private SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING (vulturemask)

[FORESTSHADE]

// @VULTUREMASK

Forestshade has yet to come down from that high of receiving her full name. She's been spending countless hours out of camp just because she can. She gets to attend patrols without Chilledgaze present. Her name comes off her lips more than any other word just because she loves to hear it. She's awesome - a warrior in her own right. It's been her destiny all along.

Today is one of those days where she won't return to camp, savoring her newfound freedom that her nest in the warrior's den gives her. She's on the trail, paws sinking into half-frozen mud and clinging to her legs. A mouse...a rarity around here but she won't complain. Prey is prey, even if it's a ThunderClanner's prey. Her nose wrinkles at the thought but she pushes on before finally, she can hear it. Trained ears angle forward, she sinks lower to the ground. She's memorized this spot well...there's a stone up ahead, high up as her belly. Forestshade crawls around it, expertly keeping her paws silent against the cool ground. And in that moment, the wind shifts. Mouse-dung!

She can hear the mouse panic as it catches scent of her. It scuttles off and the brand new warrior wastes no time. She lunges forward at a bound, giving chase towards the thunderpath. The acrid stench hits her nose, and for the briefest moment she hesitates. Briarstar's voice echoes in her mind, telling her to stay away from the dangerous path. But there's a mouse upon it, one that can feed her clan when they're so starving. The striped molly won't pass it up.

Powerful legs push faster as she crosses the rough tar before leaping, the tiny prey quickly pinned beneath round paws. Fangs flash briefly before they're buried in the creature's neck. When she straightens, she swipes her pink tongue across her lips, cleaning them of blood. One can't miss the smug grin upon her face.​

 

[VULTUREMASK]

The thunderpath....It made him sick every single time he had to move his paws over to that direction but he had no other choice. Herbs needed to be found and it was easier around here when it was on the muddy and drained moors. Vulturemask wore a tight grim look upon his features during his whole time searching for any herbs though while nervousely listening to any thunderous roars from the monsters.

Suddenly he could hear movements which alarmed him to stand straight up, and with his long ears twitching in all directions until he could detect it came from the other side of the road. His gaze moved over to stare at the other side. Shadowclans territory. From the darkness he spotted a dark shape coming out from some of the trees and bushes. It was another cat looking almost like the forest herself. In front of her was a mouse this warrior was chasing and...she was running straight towards the thunderpath. At first he wasn't concernd after all she could see the danger in front of her. Obviously she would be wise enough to abandon the hunt to put her own safety first. But the longer he watched the more obivious it became to him that she was not going to stop.

Vulturemask made a quick turn to face the thunderpath, his mouth dropping open to call out to her but it was already to late. The molly had already leapt out into the road to cross the dangerous path to catch the mouse right in her mouth. It was just by chance that he stood right in front of her, from the other side as he had taken witness to this whole thing. He would just stare at them at first, not taking long for him to realise he was staring into empty eyes that not even looked to see him. Vulturemask made sure to put this into his mind, another minute passing before he eventually called out. " You better hurry and get off the thunderpath! unless you wanna get crushed by a monster!." Hopefully that would be enough for her to realise the danger she had put herself in here because there was no way he was going to cross the death path just to help her. This was on her.


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[FORESTSHADE]

Her victory is cut short by the words of another. A striped ear flicks and she angles her face vaguely in the direction of the voice. Getting off the stinky path is probably a good idea. By the sounds of it, there doesn't seem to be a monster coming...but that could change at any moment. She leans down to pick up her mouse and scurries off in the direction of Fourtrees. Neutral ground. She reaches the rough grass and drops her fresh-kill, promptly looking in the direction of the voice again. "You a WindClanner or somethin'? I can smell the heather on ya from here!" She calls, lips twitching in the beginnings of an amused grin. She lifts a paw to lick at it, wanting to rid it of the stinky tar-smell.​

 

[VULTUREMASK]

Good, she listened. That made her less of a harebrain than most he knew. Vulturemask decided to follow on the other side of the road until they reached the neutral ground between the two groups. He didn't exactly know why he had done it but he suppose it would look bad on him and windclan if something actually would happen to one of their allies and someone saw him doing nothing about it. That would be bad especially on him if anything would ruin the alliance between the two clans. At the moment he needed both clans to work together so he could learn from their medicine cat Starlingheart. Two brains was always better than one.

" Your nose works well." he would state to confirm she was indeed correct. Now when he not needed to worry about this shadowclanner getting crushed by a monster his curiosity returned back to this she-cats eyes. He would take a step closer, his eyes watching her closely, more closely then he usual would have done to any other cat who could have seen him. " I saw you hunt that mouse like you actually could see it. I'm curious about how you make that work." he asked bluntly not worrying at all about that this might be a sensitive topic for the molly to talk about especially to a stranger. He had never meet a blind cat before so it was a suprise to discover shadowclan had one, and by the looks of it she was doing well without her sight.



