wonders of this world [closed]

Though she believed weather had no bearing on a day’s potential, Thrushnose’s heart sat straighter when she poked her head out of the warriors’ den and into a rainstorm. Greenleaf’s drought had given her an appreciation for darker days. It helped that rain seemed to slip off her pelt much easier than her Clanmates’. On top of that, storms had a way of sending the forest’s worst parts scurrying while bringing fascinating things to the surface. Hunting for the Clan took priority over hunting for worms, but being cooped up in the nursery had left her with enough energy to do both.

A whisker’s length from the camp’s exit, a pair of younger cats caught her eye. She had their names after a moment of brain-racking: Kitepaw and Buzzardpaw. Two of Badgerpaw’s (her daughter’s) denmates, not to mention Pinefrost’s…well, they were something to Pinefrost, and something to her by extension. She’d get it eventually. Right now, all it meant was that she had two good reasons to bring them along versus one reason not to. Turning sharply on her heels, Thrushnose made her decision. Her dark-tipped tail swished idly as she approached the apprentices, glancing over them just long enough to be sure they weren’t busy. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. “Do you want to go hunting with me?” Worm-hunting or food-hunting—they had to be interested in one or the other.

While Kitepaw was not much of a fan of more inclimate whether, the short length of her coat allowed the rain to wash away with ease. Even if it caused a shiver to run down to the base of her spine and set about the constant flickering of her tail. She had taken to spending time around Buzzardpaw, her littermate, even since the confrontation of their father. While she longed to press into his long coat, the weather had slicked it back and begun to render the tom a bit of a soggy mess. Regardless, the presence of the other apprentice was welcome.

She had considered starting a conversation, mentioning her ongoing plight with Riverclan's apprentice. However, the presence of one of their clanmates caused her gaze to flicker up. Kitepaw glanced at Thrushnose, then to the skies, then back to the warrior. Finally, she shrugged, "Why not? There's not much else going on right now. You coming, Buzzardpaw?" Her slender tail flickered her brother's shoulder as she stood and prepared to follow after the pale tabby molly.

Based on his natural tendency towards being what could be described as shy at best and eerie at worst, one could easily assume that Buzzardpaw disliked the company of others, but that could not be further from the truth. The small dark-pelted tom loved being around others and absolutely despised-- and was even a little bit fearful of-- being alone. He was overjoyed that his sister had begun spending more time around him; whether they talked or she just sat with him, he appreciated having someone there with him.

He was also extremely thrilled that Thrushnose had approached the pair of apprentices and asked them to accompany her on a hunt. He didn't know the warrior very well, but that didn't matter. New friends were always a good thing.

"Yes," he said in his thin, semi-monotonous voice, "Definitely!"

She hadn’t really braced herself for refusal, but given how waterlogged the apprentices looked (Buzzardpaw more than Kitepaw), she hadn’t been expecting such a quick “yes,” either. Thrushnose blinked at them one by one, then managed a small smile. Was it really that easy? Aside from her family and Pinefrost, the near-universal exceptions, she’d never approached anyone for a patrol before. “I already have somewhere in mind,” she told them, and turned to leave. They seemed eager enough to go; she wouldn’t keep them—or the worms—waiting.

Thankfully, the forest’s cover helped block the rain somewhat as they padded along. Thrushnose glanced upward, noticing the clusters of trees had begun to thin out—and froze in sudden realization. One muddy, formerly-white paw dangled in the air. “Wait.” The faintest air of defeat hung in her voice. “The Stony Hollow's flooded.” Now that she thought of it, Kitepaw and Buzzardpaw wouldn’t have been allowed into the hollow before today’s rainstorm. Though it hadn’t been that long since she’d finished her training, she’d forgotten apprentices didn’t have free rein over ThunderClan’s territory. For several heartbeats, she wavered, staring at the path ahead as if she could will it into leading somewhere different. Then she sighed. ”…That was the 'somewhere.'"

As she followed after the warrior, Kitepaw tilted her gaze to the forest floor in a futile attempt to avoid the heavy droplets that threatened to cloud her eyes. Being deafened in one ear was enough and the occasional fat raindrop plopped against the oversized ears and lead to the continued shaking of her head. It surely wasn't pleasant but under the clouded skies, everything seemed a tad more unpleasant.

When they reached the Stony Hallow to find it was flooded, Kitepaw could muster up little in the way of a response at first and sought to shake out her pelt once more. She glanced at Buzzardpaw and then Thrushnose. There weren't many decent options of such a dreary day but since they had hauled their tails out of camp, there had to be some way to preoccupy their paws and bring something back to their camp. Her tail flickered back and forth with thought.

After a pause, she slithered her way to Buzzardpaw's good side and piped up against the rain, "Tree roots. We can dig around at the base of the trees and see if any prey is trying to hide away. Just like I'd like to now." Her words were like and her whiskers twitched in accompaniment. This would at least make their search a little bit more bearable and maybe even a tad more fruitful.

Buzzardpaw followed after Thrushnose eagerly as she led the two apprentices to some place in the forest, only to be met with disappointment when it turned out to be flooded. He’d been looking forward to seeing somewhere new; as an apprentice, he couldn’t go everywhere by himself, nor would he want to even if he could. It was too easy for him to miss things that might be dangerous, and he could be putting himself at real risk by wandering off too far all alone.

Buzzardpaw heard his sister come up along the side where his good ear was, which he greatly appreciated, and he tilted his head slightly so that he could see her better while she talked, too.

“Tree roots?” he said, looking around at the forest floor. He wasn’t a particularly creative hunter; he probably wouldn’t’ve thought to do anything other than hope some prey was still out and about. But it seemed like a good idea. He nodded, and then started scraping at the base of a nearby tree. After a moment he shut his eyes and began nosing around at the dirt he'd overturned, hoping to catch the scent of prey hiding away.