Oh how delightful! Both Tuftedtusk and Quillpaw were quick to join her side for the patrol, and Nightshiver offered each of them a gentle smile in turn. Her eyes crinkled, glancing from the polite warrior to the quiet apprentice, tail flicking lightly. "Ready... t-to go?"
She asked, awaiting a few moments before carefully setting off towards Darkwater Mire.
Nightshiver was yet to grow familiar with the new territory; most new location were still rathe foggy in her mind, and as such the forever queen took care with the road they walked, wanting to ensure they took no wrong turn. She couldn't afford leading them the wrong way, with a job to carry out and an apprentice to - albeit not teach - she shouldn't show Quillpaw any wrong paths through the territory, and she hoped Tuftedtusk could correct swiftly (and with consideration) should she take the wrong turn.
But before long Darkwater Mire resided beneath their paws, and Nightshiver took a careful look around, taking in the mire's... Dark atmosphere. But they were here to hunt, not to dwell on the vastly unfamiliar territory and heartache that came with yet another move. Mismatched eyes kindly rested on Tuftedtusk, trusting the warrior would be able to handle himself, before shifting towards Quillpaw with gentleness. "How i-is... your.. hunting?"
She asked the young apprentice, wanting to get an idea of whether she needed to cover any bases with the youngling or not - it'd been moons since she taught anyone any of a warrior's duties, but hunting.. She should be able to manage, if needed. Though she knew Quillpaw had been apprenticed for over a moon now, unexpected situations often slowed down training, and some required more practice than others as opposed to the many quick-studies that walked this clan. Nightshiver had not been one of them.
[ im going to be rolling a d20 for this! anything 10 and below is a missed kill - anything 11 and above is a successful kill. ]
TUFTED ROLLED A 12
Tuftedtusk followed the molly and apprentice out to the Mire. Once they arrived, he went off a little ways on his own to catch some prey. Scenting the air, he picked up on the smell of a blackbird. Crouching down and moving forward on silent paws he spotted the bird pecking at a snail or some kind of bug. Reajusting his stance a tad, he leaped forward, grabbing the bird and biting it on the neck quickly. Burying it, he began to scent again for his next target.
QUILLPAW he/him. 7 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]
oh, great. more wet, mushy land that left the tabby's paws feeling unpleasantly damp. nose scrunching briefly in distaste, his gaze flickers to tuftedtusk who wanders off as soon as they arrive, then to nightshiver. truth be told, this is going to be his first time hunting without his mentor there, so he was (he'd never admit this) feeling a bit..doubtful of himself. he frowns. I know how to hunt, I'll be fine, he thinks.
"just fine." quillpaw responds in a flat tone. "I'll stay within a yowl's length." he says with a curt nod, then he's turning away and padding a little ways off. he'd rather eat a rock than have to stay near a clanmate while hunting, regardless if they've annoyed him or not. parting his jaws to see if he can catch the scent of anything, he manages to make out the smell of a frog through the damp grass and spruce.
tracking down the scent with little trouble, he spots the frog perched on a patch of moss. dropping into a hunter's crouch, remembering the words both his father and mistlewhisker said, he slowly stalks forward, claws unsheathed. leaping at the frog once he's a few pawsteps away, his eyes widen in alarm once he sees the frog is not under his paws, and instead hopping away. cursing under his breath, quillpaw races after the frog for a hot second. finally grabbing ahold of the frog, he swiftly kills it.
Eggpaw happened to be the first to catch up to him. One was better than nothing. At least the older apprentice had the brains to track him and catch up before he got to the Darkwater Mire. From all he knew, Eggpaw only needed his assessment. That was something he'd have to take care of very soon if Hawkbite wanted to avoid Eggpaw's exile. Dawnstar was waiting on this. Hawkbite was tired of it. It was time to finish it all up.
Next came Brownpaw. A little late, but it appeared both his apprentices had the sense to track him down. Great. They weren't as helpless as he wanted to think they were. However, the smell of sickness followed Brownpaw and Hawkbite had to pause the patrol when she did catch up. His gaze would turn to look at the younger apprentice. Concern was found in traces in those green eyes. As stern or scary as some cats sought him out to be, Hawkbite was nothing but a softie on the inside.
