opalescent stars (night hunting patrol)

[FORESTSHADE]

If there's one thing Forestpaw still hasn't gotten used to, it's being up at night. Of course she and her sister would come to join the one clan whose specialty lies in the night. Why couldn't they have joined a group that specializes in sunbathing, or mud-rolling, or ear-scratching? She's really good at all of those! A long yawn escapes her as she pads along next to @CHILLEDGAZE. , already beginning to feel a bit chilly from the cool winds blowing through the marsh. Her mind is clearly not focused, her attention not at all on the hunt. Unseeing eyes remain half-lidded and sleepy, much to the chagrin of her fellow hunters. "Is it time to head back yet?" She mumbles groggily, head and tail drooping. Patchwork pelt fluffs out against the chill and in her exhaustion she accidentally bumps into a clanmate, earning a jolt and hrmph! of surprise.​

 

[Frostbite]

Night hunting was his specialty. There was no light to hurt his eyes, which means he could keep them open without squinting. He would often sleep or laze around during the day, and get down to business during the night.

Tonight was one such night. He left with a hunting patrol wide awake, fully energized, ready to pounce. He wasn't annoyed with Forestpaw for being sleepy. It was only natural.

"We haven't even caught anything yet." He said in reply to her query.

It was when he felt her bump into him that he felt a hint of annoyance that he fought down, reminding himself that she was only an apprentice.

He turned his head back to look at her. "You alright?" He asked calmly.


​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

as the felidae walked with the rest of the patrol, their apprentices walking along with them, they kept their head upwards, ears twitching back and forth and back again for any signs of prey. their nose twitched, and with a gentle click of their tongue against the roof of their mouth, they paused. forestpaw was complaining... again. chilledgaze rolled their eyes, before their gaze of ice landed to frostbite. the warrior told her they hadn't caught anything yet, which had been true, before forestpaw ran right into him. with a low growl, their paw covers their eyes in embarrassment. twitching their tail, they only lower their gaze to their naturally sassy apprentice.

"frostbite is right. it's not time to head back. if you're going to act way too tired for this, then maybe I should give you an actual reason to be so exhausted?"

there is no malice in their tone. they're just lashing out because honestly, they're tired too. just for different reasons than the apprentice. taking in a deepened sigh and breathing out, they try to approach this differently.

"forestpaw, i understand you are tired, okay? i know you're not used to the ways of shadowclan, yet. but in order to become the best, you must be able to move through the shadows like we do. no prey, no predator, and no other clan, truly expects that of us. this is why we do patrols like this. so we can be good at both."

chilledgaze turned their attention back to the patrol, flicking their ears back.

"let's catch some things so we can all head back."
​

[ NOBODY ELSE MATTERS, GIRL ]​

 

[FLICKERFIRE]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

Flickerfire walks beside Frostbite and behind Chilledgaze, attempting -- and failing -- to hide a smirk of amusement at Forestpaw's complaints. "What's not to like about night hunting?" She trills. She won't lecture Chilledgaze's apprentice for them -- they do a fine enough job of it on their own.

Instead, she moves her gaze to the trees, hearing the tiniest crinkle of earth beneath foot. Flickerfire stills, letting the others continue without her. Her muscles stiffen, then relax. In a flash of barely-gilded black fur, the tortoiseshell darts forward, paws stretched and ready to pin--

Nothing. Whatever it was has gone. She hisses in disappointment. "Maybe she'll make up for me," she calls half-jokingly to the others.

- ,,​

​

 

[PITCHSTAR]

Pitchstar, unlike Forestpaw, has no trouble keeping himself awake at night. It's not a skill, it certainly isn't a gift, but rather it is a curse of his mind. He cannot sleep, even if he wants to. Even if exhaustion blurs the corners of his vision, throbs behind his burning eyes. That voice tells him, stay awake, stay awake, or someone will harm you. Trace the scar along his neck with claws cruel. Over and over, until he sleeps in a deathbed made of his own blood.

He will not let that happen, so he does not succumb to the heaviness weighing his eyelids.

Trodding alongside Chilledgaze, Pitchstar huffs at Forestpaw's complaints. "If you can't adapt to ShadowClan's ways, you're welcome to give up and become a loner once more; then, you could sleep for as long as you please," he trills after the others. His eyes glint, knowing that this remark would spark some of that stubborn determination within the young molly.

Pitchstar hardly notices Flickerfire's pause, until the squelch of paws slapping against mud followed by a hiss sounds from behind the patrol. It doesn't take a genius to guess that the tortoiseshell had missed a catch. Pitchstar sighs. "If our luck continues to be as sour as tonight, we'll have to resort to eating one another!"​

 

[FORESTSHADE]

Frostbite's remark is met with nothing but a groan as she rights herself, taking a moment to re-orient. Ears twitching, she listens to the pawsteps of her clanmates and pins down their direction before continuing on. "If I say no, can I go home?" She replies to the warrior, a cheeky grin present on her face. All joy is wiped from her expression, however, when her mentor chimes in, threatening something like more chores. She scowls, but says nothing, listening as he continues in a gentler tone. "I think you're all doing great at this whole stealth thing. I can't see ya comin'!" Forestpaw trills, voice dripping with amusement as a smile returns to her face.

Her ears flicker back as a squelch catches her attention, and she realizes in dismay that Flickerfire has missed a catch. Darn...we could've been done here sooner. Pitchstar's voice pipes up, saying she can leave to be a loner, and the apprentice's face morphs into a frown. "Yeah, well maybe I should!" She retorts, nose wrinkling before she stomps off to walks beside Chilledgaze once more, tail lashing. Briarstar's annoying successor could drown in a pit of mud, for all she cared.​

 

[Frostbite]

Frostbite couldn't help but be annoyed at Forestpaws whining. He didn't show it, he was well aware of how..... little patience he had in general. He also didn't want to say anything stupid Infront of Pitchstar, he didn't feel like dying today. Plus, she  was just an apprentice. He had to give her a little patience.

"Well, practice makes perfect, we've had plenty of time to master such stealth." He said to the apprentice. "You'll get used to the dark eventually."

These things took time, after all. Eyes needed time to adjust, and bodies needed time to adapt.

He looked up just in time to see Flickerfire miss her catch. Well, everything here was pretty slippery.... It was probably a frog. He was wary of frogs. Not only were frogs and toads different, but one of them secreted toxins that made you sick! And he still wasn't sure what the difference between the two was!

Pitchstar's joke did get a quiet, genuine chuckle out of him though. "I think we'd give each other indigestion." He commented. The clan was full of so many angsty cats that eating one would make YOU angsty.

Luckily they weren't cannibals.

​