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Post by SmugGull on Jul 10, 2019 19:09:41 GMT -5
Quailfang snorted, still smarting with humiliation. "Or two? Did you grow a third while I wasn't looking?" he meowed, affection taking the bite out of his words.
He blinked, catching the scents of the forest wafting off Nightclaw as they moved towards the fresh-kill pile. "Did you go for a walk?" he asked, keeping his voice low so as not to alert the medicine cats. He tried for stern and disapproving, but the wistfulness in his voice ruined it. He desperately missed patrols, the feeling of the breeze in his fur and the crunch of leaves beneath his paws.
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Post by Wolfspirit on Jul 10, 2019 19:32:42 GMT -5
(wooo!)
Beepaw woke up to the now familiar smell of his StormClan clanmates in his nose, and the telltale sounds of the camp beginning to become active. Rolling over in his nest, he saw Hornetpaw curled up beside him, her chest still rising and falling with sleep. He was surprised; normally she was up before him. He briefly debated trying to catch a few moments more rest, but the thought that Windstep might be waiting for him pushed him slowly to his paws. Yawning, Beepaw wondered if Hornetpaw would be joining them, or if her mentor Silverstrike's injuries were healed enough.
Those poor cats, he thought, not for the first time. While the chaos and blood of the battle had faded a little with time, the fact that it happened still made the tom feel a little uncomfortable. He tried his best not to think about it.
Pushing his head out from the apprentices' area, he glanced around the camp, trying to see if Windstep was waiting for him. He spotted Nightclaw and Quailfang by the medicine den, but tried not to let his gaze linger too long; he would have liked to say hi to Quailfang, but being around Nightclaw always made him jumpy. I get the feeling he doesn't care much for me or Hornet...
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Genderqueer
smokey
we out here
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Post by smokey on Jul 10, 2019 19:38:17 GMT -5
Nightclaw's smile faltered at the question. He hadn't exactly been trying to hide the fact that he had gone out, but Quailfang's tone left him feeling guilty. He knew how much the older warrior missed going out on patrols and hunting with their clanmates, and Nightclaw felt the same way. With a hesitant twitch of his whiskers, the tom nodded. "Yeah, I walked around for a bit," he murmured, glancing back towards the medicine den to make sure the others weren't listening. Nightclaw stopped when they reached the fresh-kill pile and leaned forward to nose through what remained from the previous day. "I wasn't out long and I didn't go far." The younger warrior quickly scooped up a couple of mice, then took a step back. "Let's get the others fed," he mumbled, hoping to take Quailfang's mind off his brief forest adventure.
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Genderqueer
smokey
we out here
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Post by smokey on Jul 10, 2019 19:48:05 GMT -5
Tallwhisker groaned and jerked awake as she felt something hit her side. She craned her neck and found that, as she expected, it was Thrushfur's foot. With a roll of her eyes, she pawed her brother's foot away and stood, stretching her legs. The she-cat shook out her fur before carefully stepping out of the warriors' den. As soon as she was out of the tangle of sleeping forms, she noticed a few familiar faces already out and about. Tallwhisker started towards Nightclaw and Quailfang, then stopped abruptly when she noticed Beepaw just outside the apprentices' den. With a thoughtful hum, the young warrior glanced between them, then finally veered off towards Beepaw. Quailfang and Nightclaw aren't going anywhere.
As she approached, Tallwhisker waved her tail towards Beepaw. "Good morning!" she chirped with a grin. "How are you? Adjusted to the apprentices' den yet?"
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Post by SmugGull on Jul 10, 2019 19:48:07 GMT -5
(aaAhHHH I MISSED THEM)
Windstep slid out of the warrior's den looking harried. She usually looked harried these days - she fretted easily at the best of times, and these definitely were not the best of times. She spotted Nightclaw and Quailfang by the fresh-kill pile - it was good to see them out and about, even if the sight of Nightclaw's mangled leg and Quailfang's glassy, frozen eye made her stomach clench. She started to pad towards them, but stopped when she saw Beepaw poking his head out of the apprentice's den.
