Sunkissed Creek

[chickadee]

Pearnose trailed slightly behind the rest of the group, keeping an eye on Flamepaw and make sure he didn't stray away or get lost. She treaded lightly as she mindlessly followed, letting herself get lost in the tranquility of the creek that they followed. This patrol was certain more relaxing and peaceful than most that she'd been on recently.

She stopped along with the group as Silverlark explained how they'd split up to gather the herbs and then join back together. That seemed simple. She listened silently then turned, swiftly head in the direction opposite from her apprentice and the enforcer.

The silky furred she-cat continued to enjoy the peacefulness of it all, as she went over the descriptions that Mossfreckle had given in her head. White flowers, yellow flowers. You'll know 'em when you see 'em. Pearnose always enjoyed herb patrols the most. They were quick and easy, and involved minimal effort on her part. Plus herbs were easy to memorize and find.

She soon spotted some yellow flowers peeking above the other foliage, most of which was dead, or dying due to the cold Leaf-bare weather they'd had for the past few moons, but the sight of the yellow flowers were unmistakeable.

Pearnose was gentle with her action, she plucked two of the yellow flowers. The plant still had some buds, which meant more for the future. If she tugged too tight or accidentally ripped the buds out, that meant less of their precious herb supply. After successfully picking the flowers, Pearnose headed over to search for chickweed. They should be smaller which would make them harder to spot, so she'd have to pay closer attention. With that notion Pearnose began to take things more seriously, as she scanned the surrounding area for the tiny white flowers. No luck. She broke out of her lazily steps as she padded farther, suddenly determined to retrieve the chickweed. With this sudden burst of motivation she kept looking, and soon enough, she found exactly what she was looking for; patches of small white flowers. She carefully collected some in her jaw, taking three. Sadly, she'd encountered the same problem as she did with the coltsfoot; there were many bids waiting to bloom in New-Leaf. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.

So with her many herbs in her jaw she began happily walking back towards where they'd all initially started, until she heard Silverlatk's call. Pearnose's ears perked up in alert as she heard the alarm and seriousness in his voice. She immediately picked up the pace and headed over to where Silverlark was coaxing a young ShadowClan kit.

She wrinkled her nose initially, wondering why a kit was out of camp, but as she got closer she saw the kit's distress and the bleeding paw. Pearnose had never cared too much for kits and found them to be annoying, especially when they cried over nothing. But this kit obviously wasn't crying over nothing, and she felt a pang in her heart at the sight. Silverlark seemed to be a natural with the dark tabby kit, and Pearnose didn't want to overwhelm Cinderkit.

She looked down at the glinting metal fox trap and carefully moved it aside. It had snapped shut, so it wouldn't be able to hurt anybody, but it snagged Cinderkit's leg badly.

She tried to offer some sympathy to the kit, meowing gently, "That's very brave of you to come all the way out here and collect herbs for your mother. Especially at your age. I know she'll appreciate it very much. But next time get help from some of the grown warriors. There's a reason kits aren't allowed to leave camp. You could've lost your leg to the fox trap!"

• • •
@Alchemist Kitsune - Silverlark • @FrostyGalaxy - Cinderkit • @Katiethewolfchild - Flamepaw

[Mica]

Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and pale green eyes, left gouged out]
Purrks: Beefed Up T3
· · ────────────── · ·
[Squirrelpaw - @furrensic ] [Dawnstar - @Undertaker ]
· · ────────────── · ·
The enforcer was silent throughout the journey to Sunkissed Creek, keeping a watchful gaze trained on the territory, lest a surprise predator jump out at them. They seemed to be keen on doing that recently. Mistlewhisker only cast one glance at Dawnstar's shoulder, the bite from the mink attach patched up by cobwebs. She felt a flash of concern, perhaps she shouldn't have made Dawnstar come with her... but the thought was quickly abandoned as she remembered that Dawnstar was her own cat and could do whatever she damn well pleased. Concern vanquished, Mistlewhisker picked up the pace.

The Sunkissed Creek babbled away, a thin layer of ice sticking stubbornly to the edges of stones. The large molly slowed as she approached the edge, opening her maw to scent the air. A few prey scents twined with the sharp scent of pine, good. She lowered her head to look at Squirrelpaw. "Stick close to me or Dawnstar. Remember what I taught you." She had every confidence that Squirrelpaw could hunt--after all, her first ever catch had been a blackbird. But she knew Squirrelpaw's anxiety could make her freeze, and she didn't want that happening. Least of all in front of Dawnstar.

