DEFEATED NIGHT [🍂] unusual border activity

[STUMPYSPOTS]

STUMPYSPOTS​

Stumpyspots is on a border patrol today, and of course as she did the rain started to pour. Suddenly the honors of defending ShadowClan’s borders didn’t seem so grand, she’d much rather be cozied up in camp… but tis’ the uncomfortable life of a warrior. All went on as normal until they made it to the Thunderpath. That’s when things began to get… odd… A thick layer of mud had formulated in the ditch, though the rain drowned them out there was definetely the smell of an unfamiliar cat… no- cats. If that wasn’t enough proof, fresh pawprints were scattered all over in the mud. Literally- all over as if they had been frantically walking around. Stumpyspots screws up her face, ”What in good StarClan…?” She looks back at her patrol, dumbfounded, ”This ain’t WindClan… is it? Can’t tell with all this cursed rain.” She complains before opening her maw to get another taste of the air.

*.☽ INFO BATTLE

• 
  » Halfmaw . Stumpyspots
  » ShadowClan Warrior
  » She/her ․ Twice Widowed
  » Calico she-cat with rounded features.
  » ”speech”․ thoughts ․ attack
  
• 
  » A heavy hitting foe capable of standing her ground
  » Excels in slow, but powerful blows and kicks.
  » Fights to defend and protect
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

​

 

[hitch]

He stares at the flurry of pawtracks, his jaw muscles flexing. He doesn't think it's WindClan— they've attacked before, but the tracks go over and then back. Rosemire doubts they came for prey; frogs and lizards aren't most clans' idea of a tasty meal, and with so many warriors on the journey, surely even Sootstar would not risk those she has for a dispute. Still, Stumpyspots is right that the rain makes it damned hard to say for certain.

"We'll keep an eye out, finish our patrol, and then we go straight to Chilledstar," he proposes, with a searching glance for his fellow rain-soaked ShadowClanners.
​

​

 

[Skunktail]

The black and white tom trailed behind Stumpyspots, pausing to scent the air and finding that as the elder warrior had stated it was nigh impossible to determine who might have left these. It could've even been one of their own patrols if he didn't know better, if he didn't know no one had come out here since the other day until now.
"I wouldn't put it past those moor rats but, it's hard to say..." You would think Sootstar had enough to deal with given her recent runaway deputy she felt the need to announce so obnoxiously at the last gathering. Skunktail shakes his pelt out, sending droplets everywhere but the faint drizzling downpour coated him once more in shimmering dew; it was a losing battle staying dry today. When Rosemire speaks he gives a snort and a nod, annoyed that this was yet another thing for ShadowClan to have to deal with, "Suppose we keep going further down? See if there's anymore?"
Maybe they could pick up a trail, a direction, something to help indicate whose paws placed upon their territory so blatantly.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[Ooc]
Apprentice Tag - @Briarpaw.
​

 

[lilacfur]

Mud-caked paws were beginning to weigh down on her as they continued to trudge through the marsh. Today was especially gloomy and gritty with the rain, but Lilacfur greatly preferred it over the intense heat. Mud could be easily cleaned off and washed away and her fur was a wonderful protectant against the cold and rain. The summer only drove her to wish she could rip her coat off for any relief.

"You'll have to get used to the rain pretty quickly, I'll show you some of the best spots where you can keep dry while on hunts, though." She advised Ghostpaw as the rain had come down to the point her whiskers had become their own waterfalls. As the patrol slowed down, though, and they came closer to the border, Lilacfur gave a rough shake of her pelt to loosen the water within her coat. Strands all across her pelt stuck out like bits of fuzz, and the she-cat looked more like a hedgehog than a cat.

Lilacfur hurried to get closer to Stumpyspots as she looked around. She's right though, the rain made it hard to pinpoint anything specific other than cat in these tracks.

"Can't tell if there were so many or just a few cats running about... WindClan better keep their bunny-tailed hides to themselves." All of the Clans were hurting for hunters, how dare they try and take from a neighbor equally suffering?

