Her stumble at the worst possible moment had the hornet cursing in her mind. Yellow-green eyes found Swanpaw getting in front of her and immediately concern for her own well being disappeared. Against the pain that erupted within her from putting weight on her twisted paw Redhawk gritted her teeth, eventually staggering to the front and pushing Swanpaw behind her. Her ears went flat against her head and her fangs were barred, fur fluffed up to make her look twice her normal size.
Even as the ShadowClanner started to explain, Red's claws remained out and muscles tense. Her twisted paw was pressed into the ground to help her steady herself and she ignored the waves of pain it caused to roll over her. His reassurances did nothing to calm the hornet down, not when she knew what this band of rogues had done to her sister.
But... this cat didn't seem to be anything other than shocked. And from where he was lying, her name muttered under his breath, Redhawk's eyes widened as she discovered Elkpaw was, in fact alive. "Elkpaw, i-it's okay. I-I'm here, m-me and SSS-Swanpaw," she reassured him, casting a sideways glance as she slunk towards the apprentice - all the while casting her tail out to indicate for Swanpaw to follow behind her.
"..." Redhawk opened her jaw to speak, staring distrustfully at the ShadowClanner, before closing it once more. Following his story, and seeing the scuffle, and the fact that he hadn't been actively trying to finish the job when they had arrived... the hornet had to admit his story might be true. "...T-Thank you. For bringing him b-back up, and sss-staying with him." Despite the words her tone was clipped as she looked back to Elkpaw, expression immediately softening. "It's alright, Elkpaw, w-we're gonna b-bring you back t-to camp a-a-and everything issss gonna b-be alright, o-okay?"
Looking at the best way to do this, the hornet nosed herself under her apprentice's bloodied and bruised body and hoisted him onto her back, wincing as the added weight caused her to step on her injured paw. "I sss-swear to the sss-stars above I'm gonna f-figure out who d-did this," Redhawk spat then, an uncharacteristic like venom flaring in her eyes. "He's a young a-apprentice, and didn't k-know the borders well yet. T-There was no r-reason to attack him. T-Tell Dawnstar... t-tell her to keep her Clans' claws to herself!"
With tears falling from her eyes the overwhelmed hornet looked to Swanpaw and nodded in the direction of camp. "Come on. W-We need t-to get him b-back." And with that she hobbled as fast as she could in the direction of camp.
A patrol; young ear gave a flicker hearing the medic's call, setting up for another herb patrol, though, this time in the company of her mama and younger sister. Sleepypaw did not care much for the fourth member of their patrol, other than that they have been spending a suspicious amount of time with mama - more than she ever thought mama to have, but, she supposed to was a natural reflex of keeping an eye on the outsider and train them as her new apprentice. Sleepypaw, never changing, did not complain and rather focused on what was being said; faintly, she could still remember what oak leaves looked like from a previous patrol. Cobwebs were rather straight forward being white, thin and sticky whereas the poppies (she supposed poppy seeds came from those) and marigold had a more complicated description - but, the general gist being, a long-stemmed red flower with a dark centre and, lastly, a bright yellow-orange-ish ruffled flower. Committing these descriptions to memory, Sleepypaw approached her mama and Rookpaw, who had already gathered, approaching to let dark, unkept fur brush her mama as a silent (and affectionate) show of greeting.
Bounding up to the cats as her name was called, Mirepaw gave a little leap of joy, a wide grin spread across her face. "Patrol time!" she let out in excitement, jumping high in the air as she headed towards Mama, Sleepypaw, and Rookpaw. She started first with giving Mama a big hug if there was room, then coming to stand at the side of Rookpaw and eyeing her curiously. "...Your fur is really pretty! It's dark, like mine!" As if to demonstrate, the apprentice turned in a circle to showcase her dark black-gray patterned fur, then beamed up at Rookpaw with a grin. Her eyes then drifted to Mama. "Sorry I'm late, Mama! Had to tuck my rocks back into my nest."
Lostspark would probably never understand the minds of her children. Some of them were sophisticated, some made friends with rocks? All she hoped for was that they were in a good mental place, unlike what had happened during the family meeting. There was still no forgiveness on the horizon for Lostspark, and she expected to carry the weight of her misdeeds until the day she died. Someone would always remember, someone would always despise her for her rash actions.
