camp FORG || Noisy frogs, prompt

[Sundewtail]

She had been waiting all day for the sun to set. It was hot and muggy out in the day time and sometimes at night too, but usually it was better when the sun wasn't beating down on you.

That wasn't the only thing she was waiting for either! When the sun sets, the frogs come out and sing. Most cats saw this as irritating, loud noises that kept them awake at night.

Not Flytrapjaw though!

She loved frogs. They were funny little guys that made weird noises. She sat in the middle of camp and listened to the latest in frog gossip.....

And decided to join in.

She tried her best to imitate one of the croaks she hears every night.

"Rrrrt......Rrrrt...."

There was now another noisy frog keeping everyone awake.
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[betonyfrost]

A single green eye cracks open. Betonyfrost asks herself silently what terrible thing she's done in her life to deserve to be punished so thoroughly, then, with a visible effort, Betonyfrost pushes herself to her paws. The frog, while annoying, was excusable. Animals were not aware of their own ignorance and did not know common decency, not in the way a cat did. A frog didn't have the rational to check around and see if anyone nearby dozed before it started up a chorus. It was Betonyfrost's misfortune that a frog and this warrior had that in common.

"Can somebody kill whatever that is croaking?" She looks at Flytrapjaw, pointed and sarcastic, "If there's a frog in camp it's earned a space on the freshkill pile. Don't you agree?"​

shadowclan queen | blue mackerel tabby | 19 moons | tags​

 

[GRANITEPELT]

One of Granitepaw's favorite things about sharing the medicine cat's den with Starlingheart is the seclusion it provides. He no longer has paws kicking out at him in the night. No longer has to listen to the snoring of denmates. There's only the softness of Starlingheart's nest, her fur, the strange and enticing spice of herbs their private indulgence.

But even they can't escape the rattling croaks of the frogs in newleaf. ShadowClan's territory is rich with frogsong. It means more prey for their oft-meager fresh-kill pile, but it makes their nights insufferable.

Granitepaw hears some foolish cat trying to imitate one of the frogs and groans. He wants to ignore the commotion, Betonyfrost's familiar sharp voice, but he is already awake. He pushes his way through the ferns, unsurprised to see Flycatcherjaw croaking. He swings his sleep-muddled green eyes to Betonyfrost and yawns in agreement. "Can you catch frogs, or just pretend to be one?" He asks the warrior mockingly. "I could use a midnight snack, I suppose..." His ears swivel, trying to pinpoint the closest source of croaking.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[ROOSTERSTRUT]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The incessant song of the frogs did not fall upon deaf ears. While Roosterstrut was used to the marshlands and all of the noises it had to offer, tonight was particularly loud for some reason. Maybe it was the spirit of newleaf that inspired the frogs to sing? Those dumb little creatures didn't know any better, he was sure, but man he was losing sleep over this.

The warrior quietly emerges from the den, a gentle frown plastered onto his maw though he didn't give the impression that he was necessarily cranky. Roosterstrut wasn't in a bad mood around his clanmates often, except for when a certain mackerel tabby tom was present. It seemed that a lot of cats were waking, especially now that Flytrapjaw was mimicking the croaking right in the midst of camp. "I wonder if scaring them would work..." The orange tabby mused aloud.

He stretches a yawn before smacking his lips, and sighs, "Or we could try hunting them all. Might take a little bit, though." Who knew how many frogs there were? All of that time spent tracking and pouncing... Roosterstrut was personally far too groggy to engage in a full-blown hunting session at the moment. Maybe a collection of sudden yowling from the clan would spook the amphibians into a stunned silence.​

 

[Sundewtail]

The jabs made at her were mean! She was just CONVERSING. It wasn't her fault that frogs were sometimes better conversation partners than some of her fellow clanmates! But she would not be cowed by their negativity. She did not want to be put down, and so she wouldnt! She looked to Betonyfrost and Granitepaw.

"This one thinks you two are downers." She says. "This one excels at hunting frogs, this one just likes the noises they make. What are they saying to each other??? No one knows...."

At least Roosterstrut wasn't being MEAN. "Scaring them will quiet them temporarily.... They'll start up again after they realize it's safe." She explains. "This one won't object to helping silence them, though."

She loved the frogs.....But they were still prey. Sorry frogs. Gotta eat somebody.
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[smogstar]

Smogmaw has sat through rainstorms quieter than this frogstorm. Far quieter. There ought to be billions of them out there in the greater marsh, shrieking in tandem with the masses in their ear-splitting choir. If all of ShadowClan's claws were to scrape against Clanrock in unison, the sound would be ten times as pleasant as this. The clamour is enough to drive any sensibly-minded cat mad, but given how the deputy has already reached such a point, he finds himself able to remain composed as he departs from his nest in the warrior's den and crosses the thorny threshold into camp. Seems to be where everyone is going right now.

A cavernous yawn splits his jaws when he tries to make sense of the developing conversation, if you could give such a label to vague slander and allegations. Fatigue-worn eyes trail onto Flytrapjaw, the accused, and assess the unsuspecting features amidst her furs. "This one knows if you pretend to be a frog long enough, you'll get warts," warns the tabby, whiskers twitching as he takes the side of the complainants. "Better check for them under your pelt before it's too late, Flytrapjaw."

