"Promised" Land

Leafbare had been hard, and the recent battle fought had left the clan weaker than it had been. As the wounds healed, ShadowClan as a whole began to regain and rebuild their strength. As the sun set one night, Murkystar emerged from her den, leaving her two young kits with another queen to watch over them. Shaking out her long fur, her pale green eyes looked over her clanmates with a warm smile. Moving towards the entrance of the camp, she called out to any who would hear. "I'm going hunting at the Hidden Outcropping. It's been a while since anyone has hunted there, we've been focusing mainly on patrolling the border, so hopefully we'll have some good luck. Anyone who wants to come is more than welcome to tag along." She purred, striding out of camp and making her way towards the small open area that they had claimed, and protected from WindClan's attempt to claim it for themselves. They had fought over this territory, better to use it than let it sit.

OOC: This topic is open to any ShadowClan cats that want to come along!

Emberleap had moved back to the warriors’ den as soon as possible. Though he wasn’t sure he believed it himself, his knowledge of medicine made for a perfect weapon when it came to convincing Batglow he was ready. It helped that the splint had come off his tail. He’d sworn to be careful, had practiced holding it still as he walked slow circles around ShadowClan’s camp, and now the sharp downward bend near its tip was the only outward sign of what that rogue had done to it. Granted, he hadn’t tried hunting with it, but he had no time left to waste. Any cat who slept in the warriors’ den held a warrior’s responsibilities, and Emberleap had been a drain on their resources long enough.

He flicked his tattered ear in response to Murkystar’s call, eyes bright. “Hold on a second—” With a mighty shake to dislodge a clump of snow from his foreleg, Emberleap hurried to join his friend once she’d emerged on the tunnel’s other side. Normally he kept his distance from the Hidden Outcropping, but the snow would dampen WindClan’s scent enough to make it bearable. Besides, with Lilacstar and her successor gone, he had less to worry about. …A little less. He glanced aside and in an undertone asked, “You’re sure WindClan hasn’t tried to make a move here…?”

OOC: over the last couple posts Swiftheart has been pretty gloomy but I am turning that around now... which I guess if im a good enough writer will show itself and shouldnt need an ooc to explain but sometimes I find a quick snipit helps alot... lol idk.

I am also trying out a new writing style of a higher separation between me and Swiftheart and will refer to myself as narrator of sorts in this post, this is just to try out different styles of writing and cause I thought it would be fun :).


Swiftheart was siting outside the warriors den, she had a 1000 yard stare on.  She was zoned out thinking of different things.

Of late Swiftheart had been having a hard time on several things, physically the battle loss had been draining her, emotionally she had been feeling bad lately, and mentally she felt like she had let her clan down.

Luckily however, she was starting to feel alot better now, her usual spunk and attitude had returned.  Her energy was higher now and she was back to feeling her usual optimistic positive self. The storm had passed and she had weathered it with her clan.  They had gotten through this and for the first time in a little while she smiled happily again.  As a narrator I feel responsible to be able to tell you a reason for this mood shift... but the truth is there was none, there was no reason that Swiftheart should not have continued being in a fump of sadness.  ... perhaps the best I can do is say that Swiftheart was of the strongest of wills.  Deep within Swiftheart was a fire of love, caring, and positivity optimism. The recent events had been a bit of a rain on that fire but it was never in jeopardy of going extinguished forever.  In fact it burned brighter now than it perhaps ever had in the past pre battle.  So while there was no external reason for her positive mood change perhaps the reason I am searching for is internal to Swiftheart, the she cat was resilient, it is often sometimes confused that resiliency means one can never be down or sad, and that if they were to bounce back imminently with ease.  This is not exactly what I mean, she had been down and the bounce back had not been immediate or necessarily easy as I make it at first seem but perhaps.... in some ways... it makes it that much more majestic.

