either finish this in silence or try an' meet in the middle seeing the issues o' both plans and makin' the best o' both we can an' approaching Twilightstar wit' that together."


@Tiabirb

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler | He/him | 49 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Things had gone well so far, not that the tom had expecting the patrol to go badly given all they were doing was beating up some oversized gophers. Seriously Groundhogs were just rabbit sized gophers Crowtooth did not understand why some prey had larger versions like mice-rats, rabbits-hares and of course gophers-groundhogs that acted the same but was a totally different creature.

Tangent aside he supposed something couldve gone wrong in that cats could panic at the sudden confinement and dark of entering the tunnels, but it hadnt occurred.


Not needing to step in and help anyone Crowtooth focused on trying to snag a second catch.
They were on high alert now, barking and trying to escape or bite at the patrol and the tom focused on the one closest to him that'd backed itself against a wall. A smart tactic for a stupid rodent, but not enough.



It took a couple of tries to get at the animal without being bitten, as it kept snapping with its weird little teeth, but eventually he managed able to slam a large paw down on its head. There! 'Threat' neutralized and now it was easy to chomp down on its neck for a killing blow.
If they kept up with the current pace even with a couple more groundhogs they could be done.


"Alright ya'll! Try an' nab another 'f ya can but lets wrap up an' head back! Anyone who needs a paw just ask!"


@Lillith @gs29513 @Estelle @zozelen
(Ok so Im nixing the post order for the rest of the patrol so we might get this wrapped up asap! If you have a moment to post dont wait and just do so and on the 6th I will be posting with our little interrupting minks showing up and causing trouble, though with the current patrol they should be taken care of easily.)

[gs29513]

Deadmoon could hear Crowtooth's voice echoing through the tunnels, cutting through the panicky squeaks and squeals of the groundhogs enough that he was clearly audible. It seemed they were expected to go after another one, and then it would be time to leave. Sounded good to her, she at least had an idea of what to do this time. Not that she was likely to execute her plan flawlessly, that would be too much to expect from her. Though there was at least another groundhog relatively close to her little, offshoot tunnel, so there was something to practice on. Leaving her previous prize safely behind (at least she didn't THINK there was anything that would steal it down here. She certainly hoped not) she strode out into the main tunnel, sniffing intently at the walls and floor in an effort to determine what side paths the remaining groundhogs might have taken.

Without the aid of sight, it took a bit longer than she might have liked, but she was eventually reasonably confident that a groundhog was nearby and moved forward a bit more swiftly. A swift padding step, and then a small jog. Finally, a lunge, as she had managed to select a long enough tunnel that the 'hog didn't have a chance to pack itself into a corner as a form of protection. Her 'plan' to avoid its teeth wasn't even necessary! It almost swung its head around to bite her paw as she pinned it down with her weight, but she smacked at its nose and managed to swat its head away. From that point, it was simply a matter of moving quicker with her teeth than it could, and in that, she succeeded. This had gone shockingly well, and with a small smile on her maw Deadmoon hauled her second catch back towards the main group of the patrol. (+1 groundhog) @Lillith @Rani @zozelen @Estelle

[Tiabirb]

Swiftfire
----------

She wanted to ignore Crowtooth and his jabbering. So what if how she said it mattered? If cats got upset, then that spoke volumes of itself. About them. She had her fair share of loss too. But her ears flattened after a moment, and she turned her face over her shoulder, glaring at Crowtooth from the corner of a pale yellow eye.

"I didn't get angry until someone began hissing and spitting nonsense at anyone who spoke up." Swiftfire growled. "Don't try and pretend I was the first and only cat there who spoke up or said something out of line." Swiftfire turned back to the crack in the stone, pulling out another wad of cobweb. "So maybe I could have worded it a little better, but beating around the bush isn't my style; I'm not afraid to voice my raw thoughts, even if it isn't appreciated by those less comfortable with a blunt attitude." The cobweb was set beside the first bundle, and she eyed the crack for a moment, deciding that there wasn't much else to take.


