in omina paratus (closed)

It had been several moons now since Iniko had, by some chance of fate, saved Freckleface and practically the entire nursery from the tooth and claw of a badger. Though Freckleface hadn't come out unscathed, she had come out of the situation alive, which was more than what Iniko had. The following moons had been spent within the confines of the medicine cat den, and the small she-cat was subject to Rookfire's (Rookpaw, then) consistent poking and prodding. It was during that time that Freckleface had grown a little quieter, perhaps a little more reserved.

While great numbers of warriors had pledged their life to the Clan, no cat had ever given up their life for her before.

And an Asylum cat, no less.

It was a startling realization for the petite she-cat, that perhaps Asylum did actually care. She'd come to realize over the moons she spent tucked away that perhaps it was just Iniko- perhaps he was a good cat in a bad situation. At least that's what she'd convinced herself; forced herself to believe. A good cat in a bad situation.

After what felt like an eternity, Freckleface had finally been cleared for her regular warrior duties. With no kits to care for in the nursery, that meant she would truly be returning to the life of a warrior. Hunting, patrolling, providing for the Clan. It really had moons, since before even Asylum's arrival. She shook out her thick pelt with a sigh, nosing her way through to where she knew Flintstar would be lying in his den. "Flint?" A gentle mew echoed across the den as she approached him quietly. "Rookfire says I'm ready to go out on a patrol... Would you come with me?" Her fluffy tail curled around her small frame as she looked into her mate's yellow eyes, waiting for his response.

Flintstar's chest rose and fell in a simple rhythm, asleep - but only just barely. Despite his the fact that his body was resting, his ears still seemed perked and he quickly stirred from his slumber at the sound of pawsteps and a familiar voice. He blinked, looking up in surprise to see his mate sitting not far from him, her request ringing in his ears. She was...Okay. He...He knew that she was okay - Iniko had given his life for her but to actually see her out and moving, ready to go on a patrol... "Of course," he meowed quietly in return, pushing to his paws. "I'm happy that you are cleared to return to your duties," to return to me, he added quietly - unwilling, or perhaps unable, to find the strength to voice that gentle weakness. Things hadn't been the same since Freckleface had been left in Rookfire's care, the leader craving for her company like he couldn't have imagined - but perhaps that was why she was so special, the first - and perhaps only cat - to truly own Flintstar's heart, the only thing that made him wonder if he did know romantic love for how much he cared for her in a way he barely understood.

A soft smile took form on Freckleface's maw, and she nodded along with Flintstar's words. "As am I." She responded, turning to exit the camp. "It's been moons..." She quietly meowed, shuddering as they passed over the spot where the deadly attack had taken place. Instinctively she pushed closer to the tom, eyes locked on her own paws as they walked past, further and further into the territory. Crickets chirped brightly from all directions and the gentle sounds of frogs croaking in nearby puddles was meant to be comforting, but instead, it only stressed Freckleface out. What if she wasn't able to perform her duties as she was supposed to?

For a she-cat who was usually talkative, Freckleface was rather quiet. The only sound one could hear was the occasionally pointed remark towards what may have been prey, or a gentle purr when she and Flintstar bumped pelts. When they finally reached the small grove of pines where the she-cat preferred to do her hunting, she took in a deep breath of air and sighed, gaze wandering around the vast clearing. Lifting her chin, she parted her maw to scent for whatever prey might be nearby, letting muscle memory guide her rather than any real intentional actions. A toad lie still beside a tree not far from where Freckleface stood, and since she was downwind, she decided to give it a try. Dropping into a crouch, the she-cat prepared herself to leap... And, against her own better judgment, she did.

Landing squarely on top of the toad, she was able to quickly nip it near the base of its neck and lift it gently between her teeth. She carried it to where she had parted ways with Flintstar, dropping it in the hollow of a nearby tree and covering it with a bit of mud. Giving herself a reassuring nod, she looked around again, hoping to catch more than just the single toad.