"I'm taking you to Mossfreckle when we return, Brownpaw," Hawkbite spoke to the apprentice in a tone softer than she'd probably been accustomed to. "That's not a suggestion, it's an order too."
With that, Hawkbite would gesture to the territory around them. "This is Darkwater Mire. The newest part to the territory. We have to be very careful here as this area is lined with deathberry bushes, as the medicine cat had said," Hawkbite spoke, next pointing to the bushes nearby. There were bright red berries hanging from the branches. "One berry is enough to kill a cat, so stay well away from them."
The Commander would lead the apprentices away from the bushes and start seeking out the herbs they were sent for. It wouldn't take long for the first one to come into view. The deep green color and yellow flowers. Which was that? Celandine? Chickweed? Sounded familiar. Shoot, Hawkbite wouldn't know the difference. The only one he knew was Catmint which smelled amazing. "Whoever wants to grab some of this, go for it. We'll spread out the carrying load between us for better efficiency."
Once that was collected, Hawkbite moved swiftly along, following the sweet scent of Catmint. Once more, it didn't take long and the warrior was pleasantly surprised with the large growth in this area of it. With his tail waving behind him, Hawkbite leaned down and nipped a few stems, similar to how he did the Celandine.
The last patch of herbs he'd come across was when they were beginning to head back. He was about to give up on the hunt for chickweed, but the purple stemmed plants popped up. They were covered in the white daisy flowers and looked viney. Most be the last one. Hawkbite would gesture for the apprentices to also grab some before he'd stand and look between them at their collection. Through a mouthful of herbs, he'd speak, "Shouf bef enouf."
Assuming no one had any quarrels, he'd begin leading them back.
[+3 catmint, +1 chickweed, +1 celandine]
@zozelen - Brownpaw | @MockingRabbit - Eggpaw
[Once everyone responds, I'll post the Hawk return in the patrol place. Remember everyone must report their herbs.]
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ﾟ。 Mossfreckle (ShC)
ﾟ･｡･ﾟ they/he ~ medicine cat
❦ Mossy hues flitted across the clearing as the freckled oriental shaped tom herbalist watched his patrols depart from the shadowy patch beneath the Grimpeak, one patrol and then the next, each group of felines seemed to be exiting the camp in precise ordered order with ease… a nice change form the lackadaisical ways that had caused the move in the first places… thought the feline as his white tipped feathery tail flicked idly in anticipation of his own patrol - well, more specifically, Grousepaw’s second lesson. Mossfreckle kept the eclectically molted appearance in his peripheral as he waited, angular ears perked in the mollies direction even as his eyes darted around his main focus remained on Grousepaw as he spoke albeit with an awkward tension that hung in the air around the two felines although Mossfreckle ignored it, the apprentice would adapt of get over it, he just hoped that the tom would do so sooner than later rather than stewing in whatever internal turmoil he had bubbling beneath his pelt like the fire that flashed in his amber eyes - the aforementioned fire, however, was a positive but the mental war waging within his apprentices mind needed to call a ceasefire before it ate the young lad form the inside out and dug him a grave so deep even his large size wouldn’t help him. Angular head bobbed along to Grousepaw’s words before the lanky medicine cat spoke himself, ”Yes, poisons,” a soft breathy chuckle slipping form his white twinged maw, ”not the loveliest of lessons but it’s good to have them on hand for herb lesson so that the young - well, all who listen - know what to avoid, if we gather a few of each we can grab some marigold and cobwebs to complete our haul of space permits,” standing and turning to pad on diligent petite paws out of the camps entrance and into the conifer canopied world beyond. Turning to the tom trotting along at his side, Mossfreckle spoke in open tones that were calm demeanoured - both direct and open, a delightful tête-à-tête on the edge but an opening to the gentle paw offered forth to untangle the webs of tension it seemed that his apprentice still had, ”How have you been, Grouse - I know it can be quite a lot to have every set of eyes on you,” he had felt it, the class of insecurity and the fear of messing up… of being a choice made in vain… maybe Grousepaw felt the same, maybe he didn’t but at the end of the day the herbalist cared for the feline - nothing more than the usual feelings of a mentor and apprentice at the moment but part of him hoped that it wouldn’t simply be a relationship of eggshells and a shared profession, hoped it would be more like it was with Lostspark… family, a home, a freindship…
{ @redshiftreign ~ Grousepaw // very rushed and short post as I have been so severely busy with family outings this week and need to meet my quota }
GROUSEPAW THE TRAILBLAZER "they say that i am the sick boy. easy to say when you don't take the risk, boy."
