When all was said and done, and Fallenpaw buried with the help of both Darkpaw and Willowspark, Larkpaw stepped back, expression mixed. She was unsure it was the feeling of pity for her dark-furred companion and his family, or disgust at herself for being unable to grieve on behalf of a fallen clanmate. Maybe it was both, maybe neither. All Lark knew was that she'd failed. Failed to see the importance of milling with those who slept under the same roof as she. How many times had she chosen to ignore Fallenpaw's plight, brushing past the dappled she-cat without a word of consolation for her weakened state? That guilt gnawed at her now. The guilt of knowing that she could have assisted in avoiding this death, but had not. If she herself felt that guilt, no doubt Darkpaw, Fallenpaw's own brother, felt it tenfold even if it was not his fault.
Concern ebbed at Larkpaw's features, but she did not turn to console Darkpaw. Instead, she took another step back, head bowed, and then turned around. "I will leave you to mourn in peace." And with that stiff, unfeeling and unneeded statement, headed back to camp on her own.
[ @Darkclaws - Darkpaw / @Wintersun - Willowspark | No worries, and I would be very grateful if we could end this roleplay here (as i'm trying to cut down on replies)? If you guys want to, you can put out finishing posts as well, or just not reply entirely. Up to you ]
The dark medicine cat took the lead out of camp after Cougarivy scampered across the clearing at his call. He kept a brisk pace through the pine trees, silent as he stayed in his own head. He wasn't a cat that did much introspection but it hadn't gone without his own notice that his view on Cougarivy had changed completely. When he'd first taken notice of the younger she-cat he'd been intrigued by her. A younger version of himself had found her appealing and mysterious, ruthless but not ambitious. But this she-cat had become the face of his downfall with Goldenstep, just in the moment he finally realized how much his deceased mate truly meant to him, his affair with Cougarivy was discovered and his relationship with Goldenstep was never the same, ultimately leading to him losing her, not once but twice. The very sight of Cougarivy revolted him for so long after that but then...what had changed? Five moons had passed since Elmshadow followed his daughter through the territory for the both of them to come upon Goldenstep's lifeless, mangled body just outside the Shadowclan border, eight moons since she'd left in the middle of the night without a word to him; it'd been eight moons since Elmshadow's life felt like there was some glimmer of hope. But Cougarivy was no longer the face of everything he'd lost. She was a new character in his life, a new face of maybe something to come. He wasn't sure he would ever love again, never like he'd loved Goldenstep, but lonliness was never a villian Elmshadow had to contend with, until the last eight moons.
Cougarivy sprang up to Elmshadow's flank as he slowed, entering the final resting place of so many cats. "Eerie, hm?" Cougarivy couldn't recall coming here, not before or since her father's death. She wasn't a sentimental she-cat and saw no reason to dwell on her deceased father. He was a piece in her past though she never reflected to figure out if he was a meaningful piece or simply a figure.
Elmshadow was quiet for a few heartbeats, glancing over the respected grounds. "Both of my parents are buried here. My father...Hawkscreech was a warrior I looked up to." It hadn't slipped his thoughts that, since he'd become medicine cat, his father had never visited him. He spent so many moons wondering if he was living to fill his father's pawsteps, wondering if he'd yet received Hawkscreech's allusive pride. He'd met other starry warriors in his dreams, but never his father.
The small she-cat cocked her head, glancing at the dark tom. He was being...different than he usually was and she wasn't sure what to make of it. Eventually she chirped, "I killed my sister. She's probably here somewhere."
Elmshadow didn't meet Cougarivy's eyes but that was a bit he'd never known of this she-cat who was the mother of one of his litters. He tried to think back through his memories. Did he remember a time when Cougarivy had a sister and what had become of her? When Elmshadow didn't say anything, Cougarivy continued, "During a training session when we were apprentices. We fought and I won. That's why I know my mom isn't here. She left after that." Cougarivy shrugged and smiled up at Elmshadow.
Elmshadow met the she-cat's bright blue eyes. She'd killed her own sister during training, but when he met her eyes he saw only the playful she-cat he'd come to know. Come to know... That had to play into his feelings in all of this. Cougarivy was familiar, familiarity was something Elmshadow was so dourly missing in the past moons since he took over the medicine cat rank.
