RiverClan Territory

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Raven & Co

"W-Well... I wouldn't mind dying here with you..." Herringpaw mewed. suddently realising what he had done, he face-pawed.

Honeypaw chuckled,"I wouldn't either, but I think every cat in Starclan would laugh at our death, dying from staring." She purred.

[Panic]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Lucky nodded along as he mentor spoke, taking in the warm air and sunshine with glee. Skunkbelly veered off to the left and Nightpaw followed, "ok," she agreed at once, wondering what she'd see out here in the forest. Her nose was alive with a thousand scents and the trickle of the river sang along with the birds in the treetops. Nightpaw felt more alive than ever out here.

He stopped in a small clearing in the trees. "What do you see? Just, around you." He sat down and looked up into the trees. "Anything that catches your eye?"

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Panic

He stopped in a small clearing in the trees. "What do you see? Just, around you." He sat down and looked up into the trees. "Anything that catches your eye?"

(I think Lucky/Nightpaw is going to be a bit useless at first. She'd as naive as all get out.)

Nightpaw looked around the clearing in silence, turning her whole body to view the immediate area. "Uh... I see trees... and a bush there," she added, pointing with her paw. Her ear torn ear flicked as she looked skyward, "Oh, and there's a bright red bird there in that tree!" she added. Sure enough, a cardinal was twittering high in the treetops. "Pretty," the little black she-cat chimed to herself as she continued to stare up at the bird.

[Bunnyburns36]

Originally Posted by Fern

(It is fine. My life got crazy too. College homework, and my job....I expected that much. Dustpaw can't win every time. XD)

Dustpaw nodded, flicking an ear as his mentor spoke. He was slightly larger around than other apprentices his age, but he had a feeling he could use it to his advantage in the rocky area near the river banks. "Okay, Flamewhiskers." He mewed, waiting as his mentor padded away. The grey apprentice opened his mouth slightly, tasting the air.

Flamewhiskers dipped his head and padded further into Riverclan's territory. He could smell the river near by and hurried his pace up a bit. He wanted to disguise his scent from Dustpaw, to see if his tracking skills have improved any these two moons. The leaves rustled above him as he padded through the sparse woods.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Beau

Cloudstrike watched Duskfeather nodded and added to the Riverclan cat's statement, "I agree. For me, it's that other cats tend to underestimate me since I'm not very intimidating. Also, cat's often think I'm bigger than I am so they try to catch me but they just come up with a pawful of fur!" Cloudstrike's eyes gleamed mischievously as she thought of all the failed attacks on her, but that thought disappeared rather quickly. Cloudstrike was far from the best fighter in the forest, in Shadowclan alone, but she managed largely due to what she'd divulged to the sandy she-cat a few seconds ago. Of course, the thought that she'd just given her secrets away to an 'enemy warrior' didn't even cross her mind. Or maybe it did, but she just didn't catch it. Either way, Cloudstrike didn't view fellow cats as enemies or allies. Duskfeather may not have been her clan mate, but she was kind and friendly and deserved as much kindness from Cloudstrike as any Shadowclan cat. The thought that one day she may have to fight her friend floated past in her mind, but Cloudstrike had a habit of avoiding thoughts she didn't like and she managed to let that thought escape.

Cloudstrike drew herself out of her thought to speak and walk over to the stones. She settled on a warm rock and listened intently to her friend's reply, nodding in drowsy agreement. "Sounds lovely." Cloudstrike murmured, catching Duskfeather's yawn and feeling the urge to yawn tug at her jaws. She gave in with little fight and let the yawn come soon after Duskfeather closed her own jaws. A tiny, involuntary squeak escaped Cloudstrike as she was yawning, and she giggled, "Excuse me!" The molly laughed, shrugging it off. The white warrior turned to look at Duskfeather, following her gaze with her own eyes. The swirling of the water was hypnotic and Cloudstrike felt like the warm sun, smooth rock, and gently splashing water were all whispering at her to sleep. Cloudstrike's blue eyes were half closed in contentment and she joined in on Duskfeather's purr, feeling far too serene to not express it.