Mentorly duties came first. She walked towards him, offering a smile as greeting. "How are you feeling?" she asked, keeping her voice quiet so as not to wake anyone. "Did you sleep well?" She had a bit of a plan to take Beepaw out for battle training today, possibly accompanied by Hornetpaw if Silverstrike wasn't up to training her.
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Post by SmugGull on Jul 10, 2019 19:51:33 GMT -5
Quailfang hummed wordlessly, nodding as Nightclaw quickly described his walk. He shook himself when Nightclaw scooped a pair of mice from the fresh-kill pile, bending down to pick up a shrew and a squirrel before turning - reluctantly - back to the medicine den.
At least he could carry fresh-kill around, he supposed. He wasn't completely useless. Still, the thought rang hollow in his chest.
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Post by zero on Jul 10, 2019 20:11:46 GMT -5
Thymesprout opened her mouth as the elder warrior left the den. But before any sound could leave, the tom found his kin. Though those two were hardly in the best of shape, they had followed orders well the last moon. She trusted the toms not to run off to fight any bears. Satisfied, she turned her attention to the other cats in the den.
"Does anyone want to come along? I'm going out." Normally, she wouldn't invite others to come along on her mid day wanderings. Being able to go out along was something she had looked forward to every patrol as an apprentice, not really sticking with the group well. However, considering the number of cats in the den currently, she figured taking one or two from under Reedfoot's paws would be a good idea to keep the older medicine cat calmer. This moon hadn't exactly been enjoyable or relaxing for anycat staying in the medicine cat den.
"Or I guess I'm open to requests. Can't promise I'll get anything but I'll try." She added as an after thought as she stretched and shook out her fur. She scanned the room for any takers. She tried not to stare at Winterpaw too much. She did want the apprentice to come along for a chance to teach him more about her herb patches and how to cultivate them, but didn't want to pressure him. She would take any other who wanted.
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Post by owlspots on Jul 11, 2019 4:13:17 GMT -5
Due to the lack of space in the medicine den and the fact that he had more lives to spare than his injured Clanmates combined, Sunstar had more than happily returned to the comfort of his own den beneath the gathering rock on Reedfoot's orders. He was glad to see Quailfang and Nightclaw walking around again, all things considered, but the pang of guilt that seized his heart when his gaze fell upon the pair of warriors had him looking everywhere but at them. If he had only remembered to give the signal, perhaps Quailfang would have two working eyes, and Nightclaw four legs. It's your fault. The sneering voice was familiar, although Sunstar was not sure it sounded like his own. He shook his head, his stare burning holes in the ground by his paws. He wondered where Thistleshade was, figuring it was high time that patrols were sent out.
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Post by zero on Jul 11, 2019 9:54:07 GMT -5
Thymesprout's whiskers twitched when she noticed the abandoned task. She wasn't worried. Herb sorting could be done by any cat. She was sure Reedfoot won't mind looming over Wildpaw has the calico sorted. It won't be the most pleasant experience for both of them but a lot could be learned from the senior medicine cat. She returned the nod to the younger cat.
"Okay, let's go before someone tried to stop us." She whispered as her head was down. She looked around the den for any takers before turning and marching out of the den with her tail high. She gave a tail flick to greet the other cats with a head bow for the leader. Despite her personal opinion, she did understand how fragile the clan's moral was right now. Showing any distrust towards the leader could split the clan in half. Sometimes she hated being seen as the link to Starclan.
"So," She started once they had gotten out of earshot of the cats guarding camp, "What did you notice about the cats in camp?" She continued padded through the forest, taking in scents just for danger but nothing else. After walking through camp, she felt like walking for some time away.
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Post by Wolfspirit on Jul 11, 2019 11:42:02 GMT -5
(AHHH I missed our StormClan drama cats!! Sorry I poofed yesterday guys D:
lol smokey, poor Thrushfur's foot)
As if summoned by magic, the two cats Beepaw most hoped to see appeared, padding towards him. Tallwhisker! His heart thumped. Over the last moon his fondness for the tall she-cat had only grown, and her feather still rested among his nest, which Hornetpaw still liked to tease him about.
"Good morning," Beepaw answered, eagerness waking him up a little faster. He kneaded the ground with his paws to disperse any nervous energy, and returned Tallwhisker's smile. He tipped his head a bit before replying, considering. "I am," he meowed eventually. "At least, I'm used to waking up there. It's a little strange being the biggest cats there, but the other apprentices are really nice."
