PULLED PORK ~ hunting patrol & boar encounter

[Flamestar]

( ★ ) It had been a few days since the first initial boar encounter, which had resulted in Graystorm's death. The death was still raw in the clan, and all patrols had been ordered to stay away from the large creatures. The morning patrol had disclosed where the herd was today, so when she had set out on her hunting patrol, she had chosen a spot in the complete opposite direction. It seemed like a decent enough plan.

The wind was still roaring through the trees, and above them the branches swayed and whistled. She cast a glance upwards every once and awhile, her pelt prickling with unease. Hunting would be difficult enough today with the wind, the last thing she wanted to do was keep making sure the branches wouldn't fall on top of them. She hadn't wanted to hunt on this side of the territory, but with the thread of being attacked, this was the best she could offer.

They were closing in on the clearing now that she wanted to hunt in. Even though her jaws were parted, she couldn't hardly catch any scents. Whatever was in the air was being blown away. As the patrol emerged through the undergrowth, the fur along her spine instantly rose. There standing in the clearing was one of the beasts, with a smaller baby nearby. Why were they here and not with the others? It was several fox tail lengths ahead of them, and it hadn't spotted them yet. She instantly rose her tail to get everyone's attention, and she quickly it forward quickly. Please stay quiet... she thought, her heart roaring in her ears. They already knew they couldn't take it on...she had to get them all out of here.

She opened her maw to quickly whisper everyone to back up, but as if on cue, behind them a branch fell from one of the trees. The boar whipped it's head up, and immediately locked onto the group of cats. Shit!

"Thunderclan, into the trees!" They would have to go too high, just enough to get out of that creature's reach. Ahead of them, the boar made a loud noise, and began to run towards the cats.

//
@batwing

anyone is free to have their cat be on the hunting patrol! Just be mindful of not making the patrol too large (:
I will post with the boar in my next post​

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

 

[batwing]

The boars. They floated ever present in the tom's brain, as if something was watching from around the corner. He hated that. He huffed quietly, head turning towards the rear of the patrol as they glided over the ground. Despite his wariness, they had been assured that the herd was on the other side of the territory, and far away from them. He forced a soft breath from himself, relaxing the muscles along his shoulders. They had been tensed up since they left. Yeah, it'll be just fine, all fine. No reason to worry!

Batwing looked back towards Flamewhisker, then around again. Through the undergrowth- right. Batwing ducked through, ears and tail drawn close to himself as he pushed through. He squinted as his eyes adjusted after pulling through, and his breath caught. Mirroring Flamewhisker, the fur on his spin and his scruff stood, hair puffing up. He had missed her signal, but the sight of the beast along caused him to freeze up. The taller tom stared, his ears slowly flattening. He just about jumped when the boar moved- and the branch fell- the wind screaming above. It took most of his will to keep his body still and just, but as soon as Flamewhisker said to scatter, he did.

Batwing moved, heading for the nearest tree with low enough branches. Jumping up, claws digging into bark as he scrabbled higher. It was like cake to him, of course- but as soon as he was out of range, Batwing turned his head to make sure his clanmates were up and moving. "Don't wait! Move!" He called to any still rooted in place. He didn't want another death. He couldn't let it happen. Anxiety built in the male's chest, ears flattening and teeth gnashing together.​

​

"speech"​

 

[Redwind]

Despite her social attitude, Redwind was nearly silent the whole way. She had fears of the boar hearing them and going so forth as to protecting their young. It didn't help that the wind blew powerfully into her lungs which threw off her ability to scent. She merely trusted Flamewhisker, a higher rank and skilled cat in the clan. She followed her with squinted eyes, the wind drying them out within moments. Her eyesight was nearly limited each time the wind blew. Long fur blown with the wind, ruffling her it and collecting debris, along with her fur blowing into her face occasionally.

She caught Flamewhisker's tail raise despite the slight blurb of color, stopping dead in her tracks. The warrior squinted in the direction she was gazing, heart lurching at the sight of the nightmare of creatures. She silently gazed around to find the perfect tree, that's when a branch fell to the ground. Oh stars. She snapped her attention back to the hogs, eyes widening like moons as she saw them heading straight for the patrol. She felt stuck such as Batwing even when she had heard Flamewhisker's call, hearing her heart pound within her ears. "Go!" It was almost a command to herself, her limbs feeling as if they were stuck in mud.

