FAMILIAR CREAK IN YOUR FLOORBOARDS — shadowclan patrol

[PITCHSTAR]

Pitchstar spends the walk to the ThunderClan border in brooding silence. Once the acrid stench of the Thunderpath burns his nose, however, he's snapped from his thoughts. The fur along his spine rises, wild eyes searching for danger even though he knows that the monsters do not leave the asphalt. "No one goes near the path, understood? If you do, you'll be tasting mouse bile for the moons to come." He doesn't want anyone else to die. He doesn't want to clean someone's remains off of the asphalt for the second time this moon.

"If you see a ThunderClan patrol, don't waste your breath with idle chit-chat. We're here to mark the border, not make friends." Pitchstar doesn't want this to drag on any longer than it must. He wants to crawl back into his pathetic excuse of a nest and cry himself dry of tears for the second time that day.

[ @turtlenose @STARLINGPAW . @GRANITEPAW @spice @Siltcloud. thunderclanners are free to post before those tagged, but please try to avoid spamming before the rest of the shadowclanners have the chance to post! <3 ]​

 

[turtlenose]

Following in line behind Pitchstar, the woman would nod in response to his orders. Knowing there was no reason to communicate with Thunderclanners, (not that she’d care to otherwise) she would glance across the border momentarily. Before making any moves, she would elect to wait for the signal before moving to begin setting the borders.


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[Flickerpaw]

"JUST LIKE FIRE, BURNING UP THE WAY"​

The sun was barely peaking over the horizon, dipping the dark sky into a shade of light blue and purple. It would have probably been around the time the warrior's had awoken and started to gather patrols when the tortoiseshell she-cat stumbled out of the clearing that held the extra giant tree. Part of her wanted to stop longer and climb even higher then she had (to the first set of branches), but had wanted to try and get as much area explored as she could before she got discovered.

So with a slightly defeated sigh, she moved closer towards the strange smelling section of the forest. As she pushed through the brush, her thoughts trailed to her siblings back at camp. While she would have love to bring them along on her mischievous adventure, she also didn't want to get caught. And with how loud Sparkkit could get when excited, there was no way she was gonna chance waking them all up and ruining her sudden midnight plan. The sibling felt a twinge of loneliness however, as she experienced all the new things she had gotten to see on her nightly walk without any family by her side to joke or play with. Made it a bit....boring.

However, when the bushes cleared and the forest opened up into a sudden field, the thought flew out of her mind. Excitement drummed in her chest as she stumbled forward towards the line of inky black. It's scent was awful, like nothing she had ever smelled. And here she thought the smell of burnt and rotted wood was bad. Looking down each section of the large black path, she couldn't find where it ended on either side. Does it go on forever? I wonder what kind of creature uses these to travel... Something super big I bet! Hmmm. I wonder why they need this though.... Even though she disliked the smell, Flickerkit pranced her way into the path to look closer at the bright yellow line that seemed to break to the blackness. It's smoother then the black... Oh! There's more over there!

Without a thought, the fiery kitten moved further into the warm stone path to investigate the middle, where two strips of yellow laid side by side. The warmth of the path against the cool morning air felt got against her pads, even if it didn't feel like regular stone. The black part even felt like it would hurt to run on. But the yellow was smoother! And not as hot. I wonder why there are two here... She investigated before she gave a soft gasp. Maybe it's like borders!! If that's it... She looked down the path, seeing it go past the horizon. I wonder how far it goes... And just like that, she started walking.

Flickerkit would only be walking for a few minutes when she picked up noise and words from unfamiliar cats. When she looked around, she was quick enough to see the group of cats coming out of the pines... on the side that was not towards home. At first she crouched low, letting her black and orange body blend in with the smelly stone. That was until her she started questioning why they were there and she stood back up to call over to the group. ❝ HEY DUMB BRAINS!! WHAT ARE YOU SMELLIES DOING NEAR MY HOME?!? ❞ In all honestly, she wasn't sure how they smelled, with the scent of the path filling her nostrils. But she could only guess that any cat not a part of the forest was smelly.