-- @GHOSTPAW. ​

[ sad hello's and mad high low's ]​

 

[GRANITEPELT]

Granitepelt stalks behind the older warriors, alongside Lilacfur and his own apprentice. The gray warrior tastes the air as the others do, a frown creasing his maw. Perhaps a cat less initiated with the moorland reek of WindClan would easily be confused, but he shakes his head impatiently. “It’s not WindClan. I can’t tell who it is, though…” Green eyes narrow into shadowy slits, and his tail lashes with relative frustration. “Whoever it was, though, it showing off. Look at how many paw prints there are here.”

The warrior forgets about Applepaw for a moment. He turns to her, his jaw clenched tight. “You know what WindClan’s scent is like. You tell me.” An incredibly unfair question directed to a green apprentice in the pouring rain, but Granitepelt is more distracted by what lays before them than he is concerned about Applepaw’s training.

ooc ✧ 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖎𝖙'𝖘 𝖙𝖗𝖚𝖊, 𝖎 𝖍𝖚𝖗𝖙 𝖙𝖔𝖔 - 𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗, 𝖎 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚?

• apprentice tag @APPLEPAW
•  
• 

  — granitekit . granitepaw . granitepelt
  — he/him ; warrior of shadowclan
  — heterosexual ; taken by Starlingheart
  — short-haired gray tom with white and green eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Meg

​

 

[NETTLEPAW ♡]

Fur flattened in spots where the rain had struck ruddy fur, Nettlepaw walked alongside the rest of the patrol, snow-dipped head held high. Though the weather was positively miserable, he wouldn't be if he could help it. Which he could, very much. Jay-feather eyes gazed forward, focus a sheen over the sapphire, until his attention was captured by the small commotion. Glancing backward toward his mentor with a perplexed twinge to his face, his curiosity pulled him forward. A maze of paw prints sprawled before them, and the air smelled not only damp but staunchly unfamiliar.

"If it's any of the other Clans... someone's lost, aren't they?" The graveness that gripped the rest of the cats on the patrol didn't seem to touch Nettlepaw at all- he spoke as if he'd seen something as easily-accepted and unremarkable as a toad. Curious eyes moved without fanfare to Skunktail; he liked that idea. Following, seeing if anything else was amiss...​

penned by pin ♡​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

---

"then they best get lost elsewhere."

the gruff tone of chilledstar comes from behind the apprentice, gaze squinting as they take in the scent themself. ugh. definitely not windclan but vaguely familiar nonetheless. something within their childhood makes it that way, but that certainly was a life left behind. they lashed their tail, gesturing to screechpaw.

"take in the scent and remember it. it's not windclan, but it's close. if you ever sense something like this but not quite the same, it may be windclan. don't interact with those rabbitbrains. they are as crazed as their leader."

they huffed angrily, with a lash of their tail. they didn't want to stay here any longer. it was not as if they were exactly in the best shape to go and investigate. if there was a threat, surely it would wipe them out before they could scream for help.

"let's go, then."

@SCREECHPAW apprentice tag
​

 

[APPLEJAW]

Stumpyspots’ call of surprise is what dredges Applepaw out of from her thoughts – the kind of thinking that had her focusing so hard on paying attention, that she wasn’t truly grasping much of anything at all. Applepaw observes the flurry of pawprints with a furrow in her brow. Keep an eye out, is a basic reply – from Comfreypaw’s mentor, and Applepaw laments that the two of them could not have been on this patrol together, though Ghostpaw is not the worst of substitutes. Close to her, and naturally by her mentor, Applepaw stalks, discomforted by the rain.

She can’t imagine that Sootstar would send a warrior over so who doesn’t know not to leave such a mess in their wake. She vaguely agrees with the rest of the clan – she was not alone in being uncertain, and it wasn’t really up to her to make these kind of shots around warriors, was it? She keeps her jaw shut, sharing the sentiment that WindClan ought to leave them alone.

