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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 13, 2020 13:34:45 GMT -5
(I am in my last semester of undergraduate, finishing my Sociology/Anthropology thesis at the moment!)
Oakpaw was exhausted, and it showed plainly on her features. She didn't know if she had even caught a wink of sleep, she had tossed and turned and been in so much of a daze in her nest. The injured Cherrypaw was heavy on her mind and the words of her two siblings, their takes on her failure, spun alongside her own guilt at how she was scolded. It wasn't anywhere near the first time it had happened, and it wasn't going to be the last.
She didn't react as her siblings came to rest by her, her gaze fixed up at the leader's perch and the warrior who hovered down below. The question of what this was going to mean for all of them was finally going to receive some clarity.
Jasminefur didn't know he would be speaking until that morning, and he didn't know what he was going to say even as he stood below the leader's perch. A sea of mostly unfriendly faces were pasted between him and the leader, and it was driving ants through his pelt thinking of all the hostile attention.
It was hard not to see how crestfallen the warrior looked as Bogstar reported how the clan had been almost eradicated. He felt completely alone, the only survived holed up in the medicine cat's den awfully maimed. He caught the leader's twitch of the tail and he quickly scrambled up, coming to stand alert by the leader as Bogstar spoke for a bit longer.
He opened his mouth, trying to decide in the moment what to say. His gaze scanned over the various cats who had already been murmuring their discontent at him being here, trying to find a single friendly face. It didn't come or he didn't catch it, and he shut his mouth and chewed on his lip for a few seconds.
"The dogs were more coordinated than anything I've ever seen," His call rang out worriedly around the camp. "These aren't Twolegs' dogs. There were so many, I couldn't even count them. Before I ran here, I...I saw..." He looked across some of the faces, trying to assess what effect his words were having on the gathered cats. "A cat followed them at the start of the attack. I saw him moments later, face to face with Cherrystar." He breathed in a deep breath, the only confidence he could summon in his voice when he exhaled and spoke again. "This cat had something to do with it. He fought with the dogs to slaughter Windclan." There wasn't any doubt in his mind. How else would a cat enter with dogs and not be found dead in the camp?
He bit his lip again, waiting for whatever reaction was to come. It sounded outrageous, and he was curtly aware of that, but he knew what he saw and there wasn't anything that could shake him to re-interpreting it. Did Cherrystar know this cat? He couldn't help but wondering if there was a connection to this cat he wasn't aware of.
"How in the name of Starclan are a pack of dogs being ordered around by a cat?!" The yowl rose from the middle of the camp. Ferntooth stood tall and defiant. It sounded like a hare's tale that Jasminefur was spinning, though he hadn't, of course, seen the devastation in the clan. He listened to gauge how many murmurs of agreement rose around him, trying to decide how far he could challenge the Windclan warrior's story.
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Asexual
sweetclover1
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Post by sweetclover1 on Apr 13, 2020 21:46:00 GMT -5
(Oh nice!! Good luck with finishing it!) Eventually, Twistedpath joined her apprentice and her siblings, taking longer than her own apprentice only because she wasn't a fan of the crowds that meetings promised and she often tried to find a way to avoid them for as long as possible, even if she was expected to be there like any of her other clanmates. She didn't say a word to either of her apprentices siblings- they looked almost as tired as Oakpaw did this morning even after she had relieved her of her duties with a thank-you and assuring her that she could take over looking after Cherrypaw for a short while. Oakpaw would need her strength, after all, to ensure that she was alert enough to learn and make her own decisions as a medicine cat apprentice.
She stayed quiet, though, as Maplepaw let out a small whine and pressed against her sister, as dramatic as ever until Bogstar started talking. It seemed that she had enough sense to respect her leader, so at least there was that silver lining. It was disturbing to hear all of the details all over again- even though Bogstar had failed to mention the cat when she had cornered their leader later on the night before, but she supposed that she couldn't exactly fault him for that when they were still trying to make sure that an apprentice would live and figure out what, exactly, had happened.
Bogstar was more than willing to let the Windclan warrior speak- he was reluctant to speak on a matter that he didn't know very well- and he expected there to be some blowback from his clanmates. Shadowclan was known for their general distrust of those outside of their clans- and in Bogstars opinion this was a trait that had kept them out of trouble more often than not. They kept to themselves and didn't get into the silly disputes that clans like Thunderclan did- so of course there would be uncertainty whenever there was a stranger in the camp.
But Jasminefur 's story was concerning at the very least and dangerous at the most. Sure, some of it sounded too scary to be true, especially with the cat who seemed to be with the dog pack, but with there being an entire clan slaughtered... well, he was willing to believe a lot after that. So he didn't argue with Jasminefur as he told his own story, but he did let out a growl at the challenge.
"Ferntooth, stop talking about things you don't know about. Looking at the state of the camp, I'm willing to believe close to anything," Stormpelt snapped, her ears flattening just a little in annoyance. She of all cats didn't exactly like having an enemy clan member in their own clan, but after seeing it... well, it was hard to see anything as impossible.
"We aren't saying that the cat was ordering around the dogs. For all we know, the cat took advantage of the situation." He corrected quickly, his tail lashing as he looked down at his clan. "But this isn't something that we should take lightly, either. I was there to see the slaughter, no one but the apprentice in the den made it out alive. There were enough bodies in the camp to prove that this wasn't a set up- it was absolute carnage. However," There was a glint in the toms eye as he scanned the crowd carefully.
"I would be more than willing to lead another patrol to Windclan territory." He settled back on his haunches, listening to the anxious whispers that filtered through the camp, looking over at Thrushpaw who looked horrified at the mention of going back to the clan. "Do you have any more questions, Ferntooth?" He asked, leaning down from the branch to better look at the clearly upset warrior, eyes narrowing for a moment.
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 13, 2020 22:22:12 GMT -5
The warrior's pelt flared with anger as Stormpelt essentially told him to shut up and that he didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Ferntooth shot up from his seat, unwilling to let the insult to his intelligence go unchallenged. His claws slid out and he turned to face directly towards the warrior.