//OOC/TLDR- Flickerkit snuck out at night and has now explored to the Thunderpath! She is currently standing on the south middle yellow stripe (thunderclan side) taunting shadow clanners.
- Permission to scare her by having a car go by at high speeds
- permission to Kitten scruff after / during car going by (shadowclanners included)

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[GRANITEPELT]

The young gray and white tom walks dourly behind his leader, casting paranoid glances over his shoulder as the territory shifts from what he knows. He'd been too overwhelmed to take in the sights on the journey to and from the tunnel, and now that he's paying attention, he fears that anything could appear from the marsh foliage and assault him.

Not that he'd let it, he tells himself. Not that he wouldn't fight and send it back where it came from.

Pitchstar directs them to keep silent, to keep away from the Thunderpath. Granitepaw says nothing, only stares at the back of the rosette tabby's head with a scornful expression. He's paranoid, Granitepaw thinks, and it almost brings a smile to his lips. He does not know why. It doesn't change things -- he's still the annoying cat he's always been, just sadder.

Granitepaw agrees with Pitchstar, though, on one thing. Making friends with ThunderClanners is a waste of time. He stares incredulously as the treeline, thick with underbrush, comes to life from across their border. A tortoiseshell kit springs close to the edge of the Thunderpath and screams at them, calls them 'smellies.'

Granitepaw wrinkles his nose. "ThunderClan has the finest of warriors patrolling their borders, I see," he says in a half-snarl, half-laughing voice.
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[salamander]

She'd been gone for - what? - a few minutes to forage herbs and the patrol had been infiltrated by a kit "Who let a kit out of camp?!" the medicine cat hissed. Paws darted after the kit as she tried to forcefully scoop Flickerkit up by her scruff.

An icy glare that layered as a threat turned to the apprentice who commented on the situation. A dark aura surrounded the medicine ca; a heavy tension that cut any looks or words before they reached her. If no one stopped her, which they really shouldn't, she'd be sure to march Flickerkit right up to Emberstar and demand proper punishment. The kit could have gotten herself killed!​

 

[Sunnyday]

☀ - WHILST MY HEART STILL BEATS
"Flickerkit!" Sunnyday felt his heart lurch violently into his throat as he saw the scene ahead, genuine terror rippling through him. Thankfully Cinderfrost grabbed the wayward youth and brought a halt to any disaster from befalling their clan, especially in front of the likes of ShadowClan, who had seemed content with letting the fates march on without interruption. "How callous! Who taunts a kit in such a dire situation?" He didn't understand and he prayed that the older warriors would reprimand their apprentice.

A monster could heard on the thunderpath, its roar still filling the old warrior with immense unease when it passed. If Flickerkit had been left to continue her incredibly stupid actions then she could have easily have been killed! "Stupid child! What were you thinking?!" Anger wasn't a common emotion for him, but today warranted it for sure. He was visibly struggling to dampen his rage, there was a tremble to his withered form and his ears were still folded back sharply.​

 

[Flycatcher]

Flycatcher had been enjoying the peaceful patrol when Cinderfrost loudly shouted about a kit being out of camp. His green eyes widened in surprise, looking around for the wayward kit until he spots Sunnyday and Cinderfrost rushing towards the thunderpath. The blue tabby follows after them and spots Flickerkit sat there, yelling at a ShadowClan patrol on the other side. "Flickerkit!" He calls out, his tone one of shock but also a command. Thankfully, Cinderfrost is quick to dart onto the thunderpath, picking up Flickerkit by the scruff and spiriting her back to the ThunderClan side.

The lead warrior watches as the two make it back safely, before narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the ShadowClan apprentice who had muttered something in regards to Flickerkit's presence but had been all too content to leave her there. "Flickerkit, what were you thinking?! You could have been killed!" Flycatcher yelled, turning his gaze back to the young kit. Uncharacteristically for him, his words have an annoyed tone to them. Granted it is anger born of worry but it is still there regardless. "Make no mistake, Emberstar will hear of this when we return to camp."​

 

[salamander]

The infuriated medicine cat gingerly placed Flickerkit down. However, a paw would remain firmly on the kitten so she couldn't escape. Teal eyes focused on Flycatcher, silently asking him to go along with what next spilled from her lips, "Yes, Emberstar will know. And, if this behavior keeps up, Flycatcher and I will vouch for a late apprenticeship." Harsh? Most definitely. A stern grip was necessary in this situation, though. With any luck the threat of delayed apprenticeship would scare the kit out of any further misdeeds.