She’s caught off guard when her mentor suddenly fixes her with a question. The apprentice blinks, almost caught on a response of, do I? During the gathering, she supposes that she’d spoken to WindClan. " Uh— " She hates to stutter. Her ears shift uncomfortably. " I don't... think so, " with the thought shared by others, she’s not entirely uneasy to say so, though really, she can’t smell much at all. " A – A loner maybe? A rogue? The other clans would know that… there’s not much worth taking over here, " she cautiously asserts.

“ If it's any of the other Clans... someone's lost, aren't they? ” She casts a glance to Nettlepaw. She thinks an assassin would try harder to be sneaky, so… maybe. Although the rain would wash away their pawsteps quickly. Would the culprit have waited for rain? It’s probably lucky, that they found these at all. " Since they haven’t been washed away, they’re still near, maybe? " the last word she tacks on, wary of a scolding from her mentor.

Chilledstar, apparently, is not keen to go looking. Applepaw really isn’t either, given the horrible weather. They order that the scent be remembered, and Applepaw does her best not to whine about there hardly even being one to be remembered. Whatever. Applepaw dips her head.

ooc ༊ 𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂

• ooc: ninja'd so i hope this is alright!!

• 

• ( I'M OBSESSED WITH THE MESS THAT'S AMERICA. ) APPLEPAW. kit of shadowclan. eldest sister to swankit, valeriankit, and garlickit.
  —— she / her; confused by the use of others
  —— currently 6 moons old as of 9.27.23. ages every 17th.
  
  longhaired blue torbie with a white chest, paws, and underbelly. A young cat you would describe as " bossy, " Applekit is quick to take charge of any situation she sees herself as the probable head of. A rule - follower to a T, and thinks herself better than the majority of her clan for this. Not ignorant enough to think herself above a warrior, but seeks to gain that status as quickly as possible. Intensely self - motivated to be the best in a mixture of blind, childish desire, and never wanting to be afraid of anything ever again.

​

 

[SCREECHSTORM]

The prospect of a patrol - of getting to explore the forest - is an exciting one for Screechpaw. The tom follows behind his mentor - his fur rain-soaked, his paws mud-covered. But, he doesn't mind the weather one bit, its hindrances lost on him. So long as he gets to be out and about, Screechpaw is content.

Stumpyspots slows to a stop up ahead, a discovery that calls for Chilledstar's attention. He stops behind them, peering over at the reason for their patrol to falter. Pawprints, with no rhyme or reason to their pathway - an odd smell shrouded around the area.

"What is that?" Screechpaw's nose scrunches up at the odor; rain-washed, but pungent all the same. "WindClan?" He's yet to learn the moor's scent, but it must be as frightful as the tales he'd heard about them. A dark tail flicks, urging the young apprentice forward to memorize the unfortunate scent. It's not WindClan, he learns, but they hold a similar smell.

Screechpaw nods, listening to Nettlepaw's words that follow. Someone lost, maybe. The dark-furred apprentice is aware of how easy that could be, in the marshes. A loner, a rogue, Applepaw suggests. They could still be near by, the older apprentice continues. There's a glimmer in Screechpaw's gaze at the idea of finding the strangers - one that dies out at Chilledstar's instruction to leave it be.

"But, what if they come back?" he asks, moving to follow behind his mentor. Shouldn't they fight them now, instead of later?

✦ ABOUT

• 
  
  SCREECHKIT ‣ SCREECHPAW, Apprentice of ShadowClan
  — Forestshade x Vulturemask
  — AMAB; He/Him
  — A black/red tabby chimera tom with mismatched green eyes.
  — Mentored by Chilledstar
  — "Speech"; Attack
  
  ✦･ﾟ: * — His loud entrance into the world bestows upon him a name apt for the path the tom forges. As the troublemaker of his unknowingly half-clan litter, Screechpaw is bound to be known for his curiosity-led escapes and poor attendance as he steps foot into his apprenticeship.
  

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