camp three little birds sat on my window (enjoying meal with clanmates)

[FORESTSHADE]

"I've decided I quite like newleaf," The young warrior declares with a grin after the frog in her jaws is dropped to the ground. Before her lounge a pawful of her clanmates, each sharing meals with each other as the sunhigh heat warms their backs. It isn't often sunshine breaks through the shadowy marsh, but when it does, Forestshade certainly doesn't need to see it to enjoy the rays! She purrs as she settles onto her side and takes a bite from the amphibian trapped beneath her forepaws. As she chews, the prey is pushed to the warrior next to her who she'll share the meal with.

She doesn't remember much of newleaf when she was a kitten; she was very young the last time the season had been here. One thing she's learned very quickly though is how much better their prey situation is now that leaf-bare is a thing of the past. Could still be better, though, The torbie thinks rather negatively, although she doesn't dwell on it too much. "I could do with a little less rain, though. The ground's way too squishy to hunt right now; I feel like the prey can hear every step I make!" She loudly grumbles as she paws the frog back to her to take another bite.​

 

[Rainecho]

Sharing a meal is a tradition that has predated even the clans themselves. Rainecho remembers sitting next to her sister in a very similar fashion. Stormy had pushed some prey item her way, Echo had taken a bite, then she had passed it on to the next cat which she does not. Take, bite, pass. It is routine at this point, something as familiar to her as the back of her own front paws.

Leaf-bare, admittedly had always been bad in the marshes. But never this bad. Hare Whiskers had led them for as long as she could remember with Briar serving as his right hand. Ever since he had passed it seemed like their leaders were dropping one after another. Not to mention the fire that had ravaged their lands just prior to the cold moons start. That couldn't have been good for the prey.

Suddenly, she is broken from her thoughts by the she cat next to her speaking. Rainecho lets out a small chuckle at her words
"You ain't seen nothing yet kid! Just wait until the prey really starts coming back! Then we'll be as fat as those fish-eaters down by the river." She says, disregarding to the fact that she cat she is speaking to is unable to see much of anything. One could only hope they could be so lucky, at least. "It's always wet here. Maybe one day we'll grow webbed toes, wouldn't that be something?" She would swear they might actually if she had to keep eating frogs all the time! Some of her clanmates might like the taste but Rainecho was not one of them. Beggars couldn't be choosers though and something was better than nothing.

Even if that something was green and slimy and tasted disgusting.

​

 

[Leopardprowl.]

A voice pipes up to her left, icy hues landing on Forestshade as she declares of her likeness to New-Leaf. Leopardprowl had settled amongst the small group, splayed lazily against her side with her limbs tucked by her lighter abdomen and her patterned tail curled over on her side. The sun was warm and inviting, breaking past the thick bog and shining amidst their camp. It had been a much more difficult Leaf-Bare, with literally no prey within the marshes until now. For that, the golden warrior was more than happy to see running around. But like Forestshade had pointed towards out as well, the rain was definitely not a welcome one. The moist soil thst never seemed to dry, now squelched under her feet. Hunting was quite a sticky situation with mud sinking between ivory toes with every step.
She nods in agreement with her, drawing a paw over her ear to clean herself before replying with a 'mhm'. The frog between then is passed on to Rainecho, and Leopardprowl watches the food with a greedy gaze. Her stomach growls, yearning for more food even though she'd eaten earlier the morning. It's as being nearly half-starved for so long had made her more ravenous when eat eats—devouring every morsel she could in fear if not knowing when her next meal will be. The warrior exhales soundly through her dusted nose, quietly listening to the chatter between her and Rainecho.
Until a certain phrase is spoken and Leopardprowl nearly chokes on the very air the breathes, sputtering and coughing in hacks of spit and dribble. You ain't see nothing yet kid! Really? To the blind cat? Without even at least a chuckle? Forestshade was a pretty formidable hunter, even with her sightless eyes hindering her. But it was just too damn funny. The golden warrior purses black lips into a thin line, trying so desperately not to kill over laughing. "Uhm—yeah, Forestshade. You sure haven't seen anything, yet. About New-Leaf and Green-Leaf, that is." The warrior finally interjects, her lips twitching as she barely contains herself. Her eyes widen and shift to Rainecho, head tilting ever so slightly with an incredulous expression. She really just said that witbout even cracking a smile? I don't know whether to be impressed or baffled.
Soon, she steadies herself with a clearing of her throat and shifting move upright to engage more in their conversation. "One thing I do hate about the warmer weather here is all the bugs! Nasty creatures. Especially the mosquitoes that whine in your ears non-stop. It could drive someone mad with how much their was."

​

[ YOU'RE NOTHING TO ME ]​

 

[GECKOSCREECH]

⊵ shadowclan has officially thawed out and no longer did anyone have to worry about trudging through mountains of freezing snow or wondering when the next proper meal will be and although they will need a bit more time to recover and allow the marshes to replenish itself, there is no doubt that this new-leaf is going to be a time where they can truly prosper again. shadowclan will be finally able fill their bellies with the much needed prey so that their strength can return tenfold and make a comeback better than ever to show the rest of the world that they survived.