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

Freckleface:
60/60 HP
197/200 SP [-3]

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

As they two walked, pelts pressed against each other, Flintstar started to realize how much he missed...This. He had never been one for touching - not unless he had asked for it in the first place. But when it came to Freckleface, he found that he didn't care if she pressed herself against him even when he wasn't expecting it - in fact, he nearly craved it in some sense. To feel her warmth, to know that she was okay. He took notice of the odd silence, but said nothing - silence was something he often preferred. If Freckleface didn't have the strength or energy to talk, so be it. He didn't need to hear her voice - he just needed her company.

There was almost a sadness as they reached the grove, knowing that they would have to separate to hunt. As she pulled away after locating a prey, the leader stood still for a few heartbeats to watch silently after her before he finally turned to go hunting on his own. He tasted the air, locating a lizard. As he dropped into a crouch and padded toward its, his ears perked and swiveled towards a new sound. A rattling noise that seemed...Familiar. He halted, eyes following as he spotted it...And it spotted him. There was a long brief pause, before the leader sighed. "Oh. You agai-"

The leader's retort was cut off by receiving a tail full of sharp thorn thingies - quills - to the face.

The leader reared back with a hiss as a few quills remained stuck, jumping to the side to slash at the spikey rat's unprotected face before he was forced back as it brought its tail around for another blow - barely dodging it. Ah, yes, this was just as unpleasant as the first time he had fought one with Freckleface when he was a fresh deputy and she was just an apprentice.

Wild Spikey Rat Porcupine used Tail Smack on Flintstar, dealing 40 damage and costing 50 stamina.
Night Finesse is active. Flintstar gets a plus 2 to damage.
Flintstar used Rending Front Paws on the wild porcupine, dealing 22 (20+2) and costing 25 stamina.

Flintstar:
80/120 HP (-40)
275/300 SP (-25)

Procupine:
68/90 HP (-22)
400/450 SP (-50)

Just as she was about to turn and sniff out another prey animal, she heard her mate call out and immediately turned to face where the sound was coming from... Only to see a spiky rat attacking him. This was just like all those moons ago when the new-leaf sun had just begun to show and that sticky yellow stuff was around. Without a second thought, she raced forward, despite the panic rising in her chest. The porcupine being preoccupied with Flintstar worked to her advantage, and she was able to lash out at it with her hind legs. Though she was small, she was able to pack a punch. She knew that moons of disuse in battles such as this would leave her muscles aching, but that didn't matter right now- what mattered was getting this spiky rat away so that it didn't get any closer to camp than it already was.

Freckleface used Back Kick, dealing -13 Health Points and using -15 Stamina Points. Night Finesse is active, granting Freckleface a bonus 2 damage.

Freckleface:
60/60 HP
185/200 SP [-15]

Porcupine:
53/90 HP [-15]
400/450 SP

Flintstar:
80/120 HP
275/300 SP

Flintstar fur fluffed up as stood standing-off with the spikey rat, both of their tails standing straight up as they waited for the first to make another move. Both were taken a little aback by Freckleface's suddenly appearance, showing up with surprising speed as she kicked out at the spikey rat's face causing it to stumble. The leader shifted to make the most of it, striking out at it only for it to spin, rewarding him with another pawful of quills. He growled but it didn't stop him as he moved with surprising speed of his own, managing to get around the spikey rat and smack it hard across the face with such strength that it was sent rolling. It scrambled to its paws before it turned, rattling as it raced away into the undergrowth.

Wild Porcupine used Quill Shield, dealing 20 damage and costing 30 stamina.
Flintstar used Rending Front Paws, dealing 22 (20 + 2) damage and costing 25 stamina.
Wild Porcupine flees at half-health.

Flintstar:
60/120 HP (-20)
250/300 SP (-25)

Freckleface:
60/60 HP
185/200 SP

Porcupine:
31/90 HP (-22)
370/450 SP (-30)

The leader grumbled as the spikey rat escaped, falling onto his haunches as he started to attempt to pull out the quills that remained lodged in his paws. He however was forced to come to a stop as he realized with the quills that were still in his face - well, it made the entire situation a bit...Undoable before he turned his attention to his mate. "Freckeface, you didn't get any sharp thorn...Thingies in you, did you? You are unhurt?" he questioned, the corner of his mouth upturning at the mention of the name that they had given to the quills before Mothglow had revealed their true name. "Also...." he outstretched his quill-cover paw. "Help?"

