FLOAT BACK TO THE SUMMER TIME 🕷️ a little sweet treat

[Briarthorn]

.·:*¨༺🕷༻¨*:·. Swollen mud makes a skin-crawling noise as black paws find themselves in unavoidable water-logged pits. The season of rain has long passed, but now it’s the thick, moisture-laden air that now creates an especially sticky terrain. Dry, scattered needles are Briarthorns sanctuary as the young warrior chooses her steps carefully, her gait light and fluid.
Squelch.
Something ruptures between ebony toes, the beaded texture more resembling frog eggs than mud. Briarthorn comes to an abrupt stop, lifting her forepaw to assess whatever she had just stepped on. Normally blush-toned paw pads are stained with dark indigos and violets, and at first Briarthorn is dumbfounded. "What the…" the young warriors words to whoever was accompanying her trail off as golden-ringed optics fall to the floor, where the rest of the squished blackberry lay, now partially covered in mud. "There must be a bush nearby." Briarthorn states, and is proven right when a short trail of the berries fallen comrades leads the ShadowClanners to a formerly lush blackberry bush, now slightly wilting under the fiery green-leaf sun. Large, ripened berries are nestled within its leaves, and Briarthorn reaches out to pick one with an unsheathed claw. The tear in the fruits flesh expels a sweet scent, and Briarthorn looks to the rest of her patrol, "I’m surprised this hasn’t been picked clean yet." With that, the warrior pops the berry into her mouth. Steely as she was, who didn’t enjoy a sweet treat?

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ALL YOU HAVE IS YOUR FIRE ⋅ ࿏ ⋅ AND THE PLACE YOU NEED TO REACH ──┐‎

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  BRIARTHORN ꔫ she/her, warrior of shadowclan, 12 moons.
  ⭃ slender, lean-muscled black she-cat with sharp hazel eyes & large ears.
  ⭃ daughter of Forestshade && Vulturemask ࿏ sister to Screechpaw && Sweetpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[THRASHERTHROAT]

જ➶ A mind shifts and swirls, ebbing and flowing from one nonimportant thought to another. They have long since tuned out the soft chatter of this patrol, expressive gaze upon the canopy of trees and pine needles above that might glean them the singular view of a passing feathered friend. He hasn't seen one in a good long while and perhaps today is the day that they might chance upon a glimpse. If only they kept their eyes up for the sudden stop almost makes him bump into Briarthorn. Pulling ears forward they allow their gaze to wander down and upon what they are talking about. Nose twitching as the sweet scent slips into open nostrils. "Oh..." They mutter gently. Not a confirmation but merely a vocal of the idea of what she has stepped in. Then easily enough they follow after as they are led on a path that brings them to the heavily bogged down berry bush.

"This is a nice find. Perhaps we should bring some back for the kits. I'm sure they may like a pleasant treat besides the skin of frogs." Wistfully they smile, keeping their tone quiet as they lean forward and nibble on a berry themselves. The juice coats a pale pink tongue and gives a strange and yet enjoyable sweet flavor.​

 

[smogstar]

Shadowing ShadowClan patrols as ShadowClan's leader. Not leading them, but being a presence nonetheless, as their leader. Smogstar's mind twists into knots trying to comprehend how exactly it all works. This wouldn't be his first outing since rising to the helm, but the premise remains abstract and difficult to digest.

The tom follows along dutifully behind Briarthorn and Thrasherthroat, ears alert, body poised in cautious repose, tail lifted behind him. Reeds and bulrushes pass him by in a silent blur before the ground gives way to a more solid footing. Firm earth, grass springing forth lush and healthy. Verdant undergrowth, scented fresh and- and sweet? Having tuned out chitchat and babble from the outset like Thrasherthroat, Smogstar's stride only goes interrupted when the black-furred she-cat at the fore ceases, halting the patrol in turn.

