camp two went in and one came home | prey inspection

[Tybalt [Stagstrike]]

It didn't matter what he did. The dreams always ended the same. Sometimes it was him who caught the rat. Sometimes he caught nothing at all. Sometimes his mother didn't even eat the rat. She ate the mouse, or the robin, or the twoleg trash. The food didn't matter. Violetta always died. He always found her seizing on the fire escape, frothing at the mouth as the poison wracked her body.

With an exhausted sigh, Tybalt gazed down at the fresh-kill pile. He reached out a paw and began spreading the prey out in front of him, turning each piece over and examining it, sniffing it carefully to check for the tang of twoleg poison or disease before returning it to the pile.

 

[Marigoldpaw]

It’s a toss up whether or not Marigoldpaw will wake up early or on time. He isn’t entirely bothered by when he gets ready for the day, allowing his body to do its thing. Maybe it’ll change when he really starts his schedule with Moonwhisper, but for today he’s feeling particularly energized.

When he exits the apprentice den, it doesn’t take long for him to notice Tybalt fussing with the fresh-kill pile, and his interest is piqued. Did he notice something was off, or was the off thing him? Maybe he just had a bad start to his morning? Well, only way he’ll figure out is to ask.

Marigoldpaw goes up to the fawn tom, tilting his head in confusion. “Is something the matter?” He asks. Nothing looks wrong to him on the surface, but he trusts Stagstrike’s judgement. He is one of the few cats he’s close to, after all.​

 

[Tybalt [Stagstrike]]

Tybalt let out a purr as Marigoldpaw padded up to him. He’d always been fond of the younger tom, and Marigoldpaw was one of the only ThunderClanners he was particularly close to. “Hey Marigoldpaw,” he rumbled.

He looked back down at the squirrel he’d been examining, turning it a few times and giving it a final sniff. Yes, this one was safe. He pushed it back towards the pile. “I was just, uh…” he trailed off. “I’m checking to make sure the prey is safe to eat.” Logically, he knew it was probably fine, but he wouldn’t be satisfied until he checked it over anyway.

 

[Flamestar]

When she had first spotted Stagstrike at the fresh kill pile, she hadn't thought much about it. However, the longer he was there, the more curious she grew. She had been grooming herself outside the Warrior's den, but after watching him and now Marigoldpaw for a few minutes, she decided to see what was up.

She trotted over to join them, giving each of them a friendly smile. "Good morning, is everything alright?" she asked, watching as her dentate sniffed a squirrel. He claimed to be simply making sure they were safe to eat, and she tilted her head slightly to the right. "I'm sure they are all fine, but a double check is not a bad idea. Especially now that we are into leafbare...we need all the prey we can get." ​

★ don't need to save me

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  FLAMEWHISKER of THUNDERCLAN
  LH red tabby with low white (masks black tabby, carries dilute, solid)
  — Lead Warrior of Thunderclan ; currently mentoring Acornpaw
  — she/her ; mated with Flycatcher
  — mother to Stormfeather & Falconheart
  — 28 moons ; ages on the 20th
  — Smells like dirt, old leaves, tree sap, faint hint of flowers
  — will start a fight, will finish fights, will kill (case depending)
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — penned by Icey ! ; link to tags
  — link to toyhouse​