Mistlewhisker, admittedly, had a bit of an ulterior motive requesting that Dawnstar accompany her on this hunting trip. It had nothing to do with her hopes of achieving the deputy rank, funnily enough. This was a little more... personal. Mistlewhisker considered herself a reasonable cat with a good head on her shoulders. She often found that emotions such as excitement or fear did not reach her like they seemed to other cats, and because of this felt as though she was just drifting through life without a proper destination or goal.

That's where Dawnstar came in.

Whenever Mistlewhisker was around Dawnstar, she felt like she was chasing a rabbit towards the border, trying to catch it before it slipped over the other side. The desire to impress, the desire to be the cat who caught Dawnstar's eye. It was utterly ridiculous, and a line of thinking that Mistlewhisker very very rarely indulged. But lately, with the raid indefinitely pushed back, Shadefrost's death, and Mistlewhisker settling into the rank of Enforcer, she found herself seeking that thrill again. However, she refused to let it get in the way of her duties, and wouldn't start now.

Mistlewhisker caught the trail of a mouse, large ears swiveling towards the scent's origin, and jerked her head for Squirrelpaw to follow her. Slipping into the brush, she slowed her pawsteps until they were near-silent, using the advice she had given her stealth-training class not too long ago. When the scent became overwhelming, she raised her tail slightly to signal Squirrelpaw to stop, ears swiveling again to catch the sound of not one but two mice nosing through the undergrowth.

Mistlewhisker gestured to the mice, voice hardly a whisper. "I will scare them towards you, and you take the kill." Once Squirrelpaw nodded her agreement, Mistlewhisker broke away and disappeared into the shadows.

Circling the mice slowly, she managed to get across the break in the bracken and locked eyes with Squirrelpaw. She nodded her head once, twice, and on the third time sprung forward, chasing the mice into Squirrelpaw's waiting paws.

[Undertaker]

Mistlewhisker [ @Micanomancy ] Squirrlepaw [ @ @furrensic ]
The massive she-cat followed the black feline out of camp on silent paws. The scarred leader swung her head in the direction of Squirrelpaw, having never noticed how skittish the apprentice was till now. Upon seeing that Dawnstar would join the patrol, the paw looked like she was seconds away from fainting. Dawnstar had skittish and overly anxious cats around her before, Nightshiver had always been the worst, until now. The large she-cat walked a few steps behind the mentor and apprentice pair, aware that Mistlewhisker was already surveying their surroundings.

Her tattered ears swerved in the direction of Mistlewhisker's voice as the molly instructed her apprentice. The corner of the muzzle lifted an itch after she registered what was side. Stay near her? Ha! Dawnstar was certain that Squirrelpaw would rather climb a tree before sticking close to the leader. Had Dawnstar been younger, she might have taken it a little more personality. Yet after doing this leader thing for the last several seasons, Dawnstar came to realize that came with all different quirks and personalities and that she had to stop taking things so personally.

Outside of her scars and muscular physique, Dawnstar exuded a natural confidence and control that put cats off. Although, she'll admit it's been a while since she'd dealt with anyone like Squirrelpaw. It's taken some time, but her clan has learned that so long as they didn't piss her off to a certain point, she wasn't as unreasonable as she appeared.

As Mistlewhisker caught a whiff of mice and told Squirrelpaw to help her hunt them, Dawnstar turned away and padded off some tail lengths to search for her prey. As much as she would like to see how well Mistlewhisker had taught the apprentice, Dawnstar was aware that her gaze could unnerve the toughest of cats. She could only imagine how anxious Squirrelpaw would having her watch her.

Dawnstar didn't have to go far to find something to hunt, with the weather warming prey was easy to find. There was a crow, head down pecking at the dirt for something. She slides into a natural hunting crouch and glides along the earth soundlessly. In one fluid motion, her claws hook into the wing of the bird before it fully spreads them. Its neck is broken as she slams a heavy paw down on the back of it. With the deceased bird caught, she padded back towards Mistlewhisker and Squirelpaw to see how they were doing.

