the queen bee and her men| intro+bug sting

[Sycamoreroot]

if i get too close⤬———————————————————————————————
It was a typical hunting patrol, Sycamoreroot lumbered behind the rest of the cats, quiet and ever alert. His prowess in fighting didn't seem to translate well to hunting, apparently when something was running from you it was harder to slam them into the ground with force and weight. Instead you needed slow calculation and quick relaxes. Some things Sycamoreroot could be accused of lacking. So, during hunting patrols, although he tried his hardest, sometimes it was easier to hang back and try to not scare anything off for more nimble cats.

He watched his large feet thump down in front of him, carrying him across the flattened grass. They were nearing the end of the hunt and he couldn't say he felt all too good about himself coming back to camp with nothing in his mouth. That's when his tufted ears swiveled to the left, a small bird sung out. His eyes followed to where he had heard the sound, resting onto a little robin sitting on a fallen branch. Now that could make a nice meal.

He lowered his body quietly, trying to make sure he moved his paws lightly as he moved his way towards the branch. The bird still sat, chirping away with not a thought paid to him. Placing his foot attentively on the branch he realized that it seemed a little flimsy for his size. He was nearly double the size of the typical forest born cat, thanks to a kittypet past he was huge, much to his dismay. But, embarrassment could get the giant to do many stupid things, and this was one of them. He advanced up the branch some more, bird still in his sights, and as he continued to stalk he could feel the branch dipping more and more. It thankfully was holding up though, and the bird was just within pouncing distance. Sycamoreroot readied himself, this was the moment and just as his first foot left it's placement SNAP!

The tom tumbled down into the brush. Heart pumping from the shock out of concentration. The cats hunting in front of him would hear the crash followed by grumblings and mutters, and then lastly a short yip of pain as the black tabby crashed out of the bush, bugs buzzing above his head. Apparently, wasps like to make nests under old fallen branches and didn't like it when a cat squashes said nest. His thick coat was saving him from some of the stings, but not all, and he especially didn't feel lucky when the one somehow stung his paw pad. Running away was significantly harder when one didn't have their front leg to use. So much for saving himself embarrassment, now he would be forced to walk to the medicine den like a mouse-brain, maybe he would just skip the cursed place. Maybe only the hunting patrol could know of his blunder. He tore off in the opposite direction to the other cats, not wanting to draw the wasps to them but needing to run them off. Who knew how long he would be limping along trying to shake the vengeful creatures.
and i'm not how you hoped⤬————————————————⤬penned by WriteAboutRadish
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[nightbird]

the hunting patrol was going rather smoothly. although she was not blind to sycamoreroot's lagging, as long as he remained far away with his heavy steps she was not bothered. not every cat was a threat to all forest wildlife, the older tabby proved himself in other ways.

quietly, she stalked a mouse. small paws gently placed on the ground, each step careful and precise. it would be an effortless kill, nearly close enough to deliver a deadly bite. would have been. wood creaks, then snaps brutally only a few lengths away. her prey is almost as startled as she is, tufted head snapping up with a wide gaze.

a thud follows it, a hard one at that. quickly she gives up on the darting mouse, maneuvering her way closer to the sound of the pained yelp. her fur flattened slightly upon seeing sycamoreroot's hulking frame stumbling out of the brush. it did not take long to spot the reason for his distress. wasps circled him angrily, diving against his thick coat in multiple attempts to sting him. however, the older warrior did not linger, racing off away from her amused expression.

"make some new friends, sycamoreroot?" she called out before he got too far, unable to hide the amused tinge to her tone. nightbird did not risk to follow him, wasps were vengeful creatures with little mercy and she was not about to gain their ire as well. instead, she turned to duskpaw, ears twitching as she watched the warrior flee. "as i'm sure he is learning now, you should avoid wasps. i've heard stories where they hunted the same cat for moons after their nest was destroyed. nasty little things, you can ask sycamoreroot how painful their sting is if he ever returns to camp."

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• @DUSKPAW
  
  
  

• 

• NIGHTBIRD ✩ she/her, lead warrior of thunderclan, twenty-four moons
  ⭃ nightbird is a small black smoke molly with pale silver eyes. a loner turned thunderclanner, her loyalty and drive to provide for her clan is unwavering. however, she is not known for harboring a bleeding heart, instead equipped with sarcastically fueled wit, brutal honesty, and a sharply edged tongue.
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[LITTLE WOLF]

Like Nightbird, Little Wolf tries not to allow heavy paw steps to disrupt her hunt, she puts one paw in front of the other. Like most Thunderclanners, she knew how to expertly traverse the forest while making the least amount of noise possible. She lifts her nose to the air and is inhaling the scent of oak and leaves when suddenly she hears a commotion, her head swings around in time to see Sycamoreroot taking off, wasps in tow.

She comes to stand beside Nightbird and her son, whiskers twitching in amusement. "Hopefully he can evade them" she says. It would be a shame if he ended up in her brother's den for an extended visit after all. Besides, shes not entirely certain if she and Nightbird would be able to get him back to camp on their own, should he pass out. She nods her head to the other ebony she cats words of wisdom. it was important to watch your pawsteps in the forest for that reason.
​

 

[Brackenleap]

Brackenleap felt the ground under his paws, heard the birds arguing over food, and smelled the dry scent of Greenleaf everywhere. It was beautiful, and so was his timed jump with paws outstretched. The cracking branch followed by a yip startled Brackenleap badly enough that he twisted in midair, his claws dragging feathers loose but leaving a starling free to return to its nest. "Mousedung," he swore, and was beginning the trudge in that direction to investigate when Sycamoreroot charged right towards him.

Brackenleap uttered a yip of his own and dodged frantically. His hip, already sore from his poorly executed acrobatics, twinged. The tom managed to land on all four paws but still sent Sycamoreroot off with a glare. A wasp circled Brackenleap curiously and the tom snapped at it with his teeth, then regretted the action when the creature stung him on the nose spitefully. A swipe sent the wasp tumbling away and Brackenleap dragged himself back to the patrol, ill-humored and hurting.

He returned to hear the tale of a moon-long hunt of wasps. "No need to ask Sycamoreroot," Brackenleap grumbled, using his tail to brush his nose and wincing when the inevitable throb resulted. He didn't want to scare Duskpaw, though, so he just added, "It hurts."

Little Wolf had more grace for Sycamoreroot, and Brackenleap sighed and sent his own prayer to StarClan for Sycamoreroot's comfort and safety. "We should probably follow him to make sure he's not hurt too badly," he said.​

 

[BASILWHISKER]

⋆⍋ Basilwhisker stalked not too far ahead of his patrolmates, finding himself nestled beneath a thick bramble bush as he watched his Clanmates distantly. The limp body of a vole lay between his paws, his success for the trip already claimed, but he did not entertain the idea of going out for another. With Nightbird and Duskpaw to his right, Little Wolf not too far off, he noticed only one was unaccounted for.

His curiosity is quickly answered with a resounding crash coming from the branches. Pale eyes squint to see Sycamoreroot followed by the swarm of stinging buzzers. Basilwhisker crawled from the bramble bush, shaking the stray thorns off before joining the rest of the warriors gathered with his vole. Brackenleap suggested they follow, a suggested he hoped the others would dismiss. And risk themselves getting stung? He didn't have a burly coat to protect him from stingers like some.

"He's scared everything away here." A bland counter to Brackenleap's suggestion. Wherever that tom is going will send prey fleeing back to their dens. Besides, would it take all of them to ensure the senior warrior's safety? Surely it wouldn't be wrong for him to continue his luck in another part of the forest. ​