ThunderClan: Life Before 2023's Sinkhole

[*longfire*]

firelight watched the clearing seeing not much happening, the elder yawned then getting up to stretch she flicked her ear

[open better come interact before she heads into the elders den again]

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Wingnettle

Ashpaw (he/him)
Grey tabby with blue/grey eyes

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Flamepaw seemed really happy today! Ashpaw purred at his friend's enthusiasm, though probably that night they would both sleep like a dormouse from exhaustion. "A border patrol? That looks neat!" What was a border patrol like? He had always heard about them from older warriors, and it was often about encounters with other clans. Had Flamepaw had troubles with Windclan? "Snowypaw? Wow.. cool." Ashpaw couldn't help feeling a bit jealous from his friend's excitement, but he quickly pushed it away.
He really hoped he would be able to be in a border patrol too, but he knew Copperfire would never allow him if he didn't receive a territory tour first.

"Yes, me, Rainhound and Darkpetal went to Giant's rest. We split up and hunted on our own. They caught a hare and a squirrel, and I got a huge crow! he said, puffing out his chest and trying to look proud. "And it was going to flee! The ugly thing even tried to peck at me, but I pinned him against the trunk of a tree! It didn't stand any chance." Of course, he left out the embarrassing detail that he was actually hit by his prey. But in the end he caught it, so everything else didn't matter.
"Oh, and I also met a gopher. It was so weird! At first I was convinced I was hunting down a big rat, and then it turned and it had this huge big teeth on the face..." he said joking, but deep inside he still felt frustrated about it. If he hadn't let himself lose his focus, he would've caught it and brought back a great meal.
"Unfortunately, Rainhound decided to come back when I told her of the gopher. Copperfire didn't agree with her choice, but I guess they could turn dangerous." Maybe Rainhound just didn't want me to get involved in a fight... I really need to do more training, otherwise I'll be stuck like this forever. He wondered what Darkpetal thought. He hadn't seen him since the patrol...

@SpiritedWarrior

Flamepaw's eyes gleamed with interest as Ashpaw began to talk. Though he sounded a little... jealous when she mentioned Snowypaw. But she quickly pushed the thought away, how could he be jealous of a cat he hasn't even met? Let alone that cat being from a completely different Clan!

"Your patrol had three cats? Mine was supposed to have three, but... Dayflame never showed up," Flamepaw shrugged her shoulders. "So it was just me and Spiderleap. He's a really nice cat, too! Was it hard to catch a crow? I haven't tried hunting much land prey yet. I've really only learned how to hunt minnows." Guess I'll have to talk to Mapleleaf about that...

And he saw a gopher?? Flamepaw's interest peaked, what did a gopher look like? How big was it? Was it hard to catch? Soon enough, the two questions were answered, almost as if the she-cat asked those questions out loud to her denmate. So it's like a big rat! And... he didn't catch it because Rainhound decided the patrol needed to come back? Flamepaw raised a brow at that, why did Rainhound make that decision? The Clan should take advantage of all the prey they have while it lasts! Leaf-fall is just around the corner, and leaf-bare is right after!

"Why would Rainhound do that? Leaf-fall is right around the corner, shouldn't the Clan hunt as much prey as it can so we can, oh I don't know... survive?!" Flamepaw added a hint of irritation to her voice, Copperfire had a right to be disappointed. "I guess it would be the right call, but Rainhound and Darkpetal are experienced hunters, and you're clearly getting to be experienced! You could've totally gotten that gopher without making a sound!"

Flamepaw shook her head in disappoint at her future denmates, what was Rainhound and Darkpetal thinking? It didn't make much sense!

[Wingnettle]

Ashpaw (he/him)
Grey tabby with blue/grey eyes

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"Oh.. Sorry to hear that. It's just so weird... nowadays warriors seem to disappear each day. Do the clans still follow the warrior code? But Ashpaw knew that these worrying topics had to be handled by the leader and deputy. An apprentice should think only about his training, and becoming the most loyal warrior they can be. Now I'm glad I don't have such responsibilities on myself!

"Ugh.. yes, the crow was a bit difficult to catch. Mostly because it's big and clever, and doesn't get distracted very easily. Also, finding small birds is easier since they have to search for bugs and seeds on the ground." Ashpaw suddenly found himself thinking about how much he had actually learnt so far. Even if he still made mistakes, he had always done his best and it was finally starting to pay off.

