Out and About [Closed Patrol]

With his side on the mend since his visit with Goldeneye, the deputy was starting to feel much better than before. Occasionally a dull pain would cause him to wince slightly, but other than that he was getting back into shape. Apparently, rest did help the process along. And now he was ready to get out and hunt. A slight chill ruffled his fur as it had returned for the day, regardless of it being sunny or not. He wanted it to simply be newleaf. However, the changing season always took time and he had to remind himself to be patient despite the eagerness to see the clan thrive again. They had not done poorly this leafbare, but the usual issues of lack of herbs and prey was always an issue. Soon, the forest would thrive once more and tensions would hopefully die out.

"Are you ready?" He meowed with a smile as he trotted over to his adoptive daughter. Rippedsky had made sure to assign them to the same patrol. Dandeliondapple had been in the nursery for quite some time with her couple of litters and had recently been getting back into her warrior duties once more. It had been a while since he had seen the she-cat, let alone had the chance to talk to her. In fact, the cats he was about to hunt with were all ones he wished he had spent more time with in the past. Mallowbrook and Silentpaw would all be along as well. The deputy considered sitting down for a moment, although decided against it. As soon as the others joined, they would set off and he did not want to slow that down even the slightest. The black and white tom stood next to his now well-grown kit and waited on an answer. They certainly had catching up to do.

The blind warrior was headed toward Rippedsky and Dandeliondapple. The she-cat had a calm expression on her white and cream face. Her sightless eyes looked straight ahead as she neared them. Once she was there, the warrior dipped her head as a greeting. "Hello both of you. I'm here for the patrol." she stated with a friendly purr. She never really got to spend time with her grandfather until now.

"Born ready," the puffball of a warrior stated, stretching. Oof, that nursery was cramped. At least Brokenpaw was out of there now, which had afforded her some freedom from the life of a queen, always being prodded and pounced on by kits. Although she missed it a little, being a warrior was a great honor. Her legs, though, felt stiff and she arched her back to get it out.  Two litters took a lot out of a cat, but she would not slow down. Her eyes fell on Mallowbrook approaching, happy to see a cat so ready for duty despite total blindness. "Good, I thought you were here for cleaning the elders of ticks for a minute there." A purr of delight was edged into her little joke. The changing season was infectious and she was eager to go.

Silentpaw bounded with a burning face. He didn't want to make them wait for him. His very fluffy pelt was sticking out in all directions which looked rather cute on him. His light green eyes had an awkward gleam in them. Finally the young tom had reached his destination. "I-I'm here g-guys! S-Sorry you had t-to wait for me." he said while playing with his large paws. He gave the deputy a sheepish smile as he waited.

Rippedsky flicked his adoptive daughter's pelt affectionately with is tail and remarked, "It's been quite some time since we've been out together. Not since you were a young warrior, I believe." He smiled as he looked her over and remembered her as both a kit and an apprentice. Like several of his other kits, he found himself marveling over the fact they now had kits of their own. So much time had passed. As the other two approached, he nodded in turn to each and his whiskers twitched as he meowed, "No worries, Silentpaw. There is plenty of daylight left." The earlier patrol had been rather successful in their hunt, so he was not too worried about catching more prey. With the sun beginning to warm the earth again, there was more prey out before. Not the richness or greenleaf, but after a harsh winter, it felt like it.

The black and white tom turned to exit the camp a meow stopped him, "Wait! Can I come?" Rippedsky's eyes snapped back to rest on his youngest son. After a brief pause, he nodded. There was no reason why not. He cocked his head slightly, concerned he had forgotten to assign Mumblefoot a patrol, but quickly dropped the uncertainty in favor of leaving camp quickly.

As the tailless black and white warrior joined the patrol, he fell into step next to Dandeliondapple and said softly, "I hope you don't mind me joining. Snowpaw is out on patrol and Poplartooth has Drizzlepaw... and I already hunted today." Mumblefoot had felt rather lonely stuck in camp while his apprentice and his daughter were out for the day. Thankfully, the deputy had allowed him to join the patrol. As much as he hated to admit it, the young warrior had grown used to having Poplartooth around and even begun to appreciate him. Despite their rocky start, it seemed a tolerance was building between the two. His ear flicked as he tried to push away thoughts of wishing he had been invited along to train with the pair of Skyclan cats. However, he was still trying to convince himself to let Poplartooth teach his own apprentice and not worry.