livin' on a prayer | thunderclan patrol

[Flycatcher]

It seems like Flycatcher is always on WindClan patrols as of late. Not that he minds in truth, other than SkyClan, the border they share with the moor cats is one where he is less like to receive any trouble as of late. Sure, the WindClan cats could be a bit abrasive with their remarks at times, but at least they weren't trying to goad them or spit petty words at them as ShadowClan and RiverClan did.

His patrol is close behind him, and Flycatcher looks briefly over his shoulder to ensure they are close. Owlear he knows can handle himself well enough, but he's curious to see how Cloudyfur is handling her first patrol as a full warrior of ThunderClan. More importantly, Flycatcher has a new apprentice with him too, and he looks around for the smaller form of Shinepaw wondering what all of this must be like to someone so new to apprenticeship. "We are approaching the WindClan border now," He mewed, looking at Shinepaw as he spoke. "Lift your nose and scent the air. Can you smell the differences in our scents?" Whilst his new apprentice did so, Flycatcher turned to Burnpaw. "Burnpaw, would you like to show Shinepaw how we mark the borders?"

@OWLEAR @Cloudyfur @BURNPAW ! @Shinebug ​

 

[Shinebug]

After an entire life in camp, it was hard to comprehend just how big the world was. Shinepaw had heard stories, of course (either told to him willingly or dragged out of warriors by the talkative tomcat), but seeing it was something else entirely. The strangest sensation was finally seeing the bottom half of all the trees that had teased him in childhood. For moons sky-blue eyes had strained to see even a millimeter more beyond the boundaries of camp, but now it was laid bare in all its quaint normality.

Shinepaw tried to pay attention to the patrol, but an imaginative mind kept running wild picturing fantastical creatures charging through the underbrush. There were quite a few instances where the tiny cat tripped, a consequence of spending more time looking side to side at his surroundings than straight ahead.

The shaft of sunlight stiffened as another clan’s name was spoken into the air, and flame-tinted fur began to prick up ever so slightly. Windclan was the one ruled by that mean lady, right? What if they ran into a group of them? However, the worries didn’t have time to run wild as a tiny mind turned to focus on the task assigned to him, which was arguably worse.

Tentatively, the furball took a deep breath, trying to make sense of the fog around him. There was a long silence and growing dread as Shinepaw realized that he couldn’t make out anything. The scents of the forest might as well have been balls of mud being flung in his face with how they blinded him. Another breath, and still nothing. What should he do? Tell the truth? But then Flycatcher might be disappointed in him. However, if he told a lie, then it might make his mentor happy, proud to have an apprentice seemingly blessed with natural talent.

Eager to please, the idiot opened his mouth. “I’m pretty sure I can” he offered not completely comfortable with fully committing to the trick. Sky-blue eyes turned to Burnpaw, hoping to move on and learn how to do something he wouldn’t have to lie about.​

 

[GHOSTWAIL]

She had never been drawn to the forest. Of all the places she had lurked, never had the phantom of WindClan found a dense canopy of trees particularly inviting. No, she much preferred the near-claustrophobic tightness of the sewers or the saggy barns out beyond the Horseplace, where rain collected in the dark corners where mold began to spread. She tolerated the misty moors that her queen had chosen as her domain out of respect and loyalty. She had to imagine the cats of ThunderClan did the same. No cat in her right mind would find peace in that leafy hellscape.

Still, though, they protected their lands. She could scent five at the border today, all with their leaf-litter and oak-bark smells drifting across the way to infiltrate the skeleton's senses. Awful creatures they were, hm? Any creatures that weren't housed under Sootstar's graceful eye were, of course, useless and stupid in the she-cat correct and unbiased opinion, even if WindClan wasn't directly opposing them.

She stood, silent, watchful, across the border, her burning eyes trained on the smallest members of the patrol. What fine soldiers they could be someday, had they been born in a more sufficient clan - WindClan, to be precise.​

- you call for peace when it suits you​

 

[SOOTSPOT]

Very rarely did the chimera get to experience the blinding sun cast out over the moorlands. Just as trees were a safety blanket for any ThunderClanners that ran among them, there was a certain close familiarity to the tunnels that left the outside world large and daunting in comparison. Emerging from a bush as rumours of a patrol whispered on the wind, Sootspot cast his narrowed gaze over those just tail lengths away from the shared border. A smaller patrol this time, it seemed, both in stature and in number. He moved closer cautiously, bright eyes briefly assessing the expression of his clanmate. Ghostwail seemed hungry and instinctively, he tilted his head upwards and raised his tail. Even if he would never be taller than the moor-runners, he at least hoped his stance would bring more attention his way. With his mother recovering and RiverClan breathing down their necks like fleas, somehow, Sootspot doubted that the clan would be willing to fight another battle until their wounds had been licked. Kneading the dirt from his paws into the sodden grasses and shaking the remnants of it from his whiskers, a saccharine smile suddenly pierced the feline's aloof expression.

"Greetings, ThunderClan." He nodded formally in respect, catching a glimpse of Shinepaw and Burnpaw as he raised his fluffy cranium once more. Only one seemed small and inexperienced, it left Sootspot contemplating why their neighbour bothered waiting so long to apprentice their youth. Even half their size, a WindClan child could easily defeat a ThunderClan one should they have to face off. In the face of treachery and conflict, that fact alone was at least a confidence booster. "I hope your hunting fairs well!"
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[MIREPAW]

જ➶ The wind gusts across the moors and he has to squint his eyes a little bit but the smell of Thunderclan is particularly strong today. He is about to bolt and go and greet them when he remembers what Houndthistle said him before. He has told them about his failure to catch a squirrel and had asked for advice. But he thinks his mentor didn't much like that he spoke about one of his lesser adequate skills so he forces himself to walk calmly to the border. His eyes shift to look at Ghostwail as he passes the white wraith and he dips his head to her before looking towards the Thunderclan patrol. A good amount of them. But he only pulls forth a smile candidly, forcing wide his jaws before it drops. "Hope everything is well, uh, besides the hunting stuff. This wind sure is pulling at your trees."

