wilderness explorers, let's go! [open to apprentices!]

[GoldenRavenWings]

// Silentpaw gazed around in wonder. Maybe this isn’t as boring as I thought! She mumbled to herself. I’m excited to see the rest of the territory! She squeaked, bouncing around in her joy.// @birdie

[lesbianism]

♡ f e a t h e r p a w

she/they - 9 moons - ThunderClan - lesbian - 1/100 - open
____________________________________

Featherpaw raced out of the apprentice's den - she'd only recently moved to ThunderClan, and she was already running late! She stopped for a moment to sniff the air, then followed the strong scent of the group that had left this morning.

They scrambled to a stop as they arrived, nearly bowling over another apprentice.
"Sorry," they whispered, arriving just in time for the tail end of the warrior's speech. Good hunting and herbs, but watch the cliffs, they mentally repeated, not wanting to forget. If they were going to be a ThunderClan cat, they better know the territory well.

Featherpaw had mostly been thinking of getting to know the territory when she'd scrambled out of bed late, but as she looked around, she realised just how many apprentices had come along. Maybe I can get to know some of them today, she thought hopefully. Her whiskers dropped as she thought of her brother, but she quickly pushed Cloudpaw from her mind.

They glanced around at the cove. It was different from the territory in ShadowClan. Even though leaf-bare had begun, the meadow didn't look too shabby at all. They opened their mouth to scent the air, taking in all the new smells.

This mustn't be far from the RiverClan border, they realised, noting a faint fishy scent they remembered from touring the borders at home.

[iliri]

Springpaw
long-furred, oriental-shaped, gray-and-orange calico molly with blue eyes; torn right ear || thunderclan medicine cat apprentice
purrks: herbal knowledge - tier 2 | the collector | mind reader | skip the steps[all perm. active; sts for battle training]

---

Redhawk’s visible agreement with the medicine cat apprentice accompanying along was more than enough to worm a smile onto Springpaw’s face. As far as the young feline could tell, Redhawk could use more eyes than what she had to keep an eye on the even younger apprentices. Sure, there was already a warrior or two accompanying along to keep an eye on the younger apprentices, but it surely wouldn’t hurt for the young healer to aid in keeping sure none of the apprentices got left behind during this little exploration trip they were going to be taking. Her jaws were lightly clasped around a small leaf-like bundle that she’d use to carry any assortment of herbs that the small group would stumble upon during this little trip, her hopes rather slim that they’d stumble into anything that would be considerably far too useful for the incoming dangers of leaf-bare. But hopefully, either way, they’d stumble into something useful along the way.

Traversing alongside the group with dainty snow-white paws, her paws almost abruptly stopped in their tracks from the simplest mention of the first landmark that they were going to be stopping at. Firefly Cove. Bile instantaneously developed in the crevices of her throat, creeping and clinging to the back of her esophagus as if it belonged there. Her breathing stirred, and her chilled nose wrinkled as a half-hearted blast of chilled air blasted her in the face, seeping down into her skin and creeping beneath the flesh. Uncertainty and apprehension strung their way through Springpaw like a vice, making it difficult for her to properly move a limb against the unbridled tension rising throughout her limbs. Firefly Cove wasn’t a place that Springpaw wanted to be at… or close to, in particular. It bore memories of which she wished to not think about. Her father, or father figure, Foxstep, was the first feline to pop into the crevices of her mind the longer that she stood unmoving inside the disheveled meadow.

Forcing the stiffness to rejuvenate out of her limbs, Springpaw began to trudge her way through the meadows in hopes of searching for any herbs in particular that would be beneficial to the herb storage. She didn’t stray too far from the group of apprentices, staying close enough to listen briefly to the words that escaped Redhawk’s maw as she addressed the initial title of the landmark and any questions about Firefly Cove. There wasn’t much that Springpaw wanted to be too concerned about for the whereabouts of what Firefly Cove may be about, as she already knew a certain degree of what the territory was about, judging from her being here last time with her mentor in search of the cure for any of her poisoned clan-mates.