There was something in Elmshadow's dark eyes that sent a warm surge through Cougarivy, a surge that made her feel victorious. It was that curiosity he hadn't looked at her with since they were first getting to know one another. She purred and took the next step, butting her head against his shoulder affectionately. "I wonder if Hawkscreech and Blacktiger are watching us right now. I bet they'd be happy. What father wouldn't want to have his kit become the medicine cat or the enforcer commander?"
The touch of Cougarivy's head against his shoulder was unexpected but it sent a wave of ease through him. He wasn't sure he needed Cougarivy to speak for his father but putting it in such a way brought his own thoughts around. Hawakscreech hadn't reached out to him since his new rank but he wasn't sure he needed the validation anymore. He was the Shadowclan medicine cat, a rank higher than his father ever reached. Hawkscreech was a good and honorable warrior but he was always just that. He reached around, touching the top of Cougarivy's head lightly with his muzzle before stepping forward. "We need parsley. I don't yet know what it does but it seems safe enough, I'd like to test it out. It's a delicate plan with thin, wide leaves. It's got a strong smell that's hard to mistake."
Hope and infatuation coursed through Cougarivy like a hot river, spreading from Elmshadow's touch down through her toes. She smiled as she hopped forward, following Elmshadow and taking in his instruction. Parsley, she nodded but stopped as he nearly bumped into Elmshadow when he stopped, sticking his nose down into a stalky green plant. When he rose he muttered, "It smells safe."
Cougarivy moved around beside him, looking down at the plant as Elmshadow brushed it, coaxing it to shed tiny black seeds, so similar in appearance to poppy seeds. "What is it?"
Elmshadow shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't know but it smells safe and it seems a lot like poppies."
Cougarivy watched for a heartbeat before a thought crossed her mind. "Let's find out." She leaned down and lapped up a couple of the tiny black seeds that had fallen out. This wouldn't be the first time she'd played tester mouse for Elmshadow since he'd become medicine cat and if the tom said it smelled safe then she was sure it'd be fine; besides, if anything did go wrong she was with the right cat to fix it.
Elmshadow's paw lifted to hover it in front of the eager she-cat, he'd just come upon this plant and wasn't yet prepared to start experimenting, but he was too slow. Cougarivy had the small seeds in her mouth and swallowing before he could get a word out. His jaw parted slightly but he closed it. The recklessness shouldn't surprise him at this point but it didn't make his life any simpler knowing it.
The enforcer commander sat down, looking to Elmshadow proudly until something seemed to shift inside of her and her face twisted, her back end rising slightly off the ground. She looked at the ground then quickly looked back up at Elmshadow questioningly. The medicine cat sighed, "Well what do you expect when you go eating random things?" But after a brief pause he meowed, "What's wrong?"
Cougarivy opened her mouth to answer but a small, squeaky groan came out. Swallowing the lump that seemed to be rising in her throat she managed to croak, "My stomach...I don't...ooohh...."
Elmshadow moved around to press a paw gently against Cougarivy's roiling stomach. "Lie down." He glanced around, wishing there were mallow leaves in sight but he couldn't pick any out from where he sat with the ailing she-cat. Slight irritation tinged the concern he had for the commander enforcer. Her recklessness would be the death of her someday, surely, if that day wasn't today.
Cougarivy shook her head. Her body wouldn't let her lie down on the ground and Elmshadow's paw on her flank did little to comfort her. The pressure against her stomach, no matter how light, felt like it'd burst through her. Her insides felt like they were revolting and touching anything outwardly anymore than she had to felt like it'd explode whatever small amount of ontrol she still had over her faculties. As she tried to open her mouth to tell Elmshadow anything, she lost what restraint she was maintaining. Her stomach flipped, her words caught, and the freshkill she'd eaten before Elmshadow called her for the herb patrol spewed out of her mouth and onto the ground before her. Staring down at the contents of her stomach she licked her lips then turned to the medicine cat still brushing her side, a smile splitting her face. "Well I feel better now." The waves in her stomach had settled and the tension in her pelt was easing.
Elmshadow watched, green eyes slightly widened, as Cougarivy retched then looked back at him, face clearer than it had been a moment before. He let his breath out and stepped away from the she-cat. As mouse-brained as the enforcer was, and as much as she made him question Dawnstar's choice in entrusting her as the commander, that stunt may have just given him potentially valuable information. He nipped off a stalk of the stinging nettle and set it aside to bring back to camp. If the seeds could be used to reliably make cats vomit, that could be lifesaving, and it made him question if the leaves had any benefits or uses. "Don't wander too far, I want to make sure there's no other surprises but, if you're feeling okay now, get to gathering herbs."