Glancing over at Sleepypaw as her daughter's pelt brushed against hers, Lostspark bent to lick the top of the she-cat's head before enveloping Mirepaw in a hug. These moments were all she wanted. To be loved. As Mirepaw began speaking to Rookpaw, Lostpark stood and gestured the apprentices out of camp. "Follow me." She voiced, and then headed to Herondrive Hollow. "This is our border with ThunderClan. Do any of you remember what Mossfreckle asked us to collect?" She tested.
Lostspark would probably never understand the minds of her children. Some of them were sophisticated, some made friends with rocks? All she hoped for was that they were in a good mental place, unlike what had happened during the family meeting. There was still no forgiveness on the horizon for Lostspark, and she expected to carry the weight of her misdeeds until the day she died. Someone would always remember, someone would always despise her for her rash actions.
Glancing over at Sleepypaw as her daughter's pelt brushed against hers, Lostspark bent to lick the top of the she-cat's head before enveloping Mirepaw in a hug. These moments were all she wanted. To be loved. As Mirepaw began speaking to Rookpaw, Lostpark stood and gestured the apprentices out of camp. "Follow me." She voiced, and then headed to Herondrive Hollow. "This is our border with ThunderClan. Do any of you remember what Mossfreckle asked us to collect?" She tested.
rookpaw eyed mirepaw, another one of lostsparks seemingly endless hoard of children (though not in the bad way, rookpaw knew lostspark had no fault at the amount of children starclan decided to give her) though one she hadnt met yet (or at least hadnt spoken to)..at least if her memory didnt betray her today. "mhh thank you, nice to meet you" the equally dark pelted apprentice replied, simple words accompanied by a friendly smile, unsure what else was there to say as the other apprentice spun in a circle to show off their pelt. mirepaws attention shifted back to her mother and rookpaw took her eyes off the younger (that was what rook assumed anyway) as well, lostspark led the way to herondrive hollow. rookpaw could remember what her mentor had said the last time they were here and her memory didnt betray her regarding the herbs either. "he asked for cobwebs, marigolds, oak leaves, and poppies but we are supposed to focus on the first three" the warrior aged apprentice replied after giving the others a moment of silence in case they wanted to reply instead.
[ @Estelle - sleepypaw , @taillow - mirepaw , is it even a rook & lost/lost children interaction if she doesnt mention the amount of children xd ]
__________________
"i wish things were different, but it werent us who changed."
Well, Rookpaw wasn't coming but Mistlewhisker would be in their place. With a quick gesture for the apprentice and the deputy to follow him, Hawkbite headed out to Herondive Hollow. Hopefully, the other clans were behaving with RiverClan gone at the moment. He didn't expect anything exciting out here. Once they'd gotten there, Hawkbite slowed their pace and began checking for any crossings or suspicious activity, marking spots as they moved along the border.
"Your ceremony is coming up, isn't it?" Hawkbite would try to make small talk with the younger feline. Not too long ago, they'd done an ambush training lesson. The first for him, but he didn't mind. He'd gotten to know Sleepypaw a little better and he had some high hopes for the she-cat as a warrior.
He felt as though Mistlewhisker wouldn't need any guidance in marking a border. She'd chime in if she wanted to, or go about her own way. Either way, Hawkbite would give her a knowing nod and continue on his way, taking interest in Sleepypaw over the deputy this time. Their tension would have to be addressed soon, whether it was during this patrol in front of the apprentice or at another time.
@Estelle - Sleepypaw | @Mica - Mistlewhisker [Estelle told me about the change! I missed that notif, thank you for your patience!]
