tunnels OLD HEAT OF A RAGING FIRE [tunnel defense training]

[SCORCHSTAR]

The tunneler assignments that Sootstar hands out are often simple patrols, and while Scorchstreak does not neglect her duties as a lead warrior and as a tunneler, she finds herself growing bored of tracking along the same patrol paths each time. She appreciates the opportunity to gather the tunneler apprentices as a whole and see their skills in action. So with a posture visibly less tense than it has been of late, the lead warrior settles onto her haunches in a corner of the camp, near one of the tunnel entrances. "Tunneler apprentices," she calls out, hoping to garner the attention of at least a couple of the younger cats. She thinks first of Cottonpaw, and bitterness fills her chest for a moment. The girl is a tunneler no longer, and certainly not her apprentice, now. The calico's pride is wounded by the loss of her first and only apprentice, but she manages to school her expression into something calm, something flat. "Gather around for a training session." She flicks her tail, and regards most of those who make their way over with a warm golden gaze.

"I'm unsure if some of you have noticed," she begins, staring pointedly at a couple of the less attentive apprentices, "but most of the other clans don't like WindClan. They want to see our clan suffer." She thinks of Cicadastar, of Hyacinthbreath, of Smogmaw, of Smokethroat. The other clans would see WindClan ruined, smoke and ash in the midst of the moorland, and feel no remorse about it. She shifts, standing as tall as her stature will allow. "A while back, we thought that ShadowClan and RiverClan could attack our camp. This is still a possibility, and one that we need to prepare for. As tunnelers, we are some of the best cats to defend our camp from intruders. We are able to utilize the tunnels to our advantage, to surprise the enemy from both inside and outside of camp." What enemy would expect a legion of WindClanners to pop out of the tunnels to attack? None of the clan's enemies seem intelligent enough to consider such a threat.

Scorchstreak flicks her tail in the direction of the tunnel that she stands beside, blazing eyes scanning across the cats who have made their way over. "Today, we'll be doing some training centered around this possibility."​

[ LIKE A RATTLESNAKE ]​

​

 

[Mouseflight]

This type of training was Mousepaw's favorite. Although he loved anything that involved tunnels in general, he especially loved the big group stuff like this, something that made it so that all the tunnelers of WindClan were a nice big group - work together or die kind of vibes. Hearing the words come from Scorchstreak's maw about training in the tunnels due to other clans potentially trying to attack them though made his heart race in excitement. He hoped that the other clans were smart enough not to attack - he didn't want to waste the energy on defeating them so easily - but he knew that it was still a possibility, given how the other clans acted. Scowl came across the apprentice's face at the mention of RiverClan specifically and claws dug into the ground in anticipation as the other before him motioned towards the tunnel that she was beside.

"With how high and mighty they like to pretend they are, you'd think they'd be smart enough to at least not try to attack the camp." The apprentice would scoff, eyes rolling slightly afterwards, "Though I guess that'd be out of character for them as well given the past." He hadn't been in a proper scuffle with either clan, hadn't been to the fight when they had gone to SkyClan's camp, but he had heard the stories, especially the ones where RiverClan had lied about what had happened on the border when they had dragged Cottonpaw across it.

OOC INTERACTIONS ✧.·:·.*

• [ooc]
• windclan (sootstar) loyalist
  dirty fighter/will aim to kill
  will bully anyone (some more than others)
  

  
  

  likely to attack first
  powerplay peaceful actions okay
  ping if needed in a thread
  
• 
  8 months old
  ftm calico -- he/him
  tunneler apprentice
  
  large ears
  always looks grumpy

​

​

 

[◇ Marmotbite.]

♢​♢ THE BEST MISTAKE YOU EVER MADE ♢♢​

---

marmotpaw & 09 moons & female & she/her & windclan tunneler apprentice​

---

Windclan has attacked the other clans camps before, haven't they? First skyclan, and then riverclan. To think the other clans might do the same is only a given - the girl nodding along with the tortoiseshell cats words despite her tense posture and the unsettled look upon her features. The possibility of being snuck upon in the night, or something similar is an uncomfortable thing to think about - fear and anxiety coursing through her. But... she can't let it show - she's a windclanner, a tunneler, and she's going to be stronger. Pelt bristles and twitches, but she doesn't add much to the conversation - only waiting, only listening.