Duskfeather's question woke her slightly, but describing Shadowclan made her homesick and even more tired. Another yawn escaped the ivory feline as she finished her description, and she rested her head on the rock, flopped out on her side. Duskfeather's suggestion was compelling and Cloudstrike meowed, "I've never tried that, but it sounds like it could work. The other thing, though, is that I find it rather hard to sneak up on those poor creatures and kill them. It just doesn't seem fair, they can't fight back." The gentle molly hated hurting anyone, but it was harder to tolerate when they were innocent and defenseless. Any other cat would find this preposterous, and even if they felt similar, they'd know better than to divulge this odd feeling to other warriors, but Cloudstrike was too naive to realize that she was the minority where prey was concerned. Cloudstrike returned Duskfeather's smile and blinked at her question. Once again, Cloudstrike found nothing suspicious in the question and answered without hesitation, "There is solid ground as well as muddy areas, but the ground isn't really soft and grassy like here," she gestured with her tail to Riverclan territory, "it's covered in pine needles which makes it soft enough but it can also be itchy sometimes, or if the pine needles are in a bad position they could poke you in the paws. We eat mostly frogs and lizards, but there is the occasional squirrel. There are also birds like magpies and blackbirds. What about Riverclan? You guys eat land prey too, not just fish, right?"

"I mean, you could be intimidating if you wanted to be, I'm sure. Looking bigger than you actually are is a good start. And yes, that helps too, I know that certainly won't happen with me." Snorted out the sandy brown she-cat, looking at her short fur before shaking her head. "Luckily enough I'd say I have good enough reflexes not to catch too many hits though."
Her eyes would focus on Cloudstrike for a moment before she heaved out a breath with a smile, her mind focusing on the subject for a moment. Sure she had given away the surprise of her secret move to a Shadowclan cat, but to her, the clan didn't matter. This cat was a good cat, she felt it in her heart, and she's sure that her secret was in good paws. Besides, if.. They did meet in battle one day, Duskfeather would refuse to fight her. She would turn a blind eye and move to someone else to fight. She didn't care if it was considered disloyal to do so, Cloudstrike was a good cat and she would never heart such a kind.. Innocent. Cat. She just couldn't do it. Maybe this would be the only time she ever see's Cloudstrike, maybe they wouldn't even become friends, that this was the only time they ever talk, but even still, it didn't matter to her. She would not fight Cloudstrike. She had a good sense of character and knew that that white she-cat was a kind-hearted, good cat all around. She just knew it.

"Indeed." Mewed out the she-cat quietly, almost as if not even paying attention to what she had originally said, soothed by the rhythm of the water and the sound of it lapping at the shore. But the sound of Cloudstrike squeaking during her yawn, caused her head to turn to make sure the other she-cat was alright. Hearing the Shadowclan cat laugh it off and excuse herself, Duskfeather would giggle quietly and flash a friendly smile before turning her gaze back to the water, feeling another yawn try and tug her jaws open but this time she fought it off.

"Hm." The Riverclan warrior never really thought about the defenselessness of the prey she caught, it never occurred to her. "Well.
They were meant to die just as we were. Feeling pity on them because you have to kill them for food is kind of pointless because one day we'll eventually be food as well, but food for the earth and crows. It isn't fair, but we can't help it and the earth certainly doesn't take pity on us either. And really, death isn't painful." Duskfeather paused, flicking her ear a bit. "If you are a good hunter, you end your prey before they can feel the pain.
You are ending their suffering and letting them go from the stresses of life,
the stress of searching for food the next day, of searching for water and shelter, of providing, while in turn allowing another life to live."
No one really thought of death in the way Duskfeather did, in fact they seemed rather put off by her opinion of it, it was almost like she welcomed death itself, but that wasn't true. She simply understood it. "Er, sorry. I suppose that's just my opinion and I apologize if that discredits your views.
But I don't believe death is something that should be hated, or that killing prey is cruel." Dipping her head a bit, she frowns, unsure if she could have hurt Cloudstrike's feelings in some way, or perhaps even upset her.
Though lucky enough the conversation seemed to change and the she-cat let out a small breath, allowing her brain to switch to the conversation that was now being focused on. "That's pretty intriguing! Glad to say we don't have pine needles here, they don't sound very cozy." Shaking her head a bit, she'd offer the smile she had flashed before. "Oh yes yes, we get water voles and shrews, sometimes mice and the occasional bird, but most of the time fish. They're just the easiest to get and they help out fur to repel water when swimming, the oils and what not from it."