Cougarivy giggled but turned and padded around the outskirts of the grove, eyes swiveling for the parsley Elmshadow had described. She found something that looked similar and picked off a few pieces before returning to Elmshadow. The medicine cat had found a small patch of marigold so he decided to pick off one flower, adding it to his nettle then turned to see Cougarivy had rejoined him. The grey tom nodded to Cougarivy then led the way back to camp. The herb storage was decently stocked so he didn't totally feel the need to over-collect anything but rather leave some faith in the other two patrols to get their duties done in order to keep the herb storage up to date. Cougarivy smiled through the parsley filling her senses and followed Elmshadow's bobbed tail out of the burial grounds and back towards the camp.
[ +3 parsley +1 stinging nettle +1 marigold ]
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Last edited by Pitou; December 5th, 2022 at 03:03 PM.
Foxcall made sure Moonpaw and Darkfall was behind them as they trotted toward the place they buried their dead, they turned their gaze toward both of them, "Just remember to be respectful when we start looking for the herbs." His tail flicked as he entered fully into the place.
He had never really came here, as they often felt their soul hurt when they were here as death has never been an easy for them to deal with.
bump after a week
posting days are tuesday, thursday, and saturday if i happen to post outside of this, it's for my own enjoyment staff sign here
dracarys - dani <3
oh look a fossil
RAHHHH (velli)
╔═════════*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═════════╗
Moonpaw (she/her)
Shadowclan Black calico with half face ginger and amber eyes
╚═════════*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═════════╝
Woah, what a weird place. Moonpaw stared at the flourishing clearing in front of her, surrounded by a thick wall of pine trees as if they had decided to recede and leave some space for sunlight to reach the ground. Now that she took a closer look, there were actually some really weird plants growing there. Very different from the ones she was used to see around camp, under the canopy of trees.
Moonpaw nodded obediently at Foxcall, but then turned to his mentor and whispered: "What does he mean exactly?" They were looking for herbs. Do we have to be respectful to some.. plant? Maybe she just needed to avoid stomping the important ones. She looked expectantly at Darkfall with a confused glance.
Darkfall was uncomfortable. He really did not want to be here… like at all. He hadn’t planned on coming back for at least another 2 or so moons, and the feelings that he had laid bare here were still raw. Well… he had a duty to fulfill and he wouldn’t allow his personal feelings to get in the way of the patrol's progress.
When Foxcall mentioned being respectful of the deceased, Darkfall gave them a stiff nod. At Moonpaw’s question, the large tabby flinched a little bit. He hadn’t been expecting that, but he guessed the question made sense. If one had been in the camp their entire life, it’d make sense that they wouldn’t know about this place.
Turning towards the young she-cat, Darkfall looked at her morosely. He tried not to show it, but the pain he was feeling was probably noticeably dimming the brightness of his eyes. ”This is where the deceased members of our clan are buried,” He said in a low whisper ”While we are gathering the herbs, be sure that you’re mindful of that fact,” he instructed. As a mentor, it was his job to teach his apprentice about their ways of life and other information about the clan, and this would undoubtedly be information used in the future.
Frolicking on the clearing with a pelt full of moss, Mousekit was silently stalking after his - presumably - very unaware - as far as he was aware, it really was debatable - brother, wanting to give him a surprise cuddle pounce. At two moons of age, the kit was rapidly growing and maturing - again, this part was highly debatable - learning new things every day. For example, did you know... there was no such thing as a thought hearer? Gasp! Apparently some cats were just really, really good at reading other's expressions and body language and could guess what they were thinking. Thought guessers didn't sound quite as cool as thought hearer, so Mousekit soon dropped it, instead focusing on being one with the shadows since the shadowy not-a-game that he had not-played with Auntie Larky.
The gray tom had soon learned that... he liked the shadows. True, the shadows didn't change his coat color like the moss did, but they did something even better. They made him equal to every other cat in the clan, because in the shadows, every cat was invisible. Or so he tried to be... His paws still very much lacking the refinement of older, more experienced warriors, the kit had taken to imitating the stance he had seen Auntie Larky do at the not-a-game and shadow around after interesting cats until he got bored and ran off to find Hazely and play an actual game. The other cats were still usually highly aware of the stalking kit behind them, a fact that had as of so far completely escaped the moss riddled kit.
