Rugged Range

[alkaline]

Originally Posted by Glade

(Sorry it took me forever to respond, I got really sick and couldn’t post)

Nyx stopped and raised her head as she was approached by the other cat and she looked a bit skeptical. When they didn’t seem to want her catch however she got a bit more relaxed and nodded her head in a greeting, dropping the rabbit so she could talk. “Hello.” She said, returning the greeting. The other cat seemed nice enough though you never really knew. “My name’s Nyx, what’s yours?” She inquired curiously.

(( it's alright! ))

Orion watched the she-cat drop the rabbit. He felt like a bee-brain, having tried to talk to the other cat when she was carrying prey. How could a cat talk with food (well, not food food, but still) in their mouth? But if the other cat was returning the greeting, then perhaps she hadn't minded. Orion didn't recognize her name. Then again, they didn't really meet many a cat and stick around to get to know them. "Nice to meet you, Nyx. I'm Orion," she answered. And, because she wanted to know more about Nyx, she added, "Are you from around here?" in a polite voice.

[SpiritWolf_yt]

Firescar looked at the kit sighing" storm your over 6 moons i need to lt you go you must go live your life and perhapse one day we'll see each-other" the tom meowed

Storm looked at firescar then hearing he has to leave the tom hugged firescars leg and went off" bye Mr. firescar" the kit said running off crying

Firescar turned crying but continued on then looking back the tom remembered what his parents did with him he continued on

[closed]

[Willowfern]

Doepaw made to bury Featherbounce a ways from the little den they’d shared for so many moons. She groomed him clean before she wrapped him in the Twoleg lovey, tears dripping down her face.
She cursed StarClan. Why had they abandoned her and then had the audacity to take the only cat she had left? Her father had been, for sure, a prickly pear, but she’d loved him as much as any good child would. It wasn’t fair. Nothing was fair.
The ground was wet, and it was hard digging, clods of mud tangled in her normally impeccable tawny-colored fur, her paws were stained a deep brown. When she’d dug a grave deep enough that her father would be concealed, Doepaw stopped. She stared into the hole, grief threatening to break her heart.
She pushed her father into the grave as gently as she possibly could, doing her best to keep from hurting him. Even though he was gone from it, she was still treating his body as if it were made of glass.
When she had nestled Featherbounce comfortably into the grave, Doepaw bowed her head to pray to the heaven she no longer trusted.
”May StarClan light your path. May you find swift running, good hunting, and shelter where you sleep," She recited, remembering the words spoken from vigils long ago, her tone hollow, her words robotic. They were ceremonial words, and they meant nothing to her. She choked back a sob. She had to be strong. She was alone now. She couldn’t be a little kit about this.
“I love you father,” She whispered hoarsely, beginning to push dirt into the hole, over her father, “I hope to see you again some day, if StarClan can be so kind to reunite us after my own death.”
When she finished burying her last connection to her old life, Doepaw stood from where she sat. She looked around the wasteland that had been her home for so long. It was time to move on to greener pastures. She couldn’t bear to think of this place or RiverClan ever again.
She just couldn’t bear it.
And, so, off she went. To find a new life, and to lose her past forever.
[Closed.]

[ophelia]

[ @pathos @Wingnettle @WhiteDawn ]
beastflame
————
Beastflame continued on in silence, pausing for a moment to ensure Cloverdust was okay after stumbling over a…rock. Yep, that was a rock. He thought about teasing her for the incident, but wasn’t in the mood. Instead, he simply cocked his head to the side, giving her a mildly amused look. What fearsome warriors the pair of them were.
He turned his gaze over the other shoulder to focus on Mintpaw’s question. Honestly, he wasn’t expecting to find any outsiders on the territory, due to its uninhabitable nature. But even if they did, he was unconcerned. There wouldn’t be more than a couple, since even the dumbest cats knew better than to threaten the clans with a large group so close to the borders. And there were four of them on the patrol, so they would surely outnumber any rogue wanderer.
He opened his mouth to say just that, but Nightspark got there first. Well, that was rather dramatic. He rolled his eyes, convinced the other tom was going crazy. Not that Beast didn’t want to get a little battle action in, but he was probably overwhelming Mintpaw with that kind of talk.
“Cool it,” he said quietly, his voice impassive and direct. He was past getting angry or upset with this cat, he just needed some peace and quiet without the WRATH of RiverClan screaming in his ears. “I’m sure we’ll be okay, Mintpaw,” he reassured the she-cat, “Outsiders wouldn’t dare to get this close, and if they did it was probably an accident. If it comes to it, though, we could certainly take a couple strays.”
All around them, the terrain was shifting, morphing into rougher, more bare environment of the Rugged Range. They had arrived. “Stay sharp, and watch your footing from here on out,” he warned, narrowing his eyes in focus.

