- Jun 7, 2023
- 407
- 47
- 28
Before they had been driven out of their home, Rattleheart had never enjoyed visits to the northwestern border of Windclan's territory. They had always seen venturing out that far for anything other than border marking to be more trouble than it was worth, hunting complicated by the twolegs and barn cats and the various animals that the twolegs kept that were far too big or aggressive for hunting themselves. Needless to say, that meant that they had rarely ever ventured to the other side of the Horseplace, their only memories of what lingered beyond there being fuzzy visions from before they had ever been a Windclan warrior. But that was where Scorchstreak had requested they go, and Rattleheart couldn't deny that they saw the reasoning for why. Even if the burrows that had been spotted before didn't lead to anywhere particularly exciting, they would at least be tantalizing enough for prey animals to offer them a good hunting grounds - both while they were stuck at the barn, and once they were back in their proper camp.
Their pawsteps were light and quick, barely crushing the snow beneath them as they led both Mouseflight and Downypaw past the barn and further out into the loner lands. There wasn't that same sharp, strangling anxiety in their chest that made a nest whenever they grew close to their former home's border, but they didn't seem particularly relaxed either. Even if they were unlikely to run into any of Sootstar's loyalists out this far, there were still unpredictable loners and rogues to worry about. Cats that could be reasoned with, sure, but potential threats all the same. "Both of you keep an eye out... we don't want to get snuck up on while we're out here." Their gaze was particularly focused on Downypaw, the poor apprentice left without a proper mentor for the moment. Hopefully they and Mouseflight could make up for Sootspot's absence, even if Rattleheart had their own doubts regarding how effective Sootspot's mentoring really could have been.
It didn't take long for them to reach the burrows that their sister had mentioned, nose low to the ground for any signs of life nearby. They could smell the faintest scent of rabbit on the air, but nothing that made their pelt stand up with worry. "Mouseflight. How about you check out a couple of the other nearby burrows? Downypaw can help me with the two near here... but don't go too far." They didn't want to split their small patrol up too much, despite their trust in Mouseflight's abilities. Any warrior could get overwhelmed if they were ganged up on, and that seeemed to only go double for tunnelers.
// @Mouseflight @downypaw !!
[ PENNED BY EO ]