Fishing for, well, Fish [Open/RC Patrol]

Yawning widely, Ivyfall came out of her nest covered in mossballs. Without a den to chase off the morning dew, her fur was a trap of all things green and mossy unfortunately, leaving her looking a bit of a mess. However, as the first up in the morning, discounting the dawn patrol, the deputy had plenty of time to get presentable as she sat on a stone, grooming herself in the feeble morning rays. Looking out into the horizon, she looked wistful, enjoy the thick scent of the forest that had once been her home. It felt like another lifetime ago that she'd hunted in those woods, racing alongside Rainstorm and Lilacpaw as they competed to see who could catch the most mice. She remembered how proud Cloudwhisker was, and how Duskfall would purr his thanks when she brought over his favourite, magpies. But that really was another life, back when she was called Featherpaw. Now, she was Ivyfall.

A part of her couldn't help wonder what life would be like in ThunderClan. She would probably be in the warrior's den, curled up next to her denmates from when she was in the nursery. Who would her mate have been? Maybe it would have been Ryestep or Blacktail, she'd admire them both when she was young, before she'd killed them, ironically enough... Or perhaps she would have ended up with Frozenflame, her sister's mate whom loyally mourned for so many years. Another life, she might have been a romantic, a foolish little she-cat who believed in stories that the elders would weave. That might have been nice, to be coddled and content.

But that wasn't the life StarClan gave her.

She was a warrior. A killer. A queen. A leader. Ivyfall didn't live for herself, she lived for the clan, for her kin and for the memory of a father that lingered in her mind. He'd been disgraced, and her mother disfigured to the point she couldn't uphold her position, a fitting punishments for two deputies who'd betrayed their clan. Her daughter had been a tyrant, her brother a murderer. All these sins were hers to bear. Secrets that no one would ever know, not even her only living sibling, Fogheart. She would take them to her grave, not that there were many cats to tell.

For a while, she'd been able to believe that life in RiverClan could be good. When she was flush with kits, when Swiftclaw purred roguishly at her. But he'd died, and their kits died too. She felt broken again, bitter, and then she'd meet Oakfoot. Their love was passionate, like the burning sun. He'd given her kits too, but only one remained. Tawnystorm, her daughter, her everything. She mourned a sorrowful wail every time she lost another kit, but Tawnystorm kept her strong. A daughter remained, StarClan wasn't that cruel. Not that she could be properly mad at them after seeing them in the flesh. Her adopted mother, brothers, sisters, kits, all walked among the stars now. She had to trust that they were watching her, and that they loved her as much as she'd loved them.

So with a gentle sigh, she finished grooming herself and chased away the dark thoughts. There was no point on dwelling too deeply about the past. She was simply herself. Ivyfall, deputy of RiverClan. She had one daughter and one sister. Also, she had a hunting patrol to lead. The sleepyheads had been sleeping for quite long enough, so it was time.

Hopping off, she approached the pile of sleeping pelt that were the apprentices and warriors. "Morning hunting patrol, it's time. Get up."

Fallowpaw didn't seem to want to be late this time. The she-cat scrambled to her paws, trying to get as many patrols done in order to become a warrior. She smiled widely at Ivyfall as she entered, and sat up with a respective bow of her head. In all honesty, some worry seemed to be held in the deputy's sparkling bright blue eyes, but Fallowpaw opted to ignore that. "Hey, Ivyfall," Fallowpaw greeted. "A patrol, I hear?" The glimmer in Fallowpaw's pale blue eyes held hope.

She stood up and walked to the exit of the apprentices' den, to show that she was quite ready for the patrol ahead of her.

"Patrol?" Tawnystorm gave herself a quick lick, stretching as she rise from her spot. "I'll come along, too. We'll need to go fishing, I think. Yep, hunting." She cast the empty place where Crowclaw used to be a wistful gaze, trying to hide it with an otherwise steely expression. I can't let Ivyfall see me like this. She's been through enough. Maybe this would help get her mind of things by doing something productive. Productive. Just the word made her smile.


ooc: tawnystorm x productivity

At the word, 'Patrol', both Otterpaw and Frogpaw's ears perked up and the two apprentices scrambled out of their shared nests, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Otterpaw was first to emerge, quickly grooming down the mossballs off his tabby coat as he took his place next to his mother. He too grieved for his father, but unlike her, he'd barely known the tom. He'd been a distant figure, barely visiting him as he was lost in his own world. After long talks with Tawnystorm, he'd come to see that wasn't out of hatred, it was just his way of loving.

Frogpaw was quick to follow after Otterpaw, giving the tom a friendly nudge when he began to look maudlin. "C'mon." He meowed, before calling out to Ivyfall, "Otterpaw and Frogpaw, here to help!"

Though their situations were different, Frogpaw could empathise with the whole distant parent schtick. He knew how it felt, and the guilt that accompanied it. The guilt was his old friend. But he was better at working it off than Otterpaw, he wasn't the sort to overthink or weep, he simply lived his life and worked through it. It was the simplest way to live.

Shellpaw padded steadily out of the apprentices' behind her denmates to see the deputy ready for a patrol. "I'd like to join if I can," she meowed brightly, shaking her mottled black and orange fur out and standing next to Otterpaw. Although she loved hunting, she mostly just wanted to get to know her fellow apprentices. Otterpaw, Fallowpaw and Frogpaw seemed like nice cats. And she respected Tawnystorm and Ivyfall a lot.