Freckleface stood back as Flintstar dealt another blow to the spiky rat, sending it backward and eventually running it off. She almost felt bad about it- the poor creature probably just wanted something to eat, somewhere to stay. But it was dangerous no matter what the intentions behind its actions were, and they couldn't let it remain in ShadowClan territory like that. Her face softened when Flintstar turned to her, and she offered him a gentle smile. She flicked her tail toward her back, where several sharp thorn thingies were lodged in near the base of her tail. She wasn't entirely sure how they'd gotten there- she hadn't realized in the moment, probably because of the adrenaline. "A few, but I'll be alright," She mewed, stepping forward to examine the quills stuck in his paw. Gently, she wrapped her teeth around the quills in his paw and pulled sharply, dislodging them one by one. Once they were all finally removed, she turned to start working on her own. "It's been a while since we fought a... What did we call it again? A... A spiky rat?" She chuckled lightly, face forming into a grimace for a moment as she yanked out another quill.

Flintstar remained ridged even as Freckleface took to work dislodging the quills that had gotten stuck in his paw. He was relieved that she was alright - minus the few that had found her way into her haunches but she seemed unconcerned by them at the moment. As she finished, he drew his paw back to give it a few licks to clean up the wounds that remained. "A spikey rat, correct," he confirmed with a twitch of his whiskers. "You were but an apprentice back then while I was a newly named deputy. I thought back upon that time when I saw the creature myself." He paused as he raised a head with a rumble in his throat - a rare purr. "Oh how far we have both come since then. Not knowing what we would mean to each other in the coming moons."

Freckleface had managed to pull all but two of the quills from her pelt, which she was unable to reach with her teeth to yank out. She nodded in agreement with Flintstar's statement, smiling warmly up at him. "Stars, it's been so long." She mewed in amazement. "And we've come so incredibly far. The Clan is thriving, and we've raised our own family." She mewed, thinking about the kits they shared. Perhaps... Perhaps they could use some good news, a beacon of light among all the despair they'd faced over the past moons. "Darling... How would you feel about having another litter of kits? Our babies are all grown up now." She smiled, gazing into his bright yellow eyes with a soft expression.

Flintstar blinked as the question was given, turning to look at his mate. New kits...It had been a while and their previous litter hadn't been without heart break. He didn't like the feeling - losing his family...But, he think he enjoyed the feeling of having them for even the smallest bit of time even better. "Of course," he replied, shifting closer to Freckleface. "I think...I think I would rather like to have more kits." His words were careful, already trying to brace himself for the familiar heartache that would always follow but from what he had seen, it was worth it. He could recall fondly all the faces of his previous kits that had made it past kithood - Tinypaw, Frogpaw, Crowcall, Cinderpaw... He hadn't realized how much he missed it, despite his hesitation to interact with kits. He was awkward with them, yes but...Perhaps, there was some wonder to see how they saw the world - so different from how he had. "Yes...I think I very much enjoy the idea of us having another litter in the near future."

Freckleface's expression lit up when Flintstar agreed to having more kits, and she bounced lightly from forepaw to forepaw. She couldn't think of the right words to say, so instead she just pushed herself forward to nuzzle Flinstar's shoulder with a bright smile on her face. She was careful not to poke him with the quills that were still stuck in her pelt, and she turned around and faced him directly. "Delightful," She mewed softly, gazing into his yellow eyes for a moment before she turned around. "We should gather our prey and head back to camp, hmm? Rookfire will have to pull out these remaining quills," Picking up the prey between her teeth, she tried her best to carry the toad without pricking the skin.

"I believe you were the only one to catch anything," Flintstar meowed as he pulled away from the short-lived - but very nice - cuddles. He stood up, giving his limbs a stretch - only to wince as a few quills buried in a little deeper. He glanced at the quills with narrowed eyes, a huff escaping him "My hunting attempt was...Tragically cut short by my noticing of the spikey rat. But yes, heading back to camp sounds good. I had forgotten how much of an annoyance these quills could be. The sooner we are free of them, the better. I will also be sure to alert the warriors about the beast so it may be dealt with and cease being a threat." He padded forward, slowly making his way to the path they had arrived from before he glanced over at his mate with a soft look, happy to simply be in her company despite the brawl with the spikey rat. "Shall we go?"