The call of her mother and leader brought her back to the present.  She grinned and nodded eagerly. The change in attitude and feelings were already showing in her body language.  Her face no longer remained downcast as it had been for the past couple days, her steps had that kitten/apprentice type pep to them instead of the dragging of heavy paws that had been.

She eagerly walked over to Emberleap and Murkystar, "Im all in!" she purred happy to be getting out and being able to do something for the clan.

She gave a warm reassuring smile to Emberleap, his poor tail had been hurt in the battle as well as his ear.

"Feeling better Emberleap? " she asked purring softly in a caring way.

"It is so good to see you back on your paws again!" she meowed happily,

ah yes and that was the final thing, her usual chipper happy talking was back. She had been a little quieter of late but that too was going back to normal of talking lots.

"I think this hunt will do us good! Good Idea mom. It will be good to get out of camp a bit and fresh prey is a must right now" she said with a grin.

Mistyfalcon had heard Murkystar's call, and he stood, wearily stretching. He'd been spending far too much time around camp for his own good lately, and the clan needed to be fed as well as their borders kept up with.

"I'll join you." He mewed, padding over. It was good to see Emberleap up and about, and a hint of a smile flickered across Mistyfalcon's scarred face. Swiftheart had bounded over as well, and he flicked he tail at his daughter in greeting. She seemed more energetic than she had been recently... He wasn't going to think on the potential reasons why. She'd always been an energetic extrovert, and Mistyfalcon... Was not.

"They'll try before long if we don't keep up hunting and patrolling it, I'm sure." He responded to Emberleap. "They'll only face us head-on if they think they can win." All the more reason to keep their borders as secure as possible and not show weakness to the other clans.

A few familiar faces answered her call, and she smiled at Emberleap, Mistyfalcon, and Swiftheart and they joined her. She nodded along with Mistyfalcon's statement. "Not for several moons, since the last time they attempted it and were beaten. I don't imagine they will try again anytime soon, as long as we actively use it. Patrols have been steady, but we should be hunting it more often." She mewed, purring as she noted Swiftheart seemed to be back to her normal self. As she led the patrol towards the area, she kept a close eye on Mistyfalcon. His wounds didn't seem to be healing the best, and she was worried about him, but wanted to see how things would go before discussing her concerns with him. "Now, whether we like it or not, we are all still healing, please don't take unnecessary risks and be safe. Don't go too far from everyone else." She ordered as they reached the Outcropping, casting a quick glance around the area. The rocks would hold some warmth in the sunlight, so perhaps there would be some prey hiding around them. Crouching, she began to creep forward slowly, scenting a mouse. A small hole with movement inside caught her eyes, and she shoved her paw into it, scooping out her target and swiftly killing it with a bite.

Murkystar attempted to catch a Mouse, catch was Successful. -7 SP.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Swiftheart came bounding through the tunnel first, grinning openly. Taken aback by her concern, Emberleap hurriedly pulled together a smile of his own along with an answer. “Thanks, it’s good to be back.” The silence afterward felt a bit too heavy, so he added, “I think my paws would’ve run off without me if I tried to stay in camp any longer.” Swiftheart’s outgoing manner made it hard to stay on edge around her. Her being his friends’ daughter played a role in that, too (though given Nightstalker was also his friends’ kit, he couldn’t afford to put too much stock in that).

“If they think they can win,” Mistyfalcon said as he joined them. And Murkystar: “As long as we actively use it.” The smile that flashed across Emberleap’s face this time was more genuine than the first, if a little strained. “That’s what I’m worried about.” He could only imagine how ShadowClan had looked to the others at the Gathering. That scuffle at Highpine ages ago had taught him just how tense relations really were between the Clans who’d saved each other from Asylum, and things had only gotten more dire since then. Desperate times, and all that. In that light, it was reassuring to know he wasn’t the only cat concerned about the Hidden Outcropping—though his reasons were undoubtedly more selfish than theirs. Maybe he’d sign himself up for some extra patrols. Turn all that worry into something useful.