Growing on his visage throughout all this is a worsening grimace. Who would have known the noise becomes worse after steping outside? Thoughts drift to the nest he shared with Halfshade, and how oh-so pleasant it'd be to fall back asleep. "Maybe the Star-Killer is scaring the frogs out there," suggests Smogmaw in a dry tone, adopting the name Dogfur had given to Pitchstar's killer. ​

 

[FERNDANCE]

She had slept close to busy thunderpaths and in the same barns as stinky horses. Frogs shouldn't have been a problem for the well-travelled Lead Warrior, but as she approached the gathered group, it was hard to hold back from yawning loudly. It was positive they were so noisy, she told herself to cope, it meant that there were actually frogs to hunt, instead of just an empty silence and the sound of rumbling bellies. She smiled quaintly as Flytrapjaw began to repeat the noises of the wetlands, the accuracy of the imitations causing her to blink in surprise. "Frogs are bitches too..." She decided quietly; yet another prey animal to add to the list of 'bitches' that Ferndance was collecting. Ferndance wondered what would be next, rats? Newts? Before she delved further, her clanmates began to discuss methods to deal with it. Roosterstrut suggested scaring them, with the frog-enthusiast quickly deciding that it wouldn't work. Maybe they would quiet down again once they'd made little frog babies, they weren't the only animals trying to call for such a thing, they were just the most vocal.

"Well... I think we've just gotta block it out. I can ignore loud things all the time, how else do you think I can sleep in the same den as Adderjaw?" She teased, not seeing the warrior around to defend himself at that moment. She moved to Roosterstrut's side, her ears angling in all sorts of directions to try and ascertain where on earth the frog noises were coming from. It was like they'd surrounded camp with their little army of ribbiting warriors, striking not with sharp teeth or claws but instead, with the power of annoyance - perhaps she had more in common with the amphibian than she thought. The mention of the Star-Killer gave the ticked tabby some pause before she burst out into a fit of giggles, a paw hovering just above her unfiltered muzzle. She imagined it was the other way around, it was the frogs that were scaring the Star-Killer, their croaks an alarm system to prevent another ShadowClanner from being hurt by them ever again. It was awfully kind of the frogs, a shame that would be lunch by the next moon. "Smogmaw..." She looks at the Deputy with a sense of wonder, leaning towards the tabby as if prepared to tell him her darkest secret. "Did you know your name rhymes with frog?"

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[betonyfrost]

Betonyfrost's clanmates come trailing out of their respective dens with a mixed amount of ire directed towards Flytrapjaw, who blabbers in that strange way she does. Wondering about the lives of prey is the sort of idle thought that occupies dull minds — Betonyfrost remembers thinking those sorts of things when she was younger, and quickly judges Flytrapjaw as being too old to be curious about this. It only serves to heighten her already burgeoning annoyance.

"The frogs are all asking each other why some strange cat is mocking them," One of Betonyfrost's ears twists and her head tips as if to better listen in on the frogs, "And now they're saying — oh, they're saying something about me. 'Betonyfrost doesn't care if the frogs are croaking as long as the clanmate is quiet.' What do you think that could mean?"​

shadowclan queen | blue mackerel tabby | 19 moons | tags​

 

[Magpiepaw]

The frogs sang at night, the birds during the day. Cyclical, as all things were-just like life. There was a definitive beginning and an end yet unlike cats they did not repeat upon reaching this final point. They merely stopped, ceased to be. The clan discussed the frogs and he listened in, wide blue-violet eyes staring unblinking to the talk at hand of how to cease the gentle lulling croaks of the midnight orchestra. He liked them, he liked the sound, it was a lullaby of his earliest memories dumped in the carrion place and found by many clanmates, the most important of which who still remained was Starlingheart. Magpiepaw adored the songs, whether from birds of amphibians, the ambiance that made ShadowClan what it was. Would they still be the same if not for it? No swamp land, drizzling and dripping leaves, soft and loamy earth beneath paws, mud squishing between toes; it was all several pieces of one big puddle. And also, frankly, he thought the adults present were far too serious for what was a small thing, a simple delight. ShadowClan did love its negativity.
Magpiepaw lifted his head and quietly began to mimic Sundewtail's noise making, "Rrrt, rrrrrtttt..."
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[RIBBITLEAP]

The sounds of his namesake are ever present, a song that seems to never end. Though their song usually lulls him to sleep, the frogs' ribbits are loud tonight. Distracting. A detail hard to miss in the swamps, perhaps this is why Ribbitleap was named after them - perhaps his mother couldn't think of anything else with their droll going on.

And it seems he's not the only one struggling to sleep to their harmonies, ears twitching at the sound of fellow warriors complaining. And then, imitation. A ribbit from a warrior, then from an apprentice across the way. A sleepy gaze lifts, a realization at hand. He's named Ribbitleap, but has never made the sound himself. Those imitating the frogs are more worthy of his name than he is, at this point.

The warrior is silent for a moment, before he too imitates their song. "Rrrt-rrt," he ribbits out, a croaking noise that feels strange to make.
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