the harder the rain, the sweeter the sun [closed]

As the sun rode high in the sky following Wildpaw's apprentice ceremony, Olivestone led the way out of camp and onto the moors, walking with purpose. It was nice to get some normalcy back now that the Righteous Few were gone, and she enjoyed the ever-present breeze blowing though her fur and whiskers. Once out of the gorse tunnel, the deputy stopped on the crest of the hill that overlooked the camp, and turned to Wildpaw.
"What would you like to do first? We can tour the borders, or learn to hunt. There's no wrong answer, we can always come back to the other option later!"

Wildpaw finished her small mouse, swiping her tongue over her lips, and rose, flexing her shoulder muscles. The bright sun promised a warm newleaf day, perhaps dotted with some afternoon showers. Wildpaw was surprised at the change of temperature outside the camp. The wind keened around their ears, dipping and howling - but also in a beautiful way. Wildpaw trotted after Olivestone, blinking as her mentor started to speak. Hunting? Border touring? Well... why not both? "I-if it's alright, maybe we could do both...? Tour the borders and pick up prey on the way around?" That would make for a long day, but Wildpaw was ready for it. She fixed her gaze on the sweeping moors, taking in the detail of it all, before raising her gray-green eyes to the vast sky.

ooc: so sorry for the wait!

---

With a smile, Olivestone flicked her tail and chirped,
"That's a great idea! Of course we can do that."

She gestured with her tail for Wildpaw to follow, and turned to lead the way towards the Thunderpath. It didn't take too long for the pair to approach the smelly flat surface. She slowed to a stop a few fox-lengths from the tarry path, and gestured for Wildpaw to do the same.
"This is the Thunderpath. It is named as such because of the sound it makes when monsters pass by on it."

A rumbling fills the air, and a blue monster passes by, kicking up a smelly wind. When the noise died down, she continued, "Monsters usually stay on the Thunderpath, and don't bother us. The only time they're a threat is if we're crossing it for any reason, and even then, with proper caution, crossing is safe."

With another smile, Olivestone looked over the Thunderpath and into the marsh on the other side.
"ShadowClan lives on the other side of the Thunderpath. Their territory encompasses the marshland, but their main defining point is that they conduct all of their duties in the night time."

Wildpaw shrank back as they approached the Thunderpath. A loud rumbling sound started to throb in her head, and she saw the sun reflect off of something blue a moment before a huge beast came by, throwing up dirt in its wake. "I've heard stories that monsters let Twolegs go inside them. That's really weird." She hissed at it and looked over the gray path, squinting at the marshy land at the other side. So... they do everything the opposite way we do it. The only thing she said was, "I don't think I could live like that, living in the night."

Olivestone nodded along to Wildpaw's words, watching another monster go by. This time, she saw a twoleg inside it, bobbing their head to... something. She rolled her eyes and turned to continue along the border.
"Twolegs are weird. Who knows why they do anything they do?"

As she began to walk, she commented,
"Yeah, I couldn't live my entire life at night. I'd miss the sun too much."

Before long, the Thunderpath was far behind them and Fourtrees loomed ahead.
"This is Fourtrees, and this is where all five Clans gather in peace on the full moon." Supposedly. she thought to herself before continuing, "ThunderClan and SkyClan live in the forest beyond the clearing, and while they share the same forest, they live life in very different ways. SkyClan utilizes the trees, hunting and traveling in the canopies," Acting high and mighty, to boot, her thought was punctuated with a flick of her tail, "while ThunderClan keeps their paws on the ground for the most part."

ooc: triggering a predator real quick :)
also my posts are getting longer yaaaaay

Wildpaw nodded in agreement with both of Olivestone's statements and padded beside her mentor, eyes and nose taking in all the moor had to offer. As they reached Fourtrees, the tawny molly's jaw dropped. "Wow! That's a lot bigger than I expected." She glanced at her mentor and noted the tiny tinge of... uncertainty, almost, in her mentor's tone. She didn't press it, and instead sniffed the air, trying to identify the scents of SkyClan and ThunderClan. They were both quite stale, but Wildpaw was pleased with herself for being able to identify two similar forest-y scents. "I can kinda smell them. And something else..." She frowned, then sniffed the air again, curious but not afraid of this new smell. "Olivestone, what's that smell...?"

It was revealed a moment later to Wildpaw what that smell was. A raccoon. The gray-brown pelt blended into the trees. All Wildpaw saw was the flash of sharp teeth and the swipe of claws. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain... and then realized, no, it went for Olivestone. A mixture of adrenaline and horror surged within her as she watched the raccoon swipe at her mentor, claws catching Olivestone and swinging her back with simple brute force. The adrenaline pushed back the fear for a moment and Wildpaw sprang to her defense, aiming a pawful of claws at the raccoon's head. It growled, stumbling back for a moment, and Wildpaw nudged Olivestone up. "Olivestone! Help!" The fear surged back. Her pupils dilated with fear as she crouched down behind her mentor, hating the raccoon for attacking her mentor, and herself, for not being able to do more.