grousepaw followed in stride, large paws landing on soft soil, marking his trail with deep prints.
"you know," he said, an easy confidence sweeping away his prior unease. the best way to cut to the heart, straight through the awkward stillness that settled on his shoulders and stagnated was pretty simple; a joke. "i didn't expect to be learning about advanced murder methods this early in, but hey, i'm not complaining." he shrugged, grinning, as he careened his head to survey the mire. it was pretty expansive, sloping gently in all directions, pools of murky water that he strafed to dodge.
the apprentice paused, glancing back at moss. he was the boss, after all. the question of how he was doing felt awfully flat- or maybe that was his mistrust settling in. he had a nasty habit of feeling like every mentor was patronizing him. grouse cleared his throat a bit, and smiled. "it's a lot, i'll be honest." he conceded, head tilting slightly to the side. "and, it's all still so. . . unreal. i sorta feel like i'm walking on air. crazy, innit? nearly shocked my pelt of when i heard my name outta dawn's mouth."
grouse lifted his chin, sucking in through his teeth as he forced himself to relax. he glanced sidelong to his mentor, grinning. "how did you feel? on top of the world? because i'm gonna be honest as i can, i feel like i'm walkin' on egg shells. but, also, it's a whole open road to new knowledge. and man. . . i dunno, i love learning." he awkwardly dipped his head, tone genuine. he was pretty honest when he wanted to be, if only to make the rare few lies that much more credible. still, this level of straight up unabashed truth was even above him.
"but hey, lets get this bread." he turned his focus back to the task at hand, amber eyes catching like wildfire in the sunlight.
__________________
grousepaw is shadowclan's medicine cat apprentice
they and mossfreckle have a semi-closed den policy.
Both Tuftedtusk and Quillpaw went off on their own, within earshot, the apprentice needing none of her assistance. Nightshiver was pleased to receive such news; it must mean the youngling's training was progressing smoothly. With a smile on her face, it faltered only when she realised it was her turn now - to hunt, something she had not done in moons. Surely, she couldn't be out of practice? Her ears flicked, a wry smile now on her face as she opened her maw to scent the air, a first step when it came to hunting, heading in the pair's opposing direction.
Much to her own surprise, a familiar smell hung in the air, awaking long buried memories within the forever queen's mind. Mouse. Several, judging by the strength of the smell; crouching low, she found her stance was a little stiff, a little awkward - likely due to lack of practice, and it would take the low sneaking for her to slowly get the walk properly under paw again, when the small group of mice appeared in her view.
Three mice, skittering about, oblivious to her presence until the moment came where the pushed herself forth (claws belatedly unsheathing) as she hooked two of them under paw, offering a swift killing bit while the third escaped. A puff of air escaped her maw, watching the now lonely third mouse hurry away, a twinge of sadness in her chest. But, at least, she had caught something without getting too winded; taking the two mice by the tail, she returned to where she previously had been. "Are... Are you b-both... ready... to go.. back?"
Nightshiver asked gently.
Almost immediately after he caught the blackbird and burried it, the smell of mouse hit his nose. Crouching down, he spotted it sitting on a root nibbling a nut.
Stalking closer, he accidentally didn't check the wind direction and the mouse ran away. Growling to himself, he went back and grabbed the blackbird.
Coming back to stand with Nightshiver, he would nod with a grunt. He couldn't speak with a bird in his mouth afterall.