[dionysus]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

"I mean, you could be intimidating if you wanted to be, I'm sure. Looking bigger than you actually are is a good start. And yes, that helps too, I know that certainly won't happen with me." Snorted out the sandy brown she-cat, looking at her short fur before shaking her head. "Luckily enough I'd say I have good enough reflexes not to catch too many hits though."
Her eyes would focus on Cloudstrike for a moment before she heaved out a breath with a smile, her mind focusing on the subject for a moment. Sure she had given away the surprise of her secret move to a Shadowclan cat, but to her, the clan didn't matter. This cat was a good cat, she felt it in her heart, and she's sure that her secret was in good paws. Besides, if.. They did meet in battle one day, Duskfeather would refuse to fight her. She would turn a blind eye and move to someone else to fight. She didn't care if it was considered disloyal to do so, Cloudstrike was a good cat and she would never heart such a kind.. Innocent. Cat. She just couldn't do it. Maybe this would be the only time she ever see's Cloudstrike, maybe they wouldn't even become friends, that this was the only time they ever talk, but even still, it didn't matter to her. She would not fight Cloudstrike. She had a good sense of character and knew that that white she-cat was a kind-hearted, good cat all around. She just knew it.

"Indeed." Mewed out the she-cat quietly, almost as if not even paying attention to what she had originally said, soothed by the rhythm of the water and the sound of it lapping at the shore. But the sound of Cloudstrike squeaking during her yawn, caused her head to turn to make sure the other she-cat was alright. Hearing the Shadowclan cat laugh it off and excuse herself, Duskfeather would giggle quietly and flash a friendly smile before turning her gaze back to the water, feeling another yawn try and tug her jaws open but this time she fought it off.

"Hm." The Riverclan warrior never really thought about the defenselessness of the prey she caught, it never occurred to her. "Well.
They were meant to die just as we were. Feeling pity on them because you have to kill them for food is kind of pointless because one day we'll eventually be food as well, but food for the earth and crows. It isn't fair, but we can't help it and the earth certainly doesn't take pity on us either. And really, death isn't painful." Duskfeather paused, flicking her ear a bit. "If you are a good hunter, you end your prey before they can feel the pain.
You are ending their suffering and letting them go from the stresses of life,
the stress of searching for food the next day, of searching for water and shelter, of providing, while in turn allowing another life to live."
No one really thought of death in the way Duskfeather did, in fact they seemed rather put off by her opinion of it, it was almost like she welcomed death itself, but that wasn't true. She simply understood it. "Er, sorry. I suppose that's just my opinion and I apologize if that discredits your views.
But I don't believe death is something that should be hated, or that killing prey is cruel." Dipping her head a bit, she frowns, unsure if she could have hurt Cloudstrike's feelings in some way, or perhaps even upset her.
Though lucky enough the conversation seemed to change and the she-cat let out a small breath, allowing her brain to switch to the conversation that was now being focused on. "That's pretty intriguing! Glad to say we don't have pine needles here, they don't sound very cozy." Shaking her head a bit, she'd offer the smile she had flashed before. "Oh yes yes, we get water voles and shrews, sometimes mice and the occasional bird, but most of the time fish. They're just the easiest to get and they help out fur to repel water when swimming, the oils and what not from it."

