LOCK THE DOOR - waiting

[Starlingheart]

Starlingheart had watched the patrol to ThunderClan go out this morning, had seen them exit the camp and go on their way to carry out their mission, to catch prey in their neighbor's territory. They had done it a couple of times now but that didn't make it any easier. She was worried for her clanmates every single time they crossed the thunder path. This was a necessary thing though. Her Clan could not just wither away until they all died. Surely the stars did not want that. She sends a silent prayer to them to keep the patrol safe.

There are only so many times she can take her herbs off their shelves, arrange them, rearrange them then do it again, only so many times she can take something down, and look at it. Recite what it's use is and put it back. She knows that she can't keep her mind off it forever. What if something bad had happened? What if they had been caught? Images flash in her mind of them coming back covered in blood, or worse, dragging a limp body between them. She shuts her eyes tight, trying to will those images away from her mind but they live in her head and she can still see them dance behind her eyelids. She lets out a heavy sigh before making her way out of the den and settling down within view of the entrance, her eyes trained on it. She tucks her legs underneath her and lays down, preparing to wait with bated breath for their return so that she could spring into action the moment they did, if she was needed, of course. Her head always goes to the worst-case scenario.
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[smogstar]

There was not a drop of confidence in Smogmaw's reserves when Pitchstar made his strategy known. He recalls the sheer disbelief he felt as he craned his head up at the Clanrock, heeding the words expounded by his leader during the most recent meeting. To swipe prey from their neighbour's lands is a bold plan, especially so soon after WindClan did the same. It can be easy to misconstrue boldness with recklessness however, and with Pitchstar choosing to abstain from this patrol, this entire scenario reeks of hopelessness.

An unforgiving rumble in his stomach brings him to the fresh-kill pile, which - of course - sits barren. No amount of muttered curses will add food to the pile, yet he tries anyway.

In his frustration, he catches a glimpse of Starlingheart in his peripheral. Poor girl's work has become cut out for her in recent days, from starved clanmates to rat bites. Only time will tell what wounds this patrol brings back, but he can assume Roosterstrut's bleeding heart will cause them more harm than necessary.

A jaded sigh escapes him, and he makes way for the rattled medicine cat. His approach is slow. His head slings low, declined to Starlingheart's eye-level. He can see that her emerald gaze is locked on the camp's exit, and it isn't difficult to imagine why.

As he draws near, he sees no point in pleasantries or asking if she's alright. Her worry is worn in her features, her fear as clear as day. "You must be exhausted," Smogmaw remarks, his tone dull but soft. "Between the Carrionplace patrol and this one... it's like they want to make your job harder than it has to be."

He briefly looks to his side, to face the world beyond his home. "You'll be able to take care of them," says the tom, "that I'm sure of."​

 

[Tornadopaw]

If you don't like me, that's your problem

Tornado spies her the dual toned medicine cat sitting in the middle of camp, eyes trained upon the exit in waiting. Her lips pull into a one sided frown, ebony paws bringing her close to where the femme resides. Without uttering a word she nestles down beside Starlingheart with her own paws tucked underneath. While she would not admit it, the girl thought stealing prey from thunderclan to be a horrendous idea. As thin as they all were there was no way the patrol would have the energy to catch prey and possibly fight and come back in one piece. A low sigh flutters from her charcoal nose, pelt brushing against the meddie's in a form of comfort for them both. Yellow eyes move from the exit to look at Starlingheart, nodding along to Smogmaw's words. "Yeah, if I were on that patrol I wouldn't trust anyone else but you to fix me up." Although, for once she was happy to not be in a position to fight. Burnpaw was over in Thunderclan and although she liked the tom she didn't necessarily like the idea of meeting him in battle. Sucking in a soft breath to distract herself from the thought she stammers, jumping temporarily onto another topic. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask if you needed any additional help gathering herbs. I know next to nothing about plants, but...umm you know. I figure more paws are better than none." She voices gruffly, eyes falling back toward the exit. ​

When I let it bother me, that's my problem​

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[RIBBITLEAP]

Ribbitleap should have been on that hunting patrol.

Should have been there, and yet, here he sits, under Starlingheart's orders, waiting too. Waiting. For the patrol's return, for his restrictions to be done, for his chance to take part in hunting patrols and feed the clan - and his mother, more importantly - to return.

The warrior is merely restless, as he sits, tail flicking behind him as he listens in on the conversation nearby. Brown-tabbied head turns to look at the trio, realizes how much work Starlingheart will have, if this all goes wrong. Surely it won't right? Surely they'll catch something, something to ease the hunger that hangs over the marshes.

