the terrifying tale of peppa // hunting patrol

[SHININGSUN]

☼ "Right guys, lets head to the Great Sycamore and see what we can find!" Shiningsun beamed as he looked back at his hunting patrol members. It was a good bunch in his opinion so he headed out with high hopes of bringing in a decent haul of prey for the rest of the clan. Yes, it was going to be a good day and very little could dampen his spirits, not even as he stood on a sharp thorn. Ow! Nope! Still smiling strong and proudly! Though as he wandered through the forest towards the intended hunting grounds he couldn't help but find it curious that he was leading the patrol at all. He was still a new warrior, did Flycatcher really have that much faith in him? It was perhaps a small thing but it meant a lot to him in truth.

The infamous tree came into view and he knew that it was time to let the patrol loose to hunt at their own leisure, but something spurred him to raise his tail as a signal for them to hold off from doing so. Lifting his nose to the air he parted his jaws and drank in the scent lingering in the air. Something unusual and new rolled over his senses and it prompted him to bristle with unease. "Er... does anyone else smell that?" It was unlike anything he had ever come across before. And if the scent alone wasn't enough to leave him on edge the shriek further ahead certainly sealed the deal and prompted him to move closer to the rest of the patrol with a wavering smile. "Should we investigate that? I... er... guess we should, yup." That was a warrior's duty, right? To check things out for the sake of keeping the clan safe.

Shiningsun took a steadying breath before he crouched down low and approached the thicket where the noises had been coming from. He expected his clanmates to follow his lead. As he took his first peak of the other side he was confronted with the sight of large, hairy, snuffling beasts! Confused, he was horribly confused by the animals.

//Patrol team: @Silverlightning @MOUSEPAW ! @KILLDEERCRY ; @Cowfoot
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[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

Neat, dainty paws carry the ticked tabby onward with his apprentice in tow. "Hopefully the prey is running well there." He murmurs casually to no one in particular. A watchful glance is cast over his protege, making sure she is keeping up with the patrol and paying attention to her surroundings. With the area of the burnt sycamore coming up he speaks calmly over his shoulder. "Mousepaw, what kind of prey can you expect to find around the great sycamore?" He questions, quizzing his apprentice, although Shiningsun's comment over a strange scent pulls his attention. Silverlightning's gunmetal gaze drifts forward, brows tightening ever so slightly as he too picks up on the foreign smell. It was unlike anything he'd ever come in contact with before.

As the young warrior makes the call to investigate he looks to Mousepaw again. "Stay close." He whispers, tone serious as he stalks forward, head low. Eventually his eyes catch the sight of a hefty shaggy beast with its nose planted to the ground, rooting through grass. "They look vaguely similar to the mountain goats my group used to see from time to time. Heavy, squat and horridly hairy with stone feet." Silverlightning informs the group, crouching lower. "I do not suggest interacting with them." There was no telling what these strange animals were capable of and he was not about to risk Mousepaw's safety to find out. ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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[MOUSENOSE]

She's been assigned a hunting patrol, and despite the early dawn, her step has a bit more pep than it usually would. Mousepaw walks beside Silverlightning with a bit of maturity, though one who does not know her well likely would not have noticed the change. She still makes comments better left kept inside, and her facial expressions are as animated as a kit's, but Mousepaw is taking herself seriously, and her ears are alert for the scuttle of prey in the undergrowth.

Shiningsun leads them all toward the Great Sycamore, his cheer infectious. She still isn't happy with Sunfreckle and Rabbitnose, but she also has come to terms, more or less, with her situation. Mousepaw isn't a kit anymore, she tells herself over and over. She has to become a warrior now. She has to become like Silverlightning, and let her fathers' undivided attention stay in the past where it belongs.

It doesn't smart any less, but it makes things easier to swallow, she supposes.

Her mentor chooses to test her, and Mousepaw's brow furrows before she replies. "Squirrels," she mews cheekily. "Maybe mice and shrew if they're hiding in the roots and the undergrowth right under it." She looks at him with some alarm. "Are we climbing today? Because if so, I guess birds count, too..."

Shiningsun tastes the air and makes a surprised face, his pelt bristling. Her diatribe ceases at his reaction. "Er... does anyone else smell that?" Mousepaw parts her jaws, her face immediately crumpling into an expression of disgust. "Yuck! Silverlightning, what is that?" It smells worse than Sparkpaw after moons without a bath!