It wasn't clear whether he was going to directly attack the cat or simply challenge her, but Ferntooth was ready to tell the ignorant she-cat to say it to his face. The only thing that stopped him was Bogstar, his gaze narrowed on the warrior as he asked for any more 'input' from the warrior. Glancing back up to the leader, he quickly realized that Bogstar wasn't going to be on his side in this. Forced to swallow his immense pride, the warrior emitted a low growl and lowered himself back onto his haunches. "Not for now." He glowered up at the leader, his eyes perhaps displaying whatever unpleasantries he wanted to levy towards the leader.
When he first spoke, Jasminefur was very worry about where Ferntooth was going to take this. The warrior had misconstrued his words into the cat leading the dogs, and it wasn't necessarily what he had said. That is what it seems like, but Bogstar is right. The cat could have just taken advantage of it...but then again, how did he slip into camp, weave his way through so many dogs, and escape again? He sighed quietly, opening his mouth and preparing himself to respond to the warrior.
When Ferntooth turned on Stormpelt, Jasminefur couldn't help but feel the hackles raise upon his neck. Was the warrior that easy to goad? He looked ready for violence, and his gaze quickly shifted to Stormpelt with worry in his eyes. Were they about to fight?
He let out a relieved sigh as Bogstar addressed the warrior and, finally, got him to sit down, despite looking like he had swallowed mouse bile. He tried to push the warrior out of his mind and refocus on Bogstar's willingness to set up another patrol. That was exactly what he needed to hear. "I'll go," He immediately blurted out, then realized he hadn't yet told Bogstar of what Cherrypaw had said. He glanced at Stormpelt again, who he had mentioned the delirious Cherrypaw's comment to.
He wasn't supposed to feel any hope, to get eager for the chance to save anyone from his clan, because what waited on the other side of that hope had a strong chance of being very, very heartbreaking. But with one other Windclan warrior alive, in terrible condition, Jasminefur fell like a piece of fresh-kill at the feet of vain hope that his sister had made it out through some miracle. "I mean..." His voice was much lower so that it didn't project to every gathered cat. He needed to remember his place here. "I know it isn't my call, but...can I just speak with you after the meeting is over?"
"I'll go!" The young and inexperienced voice of Oakpaw rang out, trying to do everything she could to hide the exhaustion from her voice. Her heart was pounding, had been for much of the meeting at the thought of what all of these dogs had done--and then for some reason, she felt the need to do something about it. Maybe it was because she saw how scared Thrushpaw had looked since they returned. When she was an apprentice she always wanted Thrushpaw to smile. Maybe she could show him that it wasn't all hopeless?
Or maybe she felt like she needed to prove to someone, maybe herself, that she could be useful. Either way, she immediately realized she had just volunteered to dive into a potential den of dogs. She gulped, imagining few possible scenarios where Bogstar would let the tiny young apprentice tag along on this patrol. "B-Bogstar," She began, trying not to stammer. "Surely, if we find cats alive, they could be injured. A-and Twistedpath can't go, because she...w-well...has to watch Cherrypaw. S-so why don't I go just in case?"
She shuffled her paws and leaned into Maplepaw unconsciously as she spoke, trying to figure out why she was volunteering for such a dangerous patrol the more she spoke. Her mouth hung open as she tried to think of more reasons for her to be sent, but she was cut off by a loud scoff by Ferntooth. Lowering her head, she set her gaze down towards her paws.
"Bogstar," Violetdapple's voice followed the scoff after only a few seconds. "I want to see what has happened with my own eyes. This story sounds..." Her gaze drifted slightly to fixate on Jasminefur. "But I wouldn't doubt you, Bogstar. And we can try to track any potential survivors," She glanced over to the now avoidant Oakpaw. "And while I respect Oakpaw's initiative, unlike some..." She didn't look away from Oakpaw to Ferntooth. "Certainly we cannot risk bringing such a young apprentice."
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 13, 2020 22:28:12 GMT -5
(I was imagining 35-40 moons. Let's say 40. A bit away from senior warrior but definitely not young warrior.)
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sweetclover1
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Post by sweetclover1 on Apr 14, 2020 8:45:00 GMT -5
Stormpelt let out a low growl when Ferntooth neared her, flattening her ears and lifting her chin up, staring him down as he neared her. She didn't mind arguing with some of the more senior warriors in her clan, she personally didn't believe that just because someone was older they immediately deserved respect. So when he showed his own fangs, she showed hers back, hackles rising just a little as her half brother let out a startled noise and scrambled away so he wouldn't get involved with any kind of fight that Stormpelt was apparently about to start.
She was honestly just a bit disappointed when Bogstar stepped in, not wanting any kind of challenges today, apparently, and she made a face at Ferntooth before licking the ruffled fur on her chest. She absolutely wasn't going to stand for a warrior who was being rude during a clan meeting and honestly, it didn't matter how old the warrior was, he needed to learn some respect. "Wonderful. Then I suppose that you wouldn't mind leading this patrol back to the wind clan camp?" Bogstar responded, and while his words were technically a question, the glint in his eyes made it clear that it was anything but.
He was not going to deal with a rude warrior today.
What he hadn't expected was sudden offers to go to Windclan territory- this was more of a threat than anything else until he used it as a punishment for Ferntooth. This surprise didn't show on his features, though, as he turned to Jasminefur, who seemed eager to get back to his own territory if only for a little while. His head tilted to one side at the request to speak with him afterwards but he flicked his ear in approval for the request.
"Yes. We can speak after. You can sit down, now." There was nothing else to say, after all, at least for the Windclan warrior and now Bogstar had to mitigate any damage that having two cats not from his own clan had caused. His clanmates were nervous, not happy about having strangers in the camp, and perhaps just a little more on edge than usual because of an entire clan being wiped out.
He looked down at young Oakpaw, surprised that she of all cats had offered to go. Sure, if it were Pinepaw or Maplepaw, he wouldn't have been surprised but Oakpaw always seemed to be the more hesitant of the three so her offering to go wasn't something he expected. By the look on Twistedpaths face, she hadn't expected it either, and he forced back a sigh at that. This was certainly a situation where he would defer to his medicine cat, she knew better than the rest of the clan whether Oakpaw would be prepared or not to go, young or not Oakpaw had a good point that if there were any bad injuries, having her would be useful.