As Windstep arrived, Beepaw waved his tail in greeting, happy to see his mentor. He had grown very comfortable around the older warrior, and she and Tallwhisker were the two StormClan cats Beepaw felt the most at ease around. That they were both here made his chest feel light.
"I'm feeling good," he replied, warmth filling him at the question. "I'm really getting used to the sleep schedule, I think." He darted a glance at Tallwhisker. "And...my nest is really comfortable." Looking back at Windstep, he noticed she still seemed as stressed as she'd looked ever since the attack. A little uncertainly, he meowed, "How are you, Windstep?"
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Asexual
Lycaonia
Getting Better, but Very Tired.
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Post by Lycaonia on Jul 11, 2019 14:05:00 GMT -5
Silverstrike breathed shallowly from where he lay in his nest. He had been moved out of the Medicine den a quarter-moon ago, but forbidden to resume his duties just yet. Ever since the attack he had been listless and twitchy. He found it difficult to pay attention most days and found it hard to drag himself out of his nest. His leg was still sore, though almost fully healed. Almost because he had been having trouble sleeping and had damaged it again in the throes of a particularly violent nightmare half a moon ago. He should have been back out already, but he felt weak.
Still, there was Hornetpaw. It was the one thing he was looking forward to. Thistleshade had been kind enough to take over most of Hornetpaw's training when she could, or arrange for Windstep to take her out along with Beepaw when she had her duties to take care of. But Silverstrike, for all he only got a day with the young she-cat before the patrol, missed being out and about with her. The two ex-loners had brought what he felt was a needed breath of fresh air to the Clan and Hornetpaw especially was just what he looked for in friends. Flicking his ears back, Silverstrike forced himself to his paws and padded slowly out of the Den. His leg was tender, but not sore enough to bother him. He noted his sister's empty nest, but merely shook his head. The mild amusement he felt was strangely dull, but he pushed away the uncomfortable notion that something might be wrong to smile at the group of familiar cats.
"Morning Windstep, Tallwhisker, Beepaw," He greeted, voice far more subdued these days but ears perked, signalling his happiness to see them. He turned his attention solely on Beepaw. "Is your sister still asleep?" He meowed, tail flicking slightly, "I was hoping to actually take her out today."
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Asexual
Lycaonia
Getting Better, but Very Tired.
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Post by Lycaonia on Jul 11, 2019 14:17:53 GMT -5
Thistleshade breathed deeply from where she sat among the long-dead branches of a fallen young oak, taking in the early morning scent of StormClan's territory. The time since the Sharptooth attack had been fraught with tension in Camp and she was beginning to get sick of it. So, these days she woke even earlier than usual and headed out, taking some time to herself. Sunstar had been obviously guilt-ridden and broody, more difficult to deal with for the no-nonsense Deputy, but not to an unbearable degree. Still, she wished he'd forgive himself already. No cat was infallible, not even a Leader. One mistake shouldn't haunt him for the rest of his lives.
Thistleshade sighed deeply, knowing full well it wasn't that simple, but wishing that it was. Her beloved Clan was changed and it bothered her. Shaking her pelt out, Thistleshade glanced at the sky and huffed irritably at herself. It was later than she expected and, not wanting to keep Sunstar waiting, she rushed back to Camp. Slipping inside, she immediately headed to where her Leader sat. 'Brooding again,' She huffed, half-exasperated and half-fond. "Good morning, Sunstar," She greeted the older tom, voice level, "I hope you slept well."
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Post by Wolfspirit on Jul 11, 2019 15:24:46 GMT -5
(Waaiiit is Silver going to be okay? Should I be concerned?? His thoughts about Hornet...bless 😭)
Beepaw greeted Silverstrike with a friendly nod, internally flinching at seeing the lively cat -who'd been so energetic when bringing them to StormClan for the first time- so muted.
"She is," he responded, shaking his head a little. "For some reason she's slept later than normal today." Gesturing to where Hornetpaw was now stirring a little in her sleep, he added. "She'll be really excited to go out with you again, though. She always asks about you when she first wakes up."