Today, he had decided to combine both. Shadow totally-training-not-playing-nu-uh-you-are-lying-if-you-say-otherwise with playtime with Hazely. Placing one dark, white toed limb in front of his face as he adopted a very crude, kittish crouch, the young kit's rounded ears suddenly perked, hearing the familiar voice of his Auntie Larky calling him over along with some other kits and - gasp - Hazely was included?! Yay, yay, yay! He was going to get to spend the day with Hazely and Auntie Larky! And make new friends! Today was the best. Day. Ever! Forgetting his crouch and sneaky shadow blending, Mousekit quickly pounced forward, rushing towards the playden while calling back to his brother.
The ever growing kit that had charcoal tabby markings covered in white marks had been practicing the moves he had learned from Ivysnake and whatever else they could remember from training by themselves. His yellow eyes focused on the pretend fox that he was fighting. Pretending to bite and swipe at the fox before his ears swiveled at his name being called along with one of his brothers.
It was Larkfire who was calling them, she wasn't on his 'Stinky' list like some of the members of the clan were, but she also wasn't on his 'Amazing' list, she was were some of the others of Shadowclan were at, on his 'They are Okay' list. Meaning he tolerate her but he would fight against something she said that he didn't like.
He walked over, ears twitching as he looked at the newly-made warrior, awaiting for whatever she would tell them they would be doing. Though he knew that she would be teaching things with stealth in the shadows, something he did want to get better at. He did enjoy the darkness that Shadowclan seemed to have.
Shadowfur’s ears swiveled in Larkfire’s direction as she called together her next kit lesson. The massive warrior stretched, his jaws parting in a big yawn. Eyes blinking, he decided to have a little fun with this. Kit lessons were generally boring; even though Shadowfur acknowledged the usefulness of them, they lacked the thrill that training apprentices gave him.
From a sizable distance away, Shadowfur slipped into the shadows hovering around the edges of camp. Silent guardians were they, standing between ShadowClan and any enemy that wanted to threaten their peace.
With carefully placed pawsteps, Shadowfur slunk over to where the kits were gathering. The tom kept his pawsteps light, softly stepping. He positioned himself directly behind Larkfire, his big form looking like a misshapen monster, muddled and twisted by the slants and curves of shadow. He was curious if Larkfire would notice. If she had heard him, or perhaps felt his pawsteps, would she know it was a cat? Or would she misread it as just another animal, or perhaps even a figment of her imagination, as he intended?
( I am so sorry if this is out of posting order- I don’t think it is, but please let me know if so! )
"Larkfire!" came the call, accompanied by Branchfire's paw steps as he bounded over to the new warrior. "Hey! First of all," he panted as he pulled to a stop, "I wanted to congratulate you on getting your warrior name. I wasn't there, but word travels fast around here!" Branchfire glanced to the kits gathering at the Larkfire's paws. "Which brings me to my second point- Dawnstar might have told you already, but I was wondering if you would like an extra couple paws to help with these mischievous little furballs that you're teaching?"About how to be even more mischievous? his thoughts finished.
The tortoiseshell-coated kit sat, thinking, thinking about what? Rosekit thought about the cats in ShadowClan when there wasn't anything else on her mind. Say the warriors. Other than age, what about them made them so special? Training, that's what made them better than apprentices. It should be, more training meant more knowledge. So knowledge Rosekit will get. Sure she may have gotten into trouble peaking out of the nursery at night, but she's old enough. Seven moons. She should be an apprentice already, training with her sister Gentlepaw. Rosekit did a lot of thinking, too much perhaps. So maybe going to this class would help her. Hopefully.
