☼SunClan☼

Fognose - temp camp - mentions: Daystep, Foxstar

"Ahem. Uh, Daystep? I was wondering if you knew the ... uh... patrol schedule! Yeah. The patrol schedule?"  Fognose padded up to the warrior, fidgeting nervously with the leaf litter under her feet. She felt bad for the lack of help she had been the past moon.  It wasn't that she didn't want  to help; she did. She just... couldn't.  She felt as though no-one wanted her on their patrols, or hunting teams, or even on her side of the dens. Which, she must admit, isn't completely accurate. A few cats had been kind  enough to her, but Fognose knew that it wasn't deserved. Almost four seasons ago, that was when she stopped feeling... whole. Foxstar was forgiving at first but she felt that she might not be as welcome if she continued to be such a burden. 

"You know what, never mind.'" She took a few steps backwards before shamefully turning, eyes lowered.

🕷Spiderfang | Location: Temporary Camp | Mentions: Raventide, Shadedfern, Fognose🕷

Spiderfang was immediately alert as the handsome monochrome warrior returned. He felt his fur warm and ruffle, growing flustered despite not even making eye contact with the tom. He tried to act natural, nodding and focusing intensely even though Daystep had little else to say. His gaze shot up when Raventide paused near them, his heart stopping for a beat.

"Yeah, uh-hi..." he stuttered, ears reddening further. He quickly turned his face away to hide his embarrassment. He desperately wanted a distraction from this disaster, looking to Shadedfern as he approached. However, his dear friend only rubbed it in further.

"Shhhhut your maw, you undersized badger!" he hissed, playful bordering on real threat, "I don't want the whole clan to know."

He gave the dark tabby a soft headbutt against his shoulder. It was clear Dawnpaw had put up enough of a stink to convince his young mentor to leave him be. Spiderfang sympathized, deciding to put up with any further teasing to improve his friend's mood.

When Fognose chipped in, he would have been happy to explain, but she seemed to change her tune quickly. he spoke up, anyways.

"We're sort of organizing ourselves, really. Daystep is leading our party, but you're welcome to join, Fognose! The more the merrier." he purred. Against his better judgement, Spiderfang had a fondness for Fognose. It was likely that her somewhat shallow nature reminded him of his sister, and that interacting with her was almost nostalgic for him. Regardless, he enjoyed most anyone's company and definitely didn't want the young warrior to feel unwanted.

⌘  Shadedfern | Location: Temp. Camp | Mentions: Daystep, Spiderfang, Fognose ⌘

Shadedfern smiled softly. "Thank you, Daystep. He's gone through so much, and I'm not sure how I can get the idea over that I want to help him and let him rise like any other apprentice would without sounding like his father or like I'm looking down on him." He shook his head, brushing it off for now. "I'm sure that he'll be in brighter moods when we settle into a proper camp and life returns to as normal as it can get for us now."

The dark tom fluffed up his fur at his friend's hiss, suppressing a hearty laugh. "I should be calling you the undersized badger solely based on attitude." He purred, batting at his tail.

His ears turned with interest when Fognose went up to them, said some things, and was prepared to leave. He wondered briefly if Spiderfang's words would be enough to make her stay, though.

"If I had a choice, I'd try to bring each and every cat on both of the patrols going out today so they could all be part of Sunclan history more than they already are. However, it must be limited, and some must stay back for the time being. I'd love to have you along, Fognose, like the rest of us do!"

🦅Hawkpaw | Location: Temporary Camp | Mentions: Mudsong, Duckpaw🦅

A non-comital "Mhm." was all the commentary Hawkpaw could muster. The last moon of their existence had been new sights and scents, in honesty he'd much prefer some normalcy now. His throat started to tighten, recalling the most familiar senses, that of his mother. The powerful tide of melancholy he constantly battled stuck back once again. His mother's company was a familiarity he could never refresh. He nibbled at an itch on his shoulder to distract himself, and hide any emotion that may be coming out in his expression.

Thankfully, Duckpaw's uncontainable energy distracted him from his grief with a healthy dose of annoyance. It took everything inside the grumpy young tom to stop his eyes from rolling out of his head. What a kit, I can't believe I'm stuck on a patrol with Duckpaw. He thought. With slow, remorseful pawsteps, Hawkpaw followed her towards the edge of the temporary encampment.

