ThunderClan Territory

[BEAR.]

Originally Posted by tallulah

Redhawk
She/they | 28 moons | Ultimate Predator

"There's a f-few good spots I know of. I can show you where m-me and my sister used to p-practice." Redhawk wondered if any of their old claw marks were there, scored into the tree to mark it for remembrance. It was worth a shot to see, and it wasn't too far outside of camp - just enough distance away where it would be calm and quiet.

Her whiskers twitched at the nickname before turning and leading the way out of camp. "I can show you a-all the best spots. Climbing is r-really fun - especially when y-you get good. You can c-catch birds, drop down onto e-enemies from high up..." Red wasn't the biggest or strongest fighter, so she often used it to her advantage. Ducking underneath the entrance to camp the reddish-brown warrior headed out into the territory.

[ @BEAR. short in post camp, figure we can move into the territory next either in the territory thread or a private training thread - idm either way ! ]

[ movin for convenience! ]

"You catch birds with tree climbing?" The thought had never occured to him. His hunting training only contained the typical crouch, and thus stalking across the ground in the hopes of catching something offguard. To join them in the trees... did they ambush them from above, too? Did they jump from limb to limb? The possibilities seemed innumerable, but Wolfpaw was hooked.

They made their way into the territory, and Wolfpaw's gaze scanned the trees -- looking for any visible signs of clawmarks. He assumed the best spots would have some wear and tear from use, but hadn't really seen any indications of so. Tree climbing-- while required for training-- seemed underutilized around the Clan. Maybe they could work on revitalizing that once he was a Certified Master of Climbery. "What.. was the hardest thing you had to overcome, when you practiced?"

[taillow]

Redhawk
She/they | 28 moons | Ultimate Predator

"Mhm!" Glancing around at the bare-branch trees as they walked, Redhawk thought back to the day of her assessment. "When I was being a-assessed for my warrior ceremony, I m-managed to catch a sss-small hawk by leaping out of a tree. That's why my w-warrior name is 'Redhawk'." A proud moment that had been, as her patience in the situation had paid off. It hadn't been anything big but it had taken a bit to kill it - she'd gotten a few swipes of his talons against her chest that day.

Wandering further into the territory, the deeper parts that were away from the other borders, Redhawk slowed. "Mainly f-figuring out where to put my claws. And b-balance once I was in the t-tree." Looking between several trees that surrounded them, the warrior let out a 'mrrp!' and bounded over to the large oak tree that was well worn with claw marks - and at the base of the trunk, two claw marks that came together to make an 'X'. "T-These are the marks my s-sister and I made." Using a paw she pointed them out to Wolfpaw with a grin.

Right! Training. "In trees that have b-been climbed before, you can always look for m-marks already there, so you k-know where to put your paws." To demonstrate, Redhawk reared up on her hind legs and placed an unsheathed claw into a small carved out piece of the trunk, tugging on it to make sure her claw was latched on.

"You'll want to p-pull with your front claws, and ppp-push off with your hind claws, like this-" She pushed herself off the ground and sunk her hind claws into the bark, while her front claws reached up to latch into the bark of the tree once more. She repeated this process until she made it to one of the lower branches, perching on it and looking down at Wolfpaw. "See if y-you can make it up here!" It wasn't super high off the ground that a fall would result in injury, but enough to where Wolfpaw would get the basics down.

@BEAR.

[BEAR.]

Ahh, he supposed that made sense. Wolfpaw hadn't considered the why behind warrior names too much, it never really occured to him there'd be a reason to it. He was -paw 'cause he was an apprentice, 'n that's about how much thought he put into it. What would his name be, when the day came? Wolfbreak, after Bumba? Wolfbee? Wolfheart? Wolfgrowl, 'cause he was good at growlin' at dumb cats?

Made one think, that was for sure. "Redhawk suits you." Anyone who could catch a hawk-- Wolfpaw had never seen one, but heard of the big birds-- deserved it. Maybe he could be Wolfhawk someday!