The slim kit padded to where the other kits were gathering; kits that deserved to be called kits. Young and excitable, little and dopey. Her dull green eyes scanned over the two that were already there. She sat aside from them, shifting her front paws. Rosekit distracted herself by looking at the warriors instead, hoping she'd have something in common with them. What caught her eye was a large figure behind Larkfire. He was scary, she admitted, looking more rock than a cat. Her ears flattened against her head; she had a weird feeling about this cat. "Hello Larkfire, and..." she tilted her head to get a better look at him. Starclan, he looked even more unnerving. "Shadowy Cat?" It wasn't the most respectful thing to say, but that was what went through her head.
| Smokekit |
| He/Him |
| A dark medium grey tabby tom with a white chest & muzzle; Blue & green heterochromic eyes |
~ Smokekit had been playing by his lonesome before lifting his head once he heard the call of his name. The tabby tom dropped the little mossball he had before quickly making his way over to Larkfire. Oh this was the one who was going to tell him ans his brothers what to do that one day in the clearing. The tomkit reached the forming group of cats. Smokekit looked for a familiar face in the kits before seeing one of his brothers. Vulturekit. The tom made his way to the tabby and playfully shoved him before looking at the newly made warrior waiting for her to talk. ~
[ my sincerest apologies for the delay in this. there shouldn't be any others! ]
Night class. It was something that Mirehound wished she'd had growing up; it would have been the perfect place for her after everything. Hiding away in the shadows. But the ShadowClan warrior hadn't really needed a class to learn how to blend in with the night. Still, out of all of the new classes that the Clan offered for kits it was by far one of her favorites.
There were several kits gathered around, as well as her former mentor who had been asked to help as well. Briefly her eyes found Shadowfur lurking behind Larkfire, and she didn't bother to hide her amused eyeroll from him. Always finding different ways to make things interesting. She offered no words as she silently made her way to sit on Larkfire's other side, only lifting her tail to flick his side in a playful manner.
It appeared that her and Shadowfur wouldn't be the only warriors helping; blue eyes shifted to Branchfire as the warrior made his way up. Hmm, well four warriors watching over the one... two... five kits that had joined. Some of them joined without much fanfare while others were much more excited. Keeping her expression neutral she sat and awaited for further instruction from the Enforcer.
Larkfire
| ---> Night Class Teacher | ShadowClan Kits' Playden -> Moonlit Grove | She/Her |
It didn't take long for curious, sparkling eyes (in some cases) to answer her call, the first of which to be Mousekit. The grey kitten was quite the bundle of excitement, and as he came tearing through the entrance of the kits' playden, calling over his shoulder for Hazely or Hazelkit, Larkfire fixed the small grey tom with a fond look. He was growing on her, that was for sure. 'Auntie Larky.' The lithe grey damsel snorted to herself with amusement before turning away, tail snaking out to hopefully wrap around Mousekit and still his continuous bouncing.
Next came Vulturekit, one of Darkfall's many younger brothers and a renown troublemaker. The rosetted black tom shuffled over without a sound, not bothering to sit as he waited. Good, at least he wasn't going to complain about the class he had to take. Larkfire had patience, sure, but if someone wanted to test her she wouldn't hesitate to put them in their place. Luckily enough, no one thus far had spoken a peep about her being the youngest enforcer. They all feared Dawnstar too much, she supposed.
A movement in a nearby shadow had Lark half-turning out of reflex to look at what was approaching her, for she would defend these kits with her life if it were some feral creature, but the loud call of Brackenfire speaking her name caused the enforcer to turn back, amber hues locking onto Elmshadow's son-in-law in question. It was then that Mirehound joined them, the black bengal appearing seemingly out of nowhere to claim her spot on Larkfire's right. Not letting her gaze linger on Mirehound longer than necessary, Lark turned towards Branchfire.
As the tom skidded to a stop infront of her, Lark did well in hiding her amusement at his panting (she wasn't making fun of him, oh no, it was just... new to see a warrior showing weakness), expression entirely serious as he spoke. "Thank you," She told the tom, inclining her head to relay the genuinity behind the statement. But his next words had her pausing in the action, a slight, almost unnoticeable crease forming between her brows. Dawnstar would have told her what already? Was she being replaced? Blinking a couple times, Lark lifted a paw to wave it dismissively, as if trying to away the doubts in a very Roanpaw fashion. "Yeah sure, you can join us." Was all she said, amber hues straying to the next kit who joined them.
Rosekit. One of the older ones of the lot, if she was not wrong. As the petite tortoiseshell padded over, it was her words that caught Larkfire's attention, and an amused smile spread over Lark's maw as she tossed her head over her shoulder to look sidelong at the cat who'd taken her assessment. "I get it." She scoffed, tone teasing. One could say Larkfire was in a good mood today. "You like to brood and hide in the shadows and look scary. No need to act a living ghost." She told Shadowfur, and then returned to her studies of the kits.