Mirepaw joined them, and Sleepypaw sparred her younger a small, fleeting smile before her focus returned to the patrol at paw. With mama leading them ahead, Sleepypaw followed beside her shoulder, walking towards the border Miss Grandmama had shown her moons ago, albeit the path towards it was a little different. Her gaze swept around the land while mama spoke, Rookpaw quick to answer - though watching the older apprentice, the nine moon old wondered why neither, or at least Rookpaw, had already started looking for the herbs rather than just... Talking. At least mama was checking whether they still remembered it correctly, she saw the use in that, though, it wasn't difficult to remember. Red flowers with black seeds, fluffy orangey yellow flowers, those leaves she found before, the thin sticky webs and... That was all. She looked at her mama for some time before setting off, silence dictating she would remain within her mama's line of sight.
But looking for these plants wasn't much difficult. She knew what oak leaves looked like having gathered them with Mossfreckle before, and marigold sounded rather... Unmissable. with ThunderClan's few trees littering the border, oak leaves were soon found and gently gathered between her jaws, setting out further towards ShadowClan territory for the flowers the young apprentice had set her sights on. The vibrant eyes standing out against her mostly dark pelt swept around the territory, nose twitching as she scented the air of anything that smelled flowery; and sure enough, in the distance, her eyes fell upon a small patch of flowers. Approaching with a quick step, Sleepypaw confirmed with herself these were most likely the ones she was looking for (taking a moment to smell them so she could remember the scent for later), before gathering them between her jaws as well. Unfortunately being unable to carry any more than this, the youngling decided to head back towards mama.
Oh. Rookpaw had made the mistake of getting too injured, now they couldn't perform their duties... Sleepypaw could only be happy she wasn't being excluded only because of the light limp that marked her paw, although it had gotten significantly less since getting treated. Devoid of expression, she nodded at Mistlewhisker's words as the deputy decided to take the injured apprentice's place. She would be surrounded by capable cats of the clan, it seemed, silently following in Hawkbite's wake as they headed for Herondive Hollow.
She had never gone on a border patrol before, though the apprentice had marked the new territory alongside some others. She wasn't lacking in practice, merely in the customs of a border patrol which she assumed were merely checking and marking the border; or so she hoped, mimicking Hawkbite's actions in an opposing route as she checked for any trespassing or issues that needed addressing, leaving behind the scent of ShadowClan as she marked the border as she went.
The enforcer commander, however, seemed to have a different set of plans as he addressed her with a question that made her visibly paused for several moments. "..I don't know."
She finally stated, voice dull; after all, only Miss Grandmama could know if her performance was good enough to warrant a warrior ceremony. Somewhere, she hoped it did. She was nine moons already, becoming a warrior at any age older than this certainly wasn't a part of her plans -- still, the conflicted feeling remained, one she swiftly pushed down as she focused on her duty instead; nearly, the apprentice asked about Hawkbite's warrior ceremony being soon (one often returned the question they were asked, she had noticed) but stopped herself before she could.
Well, Rookpaw wasn't coming but Mistlewhisker would be in their place. With a quick gesture for the apprentice and the deputy to follow him, Hawkbite headed out to Herondive Hollow. Hopefully, the other clans were behaving with RiverClan gone at the moment. He didn't expect anything exciting out here. Once they'd gotten there, Hawkbite slowed their pace and began checking for any crossings or suspicious activity, marking spots as they moved along the border.
"Your ceremony is coming up, isn't it?" Hawkbite would try to make small talk with the younger feline. Not too long ago, they'd done an ambush training lesson. The first for him, but he didn't mind. He'd gotten to know Sleepypaw a little better and he had some high hopes for the she-cat as a warrior.
He felt as though Mistlewhisker wouldn't need any guidance in marking a border. She'd chime in if she wanted to, or go about her own way. Either way, Hawkbite would give her a knowing nod and continue on his way, taking interest in Sleepypaw over the deputy this time. Their tension would have to be addressed soon, whether it was during this patrol in front of the apprentice or at another time.
@Estelle - Sleepypaw | @Mica - Mistlewhisker [Estelle told me about the change! I missed that notif, thank you for your patience!]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Estelle
Oh. Rookpaw had made the mistake of getting too injured, now they couldn't perform their duties... Sleepypaw could only be happy she wasn't being excluded only because of the light limp that marked her paw, although it had gotten significantly less since getting treated. Devoid of expression, she nodded at Mistlewhisker's words as the deputy decided to take the injured apprentice's place. She would be surrounded by capable cats of the clan, it seemed, silently following in Hawkbite's wake as they headed for Herondive Hollow.