Confusion. That's What The Golden Giant Felt. Confusion. The Former Medicine Cat Was Confusing Him. Was He Doing Anything Wrong? Oh Wait. The Three Cat Patrol Rule Maybe? He Should Still Answer. Ohhhh...... The Three Cat Patrol Rule Is Still In Order? Very Sorry! I'll..., Head Back Now, LostSpark. I Forgot About That, Please Do Whatever You Must. I'll Be On My Way. The Golden Giant Got Up, And Moved In The Direction To Camp, Keeping His Calm. He Was Careful Not To Show This Cat The New Scar He Bore, Near The Shoulder. He Quickly Padded Into The Bushes, Towards Camp, Keeping His Calm. It Took Everything In Him, Not To Bare His Fangs And Correct LostSpark. He Wasn't SunFlop, He Was LionFlop. StarClan, Even His Own Clan, He Had To Try Not Sending Them To Their Ancestors! He Kept His Calm, And Continued Moving.
.
{ @Rose - LostSpark }
->> rookpaw <<-
[ she/her | shadowclan | 15moons | purrks ]
a scarred dark blueish grey cat with minimal white markings and grey eyes
rookpaw eyed lionflop through cool grey eyes and carefully weighed her options, speak up and risk going against lostsparks authority in some weird, twisted way, or stay quiet, the safer option by far, and potentially miss the chance to look just a bit better in lostsparks eyes. she wasnt quite sure if the former medicine cat would see initiative or misdemeanour in what she was thinking about saying but after a short silence, she decided. "i dont remember dawnstar lifting the rule, sunflop" the apprentice finally added, keeping the snark to a minimum and their tone as even as possible. it wasnt really her place to correct, and she was more than well aware of that but the irrational part of her ,that really thought this could possibly show lostspark that she was serious about this, had won this losing battle for relevance unexpectedly.
the warrior was weird, rook couldnt wrap her head around the fact that he had tried to excuse his behaviour by swearing bad memory. dawnstar had pretty much just instated the rule , wasnt he supposed to know the rules of his birth clan (or so she assumed) better than rookpaw who was not only an over aged apprentice but also what people like to call a 'clan hopper'. odd. it did give rook a bit of misplaced confidence though, she was in the right, she knew the rules and lostspark was (hopefully) on her side.
QUILLPAW he/him. 8 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]
prideful smirk on quillpaw's features, the apprentice immediately tried catching another scent. smelling a mouse, he quickly buries the frog before he starts to track it. dropping into a crouch, he spots the mouse searching about, most likely for something to nibble on.
creeping forward, he leaps at the mouse and quickly kills it. retrieving the frog from earlier, he heads back to nightshiver and tuftedtusk with the prey clamped between his jaws. he gives a firm nod in response to nightshivers question.
Brownpaw sighed with relief as she spotted Hawkbite's brown pelt, along with Eggpaw's paler one. Was he assigned to this patrol too? That made sense, Eggpaw was Hawkbite's other apprentice... a few moons older than her, almost warrior age if she remembered right. But Brownpaw had never talked to him before.
She would've changed that right now, if only she felt a little less... tired. Hopefully Eggpaw didn't mind her lateness. Hawkbite didn't seem too angry. In fact, he only told her they were visiting the medicine den later, sounding firm but not upset- or maybe she was just too sleepy to tell. Either way, Brownpaw gave her mentor a nod and a weary smile. She didn't know if the check-up was necessary, but if Hawkbite thought she needed it, she would trust him. Maybe the bad feeling would just go away with a nice, long nap...
Her gaze travelled across the mire as Hawkbite gave them a short introduction, making a sure note to not eat any deadly looking berries. Hawkbite could probably carry her home if she did start dying, he seemed strong, but that wouldn't be good for anyone and it'd make Grousepaw worry. So no deathberries.
She followed Hawkbite over to a patch of pretty yellow flowers, biting some of them off like he did and carrying the stems in her mouth. Next was catmint, or what she assumed was catmint, since it smelled as sweet as she always heard it did. Resisting the urge to eat it or spend any more time enjoying the scent, Brownpaw carefully picked a few leaves off, and before she knew it her mouth was full. How would she get some of the viney plants like Hawkbite did, then? She really needed a better way to carry herbs.