.. but he kind of liked Wolfbreak better. He was Bumba's kid, through 'n through.

"Did they used to climb at Willow's Rise?" he wondered out loud. The marks didn't look too different from the memorial, there were just more of them, and this oak lacked the spot where the bark had been torn off completely. He peered up the tree, eyes wide as he watched Redhawk scale it. A pause, a sharp breath in.

Then Wolfpaw bunched his muscles, and leapt up toward the bark. His front paws connected with the bark first, and he latched his claws in -- his hindlegs followed a moment later. A paw forward, latched in, followed by others.

At first, it was a little shaky - but Wolfpaw was surprised by how natural it began to feel. He made it to the branch just below Redhawk, huffing as he tried to catch his breath. He wasn't used to carrying his weight like that, that was for sure! ".. I did it!"

[ @tallulah ]

[Omari]

Drizzlecloud
Thunderclan
She/her

Drizzlecloud nodded her head to Cherrypaw, watching as she hustled off to grab the flowers, and once she returned, they proceeded through the territory until Drizzlecloud spotted a small bundle of yarrow flowers. Nipping off a few of the flowers from the stem, she managed to salvage about three.

“Okay, let’s head on back now.. I think this is as good as it’s going to get.” Drizzlecloud sighed, shaking her head–this season was going to be a difficult one.

[ @peppermintbubble. All finished here]

[bubble[error].]

Originally Posted by Omari

Drizzlecloud
Thunderclan
She/her

Drizzlecloud nodded her head to Cherrypaw, watching as she hustled off to grab the flowers, and once she returned, they proceeded through the territory until Drizzlecloud spotted a small bundle of yarrow flowers. Nipping off a few of the flowers from the stem, she managed to salvage about three.

“Okay, let’s head on back now.. I think this is as good as it’s going to get.” Drizzlecloud sighed, shaking her head–this season was going to be a difficult one.

[ @peppermintbubble. All finished here]

*Cherrypaw nods and follows Drizzlecloud*

[BEAR.]

Originally Posted by The Doctor

Nightgaze
Thunderclan Hornet

Taking a deep breath Nightgaze prepared to charge as Wolfpaw gave the all ready sign but just as her paws were about to leave the ground she was halted by the apprentice's voice "Yeah?" confusion clouded her gaze for a moment before she scented it. Blood. She instinctively knew blood was bad and often meant danger was close by...oh no.

Stiffening, the small hornet let her paws follow Wolf as he wandered towards the scent, she needed to make sure Wolfpaw was safe, he was young and deserved to live a full life...plus with being Bumblestar's kid she didn't want to risk he place in her clan so she tried to stay as close to him as possible fur bristling more and more as they got closer to the scent.

"Oh God..." the words came out barely above a whisper and they were laced with shock. pupils dilating in horror, the hornet just stared at the corpse in front of her with complete and utter disbelief. What had happened? Why was the kit out here in the first place? This shouldn't of happened! Why did no one see them leave?!

Wolfpaw's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she immediately snapped back to reality Wolfy...he shouldn't see this...he's too young, too innocent... turning to the apprentice she gently tried to nudge him away from the gruesome scene and tried her best to distract or comfort him "It's ok...don't worry, let's just go back to camp and tell Bumblestar. Everything will be alright..." her voice was soft now but it had a faint hint of fear, she was scared...scared of what would happen to her clanmates now that there was a new threat, she wanted to protect them but for now she could only shield Wolfpaw from the horrific sight and escort him back to camp where she'd report to Bumblestar.

(No worries, sorry I took so long to reply to the last post I forgot about it for a while!)

@BEAR.

[ Nyan changed their mind, so I'm continuing this!! ]

Death was an unfamiliar concept to Wolfpaw, having been shielded from the worst of it. Bodies were usually cleaned up before kits saw them, the scent of death masked as to not corrupt camp. He had never lost someone he'd been close to ; Bumba's wounds had never been so severe.