She had never gone on a border patrol before, though the apprentice had marked the new territory alongside some others. She wasn't lacking in practice, merely in the customs of a border patrol which she assumed were merely checking and marking the border; or so she hoped, mimicking Hawkbite's actions in an opposing route as she checked for any trespassing or issues that needed addressing, leaving behind the scent of ShadowClan as she marked the border as she went.
The enforcer commander, however, seemed to have a different set of plans as he addressed her with a question that made her visibly paused for several moments. "..I don't know."
She finally stated, voice dull; after all, only Miss Grandmama could know if her performance was good enough to warrant a warrior ceremony. Somewhere, she hoped it did. She was nine moons already, becoming a warrior at any age older than this certainly wasn't a part of her plans -- still, the conflicted feeling remained, one she swiftly pushed down as she focused on her duty instead; nearly, the apprentice asked about Hawkbite's warrior ceremony being soon (one often returned the question they were asked, she had noticed) but stopped herself before she could.
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Deputy
she/her | 41 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye] Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend
· · ────────────── · ·
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker padded behind the Commander and Sleepypaw, listening idly to the sounds of the forest that surrounded them. She didn't like leaving the camp after assigning patrols, but she had wanted to get out anyway. She wanted to talk to Hawkbite--their relationship had seemed strained after her promotion. Now wasn't the time, but she wanted to gauge their standing together during the patrol.
As they approached the border, Mistlewhisker heard Hawkbite bring up Sleepypaw's warrior ceremony. The deputy cast her one-eyed gaze to the apprentice, curious as to her answer. The hesitant answer had her raising a brow. "After the raid, I have no doubt your shall receive your name." She meowed. She had seen Sleepypaw in the aftermath, and it was clear she had held her own in the fighting and come out the other side in better shape than those she crossed. She had her training completed, so there was no reason for her to remain an apprentice.
As they marked the border, Mistlewhisker scanned the ThunderClan side. She recalled Hillstrider telling her about finding a ThunderClan apprentice on the ShadowClan side of the border. It didn't take long for her to figure out where--stale blood caked some of the pineneedles, though most had been swept away by other paws or the breeze. It was too stale to find anything about whoever might have done this. Mistlewhisker closed her eye briefly, pain lancing through her head. First a cannibal, and now someone who tormented a young apprentice. Unless the clan wanted to end up like RiverClan, they were going to have to shape up. She turned to Hawkbite. "I would like to be a part of the Enforcer meeting whenever you have it." She murmured quietly to him. "I want to discuss plans to catch cats who are causing us problems." She wouldn't dream of ordering him around, and hoped he wouldn't take it that way. He was smart. He would understand that this was just her trying to keep everyone on the same page.
Once the stretch of the border had been marked, Mistlewhisker stretched her hulking body and turned back towards camp. Cats would be finishing up patrols now. She hoped they were doing better than before. She waited for Hawkbite to indicate they were ready before heading out.
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Deputy
she/her | 41 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye] Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend
· · ────────────── · ·
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker padded behind the Commander and Sleepypaw, listening idly to the sounds of the forest that surrounded them. She didn't like leaving the camp after assigning patrols, but she had wanted to get out anyway. She wanted to talk to Hawkbite--their relationship had seemed strained after her promotion. Now wasn't the time, but she wanted to gauge their standing together during the patrol.
As they approached the border, Mistlewhisker heard Hawkbite bring up Sleepypaw's warrior ceremony. The deputy cast her one-eyed gaze to the apprentice, curious as to her answer. The hesitant answer had her raising a brow. "After the raid, I have no doubt your shall receive your name." She meowed. She had seen Sleepypaw in the aftermath, and it was clear she had held her own in the fighting and come out the other side in better shape than those she crossed. She had her training completed, so there was no reason for her to remain an apprentice.
