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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 10:28:16 GMT -5
"I would go look for them myself if I didn't think having their leader come check on them would probably scare them into thinking they're in more trouble than they are." Maplestar said, but he assumed Sunstone didn't hear most of it as the mentor padded off. "I should stay in camp anyway." he reminded himself but his paws itched to hunt, and as he jumped back down into camp he noticed Swiftkill hadn't returned either.
Ivypaw dragged his large rabbit back to where Lichenpaw was sitting, a little amazed. "They should call you Burrowpaw." he mrrowed with laughter. "That could feed half the Clan I bet." "I'll take it back to camp." Ivypaw lifted his head up high so the rabbit wouldn't drag on the ground. "You two keep hunting." he followed the scent paths back towards the camp entrance.
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Bisexual
Fallenleaves
Their eyes were like hardened bits of flint, the sparks catching in the tinder of their hearts.
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Post by Fallenleaves on Nov 7, 2020 11:03:24 GMT -5
Sunstone stalked after the three apprentices, tracking them by scent and by the small paw prints he found in the soft sand. While he traveled though a breeze swept his way, carrying with it the stale scent of a strange cat.
Instantly Sunstone was on high alert, lifting his head above the grasses he peered across the plains. Lonesome hills stretched out as far as he could see, the tall grasses waving to him in the breeze.
A eerie sensation prickled his pelt and his fur stood on end in response. He felt as though he was being watched.
The scent of fresh kill drifted to him and Sunstone whirled towards it, charging through the grass he confronted the loner with a hiss... only it was Ivypaw dragging a large rabbit with him.
Sunstone whirled in every direction, sure he’d felt something else was with him in the grass. Finally when he caught neither scent nor sight of anything he turned back to the apprentice with a snarl. “What. Do you think. Your. Doing.” Sunstone growled, his tail lashing behind him as he stared at the blind apprentice.
___
Sky Wise lay flat, listening to the cat growling in the distance. He and that ginger warrior would have collided had he not heard him coming, huffing and puffing up the hillside.
Sky Wise had been prepared to fight, to kill the tom if need be. Yet just when he prepared to spring the scent of fresh kill reached his nose and the warrior had charged in that direction, thankfully the mud had blended their pelts well enough that Swiftkill and himself were well hidden in the grass. He would wait till the were completely out of earshot before he began dragging the molly away again.
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 11:33:42 GMT -5
Hollow Moon ducked under a thick bush as she watched Sunstone come out of the camp, hoping the mud on her fur was enough to cover her scent. She watched him from a distance as he confronted an apprentice carrying a rabbit. She caught a glimpse of Sky Wise's eyes watching from the other side of the mentor and apprentice.
"Hunting. We went hunting, the three of is. Lichenpaw said we could bring back some fresh-kill and everything would be alright if we stuck together on a patrol, that we wouldn't need warriors to come with us then." Ivypaw lifted his head proudly, unfazed by Sunstone's anger.
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 12:28:27 GMT -5
"I was heading back to camp with the rabbit. It's only a short distance." Ivypaw understood the silence. "Lichenpaw and Jaggedpaw are still sticking together. We're almost as large as warriors and we've had the training." He mostly meant it about Jaggedpaw, since Ivypaw and Lichenpaw had always been runtish. Ivypaw growled in indignation as the mentor shoved him.
Maplestar went to the camp entrance, part of him regretting that he sent Sunstone alone. "Maybe my being there would've made the situation less harsh for the apprentices, not more." he thought out loud as he imagined Sunstone's severity. He decided to leave camp with a last glance, heading out on the path towards the lake shore.
"Quick, run!" Lichenpaw hissed quietly as he caught the scent of Sunstone approaching. He shoved Jaggedpaw and started sneaking away through the grasses, going as fast as he could while making sure his pawsteps made little sound.
Hollow Moon moved around the SteppeClan cats silently and made her way back towards where she last saw Sky Wise. She caught up to him, and her eyes glinted with amusement to see Swiftkill covered in mud as well. "Camp is almost empty, the Clan doesn't seem to have that many cats. We may outnumber them by quite a lot." she smirked.
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 19:46:20 GMT -5
"I checked the scents by the camp entrance, there aren't many scents of cats leaving. Maybe five left through the entrance this morning, but that's all." Hollow Moon tried to hide her indignance. Of course I'd understand that they could have more warriors out in the fields. "So now I suppose there's nothing left to do but take the prisoner back to our cave?" she asked.
Lichenpaw nodded and kept going. "Should we loop back around and make it back to camp before he catches us?" he suggested.
Ivypaw pricked his ears listening to Sunstone run off but didn't make any attempt to follow him. His ear turned in the direction of Sky Wise and Hollow Moon, catching the faint sound of unfamiliar voices on the wind.
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 19:53:06 GMT -5
Hollow Moon fell into step behind the two, keeping his ears folded back and glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one noticed or followed them. "Soon we'll be out of their territory and can breathe a sigh of relief." she muttered.
Lichenpaw lead the way around closer to the lakeshore just until they reached the edge where the tall grasses ended and the sand started. He made for the path ahead that lead up into camp from the beach. "Let's hope Ivypaw didn't snitch us out."
Ivypaw shivered and crouched down, afraid by hearing unfamiliar voices on the territory. Loners? Rogues? he thought. He got up and continued his original route back to camp, but checking the scents around him constantly as he moved quietly. He didn't want to run right into whatever strange cats were around by accident.
