tunnels YOUR PRAIRIE GHOST [shadowclan tunnels]

[SCORCHSTREAK]

Tunnels reaching into the territories of other clans are a powerful secret. They could turn the tides of a battle, could be the difference between winning and losing a war. If WindClan’s moor runners start a fight at the border with a clan like ShadowClan, then tunnelers can sneak behind via the tunnels—ShadowClan would be trapped between two opposing forces, unable to fend them off but unable to flee. They would be so easy to slaughter. It would be what they deserved.

The tunnels are not often traversed, somewhat messy from disuse. Scorchstreak doesn’t know her way around them as well as she does the winding tunnels beneath the moor; each curve and turn of the path is a new experience that she must do her best to memorize. It is good practice for both her and for the others on the patrol with her—it’s better that more WindClanners can find their way around even underneath the marshland. And besides, the more paws, the better. Leaves, loose fur, and cobwebs litter the tunnels. It’s far too much work for just one cat.

She swipes a few leaves toward the nearest exit, ears shifting backward at the loud crunch that follows. Blazing eyes shift to glance at one of the apprentices who happens to be nearby, stern but not unkind. "Remember, we’re here to make sure the tunnels are secure and clean, nothing else. There will be no spying—no matter how tempting it may be." She trusts her clanmates, fellow tunnelers and apprentices alike, but curiosity is a powerful thing. She isn’t too concerned about anyone going directly against the orders of Sootstar, but it’s still a reminder worth issuing. ShadowClan cannot yet know about their presence within the tunnels that cross into their territory. "We could move any clutter from these tunnels back to WindClan territory. Don’t want to leave suspicious piles of things around for ShadowClan to find." The calico turns to glance in the direction of where she believes another clanmate to be. "What do you think?"
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[ LIKE A RATTLESNAKE ]​

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[Cloudedsky]

( ♬ ) She could remember the first time she entered the moorland tunnels as a young apprentice, her mother's silken fur brushing over her own—a plumed tail pushing her forth for an extra 'oomph' when she hesitated. Being succumbed to complete darkness was nerve-racking for anyone at first, unable to see the faintest of light that filtered through. All that was relied on was her other senses of hearing, touch, and smell. With Sootstar guiding her steps though and her eagerness to please her mother, a young Cloudedpaw had learned the winding catacombs of the Moorland in her apprenticeship with a certain vigor and now could plunge into darkness with the utmost confidence, but of course, always vigilant.
Now, she entered the gaping mouth of the tunnels without a second thought. No hesitation tingled within the cavity of her chest as she slipped through behind Scorchstreak, following behind her close enough to feel the brush of her tail caressing her muzzle. The new of tunnels leading into other clans territory had sparked an undeniable interest within the young warrior, eager to explore this new underground world and—of course, providing a new skillful tactic on the rise against the other clans. Excitement pricked at paws as they traversed further and further, feeling the smooth wall from constant packing of dirt to a more rugged feel against ivory whiskers.
The usual smell of earth mixed with heather had now drastically changed. The air grew even more stagnant with an even sharper scent of soil, it's humid presence weighing heavy on her pelt as they slipped through the winding tunnels under the marsh. The dry earth beneath her grew more slick and moist, mud squelching beneath her paws and sticking her blue and white fur. Soon it gave way to more of a dry area and the warrior in front of her stops, gathering up leaf litter and kicking it back towards the WindClan side. A lone leaf lands upon her nose and she crinkles her face in disgust, batting at it immediately to send it flying away from her. "Blegh!" She hissed, shooting Scorchstreak a glance as she speaks to the apprentice who accompanied them. She slips beside the tortoiseshell to gather her own pile of dead leaves, swiping them backwards with sure paws. Scorchstreak's voice is suddenly by her ear, assuming she turned to her as she mentioned moving the clutter to WindClan territory. What do you think? Cloudedsky twitched an ear, thinking it over for a moment before finally answering her. "Yes, it'd be the best idea. You're right, Scorchstreak. Mother would approve." She muses, taking another swipe of dead leaves behind her that could assume was possible an old nest. But the smell of rabbit was too stale to taste as it was swallowed by the heavy air of the bog above them. Her dusted nose scrunched up, pink lips curling back into a disgusted baring of teeth. "Stars, I never will understand how ShadowClan can just live with smelling like this."