Mudsong || Location: Temporary Camp || Mentions: Hawkpaw, Creekstep, Duckpaw, Shadedfern

For a moment, she feared that Duckpaw would burst out of camp and leave the entire patrol in the dust, although she stiffled a sight of relief when the adolescence skidded to a halt right before the exit to their temporary home. The small female warrior paused in her tracks, turning to Creekstep (who seemed to have since gone silent) to motion with her tail for him to follow. It was time to set out, as the land could be endless. It might be a very long day for the patrol, but she was certain that it wouldn't tire Duckpaw of her energy. 

Mudsong began to set out, after her own prickly apprentice started to follow behind Duckpaw at repentant pace. Maybe the patrol would lighten his mood- wishful thinking on her part. As she drifted towards the exit, she paused to linger in the nearby presence of the secondary patrol. It seemed that they weren't set on leaving yet, considering they were still gathering a few more numbers. 

She directed her words towards Shadedfern, a fellow mentor in which she pitied. Dawnpaw and Hawkpaw were a pair of bitter apprentices- Mudsong was afraid they might explode on each other in the event they had to work side-by-side. Or worse: give each other bad ideas. "We're going to head north-east from the bridge," she called to the tom in a collected voice. "...May StarClan light your paths."

That seemed a tad pessimistic, but Mudsong meant it whole-heartedly. Like it or not, there was a risk with venturing into the wild unknown.

Dawnpaw || Location: Temporary Camp|| Mentions: Shadedfern

AW, YUCK, GROSS! The apprentice glared resentfully after his mentor as he parted with a slobbering kiss to the back of Dawnpaw's skull, leaving the golden-furred feline to recoil. He self-consciously swiped his paw over his now-dampened fur, trying to fix the mess that Shadedfern had so generously created. He could feel the heat of raged bubbling through his veins, causing his muscles to tense and claws to sink into the flattened earth. The apprentice wanted to shout some sour comment in the direction of his mentor, but he couldn't think of anything. Shadedfern's sudden "kiss" left him puzzled, frustrated, and simply without the ability to find words. 

Sullenly, the apprentice curled his lip once more and stubbornly looked in the direction opposite to his mentor and his patrol. Where are those stinky medicine cats, anyways? Dawnpaw wondered in a nitpicky fashion, twitching the tip of his tail irritably. Don't they have jobs to do?

🦊Foxstar | Location: Temporary Camp | Mentions: Mudsong, Hawkpaw, Duckpaw🦊

Foxstar was proud of her friend for handling the young tom so adeptly. If any cat in Sunclan was charismatic, it was Mudsong. The leader knew she had made the right choice in Hawkpaw's mentor, but in the same breath she felt guilty for putting so much pressure on her friend. Her nephew was a pawful, that was for sure.

The scarred she-cat surpressed a purr as Duckpaw sped away, only to stop and wait obediently. Maybe her eagerness will rub off on him. She thought optimistically. Her gaze turned back to Hawkpaw, who was followed more slowly. At least he's going. She felt disappointed as Shadedfern turned away from his own apprentice, seeming to let him stay behind. I might need to find something to get him up and running.

Fognose - temp camp - mentions: Spiderfang, Shadedfur, (Does Darkpaw count, cause she's dead.)

Fognose had turned again when Spiderfang mewed back after her, and had smiled widely when Shadedfur added. She happily sat with the warriors, awaiting the order to get moving. Purring under her breath, she watched a small crow chattering in the trees. How cool it would be to fly. Darkpaw used to hunt birds... Never mind. She glanced down at her paws, which were soft and grey with not a speck of dirt on them. The other cats in the clearing where meowing, laughing, hissing. "Did StarClan move with us? How do we know that they followed us?" She murmured, more to herself than anyone. She winced. Hope nobody heard that, don't want to bring up any sensitive topics...

|Palestripe|Location: Forest/Temporary Camp|Mentions: Hawkpaw|

Carefully the tom had traced his steps back to camp, trying to ignore the struggle of his lungs to keep up. He felt bitter towards Hawkpaw for not having the decency to escort his mentor home, but surely the apprentice had more important things to do than walk with a hobbling old elder. There was a day when Palestripe was looked up to- as a hunter, mate, mentor, father. Starclan had a strange type of "generosity" to take the cats here only after devastating fires and immeasurable sorrow. At least Foxstar seemed to be doing well, he had known her since she was a kit. His green eyes looked over the camp. "Are we moving again?" he said to no cat in particular. He took his place beside the other elders, many much older than him. They were all busy with their little bits of chatter which Palestripe was in no mood to participate in. He simply laid in his patch of moss and tried to silently catch his breath. The elder grumbled something about taking shorter walks to himself.