Redwind then bolted away from the hog by veering the opposite direction and darted up her chosen tree. She gazed down at the hog and then looked around for the Patrol. She made mental note of Batwing nearby in a tree, flashing them a reassuring nod. Then she looked for Flamewhisker. Did she make it up? She didn't know what she would do if she had lost a clan member so soon after the first. Flamewhisker was an important part of the clan, bravery, leadership and skill was needed. They didn't need to lose it. Batwing was important to her as well, friendly and bringing warmth in the clan such as her. Every single member was important and she had hoped everyone made it up without a single scratch. If they had lost another warrior, what could they all do? Fighting it off would only cause death and then maybe another. Redwind hoped she didn't get to sit and watch as a death unfolded in front of her. Sadness and worry swept into her gaze, claws holding tightly into the branch below her. Please Starclan, let us not lose another friend. ​

 

[Brackenpaw]

Lagging near the rear of the patrol, Brackenpaw had stuck close with Raccoonstripe and Moonpaw as Flamewhisker led them through the thick brush of the forest clearing. Above them lay a dark, brooding sky that stretched as far as the eye could see—thick clouds clashed together and a mighty gale would blister through the swaying canopy of oak. It's been more difficult these past few days with hunting, the young apprentice already struggling with his own challenges and mother nature made it more exhausting. This time, though, this time he was determined to catch something. He had to show Raccoonstripe that he was a becoming hunter, he had to prove himself and be on par with Moonpaw who was older and had prior training. If anything, it did fuel his competitive spirit and ambition to flourish and become a strong warrior. He would. He had to.
Now was quite the difficult time for that though with these alleged beasts roaming around their territory now, listening to gossiping warriors explain how imposing these boars were. He hadn't seen them for himself, but that nagging chill when Graystorm's body had appeared in camp he could not elude from. One fierce blow had instantly killed him, and just imagining whatever it was that skewered through his body had the apprentice involuntarily cringing from an imaginary pain.
As they trek further, glacial eyes would flit to and fro for any large movement, dark tipped ears on high alert when they approached a clearing. Brackenpaw swallows back his fear, masking his face in that of stoicism and focus. It was time to hunt. Boars or not, ThunderClan needed prey and they couldn't let these behemoths keep them quaking in their dens. He moves, ready to fan out with his mentor and counterpart apprentice when Flamewhisker suddenly flags her tail for them to stop. What was it? Brackenpaw wanted to groan out, but the sudden bristle of a flame colored pelt had instantly dried up his words and tongue in one fell swoop. His own pale fur rose, akin to quills on a porcupine and he freezes. He barely can see through the bramble, peering through the small opening and his heart dropped into his abdomen.

He sees it.

This beast was large as the warrior's stated, perhaps even larger and ugly. Thick tusks of ivory jut from it's mouth and patched fur showering it's muscular frame. Beside it stood a smaller one, most likely it's young and he silently wishes to be back at home. As courageous as Brackenpaw claimed himself to be, nothing short of cold fear struck his heart. Behind them somewhere, a branch crashes into the undergrowth from powerful winds and he nearly jumps out of his skin on response. The boar too now sees them, and within seconds it's roar filters through the air and charges. ThunderClan! To the trees! Flamewhisker, Batwing, and Redwind scatter immediately and he follows suit without a second thought. His body wants to freeze up, limbs suddenly heavy to root him to the ground. Maybe it won't see you. A hysterical thought looms in his mind and he shakes it away. No, higher is better! But what if they can climb? He prays to StarClan that wasn't the case. Brackenpaw turns to Raccoonstripe and Moonpaw, eyes wide as the earth practical quakes from it's thundering foot steps, snorts of rage growing louder by the second and he zooms to the nearest tree, launching as high as his still growing legs would allow. Ivory claws grip the textured bark, providing nooks for his tips to easily slide into and hauling his lengthy frame up the mighty trunk. "Come on!" He yowls in a panic, sparing a glance down to hope they had already joined him in climbing the trees.

Mentor and other apprentice tag:
@RACCOONSTRIPE @Moonpaw

​

[ YOU'RE GONNA GO FAR KID ]​

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

Flamewhisker’s cry of alarm shoots through him, cold as an icicle spear. It’s moments later their patrol splits into panicked flashes of fur, streaking for the nearest trees as swiftly as their paws can carry them. Raccoonstripe hears the boar before he sees her—the hot panting sound of her squeals, the rage whooshing from her hooves as she stamps against the earth. When the scent washes over him, red and swollen, he finds himself frozen in place, watching it approach as though time has slowed to a crawl.

