FORGOTTEN PATHS | scouting patrol

[BUCKGAIT.]

MY NAME IS BRUTUS AND MY NAME MEANS HEAVY ✧​

the camp is no longer a safe haven, the water lapping at the edge of the walls and reaching in closer. she had thought of sacrificing cicada to it, let it be happy with the body of one. she had decided against it, of course, which is why she is now left with leading another patrol. @STORMPAW ! close by her side, having instructed the young tom to keep a sharp mind and eye. look for what may be habitable. she leads them to the home of the gorge, furthest from the water. it is all led on the hope that the water does not reach that far. alongside her apprentice, she had called upon @Redpath and @apricotflower, letting the two watch over @Lambpaw. there is no reason this cannot be a teaching moment for the apprentices. further back she had stuck @Smokethroat and @Cindershade, not truly wanting to deal with the tom and hoping the molly will keep him away from her. she truly hopes he trips into the damned gorge if he speaks out again.

the scent of the river gets fainter, and she knows it will not be long until they find their destination. "keep your eyes sharp. the gorge is not one to be careless with. remember your step." the deputy warns, her own falling into a rhythm she had learnt in her youth. as a kit, the gorge scared her. the water is quick and hungry, quick to swallow anything that falls in. she can conquer the slipping stones, learn the ebb and flow of her home, but none could survive the always starving gorge. she knew it, and therefore she respected it enough to stay away.

but there is no choice now, the riverclanners must be relocated until the water retreats. caraway cannot stay there much longer, nor can their kits. when the trees start to disperse, she knows they have arrived. a barren place with minimal foliage. they'd be out in the open more, but free from flooding. with a silent signal, she lets the patrol explore. "watch for signs of the river. anything that could make this area unfit." with that, she beckons storm to follow her to the mouth of the gorge. she needs to check to see if the ground is loose.
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[Redpath]

The gorge was a force to be reckoned with, and she respected it's power by staying the fuck away from it. Get too close and the ground could betray you, take you plummeting down to the raging river below. One wrong step, and you'll never see the light of day again.

She looked around carefully, thinking this area was pretty barren and that they would need some kind of shelter, but they couldn't be picky right now.

She would wander off at Buckgaits command, starting her search as far from the gorge as possible without losing sight of the patrol.

"Sure hope we find something out here...." She said, scanning the area.
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[Cindershade]

The river finally had over flowed from its banks, raging water engulfing all within it's wake. Their camp was now flooded, currents threatening to take over the clearing at any moment. Luckily wading through the water wasn't so much of an issue, but was no way a safe place to return home to in order to rest. Cindershade sighed, trailing behind the patrol beside Smokethroat as they traversed through the now marshy plain by the gorge. Buckgait ordered them to watch themselves, keeping their eyes keen near the gorge. It surely was no place to hang about, it's rushing water frothing around as if a demonic behemoth lie in wait, hungry for it's next victim. The shaded warrior fell into the same rhythm as her deputy, the trail all too familiar for her.
Once they veered away from the shelter of trees, Buckgait had signaled for them to disperse and search around. Cindershade replies with a mere flick of her thick tail before trailing off around the open land. Shrubs grew so few here, the clearing barely showing any signs of life besides patches of spindly grass that pricked at her rough pads. She sighed, already missing the familiar cat tails and sedge of home. "There's literally nothing out here.." She muttered to no one in particular, nosing her way for any sign of potential danger.
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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​

 

[STORMWHISKER]

The gorge is a fearsome beast to Stormpaw, many a time he had seen it now, and each time he does he wants nothing more to do with it so upon his mentor's request he has no problem giving it a wide berth, carefully avoiding it lest he finds himself thrown into the raging river below. Stormpaw does not like being exposed as much as any other member of his patrol, but as he looks around and sees all the doubtful faces he cannot help but fee defiant. "We'll only be here temporarily until our camp is back to normal right?" he asks, casting his mentor a sideways glance as he speaks. Since when was he saying things like 'our' and 'we'? Perhaps this place really was growing on him after all. "We could make a den out of these brambles, it won't be hard!" he says gesturing with his paw to said brambles in question.