"Could someone please return these herbs to my den? I'm going to have a mouthful with this one." A demand veiled as a question. Whether any complied or not, the blue mink's focus returned to the troublesome kit. The ThunderClan camp was, in no regards, a small vicinity so the children should have plenty of room to play. If this issue persisted then a solution needed to be quickly brainstormed.

For now, though, the medicine cat gently grabbed Flickerkit by the scruff once again. Despite her clear annoyance that stormed like a leafbare blizzard, she was careful when picking up the young child. The she-kit's well-being came before anything else which was why she felt it necessary to speak harshly to a child. ​

 

[PITCHSTAR]

A tortoiseshell kitten stands on the precipice of life and death, tiny paws ghosting just short of the asphalt. Pitchstar does not even register the childish insults spat at them; the tinnitus in his ears deafens the world around him. A child, so close to the Thunderpath. He almost wants to laugh — where has he seen this before?

Pitchstar darts forward, the skin of his pads tearing as the rough surface of the Thunderpath grazes them, leaving a trail of blood behind. It might seem akin to bravery to others, but Pitchstar knows that he is not brave. This is a lack of self-preservation.

"GET AWAY FROM THE THUNDERPATH!" The ShadowClan leader screeches. Before he could reach the kid, a ThunderClan patrol appears in time to snatch her away from death's doorstep. Pitchstar is in front of them within a few heartbeats, heaving breaths as his heart pounds so loud he's certain the ThunderClan cats could hear. He doesn't even register that he's crossed the border, his mind too frazzled, his pulse too rapid. (Even if he was able to register it, it isn't as if he would care.)

"What- was a child doing near the Thunderpath?!" Pitchstar turns on the ThunderClanners once the burning in his lungs has subsided enough. He knows too intimately what happens when a cat is caught beneath a monster's paws. There would be little left of them. And a defenseless, stupid kit-

It's the same way that his mother had died, protecting stupid children from a monster.​

 

[Sunfreckle]

"You're IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!" The large plodding stops of the red tabby echoed like a thunderous warning of a coming storm. He has been frantic in the camp, searching high and low for his missing kitten, almost in tears because with Dovekit so sick he has been so distracted tending to her that he fears he has failed as a parent; that he allowed the needs of one kitten to let him lose the other. It is only when he manages to get a clear idea of where is daughter is from a passing warrior who told him he heard her rambling about 'exploring' that he bolts from the camp into the woods in a frazzled display of tangled red fur tripping and tumbling through briars and bushes in his desperate search.
It is Cinderfrost's voice that pulled him to the Thunderpath and the second he spotted Flickerkit his fear and panic dissolved into fury. The others already there, scolding and chidding the child did not stop him from joining in, his heart beating so rapidly in his chest he thought he might burst.
"I've told you not to leave camp! You could have been crushed under a monster! They're horrible creatures, they'd flatten you! Cats have died here!"
Sunfreckle blinked back the tears threatening to spill over at how relieved he was to find the rambuncious tortie, "Thank you Cinderfrost...I...." It was only then he noticed the ShadowClan patrol and Pitchsun standing in the middle of the road after having rushed over to them in a panic to rescue the child. He could only hope that if the ThunderClan patrol hadn’t found her that the ShadowClanner would have been successful in that regard. Sunfreckled moved over, green eyes curious at the rosette tom standing so rigidly and he tilts his head in a gesture motioning for the other to move more properly off the Thunderpath before talking, “I…thank you-I’m so sorry, she got away from me in camp, I was checking on Dovekit who was still sick…”
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[Sunnyday]