Cloudstrike tilted her head thoughtfully as Duskfeather spoke, replying afterwards in a contemplative voice, "That's true. Though, I'll never be as intimidating as a naturally large, tall, muscular cat. I've accepted that. But, you're right. My fur might add some intimidation factor since it makes me appear larger. Then again, it is soft and fluffy, which doesn't often inspire fear in the hearts of my enemies." Cloudstrike laughed at the absurdity of her remark, knowing and priding herself on the fact that she had no enemies. At Duskfeather's comment, Cloudstrike turned her sapphire pools onto the Riverclan warrior's sleek and short fur. "Perhaps not, but at least you can swim without the weight of a full other cat dragging you down!" The white cat mewed lightheartedly, making a fake exasperated expression that quickly dissolved into a smile. All thoughts of possibly fighting Duskfeather one day had fled from her mind, but somewhere in her brain, Cloudstrike already knew she'd never be able to hurt her friend. The she-cat found it hard enough to harm strangers, let alone someone she knew and genuinely liked. One of the many thoughts that crossed her mind in that moment was the hope that she'd meet Duskfeather again. They weren't done talking yet, but soon one or both of them would head back to the camp and get lost in other duties. The busy lives of warriors tended to sweep friends away from each other like a strong current, and Cloudstrike could only pray to Starclan that Duskfeather and her would remain close.

Cloudstrike contemplated Duskfeather's argument, finding herself nodding along with her words. "That makes sense, Dawn. I know it doesn't really hurt them and that their deaths are necessary sacrifices. I also know that it isn't really all that unfair since eventually the same will happen to us. But, I still find it difficult to kill them. They're just so cute! I don't think it will ever come easily. But, maybe it isn't supposed to..." Cloudstrike's voice was gentle and had a slight philosophical note to it. But, there was not a hint of anger or offense anywhere within it. In fact, she was rather confused by her friend's apology and she responded innocently, "You don't need to apologize, Dawn. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and just because ours differ doesn't mean one refutes the other." The ivory warrior gave Duskfeather a friendly smile to calm the other she-cat's worries. "I do agree with you that death shouldn't be feared or hated," Cloudstrike added, "When you die, you go somewhere better. Besides, living forever would be terribly boring and I'd imagine rather lonely.

Duskfeather's comment about pine needles made Cloudstrike laugh and she purred, "You get used to them." Her ears perked to better catch Duskfeather's description of Riverclan prey and she mewed, "It makes sense that you eat so much fish. I never knew that it helped to keep you're fur so sleek and water-resistant." That fact was common knowledge, and the forgetful she-cat most likely was told about it before, but as of that moment she didn't remember. After finishing her words, Cloudstrike rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, letting the sun shine on her belly fur. One of the odd she-cat's many quirks was that she liked laying on her back. She found it comfortable, and could stay there for hours, just dozing or watching her surroundings.

[Gone]

Originally Posted by Chameleon

Honeypaw chuckled,"I wouldn't either, but I think every cat in Starclan would laugh at our death, dying from staring." She purred.

"I-I guess..?" Herringpaw mewed, it would definitively be a stupid way to die.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Raven & Co

"I-I guess..?" Herringpaw mewed, it would definitively be a stupid way to die.

Honeypaw laughed slightly.

[Hexict]

Originally Posted by fenic!

Rabbitpaw wasn't exactly in the best mood, though she was certainly doing a bit better after her littermate's murder than her father was. Russetstar had gotten so overwhelmed with stress that he'd never gotten the time to properly grieve, but the marbled she-cat figured she was doing alright herself- she had friends and all, anyways. Besides, it's not like Cricketpaw can't see me from up in StarClan- I'm sure she'll be really proud when I become a warrior myself! Grinning as she followed Mistfall into the territory, the apprentice really did admire her mentor despite her younger age for a warrior- she was smart and rather brave as well, and when she became a warrior, she wanted to be just like her. Glancing around the territory with a bored kind of sigh as she walked, it surely was more crowded than usual with all these ShadowClan cats staying here, but at least they were being able to pull their own weight.

She didn't mind the other clan's cats- they had their share of jerks just like RiverClan did, but most of them seemed respectable, even if she hadn't truly gotten many chances to interact with them. She was one to do her own thing and not judge others for doing theirs- of course, unless they were murdering or something terrible like that. But she wouldn't get in the way of other cat's conversations if they were from different clans- what was the use in that, anyways? A single cat couldn't drive a whole clan out of their own territory, after all.

