Shadow's Break

[alkaline]

Bitterbane nodded ecstatically. Maybe she was being too energetic, but moss collecting was the truest skill she had ever seen. It took a good eye to find bedding perfect for cultivating a night of comfortable rest. What Palepaw was suggesting was a sign of intellect sure to bring a load of nest-worthy moss. "Maybe, yes!" the warrior affirmed, swinging her head slowly side-to-side to survey the forest's flora with sharp scrutiny. Whatever caught her sight was cast off once she realized that the conditions would neither house moss nor keep dry moss.

Never fear, there must be some out here, Bitterbane thought optimistically. She wouldn't let the lack of findings deter her. Giving up so early was a bad habit she'd worked hard to expel from her daily routines. Calling it quits simply because the task at hand seemed daunting, whether it be making friends or collecting moss. First, she just had to stop catastrophizing because she wasn't getting immediate results. She wondered if that made her impatient or weak-willed. She always seemed to jump to get things done as quickly as possible, but Bitterbane hated to call herself impatient. She always heard impatient cats were rude, but she was certainly turning out to be one of those cats. Her mental resolve must have gotten soft lately.

Holding back a sigh at that revelation, Bitterbane redirected her inward focus to Palepaw and their surroundings. Noticing that the apprentice had paused, Bitterbane stilled her dark paws as well. With a critical eye, she observed the clearing they'd happened upon. Its familiarity put her at ease, and the warrior responded, "Shadow's Break." Gesturing with her tail at the purposefully arranged brambles, she continued, "We collect herbs a lot here, so we try to protect it with thorns to keep big animals out. It also means we ought to be careful not to trample any ourselves. The moisture is supposed to be, like, good for plants but it's not what we're lookin' for now, like you said." That said, Bitterbane allowed a friendly smile onto her maw. "We can try that idea of yours, it's probably correct. I'm not moss, though, so don't take my word for it," the warrior chuckled at her joke and spurred her paws back into movement.

Careful to avoid the snare of bramble thorns, Bitterbane stalked around the clearing and to the trees Palepaw had cleverly described. If she'd been alone, Bitterbane knew she would've moved on from the clearing and wandered elsewhere. She honestly appreciated the apprentice's critical thinking skills. It wasn't that she lacked some of her own, but Bitterbane was more social than she was a problem solver.

Bitterbane halted to a stop once she spotted the moss, perfectly dry under the canopy of coniferous trees. "Aha," she breathed out in epiphany. Her yellow eyes shone with joy expressed at their success - or was it Palepaw's since this was her suggestion? Never mind who the winner was, if they even needed one, Bitterbane nodded toward the moss. "Bingo."

@celeste - it is!

[starry]

- Palepaw -
ShadowClan Apprentice | She/her | 6 moons
Flock Together [Tier 1] | Kitty Softpaws

The small apprentice tilted her head curiously as Bitterbane explained where they were. Shadow's break.. she hadn't heard of that before. She noticed, though, that they had went through the Icy Heartlands, which was where she'd done stealth training with Batflight. It was nice that after such a creepy, lifeless part of the forest, there was light, herbs and moss. In newleaf and greenleaf it must be really nice here, basking in the sunlight while collecting moss and herbs for the clan. Ooh, so this was used for herb collecting and the thorns helped keep big animals out? That made sense, so many herbs in one place was probably a rare occurance that needed to be protected. She supposed the small animals, such as mice, couldn't do much damage to the herbs. Well, even if they did it was hard to keep them out, because cats wouldn't fit in an opening smaller than a mouse.

A light chuckle escaped Palepaw's maw at Bitterbane's joke. "Alright!" she mewed with an eager grin. Careful to not walk too close to the thorns, she followed the warrior, light on her paws. Her bright eyes scanned her surroundings, trying to take in every detail as to not miss a piece of moss that was perhaps hidden somewhere - in a crack, a hollow, under a tree.. So lost in her little "investigation", the dreamy apprentice didn't notice Bitterbane stopping and almost bumped into her. However, she was able to halt just before that would have happened. Slightly embarassed, she took a step back, wondering how she always got so lost in thought.

As her eyes registered the moss, she smiled, looking to the big cat. "Good job!" she exclaimed, reaching one white paw out to touch the moss. It was perfectly dry! She tilted her head as she wondered if that would be enough or not.. maybe there was more nearby? Her blue hues looked in front of her, and she didn't see any directly, but it might be hidden somewhere. She turned to the big cat, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "Do you think this will be enough for two nests or do we have to look for more?" she questioned.

