Croaking Swamp

[gs29513]

It seemed that Raggedfang had no intention of joining them on their patrol, and as such Shrewstep felt it was alright for him to mew a swift Let's get going, I'd like to keep my ears for today. to Darkcloud before marching his way out of camp. There wasn't much to say until they reached the swamp, and even then the rather foreboding terrain somewhat repelled any desire for conversation he might have felt before the patrol. Being charming took EFFORT, and Shrewstep was currently just a tad socially burnt out. Not that he wouldn't be back to his usual self, attempting to sweet-talk everything that moved, tomorrow, but for the moment he was content to focus on finding some burdock root or...what was the other thing. Dock? and getting back to camp.

With this thought firmly in mind he started searching. It wasn't an exhaustive cataloging of the marsh's plants, but he was able to spot a few red stems and make his way over to them without being sucked into the mire. His light weight did come in handy occasionally, and being less hampered than usual by mud was one benefit. On the other paw, if he DID become encased in the earth, it was far less likely that he would have the power necessary to escape. But all that was irrelevant, as he plucked three leaves from what he was fairly certain was the aforementioned dock, wincing slightly as the plant swung wildly and smacked him in the ear. Rude. Casting a glance over his shoulder at Darkcloud, Shrewstep decided to look around quickly for any tall things that might have once had flowers and perhaps find a burdock root while they were at it. @The Doctor @Rogueheart
(+3 Dock leaves)

[Morrigan]

Darkcloud
Shadowclan warrrior
Purrks: Just a scratch and Shadow fiend(both inactive)

Padding swiftly after Shrewstep, Darkcloud didn't exactly care that Raggedfang hadn't arrived, though it was annoying they could manage without them. As soon as they reached the swamp, she got to work scanning for, what was it? Burdock root? Yep that was it.

Amber gaze soon landing on a tall stemmed plant with purple flowers, Dark assumed they were burdock so precariously made her way across the mud and plucked as much of it as she could from the ground before turning to Shrewstep. Seeing that he seemed to be ready to go she called out before starting to make her way back to camp "Let's go."

(We can have them report now. ^^)

@gs29513 @Rogueheart

[ChaosBringer.]

Stagskull


Stagskull led the two apprentices to Croaking Swamp, her tail flicking softly as she walked. She slowed her pace and looked back to speak to Larkpaw and Yellowpaw. "Can you two smell anything? Rouges? Prey?" Stagskull asked the apprentices. This was a good training instance for Larkpaw. She would see part of the territory, and learn the smells of prey and maybe rouges.
@vellichor @hades.

[vellichor]

•° Larkpaw °•
Shadow Fiend • Mind Reader

---

Yellowpaw appeared, then they were on their way. Lark trudged forward mindlessly, keeping her eyes on the ground at first but soon taking in the entire landscape. Woah. As they walked toward the "Croaking Swamp" she took in her surroundings. It seemed the territory was very... pine tree-y. As they kept walking, she found her paws getting stuck in the ground more and more. Lark made a face each time she lifted a paw and heard a wet sound as the mud released her. Ew. Oh, Stagskull was speaking. Lark blinked, wrinkling her nose as she felt the mud eating at her paws as she stood. But she wasn't gonna be a baby. She lifted her nose into the air and took in a deep breath, instinctively opening her mouth a bit as she did so. A warm, pleasant smell hit her and she found her mouth watering a bit. The large, fluffy cat turned her head back down and looked at Stagskull. "Smells like the prey pile." Hmm, that was a stupid answer. She tried smelling again, reaching into the depths of her memory. "Is it... frog? Or toad? Can't tell the difference," she grumbled that last part to herself. Lark looked toward Yellowpaw to see what the other apprentice had smelled.

// @ChaosBringer. @hades. \\

[hades.]

Originally Posted by vellichor

•° Larkpaw °•
Shadow Fiend • Mind Reader

---

Yellowpaw appeared, then they were on their way. Lark trudged forward mindlessly, keeping her eyes on the ground at first but soon taking in the entire landscape. Woah. As they walked toward the "Croaking Swamp" she took in her surroundings. It seemed the territory was very... pine tree-y. As they kept walking, she found her paws getting stuck in the ground more and more. Lark made a face each time she lifted a paw and heard a wet sound as the mud released her. Ew. Oh, Stagskull was speaking. Lark blinked, wrinkling her nose as she felt the mud eating at her paws as she stood. But she wasn't gonna be a baby. She lifted her nose into the air and took in a deep breath, instinctively opening her mouth a bit as she did so. A warm, pleasant smell hit her and she found her mouth watering a bit. The large, fluffy cat turned her head back down and looked at Stagskull. "Smells like the prey pile." Hmm, that was a stupid answer. She tried smelling again, reaching into the depths of her memory. "Is it... frog? Or toad? Can't tell the difference," she grumbled that last part to herself. Lark looked toward Yellowpaw to see what the other apprentice had smelled.

// @ChaosBringer. @hades. \\

"Frogs and toads taste basically the same. Who cares? Yellowpaw grumbled. He just wanted to get back to camp and train or whatever. He knew all the hunting crap. "I smell something I don't think I recognize, but I'm guessing it's a salamander. Hawkbite said something about those on my territory tour."

