ThunderClan: Life Before 2023's Sinkhole

[dino.]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

It had been a couple of days since he'd sent out the last round of patrols - Buckstar figured enough time had passed to get some going again.

"Patrol time, ThunderClan!" he called from the center of the clearing.

"I'll start with hunting first, this time around."

OPTIONAL PROMPT: Dog-like prints - lots of them - are marked into the snow. They smell faintly of coyote.
"Eveningmist [ @Mumble ] and Singepaw [ @Puddle~ ], I'd like you two to head on over to Firefly Cove."

OPTIONAL PROMPT: A strange scent drifts in on the wind. It definitely smells wild, but you can't quite make out what it is.
"Hareflood [ @BILL. ] and Sunpoppy [ @Dipper], see what you can find in Muskrat Mire. Make sure to be careful, those things can be nasty."

OPTIONAL PROMPT: You find a blue jay's nest tucked onto one of the branches.
"Mothmask [ @dinosaur ] and Lightpaw [ @Shadeleaf ]! Take a trip to The Weeping Tree."

OPTIONAL PROMPT: Something big crashes through the undergrowth behind you. What the hell was that?
"Stonenettle and Lightningpaw [ @Phoenix Fall ], why don't you guys visit Sunkissed Creek? Take some mentor-new-apprentice time, get to know each other. Just make sure to stay away from the creekbed."

Moving on, to border patrols...

OPTIONAL PROMPT: You poke what looks like a lumpy tree, but it turns out to be just bees. Oh, well...

Wait.
"Lightningstrike [ @Cobra ], Kestrelflame [ @Fuzzy ], and Lionpaw [ @bmkmb ], check out the ShadowClan border from me. Like last time, be on the lookout for anything suspicious."

OPTIONAL PROMPT: You go digging in a burrow for voles. It turns out to be grass snakes.
"Darkfire [ @Paradise ], Mosswhisper [ @Starfall ], and Goslingpaw [ @Bobby The Goose ], I'd like you three to visit the RiverClan border. I'm sure there's nothing out of place there, but it's always a good idea to check."

OPTIONAL PROMPT: It’s frosted overnight and now any grassy areas have turned into a slip and slide this morning.
"Finally - Swiftskip [ @The Flying Pizza ], Wildheart [ @Frozen Reign ], and Forestpaw [ @Wolfgirl8 ], head out to the WindClan border. If you happen to catch a WindClan patrol, ask about Twilightstar for me." Last Gathering had given him plenty of reasons to worry about the WindClan leader.

"And once again - if you skimp out on your assigned patrol, I'll have you cleaning out the dens and tending to the elders. Don't make me put you to work!"

Patrols are due back by JANUARY 26TH, 11:59pm Eastern Time. Please refrain from posting in this thread unless your patrol is finished and you are ready to report - this thread is to be used for patrol reports only!
Another huge thank you to Rani for several more of the prompts!

[spade]

Badgerleaf

__________________

Badgerleaf chuckled at that. She didn't have the luxury of experiencing what long fur felt like, what with her short pelt that really didn't grow much, despite the changing of seasons. The chill that had been ever-present around camp since leaf-bare had sank its claws in definitely got to her, but didn't bother her as much as it did some of her Clanmates. "Perhaps a few passes under a thicket could help with that - take some fur right off the top." Her voice was lighter this time as she pointed her tail from his pelt to the camp entrance.

A brief pause, then Badgerleaf decided to jump right into it. "We're you at the last Gathering?" she inquired, leaning down to take another bite and chew quietly as she waited for the tom's response.

[ @Kyrieknight ]

[nocturnal]

// @Cobra | @Fuzzy

Lionpaw listened intently, excited that he now had an acceptable excuse to leave camp. He glanced at Kestrelflame, then raced over to Lightningstrike.

Ha! He got to work with cats he already knew! Despite having lived in the clan for a good amount of time, it was still rare that patrol groups worked out for him.

"Let's go!" the still-apprentice yelled without raising his voice too loudly. The shadowcat border... now that was somewhere he was familiar with, more or less. He couldn't wait to head out.

[Fairytale]

Lightningpaw bounded up. A patrol? His first patrol? A pAtRoL?!?! With Stoneymentor?!?!? At Sunkissed Creek?!?! What was Sunkissed Creek?!?! He was hunting?!?! How did you hunt?!?! "STONEYMENTOR! WE'RE GOING ON A PATROOOOOOOOOL!" He normally wasn't Cicadakit loud, but he was so, so excited! This was gonna be fun! @Slushie

[Akira]

Originally Posted by spade

Badgerleaf

__________________

Badgerleaf chuckled at that. She didn't have the luxury of experiencing what long fur felt like, what with her short pelt that really didn't grow much, despite the changing of seasons. The chill that had been ever-present around camp since leaf-bare had sank its claws in definitely got to her, but didn't bother her as much as it did some of her Clanmates. "Perhaps a few passes under a thicket could help with that - take some fur right off the top." Her voice was lighter this time as she pointed her tail from his pelt to the camp entrance.

A brief pause, then Badgerleaf decided to jump right into it. "We're you at the last Gathering?" she inquired, leaning down to take another bite and chew quietly as she waited for the tom's response.

[ @Kyrieknight ]

Spidercrawl slowly shook his head. "No. I'm not exactly eager to go to an area and talk to others, so I think I went once or twice. Does your expression have to do with it?" He asked. Then, he narrowed his amber eyes almost... playfully? "And I'll have you know, I prefer not getting my fur ripped out."