There’s something chanting eerily inside of him—something urging him to unsheathe his claws and finish what Graystorm could not. Something that rasps in his ear. ”It’s the least you should do,” it says. Raccoonstripe imagines his claws shearing through the thing’s naked flesh, blood erupting hot and stinking over his face. He imagines one of those tusks shoving up through him, stove through like Graystorm had been, crucified on the boar’s body for all of ThunderClan to see.

And then Brackenpaw’s frantic shout jolts him out of his reverie. “Come on!” Raccoonstripe feels the blood rush from his ears and back into his paws, flushing him with life again. With reason. Drive out the revenge. The creature’s breath is steaming against his face before he streaks to the left, claws scoring deep into bark as he hauls himself just out of its reach. His heart hammers in his chest—and sweat begins to pop precariously on his face and body beneath his shaggy dark pelt.

Surely I don’t have a death wish?
​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

 

[Flamestar]

( ★ ) She feels her clanmates leave her side almost at once to race towards the trees. Lowering herself slightly, she waited anxiously as Raccoonstripe seemed to be frozen. She was moments away from running towards him, before his apprentice finally seemed to grab his attention. The boar was dangerously close now, and once she saw him turn towards a tree, she too would pelt towards the nearest one. She had wanted to get into what safety the trees provided sooner, but she refused to be safe herself until she was sure everyone else was safe.

The boar had nearly caught Raccoonstripe, but when he flung himself into a tree, the creature looked for the next cat that was on the ground. The vibrant pelt that it had originally spotted was still running, so she would chase after it. Rage was coursing through it's veins, and all it wanted to do was get these cats away from her child

The closest tree grew nearer...she could feel the hot breath on her heels as she raced towards the timber. Her claws extended, and she took a leap towards the trunk, practically running up the bark. Within seconds, she found herself on the lowest branch, just out of reach. She was only up there long enough to sink her claws into the wood, before the tree shook violently. Her gaze widened, and she looked down at the base of the small tree. Below, the boar was walking funny, leading her to assume that the creature had hit its head.

She glanced around the clearing, spotting her scattered clanmates safe in trees of their own. A very faint surge of relief pulsed through her...nobody had died today. "Can everyone hear me? We will try to wait this out...she won't stay here forever." Right? She needed to be confident, but she couldn't help but wonder...what if the herd comes here?

Crack

Underpaw, the branch she was clinging to seemed to shift a little. All along her spine, her hair began to rise. Her claws dug in a little deeper, and she held her breath. The branch...is breaking! Blood roared in her ears, and her body was growing cold with fear. She looked down again...the boar was still down there. Carefully, she tried to shift her weight, but the branch shifted again. Flamewhisker took in a sharp exhale, and tried not to panic.

I have to jump

Could she outrun the boar? She wasn't very confident in herself...she was fast, but that thing was faster. Perhaps...perhaps she could be a distraction for her clanmates to get away...they couldn't fight this thing, so if she could just distract it long enough for them to get away...crack That was the new plan...she couldn't overthink it. She was running out of time. "My branch is breaking...I have to jump. I will distract it, once it follows me, jump from your trees and get away from here! Raccoonstripe, make sure everyone gets home safe." Her voice was strained as she tried to push away the obvious fear that was settling in.

One last glance at her clanmates, before potentially the last words she could say to them. "I'll meet you back at camp." Those words were stronger, more confident...she had to believe it in order for it to come true. Starclan help me! The Molly then stood up, and propelled herself off the branch. As she kicked off, it snapped and fell to the ground, landing on top of the boar. It let out an angry cry, then whipped it's head around to look for who had dropped the limb on it. When it saw Flamewhisker running, it gave chase, the baby following in pursuit of its mother.


Flamewhisker didn't dare look behind her, she just had to keep faith that her clanmates would follow their instructions. She could only distract this thing for so long, so they had a short window to escape. The head start that she had gotten had seemed like quite a bit, but she could already hear the beast catching up to her as she flew through the forest. Her claws extended, hoping to try anything that could boost her speed. She sped through the forest, faster than she ever had before...a strong scent of fear trailing behind her. The boar was less graceful with its running...crashing and tearing through whatever was in its path. Hot breath was on her tail now, she was almost out of time...had she ran far enough? She wasn't even sure where she was now...This time, a strong, thick tree was in her view. You can do this...

