Strange haunts (closed)

The strange stone of their new home felt cool under Swansong's paws as she padded over to where the apprentices slept, the dingy interior of the twoleg cave making the pre-dawn light even darker than usual, the only glimmers of stars poking through jagged holes in the covering above. A twang pulled at her heart as she approached Willowpaw, remembering the first time she'd taken her on a hunt. So much has happened since.... The little excited she-kit she'd been charged with mentoring had been plucked from her home, into a strange place, and had grown for all that. But she couldn't neglect her training, even if their home wasn't there for them any longer.

She nudged the molly gently with her nose, calling softly, "Willowpaw, wake up." When she started to stir, Swansong took a step back, smiling down at her and putting a light tone into her voice. "We're going hunting with Beechpaw and Wolfcall."

Wrenspring blinked slowly, eyes bleary with sleep and straining against the dim light. A make shift nest was well-worn in the middle of the half-made den. How long had passed? He wasn't sure. Time had passed quickly as he healed, and yet it felt like his very being was dragged through rushing water with every moment. Progress had been slow and agonizing like a wobbly kit learning to find its balance. The claws of his kithood friend tore deeper than flesh and left scars on his soul. Thankfully, the wounds were no longer raw and burning with each motion but his muscles still were aching and weary with the strenuous effort of healing. Sagelight had done all that he could and now it was just up to each passing moment to do its work.

The warrior had gotten used to helping out where he could, having to rest for long periods in between. But as he healed a frail determination strapped with a soured sense of being drove him forward. One there had been a light behind his eyes; it had dimmed to match the pale and struggling light of the early dawn. Wrenspring was sick of sitting here and staring at the dreary gray stone. He stood with a grunt and stretched his limbs. It was a sensation that made his limbs scream with protest yet he struggled to give it little mind. He limped forward, front right leg faltered at the efforts. With a grimace, the grey and white tom pushed onward. Eyes settled on Swansong and the intention was clear.

As he neared the elder she-cat, he muttered a half-hearted greeting, "I'm coming too."

Willowpaw’s eyes were closed, but something was going on behind those eyelids.

A large, tranquil forest. The beautiful lush greenery surrounded her, and Willowpaw couldn’t help but feel at peace as she looked around.

Suddenly, the scenery changed. Willowpaw felt scorching heat on her body, and the frightened yields of cats filled the air. She saw cats running towards her, eyes filled with fright. Swansong, Sunflower, Wolfcall, and even more they sprinted around her, parting like a river parts for a rock. Behind them, Willowpaw saw the fire. It seemed to roar, devouring everything in its path. And it was about to reach her-

The sudden nudge and call sent Willowpaw leaping up, yowling in surprise. For a second, she could still feel the scorching heat on her body, scent the weird smell of the smoke, hear the calls of fright.

Then, her mind cleared, and she saw Swansong.

“Sorry, bad dream.” The Apprentice mumbled in embarrassment as she trotted forward.

She then heard Wrenspring and glanced at him in surprise. She would have let him come, but Swansong was the one making the decision...

Swansong had expected Willowpaw to wake up. She hadn't expected her to leap up into the air yowling. Alarm made the fur along her spine shoot up, her tail automatically fluffing as her eyes widened, and then her apprentice's face cleared as he eyes focused on Swansong's, the twisted look of fear fading. Swansong felt her own heartbeat slow down again as the apprentice came forward, mumbling an apology, and she felt a sad smile pull at her maw. "It's alright, Willowpaw." She rested her tail on the other's shoulders in comfort as shuffling pawsteps caught her attention, glancing up to see who it was even as his scent touched her nose. "I don't think any of us have escaped those."

Her eyes met Wrenspring's, her heart twisting in her chest as he muttered. "Of course, Wrenspring," She said quietly, dipping her head in greeting, unable to keep a hint of the maelstrom of surging regret, failure, and deep sadness from slipping into her tone. It couldn't be helped, the least she could do was let him come. Wolfcall would certainly agree, and if he didn't... well, she would take responsibility for the recovering tom. It was the least she could do.

Willowpaw wasn't the only one suffering from bad dreams.

Beechpaw flinched awake at the noise interrupting her sleep, dark eyes widening and ears twitching back as her head snapped around for the source of the noise.

There was no fire, no smoke to come the breath from her.it wasn't Smokefeather frantically calling for her kits or Bloodstrike calling orders.

Willowpaw, bad dream. They were safe. A shiver ran down the tall silver and white apprentices' back as she gave her head a quick shake, ducking to lick at the fur on her chest as if she hadn't been startled awake.

"It's okay," she grumbled, then quieter, "You're not the only one."

