Mossclan; Cats of the Wetlands (Open)

Laxing upon the large stone in the center of camp just above the freshkill pile was the snowy white form of Willowbreeze, the feathers pressed beneath the she-cat's front paws revealing her latest meal, though the bones had already been disgarded. Her head rested comfortable on her paws, briefly shuffling to arrange the feather away from her nose, a sneeze moments before having signalled the need. Her ears angled towards the sound of Sagedream's approach but no sooner had the deputy approached than she was padding off with a mouse, Willowbreeze opening one eye to watch as she left.

Although initially considering a proper greeting, a yawn left Willowbreeze's maw before another sound could escape. The warrior immediately dropped her head back to her paws to continue her nap, perhaps realizing the deputy had something on her mind -- a something that could interrupt her own relaxing more than likely. Lazy? To imply such a thing would certainly offend her, after all, Willowbreeze would certainly rather say she was simply practicing a bit of self care. A tired warrior was an ineffective one after all.

a light rustle could be heard from the warrior's den as a pale she-cat roused from her slumber, getting to her paws with a light shake of her body to dislodge flecks of moss from her pelt. As she fumbled her way out of the den she paused, blue eyes squinting against the light that greeted her until she had comfortable adjusted. Stretching forward, she yawned widely before popping back upright and padding into the clearing, making a silent note of those she could see, or rather noting the absence of a certain black tom. She assumed Crowstep was still out on patrol or something of that nature, though anything was possible with him.

However, she was not unaware of the deputy, Sagedream, who seemed to be leaving camp on her own. Curiosity piqued, Longnose made a hurried pace after the she-cat who was already passing the threshold of the camp's exit. "Sagedream, Are you off hunting?" the young cat inquired hopefully as she padded up beside the older cat. "If so, would you mind company? I'm already on hunting duty this morning... ah, which you'd already know, My apologies." Longnose dipped her head apologetically, ever the overconscientious but her step remained consistent.

Relief flashed across the she-cat's eyes, nodding in both understanding and respect toward Sagedream. "Delightful, although I enjoy hunting well enough, it can be a bit dull to do so alone during leaf bare." Longnose replied with a hint of amusement to her tone, but no less honest in her appreciation for the company as well. "Did you have a location in mind?" The pale colored cat adding, gesturing with her nose at the large expanse of territory that lay before them. Mossclan was, if nothing else, a territory filled with options, although many of the lakes still bore traces of ice and the prey had not yet returned in full force.

As slow as hunting went this time of year, Longnose couldn't imagine any cat yearning to hunt on their own. Perhaps that was false, she could probably think of a cat or two more than happy to do just about anything alone.. but she was not that sort by any means. Nevertheless, looked thoughtful over the deputy's suggestion, then nodded her head in agreement. "A wise choice, less chance of catching a chill and we might just make it home with dry paws." the pale she-cat replied, once more amusement in the delighted purr that escaped her. Then again, any excuse to avoid wet paws unnecessarily was always nice in general which in itself was rather comical for the hunter -- after all, she was fairly adept at fishing when the weather benefitted such things. "More likely to find something scrabbling around too, of course."

With their course ultimately decided, Longnose turned towards the forest looming a distance away and began padding off. Despite a clear destination, however, her ears swiveled slightly, likely listening for anything on the way, though all she could hear out here right now was the wind whistling overhead.

It was a rather uncommon practice for Longnose to be so direct in approaching others, aside from her brother, but even she couldn't deny the better odds a pair of hunters had over one alone. After all, every possible piece of prey was all the more vital they catch. The company had thus far been quite agreeable too, a delightful bonus. Perhaps Longnose was simply easy to please when it came down to it.

She was grateful the tree's width blocked some of said wind, though, the chill far less abraisive than it had been on the open marshes. Her coat was longer than Crowstep's but it was no more thick than his after all. Up until this point, Longnose had dutifully kept pace with Sagedream, ever aware of the forest's sounds, but soon came to a dead stop, ears pricked attentively as she seemed to be seeking the source of some sound or another.
Another quiet rustle. The she-cat took note of a squirrel digging through some leaves at the base of a tree. A lucky sight given how rarely squirrels left their dens during these cold moons, but left it had. Crouching down low and stepping with quiet precision, she inched ever closer to the unaware creature that sat half buried in the leaves as it continued it's search.

Only a moment later, Longnose had leapt forward, a tad short but her paw landing firmly on the creature's tail - preventing it's escape as it immediately tried to flee in panic. She wasted little time in seeing the squirrel put out of it's misery, dealing a killing bite with a silent thanks to starclan. "That was a bit embarrassing, almost missed." She huffed as she kicked some leaves over the freshly killed animal, nose wrinkled in annoyance. "But, I suppose a success is a success."