The boar was so close now she could hear it breathing. Flamewhisker held her breath, and launched herself forward with extended paws. As she leaped, she could feel her tail brush one of its tusks. Just in time, she flew up the tree, into the safety of its branches. This time however, she went several tiers up. There was no way she was going to take that chance again. ​

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

 

[Moonwhisper]

She isn't fond of having to share her mentor, but ThunderClan was lacking good and proper warriors so she grit her teeth and tolerated it. Moonpaw would never be the sort to argue with her leader or said mentor over something so petty; she could adjust, but that didn't make it any more irritating at times to go over the same lessons she had before because her fellow apprentice was not as old as she was. It was temporary anyways, next moon she would be a warrior and so this was tolerable so long as it didn't interfer with her future assessment. The tortie wonders briefly if she will be thrashing Brackenpaw in a match to prove her worth and its amusing enough to lighten her mood until Flamewhisker's voice cracks like thunder in a howl of warning.

The boars.

It was easy to forget about them at times when they took such strides to be avoidant but it seemed they had stumbled across a mess of them on pure accident alone. Batwing and Redwind echo the lead warrior's cry, demanding for them all to flee, to run, to climb and she finds herself motionless and wide-eyed for longer than intended. Her stomach twists, ears fall flat; Moonpaw finds she can not move-not yet.
She's frozen. In her mind she sees Graystorm's trampled and bloody form, the once proud gray warrior reduced to a battered body so broken he was almost unrecognizable; Howlingstar head bowed over him wailing in despair. Moonpaw's limbs tense, she chokes back a sound that is both a cry of surprise and a mournful gasp of horror at the idea of so suddenly losing another clanmate to such a fate and Brackenpaw's voice is just enough of a jolt to get her moving with earnest. She is not proud of how quickly she flies across the ground and up the tree, can feel her SkyClan blood pumping through her alongside the adrenaline that got her up so high in seconds.

My branch is breaking. Safely from her perch she is glancing from side to side in rapid, panicked looks to find everyone else; hears the molly's comment and plan hum through her thoughts and register far too slow-she can barely get out a word before its already too late and the branch snaps, dropping her to the ground. "Flamewhisker!" The ginger she-cat is gone, bolting like a dart across the forest floor with the boar in pursuit and she hopes to the stars she will return to them alive and well, that they will not find another body in the woods to bring home for burial. She thinks to herself of how few lavender Berryheart has left in his den and wants to cry...
​

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

Raccoonstripe clings just above the roots of his chosen tree, still panting and exuding sweat. There are still two cats on the ground—and when he turns his head and sees his apprentice frozen in fear, he grits his teeth. “Moonpaw!” He gnashes his teeth, preparing to die to get her out of the boar’s path—meeting his brother’s fate after all—when finally, her panicked tortie paws carry her to safety. Flamewhisker follows, and his anxiety begins to recede—slightly.

He just manages to shimmy onto a low-hanging branch when Flamewhisker’s voice reaches him—and the terrifying crack! of the twigs beneath her paws. “I have to jump.” The fear in her voice is palpable, but she’s right, and he hates it. If she doesn’t jump, she will fall, and there’s less chance she’ll escape unscathed if she’s uncoordinated on the landing. The tabby looks at her despairingly. “I will distract it. Once it follows me, jump from your tree and get away from here! Raccoonstripe, make sure everyone gets home safe.”

He gives her a nod. “I will. Be careful.”

Despite the terror winding its way up through him like woodsmoke from an open fire, Raccoonstripe remains still as their flame-pelted lead warrior leaps bravely to the forest floor. It takes only seconds for the boar to charge after her, and the moment the two of them disappear from sight he shouts: “Now! Jump and run straight to camp! Don’t stop for anything!”

He can’t think of Flamewhisker lying broken and bloody just beyond the clearing. He refuses to. They will worry about her later—and her sacrifice will be stories told for moons if she had died saving her Clanmates from certain death. “I want every set of paws in these trees to hit the ground NOW!” He fixes first Brackenpaw and then Moonpaw with a glare. “GO!”

Raccoonstripe tenses his muscles and swings from the tree, landing with a thud on all four paws. “If it comes back—” If she’s dead— “I’ll have to distract it so you can all get away.” The price of being lead warrior—you live and die to serve your Clan. And despite the horror climbing him like lichen on a tree, he will honor the commitment he’d made to Howlingstar just moons ago.
​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​