- @corrosion! aa this is crappy sorry -

[alkaline]

The previously conceived sheepish and preoccupied manner of the apprentice amused Bitterbane greatly; she had to smother a little grin with great amounts of sheer will to keep it from breaching the horizon of her expression. The youthful habits of the apprentice were oddly endearing, though Bitterbane knew plenty of cats who would look down on traits like these. She didn't think it was fair; she'd be able to count on one paw how many apprentices she met that were as keen as Palepaw was right now, so dedicated to a task Bitterbane herself considered mundane.

Now, she figured her own investment came from humoring a bored kid and imparting some slivers of knowledge about moss-finding. Bittterbane tore herself from her inner musings and shook her head in denial. "No, you 'good job!'" she quickly responded before pondering the moss before them. She tried her best to judge how much moss they would both need, but it was difficult. She liked to have a big cushion of vegetation under her because it was easy on her joints (stars, she isn't old. she swears she isn't), but Palepaw might have her preferences as well. Bitterbane bit her tongue as she tried to figure it out, but inevitably shrugged.

It wouldn't hurt to grab more and besides, the extra could be donated to somebody else. Gesturing toward where the apprentice had last been scouting, she suggested, "How 'bout I claw up what's here and you sniff around the bushes for s'more? You've got a good eye for moss, after all. Just don't go too far, capisce?" It's not like she necessarily wanted to be rid of the apprentice, far from that, but Bitterbane supposed Palepaw was law-abiding and good for it, enough so that she could soundly trust the young cat to be a bit independent. The one thing Bitterbane hated the most when she was an apprentice was the feeling of warriors constantly breathing down her neck as if she were an incompetent, bumbling idiot. She wasn't sure if Palepaw would mind being watched over, but she'd rather afford the apprentice a bit of freedom instead of suffocating her.

@celeste - i didn't think it was!

[starry]

- Palepaw -
31/100
She/her | 6 moons | Kitty Softpaws | Flock Together T1

The molly giggled a little when Bitterbane told her that she did a good job. Honestly she'd just made suggestions the warrior probably had thought about already, and Bitter was the one who'd ultimately found the moss. The credit went to the older shecat in Pale's eyes, but she didn't mention that. While Bitterbane seemed to be thinking, she continued scanning the area for some hidden moss, blue hues squinting in concentration, and.. there it was! A large, hollow trunk of a tree layed on the ground, flowers and thin layers of moss blooming on top of it. Palepaw wasn't interested in the thin layers, rather in the thick abundance of moss that grew inside of the trunk.

Her bright eyes landed on Bitterbane again as she started speaking. So she could go look for some more! The apprentice gave an eager nod, mewing a quick; "Already sighted some!" while bounding over to the fallen tree. She ducked her head, realizing the hollow was big enough for her to place her front paws in. The soft moss beneath her paws made her smile. It was dry and had such a nice texture. She raised a paw and unsheathed her claws, pushing through the moss and lifting it from underneath, resulting in a clean, big piece of moss. Palepaw gently bent down and took it into her maw, careful not to make it fall apart.

The more the merrier, so she dropped it outside of the hollow tree and went back in, retrieving an even bigger piece and gently placing it on the other one. "Found a lot!" she called to the big cat, a satisfied smile creeping onto her face. She eagerly picked up the two pieces and rushed back to Bitterbane, dropping them in front of her and grinning. That was certainly enough for one fluffy nest, and the moss the older molly found would account for the other one! "This should be enough I think!" she exclaimed, placing a paw on the two pieces of moss she'd collected. It felt so nice, fluffy, soft.. Palepaw definitely looked forward to sleeping with some fresh moss tonight! I'll finally be able to catch up on missed sleep if my nest is this comfy.

// @corrosion! - bitterbane

[alkaline]

It took immense effort to not let her jaw drop in agape surprise. Why was she even here? This kid was impossibly good at finding moss. Somebody needs to put Palepaw on an herb patrol, stat. Bitterbane watched the apprentice bound off, eyebrows furrowed in her contemplation. Wherever Palepaw got her intense skill from, the warrior was impressed.

She turned away and prodded the moss at her paws with an extended claw. "Heh," she muttered to herself, grinning widely at the squishy texture. Carefully, she pried up an edge and folded it over, splitting it off into squares where the patch grew too big for her liking. Bitterbane ended up cornering three sections of the moss, large enough to not be annoying scraps but small enough to drape comfortably over her back. Bitterbane's ears twitched at Palepaw's call, freezing in place to process the young cat's words before relaxing with a contented hum.

A moment later, the apprentice was darting back over to her. Bitterbane quickly regarded the kid's hoard and nodded in agreement. "Yup! Shall we head back, then?" she suggested as she twisted around to pull her own harvested moss onto her pelt. Settled, Bitterbane stood up and arched her back in a stretch. Something about the cold weather made something in her spine twinge.

