Distant Daydreams [c]

The branches were bare and the morning had been gray, but past midday the sun revealed itself over ThunderClan territory and lit the forest with a new, comforting energy. Dawngaze gratefully welcomed the rays on her back that warmed her fur and chased the chill of the breeze away. Newleaf was not far off, and soon the prey would come out in abundance. ThunderClan was set to prosper in spite of the strange happenings in the rival clans. Dawngaze found that she didn't care at all what happened to the other clans or what StarClan threatened. Instead, all her focus was on finding the perfect spot to stalk her prey from. Behind her were two younger she-cats: Dacedream, her lovely and excitable former apprentice, and Duskrain, her strange yet powerful niece. The trio of female warriors made quite a sight with their long fur and pluming tails as they trekked through the trees. Her companions chattered occasionally but Dawngaze remained silent.

She was often silent. The stoic warrior often had little to say to her clanmates besides "let's go patrol" and "I'd rather eat alone." Dawngaze felt as though she would burst if she spoke too much. There were so many things happening to her that she didn't dare share with anyone else. For starters, Oakstar had died. Even if there was no true relation between them, the shock and uncertainty had been an unusual feeling in her sea of emotionlessness. Indeed, for perhaps a season or more, Dawngaze found herself working herself to exhaustion without even realizing it. She had nothing better to do. She had nowhere to be and no one to speak to. The tortoiseshell merely did her work, ate her meal, and slept in her nest. And beyond Oakstar's death, Dawngaze found herself plagued by nightmares of all kinds. She rarely woke feeling rested, and instead often fled her nest and the fading image of her true father and siblings. Phantoms followed her. The faintest whisper of Littlesun's shrill voice itched at her one remaining ear even now, surrounded by nothing but barren trees and bushes. Dawngaze was glad it was a whisper and not a shriek as it had been a few sunrises before.

"I think here is a good place to start." She broke her silence and gestured with her tail to the surrounding area. Scraggly bushes granted cover for several bare patches where the sun warmed the earth. The tortoiseshell glanced back to her companions. "Let's not stray too far from each other. Some of us have bad luck with predators." It was a joke yet it was delivered completely deadpan. Very few cats had the privilege of hearing something like that from Dawngaze, and even fewer could tell when it happened, but the older warrior had a special appreciation for the younger warriors with her. Taking them both out with her was a rare pleasure for her as they were both often busy.

Dacedream rarely noticed the silence; oftentimes if it was present she filled it, or she focused on the sounds that broke the silence - like distant river whispers, or the chittering of birds in the tree-tops, or the rustling of squirrels racing through branches - so that it couldn't be silent. That was how Dacedream had always been. Even with all the concerns in the back of her mind, the looming threats of the warrior ancestors, and the loss of both her grandparents before she could ever say goodbye, she couldn't be subdued the way she'd been after the birth of her kittens. ThunderClan had given her life, and she admired the life it had given her, and she returned it with enthusiasm and vigor. Whenever she was asked to accompany a patrol she was more than willing, but if Dawngaze asked her? Dacedream would never say no. She loved her former mentor and still considered her a treasured friend and a valuable role model. Dawngaze was strong in ways Dacedream could never be.

The other she-cat on their patrol was the same way. Duskrain... Dacedream's kithood best friend and lover. Dacedream liked Duskrain. She was fearless and factual, yet she held awe and enthusiasm despite her more realistic view of the cruelty of the forest. The she-cat was scarred from murdering a fox in vengeance of her dead sister, but she had overcome the injuries to her eyes and now her scars were a sign of her fortitude and ferocity. Dacedream adored the she-cat who bore the scars and sometimes groomed the criss-crossing patterns when her nestmate slept. Duskrain helped Dacedream to be more brave, too.

The older warrior called out to begin hunting here, and Dacedream nodded agreeably. "I bet we'll get dripped on," she commented, not at all complaining, as she glanced up to the canopy of trees. A few silvery sparkles of thawed frost glimmered above them. Dacedream looked back to Dawngaze and let out a little giggle at the she-cat's comment. Her former mentor could've been referring to any of them, or all of them, as Dacedream looked at all of their scars and considered her own across her cheeks. "It'll be bad luck for a predator to run into us," Dacedream said determinedly with a playful growl, and she looked at Duskrain. "Right?" Then she turned and padded off towards the scraggly underbrush.

Her eyes spotted a vole rummaging among the roots a few bushes in. Dacedream wondered if she could fit through the opening, since the twigs were all bare. She crouched and crept forward. She ducked a little lower the moment she entered under the first bush, the tip of her tail twitching uncertainly. I... don't think I can get through without crinkling a branch, she realized. She took a breath and leapt for it. Dacedream rattled through the brush to no avail, as the vole quickly turned back to retreat. It disappeared from her sight and she let out her breath in a sigh. "Oh, well," she mewed.

Dacedream tried to catch a vole and failed, using 5 stamina.

Dacedream
60/60 HP
195/200 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8