private look to the skies .. predator check

[lilacfur]

A deep breath exhaled from her maw, as if letting go of the air she held would also release the weight she felt on her shoulders. Lilacfur's steps were careful, though hardly quiet with the muck hugging around her paws and releasing a gross 'pop' every time she dared to pull away. Stealth was hardly the rosettes favored skill, not one she held very well either. How her Clanmates can find their footing and remain eerily quiet when the wetlands returned from the winter was beyond her understanding.

"Fox, badger, lynx's- even if its stale we need to know." Lilacfur spoke in a hushed murmur as they spread further away from the burnt sycamore. A still pond with the remnants of crushed eggs appeared as they moved forward, and she lingered on it to assess the job before looking away. "You're not scared, are you?" She said, a bit more teasing, to her friend beside her. She was glad that Mirepurr had volunteered to join her, preferring their company the most in her chosen patrolmates.

@MIREPURR @smogmaw @Willowburn @FERNDANCE ​

[ i need the clouds to cover me ]​

 

[MIRESTAR]

The sycamore - or what's left of it - comes into view, looming over the patrol. Mirepurr's maw is closed shut, not feeling it necessary to taint the silence just yet, especially not when memories of Briarstar flood their mind. This place always reminds them of ShadowClan's founder, her incredible bravery and selflessness that ended up stripping her of all lives. A terrifying experience that branded Mirepurr forever with inspiration.

If they can be half the cat she used to be, then they're surely on the right path.

Their shoulders are pulled taut and their head held high; they've been picked specifically by their friend to join this patrol of high authority. Ferndance might not have the privilege of calling herself a lead warrior anymore, haven't had it for moons, but it's hard to shake that sort of air off of you when you held such a title before. That's how Mirepurr sees it, anyway. Only Willowburn is comparable to themself here.

Speaking of their friend-

"Me? Never." A blatant lie. Fear is what keeps a cat on its toes, anticipating the inevitable. "Not with you around, anyway." An easy smile is present on their face, in tune with them falling into an easy walk beside Lilacfur. If they just tried to pretend, the danger can be unveiled from this moment.

But, it's important to pay attention, lest they get ambushed. Their sensitive nose whirls into action and twitches. "It's hard to smell anything with all this rain."
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[smogstar]

Pursuing creatures all stealthy-like is one matter. It is another altogether to be pursuing creatures that have a penchant for pursuing ShadowClan cats.

As paw-high grasses yielded to reeds, stiff soil to sodden mush, Smogmaw trails the patrol's lead with a disjointed intensity held in his eyes. Underfoot, the land hisses and groans, dank and soaked. It reeks damply, thick as pus and almost as sticky. Anticipation prickles him to move quicker, only kept at bay by how maliciously the ground chokes at his paws. Mirepurr's words ring true to a certain extent, he finds — recent rains made pinpointing a single scent impossible. He tries, all the same, to land a glimpse amid the murk.

For all he knows, this could be the great silent before the storm. Preferring not to be taken by surprise, Smogmaw sharpens his vigilance to the utmost. "Something's bound to stand out," the tom meows in a hushed tone, nipping any illusory safety right in the bud, he thinks. "Look hard. Smell harder."

Even the faintest semblance of tracks or a scent eludes him in his surroundings. Impatience curdles the deputy's pelt, and he breathes deep to counter it. Amber eyes retreat over his shoulder to view the burnt sycamore's receding, twisted silhouette, and right then does a stray breeze brush against his fur. And he believes a foul odour does arise, albeit for only a moment. No voice is lent to it, he cannot tell if it is a genuine smell or a contrived one. Lips purse with dissatisfaction, and he squints at the ground, still searching.​

 

[lilacfur]

While her steps fell in tune with Mirepurr's, Lilacfur kept her tail high to avoid dragging it in the muck. The wispy reeds fought to tangle in the curls of her fur and for a moment a grimace formed at the sensation of the leaf-blades snapping against her pelt. The words of her chocolate chimera friend tear her attention away and she was careful that to keep her laughter hushed. "From the tiniest lizard to the biggest bear, you'll be safe." She assured.

Mirepurr shared their struggle from the rainfall, which Smogmaw followed with an apathetic reply. Do this, do that- as if they weren't on track to do so already. Lilacfur nudged her friend for a bit of encouragement before looking in another direction, squinting at a noticeable clump of flattened reeds. It could have been a cat taking a nap, of course, but she motioned for someone to follow her in the investigation- just in case.

"Coarse grey fur..." She stated with a frown. The scent may have been washed away for any tracking, but the scent from this was undeniably badger. "This looks recent. We may have a badger lurking around." The tattered skin from her ears burned at the memory of claws slashing down her face, but she remained bold and vigilant. She would not be caught off guard again.​

[ i need the clouds to cover me ]​

 

[Willowburn]

THE GODS CAN KNEEL ⋆⁺₊⋆
Willowburn finds himself picking whatever route takes him across the more solid stretches of ground. Anything to evade the worst of the murk that their home had to offer. Though as his paws danced across the tufts of grass and across stones and roots his eyes and ears were ever searching his surroundings. There was a tension in the air and he didn't like it.

The tom soon found himself heading in the same direction as Lilacfur upon seeing her gesture to follow, which took them close to some suspiciously flattened reeds. Something heavy had lain there, that was for sure. "I must concur with your theory. It would be best to group up and to remain wary of the reeds and bushes. If we are to find a badger then I'd rather meet it in the open and not from an ambush in the thicket." Already he found himself looking around himself warily, as if expecting to see the lumbering, foul beast barrelling towards them at any moment.

- ⋆ -​

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[FERNDANCE]

In a territory so full of foxes it was a wonder the ground hadn't turned red from shed fur, it was easy to forget that badgers were still a real threat to those she cared about within the marshlands. Lilacfur's announcement caused the wide-eyed she-cat to look at her before skittering along the muddiest route toward her and Willowburn. Her attention soon followed to the reeds that lay flat nearby, her head tilting like an owl as she studied them. Then, she turned her head back towards the crushed eggs, blinking as she put two-and-two together: clearly, this badger had a similar palette to Smogmaw. She briefly wondered if the predator would find a kindred spirit in ShadowClan's Deputy and become an all-too-valuable-ally in the Great Frog War, but with no one in the clan speaking a word of badger, it seemed that both sides would have to commit to hissing and biting at each other. A disappointed frown twitched upon her features at the reality denied to her, her striped tabby tail curling back and forth sadly. 'One day... there will be a friendly animal.' Just not a fox, foxes deserved to burn.

Calmly, Ferndance cleared her throat. "If we need it gone, we can lure it out with more of these..." She began, trotting towards the still pond and batting tentatively at the eggs floating atop until enough were hooked in her grasp to be pulled out. Ferndance flicked the stray water droplets from her claws before giving the mire-poked appendage a vigorous lick. "But we... we might have to pin Smogmaw down if we do that," she admitted with flattened ears, looking towards the Deputy sympathetically. "He can't eat the bait... otherwise he becomes the bait." If he wasn't 'the bait' already, what with how many frog eggs were in his belly. Hopefully, the smell of live spawn was stronger than the smell of whatever caviar her superior had consumed.

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