when seasons change (c)

Ghosts ruled the forest. The Place of No Stars had swallowed the sky. Cats lived in fear of the bloodthirsty demons that would slit throats for less than an insult. And yet-- life continued. Cats had to be fed. Prey had to be caught. Patrols had to be assigned. The seasons had turned; newleaf began to shed some benevolence on the dark scene that haunted every warrior's waking nightmare. Things were still bad, but less cats would starve now. Prey would return to the forest, and that meant it had to be caught by warriors. The deputy was not exempt from this rule; in fact, the deputy, more than all other warriors, had to do her duties. And so Perchfall was on a two-cat patrol, her second of the day, looking to help the fresh-kill pile grow larger. Her companion on this patrol was Hollyleaf. She knew little about the other warrior, but the she-cat seemed like a loyal warrior. And... she had, unfortunately, recently lost an apprentice. Poor Beaverpaw, murdered in the Gathering, lost in the chaos... and then previously Mintpaw, who absconded with her traitor mother to ThunderClan. Honestly, Hollyleaf seemed to have had bad luck recently. Hopefully her newest apprentice would be a better turn of events. Though Perchfall was silent as they walked, she nodded to her companion once they reached a suitable hunting spot; near the river, but also close enough to some trees where land prey would often run. "Good luck hunting," she murmured, meeting Hollyleaf's eyes with a neutral blue gaze.

It was somewhat of a surprise as she was called to head on patrol with Perchfall. And honestly... she'd expected for them to talk more before. The only few moments where she'd meet her was in meetings, or rather, mostly through tales— the most recent being a brief mention from Poppypaw. Perhaps it was because the young molly was her apprentice, though Hollyleaf couldn't tell much through her stoic expressions. And as they reached their destination, Hollyleaf offered her a soft smile, and with a nod, she'd face the river. "Thank you, you too."

Like most RiverClan cats, she preferred to hunt with water— as land prey wasn't exactly her specialty. Watching as shadows passed by underneath the water's surface, she made sure to strike swiftly— and carefully. Hiding her shadow just enough to not be spotted, she reached for a shadow, ears pinned back. Pulling the fish out of the water, she'd set it aside, glancing over to the deputy.

Hollyleaf attempted to hunt Fish for 3 SP. It was a Success!

Hollyleaf
50/50 HP
117/120 (-3)

The member 'Arcana' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Perchfall nodded at the other warrior's words, and turned to a slightly different spot in the river to look for some fish. Though hunting was very routine for her, she always felt strange when she had to do it with other cats-- she knew that it was a social activity for most. And honestly, when she hunted with Poppypaw or Ashflight, she certainly was able to talk to them. Then why was it so hard with other cats? Hollyleaf was a perfectly good warrior, from what she knew. Why was it so hard to start a simple conversation? Trying to push down the growing pit of anxiety in her stomach, she stared down at the overly fast waters, searching for any glimmer of scales.

There-- a fish. Unthinking, instinctually, the deputy lashed a paw out, reaching into the water. Her claws hooked onto the fish easily, swiping it out of the water. It was a big one. With a swift movement, she bent down and bit it, ending its life. StarClan, wherever you may be hiding-- I thank you for letting the fish finally return. That done, she put the fish down a small distance away from the slippery riverbank, so it wouldn't fall back in while she continued to hunt. A quick glance showed that Hollyleaf had been successful in her first hunting attempt, as well. Well, Perchfall? Are you going to make any conversation? You're the deputy. You should be able to do this. You should be able to talk, for stars' sakes. Face still neutral, but not unkind, the gray and white she-cat looked over at her companion again. "How has your training been with Owlpaw?" A nice, safe topic... well, discounting the fact that Hollyleaf had not been lucky with apprentices so far.

Perchfall attempted to catch a fish. Catch successful! -3 SP

The member 'Ash' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Hollyleaf blinked. It was an impressive catch that Perchfall had— though it wasn't a surprise for someone so skilled. And as Perchfall's voice shattered the silence in the air, she'd turn her head to the molly, glad that it wasn't as awkward anymore. "His training's faring well. Perhaps it was the change of seasons that helped him, though I'm glad he takes pride in being an apprentice," Hollyleaf mewed, "He has potential. What about Poppypaw? I've talked with her, though it'd be nice to understand her more through your words." That was a generally smooth continuation.. or at least, that's what she assumed for now. Hopefully, she'd be able to understand her clanmates more.

Her eyes switched focus back to the river, another shadow flashing by. And with a quick swipe, she aimed for it, swiftly bringing the prey up to the surface. It wasn't very large— but it was plump enough for a decent meal. Her gaze fell upon Perchfall once again, waiting for her reply.

Hollyleaf attempted to catch Fish. It was a Success!

Hollyleaf
50/50 HP
114/120 SP (-3)

The member 'Arcana' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Perchfall listened carefully to the response. She was glad that Hollyleaf finally had an apprentice who seemed to be doing well; the she-cat hardly deserved the bad luck she'd had. Despite being the son of Jaystar, who certainly hadn't been earning any respect recently, Owlpaw had been a good cat from what she'd seen. She often saw him in and out of the elders' den with more consistency than any other apprentice, even Poppypaw. Speaking of the calico she-cat.... "Glad to hear Owlpaw is doing well. Poppypaw-- is wonderful," she responded, thinking back to the recent incidents they'd had. "She's been unlucky recently-- nearly drowned in the river, through no fault of her own-- but she's done well. Far more cheerful and optimistic than I, definitely something the Clan needs. A bit better at hunting than fighting, but I hope to StarClan we have no need to fight anytime soon. With the Dark Forest..." It wasn't a nice thing to linger on, so she hastily glanced down at the river.

Seeing another fish swimming near her, she brought her paw down reflexively, pinning it down on the side of the sandy riverbank it had been too close to. This one was slippery, so she struggled a little more, but in a few moments it was out of the water and next to her previous catch. Perchfall felt the light tension that bringing up their circumstances had formed. "Sorry, I know that may not be the best topic of conversation."

Perchfall attempted to catch a fish. Success! -3 SP

The member 'Ash' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6