"That is a decision for Twistedpath to make, not anyone else. She is Oakpaws mentor, and her position is... different from other apprentices. So I will trust Twistedpath on whether or not she thinks Oakpaw is ready. However," His gaze slid down to the she cat who was currently staring intently at her paws, avoiding Violetdapples gaze as she spoke. "Oakpaw, I think it's very brave of you to offer to go, when it's dangerous. I want you to keep in mind that the apprentice we brought in? There are warriors at the camp that had far worse injuries than that. I need for you to think for yourself, seriously, on whether you would be ready to see that or not. No one will fault you if you aren't." His voice was gentler, talking to the apprentice, than it had been to the rest of his clanmates. Of course it always was with apprentices, he had a soft spot for some of the clans younger cats.
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 14, 2020 10:33:29 GMT -5
(Do you want to play Oakpaw's former warrior mentor? Or should I make it Violetdapple?)
Jasminefur didn't speak any more as Bogstar told him he was fine to sit down, descending from the leader's perch and settling down on his paws in a sitting position without looking towards any of the other ShadowClan warriors. Once he told Bogstar what he was hoping to find, he hoped that the cat would be willing to send him along with the patrol. Of course, he would have to start thinking about what bringing a third WindClan cat into the camp was going to mean.
Oakpaw should have known that the leader would say that, but it didn't leave her feeling any better when he deferred to Twistedpath. She knew what that meant--there was no way in Starclan's furry pelt her mentor was going to let her towards the scene and whatever dogs might linger nearby, and her hopes to be useful for a change were dashed.
But the leader wasn't done speaking, and Oakpaw's gaze lifted with surprise as he firstly praised her for her bravery, something she was far from used to hearing--and then he made it clear that she would be getting into something she might not be ready for. Her eyes widened a little, picturing the awfully maimed Cherrypaw and then trying to wonder how the cat could look worse. Far away images of dogs tearing her open filled her brain, and she lowered her head again, feeling far more uncertain than she had before.
She lifted her gaze again but this time looked around her, trying to scan for Thrushpaw. He had been there, and maybe he could tell her what it was like. Still trying to avoid looking at Ferntooth, she looked about and saw he had departed Stormpelt's side. Gulping, she didn't say anything more in response to the leader. She didn't know if he was ready.
Ferntooth's eyes redoubled their disgust as Bogstar dug in further to the warrior's disdain for the situation, 'asking' him to lead the patrol. Dark images flashed through his head, acts of violence that he could never let come to pass, and as his pelt rose with anger, he was growing unable to hold back a retort to the leader, when little Oakpaw spoke out. After snorting at the young cat's idiotic offer, he looked up at the leader, waiting until Violetdapple and Bogstar were done speaking and it seemed Oakpaw wasn't going to say anything. "At least send me cats who can run properly, and don't give up as soon as things get a little challenging."
Oakpaw's heart skipped a beat as she felt like Ferntooth jammed his claws into her heart and twisted them, and her gaze grew totally crestfallen in response to Ferntooth's harsh assessment of her. She was already so vulnerable to other cats' evaluations of her, and Ferntooth had taken it straight to the worst, leaving her silent and without any hope of going. What would be the point of tagging along with Ferntooth, anyways?
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 14, 2020 10:53:22 GMT -5
(ooooooh drama i like drama. and ferntooth is super pissed about it because it reflects failure on him. and oakpaw failed as an apprentice because she was never allowed to faiiilll okay its ferntooth i like it)
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Asexual
sweetclover1
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Post by sweetclover1 on Apr 14, 2020 11:04:14 GMT -5
It wasn't that Twistedpath didn't trust Oakpaw- in fact, it was the opposite despite her sour demeanor. She was viciously protective over the she cat, and while she knew that Oakpaw had decided to be a medicine cat because she didn't think she'd be a good enough to be a warrior, she felt like Oakpaw had good enough instincts. She was just too hard on herself after barely being a medicine cat's apprentice, she hand't even been one for a moon and there was a lot more to learn as a medicine cat than there was a warrior.
Not only that, but she'd been attacked by a large predator before too. It had been a badger, not a dog pack, but she didn't want her young apprentice to ever experience that kind of pain. It was hard enough to handle seeing Cherrypaw when she knew what she was going through, she didn't want anything happening to Oakpaw either. But... well, Oakpaw had a point and she knew enough about herbs for pain and infection (or she certainly hoped so since she helped Twistedpath the day before even after the incident), and even if she was so new she certainly knew more than a warrior.
The Medicine cat flicked her tail a little, acknowledging her leader but not saying a word yet, a thoughtful expression on her features as the meeting continued. Ferntooth was inciting drama and she couldn't help the low growl the rose in her throat at the comment of her apprentice. "Watch it, warrior. That apprentice your bad mouthing will be the one saving your sorry life one day." She spat at him, eyeing him in a way that insinuated that she had no qualms with clawing his ears even when she only had three functioning legs.
Because no one harassed her apprentice. She was the only one that was allowed to be hard on her- and that was because this was a position that wasn't to be taken lightly and some mistakes could end up killing a cat. Her ears were a little flat as she stared at the apprentice, waiting for him to say another bad thing about her apprentice because she was ready to end this petty little argument once and for all.
"Enough!" Bogstar snapped, beyond irritated at how kit-like his warriors were being. "Ferntooth. You'll be assigned your patrol after the meeting. I trust that you're mature enough to handle anyone on it." Frankly, Bogstar was half way tempted to send him to the apprentices den as punishment after this little stunt, but that would only fuel the fire and right now he needed his clanmates to get along. "After it's been assigned, you can request another cat or two to join you if you feel that it's necessary," He ordered before looking over his clan. "If any of you would like to volunteer and see this for yourself, come to me afterwards. Other than that, you may leave."
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 14, 2020 11:24:30 GMT -5
Jasminefur was surprised enough by Ferntooth's hostility that he risked shifting his gaze towards the pack of ShadowClan cats. The apprentice had been really, really brave to volunteer to go--Bogstar was right about that--but Ferntooth had struck her down like it meant nothing to him, and he couldn't help but wonder what could inspire such a cruel response. His gaze drifted to Oakpaw as his facial features saddened with sympathy. For Starclan's sake, what is his problem?
