|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 1, 2021 17:40:41 GMT -5
Jasmineheart hummed lowly in agreement, knowing he could no longer see her. "Should we head over to the unstable part by highstones? We have to start reinforcing that."
Larkpaw deflated a bit at Juniperpaw's comments, "Yeah, it's pretty sad that we can't brag about it. But we can't let them know we have secret passages all over our territory! They could use them to attack us."
Sagefoot bumped her head against Stonepath, giving him a challenging look. "None of that. I am no different than I was before the meeting. You just have an extra special mate now." She leaned up to touch her nose to his ear. "I could put you on every dawn patrol from now on though, so I would watch out." she teased.
|
|
|
|
Post by Firebelly on Apr 1, 2021 17:49:38 GMT -5
Swiftstar padded into his den and laid down. As much as he had been willing to push aside his concerns about his cough right after the fire, concern was creeping through his mind like....well like a cough that was being forcibly held back.
|
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Apr 1, 2021 17:56:03 GMT -5
Jasmineheart hummed lowly in agreement, knowing he could no longer see her. "Should we head over to the unstable part by highstones? We have to start reinforcing that." Larkpaw deflated a bit at Juniperpaw's comments, "Yeah, it's pretty sad that we can't brag about it. But we can't let them know we have secret passages all over our territory! They could use them to attack us." Sagefoot bumped her head against Stonepath, giving him a challenging look. "None of that. I am no different than I was before the meeting. You just have an extra special mate now." She leaned up to touch her nose to his ear. "I could put you on every dawn patrol from now on though, so I would watch out." she teased. “That would probably be a good idea. Blacktail was adamant that we finished the tunnels near camp first. But we’ve pretty much done that now, so we can start focusing on the farther ones.“ Splashstone nodded, letting his sister take the lead as he murmured. “Do you suppose Sagefoot will continue the projects that he started?” “...That was how Dustfire lost his eyes, right? A cat attacked him in the tunnels...er, well...Meadowbrook did.” Juniperpaw shuddered a bit, not fond of the stories of what she had done, or of how long she had been doing it. “They thought it was a Riverclan cat...do you think they’d ever attack us?” “Hm. Dawn patrol, you say? Maybe I’d enjoy the peace and the sunrise. Though, I’d much rather prefer being on your patrols.” Stonepath mused, a heady chuckle escaping him as he looked at his mate. “Do you want me to wake you earlier so you get used to early Deputy duties?” |
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Apr 1, 2021 18:41:45 GMT -5
With a bit of puffing, Palegaze pulled himself from the narrow entrance of a tunnel that opened near the gorge, the sound of the rushing river below echoing up the steep walls of stone. With him he pulled out a small heap of soil, pushing it to the side and sitting back on his haunches with a huff.
He'd been slowly clearing and widening this tunnel since sunhigh, when one of the regular tunnels he'd been traversing connected with it. Finding stale scents, he decided to turn it into another side tunnel for the Clan's use. The sun, now slowly sliding towards Highstones, slanted into his eyes made him squint. The fur rippled along his spine as he imagined the bright, sunny days of greenleaf that would be arriving before he knew it, confining him to the tunnels for the majority of most days.
Feeling his stomach grumbling for food after a long day of digging, the white tom slipped back into the tunnel he'd been in and headed back to the sheltered WindClan camp.
After padding along for awhile, following the map of the underground tunnels that he knew like his own four paws, Palegaze emerged on a hillside just as the sun finally dipped behind the distant peaks, casting the moor in shadows. He sighed, feeling the strain on his eyes ease as he made his way into the camp, looking around for Eclipsesky as he felt the beginnings of a headache forming, and Blacktail -- no, Sagefoot, now -- so he could report his work on the tunnel near the gorge.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 1, 2021 19:42:29 GMT -5
Fallowmeadow slipped into Swiftstar's den, settling down beside her mate. "Long day hm?" she mewed with a smile, nuzzling against him.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 1, 2021 19:45:05 GMT -5
Jasmineheart moved effortlessly through the dark as they made their way towards the high stones tunnels. "I suppose she would, there's no use starting more projects when the old ones aren't finished yet. She's a new deputy, but I don't think she's going to completely change what's going on around camp.
Larkpaw shivered at the thought of a stranger attacking her down in the tunnels, "I hope not! How could the other clans even know where they are, much less be able to travel through them well enough to attack a seasoned tunneler."
Sagefoot sighed, "That would be helpful, although I'm not sure how much I'll sleep tonight regardless. I'm a bit anxious about everything I'll have to manage tomorrow."
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 1, 2021 19:46:12 GMT -5
Eclipsesky began to sort through the herbs in their storage, grumbling to himself as he noticed several shriveled leaves of coltsfoot. "Well that's no good."
|
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Apr 1, 2021 20:08:20 GMT -5
Spotting the new deputy, Palegaze trotted across the clearing toward Sagefoot. Either oblivious to the conversation between the two older warriors or simply not caring, he spoke up.
