Shaking and shivering, Redhawk was eternally grateful as Asterpaw shot over to her. Terror had clutched her mind, splashing memories of the past behind her eyes and threatening to take her away. His voice, albeit panicky, rooted her back to the ground and she gave a shake of her pelt as she felt the buzzing fade away. "I-I'm okay, ttt-thank you A-Asterpaw." She flashed him a grateful look as she shook her pelt once more.

Drizzlenight's muttered comment had her ears pulling back a little bit. She didn't quite appreciate the tone he'd taken with the apprentice, but knew that commenting on it wouldn't do any cat any good. Instead she shook her head again and stood up taller, ignoring the way her skinny legs shook. "It w-would take mmm-more than an o-old pond to t-take me down," she purred in a continued effort to assure Asterpaw she was alright.

Green eyes flashing to Drizzlenight, Redhawk simply blinked. "Just a ssss-slip, that's a-all." Looking behind her, all of her momentary frustration was forgotten at the sight of a rather bountiful patch of marigold and lavender growing closely together. "At l-l-least I f-found that!" Turning around (and giving another shake for good measure) Redhawk poked her head back into the parted cattails and plucked some of the marigold there, and one of the lavender stocks. This would definitely add to their haul, and with that she was pretty eager to get home and curl back up into her warm nest - maybe she could share the Mud blanket that she'd seen in the warrior's den.

Once she felt like she was calm again - and at least warm enough to walk back towards camp - the warrior returned to where her own marigold had fallen. That made... five marigold in total, and one lavender stock. A delighted purr rumbled her chest as she imagined how pleased Drizzlecloud would be. "W-We should h-head back nnn-now. Good fff-finds, everyo-one!" Picking up the herbs, she flicked her tail for the two cats to follow her back (but not before giving another shake of her fur!)

[ @FrostyGalaxy @Cherry~ +1 lavender, +5 marigold (the collector) - i'll have red report the patrol! ]

It wasn't that she was shocked that she was sparing with Bumblestar today, it was that - no, scratch that; Redhawk was definitely shocked. A combination of nerves and idolization had rendered her only able to nod along numbly when her leader had approached her about a spar out in the territory, eager paws quick to follow her out. This was a chance to prove herself - as a cat who wasn't awkward all the time.

A mass event? As they made their way out towards Cattail Pond Red made sure to stick close and listen intently, curious as to what they would be doing. Leg-breaking?? Swallowing the nerves that crept up her throat the warrior nodded. "...That c-can be a useful skill." How in the world could she break a cats leg?? She wasn't the best fighter by any means, but if it would help her get stronger and more confident..

"I r-remember the cove battle. You b-broke that RiverClanner's l-legs." Her whiskers twitched at the memory of it; still in training to become an apprentice, mostly watching the battle rage on because she had been terrified of fighting. "...I'm glad I c-can be a test sss-subject," she added with a genuine grin.

[ @dino. ]

Eager to learn and ever the good listener, Redhawk nodded along as Bumblestar instructed her to remain still. She allowed her foreleg to be moved, trying to not wince as much when she felt the strain. It was uncomfortable but not to the point of anything lasting. Curious green eyes watched the way it was pushed back and up, taking note of the angling. It certainly would catch an opponent off-guard, because in her mind it made sense to meet an opponent head on in battle. "SS-Sidestep, grab, wrench," she repeated as it to cement it into her mind, lifting her gaze up to look at her leader. "That m-makes sense!"

Briefly her eyes glanced towards one of Bumblestar's forelegs and Red hesitated. She didn't want to hurt the leader, but did want to get a feel for the angling. "Can I t-try on you?" A beat, and then her eyes widened a bit."Oh, I d-don't mean break your leg! That w-would be, uh, unfortunate. But just t-to make sure I can get the a-angles right." She added a smile in the hopes that her question wasn't too far fetched.

[ @dino. ]

As Bumblestar agreed to be her test dummy, Redhawk used her paw to press against one of her leader's forelegs, back and then lifting up just like how she'd done it first. She made sure not to press back too hard before letting the leg fall back down. Huh. That seemed much easier than what she had thought in her head!

"T-That seems easy enough!" She hadn't expected to be this... excited about breaking legs, but it meant that she would be of more use on the battle field, as well as able to hold her own should tensions continue to escalate between them and any of the other Clans. She wanted to be ready to defend her home.