"you're gonna have to get used to the rain, it can get pretty bad down here to the point where you can't step a few tail-lengths out of camp without sinking into a mud puddle." geckoscreech comments from her spot next to leopardprowl where she lay brushing a paw behind her ears and over her face while the frog gets passed around. the warrior's attention flicks between the three she-cats as they mingle, listening to them share their love and gripes for the warmer season. "eugh, tell me about it. the bugs are determined to make your life a living hell with the constant swarms they form." there's a vague shudder that runs down her spine just thinking about those disgusting insects. "another annoying thing is that monsters start becoming more frequent too and some get so loud you can hear it from camp."
​

【 THERE'S SO MANY FAKE ASS PEOPLE PREYING ON YOU.】

 

[ROOSTERSTRUT]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Although it may appear to be a mundane situation, simply just cats gathered around chatting amongst themselves while sharing food, Roosterstrut could confidently say that this was the happiest he's been in moons. The sunlight when it directly illuminated camp, the prey slowly but surely returning to the marshes... Roosterstrut would never take such small things for granted ever again.

The orange tabby lets a content smile creep its way onto his features as he takes a seat by Rainecho and listens in on the conversation. While Leopardprowl and Geckoscreech are more eager to complain about the nuisances that new-leaf brought, Roosterstrut sighed, "I'm just glad leaf-bare is over and done with." No more stealing out of desperation, no more going days without a bite, no more sheltering from the frigid winds. Leaf-bare would make its unwelcome appearance soon enough, but for now, the warrior was eager to bask in the springtime glow.​

 

[FERNDANCE]

This would be the ticked tabby's fourth newleaf, technically. Time had been quick for Ferndance, in a blink, she had gone from a little kit following her street smart parents to a proud ShadowClan lead warrior. Emerald eyes watched the others eat food, but she did not take any prey for herself, instead settling neattly upon her lithe haunches in relative solitude away from the others. Upon hearing warriors complain about the upcoming mosquito outbreak, the she-cat raised a white paw to address them. "I've had bugs all leafbare... I can handle them for a while in newleaf, I think." She admitted. It was a surprise the black dots that occasionally appeared on the tips of her cinnamon fur hadn't already been criticised by the wider audience, but knowing now what she did about ShadowClan, she wouldn't be surprised if everyone had fleas. Everyone except Chilledstar, who kept a reasonably distance from the rabble. A smile graced her sharp muzzle, her teeth briefly running through her alabaster fur as if trying to find one of her itchy passenders. She'd been meaning to talk to Starlingheart about it for moons by now. "They're mine and Dogfur's special friends... I call the one on my paw Reddy... it's a joke on the word 'ready' because he always looks ready to jump. "
​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

---

"i quite like the rain, actually."

chilledstar managed to speak up from behind their own piece of prey. they placed it down, flicking their tail over forestshade's ear in a greeting before settling near geckoscreech. they began to pluck the feathers from the little bird they managed to find, ears twitching as an involuntary shiver crawled up their spine. their blue gaze lands on ferndance who is crawling with creepy crawlers, and immediately they stand, taking a few steps back with a scoff of disgust.

"those things are not your friends. and if i find even so much as a leg of those fuckers in my den, i will skin you alive. you and dogfur."

chilledstar snapped. they might have been joking... had it not been for how serious they felt about bugs and infestations. the mud and dust was enough. living in the swamplands was enough. they liked bugs from afar but on them? in their nest and in their fur? they'd rather have lost all of their lives right now. with a gag, they push the prey away, having completely lost their appetite.
​

 

[smogstar]

Had Newleaf not marked the termination of Leaf-bare, the season would earn the same amount of scorned mutterings as any other one. Bugs, torrential rainstorms, an unpleasant volume of fog—stars, even the wind were all seasonal evils deserving of contempt. All the same, the season indicated a rebirth of the territory's prey supply, and though it may be a modest achievement at most (considering how scant food already is in the marsh), it's something Smogmaw can let his guard down over.

Dark-smirched limbs protrude from his prone form, a partially-nibbled pigeon clutched between his paws. Though he rests a notable breadth away from his clanmates, he yet lies close enough to eavesdrop and potentially contribute to the conversation. Smalltalk, among other things, was usually beneath the tom. He finds himself more partial to it, however, now that the weight of a conceivable demise has been lifted from his shoulders, thanks to the change in season.

"The bugs're just like us," he purports, raccon-striped tail sweeping the soil behind him. "Hungry, miserable little things just tryn'a survive. Not that I feel sorry for 'em, or anything." A feeble offering to the broader discussion, admittedly, but it's an offering nonetheless. He lowers his head to tear a strip of tissue from his meal, though he stops part-way through to spit out a feather. "Now, I've got no sympathy for the peepers," continues the deputy. "The heaps of frogs who sing all night long. Makes getting some sleep harder than it should be." He laughs to himself. "Harder than it already is."​