Ears point forward then, curiosity tickling the tufts. Eyes trickle down to Briarthorn's paws all the while. Dewy speckles of this rich, inky purplish colour wink back at him amidst the mud on her fur. He spots the squished berry shortly thereafter, crushed and abandoned to the elements. No names to place to such a plant and smell, so he draws his gaze back up in wait of a response—only, Briarthorn had given her response already, her reaction the very reason Smogstar'd peered below in the first place. Glancing upward, he sees the patrol moving toward the denser fringes already, and he picks up his pace to a jog.

Stopping in his tracks for a second time yields him a view that is entirely new to him. From the swampy greenery in front of his patrolmates emerges this bush thick with foliage, packed with dark berries plump, juicy, and ripe. Piqued with interest, he steps close enough to give the lowest-hanging fruit an exploratory lick. "Oh, ohohoho." It promptly ends up in his mouth. They're bulbous and small, covered in these compact pustules, and a bit sour, but still manage to maintain a hint of sweetness to their aftertaste.

Looking to the other two, both whom made mention of plucking the bush dry, it would seem their next course of action was quite clear. "If we gathered a couple'a leaves, flat ones, we could drag a bounty back to camp," Smogstar meows, expression clenching for a moment as he imagines the return trek through muddy terrain. It'd be worth it, he reckons in the end. "Should we do that? I think we should do that."​

 

[FERNDANCE]

Mud coated the tabby from shoulder to claw as she maneuvered a short distance behind the patrol, her mind elsewhere in its lingering grief. She had thought it would stay like that for some time, that her other clanmates would have to pick up the slack just this once, but something distracted them. Noises from the front of the patrol caused her brown ears to twitch and swivel forwards and, when her gaze settled on them, she spotted a berry massacre at Briarthorn's paws. Cool colours swirled together, almost looking worthy enough to decorate her den with. They would likely rot quickly in the heat and moss, but the thought still lingered as she trotted closer to her clanmates. I'm surprised this hasn't been picked clean yet, Briarthorn said, and Ferndance tilted her head, her tone matter-of-fact. "Well, that's probably because it's poisonous..."

She turned her sights towards Thrasherthroat and Smogstar, sympathy glinting in her emerald eyes. Smogstar had the benefit of eight more lives, but Thrasher? Poor Thrasher would have to be content with just zero if he continued eating berries. That was, at least, the story she aimed to tell. A facetious smile flushed away the gravity of the danger, her tail swaying back and forth as if preparing to pounce. "I'm just kidding... they won't hurt you... did you know that?" There is a maternal lesson in there somewhere, a reminder not to eat unknown things - but the cinnamon tabby didn't know if she meant it for her clanmates or herself. Thankfully, at least this time, she was aware that blackberries were perfectly safe to eat. Settled on her haunches, Ferndance grabbed at one with both forepaws and brought it to her mouth, purring at the sweet juices that transcended through the taste of mud.

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[Ternfrost.]

ABANDON ALL YOUR STUPID DREAMS
ABOUT THE GIRL I COULD HAVE BEEN, MY DEAR​

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maggotfur ♛ 20 moons ♛ female ♛ she/her ♛ shadowclan warrior ​

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Briarthorn drags the molly from her musings with a quiet exclamation, blue eyes landing upon black-shadow she-cat as she starees at something on her paw. Whatever she's expecting, it's not for the other to point out a nearby blackberry bush/ Blackberries - a bittersweet treat, for all that their violet stain are a pain to pull from snow white fur. And yet, the she-cats nose wrinkles in disgust, as one after another Briarthorn and Smogstar and even Ferndance begin to snack on the fruits. Instead, a queasy look passes across her features as she shudders - " How can you stand to eat those? " the thought alone is stomach churning. she'd much rather a lizard or a frog or - actually, a lizard sunds quite good right about now.

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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A N D - I F - Y O U ' R E - B L I N D - T O - T H A T ,━ I ' M - F I N E - W I T H - T H A T

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