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[FORESTSHADE]

The praise is worth sticking around to hear. It brings a genuine smile to her face, and though she is not directly facing the tom, it's obvious the smile is meant for him. "Thanks," She chirps matter-of-factly, knowing all too well how talented her nose is. Never knowing the privilege of sight, her nose and ears have always had to be keen. Briarstar and Chilledgaze taught her how to utilize them well, to hunting without needing to see, to recognize landmarks and smells and voices. Now, she can hunt as well as any seeing cat, and even better than some. Who am I kidding? I'm one of the best!

She strides closer to the WindClanner as he kicks off conversation, fluffy tail flicking. "I don't need to see it when I can smell it and hear it." She halts a couple fox-lengths in front of him and sits back on her haunches. She shrugs nonchalantly, oozing confidence. "The name's Forestshade. What can I call you? WindClanner isn't gonna cut it."​

 

[VULTUREMASK]

He wasn't exactly sure why she had thanked him for a such small thing in a such pleasing way too but he would take it. His curiosity lay with her eyes after all. Vulturemask would give an accepting twitch of his ear when the shadowclanner come closer to him all while explaining how she relayed on her hearing and smell instead of the sight. She made it sound so simply not at all looking bothered with lacking something other cats would take for granted. There was something about that which allured the medicine cat to this molly. Usually a cat would self-pity themselves for having a disadvantage but this molly right in front of him had instead thrived turning her weakness into a strenght. How could that not be worth to admire?. Clearly he could see this warrior didn't lack any confidence in herself.

" I must say you have done well for yourself then. You might even be a better hunter than some of my own clanmates." It was rare of him to give out compliments especially to a stranger but he could easily tell when someone had skills and he had always been one who encouraged those who he saw potential in but who might lack confidence in themselves, such like Rosepaw and Bumblebreeze.

Forestshade.That was a name worth to remember. Strange, he usually didn't found himself interested in another cat like this. Surely it would pass as soon the two had parted ways. Vulturemask was just fascinated to learn that a cat did not need their eyes to make it out here in the world. He had always liked to learn about unexpected things. Looks like she wanted to know his name too which he didn't mind sharing but also he wouldn't have felt bothered to be called for 'windclanner' either. "You can call me Vulturemask." he would share his name but without informing her that he was windclans medicine cat. He was not sure how well his name had spread out there to the other clans yet but neither did he care. Vulturemask did not feel a need to introduce himself with his rank everywhere he went. If they knew his name they already knew who he was.



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[FORESTSHADE]

He praises her some more, and she tips her chin up with a smug smirk on her face, pleased with the compliment. The easiest way to get on her good side is to be commended in such a way. She liked this tom already.

The WindClanner speaks his name and her ears twitch in recognition. "Vulturemask?" She repeats with a cock of her head. "You're WindClan's leaf counter then, eh?" It's a joke; she obviously knows how important and esteemed the role is. Still, it's in her nature to poke fun. Forestshade continues to groom herself for a few moments, picking dried leaves and debris out of her fur. The silence is comfortable - for the moment, that is. When she's content that most obvious of the leaf litter is pulled from her, she straightens herself once more to part her jaws and scent the air. It's the best way for her to memorize a cat she meets, after all. By scent, and by voice. "It'll be easy to remember you - y'smell like dying cats in the medicine den!" Again, merely a joke and far from an insult. ShadowClanners don't exactly smell like roses.​

 

[VULTUREMASK]

Aha, so she did know who he was then. That name to describe his position with though... Leaf counter that was a new one. Vulturemask did could tell when someone was trying to crack a joke or tease him, it was just that he lacked humor. Her playfulness though reminded him of a certain tom. " That's a new one i not have heard before." he would admit not taking it as an insult. " But yes, i do am the 'leaf counter'."

He watched silently as the molly contunied to groom herself from before, and as he did so paid attention to how perfectly neat her fur was. Clearly this was a she-cat who cared alot about their apperance. Meanwhile Vulturemask himself rarely bothered to groom himself. His fur was always messy and unkept. Up until now he had not bothered to make it comfortable to himself but he somehow felt this conversation with this shecat might keep on going for a while longer so he took a seat, tail getting wrapped around his paws as he did so.

Observing, Vulturemask watched what this shadowclanner did next which was to sniff in the air around him. It was not until she started speaking again that he understood what she had been doing. This time when she made a joke a snort left the medicine cat not having been prepared for her to leave remarks on how he smelt. It was the closest to amusement he would let show. " And here i thought i smelt like flowers and honey." he would say with sarcasm, the closest to a joke a bitter tom like him could master up. " I cannot remember you marsh cats to ever have smelt any better though..." he could recall from his own time on the otherside of the thunderpath.



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