Maple Trees and Forest Greens [Closed]

There were two new additions to Thunderclan. While their fur still smelled like fish, Oakstar had decreed if it was their wish to join that they would be welcome as a part of the clan. The little one seemed to followed in her father's pawsteps, and he seemed more than willing to leave behind the ways of Riverclan. It was confounding, how the tom had seemed to lose his mind and his memories. Perhaps things would be easier for Beartooth were the same thing to happen. The deputy pushed the thought away as he gathered the patrol. He was still getting used to task of managing every cat in the clan and dictating which patrol they would embark on. Thankfully, this moment he was able to use for his own patrol. The leader was the one who had the idea of making sure the Riverclanners were fully immersed in Thunderclan culture. But Beartooth was more than willing to tour the territory at any time and his paws itched to hunt along the way.

Sparkfrost, as he had declared his name to be, had briefly visited the medicine cats den and had hardly done much sense. It appeared the calico tom wouldn't be joining them today. Little Dacepaw, however, would be on her first Thunderclan patrol with himself. He wasn't quite her mentor, that business had yet to be decided. But he did not mind bringing her along. The young she-cat's spirit reminded him of how Mosspaw used to be, before... he had to close his eyes for a moment to dispel the memories before he faced Dacepaw, "Are you ready to go?" The tom's expression was his usual neutral mask, but his eyes held a glimmer of curiosity behind them. He was interested to see how a Riverclan cat would react in Thunderclan's territory.

A wild-furred bundle of pale tortoiseshell fur suddenly burst from the apprentices' den, rocketing across ThunderClan's camp to stop clumsily just before the large brown tabby who was waiting. The new apprentice beamed with delight up at the much larger cat. Dacepaw wasn't intimidated by the hulking frame or stony quiet of ThunderClan's deputy at all. Perhaps she was supposed to be, but in truth he reminded her very much of her pawpaw Scorchclaw in RiverClan with his almost gloomy yet distinctly veiled expression.

When Dacepaw learned that she was to go on a patrol of the territory with the deputy of her new Clan, she was both shocked and delighted. Her initial disappointment upon learning that Sparkfrost wouldn't be coming was quickly replaced as she realized how special she must be for them to make sure she got such nice treatment on only her second day in the camp. Beartooth looked curiously at her and Dacepaw stared innocently back, her eyes glowing. She nodded vigorously when he asked if she was ready. "Yes, Beartooths!" the cheery she-cat replied, her tail straightening up to wriggle in the air.

Beartooths? That wasn't his name. While he had initially been shocked by the energy that the young she-cat presented, streaking towards him at a pace he thought almost wouldn't cease, the deputy instead caught on the way she spoke his name. It was strange. But they had a task to do. At least it seemed like she was ready for it. Over the course of his many moons of warriorhood, the tabby had already trained four apprentices. This would be no different. Although, he had hardly grown in his ability to interact with cats whose kithood had yet to be shaken from their coats. His blood-related kin who had been brought to the clan were raised by other cats and he hardly spoke with them for the lack of an idea of what to say. It was a similar thing with Houndpaw, his only son that had been born out of a love for Ridgelight. He turned towards the entrance as her name flitted through his conscious. There was no time to think of such things.

Without dwelling on it, and without a word to acknowledge the conflict that had flitted across his maw, the deputy turned and slid through the entrance and headed down the ravine. It was a pleasant day and he forced himself to find some solace in that. Things seemed to be, easier, now in some ways but he still clung fast to the duty before him. Beartooth was a creature of habit and often he thought there was little more too him than that. Sliding in the role of a dutiful warrior was what he knew. Thankfully, with Oakstar in good health, there was little leadership he had to navigate other than figuring out patrol. Even with the added weight of having to keep track of the entire clan, some how he had figured it out. With a glance back at Dacepaw, he realized there was now another cat to watch out for. As he padded along through the foliage, pushing it away with his broad shoulders, the tom meowed lowly without looking back at her, "What do you know about Thunderclan territory?"

The large, quiet tom said nothing at all, simply whirling on the pads of his feet to stride towards the entrance. Dacepaw didn't notice his change in demeanor; she probably wouldn't have seen it even if there had been a change to see. The excitable apprentice was perfectly content to simply follow the tom - after all, that's what he had approached her for, right? He didn't need to instruct her to follow. As he lumbered through the entrance tunnel the thick-furred she-cat followed carefully, feeling some of the prickly parts of the tunnel grab at her tail whenever she wasn't careful with it. It was hard to think of her tail when she was so focused on the interesting tom leading her into the interesting forest around them.

As much as Dacepaw wanted to walk right alongside Beartooth, she realized quite quickly that there'd be little room to be beside him with all the underbrush surrounding the path they were taking. She contented herself with trotting behind him - he was much faster than she was, but she was determined to keep up! After a short time he asked what she knew of the territory in which they now wandered.