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 20:01:15 GMT -5
(hahaha Sunstone)
Hollow Moon chuckled to herself as she picked up speed. "Those two apprentices are going to be in a heap of trouble." she raced along behind Sky Wise and Brokenmist, and scented the marks of the SteppeClan border right as they passed it.
Ivypaw was close enough to hear Sunstone's shout and cringed. He slinked back through the camp entrance, dragging the large rabbit to the fresh-kill pile.
Maplestar watched Ivypaw return with mixed feelings. On one hand he had snuck out of camp, on the other the apprentice had only done it to go hunting for his Clan. He didn't want to scold or discourage the young tom. Why was I chosen for leader if I can't even bring myself to discipline an apprentice? he thought.
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Bisexual
Fallenleaves
Their eyes were like hardened bits of flint, the sparks catching in the tinder of their hearts.
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Post by Fallenleaves on Nov 7, 2020 20:20:34 GMT -5
Sunstone prowled back to camp, sure they had fled at his approach. If they had any sense they wouldn’t be caught in camp till nightfall but he didn’t think they had enough brains to share between the three of them, let alone the fact that he’d found the smartest wandering back to camp.
He pushed his way through the entrance finding only the scent of Ivypaw and his rabbit. Then he’d wait. He could wait.
When he caught sight of Ivypaw placing his prey on the fresh-kill pile he felt his fur bristle. Where was their leader? He swung his head and found the bigger tom just looking on with disappointment shining in his eyes.
Sunstone’s tail lashed at the sight. ‘This is the tom my father supports? One who can’t even uphold and respect the very structure of the clan?’
“Are you just going to stare at him?” Sunstone hissed at Maplestar, gesturing with his tail to Ivypaw. “Will you not reprimand a cat who’s to become a guide soon, the wisest and most trusted of the clan, for acting like a kit? Running off without informing anyone? Putting himself in harms way and then mouthing off to a warrior?”
Sunstone turned to the few cats left in camp. “In a couple moons time we won’t have any structure to this clan! We won’t be clanmates! We’ll all just be loners, doing as we please with no respect for anything.” He finally turned back to Maplestar, eyes burning. “Under your leadership-“
“Enough.” Eaglestrike meowed and though it wasn’t loud it stopped the ginger tom in his tracks. His father had not spoken to him in moons and even then it had been at him but not to him. Sunstone turned to look at his father as the old tom padded over to Maplestar. He stood beside the brown tom and placed a tail tip on his leaders shoulder in comfort. “Show some respect, this is your leader.”
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 20:38:25 GMT -5
Maplestar sat up straight at Sunstone's words and his gaze sharpened. He hesitated, giving Eaglestrike a grateful look for his support. Then he thought he heard a whisper on the wind... "If there is lack of respect and structure in the Clan, Sunstone, you've encouraged it." he said evenly. He looked to the blind apprentice. "Ivypaw is wise, I trust he knows his mistake before needing to be reprimanded."
Lichenpaw padded up the sloped path into camp then crouched down as soon as he caught sight of Sunstone and Maplestar. "Mousedung!" he cursed.
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 21:41:23 GMT -5
"He is an apprentice because he is still too young, because he still has training to complete. Enough!" Maplestar yelled in frustration. "There are rogues in our territory!?" He got up, clearly more concerned with that news than hearing the rest of whatever Sunstone had to say. He noticed Ivypaw nod. "I scented them and heard them." The apprentice confirmed. "I'm going out searching then, hopefully to meet up with Swiftkill and follow the scents. Eaglestrike is in charge of camp, and Sunstone can stay in camp and watch the apprentices." he said.
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 21:56:06 GMT -5
"Let's just go inside, we've been caught." Lichenpaw flattened his ears in embarrassment as Maplestar walked past. He darted inside and to the apprentice's den after Ivypaw without a glance at Sunstone, hoping probably in vain that the mentor wouldn't say anything.
"We can stop to rest for a moment." Hollow Moon sat down for a moment before her ear flicked. She raced off and then returned a moment later with a dead raven in her jaws. "Take a break to eat." she set it down in front of Sky Wise, then looked over the waking she-cat. "You don't seem too happy to see your former love." she said to Swiftkill. "Did things end so badly between you two?"
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 22:27:41 GMT -5
"You seem hasty to label someone as your enemy. We're here to help SteppeClan, if anything." Hollow Moon bit into part of the raven, then passed some to Brokenmist. "You could at least not wish death on someone you used to be fond of, especially not on a respected leader."
"Fine." Lichenpaw replied from inside the den. He'd never admit that doing menial tasks like cleaning ticks of the elders had never really bothered him, unlike most other apprentices. At least then he got to listen to the guides and spend more time near his brother, who was training with them. Of course he'd never let Sunstone know that.
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 22:33:31 GMT -5
"We're not on your territory anymore now are we?" Hollow Moon said. "If what the Moon-Hunter is hinting at is true, then I pity that you've gone and settled with a boring SteppeClan cat after knowing there's so much more to life and the world than what's between Clan scent markers."
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Post by Morior on Nov 7, 2020 22:40:37 GMT -5
(Goodnight)
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Post by Morior on Nov 8, 2020 12:27:45 GMT -5
(adding!)
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Post by Morior on Nov 8, 2020 12:47:10 GMT -5
(I can have Maplestar run into Zina while he's out following scents around the territory if you'd like)
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Post by Morior on Nov 8, 2020 13:59:44 GMT -5
Hollow Moon glanced up at the strange look on Sky Wise's face. "The winds have told you about her kits?" She asked. "I didn't scent any kits in the camp, neither does she smell like them." she said.
(sorry I'm a little sick right now might be slow to reply)
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