I AM THEIR FURY (initial patrol)

[MUDPELT]

// @FERNKIT @willowroot @Smokethroat @iciclekit @Steepkit just tagging those listed in the signup! If others end up joining feel free to hop on in!

Loud cracks of thunder had been splitting the air lately, echoing off of the willow trees and boulders littering the territory. Only this thunder sounded even when skies were clear and birds were singing - well, the birds always stopped singing as soon as the thunder struck. A weird stench hung in the air near the southern part of the territory, a smell that stung nostrils and made even the poorest trackers gag. Mudpelt had offered to lead a scouting patrol to figure out what was going on, and fortunately, others agreed. With him are the clan's two lead warriors. And at his side? His very own son as an apprentice. Iciclepaw is here too, along with Steep-paw. Together, the group of them travel through the pebbly plains of the territory until they reach their destination. Mudpelt is creeping through the reeds at the helm, peering through. "Can anyone see anything?" He whispers, knowing they're close but unsure exactly where the sound is coming from.​

 

[SMOKESTAR]

Part of him was pleased Mudpelt was here, he could not think about Iciclepa during this outing as much as he would when it was just them and also it was a little weird to try and order his apprentice around in front of her dad? At least that's how he felt, still his watchful gaze occasionally darted to the young tortie every so often as if worried she would take off unprompted when the cat he should be worried about doing so was most likely Fernpaw; excitable thing that he was.
"I see nothing but I certainly smell them...awful creatures." Did ALL two-legs carry such a horrid scent or had they just been unlucky with their bipedal trespassers? It anything he was more wary over the fact they didn't see anything than he was they didn't. It meant they could be anywhere around them for all they knew. Sighing the dark tom tried not to overthink it as he had a tendency to do and glanced back at his fellow warriors and apprentice crew.
At the very least this was a good lesson for them all, "Stay low, this is a good time to practice moving silently." Both orange eyes moved from the younger cats back to Willowroot and then Mudpelt with uncertainty, "The sound DID come from this direction...we can't be too far off."

​

 

[Steepsnout]

WE'RE TAKING OVER THE WORLD, A LITTLE VICTIMLESS CRIME ➳​

This was so official! Her very first mission. Steep-paw didn't allow the excitement to dull her razor-sharp determination however. She needed to be professional, and ready. What's more, the cats she walked with all held significance to her- her dad, siblings, mentor and lead warrior. There would be no messing up today, no sir! Shoulders set, surveying eyes adrift, the newly named apprentice followed along.

The cracks of lightning the clan had been hearing certainly made her uneasy. A cloudless storm? She had never heard of something like that before, even from her storyteller of an uncle. Twolegs too, it was all bizarre. Steep-paw planned to take in it stride though, as was required of her. Parting her snow-stached jaw, she let the putrid scent of the creatures fill her senses.

Listening to her father and Smokethroat talk, she matched her pace with her siblings. A firm blink of reassurance coupled with a bump to each of their shoulders conveyed her support. We got this

The moment Smokethroat told them to get low, she did, shuffling forward on larger-than-most paws to come alongside her mentor. There, she spied a strange, matte bundle on the ground. It was small, and on further inspection seemed to be woven in a tight fur-like material. Whatsmore, it reeked of twoleg. "Super close," Steep-paw echoed in a whisper, "Here's some of their, stuff?"​

 

[iciclefang]

Iciclepaw follows behind her father and RiverClan's lead warriors, pale eyes sharp and curious. There's a strange scent stinging her nostrils, hanging like a thick miasma over the wetlands that extend beyond their camp. She's heard the cracks and booms as well as anyone, and part of her has wanted to go out on her own and investigate.

Mudpelt turns to them and asks if they can see anything. Iciclepaw pushes her way to the front, crouching beside Smokethroat and twitching her ears at his directive to stay low. "I wonder if Twolegs make thunder with their mouth," she murmurs, wrinkling her nose.

Her littermate shuffles close to some unseen bundle, and Iciclepaw's gaze narrows. What could it be? She edges closer to it as well and even goes so far as to nose it. It's soft, almost like a pelt. "Twolegs leave so much stuff everywhere," she complains, voice flat. "They've got to be the messiest beasts ever."
​

PENNED BY MARQUETTE​

 

[FERNGILL]

Fernpaw, taking rank beside his father and keeping in step with his larger strides best he could with a scuttling stroll, was uncharacteristically quiet. Bug-eyes wide with wonder studied their surroundings, and all the new sights overwhelmed them, flickering all about and refusing to settle upon any one thing. To make it worse, his nose was acting up! He could have sworn he was a better tracker than this, but there was an unpleasant smell that he could not separate from anything- it smothered the land like a blanket over fire, hiding any other hints from him. As Smokethroat brought up twolegs, and his sisters spoke out in disdain of them, Fernpaw frowned.

"Do they always smell this bad?" whispered the tiny tom to his father, glancing around rapidly to ensure there weren't any of them stalking around. He didn't want to hurt their feelings. They probably didn't know that they stank so bad.​

( penned by pin )​

 

[MUDPELT]

Mudpelt nods along with the others, agreeing that they must be super close. His heart is pounding - he's never dealt with anything like this before and it's scary! Especially with three of his kits present...he doesn't want to put any of them in danger. Giving them all a nervous glance, his gaze lands on little Fernkit, who asks if they always smell so terrible. "Not always. I mean, yeah, twolegs smell bad. But this is worse." His nose crinkles in disgust to emphasize his words.

As the group continues to stalk forward, a crack of thunder splits the air, sending Mudpelt into a panic. Pelt bristling, he immediately drops to his belly, eyes stretched wide in alarm. It came from just ahead.

// target practice, NOT shooting at the cats!​

 

[Steepsnout]

WE'RE TAKING OVER THE WORLD, A LITTLE VICTIMLESS CRIME ➳​

The amusement at her siblings' comments was smashed from her expression as the air shattered into noise. Fear froze the air in Steeppaw's throat, a strangled mewl barely heard beneath the sound of thunder. Limbs suddenly brittle with shock her body crumbled to the earth. A loud, desperate part of her mind cried out- to move- to push her siblings aside, but nothing could stir her.

Paws trembling, when her ears no longer rang, the apprentice nosed her way forward. There, a ginger flank, and then a tortoiseshell one. The breath of her father and the two lead warriors came next. All felt normal, uninjured. "What- is everyone- What was that?" Words almost a breath, Steeppaw sought answers. Wide, medallion-like eyes swept the area, half expecting the lean silhouettes of the twolegs to come running out of the bushes. If it had spooked them, surely it had done the same for the twolegs too? Unless, they were what had caused the noise...? For the first time out of camp the apprentice felt a prickle down her spine, a terror that she wanted to rip from her bones. ​