( @nyx @Mica @Ladieratt sorry i just rly want to be done w this lmao)
minkpaw hummed quietly, head nodding to a rhythm contained to her head, as she slipped through the dry branches still littering the forest floor, remainders from leafbare and generally didnt pose to be of any issue for most cats. she wandered around aimlessly for a few seconds, focussing only on her own humming and the birds singing overhead, until the cool scent minkpaw knew to connect with watermint, and the quiet shuffle of frogs amongst dry leaves. (rolled 1x for watermint; 13, 1x for ragwort; 16) ) upon further inspection, minkpaw was indeed able to locate and collect some watermint but not without the cost of moist earth sticking to her white paws. satisfied with her find she turned to return to the rest of her patrol, taking a more direct way back than the one she had come led her around a spikey shrub and right towards a elder tree. while the leaves were too sparse and high up for minkpaw to reach she made a note of its existence, before adverting her gaze to inspect the tall shrub growing a few meters from it. a quite sad looking ragwort shrub, lacking all of its yellow flowers and only bearing a few dying leaves minkpaw was sure to collect.
with one more herb that she had anticipated she returned to the other cats, sitting down quietly to wait before returning to camp with them.
fognettle was interanally joking to himself, almost like he was her new chosen one, the same apprentice that had approached him for a walk through the territory was back, asking to be taken out into the territory to gather poppys. fognettle was no master at anything but the regular warrior stuff so his knowledge on whatever she was so thrilled about was extremely limited. poppys were easy enough though, and he would never turn down good company so his answer had been a clear and easy "yes".
minkpaw was nervous, the already non existent herb storages had taken a huge hit after the raid and as the moons pulled longer the danger of other clans, or outsiders, taking advantage was just getting higher. and since hunting wasnt necesarrily her strong suit, and she couldnt expect a lot of warriors to somehow know what herbs are important and how many of said herb are in the storage she had decided to just do it herself.
fognettle had been an easy choice, a well tempered, friendly tom that hadnt thought a second when she asked him last time and had been pleasant company the whole time. and since minks usualy prime suspects, goldfish and jayfrost were out of the picture, one pregnant and the other one still limping heavily from his broken foreleg, there had been two options, ask a cat she vaguely knew and honestly didnt particularly feel like talking to, or ask the cat that had been pleasant and willing to help last time.
the further they got away from camp the more minkpaws dominating emotions changed from nerves on basis of lacking herbs in storage to anxious and exhausted, nathaniels words still stuck in her head, she had made a choice, a choice she wouldnt take back or change. but overall a choice that filled her with nerves, she knew he was right, even if she didnt trust him on that she had seen tansypaw, frantic and exhausted. she was scared the same fate might swallow her whole, but her clanmates needed help and she wanted to help, no matter what it takes.
white tipped paws slowed to a halt, a meadow stretched just before them, green and lush despite the few good warm days this new leaf had seen so far. "were looking for poppies, theyre small scarlet flowers on long straight stalks and we need the whole flowerhead." she instructed the warrior who gave her a short humm in response before turning to go look for the herb described.
minkpaw herself moved through the short grass, on the lookout for the distinct red flowers and their strong earthy scent. (rolled 5x for poppy: 20,13,20,11,19 | 2x for fog, 3x for mink) "can you come see real quick?" the wind carried the warriors voice over to her, white tipped ears twitching in his direction to hear properly, before turning to trott over to him. "looks good hmm?" she hummed, eyeing the bunch of flowers infront of him. "oh thats good" the laughed, lifting some of the deep sitting nerves and strain from her shoulders, "i was worried, you know i never really offered myself for herb patrols n all" fognettle continued, met by a small smile and nod by minkpaw, "alright i'll leave you to picking them then"
back to where she had been before she looked around, poppies were usually not flowers that liked to grow very low but it was still early new leaf so she nosed around some taller grass, and it wasnt long until she picked up the distinct smell, leading her right to three poppies arranged in a little circle. when she looked over to the warrior he was holding two himself and minkpaw gave him a quick nod before returning to her task at hand.
Cinderflare slept beneath the fronds of a half-dead fern.
[ Activity post - closed ]
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Fadingstar is currently RiverClan's leader. He has an open den policy; his den can be found here. If you have any questions or concerns about RiverClan, or any plots to propose, feel free to leave me a VM or DM! Please do not take my characters' IC opinions as reflective of my own.
fognettle, now that he knew he was on the right track, continued to wade through the thick grass, on the lookout for the same vividly red flowers he had between his jaws. a quick glance behind him he located minkpaw, rather far away from him since she had wandered off in the opposite direction but still visible, dark fur, white tipped ears and striped tail made for a stark contrast, surrounded by pale green grass and general fauna.
few more paw steps and he spotted another cluster of red flowers. (rolled 3x for poppy; 12,13,2 | 5/5 for fog, +3 poppies)
minkpaw had wandered off a bit more, she trusted fognettle to look out for himself, he was a warrior after all, and he seemed to not have as much of an issue with her wandering off on her own as some of the other warriors she patrolled with had been.
