newleaf blossoms [closed]

Redfall stared at his paws. Curled up in the warmth of his nest, the ginger tabby didn't want to move. But he wanted to... smooth things over with Wrenspring and Swansong. Or, at least try to have some normal interaction with them. His bright green eyes moved to Swansong's pale tabby form, and then to Wrenspring's gray and white one. His jaws gaped in a yawn, and he blew out a puff of air, but eventually Redfall sat up. He stretched, careful not to wake up anyone else. Picking his way over nests carefully, he eventually got to Swansong, and nudged her awake. "Swansong? If you want to go for a hunt, with me and possibly Wrenspring, then get up, you lazy ball of fur." His voice was teasing, and he hoped she'd see it as that, and not take the words literally. Redfall made his way over to Wrenspring and tapped his friend's shoulder with his tail. "Hey, Wrenspring, if you're up for it, I'm taking out a small hunting patrol..." He sighed, head drooping, and made his way out of the den, staring at the sky and wondering how awkward this would be.

A nudge at her shoulder brought Swansong out of her dreams; gentle, hazy greens and browns fading to the dim light of morning as she blinked. Her ear twitched up to catch her name, spoken by a familiar voice, and her jaws opened wide in a yawn. A yawn that ended in a startled chuff of half-laughter, her ears perking fully as she blinked at him. Lazy fur-ball? An amused smile tinged with surprise broke over her face. Well, at least he didn't call me old.... "Of course, you young rogue," She purred back, tone gently teasing. "A hunt sounds wonderful."

This business of name-calling wasn't one she was quite used to, but she'd heard a fair amount of banter in her time among her Clanmates - though most of those names were usually directed at Sunflower. She yawned again, glancing over at where Wrenspring stirred before quickly cleaning the moss from her pelt and lightly shaking the rest away. Outside, the fresh scent of the pines drifted in from the forest around them, and she took a deep breath, stretching her limbs until they trembled, feeling the cool air in her lungs.

Oddly, Redfall seemed almost... dejected, and she tilted her head at him as she padded out of the den. "Redfall? Is everything alright?" The young tom had seemed somewhat conflicted as of late, though she hadn't found a chance to talk to him about it. Caution guided her steps in that regard, besides. After all, it wasn't her place to pry, and if he didn't want to talk, she wouldn't make him.

Wrenspring shook away the last tendrils of sleep as the call of his new name broke through a sleepy subconscious. Green eyes looked up to meet the sight of his friend. Never would he turn away the opportunity to hunt alongside Redfall. The only thing that caused his paws to hesitated what the dejected looked of his longest friend as he padded from the cave. A low sigh left the newly named warrior's maw as he hauled himself to his paws. After the events of the gathering, strapped with their own differing beliefs and internal sense of duty, the relationship between the pair had been tense and decidedly miserable. It had crept into the words they exchanged as both received their warrior names. Through two dens together, and now even with their nests nearby, the pair felt worlds apart.

It wasn't until after Swansong's inquiry that he joined the former mentor and apprentice pair outside. Maybe it was due to the fact he'd hardly trained with any cat other than a casual session or two with Flowerthorn that he failed to understand his friend's devotion to the older she-cat. He offered Swansong a respectful yet tense nod. Despite having lived in Skyclan her entire life, something had driven her to disobey their leader and had drawn Redfall into such actions as well. He didn't understand that but after his moonstone was slowly coming to accept that even if it still drew measures of discomfort into the pits of his chest. Regardless, he had to push through and listen to what Lionpaw had said, "I'm ready to go. Where are we headed today?" This would be his first patrol as a warrior and he was optimistic that it would go better than it felt.

Redfall pricked his ears as Swansong drew closer. "Just... things are kind of awkward between Wrenspring and I right now..." His voice was quiet. He didn't want Wrenspring to hear, and he was determined to be positive during the hunt. He sighed and murmured, "But I'm going to try to make this a good experience." The ginger tabby stood up, shaking out his pelt, and glanced at Wrenspring as he approached. His friend didn't seem to be in a bad mood, which was a good start. Redfall felt his face lift into a smile as they set off, with his former mentor and best friend.

At last, they reached a point where Redfall felt comfortable, the same place where he'd started his training. The branches still swayed in the wind, the blossoming flowers were still beautiful, and Redfall wanted to focus on things that hadn't change rather than what had. He turned to Swansong and Wrenspring and grinned. His good mood was surprising to even himself, but he was happy with it. "Alright, I think here works." He turned away from his patrol mates and pricked his ears, tasting the air. It was sight that revealed the squirrel to him, and he crouched down.

