private plights of the ever-unsure [patrol]

[SCORCHSTAR]

The calico is glad to have been given a relatively reasonable group of cats to patrol with. Pinkpaw is, of course, a notable exception—and as for Singedpaw, she isn’t certain of their demeanor. She knows her own apprentice well, but not so much the other apprentices of the clan. Mouseflight and Rattleheart are among her favorite clanmates not only for her shared respect for each of them, but because they are typically levelheaded and reasonable tunnelers. She may enjoy the company of even her strangest tunneling companions, but sometimes it is greatest to spend time with those who are grounded.

She has tried to put Sootstar’s brushing off of her behind her, but still the leader’s ignorance weighs on her. It is all too clear that she has lost her footing with Sootstar, and she has no idea how she can regain her access to the other she-cat’s trust. She doesn’t know if she wants Sootstar’s trust anymore. Not after ShadowClan, not after the highstones territory. As they near the border with ThunderClan, where the tree-sparse moorland shifts toward the forest territory, the lead warrior is pulled from her thoughts when she notices a shift of sorts. The airflow feels interrupted, changed in some way, which would normally indicate a dead end—but she knows these tunnels as well as she knows the faces of her kits. This is no dead end. Has the tunnel ahead collapsed for some reason?

The path ahead is dark, just like their surroundings, but the calico continues on with confidence. She knows these tunnels. She knows their twists and their turns, and their—leaves. She feels damp leaves against her whiskers, under her paws, brushing her tail as it twitches. They’ve been packed into a blockade, an obstacle in the tunnel’s natural path. "This is ridiculous," she hisses, raking a claw across the obstruction. The leaves are packed in tightly, likely due to the tunnel’s disuse as of late. With the turning of the seasons, it makes sense that there would be leaves falling into tunnels as they float down from the trees. "We’d better clear all of these leaves out." She sighs, flicking a clinging wet leaf from her dark-furred forepaw. Clearing up the tunnel will take a while, she’s certain, but that doesn’t mean that it can be ignored or put off. When the true cold hits, the clan will need this tunnel to hunt in.

// @PINKPAW @Mouseflight @RATTLEHEART @SINGEDPAW ​

[ BE A FIRE, BURN THIS DOWN ]​

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[RATTLEHEART]

Though similarly irritated by Sootstar suddenly stepping in to make patrols that she deemed proper, Rattleheart actually hadn't been overly annoyed by the patrol that he had been assigned to. Much like his sister, he didn't know much about Singedpaw's attitude, but it was actually kind of a relief to not know if someone could be a pain in the tail or not. Mouseflight and Scorchstreak were both trustworthy in his eyes, and Pinkpaw was... well. She was Pinkpaw. Her attitude wasn't great, and she'd already gotten herself in far too much trouble for comfort, but she did at least have Scorchstreak around to lead her along. That was enough for him to not end up groaning in misery as he followed along after the others, the quiet of the tunnels nearly enough to lull him to sleep if not for the rhythmic steps of each of them echoing.

Much like Scorchstreak, a feeling of confusion overtook him when he noticed the sudden lack of airflow in the tunnel ahead of them. It was almost suffocating, a dank and wet smell filling his nostrils and making his ears flick back in irritation. "What's going on? This should all be clear..." He can't immediately think of anything that would've led to some kind of cave-in near Thunderclan's border, though he supposed he didn't go out there enough to say anything with certainty. For all any of them knew, a tree could've fallen and managed to rain down dirt and mud and chaos in its wake - which would have made it lucky that the tunnel had gone unused for quite a while. Though instead of any dramatic wall of dirt and debris, they were instead all greeted by a wall of leaves. Which certainly explained the dank smell, the tunneler grimacing as it grew even stronger up close.

"I didn't think these would all end up gathering so fast... though I suppose I haven't been out here for a while." His voice was somewhat strained as he moved up alongside Scorchstreak, claws reaching out to tug and rip at the obstacle that had presented itself. The feeling of the wet leaves against his paws was almost enough to make him gag, face twisted in concentration and disgust. He hadn't expected the texture of it all to be such an issue, but he had never really had to deal with something like this - luckily for him.
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[ PENNED BY EO ]​