(rolled 3x for poppy; 13, 17, 19, rolled 2x for deathberries; 14, 13)
along a small stream, minkpaw was watching the water while walking along it, she stumbled among another cluster of red flowers, and picked the poppies quickly so she could continue along. when she lifted her gaze however, her eye landed right on a plant she had only heard described before. a tall bush, thousands of tiny deep green needle like leaves lining every brach, adorned by what she had before only seen in its faded, starry form. deathberries. strong bitter, tangy smell slowly made its way over to minkpaw, still frozen in front of the bush as she eyed the thread, now so much more real than it had been when learning about it.
a few large cordate shaped leaf were quickly gathered, its curled edges serving as a good containment for the berry she shook out of the bush and rolled carefully onto the leaves before folding them over each other as best as she could.
a bit shook, legs a tiny bit shaky, she returned to fognettle, "are you done?", and after his quick conformation they made their way back to camp.
( total herbs. mink: 6 poppy, 2 deathberry | fog: 3 poppy )
Tail whipping behind her, Redmire stormed out of camp after Owltalon. She had no idea where they were headed, but in the moment she didn't have a single damn to give.
"Clan's going to run itself into the ground if it keeps up this way," she snarled to Owltalon, claws puncturing the ground with every step. She needed something to shred right now. Get the anger out, if only for a little bit. "There's no way it's possibly a good idea to let Birdsnow stick around after the zero favors she's done us. Things need to change around here and not the way those two are changing them."
Maybe Owltalon could redeem herself and knock Redmire's list back down to the Infuriating Five. Really, all Redmire needed was a bit of understanding. 'Yes, RiverClan needs better', or 'I will absolutely help you get rid of Birdsnow in the middle of the night when no one's watching'. Redmire would take either at this point.
Stickpaw is sprinting, in circles but still sprinting no less. She is excited. Screaming levels of excitement. Pointing out the most obvious things like large rocks, the pine trees of the distant Shadowclan, and the oak of Thunderclan's lush forests. "Misty! Fallen! Look! Look! Look!" Stickpaw rushes around the warriors they had managed to drag out with him. Until he trips and goes rolling, managing to catch themself roughly. Shaking off their grass ridden pelt."Did you see that!?? Did ya?!?" Standing up as they let out a loud round of giggling.
Tail whipping behind her, Redmire stormed out of camp after Owltalon. She had no idea where they were headed, but in the moment she didn't have a single damn to give.
"Clan's going to run itself into the ground if it keeps up this way," she snarled to Owltalon, claws puncturing the ground with every step. She needed something to shred right now. Get the anger out, if only for a little bit. "There's no way it's possibly a good idea to let Birdsnow stick around after the zero favors she's done us. Things need to change around here and not the way those two are changing them."
Maybe Owltalon could redeem herself and knock Redmire's list back down to the Infuriating Five. Really, all Redmire needed was a bit of understanding. 'Yes, RiverClan needs better', or 'I will absolutely help you get rid of Birdsnow in the middle of the night when no one's watching'. Redmire would take either at this point.
Owltalon raised her eyebrows at Redmire as they walked, taking note of her claws violently trying to shred the Earth. That could easily be her pelt in a few moments from now, but hopefully the situation wouldn't reach that point.
The newly approved Lionheart perked her ears in interest as Redmire started... Venting to her? Owltalon wasn't unfamiliar or one to shy away from a talking session, but it seemed odd considering the feud they had just been in earlier. Owltalon wasn't about to complain though. She took it as a reminder of how cats have feelings and thoughts. It'd be impossible to simply fit them all in one box.
Just to be polite and also get a new understanding of this fuming cat, she listened.
While she couldn't agree of all of the fire Redmire had spouted, she did agree that Riverclan was still in a mess of shambles.
"I agree with your first point," Owltalon nodded as she drove Redmire farther away from Seabreeze and Riverwhisper's approaching scents. "Riverclan does deserve better. I'm glad you care enough to notice that. But it's just... It's been a mess for all of us. I feel like it wouldn't make us any better to throw Birdsnow out. Did she slack off? Well yeah, there's evidence to that one, but well, I dunno. I sympathize with her. I just have no idea what's it's like having that much responsibility."
She chose not to say anything more. Hopefully her clanmate would see that she did agree with her, just not to the point of kicking out their former leader.
After they reached a slope of rocks, Owltalon slowly stopped and sat next to the stones. "Here should be good."
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❝And the cats kill one by one!❞
- Hartebeest by Yalokre
Owltalon raised her eyebrows at Redmire as they walked, taking note of her claws violently trying to shred the Earth. That could easily be her pelt in a few moments from now, but hopefully the situation wouldn't reach that point.
