~☁ CLOUDCLAN ☁~The Cats Who Touch The Sky~

"Yes Owlshadow" Briawpaw murmurs as he follows after the other cats. He eyes Ivypaw. The apprentice wasn't... the most friendly, and Briarpaw had tried again and again to get him to have a conversation, but they never lasted long. "...Goodmorning, Ivypaw" Always good to be polite, all the same.

"Most definitely. I think I heard Heatherkit saying something about wanting to be leader and have Rootkit as her deputy," his eyes squint with his amusement, "Good for kits to dream big, hm?" Larkeye would love more kits, most likely, though Speckleclaw figured returning to the warriors den would do her better. Fresh air, open spaces, learning that the world wasn't going to collapse around her, and that their kits wouldn't die without them present. Those were things she needed. "Yes.. She will. Oh?" He gives Minnowheart a appreciative meow, "What an excellent idea."

Ripplepelt was one of his favorites. Her faith in him was... simply delightful. "I try. She did take her kits loss deep in her heart, but all queens do." He could listen to this old cat wax poetic praise about him for moons, his pride swelled and his purr grew loud in his chest, "Oh, you're simply too kind, Ripplepelt, it's my duty, and pleasure, to help all of those in our little clan." He watches her rise, noting there was no hitch in her hips this morning. That was good for her. "Perhaps Briarpaw will return and I can send your favorite little apprentice your way?" Though, Briarpaw might not appreciate the duty, both the apprentice and the elder were fond of each other; Briarpaw would do it for her. "If not, I'll send another your way. After your walk I'll visit you." he moves to let pass, "Don't forget to stay hydrated, sweet Ripplepelt."

Right. His lip curls and he turns his attention forward. He should have guessed the apprentice wouldn't want to speak. He takes a quiet breath to cool himself down. No use in trying anymore, and if he made a sarcastic comment in return it would just be ignored. So far nothing smelled out of the ordinary, and that's what he should focus on. The patrol.

( Welcome strawberryqueeny ! I'll go ahead and add Strawberrypaw in. Feel free to jump in any time you want. Shyfawn will be her mentor)

Owlshadow stopped the patrol, perking his ears up. He turned to the two apprentices, cocking his head at them "Do either of you smell anything?" He asked them, testing their skills. There was a scent of twolegs, stale, as well as the stench of stale blood. He wondered what the two of them thought.

Minnowheart purred, familiar with the cute pretend play of the kits "Yes, it certainly will. Dawnripple and Littlepring will be coming with us. Is there anything in particular you'd like to go for?" She could think of a few places they could go to, but if he wanted something in particular, they could aim for a more specific area.

Ripplepelt's chest swelled, and she felt a little spring in her step. Blackbrook was so sweet, it made her heart feel young "Well you're just the sweetest aren't you! I look forward to seeing you later then, you little charmer" she purred, stepping out of her nest.

(There's some apprentices still in camp. You could possibly organize duties for them or do like a little training session? I think Blackbrook is available too, if you guys wanna talk about the prophecy or something.)

"well... Blood" Briarpaw supplies. It could be prey. "and something else" he scents the air again, "Twolegs?" It certainly wasnt recent.

~~~
Ah. Those two. Troublemakers. "She liked fish, refuses frogs and doesnt really care for birds." So any of the streams would probably get him a good catch, "anywhere I can catch a fish would be good."

~~~

With mirth in his eyes he leaves soon after the elder. He'd line her den with some herbs to help her joints later. She was good to have in camp, for moral and support. He slips into the queen's den and jolts when a small bundle jumps and digs their claws into his side.

"Blackbrook! You're here!"

Heatherkit. Yes. "Larkeye" he asks calmly even as tiny claws dig in. The queen hurriedly pulls the kit off by her scruff. "Such energy" he says with a tense voice.

"Yes yes- they're just so hard to keep in the den nowadays! I'm so sorry Blackbrook!"

"It's hardly a problem, little kits just need to learn to keep their​ claws sheathed"

"I tell them over and over!"

"They'll figure it out soon enough"

Owlshadow nods at Briarpaw and turns to Ivypaw expectantly "And what do you think about that?" He asked, leadingly.