One pawstep at a time. Slowly, Redfall drew closer to the squirrel. His red pelt was easily seen in the forest of brown, gray, and green, and he leapt from a long distance. True to the typical SkyClanner, his legs were muscular and powerful, and he sailed forwards with ease. He killed the squirrel with a quick nip to the neck, and trotted back to his companions, a happy smile on his face. Not a bad way to start the day, is it? Hopefully the rest of the patrol would go just as smoothly.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Swansong nodded thoughtfully, a sympathetic smile lifting the corners of her maw along with the distant echo of a sympathetic ache. She and Leaftwirl had grown distant before the molly's death, a fact that pricked her conscience like a thorn from time to time. If only she had made more effort.... With a light breath, she gently laid the thought aside - such regrets weren't worth dwelling on, especially not right now.

"I'm sure it will be. Wrenspring..." She trailed off thoughtfully for a moment. It hadn't been just Redfall the young tom had given a few sideways glances to, an odd shadow in his eyes. She'd found the same, slightly uncertain look directed at her, too. Directed even at Wolfcall. All the cats who had stayed at the Gathering.... "I have a feeling he's having to sort out a few things. Give him some time," She mewed quietly, one ear twitching back to catch his soft pawsteps, turning her head to watch him approach.

The tenseness of his nod wasn't lost on her as she returned it with a dip of her own head, but his voice was cheerful enough, and a moment later they started out - the calls of birds echoing from the trees, pine needles and rocks shifting under paw.

The tenseness directed at those who had stayed at the Gathering....

A prickle of unease touched her spine as a sudden thought occurred to her. Perhaps... perhaps if she hadn't let Redfall stay to battle the Righteous Few, his relationship with the other tom would not have been touched. Was this her fault? She cast a sideways glance at the grey-and-white tom, her heart clenching at the thought. If she had gone with the rest of SkyClan, so would Redfall. Bringing her gaze back to the forest around them, the sunlight sprinkled on delicate flowers blooming between the rocks, she took in a pine-scented breath with a troubled twitch of her tail. This, too, was not something she could change, and another thing not worth dwelling on. Maybe she was right, or maybe it was something else; agonizing over it would only drag this patrol down.

And so she smiled back as Redfall turned to them, a grin on his face, and set off to hunt. For a moment she watched him, feeling a flicker of pride as he neatly caught a squirrel to set off the patrol, his hunting skills far improved from that first attempt, long ago. Yes, she would focus on this hunt. As she'd told Redfall just a moment ago, it was only a matter of time before their relationship healed. The sentiment didn't exactly put the thought completely to rest, like a mist lingering in the morning sunlight, but it helped.

Her paws glided over the quiet forest floor, and soon her ears caught a faint rustle, the scent of a bird wafting to her scent glands. Eyes seeking out the movement, she kept to the shadows, making sure her light pelt stayed as unobtrusive as possible. A flicker caught her attention, her haunches settled, tensing, and a moment later powerful muscles propelled her forward, teeth neatly meeting the black-feathered neck. It died without even a squawk, hanging limp in her jaws.

Swansong attempted to catch a bird, succeeding and using -3 SP!

Swansong:
45/45
157/160 (-3)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Silence stretched between the patrol. He felt strange standing next to the mentor and apprentice pair that had defied their leader. Try to understand. Several times he thought of something to say but the words died away against his tongue. Thankfully, it didn't take long before his patrolmates had slipped away to pursue different hunts. He would have praised their successes if a scent hadn't drifted past his nose already and caught his attention. It seemed far away. He glanced around, scouring for his prey. There! A bird was perched one on of the lowly branches of a tree ahead. The branch bowed ever so slightly underneath its weight. A fat robin would certainly make an impressive catch.

It took a few moments of careful climbing to haul his weight up the tree in a manner that wouldn't be easily noticed. The efforts seemed to pay off as he found himself next the the branch of his target. Allowing his paws to hit the branch would jostle the bird and startle it off. Instead, he had to make sure by the time he touched the branch that his paws would already be in pursuit. His crooked tail flickered silently as he considered the best route, opting to climb a bit higher. Now he was above it. Patience paid off and finally it was time for the hunter to drop down on his prey. Wrenspring did so in one swift and easy motion, squashing it underneath his paws and nipping at its neck to end the life in a swift manner. Once he had the thick body crammed between his jaws, he picked his way back down the tree to find a place to bury it.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3