— it sounds so fuckin' beautiful when you say my name ♡

• Actions && "Speech," && ' Thoughts/Quotes '
  
  ooc: —
  tw/cw: —
  
• 
  — a shockingly tiny she-cat with pale blue and cream ticked tabby fur, save for a single patch covering her right eye that is brown instead, and mismatched green-orange eyes. she has heavy scarring along the entirety of her left side, from her face all the way down her chest, belly, and flank; which has been there since kithood. she is a twitchy little thing, known for her bad attitude and an unfortunate habit of biting when startled.
  
  — physically medium && mentally medium
  — non-violent powerplay allowed && healing powerplay allowed && minor injury powerplay not-allowed
  — please attack using [b][color=#9ab973]action here[/color][/b] and tag account

 

[LUCKYPAW]

Something in him feels light, almost approaching giddy, as Scorchstreak calls for a gathering of tunneler apprentices - Luckypaw was going to get to train with his mother today! Sure, it's nothing like Scorchpaw, who gets to learn from Badgermoon every day, but it's - it's something, at least, and he has no intention of letting this opportunity go to waste. Even if it is a little bit intimidating training under Scorchstreak, he'll admit to himself; even if she's his mother, who surely has high expectations for him, perhaps even higher than he could match. It's fine - it's all fine, and it's going to be a good, fruitful training session, doing...well, whatever it was they were doing today. Not too often do tunnelers gather above-ground, except for meetings and battle training, and inwardly he hopes this is something other than the latter, knowing it's not quite one of his strong suits. Maybe against another tunneler, he might fare better, though then again most of the other apprentices are older, more experienced, and liable to outperform him, including in areas other than just battle training. The thought quickly puts a damper on his mood, though as Scorchstreak begins to announce what they're to do today, Luckypaw quickly controls himself, sitting dutifully up tall as he listens.

Her words aren't new, at first, pointing out that the other Clans don't like WindClan, which - well, that certainly tracks, what with RiverClan attacking them and them launching attacks against ShadowClan and SkyClan. Judging by his distaste towards RiverClan, he'd surely hate another Clan for attacking his home, too, and for a moment he can almost understand why they're so disliked by the other Clans. The idea is quickly swallowed up though, replaced with the thought that surely ShadowClan and SkyClan had deserved, deserved to be attacked - why else would Sootstar have led her warriors off to battle? Sure, maybe the other Clans had reason to dislike WindClan, but so, too, did WindClan have reason to retaliate, and since WindClan is the most noble of all the Clans, surely they were in the right, too. The thought of ShadowClan or RiverClan attacking their camp puts a damper on his fire, leaving Luckypaw to tuck his tail a little tighter around his paws. It's scary, that at any time their home might be invaded; that any number of them could be struck down, ambushed in the one place that should always be safe. Selfishly, he hopes that if it were to ever happen, he'd be safely tucked away in the tunnels, though even as he thinks it, guilt prickles in his heart.

Finally, though, the purpose of this session is announced - preparing for such a threat in the best way that they as tunnelers know how. Though he still feels bad for such cowardly thoughts, even if they are locked away from the light of day, he tries to assuage himself that it's not just being scared, but it's also tactical, too. There'd be time to think, time to plan out the perfect attack, and then he, too, and his tunneler cohorts, could take the enemy by surprise, leaping out to join the fray when least expected. Even if the thought of being attacked like that makes him nervous, the visual of a band of tunnelers coming to the aid of those in camp and being able to turn the tide is...satisfying. Heartening, even; it makes him feel strong, even if it's only an imagined scenario. Like Marmotpaw, he remains silent, attention drifting from Scorchstreak to Mousepaw and then back. He wouldn't exactly call himself much of a competent tunneler yet, still sticking close to Cygnetstare, always learning something new, but maybe he could do this. Maybe he could even do this well, and impress Scorchstreak, even as he learns skills that might one day be important for someone's survival.​