@spade

[Cobra]

Tinykit flattened his ears back, tilting his head and reading her lips. That.. was a lot of words, and he was quite bemused. He was used to speaking lots of stuff, but when other kits / cats did it? Well, the best thing to say would that he was at a loss for words. Ironically. He forced a smile to appear on his maw, not really sure how she felt about the burst of anger and words. Well, they would just half to work it out.

He swallowed nervously, staring at her before speaking again. It was still rather rushed, as all his words were. "HI!" Tinykit blurted. "Tinykit! You.. you.. Attlenit? Attlenit! Hi! Hi!" He seemed a bit taken back by her cheerful nature, thinking she would be angry at him.. this.. this was good! But he was still confused for some reason.. usually Tiny only had three moods: happy, sad, angry. Sad was rarely, his mindset shifted between happy and angry and all the other mood thingys that related to them. "Tinykit like game. Want game?" he asked, a smile creeping up his face. He was never pushed down for that long. "Yeah Glidymom deppie! She awesome. But Chiccymama gone.. " Tinykit covered his eyes with his paws, trying to stop the sobs. "She no come back Tiny don't think."

// @spade

[spade]

Originally Posted by Kyrieknight

Spidercrawl slowly shook his head. "No. I'm not exactly eager to go to an area and talk to others, so I think I went once or twice. Does your expression have to do with it?" He asked. Then, he narrowed his amber eyes almost... playfully? "And I'll have you know, I prefer not getting my fur ripped out."

@spade

Badgerleaf

__________________

Inquisitive, Badgerleaf tipped her head to one side, swallowing the bite she had. Curious that a Clan cat wasn't eager to go to a Gathering, but then again they did have a few shy furballs. "That's probably better anyways. Lots of tension and negativity happened at the last one, apparently." She shrugged her shoulders but smiled. "I'm sure it'll all work out though. The Clans have been united before, like ages ago when they had to fight back those evil leaders. I'm sure we'll become like that again." It was a pipe dream, the molly knew, but she could always dream.

At his playful expression, Badgerleaf narrowed her eyes to mimic, tail waving side to side. "Don't knock it til you try it. Seriously, I bet it would give you quite a nice trim, and then it wouldn't be that warm." Laughter bubbled behind her words as she grinned wider.

[Estelle]

Flamepaw was quite honestly surprised to hear a warrior, of all cats, made a 'not so bright move'. Until now it seemed warriors never made not-bright moves! But then again... Hadit also been a not-bright move of Duskstar to not be there right after the fire? The young apprentice didn't quite know. How her sister, Flashpaw, spoke of it made it sound like a not-bright move either so... She was probably right. Where was her sister anyway? Flamepaw's thoughts and wonders over her littermates were interrupted by Flutterkit. She turned to the kitten, listening, then glanced to the side "No, not yet.." she fumbled, a little embarrassed that, although she was the apprentice out of the three, Flutterkit- as the youngest- had done more apprentice stuff than Lightningkit and her combined! "I-I'm not even sure if I'll be able to climb trees - yknow, with my leg.." She shifted her burn scarred leg uncomfortably as she admitted her new worries. She hated it, but not wanting to think of it much more Flamepaw looked back at Oakcreek, hoping he would continue the story.

[ @Bread @Phoenix Fall @VALLIANCE ]

[spade]

Applekit

__________________

She could see that with Tinykit being younger than she was, he might have a harder time processing everything she said. But, her mind always ran at a faster pace, so it wasn't like she could slow down, even if she wanted to. When the young tom mispronounced his name, she was tempted to correct him but bit her tongue. Now wasn't the time, and she would have to push that part of her personality down.

Instead, she plastered a smile onto her maw, tail waving behind her. "She's pretty cool! She's next in line to become leader, so one day she'll be Glidingstar!" As the tom began to cry though, she blinked, a bit baffled at what to do. Awkwardly, she placed a paw near him, swallowing a bit. "There there... It's okay, hey, let's play a game! Do you wanna practice battle moves? I can show you some of the ones the other apprentices have been teaching me when they visit!" Her tail waved in the air as Applekit crouched down, wriggling her rump as she eyed Tinykit. He was small, but she was sure he'd be able to hold his own in a play-fight. "Whaddya say, Tinykit? Wanna pretend were warriors from opposing Clans?"

[ @Cobra ]

[Akira]

Originally Posted by spade

Badgerleaf

__________________

Inquisitive, Badgerleaf tipped her head to one side, swallowing the bite she had. Curious that a Clan cat wasn't eager to go to a Gathering, but then again they did have a few shy furballs. "That's probably better anyways. Lots of tension and negativity happened at the last one, apparently." She shrugged her shoulders but smiled. "I'm sure it'll all work out though. The Clans have been united before, like ages ago when they had to fight back those evil leaders. I'm sure we'll become like that again." It was a pipe dream, the molly knew, but she could always dream.

At his playful expression, Badgerleaf narrowed her eyes to mimic, tail waving side to side. "Don't knock it til you try it. Seriously, I bet it would give you quite a nice trim, and then it wouldn't be that warm." Laughter bubbled behind her words as she grinned wider.

Spidercrawl seemed surprised at her laugh, but in a bad way. He grunted quietly and nodded, suddenly shy as she joked. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "The Clans have been united, but not always willingly. But from the sounds of it, one Clan is being the main problem." Then, he scoffed, shaking his head. "A trim, in this weather? It may feel stuffy, sure, but I'd rather not have my fur stuck at the entrance. And who knows what the kits and apprentices would do with it?"

@spade