There Maybe Something that Wasn't There Before [CLOSED]

Though prey was fairing even better each day and life was slowly returning to Riverclan's camp, the golden tom couldn't feel even worse than now. Each day was a torture to his troubled mind. The once confident Berrycloud was buried under sorrow and guilt due to the deaths he carried in his shoulders. What a warrior he turned out to be? But... what could he have expected? After all, he was the mere son of a bunch of unknown rogues that abandoned him and his siblings. He was an outsider, an outcast. How did he ever think there was hope for him as a Riverclan warrior? He had failed his brother, Sparkfrost... he failed Starlord... he failed Silverfang... and for him, a she-cat died saving his worthless life. Now, he just kept doing what he was told to but apart from that, Berrycloud spent more and more time in his den, curled in his nest thinking that it was for the best that he just simply disappeared from everyone's life.

When they reached the river, the warrior simply nodded at Myrtlepaw as a way to say that they should hunt there. He didn't quite know why Scorchclaw kept sending him to these patrols yet at least... it was a way out of his blue thoughts. Going out made him remember his old days with Firepaw and how lively and hopeful he used to be.

Although still an apprentice, she was on the old end of the group of apprentices in RiverClan, due for her Moonstone journey soon. After Lightstep, her previous mentor, had passed, she had been somewhat forgotten and put on the back burner in favor of younger apprentices. At least, that's what it seemed like to her. So she was grateful that Jaystar let her go on a patrol with his son Berrycloud. Myrtlepaw was a soft-spoken she-cat and had never interacted with Berrycloud much but she always admired his radiant golden fur and pleasant demeanor. Nowadays, however, a dark cloud had fallen over the tom. She could feel the gloominess radiating off of him like a fog. The past few moons had been hard for all of them, with the flood and the loss of many cats all over the forest. Every now and then Myrtlepaw would glance over at him, watching his face and body. He seemed lost in thought; neither had spoken a word to each other since they left the camp. She kept up the pace with him, right by his side the whole time, mostly out of concern for his state of mind. They stopped at the river bank and Berrycloud gave her a nod to signal she could hunt there. Quietly, the she-cat waded out into the water, eyes locked for any fish. She opened her mouth to speak, however, not looking at him.

"Berrycloud? Are you okay? If you want to talk about anything, you can always talk to me..." She turned her attention away from the water for a moment, turning over her shoulder to give him a concerned look.

The tom turned his face towards the she-cat, a little surprised by her approach. Not many cats talked to him lately but his brother and sister. It was no surprise, though. He had isolated himself from the clan since a while. Berrycloud made his way to the water, letting the river cool down his body as he entered a bit deeper. "Oh, you're really kind, Myrtlepaw... but you don't have to worry about me." He mewed, forcing one of his wide smiles, like the ones he used to make when he was an apprentice and while Firepaw was alive. "You see, I was just thinking about... what kind of fish you like! You know, when I was an apprentice, Jaystar organized this big hunting competition and I won that time! Whatever you wish, I can hunt it." He mewed, trying to move the conversation to another subject. Though the she-cat had good intentions, they didn't know each other quite well.

He smirked before turning his gaze to the surface of the water. The golden warrior waited patiently and at the slightest shift of the water, he stretched his paws, hitting the large, silver fish out of the water. In a few seconds, he was over the animal and his jaws ended the job.

Berrycloud tried to hunt fish: the catch was successful!

Berrycloud
60/60 HP
197/200 SP

The member 'Jay Bird' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Myrtlepaw tilted her head at his forced smile, blinking. She didn't know him particularly well enough to tell if he was telling the truth or not, all she could rely on was her gut instinct. She gave him a soft smile back, deciding to humor him for now and not push it any further. "You can catch anything?" she mewed playfully, wading out further into the water. She was trying to get far enough away from him so that his splashing wouldn't disturb the fish she was trying to catch. One paw poised to strike, her eyes now locked on the water. There was a flash of scales and she smacked her paw down, trying to hook the fish out with her claws. One swipe and the fish was flopping in the air; with a deft movement fitting of a warrior she caught it again and sunk her teeth into its neck, killing it. With a flick of her tail, she came out of the water to deposit her catch on the river bank, passing by Berrycloud on her way out.

The old apprentice was quiet when she dropped her kill out of the water but she turned to the warrior after a moment, smiling. There was a glint in her eyes. Maybe this would help Berrycloud get out of his head for a little bit. "How about we have a little contest? Whoever catches the most fish wins."

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

OOC: Aspen, remember to use the new hunting system when hunting ;D It's the same thing but you must take 3 stamina points from your character each time to try to hunt ;D

IC: The tom had to admit... that that was pretty impressive. He knew Myrtlepaw was an apprentice but she was an old one. It won't be a surprise if Jaystar made a warrior soon considering her fishing skills. When she turned her face to him, her smile caught him off guard and for a few seconds, he went silent, astonished by the happiness and pureness the she-cat irradiated. To be honest, since Eaglebrook, he never truly looked well at other she-cats or toms who could catch his interest. Until now.

The tom blinked twice, finally snapping out of his stun. The large, golden tom smiled back and flicked his tail a bit more cheerful. "That sounds like a good challenge." He purred, making his way back to the river. This kind of competitions... reminded him of Firepaw, his first friend and crush. Berrycloud still held so many painful scars within... but without them, he wouldn't be able to remember his loved ones and the great times they had together. Somehow... he needed someone like Myrtlepaw to remind him that. The pain... the loss... was still there and the warrior still wondered if he would ever be a real Riverclan warrior after the deaths he had caused for his... stupidity. But right now... maybe... he could forget about that. Placing his paws in the water once more, he waited but the prey was soon to appear. This time, it was a smaller one, a little bit faster but the trained eye of the Riverclan warrior was not one to be mocked by a mere fish. The tom hit the water, pushing the animal down to the mud. He could feel it trashing, fighting to escape so Berrycloud quickly dipped his head into the water and caught it with his jaws, ending its life quickly. The experienced feline walked back to the cream-coloured she-cat and with a grin, he dropped the fish next to hers. "Your turn."

Berrycloud tried to hunt fish: the catch was successful!

Berrycloud
60/60 HP
194/200 SP

The member 'Jay Bird' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

(OOC: My bad, it totally slipped my mind that the new hunting thing existed ;; I'll remember this time)

Myrtlepaw watched the warrior closely, smiling softly as he seemed to brighten up and even gave her a smile back. He was a handsome tom and looked even nicer when he smiled...Berrycloud had been through a lot recently. She was glad she could help him feel at least a little better. She needed this kind of interaction too. Quiet and introverted, Myrtle wasn't disliked by any cat but it was hard for her to make friends and really get close to others. With Berrycloud, it felt different. She could see herself becoming good friends with him.

Berrycloud caught another fish with ease and challenged her to do the same. The cream tabby purred softly in amusement and flicked her tail at the warrior's flank as she passed to wade out into deeper water. Time to prove herself worthy again. Berrycloud was Jaystar's son, maybe he could put in a good word for her so she could become a warrior soon.

She crouched down in the river and poised a clawed paw up, prepared to strike. There was a flash of scales a few moments later. Smaller than her first catch but it seemed to be the same kind of fish. Myrtlepaw struck down into the water, hoping her timing was right. Her claws hit flesh and she pinned the fish to the bottom of the riverbed, then quickly stuck her face in and ended the fish with a killing bite. A triumphant glint in her eyes, she left the water and deposited her catch on the bank. "Your turn, Berrycloud."

Myrtlepaw caught 1 piece of prey, using -3 stamina.
20/20 HP
74/80 SP (-3)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3