scared of going under | thunderclan patrol

[Flycatcher]

@Leafshade @FINCHCATCHER @. Roepaw . (feel free to tag your apprentices too!)
The patrol had been going well so far. They had made their way from the direction of the RiverClan border and were now carefully patrolling close to SkyClan. Flycatcher usually wasn't so overly mindful around here, but after the recent skirmish, he did not want to give a reason for either side to attack. It had been fairly quiet on RiverClan's side and it seemed like the SkyClan patrol would be much the same.

"Okay, looks like we're almost finished here," Flycatcher mewed to his patrol, turning to look at the cats beside him. "Let's mark the last part of our border and head home."​

 

[Finchfang]

The recent...incident...was weighing on the whole Clan, and rightly so: something tragic had occurred. Finchfang, however, had not been directly involved. His only tie to the affair which resulted in Morningpaw's death was his allegiance as a SkyClanner - and, of course, the general sorrow of seeing a young life snuffed out. These mattered to him, of course they did, but he still felt...distant from everything. It felt indecent for him to be dwelling too long on the skirmish, like he was spectating on tragedy removed from him personally. He worried that to dwell upon it or to feel too deeply about it would be cheapening the life lost and the grief being experienced by his Clanmates. Therefore, his approach was to try to move on; to perform his duties as well as he could, and let everyone else phase through their feelings around him.

Of course, one couldn't be too dismissive - recent events, particularly violent ones, necessitated his full attention. Thus he abandoned his pursuit of a squirrel when he caught the wafting scent of ThunderClanners. Despite himself, he felt his heart skip an anxious beat as he sprang from branch to branch above the ThunderClanners' heads, moving towards the patrol until he could see the flashes of their coats from his elevated position. It would only be polite to greet them, he felt - not to mention safer. Right? With care, the warrior dropped to the chilled ground with a soft thump, squarely on the SkyClan side of the border. "Hello, all." said Finchfang in a quiet voice. He waved his dark tail in greeting. "I don't believe I've had the good fortune of meeting any of you. My name is Finchfang. Ah..." he hesitated, unsure if he was doing this right. "Is...there anything...you need from SkyClan at this time?"​

 

[FINCHCATCHER]

He shouldn't be here.

Finchcatcher doesn't think he should, at least.

Nearing the border he'd once lived on the other side of - the border he'd stepped over in the chase for a squirrel; an action that ended in bloodspill, in death. Senseless, unnecessary. It shouldn't have happened. The ginger warrior should've stayed far from the SkyClan border that day, and he thinks the same of now. Yet he follows orders, finds himself back at the edge of the oak forest, pine trees within eyesight.

He makes note of the conifers, this time, paws careful not to overstep as he silently begs for a quick patrol.

Finchcatcher hopes they'll be able to avoid a run-in with SkyClan, but he's well aware of how these things go by now. A run-in is inevitable.

They near the end of their patrol, when a voice on the other side speaks up. Introduces himself as Finchfang - a name that causes Finchcatcher's ears to twitch, causes his mind to wonder what the outcome would be, if he were given the SkyClanner's name instead of his own. Would he still be living among the pines, if Blazestar had named him Finchfang instead?

It's unimportant, now. He'll think on it later.

Finchcatcher ducks his head down at the SkyClanner's words, at his attempt to be polite in unprecedented times. It doesn't seem right, the politeness. Doesn't seem deserved after all that had happened. If he didn't know any better, Finchcatcher would think this Finchfang is trying to make a dig at them. A poor shot, after the last run-in.

"Does it look like we need anything from you?" he asks, words sharp and defensive, fiery tail twitching behind him.

Finchcatcher just wants to get out of here.
​

 

[ThistleBack]

The shower of frost in the wake of his landing on each branch, pelts the ferns below. The canopy is sailed swiftly by the black and white warrior, who looks behind him to make sure his apprentice was doing well. He clambers down the trunk to the ground, and waves a tail in order of silence when he hears a voice.

Finchfang’s greeting decorates the quiet forest, where the pines bleed into oaks. Thistleback stalks with long wolf legged prance, chin low to the ground as he sidles up to the brown tabby warrior. Steely grey eyes move over Finchcatcher as he speaks, a tone matching the season of the moon. Thistleback’s lips lift in a smirk, a humorless snort befell his black nostrils and he grazes his razor edge tail-tip against Finchfang’s shoulder.

" Finchfang, my kindhearted lad " eloquent bladed tongue working his words with a display of grime wedged dagger edge teeth. " we owe them nothing. " he speaks simply before turning on heel and marching down the Skyclan border.

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OOC INFO REF

• — apprentice @Quillpaw
  
  
• 
  
  
  ✧ T H I S T L E B A C K
  thirty-three moons
  — Lead warrior of Skyclan
  — taken by
  Deersong 9.29.22
  — mentoring quillpaw
  — very muscular piebald black and white tom with spiky fur and cold silver-grey eyes.
  — biography･ﾟ✧​
• 
  
  

​

 

[TALLULAHWING]

( ┊͙ ˘͈ᵕ˘͈ ) Tallulahwing is apprenticeless on this excursion, hanging back at Finchfang and Thistleback's heels and watching with big pale eyes that glow like sparks in the cold gloom. ThunderClan's scent causes her fur to bristle involuntarily. There's no dregs of friendliness left on either side, it seems. Finchfang attempts to call out to the patrol and the ginger warrior who replies hisses in response.

