A Heart Full of Love

Finally, New-Leaf seemed to be settling in.

With the final tendrils of Leaf-Bare finally escaping the forest, Freckleface found herself wanting to go out more. The petite she-cat usually preferred to stay in camp, where she was constantly surrounded by her friends. She also didn't like facing what she didn't know was out there. StarClan still scared her, whether she would admit it or not. Her mentor's death put her devout belief in them to a halt, and though she still knew they were around... She couldn't bring herself to respect them. How could someone who used to be exactly like the rest of the Clan cats decide who should live and who should die?

Shaking her head, the little she-cat got to her paws and sat by the camp's exit, waiting for the two cats who'd been told they simply must patrol her- not by the deputy, but by Freckleface herself. Tulipfang was a she-cat that Freckleface barely felt she knew, so she figured if they were going to share a den together, they might as well build up a conversation, and learn a little about each other. Flintstar, on the other paw... Her reasoning for requesting his presence was quite different. The warrior hadn't admitted it to him yet, but she'd realized on her own that she had a crush on him- a real one. Getting to know the tom had been difficult, but she'd managed to fall in love with his personality- what he showed of it, of course. Having him by her side, she felt safe and protected, and warm and fuzzy inside. She loved it.

Flintstar stepped from his den, shaking a few strains of moss from his pelt as he took in the sight of the the camp. He had been...Surprised when Freckleface had once again demanded the duo go out for a patrol. He had accepted it of course, he rather enjoyed her companion but he couldn't deny that the thought of backing out had been there when she had mentioned that she had also asked Tulipfang to come along. He...Didn't mind her company but the relationship he had with the two warriors was very different. There was something calming about being with Freckleface, his fears barely a thought in his mind. They were...Friends. Perhaps the first, and only, cat he was certain of it being the case. His friendship with Basildrop existed...He supposed, but it had been something she had made a...Thing upon their first meeting and it had been moons since the two had last spoken. He wasn't sure if it really counted as a friendship in hindsight. But what he had with Freckleface was far...Different. Special.

Something so dear to him that he was willing to...Deal with the slight social fear of interacting with more of his Clanmates. It seemed so silly but there was no denying that the air in the camp was so different since he had become leader. He suddenly didn't know where he stood with his Clanmates as he fretted for their safety against the very Stars themselves. But...He had to try, he suppose. Words were never his strength, often left unsure of what to say in causal conversations but it was his...Duty, he suppose, to be there for them. So social situations it was. He sighed, picking up the pace as he trotted over to where Freckleface was waiting, dipping his head to her as he settled down not far from her. Once they had Tulipfang, they would be good to set off.

Trotting up to the pair that awaited her arrival, Tulipfang gave them a dip of her head in greeting. "Ready to get going?" the peppy she-cat mewed with a smile on her maw. Freckleface and Flintstar... now that she thought about it, she didn't know Freckleface as well as she should have, even though they were clanmates, and hopefully the two of them could grow at least a tad bit closer on there time together. Of course, she didn't know Flintstar too well either, thinking back to past experiences, trying to get anything out of him in a conversation was the equivalent to pulling teeth. She didn't hate him, but even so, if she ever had to do a patrol with only the quiet, somewhat... boring, tom that was their leader, she'd probably rip her claws out, and so she found herself thankful and somewhat relieved that the three of them would be patrolling together today.

A bright smile wormed its way onto Freckleface's muzzle when the fluffy grey tom approached, taking his spot across from her. Now, they just needed Tulipfang- who showed up just seconds later. Nodding in greeting to the she-cat, Freckleface stood up, tilting her head towards to exit. She was rather excited to begin hunting, especially with Flintstar by her side. Her only fear is that they'd run into another spiky rat, or perhaps a fox or a badger. They were quite terrifying, but in hindsight, she knew that she'd be okay, as long as she didn't stray too far from Flinstar's side. "I think this is a good place to stop, today. I can smell all sorts of prey, from every direction." The little she-cat noted excitedly, sticking her own nose into the air to pinpoint prey. Moving slowly in the direction of a rather pretty lizard, she made sure to stay downwind. When the time was right, she pounced- quickly ending its life. Trotting back with her catch, she laid it down proudly in the hollow beneath a gnarled tree branch.

Freckleface successfully caught a lizard, using -3 Stamina Points.

