MEET ME IN THE WOODS ⁺˖⋆ prompt

[nightbird]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ dusk patrol was running increasingly late, the cold seemed to have frozen over more than the forest but the cats inside it as well. there would be no warmth left over from the sun either, sky shielded in a heavy gray blanket all day. they were painted pink when the patrol departed, now they were as black as the sky that they shielded so desperately that not even the brightness of the moon was able to poke through.

she had traversed mountains at a pace faster than this, there was far less dawdling then. now, every rustle had them convinced there was a mouse or a squirrel, every time they had all halted to investigate. every mound of snow was only a further distraction, decorated in day old footprints of prey. despite the irritated twitch of her tail, nightbird couldn't really blame them. the freshkill pile was becoming a bleak sight, if she weren't so tired she may have encouraged them.

"even the damn stars are asleep and we're still out here meandering." she chastised lightly, brow raised as she glanced over tired shoulders and a yawn followed, wide and drawn out to really push her point.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎┌── OH, I'LL CUT YOU DOWN ⋅⋆⋅ FOR I KNOW YOU ARE WEAK ──┐‎

• prompt: a starless night
  
  
  

• 

• 
  NIGHTBIRD ✩ she/her, lead warrior of thunderclan, twenty-eight moons.
  ⭃ a small black smoke molly with a single white paw and pale silver eyes.
  ⭃ mate to raccoonstripe / / mentor to tba
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[freckleflame]

the sky is painted in bleeding pinks and blues. exhaustion settles deep in her paws and each step feels like stones thrown into the river, pulling her down, the only thing keeping her going the siren call of warmth in camp. assigned dusk patrol alongside nightbird, the tortoiseshell supposed she should have been happy. she would have been, if said patrol wasn’t draaaagging on like it was. with each dead end, freckleflame feels herself growing more and more agitated. old footprints, stale scents, frozen tufts of fur ; it was as if each rodent had packed up and left overnight, leaving them hungry into the early night. she feels the urge to stomp her paw angrily against the newest mound of snow, a promising lead with no follow through — she instead sinks her claws into the snow, flicking her ears back against the snow still falling overhead.

nightbird speaks, a cloud of chill forming her words in a quickly dissipating mist. freckleflame only sighs, heavy and frustrated, ” th’ stars don’t have bellies to feed. ugh — “ she’d give anything to be back in her nest, curling up to preserve what heat she could muster. roeflame and nightbird herself had the right idea, taking a mate in early leafbare. keeping her voice a low and frantic whisper, she tosses her head back in near defeat, ” where isssss everything? like, i get it, i dont wanna be out this late either ; but there’s gotta be something out crawling around here. ‘s too early in leafbare t’ go home empty - pawed. “ she’d take a mouse, a bird, a lizard, for starclan’s sake ( though the thought of their small scales on her tongue rolls her stomach ). anything awake and willing to brave the cold — it was just taking forever, she was going to freeze her tail off at this pace.

𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝙼𝙴 𝚂𝙼𝙸𝙻𝙴 -`☀︎´- 𝘗𝘓𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘠 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘈 𝘞𝘏𝘐𝘓𝘌 𝘕𝘖𝘞

• i.
  
• 
  
  
• 𖦹 . LESBIAN, SINGLE. SMELLS LIKE SUN - WARMED OAK. SIXTEEN MOONS. FRIEND & SISTER TO MANY. NAMED WARRIOR OF THUNDERCLAN ON 8 / 3 / 2023. PENNED BY ANTLERS .. !!!
  f. she / her, daughter of sunfreckle and rabbitnose. large cream - ribboned tortoiseshell with seaglass eyes. larger than life! shades of vibrant russet, dousing swathes of shadow and interwoven with ribbons pale cream come to drape like licks of flame over a thick, broad - shouldered figure.
  
  unspecified maine coon heritage born of sunfreckle's kittypet background shows itself in large, round paws and tufted, long - furred toes set upon thick, tabby - splotched limbs. a characteristic lack of personal space leads her to a slouching, touchy posture, often inclined to lean or bump against her peers, all while bearing a wide, bright - eyed grin. she seems to sing confidence from every laugh, every word.. that can't all be for show, can it?
  
  ——— ˙⋆ — prone to bouts of explosive emotion. all opinions are solely in - character and during these times, often untrue or said only in anger.
  
  

​

 

[SHININGSUN]

☼ Shiningsun drew in a deep breath to help steady his nerves when the first flits of irritation threatened to well up inside. Losing his head here would do none of them any good, and it already seemed as though that there was enough irritation going around as it was. The large tom fluffed out his pelt in a bid to defend himself from the worsening cold before he made an effort to speak up. "Look, how about we stop for a moment in order to collect ourselves. I bet that if we put our heads together we can figure something out. Getting frustrated won't do us any good." If they just paused and took a moment to think then maybe, just maybe, they could figure out where some prey could be hiding.
​

 

[Redwind]

Complaints were thrown, a playful roll of eyes along with a smirk met Redwind's features as she slowly focused about the territory for scent. The stars were hiding, little light touching the territory and the temperatures were cruel to their bodies. However, she refused to add to the complaints. What would it do them? Redwind agreed with Shiningsun. It wouldn't do them anything, merely, it would bring sour energies upon the situation. "Grumbles and growls will only make us want to bail even more. Surely, there is something that lays among here? Let's not even waste a small mouse." If she knew the techniques, she'd even risk freezing her paws off trying to fish to keep the survival of the clan through the season. Her stomach felt as if it were caving on herself and surely all her clanmates felt the same, anything would do for her. Hopefully anything would do for everyone else. ​

 

[nightbird]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ freckleflame was right, it was too early in the season for them to find nothing but day old traces. the thought only made something uncomfortable settle in her stomach. it was anything but a good sign. last leafbare they had been close, would they truly starve this year?

shiningsun and redwind seemed more optimistic, the former suggesting they collected themselves before continuing. nightbird barely withheld a sharp huff, she was collected. an offer to stop, come together, and think of where they might find a meal that wouldn't fill a kit. it would only put off hunting more, have them sit here freezing their tails off for longer.

redwind's call for positivity was grating in her ears, how were they to do that when the only outcome of this patrol she could imagine was bleak, hungry. "if we could find a mouse, trust it would not be wasted." her displeasure was not concealed, a shiver shaking her frame. "any ideas where to go then?" nightbird could at least entertain shiningsun's idea, even if she lacked hope that it would turn out. she sits, condensed with her tail tightly wrapped around her paws, glancing around the group to see if anyone would voice their ideas.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎┌── OH, I'LL CUT YOU DOWN ⋅⋆⋅ FOR I KNOW YOU ARE WEAK ──┐‎

• 
  
  
  

• 

• 
  NIGHTBIRD ✩ she/her, lead warrior of thunderclan, twenty-eight moons.
  ⭃ a small black smoke molly with a single white paw and pale silver eyes.
  ⭃ mate to raccoonstripe / / mentor to tba
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[SHININGSUN]

☼ Shiningsun was thankful that Redwind was on his side, in her own way. His attention turned to that of Nightbird as he was asked about where they should go. The tom took a moment to think before giving his answer. "Well, prey always needs to drink, so why don't we hunt among the bushes and reeds near the river? I reckon we stand a chance of catching a few there, provided that we're careful and don't get too close to the water." With how dark it was he shuddered to think as to what would happen if any of them fell in.
​