Beepaw knew Hornetpaw had visited Silverstrike a few times during his recovery, but was also aware that his sister had been worried that her presence might make Silverstrike feel pressured to heal. To ease her concern, she'd taken to asking about him each morning.
Pushing his thoughts aside, he glanced back at Tallwhisker and Windstep before facing Silverstrike again and giving a small purr. "If you'd like to wake her up, it'll surprise her out of her fur!"
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Post by SmugGull on Jul 12, 2019 0:05:07 GMT -5
(Almost certainly - if not formally, then one of the other warriors would have informally taken over. If owl doesn't have any objections, Foxbite could be her temp mentor?)
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Post by zero on Jul 12, 2019 22:05:00 GMT -5
Thymesprout felt a burst of pride as the apprentice spoke. He had answered how she had hoped, even if it was a bit unexpected. As an apprentice, Thymesprout hadn't thought about reading the camp and then helping out until her other former mentor had mentioned it. She was glad he was in tune and thought about helping out. The clan would be in good paws no matter what happened.
"Well, in a way, we can." She answered with a slight purr following her words. They would have to postpone her planned pruning of the herb patches, but this method was more important and more relevant at the moment. She slowly came to a stop at a towering oak with a rich blanket of moss. The tree had some scaring from the claws of clumsy or rushed apprentices but the moss was growing well and the tree appeared to be heathy. "It's time consuming but worth it in the end." She said as she placed her front paws on the bark of the tree. Slowly, she used her claws to peel the moss off, keeping both the soft bedding and bark intact.
"Moss with either herbs weaved in, placed under, or, if time allows, rubbed in and allowed to sit can sooth a cat while they sleep and even make their day easier." She explained as she worked, "Rubbed in or placed under is the best or you'll have warriors complaining about leaves in their pelt," she grinned when her memories at her first attempt came back, "though it might make giving them their herbs easier." She opened her mouth to talk about what herbs, keen to keep teaching, when she remembered she should be letting him fill in the gaps...and probably not collecting the moss herself. She needed to go out with the apprentices more.
"So, what herbs do you think we should add to calm our stressed clanmates?" She asked, turning her head towards the apprentice and coming back down to four paws.
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Post by SmugGull on Jul 12, 2019 22:27:41 GMT -5
Quailfang grunted as Nightclaw spoke. Even if that something was only fetching fresh-kill - apprentice duties, he thought ungraciously, soured by what felt like a demotion. He'd been an apprentice already, after all, he wasn't keen on returning to those days.
His ears twitched at Nightclaw's muttered words and couldn't help a rumble of agreement. The battle would have gone poorly no matter what, he was fairly certain of that, but it didn't need to have gone that poorly. "If he had just," he echoed quietly, before slipping into the medicine den with the fresh-kill they had brought.
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Post by owlspots on Jul 14, 2019 7:24:11 GMT -5
(that sounds great! ^^)
Sunstar lifted his head at the sound of Thistleshade's voice, and although he was a little startled by her sudden appearance he managed to meet her gaze. He grimaced as he tried to push the thoughts of Nightclaw and Quailfang to the back of his mind, not wanting his deputy to pick up on his feelings of guilt as much as he knew she had been doing as of late. "Good morning," he mewed in response, dipping his head to the blue-grey she-cat. Although tempted to ignore her question (he had not been sleeping well at all ever since the incident) he figured that doing so might evoke further suspicion from her, so he resolved to answer. "As well as can be expected, given the circumstances." Vague, mysterious, perfect. Great job Sunstar.
He glanced past her and out of the den into the camp. "Have you thought about the morning's patrols? The weather's getting warmer, perhaps now we should focus on hunting while the good prey lasts." Business as usual in StormClan, he supposed. I can hardly afford to show more weakness as a leader now - they're relying on me.