A small, pitiful cluster of both coltsfoot and marigold caught her good eye, her lips pursing into a frown at how scarce herbs were growing due to the decreasing temperatures of leaf-bare. Both of the herbs seemed to be in horrible condition and almost wilted, but she had no choice but to pick them. She was going to need to be careful if she didn’t want to deal with any severe degrees of over-picking of blooms at the sort. That was already a degrading issue at the moment due to how scarce herbs seem to be at the moment. Sometimes the naturally small calico would wish that the cold weather of both leaf-bare and leaf-fall never ceased to exist, but of course, not all wishes could be granted, right? With a tight sigh through clenched teeth, Springpaw leaned down and gently plucked out a couple of coltsfoot and marigold from the rather pitiful pile. She didn’t want to gather too much of the herbs, wanting to keep some there in hopes it would replenish and grow more as the teeth-clattering days passed by.

[ +2 marigold | +1 coltsfoot ]

[closed]

[taillow]

Event [#event]

Redhawk
She/they | 28 moons | Ultimate Predator
So not every apprentice who had been in the clearing had followed them out - and it looked like they had one who hadn't joined the initial call with them! Okay, Redhawk could handle these changes. Despite being anxious over the circumstances (and about leading her first ever event) she did her best to remain cool and collected on the outside. Easier said than done, considering flashes of worry shot across her gaze as she looked to gauge the reaction to the first landmark.

Intently she decided to focus on the first question poised by Ospreypaw - oh, he was back! - with a grin. "In greenleaf, the entire c-cove lights up with little f-fireflies! They're b-b-beautiful little l-light sources. Tiny creatu-ures, smaller than your p-paws!" Leaf-bare rid the cove of them, but come greenleaf they would flock here in great numbers, as they had before. Briefly her eyes tracked the medicine cat as well, offering a smile in tandem with Silentpaw who expressed her excitement at being here. It seemed as though their young healer had found something, to which Red was glad.

"Alright, everyone! E-Ears up and eyes alert - we'll be m-moving on towards t-t-the next l-location!" With a swish of her tail and a nod to Feathernose (a silent 'good job!' for keeping up the rear), Redhawk moved from the meadow and back into the thick of ThunderClan territory. She made sure her pace wasn't fast enough to leave anybody behind, but set at a comfortable pace. "Now, d-due to recent t-tensions, we won't be v-v-visiting our shared border w-with RiverClan. But despite it's h-history, it's a lo-lovely place. The trees t-there aren't super t-tall - which, I t-t-think is w-why it's c-called Smallpines?" That was venturing an educated guess, at the very least. "Good f-for finding both w-water and land pr-prey."

"Nearby is a-also C-Cattail Pond; a small pond s-surrounded b-b-by tall-stemmed plants w-with fuzzy brown tops." Redhawk stopped and her brows furrowed together. "...I-I don't know how t-t-to fish, and I'm n-not sure if t-t-that is something new in t-the apprentice c-curriculum. Or s-swimming for that m-matter..." ...How often was Cattail Pond used? Doing her best to rid herself of the sheepishness she felt, Redhawk continued, "It m-might be best t-to avoid it for t-the time b-b-eing." A grin before picking up the pace just slightly.

It would be a little bit of a trek from here to their next location as Redhawk brought the group in away from the RiverClan side of things, until their scent was no longer lingering in the air. "Next up will be W-Willow's Rise, b-but before we head t-there; who a-a-ll here knows the h-hunter's crouch?" Excitement lit up her gaze as Redhawk turned to survey the gathered group of apprentices. With how many of them there were she wasn't certain there would be any prey to catch, but practice never did any harm.

Current Landmark:
Brief Description of Smallpines + Cattail Pond - Not visiting, just passing by
ThunderClan Territory - Intermission: Hunting Refresher

To Be Visited:
Willow's Rise
Haggard Ruins
Intermission - Battle Refresher
Thunderglade [WindClan Border]
Herondive Hollow [Not Visit but discuss]

Landmarks Visited:
Firefly Cove
Smallpines [discussed, not visited]
Cattail Pond [discussed, not visited]

next post: 12/14 or 12/15
feel free in this time to have your characters reply to red, teach each other the hunter's crouch if they see an apprentice struggling, etc. - i'll have red give some pointers in my next post as well as move the group along to willow's rise! apologies for the delay in this post
[ @Katiethewolfchild @peppermintbubble. @BEAR. @GhostlyStarfinder @perseus. @Ravenswings @lesbianism @rudolph ]

[BEAR.]