Ferntooth's glowering gaze turned on Twistedpath, and even though the medicine cat was just as unlikely to back down from the warrior, he at least could snap back at the medicine cat without drawing close to fracturing the Warrior Code. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bogstar had had enough of this and silenced what he was about to say, throwing him orders and then dismissing the meeting.
His gaze remained hard on the medicine cat, but his next comment was a mutter, only audible to the cats close to him. "Unlikely. She'll switch back to being a kit once she sees how hard it is." His gaze held all of his contempt for the apprentice as he turned away, figuring he should eat something before this patrol.
Oakpaw didn't look at either of her siblings or her mentor as she turned about, her gaze still down at her paws. "I'll go organize the herbs," She quietly murmured before beginning to pad away. Clearly, she didn't think she was going on the patrol and didn't see a point in asking. She also didn't seem to recognize, or care, that all the herbs had already been organized when they treated Cherrypaw and noone had fetched any new herbs.
Jasminefur couldn't conjure a hair-length of sympathy for Ferntooth. Not only was he the first to say he didn't believe Jasminefur's...'story...'but it left a particularly disgusting taste in his mouth as he saw the apprentice turn around and head towards the medicine cat's den. What an awful cat. Who treats an apprentice like this?
He had to let it go, though, as Bogstar was certainly waiting for him and whoever else wanted to go. As he got up from his sitting position, he saw Violetdapple watching him silently from a few pawsteps away. He blinked at her uncertainly, wondering why, and she expressionlessly meowed at him to "Go..." Without a word he turned around and ascended again, arriving at Bogstar's den and calling quietly for permission to enter.
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sweetclover1
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Post by sweetclover1 on Apr 14, 2020 11:34:54 GMT -5
Last time I'm patching up any of his wounds, ungrateful fur ball. She thought with a scoff, looking just as unhappy about standing down as Ferntooth was, her tail lashing and bringing up the dust and dirt around them as he did saw. She saw him mutter something under his breath, and considering the irritated looks that he was getting from their fellow clanmates, it wasn't anything kind either.
So she only paused when Oakpaw muttered that she was going to organize the herbs and she sighed- this probably wasn't going to be a good idea, and if Oakpaw got any more than a scratch on her with this, she'd never forgive herself. But- "Oakpaw." She paused, looking at how Maplepaw was bristling at Oakpaws former mentor, before turning her attention back to her. "How many packs of herbs can you carry if we put them in Oak leaf?" Starclan this felt like a massive mistake- and maybe it was because she just wanted to keep Oakpaw safe and let her learn just a little more before sending her out to the real world- but right now she wanted to prove Ferntooth wrong and- okay. Maybe she was just a little furious that Ferntooth had the audacity to call her apprentice out during a meeting just because Oakpaw dropped being a warrior, but she was trying to tell herself that this could give Oakpaw the confidence that she needed.
She limped towards her apprentice and past her, into the relative quiet and safety of their den, her tail twitching as she headed to the back of the den. "I would say put everything where they need to go right now- and it won't be a waste to do so because Cherrypaw will still need this- but it's easier to just have everything put together right away during an emergency like this one where time is not on your side," She let out a soft breath before turning to her.
"If you smell any dogs, run, and run as fast as you can back here. Don't try and be a hero- come back here, okay?" It was an order, her features flat and not showing any of the mounting concern that was rising in her chest. "Are you ready to see what Bogstar was talking about? I'll trust you if you say you are." But she would still double check the herbs that Oakpaw was putting in the packs- she was so new to healing that mistakes were bound to be made and this wasn't something that could really be messed up.
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 14, 2020 12:22:12 GMT -5
Jasminefur waited for the leader to permit him to enter before he slipped through the entrance and stood a few tail-lengths from the leader. He took a breath and readied himself to explain the situation. He didn't feel the need to hold anything back--Bogstar had already shown that he was understanding of the danger this posed, and at least was...sorry for the plight of his clan. "When we found Cherrypaw, she was barely conscious. Practically delirious, and I don't know if I can trust what she said to me in that state," He exhaled the breath he had taken in.
"She told me that my sister, Rosepelt, made it out of the camp, and I can't rest until I've at least tried to look for her. The scent of dog, as you know, was overpowering, so I don't even know if there will be a hint of a scent trail, but...If anyone is going to catch it, it's me." He chewed on his lip, anxiety prickling at his pelt as dark images began filling his head. His sister shaken to death, torn apart by dogs, bitten to pieces. He winced in response to his thoughts, though he didn't say anything about them.
Oakpaw stopped mid-step as her mentor called her, not sure what was coming her way--if it was an attempt to inspire her and make her feel better, she was going to bite her own tail off. But she turned back as her mentor asked how many herb bundles she could take. She didn't grow a smile or grow more excited--she just gazed at her mentor, trying to assess if Twistedpath was serious.
She didn't respond as Twistedpath made her way to the den, the apprentice slowly following her in and listening as she explained what to do with the herbs. She was really sending Oakpaw. She nodded absent-mindedly, grabbing Oak-leaf while her mentor spoke, beginning to place cobwebs, horsetail, and comfrey, trying not to think about grabbing chervile instead the previous day. Was she missing anything? She looked down at the first pack of Oak leaf with uncertainty.
She finally looked up at her mentor as Twistedpath ordered her to run back at the first sign of trouble, and inquired as to whether she was ready to see this. Her gaze flickered over to Cherrypaw, gulping and gazing up and down the cat's wounds. This was the least of the wounds in that camp, and Cherrypaw was the only one that survived them. Every cat in the WindClan camp was likely to be butchered worse.
She gulped. She hated the thought of seeing what she might have to see. But as she thought of what Cherrypaw must have witnessed...she had seen all of it, hadn't see? Or some of it. Either way, it was too much. "If this is the least the dogs can do," She murmured quietly, her gaze still set on Cherrypaw, "Then I need to know what their worst is like. For Cherrypaw's sake, and for anyone else who has to fight them." How was she going to be prepared to heal them otherwise?
