LESSONS LEARNED [hunting patrol]

[FALCONHEART]

𓍊𓋼 Being tasked with leading a hunting patrol is daunting, but Falconheart is grateful for the opportunity. Especially after the wolf invasion, even though no one has brought up his disappearance or even seemed to notice it, he still feels terrible for taking so long to return to camp. Being handed the responsibility of a hunting patrol so soon afterward fills him with a burst of confidence, and the cream-striped warrior is quick to gather a group of cats to go along with him.

The afternoon sunlight beams bright down upon the patrol as they trek through shade-dappled trees, and the slight breeze rustles branches far above their heads. It’s the perfect day for hunting, Falconheart thinks to himself with a smile. The rustling of leaves above is the perfect disguise for clumsy footsteps, and the wind allows the patrol to stay downwind of their prey. Once the group splits off from one another to track down their own prey, Falconheart catches the scent of squirrel and follows it. It’s growing stronger and stronger, hinting that he’s closer to finding his target. But as he ducks past the branch of a swaying bush, something else catches his eye.

Before him in the dirt, jagged but unmistakable, lies a single deer hoofprint. Bicolored eyes shift quickly to find another, and another, all leading in the direction of the border. "Deer tracks," he says, attempting to alert the other members of the patrol to his find without interrupting their hunts or frightening off prey. For once, his naturally soft voice does him a favor. "They don’t look fresh. Probably a few days old, at least." Maybe they’d just dried quickly, but it hasn’t been warm enough for that, has it? "I don’t think we have to worry, but we should keep an eye out just in case." He frowns, thinking of Sandthorn, of crimson splattered across the snow. The wolves may be gone, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t still need to be vigilant.


// this is set BEFORE howling got catnapped​

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[SWIFTDAWN]

"It seems so." Swiftdawn agrees, leaning around Falconheart to closer inspect the deer tracks. Her catch, a small vole (hardly enough to feed a queen, but it's better than nothing) lies forgotten to the wayside as she joins their deputy's kit in investigating. Yellow eyes flick over the jagged indentation, pleased by the young warrior's confidence at identifying the track and its age, and a quiet purr bubbles in the pale cat's throat. Good. They glance up next, attention skittering across the low foliage of their territory, and after a moment, they nod.

"Look at the tree." Someone following Swiftdawn's nod would see broken edges of shrubbery, the unmistakeable path of a something large that had shouldered its way through this part of the forest. The warrior parts their jaws, humming contentedly as nothing fresh hits their tongue. "See how the twigs are bent?"

ooc ★ so i walk into the sun

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• SWIFTDAWN ★ they/any, warrior of thunderclan
  "a cream-and-white tabby with yellow eyes."
  
  — speech is in #EFD13F
  — tags | art by mercibun
  

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[Honeydapple]

She always loved to explore and with the lack of wolves around the moggy felt far more comfortable joining a patrol. Honeydapple was thankful for the warmth but a small part of her missed the snow and it's shining glimmer. The life that came from new-leaf was far more rewarding when blossomed from seemingly barren earth. As she trailed behind Swiftdawn her heart stuttered at the familiar scent. Deer.

Memories of the horse trampiling through and the frightful shrieks around her rung through the Molly's ears as she stared at the tracks. It was difficult to trusts creatures more than triple her size and a part of her wished to turn tail. Thankfully, Falconheart's decisive meow eases her anxieties a touch. Cautiously she observes the hoof tracks and sniffs the earth near them. It had definitely been a moment since the critter had traveled nearby and at last her haunches settled.

Her attention snapped to Swiftdawn as her gaze made out the broken branches. Swallowing her nerves, Honeydapple nodded in agreement. "I do." It wasn't often she was choked into silence but the notion that there were still beasts around frazzled the older warrior.​

 

[FALCONHEART]

𓍊𓋼 The older warrior’s confirmation brings a smile to his face—he’s correct, and hopefully that means their deer problem is mostly passed. His gaze shifts to Honeydapple, wondering what the she-cat thinks of the discovery. She seems a bit nervous, and Falconheart’s muzzle tugs downward with uncertainty. Then Swiftdawn directs his attention to a series of bent and broken twigs, and dual-toned eyes narrow as he squints at the foliage.

Hopefully it’s all old damage, something that happened days ago when the commotion from the wolves being led away had frightened the deer. But there’s always the chance, still, that it might be a wolf or two, still wandering around the forest in search of their next helpless playthings. The thought sends a shudder down his spine. "Yeah. Something definitely went that way," he agrees, white-capped tail flicking. Something big definitely went that way. Falconheart picks his way over to the tree that Swiftdawn has pointed out, his paws tensed and ready to run if something happens to dart out of the woods on any side. He calls back to the patrol, "Should we follow that direction, just to… to make sure?"​

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