"Oh! Um, welllll, theeeeeerrre's..." Dacepaw began, drawing her words out slowly to buy herself time to look around. "There's lots of trees and bushes and stuff?" she guessed. Well, of course that was correct, but that probably wasn't what he was looking for. "And squirrels!" Dacepaw added brightly. Suddenly her thoughts her distracted. "I wonder if Magpiepaw ever caught a squirrel? I bet he would have told me if he did. I bet my momma caught a squirrel - and daddy, too. Someday I'll catch one just like them!"

Very quickly, the she-cat was reduced to chattering. At least it seemed like she did know a bit about Thunderclan territory. And squirrel hunting was a very practical skill. Beartooth had no idea who this Magpiepaw was either but he assumed it was a Riverclan cat. He couldn't make her forget friends or family that she had left behind, it wasn't his place. Instead of interrupting or saying anything to try to quell her spirit like a better mentor-type might on a first outing, he stayed silent and simply looked at her. Although his expression was its usual stoic mask, the facade was cracked for a moment as he reminisced on another young and excitable cat. Ridgelight had been just like her in kithood, always talking far too much for a less experience Beartooth to keep up with at all. He was a good listener, though, and always had been. It was his specialty. Perhaps that was why the former Thunderclan she-cat had enjoyed his company.

Once the bulky tom had shook away thoughts of his former mate. There was no time to think of that now; he was here to show Dacepaw the territory and she was nothing like Ridgelight. Hopefully. Maybe. Was that such a bad thing? The warrior froze for a moment with his own confusion but it quickly dissipated underneath the guise of a hunt. Ahead there was a squirrel, similar to the ones that she had just spoken of. Beartooth flicked his ear in the hopes that she would get the signal and focus on his actions. It nibbled at the base of a tree not far ahead. He broke into a crouch and closed his eyes to feel the earth and focus on the breathing of the creature. Scenting and stealth had never been his strong suite but Oakstar had assisted in his drive to fight by sight and showed him how to better be a part of his surroundings. For some reason, that lesson had always stuck. His own breaths slowed as he crept forward close enough to pounce. And he caught it between his massive paw, squashing it with one short squeak before he dug his elongated fangs in as well in order to end its life.

"Now, you can catch a squirrel just like them." He meowed, glancing back up at her with the catch just under his claws. Catching sight of them, he quickly retracted the claws before adding, "This is not a hunting patrol but we can do so along the way. Help me bury this and we will continue on."

Beartooth successfully caught a Squill. -3 Stamina.

Beartooth
SP: 277

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Dacepaw didn't quite think that she'd said what Beartooth had wanted her to say, but he hadn't really made any sounds of disapproval. He hadn't made any sounds at all, actually. He kind of just watched her with those big, blank eyes of his. She remembered with a flicker of both pride and amusement that this tom was Houndpaw's father. Houndpaw was definitely louder, but they both had those stoic and unhappy faces that Dacepaw just burned to light up with a smile. Before she could consider how to do so, however, Beartooth's face - which she had thought was just vacant - had suddenly darkened with focus. His ear flicked, and she tipped her head. She made a soft, curious chirp sound before turning to follow his line of sight.

As if they had summoned it, a squirrel had appeared and was hunkered nibbling something by the trunk of a tree. It hadn't noticed them. Dacepaw felt her eyes widen and her heart begin to pound, and she sucked in a quiet breath to hold it so she wouldn't blurt out excitement. She'd seen dead squirrels a few times before, but this was the closest she'd been to a live one. They seemed much less flimsy in reality. The apprentice watched with awe and encouragement as ThunderClan's deputy padded forward to stalk it. She didn't know why it didn't notice him until it was too late, but with a squeak from the squirrel Dacepaw knew Beartooth had won the hunt.

"That was amazing!" Dacepaw cried joyfully, springing up in the air and bouncing lightly on her toes a few times before stopping short when Beartooth started to speak. The tom said she could catch a squirrel like her friend and parents, and Dacepaw gasped with delight. She looked down at the creature in his grasp, and for the first time the apprentice noticed how many toes he had. She'd never seen a cat with so many toes! Almost all of RiverClan had large paws for swimming, but never more toes. As if sensing her thoughts, Beartooth's long claws slipped into hiding. Dacepaw's bright gaze immediately sprang back up to the deputy's face, mood undampened.

When Beartooth explained they could hunt along the way, and she could help bury the prey, Dacepaw asked, "What is this patrol? Where are we going?" Still, she immediately set to work seeking out a soft patch of earth near a notable bush to start digging a hole. When it was finished, she looked proudly and expectantly at Beartooth, waiting for something - either praise, or for him to simply put the squirrel in and bury it.