With the upcoming move to the mountains, the thought of having well fed cats to make the trip was a pleasant one. Especially so with a number of kits needing to make that trip as well, it was always the more concerning aspect of the long track through the mountains. They may not have had a set date yet, though it was commonly within the next moon that it occured, but everyday they were a little less hungry was a step in the right direction.

"I wouldn't be surprised if not, I'd imagine he's been busy preparing for the move -- as you've likely been as well." Longnose replied thoughtfully, her tail twitching behind her nervously as she also became increasingly aware of the stronger scent. "I also think our last border patrol was scheduled to head along the mountain border... so they wouldn't have been over here this morning either." the pale she-cat added, certainly feeling their luck was shallowing out some. Although the dry forest was some distance from camp, it was also a fairly common hunting spot in leaf bare, an unwary hunter would be in trouble were they to wander upon a fox.

Willowbreeze offered a snort of amusement in response, "I suppose that's fair enough, although laying on a warm rock does as well." she added with a rumble of laughter in her throat. To expect Stormstar to relax more was like expecting a mouse to fly, unlikely, but as long as he was well enough then she could hardly be too tough on the clan's diligent leader. Of course, she hardly had a leg to stand on herself given she might have been just a little too prone to relaxing, though certainly not as prone to it as other cats.

"My meal? Why it was exceedingly mediocre, but that's tragically better than it could be." her tone was playful and intentionally overdramatic, lightening the tragic truth of words spoken, "I believe Sagedream and Longnose headed out for a spot of hunting a bit earlier, though, so hopefully that goes well." the white she-cat paused in thought for a split moment before adding, "If I'm remembering correctly, I think I heard Honeywhisker badgering Shadowtail to go hunting earlier as well, though I can't say if they've returned yet or not. Hopefully that means we'll have plenty to eat by this evening." Lazy she might have been at times but inattentive she was not.

Willowbreeze shot a glance at the warrior, as if initially skeptical, though a mischevious glint flashed in her green eyes, "Do I sense the great Stormstar softening up to a good nap?" She teased softly, keeping the mood light. There was none who could deny that Mossclan was home to quite a few cats with.. interesting quirks, and Stormstar's kin were no exception, Nor was Stormstar in some cases. Even so, None could deny the leader was exceptional at his job, and that he had more than filled Toadstar's pawprints.

A purr of satisfaction escaped the willowy white cat at the leader's some-what backhanded compliment, "I'll have you know, I'm the lightest sleeper Mossclan has ever know! You should tell the stone-footed Warriors not to wake me so often and maybe I wouldn't need to sleep as much!" She responded dramatically, though humor was clear in her tone as her tail lashed to the side in mock anger. "And besides, How else am I to keep you from worrying about one task or another if I can't assure you the tasks are already being carried out?" A playful lilt reached her voice that matched the playfulness of her expression. Perhaps that was more the deputy's job than hers but it made for fun bit of banter nevertheless, and if it could be of help in the long run then who was she to pass up such a simple opportunity.

Longnose nodded in understanding and hearty agreement, glad that Sagedream was viewing the problem with a rational mind, though that was only expected from the deputy. "Alright, then let's circle back to get what we've caught and make way to camp..." Longnose replied, warily glancing back towards her final catch before shaking her head to herself. It may have been right there but the longer they lingered, the more likely they were to get the attention of the fox. With luck she might be able to retrieve it later when the fox had left.

"Or, rather, you can head back ahead of me to warn Stormstar, I should be able to grab a mouse and a squirrel on my own and make it back without further incident." The pale she cat suddenly explained, her fear subsiding to some level of sense as she began making distance from the fox back towards their last catches. After all, Warning the clan was ultimately a priority over a few piece of freshkill. "I may also be able to catch something extra on the way back, should safety permit. I can't imagine running into two foxes today."

Dipping her head in understanding, she replied with relative confidence, "If I did, it would need legs twice as long to keep up with me. Take care on your way back, Sagedream." As the lovely gray she-cat departed for the camp, Longnose slipped through a nearby shrub, vanishing into the undergrowth on her way back to their carefully concealed kills.

As promised, however, she made no rush of things, her attention ever alert to her surroundings. After all, she would not miss an easy kill on her way, especially ever aware of the limited nature of their Freshkill pile. She'd have to work double time to make up for the lost time time and hunting partner, not that she minded.