"Hey, you patched my patrol up pretty good, didn't you?" he says, trying to help Smogmaw and Tornadopaw in comforting the medicine cat. Still too young, still hardly of warrior age, wasn't she? Just a child, placed into the stress and burden of healing, a weight solely placed on her shoulders. Ribbitleap doesn't know if he'd be able to do the same, at her age. "If anything happens to this next group, I'm sure you'll patch them up good too."

Tornadopaw mentions collecting herbs, and he looks to the medicine cat. "I can help, if you need it!" he offers. Perhaps this could be an opportunity to stretch his legs, get some freedom from his healing wounds.
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[Magpiepaw]

He was hungry but they didn't have anything right now so he was left to distract himself otherwise. Magpiekit found the cats gathered around Starlingheart who seemed to be staring off into the distance and he made his way over on his bouncy and awkward steps, pausing to try and catch his balance briefly as he teetered too far forward and then rocked back to his hindquarters. It didn't take him long to get there, stopping alongside Tornadopaw just as she and Ribbitleap offered their aid in gathering plants for the medicine cat. The thought made his nose wrinkle, the smells were a little too intense and he prefered collecting tiny bones and shiny beetle shells than anything leafy. Feathers were nice too, but he had not seen any recently.
From what the kitten had gathered a patrol was sent out to hunt but they weren't hunting in ShadowClan, no. They were trespassing somewhere else, which was apparently bad. A big rule break! Almost as bad as him leaving the camp unattended! The black and white kit didn't feel like it was really that big of a deal, they were all hungry and this other spot had better food maybe? The clan that owned that place should share, it was the kind thing to do. Not that it mattered either way, it seemed like the cats out were told to just take what they wanted and he wasn't exactly keen on letting morals rule his gnawing stomach; food was food, wherever it came from.
"If they get hurt you can fix them cause you're real good at fixing." Magpiekit said in affirmation, echoing the others in a shrill tone, "Do you wanna count rocks with me until they get back?" A game he'd made himself, tiny stones scattered and then hidden beneath a paw and you had to guess how many were there. Simplistic, a perfect game for a kit like him.
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[Starlingheart]

Her clanmates speak kindly to her, and to that her ears flick in mild surprise as they sing praises about how they wouldn’t want anyone else patching them up but her. Secretly she wonders if they are all just saying that while behind their backs they say just the opposite. She nods her head to Smogmaw’s comment about her being exhausted. She was tired. Countless hours she had spent awake and by her brothers side, tending to his wounds, watching over him while he slept, while he slowly got better after taking a turn for the worse. She had wanted to make sure he didn’t die again though, that her incompetence hadn’t killed him a third time. The dark circles under her eyes must look wrong on someone her age. She wasn’t meant to be staying up long hours worrying about saving lives. She is just glad that Granitepaw sleeps in the same den as she does. It would be lonely without him, without anyone. She thinks of the medicine cat den as it was the first couple of nights anfter Bonejaw was gone and she suppresses a shudder. It was lonely in there with just her and her thoughts.

Ribbitleap and Tornadopaw offer their help and she sends a nod in their direction. "I-I am running l-low on on moss and uh co-cobwebs" and if this patrol was injured she would need plenty of both. "I-if you guys if you uh wanted to-to get some I- that that wuh-would be a a grea-great he-help"

Her eyes find Magpiekit as he speaks, offering to distract her with rocks and she smiles, grateful for the small black and white tom, grateful she had convinced Pitch to not just throw him back into the garbage he had came from. "I wou-would love to to count r-rocks with with you magpie. Th-thank you" she settles down in the dirt next to him, absentmindedly running a paw over one of the stones.
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[LICHENTAIL]

Lichentail cannot imagine the burden her younger sister carries, and her heart hurts to see the young black and white she-cat gathering herbs together, anxiety radiating from her like smoke from flame. She'd blamed herself for Pitchstar losing his life to the rat bites, but none of them had known about the burdock root. If Bonejaw had known, she'd kept it to herself when she'd rejected her kin and her Clan.

The black she-cat blinks at the cameraderie their Clanmates show the young she-cat, and her sadness wanes in the glow of their kindness. She sits beside Magpiekit and Starlingheart, laying her paw upon her sister's white one as she touches one of the kits' stones. "I'm proud of you," she murmurs in a rare show of compassion. Her watery green eyes gleam. "And your Clan has faith in you. So does StarClan."

She removes her paw and shakes out her long coat. "Well, I'll go with Tornadopaw and Ribbitleap. We'll get you stocked up so you can deal with whatever happens when the patrol returns." She nods to the young warrior and the curly-furred apprentice. "We can handle it, can't we?" Her outward warmth is gone, replaced by a taciturn duty to her Clan.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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