CATERPILLAR IN THE TREE ⟡ prompt, stuck in snow

[WAVEPAW]

The snow might bother most other cats, but Wavepaw really enjoyed it, when it wasn't turning to mud and getting him all dirty. He loved to jump around in the big pies of white powder, loved the smell of it and the way it made his paws feel all tingly. It also made the river look so beautiful the way it glimmered in the leafbare sun. The young apprentice was in exceptionally high spirits as their hunting patrol moved through the territory, his wide blue eyes gleaming with innocence as he took in the white wonderland that the landscape had been transformed into.

He was so distracted by looking around him that he nearly missed when a mouse darted right across his paws, so close it almost touched him. With a short gasp and a battle cry, the small blue tomcat charged after the rodent, which made a beeline for a nearby snow-laden tree. It quickly disappeared into a small hole at the base of the trunk, but Wavepaw was already going so fast he didn't have enough time to stop himself on the slick icy ground. He planted his hindquarters into the ground in an attempt to slow his momentum but he just skid right into the tree. His eyes widened fearfully a split second before his body made impact with a dull thud.

He teetered slightly before falling dizzily onto his back, and before he could even catch his breath, he was suddenly buried by a mountain of snow, likely knocked loose from the branches of the tree when he hit it. "Ow..." His voice was muffled by the snow, and once he realized just how stuck he was he started to panic, squirming desperately against the heavy weight to free himself. "H-Help..! Someone help me, I'm stuck!"

 

[Hawkcloud]

Luckily, Hawkcloud is one of the warriors assigned to the hunting patrol that day. She, too, enjoys their bright, sunlit surroundings while they scan the territory for hidden prey, the clear sky overhead setting the pale snow alight. The she-cat doesn't think much of the sounds Wavepaw makes when he discovers a mouse, leaving the hunt to the apprentice while she keeps her own senses sharp for other prey. She only realizes something might have happened and pauses when a thud echoes through their surroundings at his collision with a tree — and Hawkcloud turns and hurries in his direction when she hears the young tom's muffled cry for help.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out!" the she-cat calls once she reaches Wavepaw and discovers him buried beneath a pile of snow. Immediately, her paws find the top of the snow heap and she begins quickly digging, not stopping until she spots the gray of his pelt. Once she does, Hawkcloud lets out a quick breath of relief, continuing to scoop the freezing snow around him to free the apprentice. When she sees Wavepaw's head, the warrior leans over and aims to sink her teeth into the young tom's scruff, hoping to tug him free the rest of the way. "Are you alright?" Hawkcloud pants.​

 

[SMOKESTAR]

—————————————————————⊰★⊱————————————————————
Being buried under the snow didn't seem so terrifying, but he was familiar enough with the idea of being suffocated that such a fate didn't appeal to the dark looming form of the leader. The sound of Wavepaw's frantic cries sent him moving in that direction with a swiftness his stocky frame didn't often have, he was built more for battle than speed, but he kicked up snow in his wake as he dashed onto the scene just in time to see Hawkcloud wretch the blue tabby free from his frozen prison. A sigh of relief rolled from his maw as a billowing cloud of cold air, he slowed as he stalked over with stiff steps and the cold seeping into his paws, "Thank you, Hawkcloud..."
The ginger molly's quick response spared Wavepaw a bad cold at best and a slow death beneath a carpet of white at worst, "Wavepaw, you should get back to camp and groom yourself dry, letting your fur stay wet in this weather is going to send you right to Ravensong's den."

✘ I've got a reputation and a name to uphold. ✘ Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.

• OOC can go here.
• 
  
  
  Smokestar
  —⊰⋅ Leader of RiverClan
  —⊰⋅ He/Him
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ Black tom w/vitiligo & one orange eye.
  

​

 

[Silverbreath]

*+:｡.｡ The recently promoted line of apprentices were all just so painfully small. Silverbreath found his heart squeezing all over again, remembering the reluctance he felt letting Carp-paw out of his grasp when she became an apprentice at Wavepaw's age. Maybe any cat of any size would've struggled to get out from underneath a heavy mountain of snow, but he couldn't help but wonder. Silverbreath was only a second behind smokestar, and though he smiled in relief seeing Hawkcloud had the situation handled, the thought at hand still made the corners of the father's mouth just that little bit more difficult to raise.
"I agree. Snow is water that has lost its languid flow," he recites stepping forward and aiming to groom the apprentice's head and shoulder's, hoping to help begin the process of drying him, "becoming stubborn and clingy, best to shake off before it weighs you down" Looking up at those present, tilting his head to the side, "perhaps we should all join Wavepaw on the trek home, lest the snow weighs down our pelts and paws next?" A breezy way to say he was absolutely freezing and could use a break from the cold-weather hunting.

*+:｡.｡ Updated 12/15/23

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  GENERAL:
  ☮ Silverbreath
  ☮ DMAB— He/Him — Bisexual
  ☮ 35 moons — Ages 1 moon every month real-time
  ☮ Father to Carp-paw, Mentoring Goldenpaw
  ☮ Riverclan — Warrior
  
  
  
  
  
  
  COMBAT:
  ☮Physically hard | mentally hard
  ☮ Attack in bold #7d7d7d
  injuries: None currently

​

 

[ROOKFANG]

THE HERMIT ─── The beauty of the snow always hid the deadliness of it, veiled behind the shimmering of its being when the falling rays of sun basked over it. To Rookfang, leafbare was a sour weather for him, he was one of felines who held a personal vendetta against it. Was it the bitter reminder of the crimson splashes that had settled on the purity of snow when he had been a child? Or the harshness it created when it caused life all around to come to a standstill as if a sleeping giant had engulfed them all in one sitting. Regardless of whatever baggage that bitterly reminded him of the distaste, he was focused more on making sure they were able to find some food to bring back to the clan. His stormy eyes were narrowed to barely visible slits as he had to squint from the stark reflection of the snow that made it harder to see. Once again...another reason now that the large jagged scar that marked his vision inhibited already his pathetic excuse of eyesight. He lowered his head down to the ground, dark nose pressing against the cold surface as he sniffed for any trace of prey, jaws parting slowly as he inhaled to allow the process of different scents to register.

That was until a nearby thud from the areas the others from the hunting patrol were and a muffled exclamation, one that nearly was swept away by a following breeze. With the fresh memories of rogues attacking them in their territory, Rookfang had instinctively grown to snap in action as he rushed in, shortly behind Smokestar and Silverbreath, prepared claws unsheathed and his blood coursing with adrenaline. There was no enemy in sight other than the pile of snow that had swallowed the young apprentice as Hawkcloud managed to drag him out of the cold cocoon. His muscles slowly relaxed back into a more soothing posture, tension draining itself away as the burnt sienna warrior allowed his claws to hide away as he watched Silverbreath join in to warm up Wavepaw's form. "This wretched snow wants to take us all, it seems. I'm still determined to bring something back but we can head if everyone else would like to." An exasperated sigh pushed itself out as he glared at the pile, wondering if there should be a lesson taught in what to do. He didn't want it to happen to anyone else but recently, snow was encasing them like it was meant to be their tombs. By Starclan, that was not how he wanted to go out. ​