Lifting herself from the nest, Beechpaw stretched and gave herself a shake (as if she could really shake off the dream she'd been startled out of) before glancing around at the rest of their 'camp.' Smokefeather was gone, as was Primrosepaw, they must have been out training, then.

Wrenspring had joined their little group, and the tom looked as if he should've still been curled up asleep in Sagelight's corner of the camp to Beechpaw's untrained eye. She wasn't officially a medicine cat apprentice yet, and was unsure if she could really tell the older warrior what to do, so she decided to leave it be. He'd been recovering, but as Beechpaw pulled double duty she probably saw less of the injured than an actual medicine cat. Sagelight was training her in the basics, but the clan needed all the warriors and apprentices that were capable of hunting and fighting. That they couldn't risk taking a longer journey to the Moonstone was somewhat of a relief.

They were going hunting? Maybe that would distract Beechpaw enough from her own thoughts. Her fluffy tail twitched, a sign that she was eager to get going whenever the others were.

((Sorry for typos, on mobile. Tried to catch em all!))

It didn't take long for Swansong to gather the hunting party like he'd requested, and all the while, the dark deputy had sat and waited atop the large stone wall that enclosed their makeshift home, his tail hanging down against the sun-warmed stone, ears slicked back, gaze fixed on some distant point on the horizon. He hadn't been plagued with nightmares, but that was because he hadn't slept, and his fatigue was evident in the way his shoulders sagged, the way his dull eyes turned to survey the hunting party as they gathered beneath him.

They were ready to go now, and with an almost imperceptible sigh, the deputy slid down from the stone, landing with a huff in the tall, dry grasses below. Swansong, Beechpaw, Willowpaw, and Wrenspring... his ambergold gaze surveyed the battered tom for a moment, debating on ordering him to stay, but in the end he decided against it. Lying around and wallowing in self pity never helped anyone. He knew that well.

Wolfcall moved to lead the expedition, laying his tail across Wrenspring's shoulder in a brief, wordless gesture of support and affection.

Willowpaw let out a quiet sigh, relieved but also guilty to hear everyone comforting her. It seemed like she was potentially delaying everyone else's hunting trip. After all, they probably could already be out the camp by now if not for her.

"Sorry 'bout that..." She mumbled, shifting awkwardly. She glanced at the other cats and wondered if they would have already left had it not been for her holding them back. "I'm fine now...If you're ready, we could...um, go?" She suggested. Awkwardness showed in every hair on her body. She wasn't sure what to do or say right now.

She didn't want anyone to feel as if she was blaming them.

The pitying nature was palpable in the air. Wrenspring could feel the way that their eyes rested on him, coupled with wordless dips of their head and the brief embrace of Wolfcall's tail. A lump settled in his throat. He'd never been been the kind to bow underneath the pressure of feeling weak; it wasn't like him to find such companionship in inadequacy. Somewhere beneath the churning torrent of unsettling feelings, the warrior managed to place it alongside a bitter drive. Uncharacteristically and lacking his usual boundless charm, he limped onward without a sound. Eyes peered down the bridge of his nose and captured only the ground right in front of his paws. Such a narrow focus seemed to calm the churning of his mind and bring a sense of peace.

The air was as sour as it had been near where they camped. Instead of the usual sensation of fresh air soothing his lungs like on many patrols past, the acrid stench of twolegplace seemed to coat his nostrils and airways. Wrenspring coughed, choking on the sound in an attempt to stifle it. They already saw him as frail and there was no reason to perpetual that notion further. The clan needed to be fed, not frightened over his still healing wounds. This lead the tom to strain forward, lifting his front paw off the ground to spare his shoulder and distance himself from too many other cats to hopefully not scare off what little prey might be found. It wasn't long until he spotted a bird plucking through a small patch of grass that had broken through the hard stone. Beak surging relentlessly, it seemed focused enough to make an easy catch.

Wrenspring grimaced as he leaped once in range, body protesting the action, but it was caught underneath his claws. With one swift motion that served to irritate the stiffness in his neck, it was over. Normally, the warrior would have trotted back with his head high at the successful catch. But today his posture was bowed and when he returned, he greeted the patrol with a defeated mutter, "Not many places to bury prey out here."

Wrenspring tried to catch a bird and it was... successful! -3 SP.

Wrenspring
HP: 60/60
SP: 197/200

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Beechpaw followed along with the group, content to fall into silence as they moved. Wolfcall looked as if he hadn't slept in days, and if he was anything like Bloodstrike, Beechpaw figured he probably hadn't. But then, getting a good night's rest did seem harder these days, and none of the cats were at their best physically, if not mentally. Neither was she, really.

Wrenspring had caught a bird, and Beechpaw shrugged. The gray and white tom was right that the hard, gray stones wouldn't allow them to hide prey easily. Either the trip was going to be a short one and they'd carry prey with them, or they'd be making runs back to camp. Even the overgrown twoleg gardens hardly seemed to offer a good spot to conceal prey.