Red parted her jaws to ask another question when a familiar musky smell drifted towards her. "...Do you ss-smell that?" she asked Bumblestar, the fur along her neck starting to poke up. Her heart started to beat heavier in her chest as she glanced around, trying to figure out where it was coming from.

[ @dino. :fire: ]

It had been quiet one moment, and the next a ShadowClan warrior exploded out from the undergrowth. Redhawk's eyes widened and her jaws parted to yowl a warning - too late, she realized, as paws hit Bumblestar and landed her on her back. Instinctively, her claws came out as the ShadowClanner was kicked off and her first thought was to check to make sure her leader was alright - "Are you al-" - but a sharp yowl jerked her head up to see the tom now racing towards her.

What happened next became a blur. All Red knew was that this cat had attacked her leader, an ambush of sorts, and was now coming for her. The lesson fresh in her mind she side stepped the attack and lunged, bared teeth snapping back to grab the base of the tom's paw. Without thinking about it (and ignoring the way her pounding heart and roaring blood made her deaf to everything else) she jerked her head up as much as she could, eyes squeezing shut as she did so. Please work, please work!

[ @dino. ]

The ear-splitting snap shook her back to the present as Redhawk released the trespassers paw. Turning swiftly on her paws she watched with wide, horrified green eyes. Ears pinned back against her head she looked at the ShadowClanner, her forelegs shaking a bit. "I...I..." she stammered, unable to come up with an answer. Her heart clenched tightly as her frightened gaze looked up towards Bumblestar.

"I... uh..." Her head felt foggy and her stomach rolled with nausea as her gaze drifted down towards the ShadowClanner. "...H-H-He trespassed. SSS-So we ss-should..." Her fur felt hot as she shook her head again. "...T-They did attack you..." Giving one last shake of her head and pelt she tried to stand taller, walking over on stiff legs. "T-They could be a t-threat to T-ThunderClan."

'Tough choices need making. That's just how it goes.' Bumblestar's words from the night after the last gathering rang in her head and she swallowed, looking up. "...T-Threats need to be eliminated." ...Stars, would she be tasked with doing it? She had never killed another cat before, and her forelegs shook at the mere thought of it.

[ @dino. ]

•° Violetfreckle °•
Rapid Recovery • Collector • Master Scout

---

The still-recovering (though almost healed, mind you) she-cat had been lounging outside of camp, just trying to get away from... well, everything. The camp was stuffy and crowded and too warm. Yes, there was a good amount of warm but all those bodies in that small of a space? Yuck. And that was how she found herself laying in the snow, thick coat and scraggly undergrowth protecting her from the brunt of the cold as she began to doze off. That was, until she heard a sploosh in the distance.

As she opened her eyes, a few ideas flickered across her mind. Had someone decided to go swimming? No, that would practically be a death sentence in this kind of weather. Or at least a recipe for a nasty cough. Fishing? But what kind of ThunderClanner would be fishing? Besides her. Was it RiverClan? Hesitantly, she got up onto shaky paws and stalked forward, trying to see exactly what was going on. And what she found was none other than the young cat who had spoken to her not all that long ago, Wolfpaw. The kid seemed like he was trying to fish. But he wasn't exactly great at it.

Violetfreckle slunk out of the not-so-lush undergrowth, making her way toward the apprentice. She stopped a few tail-lengths away, clearing her throat with a soft ahem. "You uh, learnin' to fish over there? In this weather?" She half-joked, sparing a glance toward the undoubtedly cold water. Yeesh.

// @BEAR. \\

•° Violetfreckle °•
Rapid Recovery • Collector • Master Scout

---

Violetfreckle was sick of feeling useless. Sick and tired of being injured and playing the damsel in distress. She was going to provide for this Starsdamned Clan whether her injuries liked it or not. This determination was what sent the tabby she-cat slinking out of camp at dawn, bright orange painting both the sky and the snow she stepped on. She had one goal in mind: Cattail Pond. Fish.

So, so many fish.