Smokekit was one of the last to arrive, shoving Vulturekit sideways as he joined the group and causing Larkfire to frown with slight apprehension. Should she have brought these two together? Eh, they were probably fine... Waiting. A few more moments of the said activity passed, but when Hazelkit did not appear for his lesson, Lark merely shook her head and rose to her paws. Oh well, he'd have to wait until next time.
Tail lashing against the ground once in signal, the grey dame inclined her head and whispered a "Follow me." before heading out. It didn't take long for Lark to lead her little group to Moonlit Grove, and when they'd all safely arrived and been accounted for, the young enforcer sat back on her haunches. "Listen up, all of you." Thank the skies she hadn't called them rascals out loud, that wouldn't have sat well. "I'm going to test your hiding skills, so we're going to play hide and seek. Before you complain about it being non-professional or a kitty-game, know that this is my class and if I want to teach you via hide and seek, that's what we're doing."
Taking a breath, Lark glances over at her helpers, clearly trying to silently communicate that she needed them to keep an eye on the kits while they hid. "You can grab a buddy, burrow yourself in a bush, stand stock-still in a shadow, I don't care. Just don't let me find you. Remember, keep your pawsteps light. Now off you go." And with that, Larkfire lifted her white paws off the ground and pressed them to her eyes, sealing them from the world.
[ Helpers: Shadowfur, Mirehound, & Branchfire
Class Atendees: Smokekit, Rosekit, Mousekit, Vulturekit, & Hazelkit
I apologize for the delay, I was waiting on one more person (It wasn't you, dani, dw lol) but I think I've waited quite a while and should move on now. Also, for the finding thing, I'll keep it a 50/50 change, so if your character rolls a 1-5, Lark finds them. 6-10, she doesn't. ]
Once next to the fiery eyed molly who had called out to the gathering kits, Mousekit turned a beaming smile at her, his rounded ears perked up as he bounced from side to side in his usual, excited manner. Feeling a small touch over him, the gray tom stopped his little hops, curiosity making him swivel his head as he noticed his Auntie Larky wrapping her tail up around him, Mousekit's beaming smile turned mischievous for a second as he lowered his front half, wiggling his hindquarters momentarily before taking a mighty leap towards Auntie Larky's tail, chortling with glee as he attempted to use the leap to snuggle and cuddle the molly affectionately. Sufficiently distracted by his Auntie's actions, Mousekit failed to notice his Hazely hadn't followed after, staying relatively still - barring his occasional nuzzling of the gray tail - as the gray molly waited for the rest of the cats to gather round, a happy purr rumbling within him as they waited.
The sudden, brisk moment of his Auntie's tail catching Mousekit's attention, the monochrome kit's gaze went from it to the molly's amber eyes. Whiskers twitching in confusion for only a second, the stocky kit's befuddled stare quickly lit up as Auntie Larky ordered to be followed. The last time he had followed her, they'd had fun at the not-a-game that the dark shadow wearing warrior - he needed to have a very, very important conversation with this molly about shadow wearing, yes yes, specifically on how - had hosted. It had been fun, fun, fun! So. So! Obviously this time they were going to have fun too! Especially since - gasp - Auntie was taking them out of the camp?! Yes! Even better!
Verdant eyes wide as he stared this way and that around ShadowClan's territory, not having ventured quite so far the last time, he kept a happy little strut to his every step, trying to keep as close to his wonderful Auntie as possible. Once the gray and brown molly had sat down, Mousekit did his best to imitate her stance, his paws shifting eagerly as he tried to stay still, wanting nothing more than to go exploring in this new place. But but! But! Auntie Larky had brought them for a reason. A super, duper, awesome, funtastic reason, yes yes yes! They were going to play! In this new place! Auntie Larky was the best!
And and and! He could grab a buddy! Instantly, Mousekit turned around, looking for his Hazely. True, the last time they had played hide-and-seek Hazely had hid with him, so mum had found them both immediately and they had both lost. That had been sad, yes, but! But... They had both lost together, so it was still super duper fun! Maybe they could both lose together again this time. Or win? Preferably win. He was fairly certain Hazely preferred winning, yes yes yes.