The torbie frowns deeply at Finchcatcher's hostility. "Just keep your paws to your side of the border this time, darlin'." She watches the former SkyClan tom with narrowed eyes, wondering how Cosmospaw felt about his kin living with ThunderClan and showing his place of origin such violent hostility.​

( WAITING AT THESE CROSSROADS FOREVER AND A DAY , AND NO GUY TO BUY MY SOUL )

 

[Flycatcher]

It would seem they were not to be alone as they had been when they passed by RiverClan. An older tom emerges first, funnily enough also with Finch in his name, like Flycatcher's SkyClan turned ThunderClan clanmate. His words seem pleasant enough, even asking if ThunderClan needs anything from them. Our fallen apprentice would be nice, Flycatcher thinks in his mind. But cheating death is beyond that of either of our medicine cats.

Finchcatcher snaps back defensively which is in turn met by remarks from more SkyClan, the latter of the two warning them to keep their paws to themselves. Flycatcher shot them a wary glance before turning to Finchcatcher. "Steady now, friend," He advised cooly, hoping that the tom would not rise to the further comments.​

 

[Fireflyglow]

WE'VE BEEN DOIN' ALL THIS LATE NIGHT TALKIN' ✧​

@HUCKLEBERRY

Fireflypaw pads alongside the rest of the border patrol, the ghost of a scent of ThunderClan causing his heart to ache- he longed to see his mother, his brother and sister. Was Crescentpaw and Burnpaw doing okay, over there? Were they eating alright? He's reminded faintly of the new law, and his eyes hesitantly move to the patrol as hostility rumbles beneath SkyClan's gaits.

"Shouldn't we be marking our borders?" Fireflypaw speaks up softly, trying to change their attention to other things. Just not this, anything but this. They could deal with ThunderClan any other time, but he couldn't deal with this now. "Look, that rock's still unmarked.."​

 

[Finchfang]

It was a ginger tabby who responded to him first, and Finchfang resisted the urge to take a step back. I will not be cowed by a warrior with an attitude. thought the striped cat with firmness. Besides - I can't blame him for his attitude. What with all that had happened, surely it is understandable for tempers to be high and words to be harsh. Finchcatcher had a point, anyway; they certainly didn't appear to be in need of anything from any of the SkyClan cats. "No. No, you don't." he said finally. His voice was as quiet and even as ever, but there was distinct sorrow in his hazel eyes as he turned them away from the ThunderClanners.

This felt like a sufficient response, and he feared that hostility would grow between the two groups even more if conversation continued; perhaps it was all still too delicate. Comforted by the arrival of two of his Clanmates, he twitched an ear in response to Thistleback's and Tallulahwing's words and turned his back on the patrol, hoping that his doing so clearly indicated his lack of interest in any sort of violence. Yes. Everyone keeps their paws to themselves. thought Finchfang ruefully, standing in silence as Fireflypaw spoke up. The poor child...he lost his sister, and now he's right here, in the thick of a tense situation between his current and former Clans.

"You're right, Fireflypaw. Let's go." said Finchfang with as much briskness as he could muster. He glanced back, briefly, to the ThunderClanners and offered a dip of his head which he hoped communicated ... well ... something. Apology, good wishes, good riddance? Something. Then he proceeded forward along the border's edge, inhaling deeply the distinctive SkyClan scent and trying to determine where it was fainter and in need of refreshing. There was a lead warrior here, now, and they were evenly matched; hopefully they could go about their businesses and have no trouble.​

 

[FOXGECKER]

Healing is a long process. He has been out of commission for a good while because of the skirmish. Wounds bleeding and he feels ill about it really. They should have just left, backed off from the squirrel and let Skyclan have what was theirs. It was on their territory, not Thunderclan's and because of their idiocy Morningpaw had to pay the price. The older tom treads behind, steps slow and pace measured. Each step hurts, jarring against wounds that stretch and shift against flesh. But he wears a mask to keep himself from looking pained. As the border shows itself the tom pauses and he snorts at the Thunderclan patrol. "Prey-thieves." The lot of them and he shakes his head. But at least it seems no one is going to escalate another fight. Good. He wishes to just get this patrol over with so he can rest his body.

His eyes flick over to them for a moment before he flicks his thick tail. He can pretend that they are not here. Pretend that everything will be okay. Surely Starclan will give Skyclan a reprieve soon.​

 

[COSMOSBLOOM]

Cosmospaw is a ways behind the rest of the patrol. He's dragging behind, he knows that, but he can't help to be wary. This patrol travels to the ThunderClan border, an area of shared territory that held bloodshed not too long ago.

It's likely it'll be him to get help, if something were to go wrong. Last to arrive on the scene, he'll be the one who needs to turn around, call for Blazestar - no, not him. Grief weighs too heavily on his mentor to get help from him. The deputy, the... new... deputy. The new, new deputy. The lead warriors too. The other ones, at least.

Hostility reaches his ears, breaks him from his emergency planning. It causes his stride to speed up, causes him to run. Help, he'd need to get help after all, wouldn't he?

But, as he arrives to the scene, it's not the crimson of blood he sees. Red does not splatter the snow, but finds its home in swirls of scarred fur on the other side of the border.

It's a face he remembers. A pelt that he remembers being less scarred than what stands before him - and, if he reaches back enough in flame-filled memories, he can remember the tom being scar-free. Someone who'd disappeared without a trace moons ago, only to be just on the other side of the border that stands between them.

His brother. He's alive.

"Finch..." he speaks out, taking a step towards the border, towards his brother. Cosmospaw can't believe it.
​