Of course, Oakpaw was putting on a brave front. She had no idea just how bad the camp was and while her words were brave, she still felt fear of having to enter the WindClan camp and witness the slaughter. She tried to change the subject. "Am I missing an herb? I think I am."
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sweetclover1
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Post by sweetclover1 on Apr 14, 2020 17:09:37 GMT -5
Bogstar took longer to respond, to invite the Windclan warrior in his den, because he had to take a moment to calm and collect himself. Eventually, he did let Jasminefur in, flicking his tail as the cat jumped into his own plea. What was interesting was that Cherrypaw had claimed there were other survivors- which... would prove difficult to figure out unless if they continued to go through the territory to see if anyone else made it alive.
"There's a chance she may have gone to another clans territory for help. Especially if she went back and saw everyone dead. Perhaps we'll be lucky and she will come to the gathering. It won't be much longer until the next full moon, and we can see if there's any other survivors." He told the other warrior, sitting back down as the warrior neared him. "If you catch her scent during the patrol, feel free to follow it, but tell Ferntooth. And Violetdapple. You aren't a Shadowclan Warrior so we don't have much power over when you can and can't leave. " He responded honestly, but it seemed like he was frustrated at the fact that there was a cat he couldn't tell what to do, and while Jasminefur seemed to be rather respectful now...
He still wasn't the warriors leader.
Twistedpath didn't stop when Oakpaw did, she was on a time crunch to actually get these packs done if Oakpaw actually wanted to go on this. So she kept on what she was doing, only pausing when Oakpaw answered, surprised by the maturity of it from an apprentice who was still practically a kit. So she stared for a moment, before blinking, and turning back. "You have a good point," She finally satd with a small sigh, looking at him critically. "Oakpaw, I'm serious. If you can't tell me with complete certainty that you'll come back right away if you smell a dog, you're staying here and helping me with Cherrypaw and sorting herbs for the night." It wasn't a threat, but it was a genuine her concern for her apprentice.
She paused at the packs. "They're a good start, but take some marigold too. While having Poppyseeds would be nice, it might end up being a hindrance since you're traveling. Other than that, it looks like you have all you need." She decided, noting that she had made a point to not get chervil this time. "Remember, don't let Ferntooth harass you. He doesn't know what he's doing with injured cats. You do."
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 14, 2020 18:52:10 GMT -5
Jasminefur nodded along to the leader as he explained that it could have been that she made her way to another clan. Perhaps a number of cats had. It was another spark of hope that he probably shouldn't have started clinging to, but that he needed to cling to nonetheless. While he nodded in agreement, he noted that he would certainly need to come to the Gathering—either to warn the other clans, or to be reunited with any of his clanmates who might have made it to another clan. Either way, he needed to be there.
He took in a breath of oxygen as the leader requested he just tell the warriors whatever he was going to do. He could sense some sort of...frustration, maybe, from the leader. It was true that he wasn’t there as an official warrior, and though he was being hosted at the moment he wasn’t exactly restricted by the same rules as the rest of them. “Of course. Finding my sister, or any of my clanmates, is my top priority, but I’ll make sure they know what I’m doing.” Even saying this, he wanted to try to say something to assuage the leader from thinking he needed to be particularly concerned with the WindClan cat's agency.
“If we get into trouble, I won’t abandon your cats,” he promised. The clan was already helping him so much, and such a thankless abandonment was already against his character even without such aid. “Do you have what you need if we encounter someone with injuries? Perhaps, if it is safe, we can bring herbs from...From my camp...” it was the grim reality that Windclan wasn’t likely to need them anymore. He seemed to flinch as he said this, still struggling to imagine the stark contrast between life today, and two days ago. Pictures of his smiling clanmates were roaming through his head, and his only saving grace from StarClan was imagining the same thing occurring to another clan. He wasn't anywhere close to through the pain that he had been through, but the warrior had enough of an ability to look towards the future that he didn't want any of this to ever follow for any of the other clans. Oakpaw sat up straight as her mentor reiterated that this was only going to happen under very specific circumstances. “I understand, Twistedpath. I will. I’ll run at the first hint of danger.” She looked her in the eyes, trying to detect whether that was genuine concern for her she was hearing. She had never detected it from her old mentor, and thus trying to figure whether it really was was a difficult task. But she would swaer there was...a note of concern.
She quickly added marigold to her bundle, then got started on another Oak leaf without saying anything more. She hoped she could carry whatever she and Twistedpath made, but she knew she may need to ask Violetdapple to carry a bit. She stopped before wrapping her second bundle, glancing over and gazing at Twistedpath. I can’t believe she trusts me to do this. She has to watch Cherrypaw, but...Just yesterday I showed her I’m not very good at this. I hope I don’t let her down again. Her gaze was equally determined and worried, though she was trying not to be a readable book to her mentor. How good she was at obscuring her feelings was in the air--and her siblings probably would have commented that she wasn't very good at it. "I'm just there to help with injuries. I know that I'm incapable of fighting a dog..." She trailed off, her gaze again turning to Cherrypaw. She couldn't imagine the apprentice was much younger than she was--for a brief, very dark moment, she wondered if it could have been her clan--if it could have been Bogstar, Violetdapple, her mom Streamripple, and even...Twistedpath ripped apart by dogs...and if it could have been her, torn apart, her eye damaged as badly as Cherrypaw's. She gulped, her expression leaving behind the determination, and the worry, and leaving only blankness. M-maybe I'm not ready to see this. But she had to. She had to be brave for once! She had to show she could do something, anything.
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 15, 2020 10:44:45 GMT -5
(Sure)
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Asexual
sweetclover1
Hi loves, like my posts so I'll reply faster <3
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Post by sweetclover1 on Apr 15, 2020 11:19:25 GMT -5
It didn't take long for Bogstar to gather the patrol up, going to a few of his warriors that he saw look doubtful during his announcement and who were clearly still unhappy about the fact that the Windclan Warrior was here to stay for the foreseeable future, unless a decent group of Windclan warriors actually survived and could take care of what remained from their clan. He ended up adding three more cats to the team: Frogleap, Foxstep, and Shadeleap. All three were younger warriors who he had over heard talking about their doubts before, and while he wasn't punishing them for their doubts, he wanted them to see what this was like and how serious the situation was.