It took very little time for the monochrome kit to realize, however, that Hazely was... not here. Gasp! Oh no! Oh no no no! Had they left his Hazely behind?! A small whimper threatened to escape the gray kit as his eyes began to water, desperately turning this way and that to see if maybe, just maybe, he had missed his littermate's golden brown fur in the darkness. But... but no, that couldn't be right! Maybe he had gotten distracted and left Hazely behind - oops - but Auntie Larky would never leave his brother after having called him! Maybe... maybe- Gasp! Of course! Hazely was probably already hiding, and was just hiding so well that Mousekit couldn't see him! His Hazely was so smart smart! He needed to step up his game if he wanted to keep up!
Turning to look at Auntie Larky as she covered her eyes, his rounded ears perked up as he got up, little paws shifting as swiveled his head this way and that, looking at his surroundings. He had failed Auntie Larky last time when he was not-playing the not-a-game that Shadowwearer had hosted, but but, this time he would be better! Yes yes yes! He hoped.
Verdant eyes soon landed on a small pile of gray stones engulfed in shadows, Mousekit adopted the same, kittenish crouch he'd been using while totally-not-playing-it-was-practice-I'll-fight-you with Hazely before. Placing one paw before the other, his wish to impress his Auntie - and potentially his father, who he wasn't very close with but he knew his mum loved so that made him a good tom - kept him quiet, or as quiet as he'd ever been, his tail kept low to the ground yet high enough to not stir any debris. With careful steps on his white dipped paws, the monochrome colored kit kept as much the shadows as he could, carefully letting his dark limbs guide him as he reached the rocks. Once there, the young kit was oddly aware of how his white toes stood out from the rest of his body, and focused on hiding his limbs beneath him, effectively curling up into a very round, fuzzy, gray boulder among the rest, keeping as deep in the shadows as he could. Remembering his Auntie Larky's trick from before, the young tom closed his eyes, flattening his rounded ears on his head as he lowered his head as well, curling his tail around him and hoping he would at least not be the first one found.
Foxcall just let Darkfall explain everything that is connected to Moonlit Grove especially because he's Moonpaw's mentor, they warrior didn't want to overstep any boundaries. They carefully walked through the Grove ears swiveling as the looked around before their eyes landed on the plant that Elmshadow described as burdock so they carefully walked over, flicking their tail toward the other two, "I've found some burdock, do you want to dig it up Moonpaw? I know you asked about how it smelled before we left."
bump after a week
posting days are tuesday, thursday, and saturday if i happen to post outside of this, it's for my own enjoyment staff sign here
dracarys - dani <3
oh look a fossil
RAHHHH (velli)
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Moonpaw (she/her)
Shadowclan Black calico with half face ginger and amber eyes
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Oh. So that's why Foxcall and Darkfall were behaving so weirdly here.
Now that she knew the purpose of this place, her view of the pine surrounded clearing was definitely different. She nodded at his mentor, making sure he knew that she had understood. Of course she would never disrespect such an important place! I wonder how many Shadowclan cats are buried under these plants... The herbs that protect us, grown from the bones of our ancestors...
Her ears perked the other way as the other warrior called her. She bounded quickly over Foxcall, her eyes wide in interest as she spotted a very odd-looking plant. Burdock?"Uh, yes, of course!"
Moonpaw slid her claw out and carefully started digging the earth all around the roots, which were bigger and fleshier that she had previously expected. She took then a moment to sniff the upper part, since the roots were too dirty and smelled totally earthy. "Uhm.. it's a little bitter. Doesn't seem tasty." She commented, before starting again to dig around the plant.
She stretched then one fore leg out and used her clawed paw to tear the roots apart from the compact dirt, deciding that she wouldn't pull with her teeth for fear to break the stem off.
Whiskers twitching with amusement, Darkfall watched the younger cat dig up the burdock. She’s doing a good job of that’ the young warrior thought happily. What a joy it was to have such a clever apprentice!
”Good work Moonpaw,” Darkfall praised with a slight smile ”And good thinking to pull up the roots like that.” Of course, he didn’t want to over praise her, but she was just doing so well he couldn’t help it.
With a satisfied rumble of a purr, the dark tabby searched their surroundings for some more herbs. Making sure not to stray too far, he found some of that stinging nettle stuff that Elmshadow had mentioned. Carefully, almost cautiously stepping towards it, Darkfall gently began separating some of the seed pods from the spiny looking leaves. [I]’Don't eat it… Don’t eat it…’[/B] he reminded himself, not particularly inclined to vomit up his last meal.
Re: Moonlit Grove
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