In these strange times... (CLOSED)

Shrikesong felt empty. She wasn't the same after Asylum came into the clans.  The brown she-cat didn't like the fact that these Asylum cats had taken over her home, attempted to sever their ties with StarClan, and began to make ThunderClan just another part of them. It made her blood boil. Who do these fox-hearts think they are? Thankfully, Nettlestar had assigned Shrikesong on a hunting patrol with Thrushnose, which would help Shrikesong not think about her stuff. As the pair left ThunderClan camp, an Asylum cat began following the two of them. At least this one doesn't seem that bad, at least at first glance, she thought, checking out his facial expressions. Still, she wished that he and the rest of Asylum would just... go away. They wouldn't go away, though, and the brown she-cat knew that any wishes that she had for Asylum to just disappear were not going to happen magically.

Thrushnose had always been a sensible creature at heart, almost to a fault. Asylum killed her best friend. They’d kill her, too, if she stepped far enough out of line—and where would that leave her daughter? Her family? A smear of old blood in the dirt would be useless to them. She needed to set aside her grief and the fury simmering beneath it, and bide her time, quietly improving with every day of work she put behind her. Then, when fortune turned its eyes to ThunderClan again, she would be ready. It was easy to lay out the steps. No comfort came from following them. But the world hadn’t stopped for Hickorypaw; it wouldn’t stop for Pinefrost.

Today’s assignment was a hunting patrol with Shrikesong. If nothing else, Asylum’s occupation had given Thrushnose a new appreciation for her Clanmates, even the ones she barely knew. Shrikesong took the lead; Thrushnose hurried to match her. They’d hardly left the camp when a third shape joined the back of their group. Griffon, if she remembered correctly; his was the only Asylum name she knew. She brushed her shoulder against her patrolmate’s, a warning in case the younger warrior hadn’t noticed, then slowed her pace to walk a step behind Shrikesong. Griffon hadn’t tried anything on the herb hunt with her and Daisybloom, but any Asylum cat would need more than one peaceful patrol to put Thrushnose at ease.

Griffon had tried to get out of camp more recently, anything was better than sitting around there. And after his last attempted interaction with the clan cats, he wasn’t ready to try again. He mostly sat and observed from the shadows, trying to distract himself. Hopefully he would have time to take a trip home again soon. The Asylum had a busy schedule. He had started wearing his pelt more often, too, not only to keep himself warm. It was somewhat a mask, keeping him distanced from the Thunderclanners. He could hide in it, hide from everything that he faced. He spotted movement towards the exit of camp, and he padded towards them.

The two she-cats were younger warriors, one of which he had gone a herb hunt with not long ago. He silently trailed after them, his shorter strides leaving him a fox-length or two behind the pair.

Shrikesong crouched down into a hunter's crouch. The brown she-cat noticed a bird nearby. Unlike most ThunderClan cats, she liked hunting birds the most. They could easily fly away, but the warrior liked the challenge that they brought her. Of course, she was also pretty good at catching them as well. As the brown she-cat got closer and closer to the sparrow, Shrikesong got ready to pounce at it. Grinning, the young she-cat bit the neck of the small bird. Bringing it back to the rest of the patrol, she buried the bird in the ground. At least something is going right today, she thought.

The member 'Mamenchristmasaurus' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Thrushnose tended to find quiet comforting. Their three-cat patrol, though they hadn’t exchanged so much as a sentence, couldn’t have been further from that. Asylum’s members posed a danger regardless of which predator’s pelt they wore; her mind didn’t need to sound the alarm just because Griffon had chosen to cover himself in dog skin. Instinct couldn’t be reasoned with, however, so the striped warrior focused on keeping her fur flat as they walked instead. No doubt she’d adjust to Asylum supervision with time—but did she want to? The idea of accepting this as the new normal made her bristle anew.

Having spotted something, Shrikesong broke away from the patrol and crouched. She returned shortly after with a sparrow in her mouth; it hadn’t so much as chirped. Unwilling to challenge the tense silence, Thrushnose dipped her head in acknowledgement. A scent drifted through the trees to her nose. Eyes dark, body not quite flattened against the dirt, she followed the scent to a thin tail poking out from underneath a bush. There, she laid in wait until a mouse’s tiny head poked out of the bush—and ducked in just as quickly, disappearing in a flurry of rustling, crackling branches. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to pounce. Letting her eyelids fall shut, Thrushnose straightened up. Maybe she was letting Asylum get to her after all.

Thrushnose attempted to catch Rodent, using 3 stamina. The attempt was a failure…

Thrushnose
45/45 HP
157/160 SP (-3)

The member 'rhindon' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Griffon separated from the group fairly quickly. He was not in the mood for conversation, especially with clan cats. His nose had always been sharp, able to pick up scents in the wind. His pelt was somewhat fitting, dogs had a reputation for strong senses of smell. He found himself remembering when he had killed the predator. It had been a moment of pride. When he struck it down, he knew he was a real Standard. No longer just a kit. The memory put his mind at ease, if only for just a few moments.

His eyes caught sight of a fluffy brown tail, and he crouched into hunting position, piercing eyes locking on his target. He took a few steps forward, and pounced at the prey. His claws hit right on target, and soon he had the limp body in his jaws. He quickly buried it, a smile spreading on his maw.

Griffon attempted to catch a squirrel! The attempt was successful! -3 SP

Griffon
75/75 HP
197/200 [-3] SP

The member 'deer' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6