"Hey, dep'," he meowed. "I was over by the gorge and found an old rabbit tunnel that crossed one of our main ones; I widened it out and now we've got a tunnel opening up at the high end of the gorge." Lifting his muzzle with a self-satisfied sniff. "You're welcome!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 1, 2021 21:24:10 GMT -5
Sagefoot jumped as Palegaze started speaking, she hadn't even notice the young tom walk over to them. "Oh um, thank you for letting me know Palegaze." she mewed rather awkwardly, "I'll um.. let the other tunnelers know." She finished with a dip of her head.
(Sagefoot: I've only been deputy for like 40 minutes help me)
|
|
|
|
Post by Frozen on Apr 1, 2021 21:25:05 GMT -5
"And?" Slushfur questioned, looking at Cobblepaw and Rookpaw. "You can still say that your father was the deputy. His name will go down in Clan history." "But having Blacktail be the deputy was the best," Gustpaw complained. "It would only be better if he were leader!" Silverpaw shot an annoyed glance at Gustpaw. "It's a bit disappointing, but it doesn't bother me much." “Come now. I would have been far too old for leadership for that to ever happen.” Blacktail mused, flicking Gustpaw’s ears with his tail as he spoke to his kits. “One’s rank should never be their sole trait. I could be a deputy or a kit, and my place in the clan is equal to anyone else’s. I am no more deserving or worth more than Sagefoot. She will be a good deputy, perhaps better than I was. Which is more than okay.” “Better than you? Impossible.” Cobblepaw puffed stubbornly, though he did glance towards Sagefoot thoughtfully. "I guess you're right." Gustpaw flicked his ears. Dad was wise as usual. Silverpaw shrugged in response to his brother. Sagefoot was young, but she had plenty of time to gain experience. Slushfur looked satisfied at their responses, looking over at her mate. |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Apr 1, 2021 21:32:09 GMT -5
Jasmineheart moved effortlessly through the dark as they made their way towards the high stones tunnels. "I suppose she would, there's no use starting more projects when the old ones aren't finished yet. She's a new deputy, but I don't think she's going to completely change what's going on around camp. Larkpaw shivered at the thought of a stranger attacking her down in the tunnels, "I hope not! How could the other clans even know where they are, much less be able to travel through them well enough to attack a seasoned tunneler." Sagefoot sighed, "That would be helpful, although I'm not sure how much I'll sleep tonight regardless. I'm a bit anxious about everything I'll have to manage tomorrow." "That would certainly be less than helpful if she did, so I'll put my faith in her on this one." Splashstone murmured, suddenly thinking of all the times he would patrol with Meadowbrook and Spottedclaw, even Siltpath too, so eagerly excited to prove himself in combat. These tunnels had been home to secrets that now made him swim with guilt. "I'm not sure. But we can never let our guard down, right?" Juniperpaw asked, her ears flicking nervously before she took in a breath. "Riverclan cats might be too big to fit, but what if Shadowclan cats start running around our tunnels?" Stonepath smiled calmly, warmly. "You will manage as well as you always do. It's going to be weird at first, but you've always been one to adapt when the clan needs you to. I will be here as well. No problem or fear is too grand or too small for me to assist you in any way I can. I'll wake you up right on time." He promised. |
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Apr 1, 2021 22:43:36 GMT -5
Waving his tail, Palegaze nodded. "Sure, sure, of course," he mewed. He turned to begin padding towards the medicine den.
"And Stonepath," he called over his shoulder to his former mentor. "Be sure Sagefoot doesn't wear herself out too much! Wanna make sure everyone knows how tough we tunnelers are, yeah?"
The young warrior loped easily across the camp before poking his head into the medicine den, where he saw Eclipsesky's back as he sorted through his herbs. Feeling the throbbing behind his eyes growing more insistent, he slid into the darkness of the den.
"Hey, Eclipsesky," he greeted him. "I've got a headache...again..." he trailed off sheepishly, waiting for him to give him the usual warnings about sunlight on his weak eyes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Firebelly on Apr 2, 2021 10:51:25 GMT -5
Fallowmeadow slipped into Swiftstar's den, settling down beside her mate. "Long day hm?" she mewed with a smile, nuzzling against him. Swiftstar smiled, feeling at least a bit better with her presence. "It's not every day you name a new deputy." He said, deciding to leave out his conversation with Eclipsesky. He didn't need her to worry about his cough when there was nothing to be done about it. |
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 2, 2021 11:11:26 GMT -5
Jasmineheart stopped as they reached the narrowed tunnel, she could feel how unstable the walls had become just by the touch of her whiskers on the loose dirt. "We're going to have to be very careful." she muttered grimly. "I think it's worse than we thought." She tentatively took a step forward, gasping as a chunk of dirt fell up ahead.