---

Olivestone had been so caught up in talking about the ways of the forest Clans and thinking snarky thoughts, that the scent of the raccoon sneaking up on the pair evaded her until Wildpaw's cry cut her off, followed by claws biting into her side, and a weight bowling her over. She used the momentum from the raccoon's attack to complete the roll and to pop back up on her feet, and turned to snarl at the raccoon, new wounds in her side dripping blood.
"You messed with the wrong patrol, raccoon!"

She darted forward, rearing up on her hind legs before bringing her paws down across the raccoon's face, claws scoring deep welts that immediately beaded up with blood.

Olivestone used Rending Front Paws on the raccoon, dealing 17 damage and costing 25 stamina.

Raccoon:
7/30 HP (-17)
280/300 SP

Olivestone:
80/100 HP
255/280 SP (-25)

Wildpaw:
20/20 HP
70/80 HP

The raccoon emitted a low growl as the small cat struck at him. The larger cat was on her paws within moments and sliced its face. The raccoon shook its head as it staggered backwards, blood flying around. It eyed the larger cat. The smaller cat was barely noticeable. It was tired, but it would keep fighting. With a primal roar, the raccoon rushed forwards, teeth clamping onto the larger cat's leg. It shook its head, sending the large cat back and forth.

Wildpaw relaxed slightly as Olivestone quickly regained her footing. She felt fine for a second until she glanced back at the raccoon, who seemed to be angrier as Olivestone reared up, slashing its face. I have to help! But I don't know what to do! She stayed frozen in shock as the raccoon bit Olivestone's leg. With a shriek, Wildpaw darted towards the raccoon, not thinking about technique at all. She slammed into it, propelling it off of Olivestone. "Go away, you rat-faced idiot!" Her tawny form was a blur as she raced back to Olivestone, checking to see if her mentor was okay. Her leg didn't look good.

---

Some predators would turn tail and run as soon as they realized they were outmatched, but this raccoon was not one of them. Olivestone let out a yowl as the raccoon latched onto her leg and wouldn't let go, but judging by how it held on, she could tell that its strength was flagging hard. Wrenching her leg out of its mouth, she turned and gave the raccoon an almighty smack upside the head, and a sharp "pop" reverberated through the air as it fell limp onto the grass.

Olivestone used Front Paw Blow, dealing 12 damage and costing 5 stamina.

Raccoon
0/30 HP (-12)
250/300 SP

Olivestone
50/100 HP
250/280 SP (-5)

Wildpaw
20/20 HP
60/80 HP

Now that the threat was neutralized, Olivestone took a moment to test her injured leg's ability to support her weight. It was enough to hold her weight while standing and walking at a moderate pace, which was enough for her. She wanted to at least get around the borders with the change of plan, and she figured that the hunting lesson could be left for another day.
"Well that raccoon threw a branch in my plan for today. It's no matter, we can finish the border tour, then return to camp. We can hunt another day."

Wildpaw gave a small nod, still staring at Olivestone's leg to make sure it was okay. She glanced at the raccoon's body before scurrying after her mentor, thinking about what she said. "Y-yes, that sounds good." Well, she would've preferred to herd her mentor back to the medicine den, but if Olivestone could walk, she was probably fine. So, the border. Wildpaw gave Fourtrees a last look as she scurried ahead, wondering what the next place they visited would be.

Ignoring the pain shooting through her leg with every step, Olivestone led Wildpaw along the border and away from Fourtrees. The babble of water and the roar of the river plunging into the gorge soon filled the air, and the long, deep crevasse that split the land soon showed up before them.
"The final of the five Clans is RiverClan. They are the only Clan that willingly swims, and they make their diet out of the fish that inhabit the river, which they utilize in their daily lives."

This wasn't the first time Olivestone had been to the gorge, and she knew that it wouldn't be her last. She flicked her tail as she remembered the last time she'd been there, and remembered the barbed, unpleasant comments that Lavenderbreeze had callously slung her way. The deputy flexed her claws and they bit into the earth as she remembered the way the ghost-cat's fur had felt ripping under her claws, and the rush of satisfaction she'd felt to finally re-kill the cat that had sent Morningdove into her coma.

She brought her thoughts back to the present as the stalks of grass under her paws snapped, the subtle sound reminding her of where she was. Hopefully her momentary lapse of focus hadn't been noticed.