OOC: Pika, I just realized: Ivyfall respected Ryestep, but wasn't she the one that killed him- her and her brother?

Fallowpaw glanced around at the swiftly gathering cats. "Gee," the she-cat purred with a laugh, making it sound like a trilled giggle escaping her. "A lot of cats came... so fast!" Fallowpaw exclaimed, stepping back to allow every cat a place in the growing group.

No way he was missing this.

Sleetpaw scrambled up the stones to join the growing group, his fur haggard and ungroomed. If anyone asked, he'd just been on a long walk to pick out shells, but he'd been skulking down the river since before dawn, drilling what little training he had into his head with a hundred rehearsals. No matter how many times he'd swatted at the empty air, sparring against invisible warriors, it never felt right enough. No matter how long he'd leered over the river, watching the fish dart just underneath the surface, he still hadn't caught so much as a minnow. At one point, when the sun was just starting to peek out over the treetops, he'd just yowled in frustration and flung himself into the water, and he swore to StarClan he'd felt a fish between his paws, but it'd slipped away downstream before the cold shock even set in. He'd only taken a small break to dry his fur out on the shore, lounging on the stones and trying to soak in as much weak sunlight as he could.

That'd been around the time he'd started heading downstream again, back toward their makeshift camp, and when he'd saw Ivyfall standing on the rise, a flock of warriors and apprentices rising around her. A patrol! He was huffing by the time he'd reached the others. "I'm here!" he breathed between pants, all his exhaustion from his lack of sleep forgotten. Finally, if he could just do this... He was already sure he was rubbing everyone's fur the wrong way by trying to jump into every patrol he could, but he'd pounce on every opportunity he could to do his part. C'mon, let's get going...!

"You heard right, Fallowpaw. The fresh-kill pile is looking small, I'd like it to be larger by the time the queens wake up." The deputy replied, chasing off the last of her melancholy behind her responsibilities. Organising patrols and coaching apprentices was something that felt familiar and normal, exactly what she needed. "We need all the help we can get." She commented to Tawnystorm and Shellpaw, waiting until a bigger crowd formed around her. By the time Sleetpaw came, the group was large enough.

"We'll fish by the river first. How many of you know how to fish?" She asked the apprentices. Ivyfall pointedly restrained herself from looking over at Tawnystorm or Otterpaw too much. She knew that coddling them due to Crowclaw's death would be met poorly. She'd talk to them later and offer her condolences.

ooc;; Ivyfall found Ryestep and Blacktail good-looking. I wouldn't go as far to say that she really respected them.

OOC: Mkay Pika, you the boss

IC: Shellpaw raised her paw. "I do, Ivyfall; Smokeface taught me two days ago. You're probably much better, though." Her brown eyes widened when she saw Sleetpaw. She liked the tom quite a bit, but didn't think he knew at all.

Fallowpaw nodded obediently. "Yes, I do know how to fish," she replied, with a soft purr accompanying the words. "Why wouldn't I?"

No. Yes. Maybe? He knew the mechanics, and he knew the technique, and he'd put his heart into the motions even since before he got his apprentice name, but... Well, he still hadn't snatched anything up yet. "Of course," he said with a slick purr, turning his head and flicking his whiskers. Sleetpaw caught Shellpaw's gaze and he gave a quick dip of his head in greeting. Now I can't mess up... He gave a small prayer to StarClan that he could match Shellpaw and Fallowpaw, at least.

OOC: sorry for the late reply, give me 90 lashes daddy

ooc;; 100 lashes, extra for being presumptuous. since tawnystorm doesn't really need a patrol, i'm gonna skip her. you can post when you get the time m8

"I've never fished before." Frogpaw said proudly, unshamed as he stated that for all to hear. Next to him, Otterpaw ducked his head to hide his face at his friend's brashness, and only spoke up when he didn't look so long suffering or embarrassed on Frogpaw's behalf. "I know the motions, but I've never gone fishing before."

"Hm." Ivyfall sounded, thinking to herself as she lead the group to the river. "Well then, Fallowpaw, Sleetpaw, why don't the two of you give us all a demonstration. Since you're both so confident in your abilities."

Shellpaw's face reddened as Sleetpaw nodded at her, and she self-consciously licked her chest fur when he looked away. She was a little disappointed Ivyfall hadn't asked her to fish, but she watched eagerly as Sleetpaw stepped up to do so.

Fallowpaw stepped up and stood beside Sleetpaw. She flashed the younger tomcat a friendly grin, before crouching down. The light dusty-colored she-cat swiped her paw into the water, shadow falling just before the border between liquid and solid matter. A small, dark brown fish flitted somewhat eagerly in the water, and with agility, Fallowpaw caught it. She guessed she was lucky. She stepped backwards, the fish in her jaws. She looked to Shellpaw, who's face seemed as red as a tomato.

(aw, crap, sorry. Exams are a paiiin.)

Tawnystorm watched on with interest. Fallowpaw had certainly improved since the last time she'd been fishing with her, and, well, this time she had't decided to go for a swim. "Good job," she purred, and waited for Sleetpaw.