Winter into Spring into Capture (Closed)

It hadn't even been a moon since Specklefang had died. The strongest warrior that Swoopnose knew had been killed in this war. How far was RiverClan willing to go? He wasn't supposed to feel this sad and have this grief linger so much. Birchheart stayed strong, and her mother had died. She had only been his former mentor, and not even the best at her job. But she had been strict. And strong. And terrifying. And now she was dead. War was a killer. That was horrible. The worst part was how much he secretly loved the thrill of it all. That thought was revolting. Focusing on every bad thing in life never got any cat anywhere. It just created more problems than it solved. All he needed to do was focus on the happy things, which were plentiful in his life. Robinsong had become a warrior, his mate was going to have kits soon, and he hadn't had a fear or adrenaline spell in a long time. Maybe he was even learning to control himself. Now his paws itched to do something, to be useful. Hunting for his clan was another good thing in life. Still feeling a guilty amount of grief, he realized that hunting wouldn't bring him enough happiness to clear his mind. But going with someone that he loved just might do the trick. Right now, his sister was his best bet. His green eyes quickly scanned the den, easily finding her red-brown pelt. Padding over, he cleared his throat before speaking.
"Want to go on a patrol?" he asked her quickly, silently cursing the traces of sadness that still hung in his voice. But he had never been good at acting, so any attempts to seem bright and cheery would be futile anyway. Looking at his sister hopefully, he prayed that she would agree and not question why he seemed to be sad and desperate. Anything like that would just ruin the point of this patrol. All he wanted was to have a fun and happy time with one of his only living close family members, and to rid his mind of sad thoughts. A conversation about it would just make him fail at his goals and not let them have some much wanted sibling bonding time.

Robinsong was curled up tightly in the warrior's den, fast asleep. She was having the nightmares again. The same dreams that came back to taunt her, over and over. In them, her family were either dead, dying, or taken away. How many times had she watched Sharptooth eat deathberries? Was it really necessary to watch Hazelpaw get taken away to RiverClan? Did Swoopnose really just die in battle? Over and over again, and again, and again, a cycle that never stopped, because her mind was too nervous to allow it. She was jolted awake after having to watch Shrewheart get run over for the millionth time. Her brother's voice calmed her down instantly, even if it seemed sad. She shot him as sympathetic a glance as she could, but knew that he wouldn't want her asking about it or fussing over him. He wasn't that kind of cat. She forced a little half-smile, but it turned into a genuine one at the thought of a patrol. That would be nice, and especially one with the tom in front of her. "Sure." She purred, climbing to her paws and shaking moss from her pelt.

"Thanks," Swoopnose replied, the large amount that he meant that word obvious by his tone. If Robinsong had denied or dwelled on why, he didn't know what he would have done. Probably just sit in a corner and think about every single thing that had gone wrong lately. Alone. Just thinking that word made him feel squeamish. The sooner they got out of camp and started hunting, the better. Clearly feeling a bit nervous, the warrior stepped out of the den in small quick steps. Though he was aware it didn't look natural, he was also aware of his inability to stop doing it. Trying to regain a calm composure, he padded over to the camp's exit, his flicking tail the only sign he showed of being in a hurry. Looking back at his sister, he immediately felt calmer. There was no need to fear being alone when he was with someone that he loved. A glance into the forest had a similar effect. Hunting for his clan with his sister was an ideal time, and would take his mind off the concept of grieving by himself. Not just that, it would take away the possibility of that happening. Determined to not let this be awkward, he struck up a conversation. "Where should we hunt?"

Robinsong followed Swoopnose out of camp, her tail swishing behind her and her piteously thin fur fluffed up against the cold. It was obvious that her brother was feeling troubled, but it was also clear that he didn't want it to be discussed. She turned her attention to the matter at hand. Where should they hunt? She had been more focused on actually leaving the camp than where they would go first. "Hmm...
I'm not too sure. Where's your favourite hunting spot?" She replied, locking eyes with Swoopnose.