The subject of the alliance came up, and Swiftfire sighed. "Alliances shift and change like the wind depending on what interests the leaders decide to pursue. I don't trust any alliance, because it's never going to end well when it does. What does ShadowClan get out of it? We might not be ready to destroy each other, but I'm not a mousebrain; Anything they do to help us will have some cost...and what if that cost IS the lives we wanted to save from the minks?" Swiftfire looked at Crowtooth fully, her gaze clouded with worry and heavy thoughts. "Cats in these Clans are far more likely to kill one of us than a bunch of swarming weasels....We've had...one death from minks, right? And how many were killed at the paws of Dawnstar alone. That's one cat...."

Swiftfire frowned deeply, idly pawing at the cobwebs. "I'm not the most in touch with my heart and...sensitive side, I know. But no one has any right to say I don't care about the lives of my Clanmates. I would die for you, right here, right now, and I'd hope, no, I'd trust that you or any of my Clanmates would do the same if such a situation came up. It's not about being a martyr, or a mouse-brain. It's because I love WindClan, and I have cats I want to keep safe too, and I made a promise to StarClan that I would..."

Blue eyes flashed in her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut to banish the image of the once-beautiful visage. "One of them had half his face ripped off by those minks, but you don't see me going crazy and trying to take them all on by myself, do you? It's a lot easier to make a plan when there's support, and openness, but being shut down the way I was..."
Swiftfire took a slow, ragged breath, "You don't know what my real idea or plan was. Should have given me a chance when it mattered. Now, all that matters is making sure we don't regret the course of action Twilightstar has chosen." Swiftfire swept her tail around, snatching up the bundles of cobweb into her fur.

"So in the mutual best interest of our differing opinions, we better get this back to Lightningstorm..." Swiftfire stalked past Crowtooth in the direction of camp.

[+2 Cobweb]

@Rani

[zozelen]

Winterpaw's ears twitched when he heard Crowtooth's call from further along in the tunnel, instructing the patrol to finish up soon. The warrior did say he could call for help if needed, but Winterpaw could probably pick up the groundhog by himself. Maybe the fur was just making it look bigger then it really was.

(winterpaw rolls a 5 for groundhog carrying!)

...Or not. After about half a minute of trying to drag the groundhog along, Winterpaw looked around for anyone who could possibly help him with it, still trying to carry the groundhog all the while. Winterpaw wasn't going to give up, this was his catch and he should be able to honorably carry it back to camp too. Was there a way for apprentices to train strength instead of skill? Maybe he should ask Applefrost about some sort of lifting regiment.

@Rani @Estelle @Lillith @gs29513

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler | He/him | 49 Moons
Power Card: Cold Gust

Art by Marigoldwhisper

He tried right? Crowtooth really hoped that the fact that he'd tried had counted for something. But really, there was no talking to those who just didnt want to listen.


The tom had blatantly admitted that he thought both sides were in the wrong to some degree, in actions and theory. He'd expanded on that he didnt trust shadowclan to uphold their alliance, but why he'd thought them the lesser evil considering the situation. The tom had not said that he didnt think Swiftfire didnt care at all, he'd be foolish to even think so. And he'd left the door open for both of them to bridge the distance to join plans that covered for both flaws of thinking. Swiftfire was walking away from that it seemed, turning that down flat.

What more could he do?


Crowtooth sighed as he dusted the lingering snow off of another patch of broom, fleecing it until he could carry no more of the herb. It was impossible to tell if the failure of this rested on Swiftfires shoulders really, for all he wished it was that simple. The tom knew he wasnt the best with words, had only now been trying to use them in the clunky way most apprentices learned through when first trying to be diplomatic. He couldve easily chosen wrong here and this could be his failure. Or no ones. The tom wasnt wise enough to tell.


What he did know was when some things were a lost cause, and for now he'd drop it no more capable of bridging this gap as he was drawing water out of a stone.


So instead with tired sad eyes he nodded, taking the opportunity that the herbs in his mouth provided to not speak, and they departed.


@Tiabirb (Im throwing out the ooc and ic patrol report so you dont need to worry about that and we can call this a wrap! Love the drama of two v stubborn passionate cats who ultimately want the same thing well have to make a point of revisiting these two later~)
5 broom total