Sleepy Thicket

[BEAR.]

A quiet patch of trees, Sleepy Thicket is best known for the legend surrounding it.

It is believed that a headless cat spirit wanders these woods, seeking to reclaim his lost skull.

Many cats think the ghost belongs to Hawkstar, an ancient RiverClan leader slain in the first Evil Era
-- but the spirit's true identity is unknown.

Even to this day, some cats think they've seen him-- but is it true?

For those bold enough to wander these woods despite the sightings,
some prey animals can be caught here, including ground rodents and squirrels.

[BEAR.]

Thistlestep was mostly just happy to get out of camp and away from apprentices. It felt like ages since he had an actual break-- between the stupid training sessions and waiting on Warblerpaw to heal.. ugh.

At least he had Fawnsqueak. "Are you ready to hunt some ghosts?" Thistlestep asked, mildly teasing as he crossed into the dark forest. Most RiverClan cats knew these woods were supposedly haunted by some lost spirit searching for his head. "Maybe it can load you up with some history lessons, I know you're a nerd for that."

[ @Dipper, @Slushie, @Katwhisperer, @Wolfie -- you three can post whenever you're ready to be found. i will give you 48 hours to post before the patrol starts to leave-- if you don't post within that timeframe you will not be accepted into riverclan! ]

[Fawn]

Fawnsqueak kept pace beside Thistlestep, his mind wandering in the peaceful silence that accompanied their outing. On the tip of his tongue was a comment about their father's departure or... or even Willowrose, though it sent a bitter chill through him. He was grateful for the distraction of discussion when Thistlestep spoke.

Thoughtful, Fawnsqueak replied, "I honestly can't think of a single ghost that I'd like to have a run in with. But I mean... it'd be kind of cool to meet a new one." He guessed there were plenty of spirits out there that were strangers to him, countless souls in the abyss. Meeting a cat in the afterlife who could tell him about history... that was beyond interesting. "Do you think that could actually happen?" he asked, bright eyed. A fascinated gasp fell from him. "It'd be like... a spirit mentor, but for learning about history."

@BILL. @Slushie, @Katwhisperer, @Wolfie

[dino.]

[ @BILL. @Dipper @Katwhisperer @Wolfie ]

Double crouched low in the brush. His amber eyes studied the two large toms as they passed. They were talking about... spirits? Like, the mist cats his daddy told him about? Rain had always scoffed at him for believing such stories, but here was proofthat Heron had been right! Take that, dopey younger sister!
He crept out from his hiding spot, tails curled around his flank, and moved to walk behind the two warriors. He was trying to mimic the steps of the first tom that had spoken, the one that kind of looked like his dad, with the exception of the eyes. He placed one paw in a wide step in front of the other, tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth in concentration.

[Terrestrial]

Paws rumbled the ground as the two big toms walked. The rumbling awoke the gray and white kit, blue eyes wide with fear from her dream. Ash stretched out her paws before her, flexing her tiny thorn-like claws. The white and gray shape rose to their paws, taking a step out of the thorn bush she had been hiding in. Thorns snagged her fur as she struggled to escape the bush, eventually she flopped out, her paw hitting the brown fawn-like tom.

{ @Dipper @BILL. @Slushie @Katwhisperer }

[Katwhisperer]

@Dipper @BILL. @Slushie @Wolfie

Inferno heard pawsteps approach. He peeked out and saw two big toms approaching, talking about some kind of... Ghosts? He let out a tiny whimper. He burst out of his hiding spot, ran over to the other cats, and mewed "Ghost!? W-where? P-please protect me!"

[BEAR.]

"There's not one ghost you'd want to meet?" Thistlestep had to laugh at that. "I thought you'd be like, all into meeting the dead leaders or deputies and learning about their time." Although that did bring up a good point, but Thistlestep merely had to shrug at it. "I wouldn't really know. If cats can get nine lives, allegedly, from the dead-- I don't see why one can't go around spewing historical knowledge."

Thistlestep didn't have too much time to ponder on it further. There was another scent in the air that quickly became apparent, and he could hear movement behind them and to their side. "Hold on..." That was an underlying, we are not alone but Thistlestep didn't want to alert the cats around them.

He abruptly stopped, feeling something bump into his back-leg, and it wasn't soon after that he could see something near Fawn's side. The sudden crying kitten made his fur bristle, unamused and uncomfortable with the unexpected company.

Thistlestep whirled on his paws to face Double, side-eyeing the other two cautiously in case there were more coming. "What are you three doing in RiverClan territory?"

[ @Dipper, @Slushie, @Wolfie, @Katwhisperer ]

[Fawn]

"Yeah, I'd like to meet them," he confirmed, rolling his eyes, "but I meant.. the ghosts that I know. I don't want to see them." Fawnsqueak could go without a visit from Frostflight, from Willowpaw.. too sad, or Willowrose. That last one stirred fury.

While he was speaking, he didn't hear the tiny pawsteps that'd joined them but did feel the lump of fluff basically topple into him, and he jerked back to examine the disturbance. A kit? Fawnsqueak's eyebrows knitted, his head tilted. As he opened his mouth to sound the alarm to Thistlestep, it caught in his throat as he noticed another kit following behind him. "Is.. are-- where are these things coming from?!" Fawnsqueak implored, his tail-puff fluffed up in surprise. "Is the thicket producing them, or something?!"

But oh stars above, the universe didn't have mercy on him yet because there was a THIRD. Fawnsqueak's eyes were bugged out staring at Thistlestep, silently questioning what they were supposed to do with this.

@BILL. @Slushie, @Katwhisperer, @Wolfie

[dino.]

[ @BILL. @Dipper @Katwhisperer @Wolfie ]

Double paused in his step and sat back, looking up at the two warriors. Wiat a second... "RiverClan?" he questioned with a tilt of his head. "My daddy told me about you. He said you were big groups of giant cats who ate whole rabbits for breakfast and bones for desert." He glanced at Fawnsqueak, then reached out to gently poke the warrior's leg with one paw. "But he seems like a not-so-bone-eater. Bone eaters don't have fuzzy tails."
In fact, he seemed kind of sweet, in an oddly strange way. "The thicket isn't producing us, silly. I came from a Twoleg nest, not a bush." To Thistlestep, he said, "I dunno. Just found my way here, I guess."

[Katwhisperer]

"I-I came from... uhhhh... I don't know..." Inferno examined both toms very carefully. He sniffed both of them. "You smell weird!" He exclaimed. "What's Riverclan?" "Do you have food?" "I'm hungry!" "Are you gonna take us there?"

[ @Dipper @BILL. @Wolfie @Slushie ]