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( You should see me in a crown ; I'm gonna run this nothing town )

 

[cottonsprig]

Cottonpaw eagerly joins the patrol, tail flagging behind her as she shimmies perhaps a bit too quickly through the misused tunnels. She makes sure to keep the older, more experienced tunnellers in her sights, unwilling to lose them and, in turn, lose herself. It doesn't take long before the nearly familiar scent of ShadowClan seeps through the ground and Cottonpaw, instinctively, wrinkles up her nose. Her sister is quick to comment on it, too, nearly heaving at the boggy stench that creeps around them.

"I don't think they have a sense of smell anymore," Cottonpaw suggests, mimicking them by pushing around some leaves. No evidence, she reminds herself. These tunnels are meant to be hidden weapons, after all. It'd be a waste if a ShadowClanner were to so easily find them. Her tail twitches, "They like carrion and the thunderpath, after all - they're no better than the frogs they eat!" In truth, the apprentice is doing little more than parroting the insults she's heard from warriors back in camp. But, hey - anything to keep the conversation light whilst they work.​

 

[SCORCHSTREAK]

The calico swipes a couple more leaves in Cloudedsky’s direction, glad that the other she-cat agrees with her line of thinking. Sootstar would approve, she would likely approve of anything that keeps their tunnels beneath the marshland a secret for WindClan and WindClan alone. Scorchstreak nods in response, then turns bright golden eyes back upon the path ahead. It’s, well. She can’t see it well, but she can tell that these tunnels have seen better days.

She snorts at the sibling duo’s agreements upon ShadowClan’s smell. It does smell awful down here, she thinks. She’s grown used to the scent of heather and open air, to warm dirt rather than a stench so thick with standing water she can nearly taste it.

Her brows knit together the slightest bit when Cottonpaw mentions frogs as though the prey is terrible, but she does not comment on it. ShadowClan is one of the only clans with consistent access to frogs, so it makes sense that a child born of the moorland would use such a thing as an insult. The same goes for RiverClan being called fish-breaths as an insult; she wonders if she’d be subjected to such name-calling, if Cottonpaw was aware of her history.

But her water-treading days are long over, as are her marsh-treading nights. She is a lady of the prairie now, back in the comfort and safety of the tunnels that she’d been born into. Insults to her personal food preferences are nothing to be offended over. A smile curls across her maw, and she flicks an approving ear in Cottonpaw’s direction. "Something tells me they don’t have much of a sense of taste anymore, either. ShadowClanners eat garbage and crowfood, don’t they?" Just how many of the marshland clan’s senses are dulled by necessity, to allow them to survive in their wetland?
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[ LIKE A RATTLESNAKE ]​

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[Cloudedsky]

( ♬ ) Eyes flit to the source of her younger siblings voice, unable to see the young Cottonpaw—but she knows she's there. The breath that bathed over her haunches was a dead giveaway. She smiles, a brief huff of laughter passing over her tongue. "There's no way they would have a sense of smell. It'd be impossible to have any type of appetite. " She agrees with the both of them, flicking her plumed tail against Cottonpaw's flank playfully as she follows Scorchstreak's motions. She takes another pile of leaves and scoots it back behind her, ignoring the brief stench of rotting leaves that violates her nose. "Could you imagine eating rotting flesh and meat? It's no wonder they get sick all the time! By the Stars, I really do think StarClan resents them." A twinge of disgust seeps into her tone. Blue ears pulled back as she imagined a carcass devoid of it's flesh, muscle rotting off ivory bones with swarms of flies in a feeding frenzy along with buzzards picking at what remained. A shudder passes through her then, her skin turned to gooseflesh as it did.
Cloudedsky returned her attention back to the task at hand, moving more leaves behind them as sinking further in the tunnels. Ears flick as cobwebs dangle and stick themselves onto her willowy coat, stopping abruptly as another pile of dead leaves lay in their wake. "Hm. I wonder where these lead into ShadowClan territory. Like, what if the entrance of the tunnel is right by their camp? I wonder if anyone has tried to squeeze in from the other side." Another huff escapes her, "Not like they'd know their rear from a hole in the ground." ShadowClan cats were all hot-headed buffoons. They held no strategy or wit. All they had going for them is their arrogant attitudes.