As they marked the border, Mistlewhisker scanned the ThunderClan side. She recalled Hillstrider telling her about finding a ThunderClan apprentice on the ShadowClan side of the border. It didn't take long for her to figure out where--stale blood caked some of the pineneedles, though most had been swept away by other paws or the breeze. It was too stale to find anything about whoever might have done this. Mistlewhisker closed her eye briefly, pain lancing through her head. First a cannibal, and now someone who tormented a young apprentice. Unless the clan wanted to end up like RiverClan, they were going to have to shape up. She turned to Hawkbite. "I would like to be a part of the Enforcer meeting whenever you have it." She murmured quietly to him. "I want to discuss plans to catch cats who are causing us problems." She wouldn't dream of ordering him around, and hoped he wouldn't take it that way. He was smart. He would understand that this was just her trying to keep everyone on the same page.
Once the stretch of the border had been marked, Mistlewhisker stretched her hulking body and turned back towards camp. Cats would be finishing up patrols now. She hoped they were doing better than before. She waited for Hawkbite to indicate they were ready before heading out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Estelle
Oh. Rookpaw had made the mistake of getting too injured, now they couldn't perform their duties... Sleepypaw could only be happy she wasn't being excluded only because of the light limp that marked her paw, although it had gotten significantly less since getting treated. Devoid of expression, she nodded at Mistlewhisker's words as the deputy decided to take the injured apprentice's place. She would be surrounded by capable cats of the clan, it seemed, silently following in Hawkbite's wake as they headed for Herondive Hollow.
She had never gone on a border patrol before, though the apprentice had marked the new territory alongside some others. She wasn't lacking in practice, merely in the customs of a border patrol which she assumed were merely checking and marking the border; or so she hoped, mimicking Hawkbite's actions in an opposing route as she checked for any trespassing or issues that needed addressing, leaving behind the scent of ShadowClan as she marked the border as she went.
The enforcer commander, however, seemed to have a different set of plans as he addressed her with a question that made her visibly paused for several moments. "..I don't know."
She finally stated, voice dull; after all, only Miss Grandmama could know if her performance was good enough to warrant a warrior ceremony. Somewhere, she hoped it did. She was nine moons already, becoming a warrior at any age older than this certainly wasn't a part of her plans -- still, the conflicted feeling remained, one she swiftly pushed down as she focused on her duty instead; nearly, the apprentice asked about Hawkbite's warrior ceremony being soon (one often returned the question they were asked, she had noticed) but stopped herself before she could.
Hawkbite would continue marking the border, keeping to himself when Sleepypaw commented about not knowing if she'd be a warrior soon. Thankfully, Mistlewhisker always seemed to know what to say, perhaps why Dawnstar took such a liking to her. He'd toss a grateful look in her direction before that more stoic expression returned and he retreated back to the confines of his mind. Thoughts to himself. Although, he'd give her a curt nod on her interest in being a part of the meeting. Of course, he'd already planned on having her thoughts in the meeting.
A gentle sigh would escape him, only loud enough for him to notice and subtle enough they'd have to be staring to know he did it. "We're good to head back, nothing to report it appears," he'd speak to Mistlewhisker. Thankfully he could skip the report since the cat he'd normally go back to was on his patrol. Silently, he gestured for the two she-cats to follow after him.
Raggedear trod carefully through the forest, noticing with disgust the squelch of mud under his paws as he pushed forward. ”How on earth does ShadowClan live like this everyday?” He grumbled to himself, mouth already twisted wryly as he thought about how he’d have to clean the mud out of his claws later. However, as per usual, his grumpiness didn’t last. ”Have you ever had frog before?” He asked, turning to look at Spiderthroat with perked ears. ”I heard they’re super slimy. I bet we could catch some here!” The large warrior stood still, clearly focusing on the wet earth beneath him to see if he could spot any of the jumpy creatures. ”Besides, if ShadowClan can do it, why couldn’t a ThunderClan cat?”
To be honest, Raggedear didn’t relish the idea of eating a frog, he just wanted to prove he could catch one. Why he thought he could? He didn’t know. He was not exactly the strongest hunter. Fighting was one thing but…the tom shook his head as if fighting back an annoying fly. Hawkcatcher had trained him well, he could manage. He just hoped his russet pelt and large size wouldn’t give him away too much.
Re: Herondive Hollow