Once they reached the outcropping, Murkystar issued her orders. Be careful, stay close. Emberleap gave a sharp nod. “Got it.” Though the mere thought of missing a pounce in front of the others made his ears burn, he’d rather risk embarrassment than risk being too far away to help if something jumped out at them. He drifted across the clearing. His favored prey—lizard—tended to spend the cold season hiding away, but he could always hope one or two had dozed off while sunning themselves.

Before he could reach the rocks, however, movement in the grass pulled his paws elsewhere. Mouse, by the scent. Emberleap slid into a crouch; his tail followed several seconds later at half the speed. He crept toward his target like an apprentice just learning to hunt, rebalancing with every step, pausing to adjust his tail—until the mouse sat up. Panicking, he hurled himself forward. Though his claws only grazed the mouse, that, somehow, was enough to stun it until the rest of him caught up. The killing bite was just as sloppy, but the mouse still hung limp from his jaws when he raised his head.

Emberleap attempted to catch Rodent, using 7 stamina. Success!

Emberleap
55/55 HP
103/110 SP (-7)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Swiftheart nodded at her mothers instructions purring quietly, she grinned happily in her usual good mood and feeling.  As they walked out into the hidden outcropping.

Murkystar led the way and almost immediately caught a mouse,
"Great Catch mom!" she said in a hushed whisper.

Emberleap was next and also had immediate success with a catch.  She gave him a wide smile of encouragement.  Not wanting to be too loud ,to avoid scaring away prey, she nodded her head encouragingly as well.

Wow... they were doing well so far... her elder clanmates were really hunting well today... she hoped she could also catch her first attempt to feed the clan.  She split off from them but just a little bit staying still reasonably close, she kept in mind Mom's instructions of not to wander far.

Just then she saw a rodent scurrying over top the snow banks a little ways ahead of her, grinning and licking her lips she moved forwards wanting so badly to catch it, it was preoccupied digging about in the snow doing who knows what. Perfect, it would never see her coming, she crept closer and closer to it.

(OOC: the dice hate me lol )

Right before she could strike, a large owl swooped down scaring off the mouse with the heavy flap of its wings. The mouse scurried under the snow into the safety of its below ground house. The owl was frustrated that it missed its catch and instead turned its talons on the she cat just below it.

Owl used Swoop targeting swiftheart for 9 dmg and 15 sp

The claws dug into swiftheart and they hurt alot reminding her that her wounds from the other battle were still stiff even if mostly recovered. She let out a sharp squeal as they dug into her pelt gashing her up. Blood soaked her white pelt ... it looked alot worse than it was due to the easy staining of it.

hissing in pain and frustration Swiftheart jumped at the owl with an outstretched paw and managed to swipe at it up in the air.

Swiftheart used Front paw strike for 8 dmg 7 sp



Swiftheart:
41 / 50 hp [-9 for the swoop]
106 / 120 sp [-7 for the move -7 for the hunt roll]

Owl:
22 / 30 hp [-8 for the front paw strike]
75 /90 sp [-15 for swoop]

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Mistyfalcon followed the patrol quietly saying little else as they neared the hidden outcropping. Moving about did seem to help some of the lingering stiffness he was feeling, and the rest he fully planned on ignoring as he set about searching for prey. The scent of Windclan's moors made his lip curl in disgust, and he had no intention of straying too far from the patrol.

It wasn't long before he spotted a hare. The sight of them had grown rarer in the marshes with the harsh leafbare, but this one didn't seem to be as thin as some of the prey that had shown up on Shadowclan's fresh-kill pile. Mistyfalcon slipped into a crouch, silently stalking toward it. Once close enough he sprang, only for the hare to lift its' head at the slight change of the wind. Mistyfalcon gave chase for a couple foxlengths, but the hare clearly didn't want to be caught and was faster. Tail lashing once, he turned and rejoined the patrol. If the wind hadn't changed direction, he was sure he would've caught that hare just fine.