So that trio, whom had been close since their apprenticeships, were already impatiently waiting at the entrance, bickering at what they should do if they actually saw a dog. Frogleap and Foxstep both wanted to see if they could fight it, it could track them back to camp after all, while Shadeleap told them they were both Frog brained and if they did that, they would end up dog food for the night. Frogleap, a dark brown tabby tom, bristled at that while his counterpart burst out into laughter at the thought of it, the russet tom rolling a little on the ground because, okay, maybe he was a little arrogant. Shadeleap, a dark grey she cat, looked just as irritated at Frogleap was at how Foxstep was acting and it was clear that the three of them needed to go before someone got a clawed face.
Twistedpath was following Oakpaw, trying to ignore the fear that was building in her own chest and keeping her feature carefully masked as she watched the frog-brained warriors that Bogstar had sent with them. Granted, they were capable of protecting themselves and others, but there were times when he wondered if their parents had dropped them because they were certainly that annoying at times.
Bogstar must have really wanted to punish Ferntooth, then.
She grimaced at that before dropping her packs and looking at her apprentice sternly. "Stay safe. Don't let Ferntooth harass you, especially if it's concerning helping someone with an injury. You know more than him, you got it?" She wasn't about to let her former mentor destroy her confidence any more than he already had, and if she heard even a rumor about him being rude, she'd start a fight with him she felt like she could finish.
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 15, 2020 12:17:47 GMT -5
(Where will Stormpelt be? I still need to bring her a dream when she goes back to sleep)
Oakpaw bent down to pick up her oak leave packages and looked back up at her mentor. "I know, I won't..." She gulped, perhaps sounding less confident about her ability to stand up to Ferntooth, but at the elast there would be other warriors around. She hadn't seen the irritated glances Ferntooth had got, but she hoped that their presence would at least deter Ferntooth from expressing more judgement of her.
"I'll see you soon," She meowed to her mentor through her oak leaves, moving closer to her and bending down to pick up the other bundles. She struggled to fit the four bundles in her mostly-grown maw, but she didn't complain and turned about, exiting the den and walking rigidly to keep from scattering a bundle over the floor of the camp.
When she reached the so-far gathered warriors, leaving her feeling a little inexperienced in comparison, she set one of the bundles down on the floor and held back a sigh of relief, still holding the other few. "Could someone carry that for me? Just bite down on it a bit so it doesn't scatter all over the place."
After waiting to hear Bogstar's thoughts on retrieving herbs from the WindClan camp, Jasminefur exited his den and prepared to pad over to the other warriors. His expression was empty of humor as he was now set on at least trying to find a trace of his sister. Now, he could see cats were waiting, and he padded over to them and nodded to whichever cat would acknowledge him.
Then, he glanced at the medicine cat's apprentice, noticing how hyper-alert and serious she seemed. "Bogstar was right," He murmured quietly. "That was really brave of you. But...are you certain that you want to see the WindClan camp? It 's bad."
Oakpaw looked up at the WindClan warrior, surprised to hear his praise, and listening intently as he warned her what the camp was like. It rekindled her sense of the gravity of this as the cat from the camp himself told her that it wasn't going to be an enjoyable experience. "If we find someone injured, I have to be there. Twistedpath can't go." She looked away from the tom-cat and looked around them, trying not to linger on the knowledge that she was going to see some horrible things. She was going to ask where Ferntooth was, when she spotted him on the way.
Ferntooth was looking particularly sour, and he had not allowed anyone to stop him from getting a meal before they set out. It was his little method of resistance. Then, when he had finished his frog, he padded towards the group and wasted no time. "Let's go." He barked, not checking if anyone was ready and refusing to even look at the deadweight apprentice.
Once they were out of the camp, he set their path directly for the WindClan camp. He didn't want to waste a lot of time here, on a patrol he was forced onto when he could have been hunting. Really, it was these volunteers' fault. If they just hadn't said anything the patrol probably wouldn't have really happened. It was contributing to his bitterness and he was just looking for a reason to snap at anyone, especially Oakpaw.
Violetdapple had fallen into the patrol soon before leaving it, and she quietly greeted Foxstep after he was done rolling around with laughter. Once they set out she fell into quietly, listening to their surroundings, and her clanmates as they set off for the camp. She wasn't looking forward to seeing this, but she needed to to understand how grave it was.
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Asexual
sweetclover1
Hi loves, like my posts so I'll reply faster <3
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Post by sweetclover1 on Apr 16, 2020 9:13:02 GMT -5
(Maybe after this patrol? Also sorry this one's a little short, I have an appointment but wanted to get it up!) "Stay safe, fur ball." She grunted, before flashing Ferntooth an unfriendly look, before limping back to her own den to go and work on Cherrypaw. Certainly she would be stirring soon, even if it wasn't for very long, and she needed to make sure that someone was there when she did so. Not to mention that her cobwebs and poultices needed to be traded off soon to keep it nice and clean.
It was better than to just sit and wait in anxiety while her apprentice went off to dangerous territory. Frankly, she wasn't even sure why she had agreed to this, but it was better than having Oakpaw feel worse about herself and moping around the den. Maybe this would be a good exercise in letting her know that she knew what she was doing, and making a mistake during her first couple of moons was expected. Either way, now she was left to her own devices, and she limped towards Cherrypaw, sighing a little as she grabbed some of the extra herbs that Oakpaw had left out from the poultice, then slowly peeling the cobwebs off to check for infection on the worst ones first.
"We would have been able to go earlier if he hadn't eaten a frog," Frogleap muttered to Shadeleap, who hummed in agreement as they followed Ferntooth rather reluctantly. The older tom was already sour and the much younger warriors were already a bit annoyed with it, but it wasn't like they could start a fight already. They were only a couple moons from their own apprenticeship and after being told off one too many times on being "disrespectful to their elders", they'd finally stopped trying to challenge their elders... for now, at least.
