private I'M THE NEW CANCER, NEVER LOOKED BETTER \ stealing

This is not the first time Raccoonstripe has crossed this border, and in his mind, it will not be the last. His Clan has suffered since the cold had come to the forest; kits are mewling in hunger, his kits, and their cries haunt him. There are two new queens, round and unable to hunt for themselves or their Clan. Gentlestorm and Hopepaw do what they can to keep their herb supplies full, but the gripping frost has begun to kill what little greenery remains in the oak forest. Raccoonstripe's eyes are trained ahead of him, but he whispers to Scarletpaw and the rest of his warriors: "Lay low. A patrol has passed this way recently."

He tastes the air. They've gone south, it seems. The dark tabby smiles. "They won't be back this way for some time, if I had to guess." He flicks his tail forward — a signal for the warriors and apprentices behind him to scout ahead. "Keep as close to our border as you can. They'll no doubt scent us, but if we're careful, they won't catch us before we can hunt."

Raccoonstripe flicks his coal-colored gaze toward the tree tops. Things are louder here, he notes; there's no undergrowth, no dense foliage, to muffle prey noises. This forest is open and spacious in comparison, and he admits he feels uneasy hunting on this terrain.

Nevertheless, he persists. There's a flutter of movement, brown and speckled against the dead pine needles; a grouse, its feathers ruffled up against the chill in the air. Raccoonstripe's tongue runs along his teeth as he drops into his crouch. Within moments, his fangs sink into the creature's neck and cut it's sqwuaks short.

  • ooc: Raccoonstripe rolled a 16 (no hunting encounter), a 13 (found prey), and a 17 (large prey)
    patrol tag: @Scarletpaw @FALCONHEART @Bugpaw ! @LITTLEPAW @FALLOWBITE @Honeypaw @tigerwing @HOWLPAW
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  • Raccoon . Raccoonstripe, he/him w/ masculine terms.
    — "speech", thoughts, attack
    — 47 moons old, ages realistically on the 5th.
    — mentored by n/a ; mentoring Scarletpaw ; previously mentored Wildheart, Moonwhisper
    — thunderclan lead warrior. gray wolf x howlingstar, gen 2.
    — currently mated to Nightbird.
    — penned by Marquette.

    lh black tabby with white and dark brown eyes. charismatic, charming, calculating, ambitious, shallow, manipulative.

 
Howlpaw crouches low beside a scrawny shrub, amber eyes trained on a thrush pecking at the frosted earth a few tail-lengths ahead. The patrol is now in SkyClan territory, though he can't bring himself to care—why should he? Borders are just lines his clanmates cling to, a convenient excuse to keep prey out of desperate mouths. Howl knows what it's like to be hungry, the hollow gnawing feeling gnashing at his insides like fangs, and if SkyClan can't guard every mouse and bird, why shouldn't they help themselves? Raccoonstripe's orders linger in his mind, but Howlpaw dismisses them just as quickly. He shifts his weight forward, creeping slowly. The leaf-bare chill seeps through his fur, biting into his skin, and a gust of wind whips through the trees, stirring up the earthy scent of SkyClan's pines.

The thrush's head jerks up, beady eyes glinting with alarm. Howlpaw curses under his breath, dropping flat, his heart sinking as the bird flutters off in a burst of feathers. Another miss. Grinding his teeth, Howlpaw rises, his tail lashing in irritation. It's not the first time today he's come up empty-pawed, and his frustration gnaws at him as much as his empty stomach. Every time he gets close, it's as if the prey senses him coming, darting away before he can strike. A few tail-lengths away, he watches Raccoonstripe sink his fangs into a grouse with brutal efficiency, and a faint surge of resentment sparks in his chest. Why can't he catch something, anything, to prove he'll be capable of survival when he finally is ready to up and leave this place?

He turns away, not caring if he misses someone else's catch or instruction, nor any limits being placed. The warrior code and all its rules feel distant, irrelevant to him; let the others fret over SkyClan catching their scent or the wrath of StarClan. All Howlpaw can think of is the ache in his stomach and the bitter taste of failure on his tongue.

[ rolled a 4 </3 ]​
 
𓍊𓋼 It isn't the first time Falconheart has followed after Raccoonstripe as the tom crossed borders to hunt, but this time he feels less guilty about it. SkyClan had attempted to take ThunderClan territory—even if it hadn't been condoned by Orangestar, it still happened. ThunderClan is already being pressed on against by ShadowClan and RiverClan, so that leaves SkyClan as the most likely option for hunting. He does feel a bit bad for dragging both his apprentices along with him, but he expects they'll understand why it's necessary. Glancing at them over his shoulder, the tabby tom murmurs, "We'll hunt along the edge of the territory. With any luck, they won't notice until it's too late." He doesn't bother to tell the duo to stick close; both Bugpaw and Littlepaw should know by now that he prefers they stay within his eyesight.