His eyes gleamed with interest when Flamepaw mentioned fishing: "Minnows.. You can really catch them? That's super cool!" He didn't know that Thunderclan warriors knew how to fish, let alone Flamepaw who was still an apprentice. "You know, I'd really like to learn it." he added hopefully.

Yes, Darkpetal and Rainhound had behaved really weird... but maybe they just had something bothering on their mind. "Maybe I should have a word with Darkpetal? But.. he's my mentor. I'm not really supposed to do that." Even the idea alone sounded strange. But he guessed Flamepaw had a point: the priority was bringing back prey, nothing else mattered.

@SpiritedWarrior

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Wingnettle

Ashpaw (he/him)
Grey tabby with blue/grey eyes

»»————-　☀︎︎　————-««

"Oh.. Sorry to hear that. It's just so weird... nowadays warriors seem to disappear each day. Do the clans still follow the warrior code? But Ashpaw knew that these worrying topics had to be handled by the leader and deputy. An apprentice should think only about his training, and becoming the most loyal warrior they can be. Now I'm glad I don't have such responsibilities on myself!

"Ugh.. yes, the crow was a bit difficult to catch. Mostly because it's big and clever, and doesn't get distracted very easily. Also, finding small birds is easier since they have to search for bugs and seeds on the ground." Ashpaw suddenly found himself thinking about how much he had actually learnt so far. Even if he still made mistakes, he had always done his best and it was finally starting to pay off.

His eyes gleamed with interest when Flamepaw mentioned fishing: "Minnows.. You can really catch them? That's super cool!" He didn't know that Thunderclan warriors knew how to fish, let alone Flamepaw who was still an apprentice. "You know, I'd really like to learn it." he added hopefully.

Yes, Darkpetal and Rainhound had behaved really weird... but maybe they just had something bothering on their mind. "Maybe I should have a word with Darkpetal? But.. he's my mentor. I'm not really supposed to do that." Even the idea alone sounded strange. But he guessed Flamepaw had a point: the priority was bringing back prey, nothing else mattered.

@SpiritedWarrior

Flamepaw shook her head, "It's alright. It's Dayflame's fault she didn't come along on the patrol, she'll be the one to be punished. Not me or Spiderleap." It would've been nice to meet Dayflame, but if she didn't make the effort to be on a patrol that keeps her Clan safe, then that makes me wonder what type of a warrior she is... Flamepaw didn't want to feel like she was being rude, but it raised the question: where was Dayflame when she was called for a patrol? But that was something she'd let Copperfire worry about, he was deputy, not her. Flicking her ears for a moment allowed those thoughts about Dayflame to dissipate.

Continuing to listen to Ashpaw, she gulped, "Remind me to never go for crows or any big bird... I don't want to go after something that is big and not easily distracted." Oh, and then he was impressed by the fact that Flamepaw can catch minnows! Flamepaw purred and puffed out her chest in pride, "Yep! Mapleleaf taught me how! I don't quite understand why she taught me how to fish... but I guess Sunkissed Creek doesn't freeze during leaf-bare, so it can prove to be useful! Perhaps I can teach you or Mapleleaf can, she's better at it than I am."

Flamepaw threw a puzzled glance over at Ashpaw. Why wasn't he supposed to say something to Darkpetal about the failed hunt? It didn't make much sense, but she didn't press for it. All she could do was offer advice, perhaps the advice she gave could help? It was worth a shot...

"He's your mentor, Ashpaw. If you have a question, there's nothing that'll stop you from asking! Perhaps you can just ask Darkpetal why you couldn't go for the gopher? If you stayed silent and killed it, then there wouldn't have been a need to fight the other gophers in the area." Flamepaw was rather baffled by her friend. Why did he feel like he couldn't ask Darkpetal what he was confused with?

[XFR0G_L0veRX]

LavenderKit turned her head, as if looking around the nursery. Worried about QuietKit she wondered if they were fine. She sighed "I hope QuietKit is ok" She mumbled to herself, thinking out loud "But i'm sure shes fine" She mewed softly. She pawed at the moss nest under her, anxious.

[Maplefur]

@Wingnettle
(OOC: Sorry for the delay! I was busy for a bit, but put this up as soon as I was able!)

Tawnywhisper sighed, rolling onto her side after finishing the last bite of her meal. She had finished her warrior duties for the day, or at least enough to keep the other members of her clan satisfied. She wasn't the type to go above and beyond, so now it was time for her favorite thing to do: absolutely nothing.

