Fungus Amongus|| Truffles

[Wormtail]

((Wormtail is in the tunnels, so this thread is for tunnelers or anyone that can fit in there!))

Wormtail stalked along the tunnels he called home, looking out for danger and prey as he always does. The ground was cold and hard now, the snow and ice from above chilling the world to it's core.

Long whiskers brushed against the walls as he went, and he could smell a familiar aroma....

That mushroomy scent.... Which told him trees were nearby as well. Which in turn told him that he was nearing the border. He picked up his pace, he was eager to forage the truffles that were nearby and share them with the clan. They might think he's weird, but ...

They probably already do!

He reached the source of the smell and with a little bit of digging, he revealed the lumpy fungus sitting on the roots.

" Excellent! Yer a beautiful lil bastard, aren't ye! He says to the truffle, aware that any cat who followed him probably thinks he's crazy for talking to a mushroom.
​

 

[icebreath]

TAGS — Crazy might be a bit of a strong word, but Icepaw certainly finds it strange when they stumble across their clanmate talking to... mushrooms? Assuming Nightmareface mustn't be too far behind and that she won't mind Icepaw straying a bit off track (she's so flexible sometimes), they approach with pricked ears and a tilted head. "What's so exciting about them?" they ask curiously, peering down at the truffles through round eyes. "Can we eat them?" That'd certainly be helpful, given the season's food shortage. They don't really understand what makes them beautiful, though.
​

 

[bunnywhisker]

Bunnywhisker didn't often visit the tunnels. She is a moor runner, now - she has no need to. Not to mention she simply... didn't want to anymore. She figures that that's reason enough. Still, with the oncoming and neverending storm, Bunnywhisker figures she can set aside her personal issues for a bit if reprieve from the storm. She hears speaking up ahead and, with a partner in tow, strides closer towards it. Eventually she finds Wormtail and Icepaw observing a cluster of... mushrooms, she thinks? They've seen them plenty when she was training, but she figures the shift in seasons must've killed them off, like the rest of the plant life.

"Are they good to eat?" Bunnywhisker asks, still an incredulous look on her face at the mere idea of chewing something that looks like... that. She'd complain about it if they weren't each struggling for their next meal.​

 

[rainpaw]

The cold weather on the surface seemed insistent on chilling Rainpaw to the bone, and and so more often than not she was keeping to the tunnels. They were hardly warmer than the surface, but they came with the bonus of no snow or ice coating their ground. She ended up tagging along after Icepaw and their mentor, and when Icepaw split off to investigate what Wormtail was up to, so did Rainpaw. The silver tabby's whiskers were pushed forward with curiosity as she stared at the truffles. To Rainpaw, the truffles just looked like particularly ugly, lumpy mushrooms, but Wormtail's reaction to them suggested they were of some importance. Either that, or he was losing it.

She cast a swift glance at Bunnywhisker, not entirely pleased to see her but unable to blame her for wanting to stay down in the tunnels as well, and then looked back at Wormtail. Icepaw and Bunnywhisker voiced the questions that Rainpaw was wondering, so she just added, "I don't think I've seen this kind of... mushroom before."​

 

[SMOKESTEP]

TAGS — Smokepaw often tags along with Icepaw and their sister when diving into the tunnels, and today is no exception. He has little desire to get wrapped up in the thick storm brewing above their heads, and though the tunnels have finally gotten chilly underpaw, it's certainly fairer down here than on the surface where the wind whips about with reckless abandon. There are a few surprises underground, though, it seems. The mushroom-y scent hits his nostrils and Smokepaw's jaws part with surprise. They still grow in leafbare? he wonders, ears twitching as he listens to Wormtail's exclamations. In the darkness he strains to follow the conversation as it's tossed between Icepaw, then Bunnywhisker (what is a moorrunner doing underground? especially one who'd disgraced themselves from the profession), then Rainpaw. Without much insight of his own to offer, he falls silent. Maybe they would be good for the sick cats in the badger set?​

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[Wormtail]

Excellent! Gather round kids, Uncle Wormtail is about to introduce you to truffles. He chuckled as he carefully tore the truffle from the root.

"Aye! You can eat them. I used to eat them all the time as a wee kit." He said. "They grow on the roots of trees, so you have to dig for them."

He smiled at the others. He loved teaching others things. Made him feel smart. Gave him the warm fuzzies.

"Ugly little things, but they don't taste too bad. Nothing beats a rabbit, of course, but food is food!" He added.

He wondered how the rest of the clan would react to it in the fresh kill pile. He was eager to see.
​

 

[curlewnose]

"leave those snails alone, they've got problems of their own"​

Curlew had found these mushrooms before, though it had been a while since he’d seen a good crop like this. He usually left them, since he didn’t want to wreck a spot which only had one or two now but might yield a better crop later. It was exceptionally good luck that Wormtail had found so many, especially in leaf-bare with the fresh kill pile dwindling. ”They’re rich and may hurt your stomach if you eat too many, but they sure are filling! Good on you for finding such a large patch, Wormtail! I haven't seen one this large in ages.” The tom waved his tail tip in approval. ”Want some help carrying them back to camp?”
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✦ ★ ✦​

 

[bunnywhisker]

The tabby's whiskers twitch as others join them, and though she was momentarily fine with hanging around Icepaw, Smokepaw and Rainpaw's appearances irk her a little. She says nothing, eyes flicking back to Wormtail and listening as he announces their full usage. Curlewnose even pulls up the rear, just to reinforce how lucky the Clan will be to add the fungi to the food storage. Bunnywhisker screws up her nose for moment, deciding silently that she'd rather eat her own leg than chow down on some musky plants.

Still, she's here, and she may as well extend the offer with the older tunneler tom, "I can help, too. Just so long as you shake the dirt from them well enough." ​