Larkpaw placed her tail on Juniperpaw's shoulder. "I don't think we have to worry much about that. Plus, when are we ever in the tunnels alone? We all know that's dangerous!"
Sagefoot sighed as she watched Palegaze scamper away as quick as he had come before turning to look back at Stonepath. "I'll just have to make you second deputy then. I'm sure Swifstar won't mind."
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 2, 2021 11:13:32 GMT -5
Eclipsesky nearly leaped out of his fur as Palegaze appeared behind him. "Starclan Palegaze, I didn't hear you come in." The small tom turned around to dip his head to the warrior. "How bad is it? Do you need a couple poppy seeds?" he asked, assessing the other tom for any clear signs of pain.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 2, 2021 11:15:31 GMT -5
Fallowmeadow nodded, "That's true, I have faith that she'll make a good deputy. You chose well." she praised quietly, snuggling in close to him. "I was rather surprised by Blacktail's retirement though. I supposed he would just keep going until his paws fell off."
|
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Apr 2, 2021 12:21:39 GMT -5
Eclipsesky nearly leaped out of his fur as Palegaze appeared behind him. "Starclan Palegaze, I didn't hear you come in." The small tom turned around to dip his head to the warrior. "How bad is it? Do you need a couple poppy seeds?" he asked, assessing the other tom for any clear signs of pain. "Your ears starting to go you old tom?" Palegaze teased his older cousin. "And it's not not too bad, just haven't had one in a while," he meowed, sitting and curling his skinny tail around his paws. With a roll of his eyes, he grumbled, "I'm not looking forward to greenleaf, though." |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Apr 2, 2021 14:46:48 GMT -5
Jasmineheart stopped as they reached the narrowed tunnel, she could feel how unstable the walls had become just by the touch of her whiskers on the loose dirt. "We're going to have to be very careful." she muttered grimly. "I think it's worse than we thought." She tentatively took a step forward, gasping as a chunk of dirt fell up ahead. Larkpaw placed her tail on Juniperpaw's shoulder. "I don't think we have to worry much about that. Plus, when are we ever in the tunnels alone? We all know that's dangerous!" Sagefoot sighed as she watched Palegaze scamper away as quick as he had come before turning to look back at Stonepath. "I'll just have to make you second deputy then. I'm sure Swifstar won't mind." "Ugh. This soil's so loose I could roll around in it." Splashstone complained, a flicker of concern in his eyes. "If some rowdy apprentice runs around down here, it could collapse. Stay where you are, let's start reinforcing it right here." He ordered, glancing back and feeling around for some stones. "Well...yeah...I guess that's true." Juniperpaw nodded, feeling some of her nerves calm once again before she admitted. "I hope I won't ever have to go running in the tunnels all by myself. I much rather prefer you or Birchstep with me." "For a tom so full of energy and so different from me, he was good at what he did." Stonepath looked after Palegaze as he left, a flicker of approval filling his eyes for his former apprentice. He looked back at his mate and chuckled, running his ringed tail down her flank. "Swiftstar won't have to know. I'm not sure he'd be able to have two deputies. But, I'll be the most hidden and secret deputy in the clans." His eyes flickered with humor. |
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 5, 2021 20:34:23 GMT -5
Eclipsesky huffed turning to look in his stores for something to give the albino tom, "I'm not that old, I'm just older than you." He faced Palegaze again a moment later holding some daisy leaf. "Here this isn't as strong as poppyseed but it should do the trick for a headache. You're going to have to start watching out for the sun again." he warned, sitting across from his cousin and wrapping his tail around his paws. "I don't want to have to lather your back with herbs again."
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 5, 2021 20:37:54 GMT -5
Jasmineheart took a small step back to where the tunnel was a bit more stable. She began to push her body against the walls where they started to weaken, packing the dirt close together while she waited for Splashstone to return with reinforcing stones.
Larkpaw nodded in agreement, "I'd be scared of getting lost if I was in there by myself! I know that all the tunnels have an entrance or exit but still. What if you get turned around and keep walking in circles."