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Silverlark |
Shadow Fiend - Inactive | Just a Scratch - Inactive | Beefed Up [Tier 3] - Inactive

---

Focused on the kit, the young enforcer barely notices the arrival of Flamepaw and Pearnose, but as he helps the kit up on his back with his nose he noticed the warrior's actions, coaxing his claws out of their sheaths in a battle ready stance. Noticing the odd thing now that the kit was secure, he wrinkled his nose, at a loss as to what this could possibly be. It looked like a set of really really big teeth. But not really? Had the earth sprouted jaws and was now trying to eat the kits? No... that sounded like madness, even by his standards. His brow furrowing, he found himself sniffing the contraption, hackles raised as he half expected the dormant, blood soaked thing to spring back to life and make an attempt on his nose.

It wasn't until he heard Pearnose speak to the kit on his back that he blinked in understanding... or at least a better form of it than he had before. A fox trap... He now at least knew what to call the thing, even if he had no clue what exactly this meant. He'd have to let the medicine cat apprentice know and go on from there. Always something of late, wasn't it? At least they didn't have to worry about the lynx no more with these fox traps sprouting up all of a sudden as well. Herbs still in maw, he nodded at the other two, ready to rush back home.

"Yep yep, Pearnose's right, mmmhmmm. No more going out, okay? If you wants something, you can always come around to one of us, and we'll help yous out, kay? We don't want none more of these trap things chomping on your toes. Now, let's see about getting ourselves back home so the healers can check up on you, yeah? Yeah! Let's go let's go!" Silverlark mewed in a chipper voice as he tried to keep Cinderkit's spirits up, proceeding to lead the way back to camp, keeping a watchful eye out for these strange traps. He didn't want none of his patrolmates losing their own toes while out here, nope.

---

@chickadee [Pearnose] | @Katiethewolfchild [Flamepaw] | @FrostyGalaxy [Cinderkit]
| Next post will be at the patrol place and should be out today! If I can't get to it for some reason, I got us a small extension, so we are still on time, no worries. |

[furrensic]

SQUIRRELPAW
she/her. 9 moons. small russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.

squirrelpaw finds herself unable to relax in the slightest as the patrol makes their way to sunkissed creek. she's horribly aware of the sound of dawnstar's pawsteps behind her..and the fact that dawnstar's presence meant that mistlewhisker would, most likely, want to show the leader the apprentice's skills. which just makes her all the more antsy because — okay, I have to try and make mistlewhisker proud..which would probably make dawnstar proud..because im learning and --- AAAAA!!!!!

mistlewhisker's words snap her out of her thoughts, nodding. okayy, yeah she's definitely staying right beside the enforcer. she's already worried she's going to mess up (the thought of someone as important as dawnstar being around definitely..is giving her performance anxiety), she doubts that sticking near dawnstar would help. besides, she's sure the leader doesn't want a skittish apprentice glued to her. she shoots dawnstar a quick glance before skittering after mistlewhisker.

squirrelpaw keeps her pawsteps light as possible as she follows, stopping once motioned to. she tries to peer over the larger molly to catch a glimpse of the mice, ears swiveling in the direction of the small squeaks and shuffles. "okay," she whispers with a nod, watching the enforcer stalk off. you got this..it's just two mice, which are!! way smaller than!! the bird you caught! on your first try. okay..okay, let's do this squirrelpaw, she reassures herself.

locking eyes with mistlewhisker, the apprentice unsheathes her claws. once the warrior springs out, she takes a deep breath in, deep breath out. upon the mice scurrying towards her (thankfully neither veered away), she leaps towards them. she manages to snag one with her paw, quickly taking it out. the second one gets a more unpleasant ending as her left paw slips from underneath her and she lands on the mouse, squishing it like a pancake. pelt burning with embarrassment, she jumps up, snatching up the two mice with her head hanging low. arghhhffhf!!! how did she manage to slip?!?

[ @Undertaker @Micanomancy ]

[Mica]

Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and pale green eyes, left gouged out]
Purrks: Beefed Up T3
· · ────────────── · ·
[Squirrelpaw - @furrensic ] [Dawnstar - @Undertaker ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker watched sharply as Squirrelpaw killed both mice, one quick and clean, and the other by... squishing it to death. The warrior would have winced, if she showed emotion other than vague interest. Twitching her nose, she padded up to her apprentice. "Good." She murmured. "Keeping balance will get easier with time." With that said, she gestured for Squirrelpaw to follow her back towards where they split off from Dawnstar.