Naturally their hunt was interrupted by an owl. Because of course it would be. Hearing Swiftheart's yelp, Mistyfalcon changed direction and bounded forward on quiet paws, jaws snapping at the owl's wing.

Mistyfalcon used Snap on Owl for -7 sp, dealing -10 damage.

Swiftheart
41 / 50 hp
106 / 120 sp

Owl
12 / 30 hp (22 - 10)
75 / 90 sp

Mistyfalcon
70 / 70 hp
153 / 160 sp (160 - 7)

(ooc: i hope it's ok to jump in! if not no problem someone pm me and i'll delete my post <3 )

Shypaw had waited for her mentor at the edge of the thorn hollow as the sun set, its last rays reflecting on the snow. She stood excitedly when Murkystar emerged, pale green eyes and smile warm. She had missed training with her mentor.

Shypaw dipped her head, respectfully and silently to each of the warriors who joined Murkystar. She knew Emberleap and Swiftheart as the mentors of her friends, Duskflight and Deerpaw; Swiftheart and Mistyfalcon as Murkystar's daughter and mate. Shypaw was quiet as the warriors conversed, crossed under the thunder path, and reached the Hidden Outcropping, scattering nearby to hunt.

Shypaw hoped the hunt would go well and Murkystar would see she'd progressed. There was still some foliage and tall cornstalks, brown and frozen, from which some small scufflings reached Shypaw's perked ears. She stalked in that direction, but before she could attempt to hunt anything she heard Swiftheart's sharp squeal of pain. Instantly spinning around in a flash of white and bounding across the snow, she leapt at the owl and lashed out with her claws.

Swiftheart
41 / 50 HP
106 / 120 SP

Owl
6 / 30 HP (-6)
75 / 90 SP

Mistyfalcon
70 / 70 HP
153 / 160 SP

Shypaw - jumping strike
20 / 20 HP
53 / 60 SP (-7)

OOC: You're totally fine to join!

The shriek of an owl cut through the quiet night, and as she ran in to help she realized the bird had swiftly been overwhelmed. Darting forward to deliver the final blow, she quickly looked around at the patrol, checking for significant injuries. "Is everyone alright?" She mewed, looking at each of her clanmates in turn. She didn't notice anything significant, which was a relief.

Murkystar used Front Paw Strike, dealing 10 base (+2 Star Striker) damage and costing 7 SP. The owl didn't stand a chance.

Swiftheart
41 / 50 HP
106 / 120 SP

Owl - KO
-6 / 30 HP (-12)
75 / 90 SP

Mistyfalcon
70 / 70 HP
153 / 160 SP

Shypaw
20 / 20 HP
53 / 60 SP

Murkystar
80 / 80 HP
163 / 170 SP (-7)

Swiftheart glanced around to see her clanmates all smack the owl to pieces.  She licked at her minor cut but it was nothing too serious.  She nodded "all good... thanks mom"  she glanced at the rest of everyone who had helped her.

"Thank you all " she meowed, so happy that everyone had her back.


She grinned at them all her usual happy energetic self.  She trotted off to try again with her hunting luck but still keeping somewhat close as Murkystar had mentioned to stay somewhat as a group.

She crept quietly through the land smelling around for food to take home to her clan.

Up ahead sat a little rodent on top of some twoleg garbage that was tossed out here.  The twoleg garbage smelled kinda bad but the rodent was desperate for food and was picking through it totally oblivious so far to Swifthearts presence.  Smirking she crouched low stalking it.


.....

She was almost close enough to strike when her front paw stepped on a twoleg papery wrapper which alerted the rodent and it went scurrying off below ground to the safety of its hiding hole. Frustrated she batted at the paperish wrapper sending it flying away. Hmm well there would always be next time she figured keeping her posiitve mindset and good vibes best she could

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5