Foxstep happily greeted Violetdapple. He wasn't much older than Thrushpaw, having earned his warrior name later than his two good friends, considering they weren't all littermates and still had the eagerness of an apprentice. "Do you really think that it's that bad? I mean, I know that Bogstar doesn't really exaggerate things, but what if he's just exagerating to make sure we don't actually go and try to see the dogs?" He kept his voice quiet, leaning in to talk to Violetdapple, looking over at the rest of the patrol and where Oakpaw was, worried about the mousy apprentice and her sour former mentor. Maybe they could be some kind of buffer for the two of them, but he wasn't so sure.
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 16, 2020 13:44:19 GMT -5
(No worries, thanks for getting one up! And maybe, it can be after the patrol or at night, I just forgot to do it when the previous night ended. However it works out is fine)
Violetdapple tried to keep her ear in on the conversation quietly taking place, though it was tough to pick up on anyone's words without looking like a snoop, and she preferred not to appear as such. It was no secret that Ferntooth wasn't popular--in fact, trying to think of a cat who genuinely liked him brought a blank to her mind for the time being. Nonetheless, he had a lot of seniority and managed to command deference just for that fact, even if he was rude, insensitive, and a generally drag on the morale of anyone he was around. She was growing absolutely sick of it, and despite around ten moons older than the three companions she stood near, sometimes she had to suppress evil desires when it came to the tom. Listening to him berate Oakpaw at the meeting, the image of clawing his eyes out had seemed very welcome, and it was a blessing sent from Starclan that she hadn't been seated closer to him.
She took time to consider what Foxstep was asking her. She remembered the twinge of doubt she had felt when she spoke up to volunteer herself, but she had meant it when she said that Bogstar's word was going to win over any doubt she felt. "Well, did you see that tom when he first yowled for help? And after they brought that apprentice back? He certainly didn't look like this was being exaggerated," She mewed thoughtfully, being honest while trying not to make Foxstep feel stupid. "I believe this is really bad if Bogstar says so. Threat though it may have been to our esteemed senior," She couldn't hold back a glare cast at the back of Fernooth, "I don't see why Bogstar or Jasminefur would play this up to be more serious than it is."
Her gaze turned to Jasminefur, who was a few pawsteps ahead but off to the side, out of the way and clearly self-cast out from the core of their patrol. He seemed not to want to interact with them. Violetdapple speculated that he didn't think any of them would want to interact with them. He was an enemy only a day before, to be fair. Just when she thought to turn back to Foxstep, Jasminefur continued padding ahead but turned his neck back to look at them.
Jasminefur kept his gaze mostly on the four cats who were mostly bunched together, for now not directly addressing Oakpaw or Ferntooth. "Once we get back to the WindClan camp, I'm going to try to pick up any scent trails just outside. If I can find any survivors, it would be a great relief." He mewed sadly, admitting how horrible it was to be one of two known surviving WindClan warriors to the cats around him.
"And Oakpaw, I spoke with Bogstar. I think, umm...If you want to take herbs from the medicine cat's den..." He turned back to face ahead, not wanting to say it again, an acknowledgement of the fact that they weren't going to be used in his own camp any longer.
Ferntooth didn't see Oakpaw open to speak before he interrupted to respond. "Don't think I'm sending my warriors to risk their pelts for your strays," He stared hard at Jasminefur as the WindClan warrior's gaze turned to him, filling up with a special type of hate almost instantly. Jasminefur stopped moving and turned his body fully to face Ferntooth, feeling his claws unsheath themselves into the marsh of Shadowclna.
"I can decide where I go for myself, thank you," Violetdapple snapped at Ferntooth, not stopping as Jasminefur did and Ferntooth followed suit. She wasn't going to let this turn into a battle where Ferntooth provoked him by being heartless, and Jasminefur would take all of the blame for being out of the clan. She padded in between them and kept walking, unwilling to give Ferntooth anymore time than that.
Oakpaw quickly began weaving her way through the pack of warriors as the air between them intensified, arriving close to Jasminefur as Violetdapple passed them. "If it doesn't bother you, then taking the herbs would be really helpful. I think Twistedpath would appreciate it." She mewed gratefully looking up at the WindClan warrior.
With a couple of distractions, Jasminefur sucked in a breath and turned to look down at Oakpaw, gazing at her for a few moments, before he nodded briskly. He turned back to the direction of his camp and began padding that way again, beginning to detect the faintest scent of dog. They were across the border now, and getting close to where the dogs had made their advance.
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 16, 2020 23:34:43 GMT -5
( After they reach the patrol I was planning on having Jasminefur leave the camp and search for any signs of Rosepelt, Ferntooth will say he can risk his life on his own and I'll probably have Violetdapple volunteer to guard Oakpaw and help get herbs. I'm thinking Jasminefur will find a trail of Rosepelt intermixed with dogs and depending on if he has backup or not he might follow it)
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Asexual
sweetclover1
Hi loves, like my posts so I'll reply faster <3
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Post by sweetclover1 on Apr 17, 2020 11:02:17 GMT -5
(Gotcha!)
Foxstep certainly didn't want to be on a patrol with Ferntooth- as an apprentice he'd had to before, too, and he'd never liked how sour the tom was. He didn't know why he didn't hurry up and move to the elders den already, because he was just a nuisance to everyone and always seemed to be in a bad mood. Even now, he was snarling and pretending that he had any kind of sway over everyone else, and it was annoying. He lashed his tail at the thought of it, giving the older warrior the sink eye as they continued towards the Windclan border, wrinkling his nose at the faint smell of dog even this far away.
He didn't understand how dogs could stink this badly, and shuddered at the thought of it, even if it was rather faint.
Violetdapple had a good point, too. That Windclan warrior had woken them all up with his terrified yowls, and he had a feeling that was difficult to replicate. At least, if they did they would have already been attacked by now. The tom was scared and while he didn't see the injured apprentice, he'd been asleep during their return, he knew that it wasn't a great situation with that, though. Both the Twistedpath and Oakpaw seemed exhausted and that usually didn't happen with regular injuries. The usually light hearted tom frowned, shaking out his russet fur, because Violetdapple absolutely had a point. Bogstar wasn't the one to over exaggerate, even if it was to punish someone like Ferntooth, so maybe this was something for them to take seriously. "I guess you have a point," He agreed slowly as they made it to Windclan land. f
They were all surprised when Jasminefur spoke up, explaining that he was going to try to pick up on any cats scents, to see if they made it out alive or not because there was still a small possibility of that happening. Frogleap and Shadeleap exchanged a glance at that, because the thought of Jasminefur and Cherrypaw being the two survivors and nothing else of Windclan wasn't a nice thought.