On the way, Mistlewhisker's large ears swiveled to her right, angular head following suit. She could hear more scuffling nearby. She signaled for Squirrelpaw to stay put and quiet, and slipped off into the bracken to hunt. There was a sparrow flitting about, picking up worms from the recent rain and gobbling them up. Ah, the food chain. How delightful. Mistlewhisker wasted no time creeping up on the bird and leaping forward, snapping its hollow spine with a sharp crack of her paw. She wasn't a big bird fan--to many feathers--but she was sure someone would enjoy it. Picking up her prey, she headed back to Squirrelpaw.

When they met up with Dawnstar, Mistlewhisker was pleased with their haul. Two mice for Squirrelpaw, a sparrow for her, and a rather large crow for Dawnstar. Mistlewhisker was taken aback by the flare of embarrassment that sparked in her chest, feeling rather incompetent with her silly little sparrow. She didn't let it show, merely nodding to Dawnstar. If the three of them found their catches satisfactory, they could head back. Maybe she would catch something else on the way back. ”Let us return. I want to keep an eye on patrols reporting back.”

[Undertaker]

Mistlewhisker [ @Micanomancy ] Squirrlepaw [ @ @furrensic ]
Dawnstar eyed Squirrelpaw's mice and Mistlewhisker's bird as they both met up with her. Her maw was full and she didn't feel like dropping her crow just to speak to them. The leader didn't care all that much about how they caught their prey or the size, no one was picky when hungry was involved. Dawnstar's eyes dance back over to Mistlewhisker's single one as she comments on heading back.

Her tail twitched slightly at that. It felt a bit early to head back now, but she understood the need to get back before the other patrols to ensure cats were reporting. Still, the dark brown tabby felt that they could catch a bit more. ShadowClan could do with more prey and if she were to blindly rely on the other patrols to make sure that their prey was stocked...

"You two can head back, I'm going to see what else I can hunt before returning," Dawnstar grumbled from behind her crow. She'd feel better if she caught at least two to three more prey. She wouldn't feel like her kits and queens would starve if the other hunting patrols proved to be good for nothing kittypets again.  

[furrensic]

SQUIRRELPAW
she/her. 9 moons. small russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.

still embarrassed by her fall, squirrelpaw simply gives a nod. upon mistlewhisker's return with a sparrow, she follows after her mentor,meeting back up with dawnstar. she eyes the large crow that the leader caught, curiously. it sounds like dawnstar planned on staying behind. she shuffles a bit closer to mistlewhisker, planning on following the warrior back to camp.

[ @Mica @Undertaker ]

[Mica]

Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and pale green eyes, left gouged out]
Purrks: Beefed Up T3
· · ────────────── · ·
[Squirrelpaw - @furrensic ] [Dawnstar - @Undertaker ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker nodded as the leader said she was going to stay behind, the black molly noticing the irritation in Dawnstar's eyes. She ignored the sinking feeling in her chest, motioning for Squirrelpaw to follow her back to camp. She had to focus on keeping tabs on the patrols. If they were slacking, she would return to the hunt later. She also wouldn't insult Dawnstar by insisting they stick together because of the mink trouble--as Mistlewhisker had never encountered one before, she firmly believed Dawnstar could handle herself. Long tail swishing behind her, the enforcer left with her apprentice.

[Thanks guys :3 <3]

[Undertaker]

@Mica [You and the other Enforcers are free to throw her on more patrols in the future, she could do with more forced socializing.]

Unaware of how her usual mood affected Mistlewhisker, Dawnstar returned to hunting as the pair returned to camp. After hiding her crow again, Dawnstar scented the air and was pleased when she picked up a rabbit scent. Not the easiest prey to catch, but with the right amount of stealth. After tracking down the cotton tail creature, she slid into a low hunt crouch.

Silently creeping across the muddy earth, she sprang on the rabbit's back. Her fangs located its neck and the rabbit stilled seconds after she punctured its throat. Dawnstar tossed the fair-sized rabbit into a bush and went on to hunt two frogs. The first one proved a bit difficult to catch, leaping too close to a tree causing her to almost run head-first into the trunk. Her claws eventually sank into the slimy body.

The second frog took a well-timed pounce. It almost slipped through her paw pads, but her paw managed to step on one of its legs and with that, the frog met its end. With a crow, two frogs, and a rabbit, Dawnstar trilled to herself satisfied, and made her way back to camp.