A sparrow caught Beechpaw's eye, and she carefully stalked forward. The bird was plump and would make a good meal... if she could catch it. Closer, the apprentice crept, and once in range she sprang forward. Large forepaws slammed down onto the bird's wings, and Beechpaw quickly killed the bird before rejoining her clanmates.

Beechpaw attempted to catch a bird. Catch successful!
77/80sp

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Her ear twitched as the sound of Wolfcall approaching whispered over to them, and she glanced over to see the tom, his eyes dark with fatigue, as he gently rested his tail on Wrenspring's shoulder. Her eyes came back to her apprentice as the young she-cat spoke, and Swansong let a faint, sad smile onto her maw for a moment. "I suppose we should."

A sigh, more felt than heard, slipped from her mouth as they started off, Wrenspring resolutely forging on ahead before the rest of them caught up, the silent stiffness in his shoulders saying more than enough. Sometimes he reminds me of Redfall. The tom hadn't been the same since.... She let her eyes wander to the surrounding territory, a slightly bitter taint suddenly colouring the edge of the hunt, haunting in the shadows of broken ravines made from forgotten twoleg rubbish and crumbling walls.

A flicker of movement caught the edge of her eye, and she turned her attention back to see Wrenspring returning with a bird in his jaws. She hadn't seen him leave. Shaking her head slightly, she tried to return her mind to the task at paw, twitching her whiskers in agreement with his defeated statement, the hard, cracked ground under paws rough and unyielding. It looked like Beechpaw had spotted something, too, the molly heading off for a moment and returning with another bird.

Swansong parted her maw slightly, tasting for something natural above the harsh sting of twolegplace - the acrid scent curling in the air like a snake, worse even than smoke. And yet, there was something there, a trail. She flicked her tail to the rest of the patrol to notify them and started after it, quiet pawsteps making no noise on the hard stone of the ground, its texture somehow more... dead... than that of their territory. Silently, she leapt onto a low stone fence - more natural than that on the ground - a patch of more familiar wilderness stretching in front of her in the form of an overgrown garden. A flicker of movement - her eyes twitched in its direction, catching an erected form, ears stiff as it stared at her.

For a moment, neither of them seemed to breathe, and then it whirled and dashed for the other side of the garden. She leapt down from the wall, giving chase and watching in surprised disbelief as it jumped straight over the stone wall without breaking stride. Judging the height quickly, she bunched her own muscles and pushed, the feeling of soft grass underpaw lending an extra spring to the jump, and she soared over. The bobbing tail danced ahead of her, vanishing into a bush, and she stopped short with a soft gasp. Not at her quarry disappearing, but at the sight spread before her. Her wide eyes took in tall trees stretching up to the sky, and green such as she hadn't seen in all of twolegplace - not even the gardens. What is this...?

Had she somehow come to the Clans? But no - as she glanced through, she could see more twoleg dens rising on its edge, and glimpse still more through bushes and brown trunks on the other side. A wilderness... in the middle of twolegplace?

Swansong attempted to catch Rabbit and failed, costing -3 SP.

Swansong
HP: 60/60
SP 197/200(-3)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Willowpaw's nose and ears twitched as she stepped forward, following the rest of the group. At first, she nervously considered trailing behind. Then instinct caught up, and she began to catch up to everyone else, eyes wide with anticipation.

Wrenspring headed off first, returning with a bird. Willowpaw wispered a "nice one!" to him as he passed. Beechpaw and Swansong both left to catch prey as well.

Willowpaw struck out like everyone else, her nose in the air. The scent of prey was rich around her. It seemed like there were many animals here...Shouldn't be too hard to catch one.

In the distance, Willowpaw spotted an animal. A small mouse, like the one that had attracted an owl the last time she had hunted...

Shaking her head, the Apprentice crouched and leapt for the mouse.

Using 3 SP to try and catch a Rodent!
77/80

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Suddenly, something long and brown shot forwards, and the mouse disappeared into the grass with a squeak of fright.

Willowpaw let out a yowl of panic as the vine-like creature struck out at her. Loud hissing filled the air, enough to turn all attention to Willowpaw.

A Snake has appeared!
Snake used Serpentine Strike, using 20 SP and doing 10 HP damage!
Note: Snakes have the ability Serpentine Movement, so all moves must be rolled. If 1, 3, or 5, the move automatically misses. If 2, 4, or 6, the move automatically hits. The Ability is negated by Stunning.

Snake:
HP: 10/10
SP: 60/80 (-20)

Willowpaw:
HP: 10/20 (-10)
SP: 77/80

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 10