The way they sway and bend makes him frown but it's also not Windclan's problem. Right? The trees wouldn't come all the way over here.​

 

[Cloudyfur]

It felt strange being on patrol without Flamewhisker.

She had always followed close to her mentor on patrol, keeping to her shadow. All Cloudyfur had to do was follow her lead and there would be nothing to worry about. Now she was her own warrior. It made her feel a little out of place, not being able to follow neatly behind her old mentor.

Despite that, she was fairing alright. Flamewhisker's absence was causing nerves, but only a touch. Patrols had become routine to her by now, and she knew what to do. Keep track of the scents to make certain to not accidentally step over the border, mark the Thunderclan side on occasion, and keep an eye on the horizon for Windclan patrols. As she took care of that last point, she spotted one.

Her gaze hovered one one of the warriors, a sheer white cat with a skeletal frame, who said nothing as she stared back. Cloudyfur tried not to reveal how unnerved she was, to mixed success. The other members of the Windclan patrol were willing to make polite conversation.

"Oh, hello." Cloudyfur greeted amicably, her gaze avoiding the unnerving molly with the burning eyes. "I hope everything is well on your side too!"​

 

[BURNSTORM]

If he's being completely honest, he is not thrilled with having to yet again, share his mentor. He had grown to like Roeflame over time but that had been different. This time he had been convinced he would get a mentor to himself for the short time he would remain an apprentice. He doesn't say anything though, just does his usual sulking in silence. He listens to Flycatcher speak to Shinepaw, explaining how to scent things and how WindClan's smell was different then Thunder Clan's. To him that is a little self explanatory and it takes all his will power not to roll his eyes, to remind himself that he is only annoyed because he does not want to share and that Shinepaw's incompetence was due to age, not mental capacity. His tail flicking behind him, he is beginning to tune Flycatcher out when suddenly the gray tabby turns to him, asking him to show Shinepaw how to mark the borders. He lets out a huff through his nose, a small grunt that vaguely sounds like the words "Sure" leaves his mouth. He's acutely aware of the younger apprentices blue eyes on him as he walks to the border and marks it, but he does his best to ignore him, as well as the cats on the other side of the border. He would leave the pleasantries to others better suited for it.
​

 

[RATTLEHEART]

As loathe as some would be to admit that they didn't hate a clan besides their own, Rattleheart couldn't deny that he'd never had any massive issues with Thunderclan. Shadowclan and Riverclan seemed intent on stirring up as much trouble with his home clan as they possibly could, but the same couldn't be said of the felines that lived over in the tightly packed trees of the forest. That alone was enough to leave Rattle with a neutral impression of them, even if not necessarily a positive one. There was no sense of animosity on his face as he approached alongside his clanmates, glancing warily in Ghostwail's direction. The phantom seemed to unnerve him at the best of times, so he couldn't imagine what the cats on the other side of the border must have been feeling under her intense stare.

At least Sootspot and Mirepaw were making an effort to be friendly, and Rattle decided to follow their example. "The wind seems to have no mercy for any of us, but we've been well." Aside from the bloodshed. The thought made his expression falter for a moment, shaking his head to try and bat that particular anxiety away. Windclan would bounce back as they always had - they needed to, or what would all of Sootstar's ruthlessness be for in the end?

There was a certain tightness in his chest that he fought against by looking the patrol over once more, his gaze eventually landing on the somewhat apprehensive form of Shinepaw. He looked about as unsure as Rattleheart felt, and the warrior couldn't resist giving a friendly wave of his tail in the apprentice's direction. He'd surely grow up to be a fine warrior one day, even if he would be one loyal to Thunderclan rather than Windclan.
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[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[Flycatcher]

Flycatcher watches as Burnpaw gets to work, quietly but efficiently. As one apprentice gets to work marking the borders his gaze shifts to Shinepaw, ensuring the younger tom is taking everything in, watching and learning on his first border patrol. It doesn't take long for WindClan cats to emerge on the other side of the border, and luckily they were all fairly cordial, even if the first cat did not say anything to them. Still, nothing was better than some of the comments that got thrown out on ShadowClan or RiverClan patrols. "Our hunting is going well enough despite the wind," Flycatcher responded in cool tones to the WindClan cats. Of course, the wind was a bit troublesome but after the first few days, they had adjusted and coped with the situation. "Hopefully the winds die down soon enough for all our sakes."​

 

[Mouseflight]

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ | Though Mousepaw felt more at home in the tunnels than out on the moors, he had decided that today he was going to explore up above and follow along with the patrols that were going out. He needed to know what it was like above and below the ground, just in case, as anything could happen - the wind that they had been experiencing was certainty of that.

Listening to the words the warriors spoke to each other, Mousepaw found himself drawn towards the apprentices, eyes squinting for a moment as he took them in, trying to figure out any information he could, which wasn't a lot considering they weren't really talking either. An inaudible sigh left the tom as he quickly looked away, eyes darting between the adults that were talking, eventually just tuning them out, uncaring about the conversation. Weather, gross. They all knew it was windy, they could feel it! Paws twitching, he couldn't help but hope for something more interesting to happen while they were here.​

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