Her mentor advises her to stay close, and Mousepaw drops into a crouch beside him, excitement and fear causing her own fur to spike. The scent gets stronger as they creep forward, and she spots the creature through the grass with a tiny gasp of surprise. Mousepaw has never seen anything like this animal! It's big, with squat legs and a heavy, bulky body. It has beady dark eyes and fearsome tusks that remind her of fangs on a dog.

Silverlightning murmurs to the group that they look similar to the mountain goats of his home. She frowns, not understanding the comparison, until he says, "I do not suggest interacting with them." Her green eyes widen and she looks at him with renewed interest. "They're dangerous, then?" Her whisper is hushed despite her excitement.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

 

[KILLDEERCRY ;]

WE'RE GETTING LOST! — Killdeercry had proudly led her pair of apprentices ahead, head held high and steps confident. The ruddy she-cat kept her jaws open while they prowled the area. Her steps stopped alongside Shiningsun's as he called for their attention, catching on to what he had just a few beats later. "Ack, that's gross." She grumbled, shaking her head. At the suggestion to investigate, her curiosity was already several steps ahead. She took after the other warrior, flicking her tail for Sleekpaw and Barleypaw to keep behind her while she crouched.

She crawled low to the ground, pelt picking up dust and stray leaves while dragging herself through the brush. The smell was starting to become overwhelming to the point where even she had started to recoil. Her snout shoved through the thicket, and out revealed the culprits. "Mountain goats? Stone feet?" A familiar smile spreads across her maw. "Sounds like a great fight to win. What are we waiting for? They don't even know we're here, could get the jump on'em and chase'em outta here! Sleekpaw, Barleypaw, watch how a pro does it."

She glanced back at the patrol with a fiery confidence before darting out to confront the boars, yowling and huffing swears. Her fur fluffed up, making her look like a fuzzy creature twice her size in attempts to intimidate the boars. — tags

-- app tags @barleypaw. @Sleekpaw. ​

 

[SHININGSUN]

☼ Clearly these weren't mountain goats, but the potential danger behind the unknown beasts was well worth taking heed of. This was a situation that was well beyond their ability to address on their own, so it really was time to head back to seek guidance from Howlingstar and Flycatcher, as well as to deliver a warning. "We'll treat them as being a real danger. I think it would be wise for us to pull back to-... Killdeercry what are you doing?!" Logic was practically thrown out of the window by the actions of the she-cat as he watched briefly in stunned horror as she darted out to confront the boars.

"Sleekpaw, Barleypaw, don't even think about joining her!" How Killdeercry ever got assigned two apprentices he'd never know! But if he hoped to spare his patrol from getting injured, or even worse killed, he knew he had to act fast. Without sparing a single thought more he lunged forth after the other warrior before attempting to grab her by the scruff so he could haul her back unceremoniously into the undergrowth. However, he could feel eyes on them and a loud snort made it clear that they had been noticed. It really was time to get out of there, and it was purely dumb luck that they weren't being charged at yet.
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[Cowfoot]

TRY TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT

Cowfoot squinted into the sun, glaring at the bright light as it gazed at the hunting patrol. It hadn't been long since he had been made into a warrior, earning his warrior name had been kinda... different from what he was used to. But it worked fine. He was still a warrior now, wasn't he? Right...

They arrived at the Great Sycamore pretty quickly, and he smiled shyly at the mentor-apprentice conversation before turning his attention to making sure there weren't any predators around. When he was happily sure that there was nothi-- no, what was that scent? He glanced at the others to confirm his findings before realizing they had already figured it out. "What should we d-- KILLDEER?? HELLO??" His sentence would cut off midway through as Killdeer launched herself into the line of sight of the strange creatures.​

up until the end of the line​

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[✧ Sleekserpent.]

I DON'T KNOW EUPHORIA
sleekpaw | 05 months | genderfluid | he/she/they | physically easy | mentally hard | attack in bold mistyrose

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The choking stench of the strange animals is enough to have sleekpaw paling, looking for all the world as though they may lose their breakfast at any moment. The boy doesn't even get a chance to complain however before killdeercry is excitably trying to charge forwards in a rush. He has no interest in following suit, instead his soft, pale figure crouches down lower into the undergrowth. She's a coward, she knows well, but really there is nothing on this earth that could convince the boy to fight something so much bigger than her. "L-let's just go!" They say nervously, quiet voice now trembling with fear as the beasts take note of them. He doesn't want to be here - wants to go home.
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