camp my hearts desire, a burning fire | intro

[Lionthroat]

There have been many a story told about this tree, many telling of its status as 'the unclimbable' and some telling of the dangerous tenant living within its branches. He's even heard tales about warriors hunting with the beast, but aside from an occasional gripe with his father it was nothing more than what it presented to be. A rumor. Lionthroat stands at the base of the Owl oak, his eyes trained on the blackened canopy with leveled concentration. This tree always scared him as a child, but tonight he wanted to see if those rumors held any weight to them.

Lionthroat continues to watch, his ears twitching occasionally at the sound of scurrying prey in the nearby shrubbery. He had to stay focused, distractions could be dangerous. Especially when you were dealing with owls. He squints harder into the tree, hoping that maybe if he stared hard enough the thing would reveal itself to the world. And if not to the world maybe just to him. Unfortunately for Lionthroat all he saw was black and with a pungent sigh he finally relinquishes his hold on the tree, turning instead to blink bleary eyed at the surrounding territory. Stupid bird, stupid tree, all of this worrying just to stare at leaves for a few beats.

Lionthroat makes a motion to stand when the sound of something fluttering catches his attention, he looks back up into the oak to see movement in its branches. Maybe it just wasnt ready yet, he surmises, and returns to sit and wait for the owl to take flight. He'd give it a few more minutes, just a few. ​

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[Flamestar]

( ★ ) Nighttime was one of her favorite times to hunt. There was a special thrill that came with it, being bathed in the darkness of the shadows. After hearing the stories that Little Wolf told the children, sometimes she liked to imagine herself as one of the Great Cats that lived long ago, prowling through the forest without being heard. It was a childish thought that she wouldn't share with anyone, except maybe Flycatcher, but that was exactly what she was doing tonight.

Her dreams had been disturbed once again by the imaginative howls of canines, so instead of trying to sleep again, she had decided to tire herself out by a lone hunt. She carried herself swiftly through the forest, light paws careful to not disturb any loose leaves or other undergrowth. With each stride she took, the more alive she felt. This was the most alive she had felt since her near drowning incident...perhaps this is what she needed all along.

Jaws parted, trying to find a scent trail, when she caught the smell of one of her clanmates. Was someone else out here? Did they know how close they were too the Owl Tree? The fur prickled on her neck, but she forced it down...she would go check on them, there was no need to panic. Carefully, the fire hued tabby would slink through the undergrowth, now even more cautious to stay quiet. She wasn't just having fun now...any noise could raise the Owl's alarm.

She hadn't personally seen the Owl yet, but she had heard rumors of it. It was nothing to mess with...she had heard stories of it's massive talons and sharp beak. It could make an easy dinner out of a cat. Lionthroat's scent was stronger now...she must be close. She would carefully slip into the undergrowth beside him, noticing him staring at the tree. "What are you doing bee-brain? Haven't you heard the stories of the Owl? It will eat you!" she would hiss quietly, trying to talk as quietly as possible. ​

( WHEN I FIND MYSELF ; I'MA BRING IT ON HOME )

 

[WILDHEART]

"Don't tell me that you're afraid of the owl." Wildheart scoffed as he approached the pair with his head held high and his chest puffed out. A part of him was amused by the sight of Flamewhisker whispering and lurking amongst the undergrowth like some frightened rabbit. The boisterous calico cast his gaze towards the infamous Owl Tree with an air of fascination, and of course mischief.

"Have you two ever pondered over what owl meat tastes like? I bet between the three of us we could catch it if it dares to show its feathery butt." A pink tongue swiped over his lips as he peered up at the gloom and leaves with a sense of eagerness for causing trouble. Why should he fear something like an owl? Sure they had big claws, but they were still just a bird. "Lionthroat, were you still planning on climbing the tree?"
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[Tybalt [Stagstrike]]

Tybalt gave Flamewhisker a nudge as he shouldered in next to her. "I doubt it'd manage to eat all of us," he mused. "That'd be an awful lot of fur for it to hock back up." One cat, maybe. But four? He'd never been afraid of owls. They were just birds, after all. Wildheart suggested catching it, and Tybalt shrugged. "If we wanted to catch the thing, we could be here all night," Tybalt told him. There was no sign of the bird now. "It's probably out looking for its next meal. Could be anything up there." A squirrel, another bird, a chipmunk.

But he eyed Lionthroat expectantly and added, "I'll climb the tree if you're not going to. Maybe one of us could scare it out."

 

[Lionthroat]

Had he been more a little more attentive he would've caught the scents of lingering clanmates nearby, but his focus was primarily on the tree, primarily on the scent of old wood. Its not until Flamewhisker speaks up does he turn his gaze away, his fur spiking upward at the lead warriors appearance. "Great starclan you scared the living daylights out of me!" they huff, realizing their voice had risen above the acceptable noise level, "I know, I just wanted to see if an Owl even lived here in the first place" they turn their muzzle back to the tree, hoping that by discrediting its existence the creature would show up. It didn't work, obviously.

Lionthroat's ear twitches as another warrior makes their appearance, "We aren't scared" they say defensively, puffing his chest out as he approaches the oak. "I wouldn't really care what it tasted like, a bird like that could feed the clan for weeks" They go to press their forelimbs against the bark, claws unsheathing to scratch the wood.

He looks back at Tybalt, the crease of his forehead knitting together with increasing frustration. "I can climb it just fine, thank you! Im just...Im warming up you see" he stretches out against the trunk and once again turns his sights to the canopy. He wasnt very interested in killing the owl at all, really, he wanted to see it hunt and catch prey. There was much to learn about the different apex predators of the forest, maybe he could pick a few things up from an owl.
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