[ PENNED BY HIJINKS ]​

 

[SCORCHSTAR]

The trio of apprentices who approach her for training are good apprentices, one who will grow to be capable and mighty warriors for their clan—and sure, the calico is biased toward her own kit, but he has proven himself a good apprentice to Cygnetstare. The lead warrior glances across each of the younger felines with a seeking golden gaze. She is glad to see that they've stepped up despite the apprehension that surely courses through them at the mention of an attack on their clan. After this training, Scorchstreak can only hope that the apprentices will gain more confidence in their ability to defend the gorse-bound camp.

"The first order of business, I suppose, is to be familiar with navigating the tunnels around camp." With a flick of a dark ear, a silent follow me, the warrior turns and stalks into the tunnel that lies behind her. The shadows envelop her as kindly as ever, and she doesn't spare a glance back to check whether the apprentices have followed or not.

At the first fork in the tunnel's path, the calico speaks up once again. If any clan were to attack the camp, they would have to get through the thorny wall surrounding it first, and so that seems the most realistic situation to practice for. "Can any of you tell me, if an enemy patrol were to attack camp from the camp's entrance," her fluffy tail flicks as though she is directing their attention aboveground, "which way would I turn here, to properly intercept such an attack?"​

[ LIKE A RATTLESNAKE ]​

​

 

[LUCKYPAW]

It's eerily familiar, the way Scorchstreak turns and beckons them into the tunnels - for a moment, he's not Luckypaw, but Luckykit, and it's the first time he's faced up against the yawning opening standing just before him. This time, though, he's not nervous about what's lurking within - at least, not to such a degree as he was back then. Instead, the pressure of expectation is what weighs most heavily on him, expectation that he'll perform well not only as a tunneler apprentice, but as the son of the lead tunneler, especially in front of his peers. Especially being the youngest apprentice gathered here. Sparing a glance towards Mousepaw and Marmotpaw, who very well may already be on their way, the tortoiseshell hurries forwards, not wanting to be left behind. Surely, it wouldn't be too difficult to figure out where Scorchstreak had gone as perhaps one of the simplest tracking jobs he'd ever perform, but it would also be added stress that he's not particularly interested in right now when he's already nervous enough as is. He shouldn't be, he knows; the tunnels around camp are easy enough to navigate, and he's been in and out of them plenty enough, but really, he can't help himself.

The walk is uneventful, which should be comforting, and yet it only serves to build the tension inside Luckypaw, paws thrumming with excess energy as he puts all of his focus into keeping from bumping into anyone else in their little group. It's not too long before Scorchstreak is instructing them again, and the apprentice remains silent still, trying to process and map out her words. If they've gone this way, then that means they're - and if that way is camp - and they want to intercept an enemy Clan -

He's figured it out, he thinks, and yet he doesn't speak up just yet, heart thudding in his chest. What if he's got it all wrong, gotten all turned around between his head and between their positions aboveground and belowground? Nobody else has spoken up, either, and as the seconds tick by it feels like an eternity, the silence pressuring him until finally, breathes coming a little quicker than usual, he cracks. "Um. If you wanted to surprise them, would you - um, would you go that way," he gestures with a paw, ignoring the slight tremble, "and continue the loop to catch them from behind?" There's something incredibly intimidating about offering his answer when he's clearly the least experienced here, and even after he's already spoken Luckypaw's starting to doubt himself, thinking about all the other answers that could have been right. Well, it's a fork, so really there's only one other answer, but still. He'd been confident before he'd spoken, tracing the route as best as he could in his still-forming mental map of the tunnels, and right now he desperately wishes for that confidence back, and to, for once, not second-guess himself so badly.​

[ PENNED BY HIJINKS ]​