Still, he had to admit the bareness unnerved him and even now his body aches for what had now become familiar to him. Change is not a thing he enjoyed but he wanted to put a brave face on for Darkpaw and all his other clanmates, especially his mentor, who he is certain expects him to be strong just like his brother. ​

 

[SMOKESTAR]

He's thinking on how Sootstar and Buckgait would probably get along swimmingly if his idea of the WindClan leader and what he'd seen at the gatherings is anything to go by and the thought makes him uneasy. Well, if Cicadastar died anytime soon he would already be dealing with the worst thing to happen in his life so nothing would sway him from killing her if it came down to it in the end. RiverClan would not end up the brutal environment the moors had become if he could help it. For now, things were fine. The thoughts, intrusive as they were, carried the weight of all that had happened with the vermins across the river and he was dwelling on it even still. He should be focusing on surveying the area around them but he was also idly wondering if this patrol was an attempt to mollify him or genuine effort. Probably to shut him up. Whatever, so long as she kept it this neutral that he couldn't tell he could live with it. Her dislike of him was forever going to be a mystery for he didn't much care to solve it, but she sure didn't like looking in a mirror much if she despised him. The thought almost makes him chuckle but he instead shakes his head, wandering alongside Cindershade where they had both been placed in the back of the patrol to both guard its flank and he assume keep him away from Buckgait; fine with him.

"Stormpaw has a fair idea. It's not ideal, but it works for the time being." He could show off his horrid weaving skills some more. "I do not like being so close to the gorge but...so long as we put the kittens further inland and keep a cat on sentry it should work out fine." The quiet fear of a kit tumbling into that abyss was gnawing at the back of his mind now.
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[apricotflower]

"We could also maybe build a little barrier to keep the kits in?" Apricotflower suggests, a shudder accompanying her words as she peers over the side of the gorge. She takes a few bouncy steps back towards Smokethroat, though the mental image of a Clanmate tumbling over the edge lingers unpleasantly in her mind. Apricotflower shoves it away with a shake-out of her long fur. "And we might be able to weave reeds into the brambles to reinforce the temporary dens. This ... is definitely an option, I think."​

 

[BUCKGAIT.]

MY NAME IS BRUTUS AND MY NAME MEANS HEAVY ✧​

with cautious and testing steps, buck can find that the gorge is stable enough. not wavering nor loose, and it brings a slight bit of confidence to her. she watches cindershade and redpath pad out, following her command. though, they do not keep her attention long, switching it to her apprentice. he's smart, listening to the land and giving the gorge the respect it demands. she thinks that some could follow in his pawsteps, had they not been so stubborn. "no. the gorge does not support so much life long-term. we'll come back when it's safe." she returns his sidelong glance, a cocked brow at the use of possession. though she does not talk on it, he is still in charge of his own path.

the white-dappled deputy nods at his assessment, eyeing loose branches and twigs they could manipulate. "good, storm. look for more weaving supplies, and then we can see how much we can build." she gives her command before walking away, always keeping the storm-ladden tom in her peripheral. she nears the rest of her patrol, giving little reaction to their ideas. a slight nod of the head to show she's heard them, but keeps silent for several beats.

"we'll keep the nursery furthest from the gorge and have stricter supervision with kits and reckless apprentices. keep warriors closest to gorge, but on firm soil. we can keep a better track. a barrier is smart, apricot." she addresses the orange-kissed molly briefly, head moving to watch the gorge once more. they'll need light paws, but it can hold the camp in the meantime.
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[Cindershade]

Her tail sways along with her as she walks, mentally taking notes of the other's suggestions with a small nod in agreement. It felt awkward not being sheltered below the canopy of willows, to be left out in the open for all to see. It felt almost—foreign to her now. Cindershade had not slept under a vast sky of stars in seasons; especially in the middle of Leaf-Bare. "Sounds good." The warrior muses in response, reaching to grab some bramble whilst ignoring the stinging sensation of thorns digging into her fur. The sound of Buckgait's airy steps make her velvet ears flick in her direction before turning to her with a gentle sway of her tail. "I'll help find weaving supplies, too." She offers, pulling herself into dark paws before setting off to grab reeds, if there was any around anyways. She hadn't paid too much attention to the landscape up here, besides near the riverbanks during their hunting parties. Hopefully, there would be something that'd be of good use to them.
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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​