It's, a lot. Wolfpaw felt sick, stomach lurching unpleasantly at the sight. He didn't like it, but he was never raised to shy away from his duty..

Being a warrior meant facing things one didn't want to. Danger, gore, whatever the world threw at them. Wolfpaw wanted to be the best warrior he could, regardless of the personal cost -- he wanted to make Bumba proud.

So he swallowed his displeasure, pushing it down into a ball in the pit of his stomach. His paws screamed at him to reconsider, but he took a shaky step forward anyway. "No." It was quiet, quieter than he'd like. Wolfpaw cleared his thought, louder. "No. We aren't leaving her like this."

His mind thought back to the border, where moss coated in rotten blood sat on their side of the territory. Leaving this mess could attract predators, the thing that.. did this might come back. ".. We should.. bring her to Willow's Rise, at least. Bury her so she isn't out here like this." Give her back some of her integrity, so the birds circling overhead would not desecrate her more. ".. help me, please?"

Wolfpaw reached to grab part of Acornkit. Her body felt heavy in his jaws, and alone he didn't think he could pull her through the territory. Not while keeping her mostly intact, at least.

[taillow]

Redhawk
She/they | 28 moons | Ultimate Predator • The Collector

A shaky start - but so was every start to climbing trees. Redhawk hadn't been born with the talent she had now. Of course it was natural for cats to climb - claws weren't just there for fighting - but it had taken time, practice, and dedication to get where she was now. "Nice work, W-Wolfpaw!" Pride soaked her words as she beamed down at him from the branch she sat perched upon, tail dropping down to try and boop his nose in a playful manner. "Keep that u-up and you'll be a t-true ThunderClan w-warrior in no time."

She had caught his other pondering out loud and tilted her head, giving it thought. "I'm not s-sure. I never have - mainly out of respect for t-those who lie there." It was a good tree, sturdy and reliable. But climbing it felt... inherently wrong. It did make her miss the Thunderwillow, which had served as good practice when she had been an older kit and apprentice.

"There's a lot of t-trees to practice on. This one here, some a-around camp too, I'm sure." Then, an idea had her grinning. "Maybe once we're d-done here, you can put your mark next to mine and G-Gentledoe's." It was an open-ended offer, and Red wouldn't be offended if he decided not to, but she felt it good to at least offer.

Craning her neck up now to the higher branches, she figured they could go a further distance - in fact there was another thick branch a little bit further than their first climb. "What do y-you say? Wanna climb higher?" She was curious if the young tom would be up for the challenge; anticipation danced in her paws and she held a bit of a challenge in her eye.

[ @BEAR. ]

[BEAR.]

It took a minute, but soon enough he had his breath back. The branch beneath his paws wobbled, and Wolfpaw sank his claws in a little deeper to try to maintain his balance. His heart pounded in his chest. Glancing down was a bit of a mistake -- he wasn't unuse to heights since he sometimes stole the Stormcrest from Bumba, but he was used to the sturdier foundation of the rock. Not a branch that could snap at any moment! His head jerked upward when she bopped his nose with her tail, and he blinked up at her with wide, owlish eyes. "Workin' on it!" Practice made perfect, and Wolfpaw was focused on making the most of his training. He knew some apprentices tried to rush things, but he was trying to obtain as much knowledge as possible.

He didn't want to be named a warrior because he was average. He wanted to exceed expectations -- to stand out, to make ThunderClan and most importantly his mom, proud. And no one was going to stop him from doing that, even if they tried to talk down and belittle him. He appreciated Redhawk didn't. "Willow's Rise wasn't always a memorial." It was a gentle reminder, but also a quiet continuation of the question. In the Before Times, before the Cove was stolen and the bodies relocated. "I know there's.. some very damaged bark on it, so I was wondering.." if climbers caused that, because he wasn't sure he ever heard the story behind it.

Gentledoe.