Yellowpaw decided to find something. He crouched and started spying the place. There's a thing, he thought. It looked like some sort of high-jumping amphibian. He waited, taking tiny steps toward it. He could probably pounce now. He hit the prey with his forepaw, which killed it. "Got one,"
[ @ChaosBringer. ]

[ChaosBringer.]

Stagskull


Stagskull smiled approvingly and nodded at Larkpaw's answer. Mud grabbed at her paws, sinking in-between her toes. 'How gross.' The molly thought, shaking off some of the muck before turning her head to Yellowpaw. "Indeed, Yellowpaw. That's a salemander." Bit right as she said that, the apprentice caught something that looked like a frog or toad. "Good. Hide that and we'll get it when we come back."

@vellichor @hades.

[vellichor]

•° Larkpaw °•
Shadow Fiend • Mind Reader

---

She watched Yellowpaw catch a "salamander". Ew. He kinda rubbed her fur the wrong way, like a know-it-all. She snorted, then got lost in her own thoughts for a bit. Wait, for how long? Too long. Oh, dear. Lark had to do something. Taking initiative, the black and white cat found a frog and crept towards it, her paws still sticky with mud. She went to leap on it, letting instinct guide her (due to a lack of time), and... fell short. It hopped away and she let out a growl. Lark tried to chase it, but the thing wriggled into a little crevice somewhere and was gone. No! A hiss to herself. But she soon spotted more movement: this one might be a toad. As if the Gods themselves were looking down on her, somehow Lark perfectly crouched, leaped, and landed right on the slimy creature, killing it instantly. She wasn't proud, though; Lark knew this was a fluke. Beginner's luck. She carried the creature back and dropped it at her paws. "Should we go now?"

// @ChaosBringer. @hades. i am so very sorry for the delay </3 \\

[hades.]

Originally Posted by vellichor

•° Larkpaw °•
Shadow Fiend • Mind Reader

---

She watched Yellowpaw catch a "salamander". Ew. He kinda rubbed her fur the wrong way, like a know-it-all. She snorted, then got lost in her own thoughts for a bit. Wait, for how long? Too long. Oh, dear. Lark had to do something. Taking initiative, the black and white cat found a frog and crept towards it, her paws still sticky with mud. She went to leap on it, letting instinct guide her (due to a lack of time), and... fell short. It hopped away and she let out a growl. Lark tried to chase it, but the thing wriggled into a little crevice somewhere and was gone. No! A hiss to herself. But she soon spotted more movement: this one might be a toad. As if the Gods themselves were looking down on her, somehow Lark perfectly crouched, leaped, and landed right on the slimy creature, killing it instantly. She wasn't proud, though; Lark knew this was a fluke. Beginner's luck. She carried the creature back and dropped it at her paws. "Should we go now?"

// @ChaosBringer. @hades. i am so very sorry for the delay </3 \\

So Yellowpaw was right. The slimy amphibious Lizard was dangling from his mouth, and it left a sour taste in it. He found a solid enough spot where black paws hastily scraped up earth. He dropped it into the hole and slapped mud over it. It tasted disgusting.

Yellowpaw sat down near Stagskull to watch Larkpaw. Had she ever been trained? She looked horrible, but she managed to do it perfectly in the end. It seemed Starclan had pitied her. He rolled his eyes.

"Nice catch," He said monotonously. He hoped it was evident that he was being sarcastic.
[ @ChaosBringer. - tis fine! ]

[ChaosBringer.]

Stagskull


Stagskull stood still as Larkpaw seemed to space off and get annoyed at Yellowpaw. He had caught a salemander, so he knew how to hunt. Good. When Larkpaw tried stalking a frog and killing it, Stagskull cringed at her form and how she jumped. 'It's alright. It's alright. I can teach her.' She promised herself as Larkpaw sloppily killed a toad. Stagskull nodded. It should be time to go. She let out a low growl at Yellowpaw's sarcastic comment, her glare sharp. Stagskull turned back to Larkpaw. "Yes, we should get going. Sorry Yellowpaw. I didnt realize how late it was getting, could you get you salamander?" Stagskull said, turning back to pad back to report the patrol.
@vellichor @hades. (I'll make a post reporting)

[nyx]

drawing by @ Marigoldwhisper


《 Pebbleshell 》


tags; ( @Maybi ; Sootsprit , @Marigoldwhisper ; Magpiepaw , @SuspiciousMindz ; Hawkbite )

she/her / shadowclan warrior / stubborn


__________________________________________________

The calico warrior trudged through the mud, dreading the cleaning she will have to do once this is finished. "Watch your paws." she reminded the patrol members, mostly to Magpiepaw. She wasn't sure how experienced the apprentice was, but it didn't matter. She stopped and turned her head around to look at the cats.

"Let's split up." Pebbleshell decided. "I'll look over there, you guys find other places to look." she meowed. She hadn't bothered to ask if Magpiepaw knew how to hunt. If they didn't, they'll speak up. "Any issue before we get started?" she asked, tail flicking impatiently. Last time her patrol wasn't as successful as she liked and she wasn't letting this one meet the same fate.