Normally, the spotted calico would love to lounge around outside of camp where it's less busy, but she happened to be in just the perfect spot for the sun to hit her fur without making her feel overheated. No, she was too comfortable to make herself get up and move, so she would happily lay there and soak in the sun while doing her best to ignore her busy clanmates. Soft purrs rumbled from her chest as she lazily licked at her paw, then used it to clean up her whiskers. Slowly grooming herself, Tawnywhisper licked away any indication of her meal from just heartbeats ago until she was content enough to fully lay back. As her pale green eyes slipped closed, the tip of her tail flicked back and forth and she laid her head down on the ground.

All too soon, the soft padding of pawsteps alerted her to a clanmate approaching. Hardly able to hold back her irritation, Tawnywhisper lifted her head and shifted to lay on her stomach, tail waving back and forth as she looked to see who had disturbed her relaxation. As if to mock her, a cloud chose that exact moment to cover the sun. With her perfect spot of sunlight taken away, the warrior turned her angry eyes to the sky before pressing them closed for a moment, drawing in as much patience as she could muster in preparation for the conversation that was to come. Please, don't let it be Sparrowflight or Copperfire asking me to do some silly errand for them.

[Willie Warf]

Stagbound sat in the clearing.

[Butterfly Aubade]

<Peachleaf>

As the patched tom made his way across the clearing, he glanced around, waving his tail in delight as he spotted a juicy blackbird amongst the pieces of prey in the prey pile. He quicky made a grab for it, belly rumbling with hunger, then carried it to a far side of the clearing. He wolfed down the blackbird hungrily. He was exhausted. He had been hunting since dawn. He raised his head to gaze at the sun-high sky. It was a hot day. Thank goodness he didn't have a thick coat. He looked around then made a grab for a shrew.

(Open for interactions)

[Singing Jay]

Tulippaw
@Jayvines

The sand-colored she-cat stood still, ears nervously moving to pick up sounds from all different directions, wary of the slightest sound of change, and when she suddenly noticed paws quickly approaching, she could feel her heart pick up speed. S-should she run? No no, wait, that was- "Sparrowflight-" Her mew came out in a shaky breath as she felt the familiar scent envelop her, along with the sister's head pressing against her shoulder. She tried to force out another sentence, or word at least, but Sparrowflight beat her to it, and Tulippaw couldn't help but let out a chuckle as well as the words, despite the lump forming in her throat. "yeah"

"T- twolegs" She managed to finally get something half-sensible out of her. "I didn't mean to go out, I know Im not supposed to, but I needed to think, but then the twolegs took me, and i tried to leave at first, but i couldn't, and-" her voice died in a breath quickly sucked in as her light green eyes started becoming less and less dry. She knew she held a lot of the blame for going, not all of it, but the twolegs would never have gotten her if she hadn't left, and she could probably have escaped sooner.

After a few heartbeats of breathing normally, she managed to gather herself and turned her head towards Sparrowflight, trying to smile a little more. "How's Thunderclan." How's home? And Brightpaw, and mom. There were so many more questions pressing behind her tongue, but she held them back for the time being.

[Wingnettle]

Ashpaw (he/him)
Grey tabby with blue/grey eyes

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Ashpaw felt great admiration for Flamepaw's ability to catch fish. It was so unusual in Thunderclan, maybe she was even the only apprentice in the clan who knew how to do it! "I would really like to learn! Maybe we can go to Sunkissed Creek and you can teach me? I'm sure you're better than you're saying." Of course they would need the presence of another warrior, but Mapleleaf looked pretty occupied these days and Ashpaw often saw her resting in camp. Maybe he could ask Bumbleflight later? He was always glad to help him with his training.

Ashpaw knew that the situation with Darkpetal had alerted Flamepaw, because of her bothered tone. He could also feel worry in it, maybe because she was thinking about her previous owner who had disappeared and gave up in her. "Well... actually, I didn't know where Darkpetal was. We split up and Rainhound remained with me. She was the one to give the order, so I obeyed her." Actually, the matter that pressed on him about his mentor was the fact that recently he've been looking more and more distracted. He hadn't even caught more prey than him, who was still an apprentice, and hadn't said anything while returning back. This had made Ashpaw feel worried, but he had tried to push the feeling aside and concentrate on his training - which, of course, now was not with Darkpetal.

@SpiritedWarrior