@celeste

[chickadee]

[ @TheLostAmongTheStars @Cubeisdagoat - continuing rp here!!]

. . .

It was clear that the other cat wasn’t going to show up. That was fine with Pearnose. They didn’t need anyone dragging them down, and Pearnose was ready to get the patrol over with. Some might call it rude, but she was just ready to to get going. “We’ll leave without them. They can catch up if they want.” She had no clue what they were doing or who this other cat was, but it was none of her business, and quite frankly, she didn’t care.

Pearnose trotted out of the camp through through the snowy Shadow’s Break. It was a winter wonderland; cold, but breathtaking. Icicles hung from the trees and snow caked the ground. The white world around them would make it a bit harder to find the yarrow, which were also white, but they’d make do. Larkfire needed the herbs afterall.

Pearnose turned to check if Shadowpaw was still following. She wasn’t sure how much training the apprentice had, or if Shadowpaw fully knew the territory yet. “So, how’s this for first patrol?” She asks with a grin, remembering what her first patrol was like, and how excited she was to go.

[Fish]

"I hope they heard us, I don't think Dawnstar will be very happy if they don't show up at all." Shadowpaw said as she started to leave, but if they did hear the group why not show up. Whatever it wasn't her spot to worry about. She was doing the right thing and going on the patrol.

The Shadow Break looked so lovely to Shadowpaw that she barely noticed that she was being talked to. "Huh..? Oh yes this!" She said as she snapped back to attention. "It is nice to be able to go out and see the territory like this, covered with snow, but I do worry if we will be able to find that flower out here.." She said looking around while hoping the snow didn't cover the flowers.

@chickadee

[Goopysharkboi]

Originally Posted by chickadee

[ @TheLostAmongTheStars @Cubeisdagoat - continuing rp here!!]

. . .

It was clear that the other cat wasn’t going to show up. That was fine with Pearnose. They didn’t need anyone dragging them down, and Pearnose was ready to get the patrol over with. Some might call it rude, but she was just ready to to get going. “We’ll leave without them. They can catch up if they want.” She had no clue what they were doing or who this other cat was, but it was none of her business, and quite frankly, she didn’t care.

Pearnose trotted out of the camp through through the snowy Shadow’s Break. It was a winter wonderland; cold, but breathtaking. Icicles hung from the trees and snow caked the ground. The white world around them would make it a bit harder to find the yarrow, which were also white, but they’d make do. Larkfire needed the herbs afterall.

Pearnose turned to check if Shadowpaw was still following. She wasn’t sure how much training the apprentice had, or if Shadowpaw fully knew the territory yet. “So, how’s this for first patrol?” She asks with a grin, remembering what her first patrol was like, and how excited she was to go.

"WAIT UP, GUYS!" Came Brokentalon's nervous shout as he sped over. "I am so sorry I didn't meet up with you two at the patrol place, I got distracted trying to scare Wolftooth." @TheLostAmongTheStars

[chickadee]

Pearnose was about to reply to the apprentice when she turned to see Brokentalon finally making an appearance. She looked unamused by his being late, but didn’t say anything. It was his decision whether to show up or not, and it would be his punishment, not hers; so quite frankly it was none of her business where he was, and why he was late.

“Alright. So we’ll all try to find some yarrow. I’m not sure if the flowers bloom during the winter, but they’re white, and they should grow in a patch, so we need to find a patch of yarrow then harvest and bring them back.” She meows, taking a role of leadership in the patrol, much to her surprise. Usually she was the one being bossed around.

“If there are no white flowers look for their specific leaves or scent or something. We all have different strong suits, you pick what works best for you.” She meows. The only reason she was being so authoritative was the thought of being curled up in a warm nest when she got back to camp. The idea of a comfy nap was the only thing motivating her to keep going on the patrol.

. . .
@TheLostAmongTheStars @GhostlyStarfinder

[Fish]

[Dice roll: 5, 14]
@chickadee @Cubeisdagoat

Shadowpaw heard another cat yell at them. She looked over to see who the voice was coming from and by what they were saying, this must have been Brokentalon. "Who's wol- Know what? Never mind we got to focus!" She said before looking to Pearnose.

She listened to the more wise warrior and tried to digest the information. First the apprentice looked around trying to see if she could spot this flower while she looked around the area. Nothing seemed to be coming up for her, so she tried to focus on smelling. Wondering around she caught a sweet scent on the air and quickly followed it with her mouth a gap to collect the scent better. She eventually found a few yarrow flowers. Unfortunately this patch mostly died through the ending of the season so there was only four flowers left. She plucked them

4 Yarrow added!