---------

Minnowheart shifted on her paws uncomfortably. She hoped the tom wouldn't be mad at her for roping him into hunting with the two problematic cats. "Well, lets head to the river to the west of here then. The fish might have started spawning by now" She suggested, trying to hide her uncertainty. She wasn't sure if it was the right time for the larger fish to be up the river to spawn, but she figured it might be worth a shot. "Are you guys ready?" She meows back to the aforementioned troublemakers.

( That's ok! You didn't miss much haha )

It took Ivypaw a moment to realize he had been spoken to. He blinked and looked over. What did he think? What had Briarpaw said? Probably something about the scents... "Maybe they were hunting?" His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.

Owlshadow cut his eyes, obviously disappointed. Why did his apprentice seem so sharp somedays and so dull others? He wondered if he should speak to Blackbrook about it- possibly the apprentice was having trouble sleeping.

"Twolegs rarely hunt in these woods. If they eat while they're here, its usually not prey they've caught here in the forest. If there's blood we may have to worry about predators other than our usual fare. The twolegs have brought dogs with them into the forest before. We should follow the scent and see if we can find anything unusual" He meowed, looking to the other warriors. He had seen dogs in the forest before, but he wasn't sure if any of the other cats had experienced the unusual, slobbering creatures. They were less keen than a fox, but their bite was just as powerful, if not more so.

Twolegs were such weird creatures. Why didn't they hunt for their own food, and they brought those crazy dogs. They could be easily tricked, he heard, but their teeth could pull cats apart.

"Don't they wait for greenleaf? And they don't tend to come up here" maybe a dog had broken loose. If they could find the origin of the blood scent, it'd probably help.

"What should you do if you run into a dog?"

~~~
"Alright Minnowheart, let's go" he didn't particularly care for the two younger cats, but he was always willing to give the benefit of the doubt. He stands, "Would you like to lead?" Perhaps giving her a leading position would give her some confidence in herself. Speckleclaw collects his bones to bury.

(The setting of the clan's area is in a national forest type place. So people aren't supposed to hunt there, but I can see it happening.)

Owlshadow shook his head "Twolegs are around all seasons, it's just how far they travel from their lands that depends on the weather. They don't seem to be able to stand the cold, so they don't travel into our land in leafbare, but as soon as the frosts begin to thaw they grow bold."

He shot Ivypaw a harsh look, obviously displeased with his apprentice's attitude. He looked to Blazestep, who said nothing to Briarpaw. Great Ancestors! Are these really my clan cats?

He stopped. they'd traveled far and they seemed no closer to the source of the scent trail. Satisfied, he decided that they had traveled far enough. It was nearly sunhigh and his stomach growled. Turning to the rest of the patrol, he meowed "We've come a long way. Whatever was here, it's gone farther than we need to worry about. Let's take some time to hunt and see if we can't bring some prey back to the clan"

-------

Minnowheart nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable that Speckleclaw felt the need to suggest she lead. Didn't Owlshadow put her in charge...? She really did need to work on being confident. "Err, yeah. Dawnrpple, Littlespring, let's head out" she meowed, turning her tail towards the exit of the camp.

"...such riveting advice" Briarpaw can't help the comment that sneaks out of his mouth. He shoots both his mentor and Owlshadow a sheepish look immediately. Shoot. He didn't mean to say that.
"...sorry Ivypaw." He mutters, "... Blazestep, teach me some hunting things...over here?"

~~~
After a moment Speckleclaw pauses. Oh. Oh that'd been a dumb comment. She was organizing it. Why wouldn't she lead?

Dawnripple mutters something he can't hear and he turns his attention to her with a barely hidden frown. What was that cat muttering? Something that probably wasnt his business.

"Yes.." saying lead the way felt unnecessary, and he should have kept his mouth shut. He sighs and follows after the cats. Right. Hunting..

Ripplestorm glanced over at the apprentices for a moment before walking off. Owlshadow was right. Warriors needed to work together even if they didn't like each other. He opens his mouth and listens intently to the sounds around him. Scenting something near by, Ripplestorm heads in that direction to investigate.


"Sounds like a plan." Dawnripple mewed finding that okay with her.

(Whoops. Guess I missed that memo ^^" sorry)

Ivypaw shrugged his shoulders. "Alright." He glanced back to see Blazestep still nodding off. He rolled his eyes. How was he a warrior? And a mentor at that. It was unbelievable. "So where do you want to go?" His ears twitched.