The newly approved Lionheart perked her ears in interest as Redmire started... Venting to her? Owltalon wasn't unfamiliar or one to shy away from a talking session, but it seemed odd considering the feud they had just been in earlier. Owltalon wasn't about to complain though. She took it as a reminder of how cats have feelings and thoughts. It'd be impossible to simply fit them all in one box.
Just to be polite and also get a new understanding of this fuming cat, she listened.
While she couldn't agree of all of the fire Redmire had spouted, she did agree that Riverclan was still in a mess of shambles.
"I agree with your first point," Owltalon nodded as she drove Redmire farther away from Seabreeze and Riverwhisper's approaching scents. "Riverclan does deserve better. I'm glad you care enough to notice that. But it's just... It's been a mess for all of us. I feel like it wouldn't make us any better to throw Birdsnow out. Did she slack off? Well yeah, there's evidence to that one, but well, I dunno. I sympathize with her. I just have no idea what's it's like having that much responsibility."
She chose not to say anything more. Hopefully her clanmate would see that she did agree with her, just not to the point of kicking out their former leader.
After they reached a slope of rocks, Owltalon slowly stopped and sat next to the stones. "Here should be good."
Redmire scoffed. "Of course I care. I've been here pretty much all my life, and all I've seen is rocky waters. I know we can be better, but it just feels like no one cares enough to try. Birdsnow sure doesn't." She ran her tongue over her teeth, feeling the sharp points of her canines. If the former leader wasn't able to handle the responsibility, she should never have accepted the position in the first place. Maybe done everyone a favor and died in the ThunderClan raid, for good measure. "We can't rebuild the right way if we've got slackers like her around. If she wasn't willing to put herself to work as leader, then I doubt she'll do the same as a warrior with far less responsibilities."
Once Owltalon came to a halt, Redmire flopped down next to her, cheek pressed against the ground and tail flipping irritably back and forth. She was just frustrated with everything - honestly to the point of near tears. With a huff, she shot Owltalon a glance. "You think I still have a shot at Lionheart, or have I totally screwed myself here?"
Redmire scoffed. "Of course I care. I've been here pretty much all my life, and all I've seen is rocky waters. I know we can be better, but it just feels like no one cares enough to try. Birdsnow sure doesn't." She ran her tongue over her teeth, feeling the sharp points of her canines. If the former leader wasn't able to handle the responsibility, she should never have accepted the position in the first place. Maybe done everyone a favor and died in the ThunderClan raid, for good measure. "We can't rebuild the right way if we've got slackers like her around. If she wasn't willing to put herself to work as leader, then I doubt she'll do the same as a warrior with far less responsibilities."
Once Owltalon came to a halt, Redmire flopped down next to her, cheek pressed against the ground and tail flipping irritably back and forth. She was just frustrated with everything - honestly to the point of near tears. With a huff, she shot Owltalon a glance. "You think I still have a shot at Lionheart, or have I totally screwed myself here?"
`~Owltalon
She\Lionheart\RC
"Are you listening, starchild?"
She couldn't help but laugh at the last words that feel out of Redmire's mouth. She tried and failed to swallow back her snicker, which resulted in her face looking slightly pinched for a moment before replying. "You may have dropped the ball," Owltalon said truthfully. "But you've obviously got heart. Y'know, having a loud mouth ain't that bad when you're saying the right stuff. I'm sure you still have something of a shot to gain the position." She sighed and lowered her gaze from Redmire's. "Being a Lionheart is the last place I thought I'd end up honestly. I thought I made one too many mistakes. But I'm here, right?"
She smiled toothily as her gaze slowly darted back up to the warriors. "So no. You've still got options I'm sure. Just maybe work on building up some recently burned bridges."
Owltalon had only responded to Redmire's last concerns first because she was still digesting the first problems she had introduced. It was hard for her to see Birdsnow as someone who let the clan down, it was hard to see Larkstar or Tansypaw as cowards because she saw the cat behind them. Being a high rank was hard... Being a Riverclan high rank was a suicide mission with there current state.
The brown Lionheart dug her paws into the earth until she saw her paw pads indented in the soft dark cushioning. "I think that Birdsnow'll prove herself. I mean, there's nothing else she can do, right? I believe and her. Ya' got every right to believe that's childish or naive but... I think she'll do well. And if she doesn't, I'm sure Fadingsun won't hesitate to drag her to the outskirts." Saying that last part made her shoulders feel heavy. She prayed to sliverpelt it wouldn't happen. Please, please, please.
Birdsnow wasn't a bad cat by any means. If it was up to Owltalon, she'd be getting a lot more chances, just like any other cat. But it wasn't up to her, and she could feel the threatening waves of fate pulling control straight out of her claws.
She sighed and rolled back her shoulders as she waited for a reply.
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❝And the cats kill one by one!❞
- Hartebeest by Yalokre