But, of course, their wonderful and kind patrol leader called them all strays and that he wasn't going to risk any of "his" warriors just to go and find them. Shadeleap bristled at that, a scowl on her features, because she wasn't appreciating that kind of attitude. Sure, he was upset that he had to lead a patrol he didn't want to, but he didn't have to be that rude.
"Yeah, if we want to look for survivors we will. They aren't strays. Maybe there's other warriors left, enough to still be a clan." Shadeleap pointed out, not knowing why she would defend a Windclan cat but she just told herself it was because Ferntooth was being an absolute bother and she wanted to get away from all of his attitude. He really was just acting like a spoiled kitty pet at this point and she had no idea how Bogstar put up with him so often. Her tail lashed as Frogleap nodded in agreement. "Shadeleaps right. We should see if there's anyone else alive. Maybe everyone missed something yesterday." He suggested, nearing Ferntooth as he looked at him curiously. "What, exactly, were you thinking of doing when we got there if it wasn't to look for survivors?" Because he was the more mellow out of the three of them, just a little more willing to play games to get answers without people being horrendously upset.
He was surprised when Oakpaw spoke up, saying that Twistedpath would appreciate the herbs, and he nodded in agreement because using herbs that had already been found would probably be more useful than anything else. "We can help you, if there's a lot of them.." He suggested, heart starting to pound just a little more the closer they got to the Windclan camp. Now, not only did they smell dog so overpowering that it made his eyes water, but death too. His throat felt a little tight at that, because he already knew that they'd be seeing dead cats that had yet to be buried. Which... was a bit scary to think about and he was already beginning to regret offering himself up to go to this just because he wasn't sure if it was real.
Now it felt like a mistake and he had to force his hackles down as the patrol got nearer and nearer to the camp. (So Jasminefur and Cherrypaw are the only survivors? Or should we add in some kits or something that survived?)
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 17, 2020 12:56:46 GMT -5
(I was thinking in the search they'll find Rosepelt and a kit almost of age to be apprenticed.)
Though he was trying to keep himself focused on the objectives that he had for this patrol, he was being distracted by several things. The dog scent was growing increasingly stronger, not yet beginning to stale out very much. "Dog! Dogs are coming! A whole...A whole pack!" The yowling of his dead clanmate stayed fixed in his mind, and he gulped, trying not to get emotional with all of these cats around him.
Secondly, he knew they were coming back to camp and, with Cherrypaw brought back to camp, he knew he needed to take the chance to pay his respects to the cats. It was a disgusting thought, but he didn't think they had time to bury the cats, probably a little short of two dozen, that littered the camp. It clawed at his heart with horror, feeling that even thinking that thought was a repulsive thought against the Warrior Code, but he asked himself how they were going to make it happen, and couldn't find a practical answer.
Finally, he wondered how Ferntooth could possibly be such an utter burr in the butt, and especially now that many of the cats on this patrol were speaking up against him, it really struck him that this had been meant as a threat to the tom-cat--if he had been here longer and had more confidence speaking about a foreign clan, he would say none of these cats had any respect for Ferntooth.
He couldn't help but appreciate the support he was hearing from the warriors, even if it wasn't exactly their intentions to support him. They probably just wanted to assert themselves after Ferntooth made it out like they were all his obedient apprentices. "We were a little busy being shocked, and then Cherrypaw woke up and we had to rush her back. We didn't exactly look around a lot," Jasminefur admitted, emphasising Frogleap's point as best he could.
Ferntooth was bombarded from multiple directions by resistance from the patrol's cats, and he realized in his head that he wasn't going to be winning this conflict as they all contradicted him for the sake of a WindClan cat. Emitting a lot growl in his throat, he didn't turn back to any of them as he continued moving on. If they want to get themselves snatched up in a dog's jaws, so be it. He didn't say anything in response to them.
"Maybe I can make some extra bundles of herbs before we go searching?" If they had extra herbs to bring back to the clan, she figured that Twistedpath would be pleased with her. "If we run into an injured cat," She continued speaking, having to fight to get the words around the bundles of herbs in her mouth. "I can use these, but we'll have more if we need them. And we can pick up more on the way back if we end up using some," She mewed, trying to put some brightness into her mew as she stared ahead of them.
A dark thought was lining the edges of Jasminefur's mind with all of this talk of herbs, and he had to bite down hard on his tongue to keep from speaking it. He was certain they had plenty of herbs, but they hadn't done his clanmates any good. If ShadowClan or any other clan suffered an attack from the dog pack, he didn't think that herbs were going to do much. His slaughtered clan was a testament to that.
Darkness was in his eyes as he continued padding ahead, recognizing the scent of WindClan that was quickly growing stronger, strong enough to rise over the strengthening scent of dog. The scent made him want to vomit right there and then, its massive stench nearly overpowering, but he forced himself to keep moving forward twith his teeth clenched and his stomach churning. He started pulling ahead of Ferntooth, slipping into the lead as the entrance to the WindClan camp finally became visible across the moorland.
"Prepare yourself," Violetdapple called, looking at Oakpaw, though in her mind she didn't think it was only for the apprentice. With the aggressively growing scent of dog, she knew that this was no joke and that what they found was going to be something horrid. "Starclan help us." She muttered to herself as Jasminefur slipped through the entrance to the WindClan camp.
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 17, 2020 13:43:07 GMT -5
(I'll take Rosepelt and you can take the kit? My idea was one of the patrol will find the kit guarding a fox hole or small cave or something and Rosepelt is inside injured and the kit is hostile at first but then Jasminefur is called over)
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Post by Shadowkit on Apr 18, 2020 17:18:34 GMT -5
(Ummm im not sure maybe they can absorb the camp for a post or two and then head out to look for survivors?)
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