who knows? not me, nor you || rta

[JACKDAWFLIGHT]

To be absolutely honest, he had been feeling a bit out of it. The chilled days of leaf-bare did not sit well in his bones and despite not being that many moons old (although, he was no longer a bright-eyed and excitable apprentice with endless energy), the dark-furred warrior still preferred the warmth that came with greenleaf - the warmth that would seep through his long fur and make him sigh with happiness. Everything would grow with such flourish! Velvet green leaves and flower buds in all colours: pale pink, golden yellow, bright blue – large and small and everything in between, making him dizzy with all the new smells of the forest. And while skipping across roots that threatened to trip one up the birds would sing – calling to each other in chirrups and whistles and song. Oh, he loved greenleaf!

And the smells of prey; the enticing, mouth-watering scent of mice and voles and shrews, peeking out from the undergrowth, their snouts just as eager to greet the new season as Jackdawflight. And by StarClan was he glad that he was out hunting – who could resist the thrill of catching fresh prey for the clan?

//FINALLY back with a post, feel free to vibe with my boy, he needs friends <3

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[saltmane]

Who, indeed. Certainly not Saltmane, who's fresh from catching a shrew by surprise, its body buried at the base of a tree he'd marked with his claws. From the looks of it, Jackdawflight is enamored with the life that has returned to the trees, which bemuses Saltmane. He's old enough to be familiar with the land's cycles, and while Saltmane can understand a bit of wide-eyed relief in the first warm days after a harsh leafbare, beyond that ventures into kitlike fantasy.

On hushed paws, he slips behind thicker foliage off to Jackdawflight's side. He bides his time as any good hunter does, and when he feels that instinctive tug in his gut, launches himself at Jackdawflight for a playful tackle, mindful of their size difference.

I N F O R M A T I O N
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[Flamestar]

When she had saw Jackdawflight taking off for a hunt, she had reluctantly asked if she could join him. She had thought that maybe a hunt would help her clear her mind, but even the bubbling life of the forest wasn't a help. Quietly, the red tabby trailed behind him, ears pricked for any sounds of prey nearby. At one point, she had glanced over at him and a spark of jealousy ignited within her. He seemed so awestruck, like a kitten out of the camp for the first time. Before the battle at Sunningrocks, the forest had made her giddy too...she wanted to feel like that again.

She had been lost in her thoughts, when suddenly someone exploded from the undergrowth towards Jackdawflight. The Lead Warrior jumped, and puffed out her fur defensively. Before she realized who it was, she let out a hiss. Is this an invasion? Is Riverclan attacking?! Her heart was pounding, but after a few moments she realized that it was simply one of her clanmates. Her tail flicked back and forth a few times as she forced her pelt to smoothen back down.

Shame washed through her...she should have noticed Saltmane nearby...she should have known he wasn't a Riverclanner. She dropped her gaze to the ground, and lowered her chin slightly. "I'm going to check over there...maybe there's a uh..bird or something." She mumbled before dismissing herself from the group.

[₊⋆]​

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[crowflower]

A smudge of darkness amidst the plentiful greenery of Newleaf, Crowflower quietly plodded along beside the other cats on the hunting patrol. She doesn't say much--she doesn't feel the need. Jackdawflight's exuberant joy for the beauty of the season is infectious. A myriad of delightful and enticing scents whisper for her attention, making it difficult to remain focused on the task of hunting. She bends down to examine a strange little flower growing in the under-story of several young oak trees; the flower's petals are a deep burgandy but there are only three of them. And only three leaves, too. "Oh! This is trilium!" she says excitedly. She missed their blooms the year before and she is thrilled to happen upon them this year. She is so engrossed in her inspection of the small flower that she, too, is startled by Saltmane's sudden appearance. Crowflower lets out a yelp before she realizes that it was just her clanmate.

She misses Flamewhisker's initial reaction to the jump-scare, but the orange molly's crestfallen expression does not go unnoticed. It's not normal for the warrior to be acting so strangely. Concerned, but unsure how to approach the subject, Crowflower decides to accompany her. "I heard chirping, too," she says, trotting after Flamewhisker and brushing along her side in an affectionate gesture. "Maybe there's a nest nearby!" Her mouth watered at the thought of finding some delicious bird's eggs. Her favorites were robins or doves--she couldn't decide.​

 

[nightbird]

nightbird follows along the patrol, she did not share the buzzing excitement for the turn in weather that jackdawflight and crowflower bore. instead, she moved in a stony silence, alert for any scuttling prey. crowflower's attention has been grasped by something at the base of a tree, announces it's name. the ebony molly would be met with a confused stare. "the hell's a trillium..."

there was no time to investigate the plant. a dusty figure leaps from the undergrowth towards jackdawflight, leaving flamewhisker puffed up and crowflower yelping in something fear adjacent. a small grin cracks her features at the playful gesture, she barely even notices the ginger molly's dejected departure, crowflower quick at her paws. "good thing you're not a mouse. would've ended the day belly up on the freshkill pile."​

[ ☾✩ ]​

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

Raccoonstripe is happy to be on a leisurely hunting patrol with his littermate. The black-pelted tom is perhaps the most naive and skittish of the litter, but he has missed Jackdawflight's company in the past moons. He catches Saltmane dropping into a hunter's crouch, and he hides a grin, choosing to remain silent rather than warn his brother of the incoming pounce.

It's Flamewhisker who draws his attention, though, as Nightbird cracks a wry joke and Crowflower spots a nest. The ginger she-cat looks spooked, her fur fluffed out as though Saltmane had been an enemy warrior. The tabby's dark eyes narrow at her fear scent, the audible beat of her heart.

She's not been quite the same since the Sunningrocks battle. He doesn't like to think of it either, the way his claws had crushed into the too-soft eye, rending it useless --

He gives himself a brisk shake, following Flamewhisker and calling over his shoulder, "I'll go with her. We'll catch up!" It was clear the lead warrior wanted to be with her own thoughts, but Raccoonstripe couldn't help but be curious as to what those were.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[JACKDAWFLIGHT]

"Oof!" An undignified sound came from what was likely the dark-furred tom — yes, it was the sound Jackdawflight getting tackled (albeit in a friendly manner) by the lighter coloured Saltmane. The surprise on the smaller tom's face was evident, and as he noticed his hunting partner, Flamewhisker, mumble something about a bird, all he could do was call out, half-heartedly, "ah, I should also have been paying attention..." But she seemed to have disappeared before he knew it – yet he couldn't shake off the slight feeling of guilt that only lessened as he saw Crowflower hurry after the flame-coloured lead warrior.

"You know, I don't think I'm that small, to be confused with prey," he mumbled under his breath, unsure if it was to himself or to Saltmane. Although, perhaps it didn't really matter, it was, after all, merely a statement with no intended recipient... and then came Nightbird's comment — it had most likely nothing to do about his size, but he couldn't help but feel sheepish and rather self-conscious about his small stature, "Yes – yeah, it's good I'm not a - I guess - a mouse..."

And that was somewhat the extent of his conversational skills - not that it was something Jackdawflight was known for, anyway. Glancing at Saltmane (now that he'd managed to twist out of the tackle) and Nightbird and his brother – ah, yes, Raccoonstripe who'd wasted no time racing ahead with the other two – he shrugged and grinned wryly, "perhaps we should see if we can catch more prey than those three? Really fill up the freshkill pile!"

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