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( You should see me in a crown ; I'm gonna run this nothing town )

 

[BLUEFROST]

Her mother is busy today, and she's ordered Bluepaw to tag along with Scorchstreak's patrol into ShadowClan's territory. The thought is vaguely off-putting to Bluepaw, though she can't say why, but there's still the thrill of doing something she shouldn't be. ShadowClan would never know there was a WindClan patrol right under their paws, and something about that makes her paw pads tingle.

She sticks close to Cottonpaw, not used to being in the tunnels with Sootstar. Every partner is different, and tunnelers never go alone. She looks at her littermate apprehensively as Scorchstreak reminds them that they are not here to spy. Although the calico cannot see her, Bluepaw nods her head in agreement.

Scorchstreak's idea is to move piles of the litter back into WindClan's territory. Bluepaw begins to scrape at loose-blown leaves, moldy and wet from the damp and dark tunnel environment. Her sisters both remark upon the smell, and she has to agree. ShadowClan's scent is perhaps the most unpleasant, followed by RiverClan, of course.

She pricks her ears at Cloudedsky's musings. "We wouldn't be able to go that far, right?" All the way to ShadowClan's camp! The idea sends a thrill shooting through her belly. Is it possible they could use the tunnels to invade their foolish neighbors who had sullied her mother's name?

Bluepaw glances at Cottonpaw, wondering if she finds the prospect as exciting as she does.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[SCORCHSTREAK]

Cloudedsky continues to speak of rotting flesh and the sickness that comes along with its ingestion, and the calico’s nose wrinkles in response. The younger tunneler is onto something—StarClan must truly wish the worst upon the marshland clan. Suddenly, nausea tugs at her stomach, and she swallows around the saliva that fills her mouth. The thought of voluntarily eating rotting prey, of enjoying a meal that maggots have already begun to wriggle within. "That’s an awful thing to think about," she states, shaking her head. ShadowClanners are certainly disgusting creatures, repulsive in both their tastes and in their actions.

The idea of their patrol stumbling across a tunnel that leads directly into the heart of ShadowClan territory, complete with a tunnel entrance right beside ShadowClan camp, is an entertaining one. If only they could be so lucky, their conflict with ShadowClan could be finished in an instant. The other clan would never expect WindClanners to explode from tunnels so close their camp, and the element of surprise could give the smaller tunnelers an even greater chance of success.

Still, the idea is not a particularly realistic one. As it is, they’re lucky that a tunnel already stretched this far into ShadowClan’s territory. "I don’t think the tunnels go as far as their camp. I can’t see hares living that far into this horrible land." She smiles, though, not entirely dismissing the idea. "Even tunnels that only go just past their border is a great advantage. In the case of a skirmish, we tunnelers could get behind their lines and trap a patrol between our forces." She wonders which of the other tunnelers would be the best to take along on a such a mission; both Cloudedsky seems an obvious choice, but would either of the apprentices be able to face off against ShadowClan in a fight? Neither has seen the chaos of battle yet, and risking the health of one of Sootstar’s kits to ShadowClan of all clans may prove to be a bad idea.
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[ LIKE A RATTLESNAKE ]​

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