Finally being stopped by her mentor by the river, the apprentice quickly turned towards her mentor for an idea of what to do before she'd been instructed- a bit harsher than she was used to from Mistfall, but the marbled cat simply shrugged in response, along with a nod. "No problem- the river looks larger than it usually is, so there should be a few more fish than usual, right? If so, it should be easier to catch one or two." She observed rather carefully, before unsheathing her claws and taking a seat by the water's edge, carefully looking for any signs of fish swimming around in the blue currents. At the sight of a few silver streaks in the water, she immediately plunged her paw in, going in for a catch. Bringing her paw back up, it was revealed that she'd managed to catch one of the smaller fish in the group, but not the bigger ones- a catch, but a bit disappointing to the apprentice as well.

Mistfall gave a small smile after Rabbitpaw pointed out how the river has grown and that it meant there would be more fish. The warrior waved her tail and was glad that Rabbitpaw had noticed. Of course, any cat could have noted the difference in the river's size, but she had also stated the fact about the fish and Mistfall was glad she had noticed so quickly after they made it the river. She was proud of her apprentice's observation and had hopes for her. Mistfall believed that Rabbitpaw could become a great young warrior when it come time for her to change ranks and join the warriors. Maybe she would become just like Russetstar? Granted, the two weren't exactly alike but they did have their similarities such as their strong feeling to protect others. Mistfall admitted that that was an important quality to have, especially when living in the clans. You must protect your clan-mates, whether you are a warrior or even a medicine cat. And she was glad that Rabbitpaw had that trait. And she seemed smart... she definitely had the potentially to become a great warrior.

Pale orbs followed her apprentice to the edge of the river as she readied herself to show her hunting skills. The warrior began to space out again -something that didn't usually happen - and blinked as she thought back on the warm scent she had noticed just moments ago when they had been walking. guilt clawed at her stomach for think about them and quickly shook it out of her thoughts. Focus on Rabbitpaw. This is about her now, she's a bit over half-way done with her training and I need to make sure that she's ready to become a warrior when the time comes, Mistfall shook out her shorter fur - though around her neck and chest is a bit fluffy and thick as well as her tail. Besides, we really need this food for the rest of the clans as well as Shadowclan, blinking once again she watched just in time to witness Rabbitpaw plunge into the water pull out a fish.

The warrior gave a purr of pride at her apprentice's catch and padded closer to her. "That was a nice catch!" the molly praised while watching some other fish swim away due to Rabbitpaw's hunt. Noting the disappointment in the spotted cat's orbs, she simply waved her tail in a dismissive manner. Mistfall herself had been a terrible hunter not too long ago. She had left the clan early in her apprenticeship and hadn't gotten around to much hunting training plus she didn't really learn to much when she was living away. So after she returned, she realized just how behind she was. Of course, her fighting was actually quite impressive for a cat her age - and size - but she couldn't become a warrior until she had been able to perfect her hunting. In a strange way, she found herself lucky that her temporary mentor hadn't even bothered to train her - but that was shocking since there was clearly bad blood between her and her father. Though she did end up learning how to hunt from a Starclan tom that she sometimes saw and was grateful to him and hoped that she was doing a good job at training Rabbitpaw how to hunt like had been with her.

"Don't worry if you don't catch the biggest fish," she began, flicking Rabbitpaw's ear with her tail. "Any warrior should be pleased with what they catch as long as they tried," Mistfall pointed out and watched the rippling current of the river, there were a few small fish that dared to swim by the two after Rabbitpaw had already caught a fish. "You you're form was really good, your movements were quick both when catching the fish and when finishing it off. You won't believe how many cats lose their catch to something as fish-brained as not killing their fish in time. Besides, any fish we catch will help feed the many mouths back at camp," the warrior watched the river carefully. Suddenly the molly got up and moved a few tail lengths downstream as not to get in her apprentice's way while they hunted. "Now, keep doing as you are and try to catch some more prey as they swim past. Don't worry yourself over the size of the fish you catch but rather the amount. Being hung up about something so trivial you might end up messing up more- not saying that you're messing up," she was quick to add the last thing, twitching her tail to wonder if what she said was correct and Rabbitpaw would understand. "I just mean... that you might be off if you're worrying about such things," the grey warrior bit her lip after this and hoped that was right.

[Captain Toad]

@SparkleDemon
Nightshade put on a cheerful face to cover her thoughts. Why had she agreed to go hunting? Why was she feeling so embarrased? She trotted alongside the tom, lost in thought.