Silent Hope[C]

Tawnyshadow shifted uncomfortably as she waited for Leopardsun to show up. While it was normal for warriors to occasionally be assigned the same patrol as the deputy or leader, it would be the first time for her. Part of her prayed that nothing bad would happen, while the other part scolded her for making such a big deal. Regardless of who you're patrolling with, you should always do your best. And yet the warrior couldn't quite stop the thrill that ran through her paws as she spotted Leopardsun heading towards her.

Leopardsun approached the patrol swiftly, having run slightly later than expected when something came up. "Sorry I'm a little late, Tawnyshadow. Are you ready to go?"

Tawnyshadow was a promising young warrior, and in many ways Leopardsun thought she saw herself in the younger cat. She wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or not- so far, she had fared far better in life than the deputy had, but that lingering sense of worry and dread was always hard to shake. She cared for and worried for all of ShadowClan, but when she saw herself reflected in them...

It was harder not to.

"Is there any place in particular you'd like for us to go?"

Tawnyshadow rose to her paws and dipped her head in greeting when Leopardsun drew closer. "It's no problem, being a deputy is tough work and I didn't wait that long," She quickly assured the deputy. "We could head to the Pine Grove? There's always plenty of prey there," She suggested, then waited patiently for Leopardsun to start leading the patrol. It wasn't her place, afterall, to boss around her senior. For a brief moment, she thought she caught a flicker of worry in the deputy's eyes, but she quickly pushed that thought away. Being deputy was tough work, like she said, and Leopardsun was more than capable of handling it by herself. She certainly didn't need a young, inexperienced warrior shoving their nose into her business.

Tough work.

That was definitely an understatement, though it was work she did for the sake of ShadowClan, and that if nothing else meant it was always worthwhile.

"Of course," Leopardsun nodded once, then took the lead when Tawnyshadow showed no interest in doing so. Instead of commenting on that, she turned her attention to the warrior in question. "How have you been, Tawnyshadow? If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

The younger warrior was a hard worker, but maybe a little too much so. She herself knew she had similar tendencies- kept in check, mostly, by Honeylight's insistence that she take breaks; something that had once bothered her, but she now found herself looking forward to. That was progress, wasn't it? That her family was there and she wanted to spend time with them also helped.

Leopardsun spotted a frog, and immediately fell into a hunting crouch; it looked big and juicy enough that, if she was lucky and no one snatched it off the fresh-kill pile first, she could share it with Echomist later.

Leopardsun caught a Frog, costing 3 SP!
157/160 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

The conversation was going almost exactly the same way that her conversation with Pineblossom had been. Was it an older warrior thing to always ask the younger warrior how they were doing and inform them that they could always ask for help? Tawnyshadow simply replied, "Beetlepaw's training has been a bit slow, but other than that I'm fine." Was she really? Sunflare lived in her mind and wouldn't leave, but she had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

"How about you?" She returned the question, more out of politeness than curiousity. Tasting the air, she found the scent trail of a frog not too far off. She might as well catch something, since this was a hunting patrol after all. Excusing herself from the conversation, Tawnyshadow began heading after it. She killed the frog swiftly and returned to the patrol.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

"I've been doing as well as can be expected," Leopardsun said simply. It was true: she was wearing herself thin, she knew, but it wasn't like she could cast it off on someone else. Well, she supposed she could- but Leopardsun prided herself on her work ethic, on being professional, and on caring for her Clan. So, she couldn't.

"Say, do you have favorite prey?" It was a safe question, not too personal and vaguely relevant to their current activity. "I've always loved frogs. The other Clans won't touch them- and I can't imagine why."

She pounced on another particularly round one, catching it easily.

Leopardsun caught a Frog, costing 3 SP!
154/160 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

Tawnyshadow's ears twitched at Leopardsun's question. Frogs... those were her favourite too, though it would sound like she was sucking up to the deputy if she said the same. But then again, it was no secret that she loved those-- it was the first thing Sunflare brought her each time. Not that Sunflare had anything to do about it.

She nodded, answering, "They're my favourite too. The belly is always the best part, and no other prey has such tender meat." Tawnyshadow tasted the air again and headed off on yet another frog's trail. There must be a nursery around here, or there wouldn't be so many frogs hopping about. She slipped soundlessly through the shadows, eyes fixed on the slight gleam of marsh light on smooth skin. She darted forward, swift as a snake, and before the frog could react it was another piece of fresh-kill, hanging limp in her jaws.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

"Good taste," Leopardsun grinned. "The first time I really spoke to Echomist," the deputy laughed, "I gave him a frog. That wasn't when I started to love them, and it wasn't why- I just couldn't imagine how anyone wouldn't like them. But it turned out they were his favorite, too."

Her nose twitched with amusement.

"Sometimes I think it's a wonder that between the two of us, we didn't end up with a Frogkit."

She was so busy laughing that she missed an easy catch, but swiftly brushed it off. They'd have more to bring home between the two of them, anyway, and in the warmth of newleaf prey wasn't particularly scarce anymore. There were other frogs to catch.

Leopardsun failed to catch a frog!
151/160 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Tawnyshadow resisted the urge to laugh along with Leopardsun, instead just offering the deputy a small smile. Hearing the she-cat talk so fondly of her mate made Tawnyshadow think of her own. Sunflare was a huge source of comfort in her life, but she had never felt so fiercly about him. Sagestone, yes, but that was because they grew up together and did everything together. They were closer than some siblings, and they weren't related in the slightest. Well, he's gone now, so no use mulling over that.

Tawnyshadow turned away to find another frog hopping about a few tail-lengths away. She lunged forward, but missed it by a tail-length. Mouse dung! The warrior glarred crossly as the frog hopped to safety. That could have filled a cat's stomach, and if someone were to go hungry tonight it would be her fault.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9