"We go to my favorite spot every time. I seriously can't think of a time where we didn't go to the Great Sycamore for hunting. But maybe near Tallpines? I haven't hunted there since I was an apprentice," Swoopnose recalled, already feeling his discomfort begin to disappear. Something about the carefree way that he could talk to Robinsong always seemed to calm him down. And considering what was going on in the world currently, some serenity was all he needed. Beginning to pad out of camp, he realized that leaving camp didn't come with too much of a chill. Usually the condensed body heat of camp made the unprotected outside seem frigid, but today he didn't notice too much of a difference. The grass was even a bit moist, rather than frozen still and solid. A smile crossed his maw. Not since he was a very young kit had he experienced it not being Leafbare. Older cats said that Newleaf was a sign of hope, where prey would soon be plentiful. So maybe the harsh time would be over just as soon as the harsh season. For the first time in a while, he felt a longer kind of happiness. Not the small escapes that he treasured so much, but something bigger. The kind he felt when he became an apprentice, and then as a warrior. And he would probably feel it again when his kits were born. The smile had spread wide across his face as he looked to his sister, waiting for her reply.

Robinsong grinned, her tail swishing behind her. This was definitely what she needed. Some fresh air and a chance to practise her hunting skills would take her mind off things. ”Sure! Near Tallpines sounds perfect.”




ooc: aaaaaaaaaaa sorry for the late reply, drowning in homework rn

"Okay then, let's get going," Swoopnose declared, beginning to trot in the direction of Tallpines. It was near both the SkyClan and ShadowClan border, so maybe they could even mark the borders afterwards if they had time. A small bit of mud squished underfoot as they walked, which he saw as yet another example of the soon coming season. By now his mind was almost completely clear of the fear and grief that had affected him only a little while ago. Robinsong's pleasant nature probably had something to do with that. He was more than a little lucky to have her as a sister. Feeling the need to make conversation, he started with the first thing that came to his mind. "How's your apprentice doing. Snowpaw is doing pretty well with me, so how's Brmablepaw faring?"

OOC: Don't worry about it. Take your time.

Robinsong trotted after Swoopnose. The absence of snow crunching underpaw felt strangely foriegn to her, but in a good way, for it meant that the prey would soon be plentiful and the sun would soon shine warmly. Just that thought made her sigh in contentment. Leafbare had been like torture for her thin fur, but Greenleaf would be like StarClan itself. It was mad to imagine that moments ago she had been having the worst of nightmares and experiencing thorn-sharp pangs of grief for their lost Clanmates. Her whiskers twitched with amusement as she thought of her apprentice, Bramblepaw. ”His training is going well. He is very eager to learn!” She purred.

"Yeah, Snowpaw as well. He's always asking all sorts of questions that never even occurred to me. If I had acted like that when I was his age, then Speck-" Swoopnose stopped short, everything he had just worked hard to clear his mind of suddenly rushing back at full force. Why did he have to bring up the topic of mentors and apprentices? Maybe he could just play it cool and Robinsong wouldn't notice. Who was he kidding? Of course she would notice, they were littermates for StarClan's sake! But the memories that came with his words threatened to choke him, as scary as they had been. He looked down at his paws as they walked, willing for his mind to return to the happy thoughts of family and Newleaf. What was another conversation starter he could use that wouldn't make him sad? No good ideas came to mind, even as he racked his brain. All that popped up were memories of Specklefang glaring at him. Just as he thought to talk about the warming weather, he realized that they had already arrived at Tallpines. "Ready to start hunting?"

OOC: No system, after your next post two legs will come.

Robinsong’s smile dropped. She knew exactly what Swoopnose was about to say, and she perfectly understood why he stopped talking. Specklefang. The brave, fierce, loyal warrior, knocked aside like a leaf and killed instantly. The thought of her was enough to make Robinsong look away and focus on the ground, but she quickly looked back up, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly against her brother. The loss of the warrior affected him badly, she knew that. Anyone with eyes could see that. She nodded, relieved that they had made it to Tallpines, and she sniffed the air for some prey. ”First one to catch prey wins!” She dared him in a lighthearted, joking way, streaking off to look for some. She soon spotted a mouse, possibly the plumpest one she had seen since kithood; another sign of the approaching Newleaf. She dropped into a hunter’s crouch, stalking it, and pounced. Her unsheathed claws sunk into the flesh, her teeth quickly nipping it’s neck, to end it’s life. She grinned happily, picking it up in her jaws.