Wolfpaw wasn't convinced the Cove would ever look beautiful to him. He lingered closer to the trees, wanting to stay as far from the water-- and thus, to him RiverClan, as possible. At one point, he was sure he would've found it pretty - but he was nervous about the invisible threat, a reminder that RiverClan knew nothing of fairness.

He released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding at the news of not seeing more RiverClan spots. Thank StarClan for that! As they drew away from the Cove and the fish-tainted surrounding area, he began to relax a little. Being under the canopy with firm ground beneath his paws was like being home.

Willow's Rise. He'd never been there, but knew it to be the Clan's graveyard. Ah - hunting.

It was complicated, in his case. He was sure.. he'd been shown it at some point, but his memory was fuzzy from confinement and he hadn't had a real hunt since his recovery, so any true attempts were futile. "I'm gonna need a refresher." Keep it to the point, he wanted to make sure he got it down before he scared off half the prey in ThunderClan practicing. Attempting. Leaf-bare was nigh, and with it limited resources. Mostly, he was just glad they were doing this before the snow started sticking - the weather hadn't quite made up its mind if it wanted to be brutally cold or not.

[lesbianism]

♡ f e a t h e r p a w

she/they - 9 moons - ThunderClan - lesbian - 6/100 - open
____________________________________

Featherpaw pricked her ears to listen to the warrior speak about the area, letting out a little sigh of relief. It seemed like she hadn't missed out on too much. And she'd been right about not being far from the RiverClan border as well. She was looking forward to seeing the cove in green-leaf, with all the flowers and fireflies. It sounded like a pleasant place to relax. Maybe by then she would have a few friends to go with!

They wondered why they were so hesitant to visit Cattail Pond. The border, sure, but what was the point of fighting RiverClan for territory if they weren't going to use it? It wasn't even like they'd been aggressive of late, as far as they knew anyway - RiverClan had used poison, as cowardly as you could get. Why bother avoiding land that you'd won when your opponents were too scared to even fight with their claws?

As they headed beneath the tree canopy, Featherpaw looked around curiously, scenting the air. The forest of ThunderClan smelt so different from the pine forest back home. She found herself struggling to be as stealthy as she'd normally be, the fallen leaves and twigs crunching where she stepped. She missed the pine needles beneath her paws, softening her steps. How did they get any hunting done here with all these obstacles?
They let out a small sigh as the group was asked about a hunter's crouch. Just their luck that it was brought up when they'd just been dreading it. Featherpaw knew how to hunt, just... not on such noisy ground.

Well.. nothing for it but to get it over with. She dropped into a practised crouch, looking down at the ground for mossy spots to place her paws.

[Watermeloon]

Feathernose blinked back at Redhawk, feeling ever so self-conscious. She averted her gaze and stared intently at the apprentices instead, unmoving from her given post. "Nice, Featherpaw," she rumbled, feeling amused that the 'paw shared her prefix.
@birdie @lesbianism

[GoldenRavenWings]

Originally Posted by birdie

Event [#event]

Redhawk
She/they | 28 moons | Ultimate Predator
So not every apprentice who had been in the clearing had followed them out - and it looked like they had one who hadn't joined the initial call with them! Okay, Redhawk could handle these changes. Despite being anxious over the circumstances (and about leading her first ever event) she did her best to remain cool and collected on the outside. Easier said than done, considering flashes of worry shot across her gaze as she looked to gauge the reaction to the first landmark.

Intently she decided to focus on the first question poised by Ospreypaw - oh, he was back! - with a grin. "In greenleaf, the entire c-cove lights up with little f-fireflies! They're b-b-beautiful little l-light sources. Tiny creatu-ures, smaller than your p-paws!" Leaf-bare rid the cove of them, but come greenleaf they would flock here in great numbers, as they had before. Briefly her eyes tracked the medicine cat as well, offering a smile in tandem with Silentpaw who expressed her excitement at being here. It seemed as though their young healer had found something, to which Red was glad.