Freckleface:
45/45 HP
157/160 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Flintstar dipped his head to Tulipfang as the she-cat approached, pushing up to his full height as he allowed Freckleface to lead the small group from the camp. As they padded through the territory, he found himself drawing close to the much smaller she-cat, falling in pace next to her. it was...Nice to leave the camp, even if it was for a simple hunting patrol. It was all that much better with Freckleface at his side - Tulipfang as well, he suppose. The company in general was appreciated, even if he wasn't sure what words to share with her. He came to a stop as Freckleface spoke up, taking in a deep breath to taste the air himself. "...Yes, this is quite a suitable spot. Good nose, Freckleface," he praised lightly before he turned to head in his own direction and leave the she-cats to hunt on their own.

He zeroed in on a savaging mouse, watching as it poked at the ground for something to eat. A shame, really, that it would not find a meal because it was to become one. He dropped into a crouch, circling the mouse as it remained in bliss, unaware of his presence until he made his move. Even then, it was only aware of his shadow for a second before its life was gone. He picked it up, shaking his pelt with a faint rumble of pride before he turned and trotted back to the clearing. His eyes fell upon Freckleface, disposing her own caught prey in a nearby hollow and trotted over to join her, setting his mouse along side her lizard. "Good catch," he said...Before shifting awkwardly on his paws and quickly pulling away to go seeking out more prey.

Following the others out of camp, Tulipfang watched as Freckleface went to catch her first piece of prey. She was successful and as the warrior watched the two of them interact, they definitely seemed to fancy each other, that was for sure. Trying not to dwell on whatever... thing they had going on between them, Tulipfang opened her maw and scented around the area until she spotted a small mouse in some brush.

Creeping towards the small yet valuable piece of prey, Tulipfang waited a few moments, her haunches wiggling back and forth in anticipation. Just a few more moments and it'd be all her's... pouncing, the she-cat's nimble paws landed squarely onto the little rodent's shoulders. With a swift bite to the neck before it could let out a squeak, she'd successfully caught a piece of prey. Grabbing her kill, she padded back over to the others and buried it at her paws. "A good spot indeed," she purred as she shuffled some dirt atop her hole.

Grinning as both of her Clanmates caught prey of their own, Freckleface turned to, hopefully, catch another and add to their collection. Both Flintstar and Tulipfang had caught mice, so Freckleface hoped that maybe she could catch something different to add a bit of variety. Her nose led her directly to a sparrow, sitting on a small log that must've fallen from a tree. After dropping into a crouch, she began to slowly stalk forward- until she placed her paw directly onto a twig when she wasn't paying attention, and the snap of the small branch alerted the bird to her presence. With a sigh, she returned to her full height and looked around, hoping to find another bit of prey before she returned to Flintstar and Tulipfang.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Flintstar dipped his head in acknowledgement to Tulipfang as she moved to bury her own catch, pleased that everybody had already made one. That was something he remembered from his previous hunt with Tulipfang when she was just an apprentice - that she was a rather good hunter. Also somebody who didn't...Annoy him with her presence, he supposed. She knew when to focus on the hunt and wasn't desperate to be...Friends with him and so didn't seek out small-talk. Quietly he noted that he would perhaps want to seek out more hunting patrols with her in the future, even if he did know that Freckleface would always be his first choice.

He turned to return to hunting, whiskers twitching as he tasted the air and closed in on the scent of a toad. Hm, while he was quite the fan of frogs, he wasn't so eager to eat toads. Something about their rougher skins just made them less...Appealing but prey was prey and he wasn't about to be picky when there were certainly cats who may prefer a toad. He dropped into a crouch, stalking forward as he eyed the toad...Only to pause with a huff when he watch it hop away into a nearby pond with little warning. He was certain it hadn't even seen him but it was perhaps folly to expect the prey to always sit there even if they were unaware of the dangers. Tsk, fine. He would find more prey, that wasn't an issue and turned to stalk off further into the undergrowth toward a new scent of prey.

Having spotted another piece of prey near bye, Tulipfang crouched down. Making her way away from the others, the white and ginger she-cat stalked through the tall, marshy grass until the mouse was in sight. Wriggling her haunches back and forth, she crept forward slow and steady, watching as it sat there nibbling on some seed.

Pouncing, the warrior landing atop the little prey animal and killed it with a switch bite to the neck. Padding back to Flintstar and Freckleface, she added it to her growing collection. "StarClan sure is blessing us today," the she-cat purred with a smile on her maw.