☀ - WHILST MY HEART STILL BEATS
Sunnyday heaved a gruff sigh to convey his lingering annoyance, but he was beginning to calm once more. With luck the number of pissed off cats would make the lesson clear to the likes of Flickerkit, and if it didn't... well, there would be no shortage of lessons to come to drum the message home. Overhearing Cinderfrost's request for someone to grab the herbs that she had collected he silently took up the task. He picked them up with care, albeit with a couple random leaves included since he couldn't tell them apart from the rest, then he prepared himself to follow after the medicine cat.​

 

[Starlingheart]

Starlingpaw treads across the marshes behind her brother, close to her friend. Her mentor and fellow apprentice. This was an exciting day! She had never met Thunder Clan cats before. For a moment she wonders what they will look like, what they would be like. Wind Clan had been a strange sort. Offering them prey and a feast and friendship. They had nearly thrown themselves onto her brothers feet asking for an alliance. Thought political complexities would escape Starlingpaw. She simply just assumes Wind Clan was being nice.

When they stop she nearly bumps into Granitepaw, confused by the sudden interruption. She pulls ups short, managing to only brush against his side softly before her eyes dart to the center of everyone’s attention. A kit in the middle of the thunder path.

It is like her nightmares, what she imagined had happened when her mother had died. The world slows around her as she watches the going ons. She barely registers Granitepaws icy words as he speaks next to her. His voice sounds like a distant buzz. Her attention is focused solely on the child in the middle of the road, her breathing starting to come out in panicked hitches.

Thankfully, someone comes along. Someone grabs the child by the scruff and takes them safely off of the thunder path. No one is squished. No one is dead. She shuts her eyes tight, only opening them when she hears her brother reprimanding the Thunder Clanners who stand on the other side of the thunder path. Slowly she regains her breathing, eyes trained on the cats Pitchstar now stood before. How could they be so careless?
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[Flickerpaw]

"JUST LIKE FIRE, BURNING UP THE WAY"​

When the small kit caught the words of one of the Shadowclanners, she puffed up a bit and stood tall. She was a fine guard! There was no way that she'd let the strange cats criss the double lined border, after all! The fiery she-cat was about to respond before the tell tale sound of a panicked command was shouted her way. The large body of one of the strange cats was suddenly rushing towards her and she felt her words freeze up, her throat close over as she took a pawstep back. That was when she felt teeth in her scruff and she was pulled back and whisked away from the tom running towards her.

She didn't struggle as she was carried off the black stoneway, a bit in shock that she had almost been attacked. Once the cat carrying her jostled to a stop, she realized the familiar scent of Cinderfrost. ❝ C-Cinderfrost!! You save-- ❞ Flickerkit would, of course, not be able to finished those three short words when she felt all chaos break loose. She was suddenly being cornered on all sides by other warriors of the clan, every single one of them drilling into her about what she was thinking. ❝ I....I... ❞ Her throat closed up again, unable to find the words as the adults were suddenly thinking about pushing her apprenticeship back.

Ears tight to her skull, everything suddenly became worse as she heard the familiar voice and three legged gait of her father. Out of the blur of concerned words and conversations around her, it was Sunfreckle's voice and words that pierced through the panicked fog in her brain. "You could have been crushed...cats have died here!" She glanced over towards the...thunder...path? Flickerkit saw the large tom that she had thought was moving to attack her standing there, shaky. He tried to save me...? Suddenly, the small usually rambunctious kitten felt her emotions well up as she burst at into a crying fit.

❝ I-I'M S-S-SORRY DAD!! I--I-I D-DIDNT K-KNOOOW!! I-I just w--anted to explore the f-f-foorest!! I didn-t kn-know I c-could have b-been c-crush--ed... ❞ hanging from the medicine cat's jaws, the usual large kitten was pulling herself inward, wiping her paws across her face in order to hide the tears squeezing out of her closed eyes. She didn't mean to do all this!! Everyone was so angry at her and all she wanted to do was explore!! She didn't mean to make everyone worry! She hung there in defeat, sniffling as the group still buzzed with tension, anger, and disappointment.

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