Wolfpaw had noted Redhawk kept mentioning a sibling, but the subject didn't seem that important to him -- it was hard when he couldn't relate, having no known siblings. All he remembered was Bumba, and she was the only family he really desired right now. "Oh, was she your sister?" He could barely remember her, she disappeared some moons back and he only.. recalled slight glimpses. Wolfpaw was sure he never spoke to her personally, but most of the time he remembered her, he was young and Bumba handled it.

He looked up the tree, apprehensive itching in his paws. But being stubborn was Wolfpaw's middle name, and he nodded. "Let's go!" Lauching himself upward, Wolfpaw's claws latched into the bark once more. The branch beneath him had buckled under the pressure of his momentum, but thankfully nothing came of that as his hindlegs connected with the bark and he began to pull himself toward one of the higher branches.

[ @tallulah ]

[taillow]

Redhawk
She/they | 28 moons | Ultimate Predator • The Collector

Not always a memorial? Oh, that was true, wasn't it? Redhawk blinked, unsure of how she had forgotten that. Perhaps Wolfpaw had a point - was the damaged bark he talked about the restored markings? That was pretty damaged thinking about it closer. She'd have to take another look because her memories were a bit fuzzy.

"She was yeah. A s-strong warrior. She got the social g-genes," Redhawk chuckled as she recalled her sister - the lovely, always-perfect warrior (according to her at least). "Six moons o-older than me. She was my b-best friend.." Despite the smile that lingered on her face there was a tinge of sadness to her voice. It was still difficult to wonder where she was - was she safe? was she alive? did she miss her the same way? - but moments like this, being an active and involved member in her Clan, made it easier. "She's g-gone... was when I r-returned. So... I just m-make sure I can be a w-warrior now for the both of us."

There wasn't much more time to linger on it - perhaps a conversation for the walk back to camp - before Wolfpaw seemed eager to climb more. Red could tell he was nervous, and internally she screamed at him to keep going. Lots of silent encouragement that only surfaced in the way her green eyes watched him, jaws parting in a grin as he nodded. His claws hauled him further up the tree.

"Don't look down!" she called to him, the grin she wore adding a lightness to her voice. "Dig your c-claws in and pull with your front paws, push with your h-hind paws!" She froze, muscles ready to leap off to catch Wolfpaw and break his fall as one of the branches snapped off and fell back to the ground, but instead her tail lashed with excitement as he righted himself and continued to scramble up the tree. "Good!"

Adrenaline pumping now as she scooted up the tree behind the apprentice, Redhawk made sure to keep a good distance between herself and the younger tom. She wanted to see if he'd select the right branch to perch on. It had to be sturdy enough to where he could balance on it and not have it snap, but endurance was a very real thing for a cat who didn't have much climbing experience. Green eyes focused intently on Wolfpaw; Red didn't wish to interfere and let him figure it out, but she kept her muscles tense incase she needed to leap into action.

[ @BEAR. ]

[BEAR.]

"Yeah, I don't remember her much." A furrowed brow of consideration. "Was definitely 'round more before the camp sank, though. Little after, too," he added on quickly, as if to assure her Gentledoe didn't fall in the sinkhole. "But not much. Dunno what happened to her, lots of cats seem to just.. leave, it's hard to keep track." Wolfpaw was fortunate in the sense he didn't have many cats to lose. Bumba was goin' nowhere, 'n he was gonna do his best to look after little Beachkit. Anyone beyond that-- it might suck, but he didn't think it'd hurt that much. Not yet, at least.

Up 'n up he went. The higher branches seemed like a lightyear away. His muscles were screaming in protest, and finally, finally--

The first branch he met were thinner than he'd like. Wolfpaw eyed them suspiciously, because as much as he wanted to give his body relief, he also didn't want to plummet down faster than a stone. Imagine that!

So he went up a little further, finding a branch that seemed a little bit more sturdy. As he moved onto the branch, he nearly lost his grip -- visibly fumbling, but managed to correct himself before things got really bad. Stars, this was exhausting! "I think.. this is more.. of a workout than anything else.. has been.." he managed between huffs.

[ @tallulah ]