Sagefoot laughed, leaning against her mate as he placed his tail on her. "You can't be the first one to be a secret second deputy could you? I really doubt it. Deputies always need help, whether they want it or not."
|
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Apr 5, 2021 20:41:53 GMT -5
Eclipsesky huffed turning to look in his stores for something to give the albino tom, "I'm not that old, I'm just older than you." He faced Palegaze again a moment later holding some daisy leaf. "Here this isn't as strong as poppyseed but it should do the trick for a headache. You're going to have to start watching out for the sun again." he warned, sitting across from his cousin and wrapping his tail around his paws. "I don't want to have to lather your back with herbs again." "Yeah, yeah," he meowed, taking the leaf gratefully from the medicine cat. "Trust me, I also don't want you to have to lather me with herbs again. I couldn't hunt for ages because of the scent!" Rolling onto his side, Palegaze stretched with a pleased chirping noise. "Anyway, I'm starving from working all day. You hungry, too? We could share something. Or, if you want, we could go on a little hunt together?" He looked up expectantly at Eclipsesky with a flick of his ear. |
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 5, 2021 21:08:07 GMT -5
Eclipsesky flicked his ears in amusement, "Ambitious today huh? Trying to get the medicine cat to hunt." The small tom sighed but got to his paws, deciding he would humor Palegaze for once. "Alright, I'll go with you, but if I'm no help don't say I didn't warn you."
|
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Apr 5, 2021 21:48:16 GMT -5
"Atta boy, Eclipsesky," Palegaze purred. "And I know as well as you do that those claws are as sharp as my tongue, eh?" The tunneler rolled to his paws and briefly shook out his pelt.
"'Sides, even a medicine cat's gotta stretch his legs." Palegaze slipped from the tangy-smelling den into the growing dusk, turning back to look at Eclipsesky. "Since it's getting dark now, we can probably stay out on the moor, too, so you won't have to go down into the tunnels."
|
|
|
|
Post by Firebelly on Apr 7, 2021 7:58:39 GMT -5
Fallowmeadow nodded, "That's true, I have faith that she'll make a good deputy. You chose well." she praised quietly, snuggling in close to him. "I was rather surprised by Blacktail's retirement though. I supposed he would just keep going until his paws fell off." Swiftstar nodded. "I was as well. He came to me a few sunrises ago to tell me he wanted to retire...I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I don't think Blacktail's family knew either, and it didn't feel fair." |
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 7, 2021 10:49:37 GMT -5
Eclipsesky followed behind Palegaze out of the den towards the entrance of camp. "Even better, you know I don't really go down there anymore." His mind flashed back to the image of his mother's crushed body, gone after saving two apprentices from the tunnel collapse. "How is the tunnel maintenance going? Is it safe down there again?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 7, 2021 11:06:35 GMT -5
Fallowmeadow laughed, pressing against the leader, "I wasn't complaining that you didn't tell me. I was just saying it surprised me. I'm glad you didn't pick me again. Those few moons as deputy when you first became leader were enough for me. I've been trying to spend more time with our kits and that wouldn't be possible if we're both busy all the time. Ever since the fire..." She paused, her eyes growing misty. "I'm worried we're going to lose them all. We almost lost Dustfire to Meadowbrook, and now Cloverleaf is gone. I look at Fawnspots and Wolfstep and wonder what could take them from us as well."
|
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Apr 7, 2021 13:18:19 GMT -5
Eclipsesky followed behind Palegaze out of the den towards the entrance of camp. "Even better, you know I don't really go down there anymore." His mind flashed back to the image of his mother's crushed body, gone after saving two apprentices from the tunnel collapse. "How is the tunnel maintenance going? Is it safe down there again?" As Palegaze loped up to the ridge above the camp, he shrugged, tipping his head side to side. "It's going," he meowed, parting his jaws for a moment to drink in the scents of the moor. "I know Jasmineheart and Splashstone were going to be reinforcing some of the tunnels closer to Highstones, and I opened up a passage near the gorge today." As the milky scent of a young rabbit passed over the roof of his mouth, Palegaze angled his ears towards its direction and began to trot that way. "For the most part, the tunnels closer to camp are stable again." |
|
|
|
Post by Firebelly on Apr 7, 2021 15:22:39 GMT -5
Swiftstar took a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes. As he did he could hear Cloverleaf's terrified and confused yowls echoing in his mind until they were cut off by the tunnel collapsing down on the both of them. He opened his eyes again before slowly exhaling. "We can't worry about that." He said quietly. "There are so many things that could happen to them...if we worry about them all we'll go crazy."
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 8, 2021 14:25:11 GMT -5
Eclipsesky panted as he tried to keep up with the much larger warrior, his short legs out of shape from how much time he's been spending in camp checking on his clanmates after the fire. "That's good to hear, we don't need any more deaths right now," he muttered grimly. "Especially with a new deputy and prey still scarce."
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Apr 8, 2021 14:29:37 GMT -5
Fallowmeadow rested her head on his back with a sigh, "I know, but it's hard not to think about sometimes. I know she's waiting up there for us, but she didn't even get a full life. She never got to experience finding love or having kits of her own." Her ears flattened as she took a deep breath, trying to reign in her emotions. "I'm sorry, this isn't the conversation I wanted to be having right now. We should be celebrating our new deputy."
|
|