🦅Hawkpaw | Location: Temporary Camp | Mentions: Mudsong, Duckpaw🦅

The temperamental young tom continued on his slow path as his mentor said her good-byes. If Duckpaw had anything to say, he didn't listen. He didn't want any trouble, however, and followed the thin trail of flattened grass Mudsong and Foxstar had made. He assumed this was the direction they planned to explore, and if nothing else he could stop and wait for the others if he lost his way.

Hawkpaw let his eyes wonder as he ambled along. The slow rising sun was shining towards them, as if beckoning them, daring them to come closer. A soft breeze stirred the long grasses and birdsong drifted out of the treeline from across the river. Veering closer to the water, Hawkpaw stopped. He crouched and bent his head to lap at the rippling surface. The cool liquid was refreshing and he felt energy flow through him, shaking off the last scraps of weariness. He sat up and lapped at one shoulder, deciding this was as good a place as any to pause.

🕷Spiderfang | Location: Temporary Camp | Mentions: Mudsong, Daystep, Fognose🕷

Spiderfang let the banter die down in light of more pertinent conversation. The dark tabby stretched where he stood, his tail curling over his back and almost reaching his ears as he passively listened to what the deputy had to say. He noted the direction she planned to explore, hoping he could remember when the time to split off came. He watched the other patrol leave, antsy to follow. He was quickly distracted by Fognose's thinking out loud. He held back an amused purr.

"'Course they followed us! Silverpelt has been the same black pelt and stars since we left. The sky is always the same, just as StarClan is always looking over us." a soft prickle of comfort washed over the tom. Ignorance surely was bliss for the less than sharp tom. For better or worse, he just couldn't comprehend a world in which StarClan wouldn't protect him and his clan. Thoughts whirling back to adventure and excitement, Spiderfang gave Daystep a friendly nudge.

"Well then, lead the way, miss scout leader!" he purred.

🦆 Duckpaw - Location: Temporary Camp/Outside of the camp - Mentions: Mudsong, Hawkpaw 🦆

There was already a thin trail through the grass with the lingering scents of her clanmates which she promptly ignored and instead, plowed through the grass to make her own as she tailed after Hawkpaw. "You think there's something hiding over here Hawkpaw? Like a big bad badger? Ooo, maybe a sneaky fox?" She piped up before she spotted a frog and began to imitate it, jumping whenever it did. "I wanna find a cool hiding spot! Like a neat burrow in a tree or some secret tunnels!" She took one jump too big and the frog suddenly darted off to the side instead of forward. She jumped after it before catching herself and stopped, quickly turning back around to catch back up to Hawkpaw. "You can't fool my frog! I know that's where I'm supposed to go!" She called out over her shoulder to the direction the drog disappeared to, sticking her tongue at it for good measure so it knew she was super serious.

Duckpaw's ears perked up as the birdsong carried over the breeze that rustled the grass, staring up at the sky expecting to see birds over ahead. "I wonder what kind of birds those are! My brother always thought the blues were the prettiest ones, he loved it whenever Ma brought one of those home. I hope we see one of those! I'd love to bring one of them home, what about you Hawkpaw?" She paused to look back at him before realizing she had stopped walking and the other apprentice was already at the river. "Hey, wait for me!" She sprinted off to the river, skidding to a stop at the river's edge. Her wide eyes stared over the river as she bent down to look more closely at it. She took a hesitant lick at the water before quickly lapping more, drawing her tongue over her lips when finished. She looked over to Hawkpaw, who was sitting waiting at the river for the others to catch up, before looking back at the water. "Do you think we can find something cool in the water Hawkpaw?" Duckpaw piped up absent-mindedly as she tapped the water with her paw, causing a small ripple in the surface. She tapped again but harder this time as she splashed at the water lightly, a giggle breaking out from her.