"Alright, everyone! E-Ears up and eyes alert - we'll be m-moving on towards t-t-the next l-location!" With a swish of her tail and a nod to Feathernose (a silent 'good job!' for keeping up the rear), Redhawk moved from the meadow and back into the thick of ThunderClan territory. She made sure her pace wasn't fast enough to leave anybody behind, but set at a comfortable pace. "Now, d-due to recent t-tensions, we won't be v-v-visiting our shared border w-with RiverClan. But despite it's h-history, it's a lo-lovely place. The trees t-there aren't super t-tall - which, I t-t-think is w-why it's c-called Smallpines?" That was venturing an educated guess, at the very least. "Good f-for finding both w-water and land pr-prey."

"Nearby is a-also C-Cattail Pond; a small pond s-surrounded b-b-by tall-stemmed plants w-with fuzzy brown tops." Redhawk stopped and her brows furrowed together. "...I-I don't know how t-t-to fish, and I'm n-not sure if t-t-that is something new in t-the apprentice c-curriculum. Or s-swimming for that m-matter..." ...How often was Cattail Pond used? Doing her best to rid herself of the sheepishness she felt, Redhawk continued, "It m-might be best t-to avoid it for t-the time b-b-eing." A grin before picking up the pace just slightly.

It would be a little bit of a trek from here to their next location as Redhawk brought the group in away from the RiverClan side of things, until their scent was no longer lingering in the air. "Next up will be W-Willow's Rise, b-but before we head t-there; who a-a-ll here knows the h-hunter's crouch?" Excitement lit up her gaze as Redhawk turned to survey the gathered group of apprentices. With how many of them there were she wasn't certain there would be any prey to catch, but practice never did any harm.

Current Landmark:
Brief Description of Smallpines + Cattail Pond - Not visiting, just passing by
ThunderClan Territory - Intermission: Hunting Refresher

To Be Visited:
Willow's Rise
Haggard Ruins
Intermission - Battle Refresher
Thunderglade [WindClan Border]
Herondive Hollow [Not Visit but discuss]

Landmarks Visited:
Firefly Cove
Smallpines [discussed, not visited]
Cattail Pond [discussed, not visited]

next post: 12/14 or 12/15
feel free in this time to have your characters reply to red, teach each other the hunter's crouch if they see an apprentice struggling, etc. - i'll have red give some pointers in my next post as well as move the group along to willow's rise! apologies for the delay in this post
[ @Katiethewolfchild @peppermintbubble. @BEAR. @GhostlyStarfinder @perseus. @Ravenswings @lesbianism @rudolph ]

//Redhawk? Wasn’t the Cattail Pond poisoned by Riverclan? Silentpaw knew the answer. Those mousebrains, in her eyes, weren’t just enemies. They poisoned it on purpose. They’re evil! //

[bubble[error].]

*Cherrypaw shook her head sadly*

[Katiethewolfchild]

Once again, Dogpaw was walking quickly in order to remain near the front so she would be as far away as possible from Beetlepaw. The almost nine moon old thought she knew the hunters crouch..She crouched down, remaining in that position. Her tail was sticking out, not that she was aware that it was and her crouch was quite clumsy and flawed.

Beetlepaw had ended up in the back again simply because it was simply easier for her to remain at the back since her legs were simply quite a bit smaller then the other apprentice's legs because of her ridiculously tiny size. The definitely kit-sized almost nine moon old was prettty sure she knew the hunters crouch, and crouched down, thought she doubted that it would be anywhere near perfect. Unlike Dogpaw's tail, hers wasn't sticking out, thought, similarly to Dogpaw's crouch, hers was also quite clumsy and flawed.

Sheeppaw followed Beetlepaw again. When it was time to do the hunting crouch the large almost 9 moon old deaf aprentice was unaware of the leading warrior's words. When Beetlepaw did the crouch Sheeppaw copied her sister, meaning that her tail wasn't sticking out and her crouch was clumsy and flawed in very simular ways, if not exactly the same ways Beetlepaw's crouch was clumsy and flawed.(All open)