"Prepare to lose!" Swoopnose teased, obviously glad for the distraction. Scenting the air, the acrid scent of both SahdowClan and SkyClan drifted in on the breeze. Wrinkling his crooked nose, he tried to focus just prey. Before long, he had caught the scent of a squirrel. Following it carefully, he soon spotted the small gray creature. It still seemed skinny, not like the stories he had heard about the plump Newleaf creatures, but it was prey nonetheless. Slinking into a hunting crouch, the warrior kept towards it, stuffing any scent other than the squirrel's out of his mind into he was completely zeroed in and oblivious to the world around him. Robinsong had probably already caught something in the rather long time it was taking him, so he was determined to make this catch. With a nearly flawless leap, he pounced on the fluffy gray rodent, and swift bite to the neck killing it quickly. The scent of prey was all he could smell as he picked it up and silently said his thanks to StarClan. Maybe this being bigger than his sister's could make up for him not being first. All those thoughts flew at the speed of lightning out of his mind as furless, long-toed paws wrapped around his chest. Turning his head quickly, he saw the face of a twoleg kit, who was either smiling at him or baring their teeth. Either way, he wanted to get away as soon as possible. Struggling, he found the twoleg's grip was far to strong for him to get out of, and suddenly he was lifted high into the air. Now he could see another one, who now seemed to be communicating with the one who was holding him. They were either growling or purring, it was impossible to tell. Realizing that he couldn't get out of this by himself, he decided his own life was more important than a single squirrel and he let it fall to the ground a ways below. "ROBINSONG! Help!"

Robinsong’s ears perked up at the sound of her brother’s urgent voice. She lifted her head, her eyes narrowed slightly, and then she saw him. Her jaw fell open. Twolegs! On ThunderClan territory! ”Swoopnose!” She cried. She sprinted over, and almost without thinking, her claws slipped out of their sheaths and scored across one of their furless front legs. Almost as soon as she had done it, Robinsong came back down again. Wait. What was she thinking?! Even if they were Twolegs, they were Twoleg kits! She just clawed a kit! She shook her head as if she could clear her mind of these thoughts. It didn’t matter their age. They had her brother. She reared onto her hind legs, hissing and spitting, swinging her claws around to try and intimidate them. Maybe she could make them drop Swoopnose...

"Thanks!" Swoopnose cried to Robinsong, glad that she had come to save him. But the twoleg kit who was holding him didn't move him closer to the ground. It just yelped in pain and started roaring at the other one. Maybe they would be scared of his sister and run away. Now he wouldn't even mind dropping all the way down if it meant getting out of these long, thin, furless toes. At first it seemed like that was what was going to happen. The twoleg who wasn't holding him seemed scared, staring at the scratch of the other twoleg. But after they began barking at each other, the twoleg who wasn't him picked up the other warrior. His green eyes widened and he began to struggle harder and harder. He needed to save her! However, this just made the two leg's grip tighten until he could barely breath. Trying a new tactic, he began kicking backwards, trying to claw at it's stomach. All that happened was him being moved around until he was out of energy. The two twoleg kits began walking while carrying them, right into SkyClan territory. If he was able to, he would have clawed at the two legs for bringing them here. It was against the warrior code to trespass! Yet his energy was gone, and all he could do was sit helplessly in the paws of his captor. Out of ideas, he wondered if Robinsong had any. "Robinsong! How should we escape?"

OOC: After you post I'll make a Twolegplace topic.

Robinsong’s sharp eyes widened in fear as one of them advanced on her. She turned right around and tried to run, but when it grabbed her, it’s furless and oddly long toes wrapped around her tail. Her claws sunk into the ground as she scrambled to get away, but it only dragged her towards it and picked the warrior up, holding her tightly around the middle. She yowled in fury and swung her limbs everywhere, trying to squirm free, but it was impossible. Every time she tried, it just tightened it’s grip. There was no escape. In the end, she had lost all of her energy on a fruitless escape attempt, and she gave up, exhausted. ”S-Swoopnose? I don’t know?! How can we escape?” She mewed, her tone hopeless.

OOC: Here