As soon as she sat down, she spotted a trout. [10] She hadn't quite been prepped for the immediate prey, so it swam away as soon as her shadow fell across the water. She let out a low growl of frustration. Soon enough, though, another trout turned up. It was smaller than the last one; Violetfreckle licked her lips. [12] As soon as she went to strike, the fish darted juuuust out of reach. She could feel her claws brush against scales for just a moment, and hissed. As the sun rose, she became restless, resisting the urge to twitch her tail side to side. Just when she thought about moving, a sunfush darted into view. Great, it seemed she needed something easier. [3] And yet, it also seemed Violetfreckle was off her game. Once again, claws brushed against scales, but to no avail. She could even see a thin trail of blood rising in the water. Finally, frustration bubbled up into a yowl. ...Which meant she had to move across the pond. As she did, though, she caught sight of a rather.... interesting phenomenon. A fish -- frozen into an odd fish-cicle -- floated across the middle of the pond. Huh.

After a few deep breaths (and maybe a bit of violence against a tree), she settled back in. With one last deep breath, Violetfreckle closed her eyes. And when she opened them, another sunfish. Wait, no; was this the same one? It seemed a bit sluggish and if she squinted, Violetfreckle was able to make out the faintest trace of red in the water. [6] Finally, finally, the tabby hooked the fish with deadly claws and brought it out of the water. It landed a bit awkwardly, but she killed it swiftly. One down, however many she could hold to go. After this, it seemed hunting came to her much more easily. A pike swam up lazily, [19] and she caught it with ease. Two. The sun kept climbing the sky and reflected off the bright scales of another sunfish. [14] She nabbed the creature with ease. A chub floated by next, practically begging to be caught. [3] And while she may have fumbled a bit, Violetfreckle was at least happy she didn't mess up on catching something as simple and slow-moving as a chub.

Four fish. Two sunfish, a pike, a chub. Violetfreckle tried to hold them all and did so with ease. She had seen cats carry up to eight things at a time. No better time than the present to try, right?

As she settled back in, the sun was at its peak in the sky. She took a moment to take a drink and lap up the cold water of the pond. She had some off timing though, as a trout had just swam over. [8] She really only had a chance to paw at the water before the fast fish retreated to the depths. Violetfreckle grumbled but finished drinking. It seemed it was the season for sunfish, as another crept forward. [8] Without hesitation, the she-cat grabbed it, killed it, and added it to the pile. Five. Just as she turned around, another trout had sneaked up on her. But Violetfreckle was ready. [20] Ignoring the cold, she practically leapt into the water with both paws, grabbing the slippery fish and forcefully dragging it back to land. She ended it with a swift bite, only to see she'd also picked up a chub in the struggle and it was flopping around beneath the trout. Huh. She killed it as well, adding it to her pile. Seven. One more.

After drying herself off, the sun was beginning to sink in the sky. The faintest hint of pink washed over the clouds. But she was certain all would be fine. One more. A trout slinked into view, [12] but Violetfreckle just barely missed it. The sky started to turn orange and pink. The pond grew dark; it was harder to see now. But Violetfreckle would be blessed by the stars, it seemed; one last sunfish appeared with a flash of scales. [8] She grinned as she snagged the last fish out of the water, leaving it no time to even realize what was happening before she killed it.

She gathered her prey. Two more sunfish, a trout, another chub. That was... four Starsdamned sunfish. And two chubs, a trout, and a pike. Satisfied with her prey, Violetfreckle carefully treaded back toward camp in the waning sunlight.

// note: bracketed numbers represent dice rolls \\

It was the first time she had seen a cat die up close. Wide, green eyes were transfixed on the dying warrior, body frozen in place. Redhawk's paws were pushed hard into the snow covered ground, starting to feel burning hot before going slightly numb altogether into a tingling numbness. It didn't take long for the gurgling to stop as the ShadowClan warrior died - still, scarlet spread out around them and stained the ground red.

Killing them made sense to her - she wasn't some fresh-out-of-the-nursery kit with no real experience in it. But there was a stark difference between hearing about it, seeing it front a distance, and this. She didn't like the way it made her stomach churn, anxiety nipping at her lungs with each intake of air.

"I've never... seen a cat d-die up close before." For the most part she had stayed out of battles. Even during Firefly Cove, she had been hiding among the trees, staring wide-eyed out at the battle. Back then she had still been a 'paw. The stench of blood and the yowls of her Clan echoed in her mind as Red turning her gaze towards Bumblestar. "...I want to protect T-ThunderClan. I want t-to be... sss-strong." It sounded like an apology as her whiskers quivered, eyes falling back to the body. She hadn't been strong here, not by a long shot.

Her own claws dug into the ground as she shook herself to detangle such thoughts from her mind. "What should we do with t-the body?"