[ameko]

Cloverdust | @Wingnettle @WhiteDawn @ophelia

A mere pebble couldn't best the almighty Cloverdust! Catching Beastflame's glance, she gave a huff that was partly amused, partly embarrassed, but mostly irritated at the sheer gall of the rock to block her path. She didn't quite catch what Mintpaw had asked Beastflame, but Nightspark's response helped her piece together the context. Blood? Corpses? Her ears swiveled back as she wondered about that. She couldn't say she was keen on killing whoever they came across, but if her clanmates wanted to, then maybe she was wrong to be apprehensive. She nodded thoughtfully along to what Beastflame said, opting not to give her two cents—she would've said much of the same, anyway.

A blink, and suddenly they were in the craggy terrain of Rugged Range! When had that happened? Cloverdust glanced behind her only to see similar terrain—and then, far back, the open lands of RiverClan. She let out a 'hm!' of intrigue. So, she just hadn't realized the terrain was slowly changing until they were fully in an unfamiliar environment! Slowing her pace, she looked up and around at the jagged landscape, the sun cresting every-so-slowly over the sky, and the canopy of trees they were nearing. She couldn't say she liked not being able to see far towards the horizon, what with all this hilly terrain. RiverClan's land was much more her speed!

All of a sudden she remembered to watch her footing—as Beastflame had warned—and glanced down to survey her immediate surroundings. Nope, no pebbles in her path! Staring very determinedly in front of her, Cloverdust marched onward, using pretty much all her brainpower to not get distracted. She wouldn't be caught lacking again!

[Wingnettle]

┌────────── ∘・❄︎・∘ ──────────┐
Mintpaw (she/her)
Riverclan
White fur with shades of grey and blue eyes
└───────── ・∘ ❄︎ ∘・ ─────────┘



Mintpaw was suddenly startled by Nightspark's odd outburst. She was glad the white and black cat was now walking ahead of her, so she could focus on her surroundings a bit more easily. She kept on walking but remained alert, and the tom's eerie words kept on ringing in her head as she pictured what they would find in this unknown land.

She was thankful for Beastflame's reassurance, even though she wasn't so sure as he sounded to be. Between the three warriors, he seemed the more stable and concentrated. She found herself grateful that Wormbite had assigned him the role of patrol leader.

As he announced their arrival at Rugged Range, the patrol stopped for a moment to take a careful glance around before continuing with their mission. Mintpaw took mental note to remember this exact picture of the landscape, choosing a few spot of interest that would help her remember the way back.

Cloverdust was already going ahead when she spoke, adressing Beastflame with a suggestion: "Shall we... remark this part of the border? And maybe some of the way ahead, too. It may.. help us retrace our steps."
Mintpaw wasn't actually sure if her idea was worth their energy, but she'd learned with time that a thought was always worth to be heard.

· · ─────── ·✧· ─────── · ·

[ @WhiteDawn @ophelia @ameko ]

[Red Dawn]

An unknown and muddy territory, just like a swamp.... he concentrated on the surroundings sounds, the herbs in the wind, the steps of the patrol, he stopped to pray, moving like a ghost in the territory, noiselessly, in the unknown, the smells in the air betrayed the fact that noone was near, rogue, outsider, clan cats... nothing... for now... he walked on something and slipped but caught himself in extremis, he looked at what he had stepped and his gaze showed a deep contempt, he growled "Tsssk... Now even the twolegs come here..." under his eyes was sunk in the ground a cylindrical and blue thing, robust when he touched it, he left this thing there and continued to walk, following the others...

@ophelia @ameko @Wingnettle

[ophelia]

[ @ameko @Wingnettle @WhiteDawn ]
beastflame
————
The grey tabby scanned the area as they walked. The rough terrain was getting steeper as they began an upward climb into the ruggedness that gave the area its name. He glanced up at the sky, noting how low the sun hung. They were going to have to spend the night in the unfamiliar territory, it seemed.

