OH, HEART, AND THEN IT FALLS — crow

[Echolight]

Grey clouds are thick as they stretch across the sky, burying any hint of blue in its ominous depths.
Thankfully, nothing falls from them yet, and Echolight lets herself instead enjoy the cool breeze that ruffles through dense fur as her hunting patrol begins to spread out, enjoying a break from the beating sun that has blessed them in recent days. It was a blended balance, leaf-bares extreme cold waning to make way for green-leafs persistent heat.
The calico still felt lost, even after the maddened Sootstar’s demise and being welcomed back into her moorland home. She was lost in her grief, in the broken pieces of the life she couldn’t return to until now.
So, the moor-runner clung to routine, relied on the predictable.
When a piecing caw breaks the breezy quietness of their outing, Echolight’s sights are instantaneously locked onto its source. Large coal wings flounder in the near distance for a heartbeat, before settling somewhere within the tall grass.
Crows, they had been a common occurrence at the barn, but the moors… there’s an uneasy knot tying itself in the pit of Echolights stomach as she glances towards her patrol mates.
Crows were large, and would make a good meal for her clan. So, the molly pushes her nerves down, instead turning to the nearest cat to her.
"Want to help me find it?"

"Speech."
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[ WHAT A TIME ]​

 

[FEATHERSPINE]

Crows- even an idiot would notice. Featherpaw's sharp eyes flickered to the speck of darkness, void against the greyness. Catching a bird would be impressive, in this sort of weather... the marble-striped molly's abilities were beginning to plateau, and if she didn't challenge herself, she would never improve. Echolight's request fluttered on the outskirts of his attention for a few moments. Help. Presumably, Echolight would get the glory, then...

It wasn't a good-hearted thought, and Featherpaw resented it as soon as it rose in him. To turn this into a competition would probably end up scaring the crow into fleeing. Besides... until he was a better hunter, to let an experienced warrior catch the crow was logically better for WindClan. In less stressful times, she'd have bolted for it- but instead, Featherpaw dipped his head in quiet acceptance, spending a moment to glance at Bluepool before her attention settled wholly on Echolight.

"You b-b-buh... better catch it," she mumbled, before dropping into an almost-perfect sneak. Keeping his nose close to the ground would be good- his tracking was a boon amongst his natural abilities, thankfully. A silent flick of an arrow-tipped tail told her patrol-mates, this way.

\ @Bluepool mentor tag B)​

✦ penned by pin​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── It is coincidental that Wolfsong's herb patrol brings him near Featherpaw's hunt. He has no need to shadow her— though whether he can say the same for the others remains to be seen, given Rivepaw's brash personality, Bearpaw's naivete, and Sunlitpaw's distance. That is not to say he does not worry about Featherpaw, given his recent injury and the scar now lining her back, but with his mentor Bluepool accompanying him, Wolfsong needn't hover like an overbearing creature.

His gaze follows theirs to the place the crow descended with narrowed interest. His mother told him many stories of crows and ravens and how to interpret their presence. Dark portents, most of them— as dark as their feathers, though wholly dependent on the direction they fly and the heads they shadow.

He does not speak, lowering himself so as to avoid disrupting their hunt. Once they have made their kill –in theory– he will continue on his way, lest his movements alert the keen-eyed beasts. In the meantime, Wolfsong makes proud note of Featherpaw's crouch and smiles slightly.
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WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 41 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★★☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart and his own pregnancy, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​

 

[sunlitpaw]

Hunting patrols were something Sunlitpaw had come enjoy - greatly, even. It was a quiet outing, little chatter between patrolmates as to not disturb the fauna skittering through the underbrush. They were peaceful, and generally, Sunlitpaw was left on their own as being tailed too closely would also scare the prey off. They were not a master of tracking, of pouncing. But Sunlitpaw knew how to make themselves small, how to keep themselves quiet. It came quite handy now, when Echolight pulls attention toward a crow that had settled into the grass nearby. Sunlitpaw's ears flick nervously, looking toward Wolfsong out of the corner of their eye before turning their head toward Foxglare, expectant of some sort of instruction. As far as Sunlitpaw's experiences went, crows usually circled something dead or rotten - or, well, inedible, as they'd pecked at plenty of feed at the horseplace. Sunlitpaw hopes it's the latter, and their patrol wouldn't have to come across something unsightly.

Mimicking the cats around her, Sunlitpaw lowers her weight and settles her body low in a crouch. Her stature was a far cry from Featherpaw's well-practiced movements, and embarrassment stings deep. Their paws shuffle nervously, turning their gaze toward Foxglare again, almost expecting some kind of reprimand or correction. It is something the sun-dappled fledgling has come to expect during their time as an apprentice - though Foxglare shattered every expectation Sunlitpaw handed them. Against her nerves, she gives her mentor a little tilt of her head, seeking his approval. Sunlitpaw sucks in a breath and steps behind Featherpaw; for their lack of perfect posture, for their large size holding them above the snow, their paws glide silently behind their littermate. A shadow, as she'd always been.
​

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦, ———— 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚.

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  sunlitpaw

  
  

  — they / she, moor-runner apprentice of windclan. mentored by foxglare
  — a large yet timid chocolate tabby-tortoiseshell with spring green eyes
  — sunstar x wolfsong, sibling to rivepaw, bearpaw, singedpaw, & featherpaw
  — full length tags
  — penned by izanami, contact on discord @nullmoons for plots or threads :)

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