Falconheart strides off after a scent, his nose quickly catching onto the trail left behind by a mouse or something similar. It's fresh, making tracking it down an easy task for a well-trained nose; within moments, he reaches the source quickly. A mouse, just as he'd suspected, and a single bite spills blood across his tongue. He takes his time brushing aside the dirt as he walks, making an attempt to disguise the signs of trespassing. Though, even if they are caught, he isn't concerned about any threats from SkyClan, of all the clans surrounding them. He's fought worse enemies than the pine forest's warriors.

The mouse dangles from his mouth when he returns to his apprentices, and he casts them both a bright smile. "Did you catch anything?" He hasn't been the best mentor, he knows, but keeping tabs on their progress brings him joy greater than anything else.

  • ooc: rolled 18 to catch, 2 for small prey (1 point)
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  • FALCONHEART ❯❯ he/him, thunderclan warrior
    shorter than average cream tabby with white spotting. seems gloomy and has few friends, but is a hard worker and never neglects his duties.
    son of flamestar and flycatcher ; brother to stormfeather, ravenpaw, bugpaw, sunpaw, squirrelpaw, sparrowpaw
    mentoring bugpaw & littlepaw
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
    penned by foxlore
 
〕Honeypaw steps over the scent line separating the Clans with ease, knowing they need to do this if they want to survive Leaf-bare. But the lack of undergrowth in SkyClan's territory has them tense. They feel so. . . so open to attacks without the protection and stealth the foliage provides. The apprentice stands out in size and color, even beside their clanmates they looked alien. Golden fur flutters in the wind as they drop into a crouch, keeping their mouth open in search of a scent trail.

And yet there is nothing. Green eyes narrow in irritation. Yet again they couldn't find anything to provide for their Clan during these hunting patrols. Were they not competent at their job? Was Skyclaw right? Were kittypets good for nothing? Defeated as they fail to scent anything, the young apprentice pads back towards the group with a pout adorning their features.
u9a4dSL.png

  • ooc. Nothing 😭 rolled a 7
  • HONEYPAW —— apprentice of thunderclan , mentored by npc . waspchaser x sorrelmist . littermate to none. ✦ penned by nocthymia
    they/them / 6 moons & ages every 7ᵗʰ
    single / too young
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
    —— combat details here / battle notes

    "speech", 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
    biography — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse

  • reference image here
    a longhaired red tabby with low white, vitiligo and dichroic eyes. 50% maine coon.
 

Scarletpaw creeps through the unfamiliar forest, each paw step deliberate and light, just as Raccoonstripe had taught her. Her breath fogs in the chill air, dissipating quickly as she moves. The scent of pine and the open space surrounding them is almost overwhelming compared to the dense oak forest she's used to. Everything about SkyClan's territory feels different: the trees that haven't lost their green, the sparse undergrowth, the airy silence that makes every rustle sound loud.

She halts for a moment, jaws parted, drawing in the scents. But there's nothing. No mouse, no vole, not even a stray bird's call reaches her ears. Frustration coils tightly in her chest as she strains to catch a trace of prey, but the cold wind brings only the scent of her own patrol and SkyClan warriors that have patrolled here earlier. Her claws flex against the frosted ground, betraying her irritation.

The multicolored she-cat casts a glance at Howlpaw, who seems irritated about missing a catch, and then at Raccoonstripe, who's already made quick work of a grouse. She clenches her jaw. They need this. Their clan needs this. And she's failing.

"Come on," She mutters to herself, too low for anyone to hear. She can't take this risk for nothing. Her clanmates are hungry and cold and she's out here risking her pelt in enemy territory and she has nothing to show for it! She lets out a seething sigh and forces herself to push her frustration aside, determined to keep searching. So she sweeps her eyes across the trees once more, even if the forest itself seems intent on defying her.

// rolled an 8, nothing
 

ˏˋ*⁀➷ Fallowbite crosses over SkyClan's border to hunt for the second time. She spares little thought to the confrontation that had come of her last stealing attempt. They need prey more than anything, and she has never cared for heeding the code. She feels little remorse for the pampered cats on this side of the border; it is one thing to share blood with kittypets, and another entirely to return to the care of twolegs once the sun has set. ThunderClan does not have such a luxury.

Quiet paws brush against frost-tipped grass stalks, and Fallowbite tastes the air. Nothing. All it can scent is frost. Its face twists in frustration; just as last time, its paws remain empty. It casts a glance back. At least some of its patrolmates have been successful... But still, the victories feel far too little.

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  • FALLOWBITE ⁀➷ she / it, warrior of thunderclan, fourteen moons.
    a scarred, pointed brown and white molly with shaggy fur and golden eyes.
    standoffish and solitary, always seems to have a dark cloud hanging over its head.
    baying hound xx npc, littermate to antlerbreeze & doepath.
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.