Maybe Brownpaw took a little too long gently picking her herbs, or thinking about maximizing carrying capacity, because when she turned her head Hawkbite was already walking off! "W-W't f'r me!", she tried to call out, but her voice was just too muffled by all the plants. If Hawkbite wasn't stopping, there was nothing to do but run after him. At least this time she had a guide home, about twenty tail lengths ahead of her.
(+3 celandine, +2 catmint)
@SuspiciousMindz @MockingRabbit (i saw the vm on your profile about you leaving! i hope you enjoy yourself don't feel like you need to reply!)
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ﾟ。 Mossfreckle (ShC)
ﾟ･｡･ﾟ they/he ~ medicine cat
❦ Mossy hues flitted momentarily to look over the eclectically patterned tom as he spoke, angular head bobbed in a silent confirmation and understanding before the freckled oriental herbalist began his medical spiel as he gathered, Deathberries are bright vermilion berries that grow on conifer type trees, they have a bell shape that encase a hard green seed looking center. Be mindful of where we store the as they look quite delectable to kits, they can kill with minutes and the best you can do is force that far to vomit although it may be too late regardless. As Dawnstar mentioned, Darkwater Mire seems to be a bountiful location to gather these,” motioning with the extension of a white tipped paw Mossfreckle pointed to the bush that they had reached during their time padding through the sunlight dappled forest, ”make sure that when you gather them you don’t get them in your mouth as it’s best to not risk it even if theoretically does no harm unless you consume them,” finishing the first of his three lesssons the medicine cat nipped off a few of the berries and turned to his apprentice before motioning with his white tipped feathery tail to motion once more for the feline to follow him along to find the next herb on the list. Meadow Saffron - referred to as simply purple flowers on occasion - are pale bluish purple flowers that grow directly out of the ground on very short stems, they have four petal that end in a point and cup around yellow stamens, they too are very poisonous but forcing a cat to throw up by using dandelions can usually do the trick when caught soon enough,” plucking a few purple flowers the lanky tom added them to the pile with the vivid red berries and continued on, ”white they do not come off as tasty looking to the vast majority of kits they do look pretty and may be snagged as gift, be diligent and take them away from kits and offer a small lesson if they happen to their paws on these,” one more to go and he would snag some marigolds and cobwebs on his way back to camp. Petite paws made whisper soft thumps against the lightly pine needle and grass carpeted earth that glowed in vivid verdant tones as the sun rose in the cumulous clouded lapis sky, ”Nightshade - mode formally Deadly Nightshade - is a plant with distinctive vivid purple flowers with erect yellow centers and once the blooms die the wilted buds form dark almost black berries that stick out from a star shaped flower looking bit that attaches them to the stem of the plant, it is best to simply avoid any possibility of the clan getting into them as vomiting is the only answer once again to possibly reversing some of the adverse symptoms and preventing death,” spotting the poison the herbalist made a beeline and canted his head in their direction so that Grousepaw would know to put the imagine to the name of the plant that his mentor was not adding to his growing toxic haul, ”Grab a few of each of the poisons, we do not have much of a use for them so our stocks do not have to be as abundant as the healing herbs, gather marigold and cobwebs did you have space, please.” Within his peripheral remained the large, fluffy form of his moltted apprentice but his paws remained focoused on their tasks as he glanced around the underbrush that clung up against the towering conifer tall pines for any sighting of the precious and quickly gone through silken thread and ruffled geoluhread hued buds of the marigold plant which he quickly found and gathered, angular head tuned over his shoulder to address the molly that was gathering their own plants to take back, ”We will head back when you are done, Grouse,” he chirped in his calm demeanoured tones that lilted smoothly form his white twinged maw as his angular body angled towards the camp in anticipation and preparation of the journey back to the camp, the steps through the entrance and into the clearing back to the sweet homey embrace of the medicine den that resided just beyond the shrouding of lush lichen curtains.
Re: Darkwater Mire