He sniffed the air tentatively, trying to see if he could scent any outsiders. There was nothing. Still… Mintpaw voiced his thoughts as soon as they popped into his mind. He nodded at her in approval. “Yes. That would be best, I believe. I don’t smell anything at the moment, but it is better to be safe than sorry.” He began doing just that, gesturing for the others to do the same.

Once he was done, he turned back to the others. “It’s getting late. I think our best bet is to split up so we can cover more land. We’ll go in pairs, one to the north and the other south, and keep going until it’s dark. Then find a place to rest overnight and head back here in the morning.” He explained his plan calmly, hoping it would be enough for the patrol.

“Cloverdust, you and Nightspark head south. I’ll take Mintpaw north.” As much as it pained him to separate from his friend, he wasn’t about to leave Mintpaw with Nightspark. And Starclan knew he wasn’t going off with Nightspark either. Besides, Cloverdust seemed the most friendly towards the eccentric warrior. It would work out.

[ hope these assignments are okay for everyone. which group would like to be the one that takes shelter in the bay cave? ]

[ameko]

Cloverdust | @Wingnettle @WhiteDawn @ophelia | [ works for me! i don't have a preference, so whichever group yall want :-) ]

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nightspark fumbling in his step. A bit of pride welled within her at having been stumble-free so far in this jagged terrain, when others weren't faring quite so well. Cloverdust hesitated in her stride as Mintpaw spoke up, taking a glance behind her. The possibility of them getting lost hadn't even been a thought in her mind. Even though nobody in this little team was familiar with Rugged Range, she still unconsciously relied on the others to know the way and take care of other details like that. That irrational part of her felt at ease with Beastflame around, like she wouldn't have to worry about anything when he was near. Not that she worried about much to begin with, but still!

At Beastflame's motion, she walked ahead a bit further to mark a shrub. Her pawpads prickled from the roughness of the ground—she was much more used to the marshiness of RiverClan. Cloverdust paused to breathe in the scents around them: the familiar smells of her clanmates, though she was so used to it it faded into the background, along with faint scents of prey. Most of all, there was a general staleness in the air—no scents of any other cat. Outsiders sure wouldn't want to come near if they smelled them! And if they did anyway... Cloverdust's mind drifted back to Nightspark's outburst of blood and corpses. Well... then that would happen.

Beastspark's voice drew her attention and she padded back to join the group. Staying the night? Excitement bubbled up within her—she hadn't ever slept outside of the camp before! A sparkle glinted in her eyes at the prospect of exploring some more, especially with that intriguing tom. She nodded along, paws kneading mindlessly. "That sounds most agreeable." Though, as she replied, a touch of anxiety that she hadn't felt the whole trip began to gnaw at her gut. The realization that she'd be without Beastflame for the rest of the patrol had her enthusiasm dampened considerably.

Perhaps to soothe herself, she added, "It doesn't look as though trouble will find us here, save for the land itself. So long as we mind our step we should be fine."

[Wingnettle]

┌────────── ∘・❄︎・∘ ──────────┐
Mintpaw (she/her)
Riverclan
White and gray siamese with blue eyes
└───────── ・∘ ❄︎ ∘・ ─────────┘



Mintpaw found herself feeling actually relieved that she would be going with Beastflame. He seemed the most... present, and it was easy enough to communicate with him. She couldn't tell the same about Nightspark, whose previous sudden reaction had almost scared the hell out of her.

Rest... overnight? This would be the first time she would actually sleep out of camp, and it would out of Riverclan territory, too. How would they know whether a shelter was safe or not? They didn't even know which kind of predators lived in these lands. But the sky was darkening, and they hadn't done anything yet to call this patrol a success. Yes, this trip would take more than a mere day out.

Mintpaw nodded at Beastflame's suggestion in sign of agreement.
"Where... will we know where's north? She hoped that wouldn't be a stupid question, but no one had ever taught her how to do it. Was there a hidden secret about it? She surely wanted to know about it.

· · ─────── ·✧· ─────── · ·

[ @WhiteDawn @ophelia @ameko (honestly I've quite forgotten the plot, so please.. choose for me...!)]