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Post by zero on Jul 14, 2019 9:58:51 GMT -5
Owl, wanna rp Breezebounce and Owlswoop hunting together for the queens? Maybe for the first time after the Bad(tm) patrol? )
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Post by owlspots on Jul 14, 2019 12:42:05 GMT -5
(sure! i'll type a post for breeze in a bit just gotta finish chores first)
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Post by zero on Jul 14, 2019 19:12:46 GMT -5
Thymesprout nodded along, trying to not show any disappointment at his hesitant answers. He was getting there. She knew thinking of unconventional uses of herbs was difficult, especially when surrounded by warriors with physical wounds. Starclan knows the warriors complain louder about a ripped claw than a nightmare when both were equally important in recovery. "Thyme is a good one." She started, "Daisies are also a good choice because the smell is pleasant and sometimes that's all the warrior needs." The more she thought about the answer she had prepared, the more she realized she might have asked the wrong question.
"Really, the answer is different for each cat. For an example, with a cat like Nightclaw who has new injuries, I would line his nest with comfrey root to smooth his wounds and thyme or lavender to sooth his heart. But if it is just the mind which is troubled, I would add lavender, thyme, or maybe daisies. Lavender is very good but has to be used carefully." She hesitated, not really liking to bring up the topic but pushed past her discomfort, "It's used for burials to sooth the grieving cats so smelling the last scent their fallen carried in the nest can be troubling." Her mask broke with a frown but she busied herself with bundling up the moss.
"Actually, let's stick to comfrey root and thyme." She shot a weak grin towards Winterpaw. "Do you remember what was in the stores?" She was now regretting charging out of the den without carefully checking their stocks. Would have been nice if she planned this but nothing can go perfectly. They probably had some tucked away.
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Post by SmugGull on Jul 17, 2019 17:58:18 GMT -5
Reedfoot woke up slowly, grunting softly as she sat up in her nest, just in time to see Winterpaw and Thymesprout leaving the den as Quailfang and Nightclaw slipped back inside. She grunted again, more in resignation this time - it was useless to tell Nightclaw to be careful, and he hadn't managed to re-injure himself yet.
"How's your leg feel?" she asked, padding over to the herb store to finish the sorting she'd begun last night. "Stiff? Aching? Still in pain?"
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Asexual
Lycaonia
Getting Better, but Very Tired.
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Post by Lycaonia on Jul 18, 2019 16:58:27 GMT -5
((Silver... Uh, unsure yet. He went in to shock after the whole thing and now... Well, Depression and Anxiety are both symptoms of severe shock, if you survive in the first place. He's at the very least gonna have a rough time for a bit. I did consider him not surviving once I decided on shock being his main problem, but thought against it ^^" Thistle will be up tomorrow Xd Pushed myself a bit hard already today and I'm feeling worse. I'll also try to get Apple or Badger up.))
Silverstrike felt his chest puff a little, warmth at hearing Hornetpaw's concern for him letting a small smile make it's way onto his muzzle. "Well, I'm quite excited to be out and about with her again as well," He returned, shaking out his pelt slightly to get rid of the slight prickle of fear that the thought of leaving Camp brought him. It was irrational and he knew it, but it hardly stopped him from feeling it. "I'll go wake her then," he nodded his thanks to Beepaw and slipped quietly into the Apprentice's den. "Hornetpaw," He whispered quietly, a touch of mischief in his eyes as he crept closer. Carefully, he reached out a paw and shoved gently, pushing her out of her nest the way he used to do to Thistleshade when he and his sister were still Apprentices.
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Post by Wolfspirit on Jul 19, 2019 16:04:46 GMT -5
(Poor guy... I'm glad you're keeping him though, I love Silver! It makes me wonder how Thistle is doing with her brother all shaken up. I'm sorry you're feeling bad, I hope you get to take some time to rest!)
Hornetpaw, who had been dreaming of racing through the forest, woke to the feeling of rolling out of her nest, and for a moment she flailed her paws in surprise at the shift of gravity and the floor beneath her. "Eep!" Realizing she was awake after a couple seconds of confusion, she clumsily began getting to her paws, turning to face the entrance and purring. "Oh it's on, Bee. I didn't know you had it in you to-" At the same moment that the familiar but unexpected scent hit her, she saw the tom in question standing over her nest.
"Silverstrike!"
All drowsiness forgotten, she repressed the urge to tackle her mentor in her excitement and instead bounded over and stretched out her neck to touch noses with the silver warrior, purring. "It's so good to see you!"
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