A Cold Time [C]

Becoming the deputy had brought a plethora of new duties to Frostgaze, one of which was organizing patrols. He enjoyed the task of figuring out who should be where, and when. It was a puzzle, and that made it fun to the cold tom, who would never actually admit he was capable of having fun to anyone but his closest confidants. There was not necessarily a lot of time for him to go on patrols anymore, however, and the white tom had to admit, he missed going out hunting. It was peaceful, in a way, to hunt. You cleared all the thoughts from your mind to ensure the perfect kill, perhaps that is what Frostgaze found so alluring about it. Regardless, he had sat himself down in front of the entrance to camp, eyes watching to see when his patrol would join him. It wouldn't be long now, the moon had risen and given light to the darkness, a good time for hunting if there ever was one.

When Frostgaze started gathering cats to join him on a hunting patrol, Webshadow was quick to volunteer. Of course, he was proud of his friend for being named deputy, but that meant less time that he actually got to talk to Frostgaze. He'd b
just been so busy with his new responsibilities, and Webshadow missed their talks. When he caught Frostgaze hovering near the entrance to camp, the tabby hopped to his paws and jogged swiftly over. "Hi, Frostgaze." Webshadow rumbled, bowing his head and giving a little smile. "This will be nice. I'm glad I get to come." With that, he rolled his shoulders and turned to see who else would be joining them.

Shypaw was excited when the moon rose into the clear night sky, Frostgaze's patrol gathering at the hidden tunnel in the thorns. Shypaw trotted over with a shiver of excitement, tail high. The eye of StarClan gave light to the darkness, and Shypaw's pure white fur glowed under its brightness tonight. It was a perfect clear night for hunting in the moonbeams. She glanced up at StarClan's eye, her silvery eyes reflecting two moons, and blinked gratefully. She hoped the first lessons Murkystar had given her would show tonight and make her dad proud. Shypaw was so excited to hunt with her dad she could leap over the moon. ShadowClan's deputy was known to be a skilled hunter, detached, calm, patient, precise... and his pelt was the same as hers.

Shypaw nuzzled into Frostgaze's thick white fur, wrapping her tail around him in a hug before pulling back and looking up at him with sparkling eyes. She gave Webshadow a few friendly blinks and touched her nose to his fur shyly. He was much like Frostgaze, very kind, and the two were close. Shypaw liked the other tom. She wondered if anyone else would be joining them.

Reaching the rank of a warrior, Duskflight couldn't help but also volunteer along to go. He loved helping out his clan, and even if it was just a simple patrol; he couldn't help but to come along. Undeniably, if he wasn't the first to volunteer doing so— he'd be the second. Shypaw was also there, and he soon grew excited in the wait of any more cats coming along. He greeted her with a friendly purr, and spoke up cheerfully. "Hey there Shypaw! Hi, Frostgaze and Webshadow!" He practically beamed. He was a warrior now, but the liveliness from his apprenticeship wasn't fading away just yet. He wanted to get to know the other warriors, especially since somehow— he still hasn't talked to most already. There have been a few.. but not as much as he wished to befriend.

Tail flicking, he then gave the other two warriors a greeting nod of the head, and smiled in wait of the other cats.

Frostgaze, as he watched the others approach, was pleased with who was coming. Webshadow, his closest friend, Shypaw, his adopted daughter, and Duskflight, Shadowclan's newest warrior, who seemed to be skilled enough. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips before he dipped his head in greeting to them. As he felt Shypaw nuzzle into his fur, he gently wrapped his tail around her in turn, the little apprentice almost disappearing into his own long fur. She was growing up, she was larger than she was when he brought her to Shadowclan. It felt like such a short time ago, yet here she was, on her way to becoming a full-fledged warrior of Shadowclan.

"Greetings Webshadow, Shypaw, Duskflight. If you are all ready, let us be off." A gentle flick of his tail signaled for the patrol to move, and he lead them out of the thorny tunnel and out into the cold of the moonlight-filled night. Soon, hopefully, it would snow, then he... and Shypaw, would be much more suited to the night. The scent of a mouse hiding in the mud and pine needles soon hit his nose, and he broke off from the others silently, dropping into the hunter's crouch with practiced grace.

Silently, Frostgaze traversed the terrain. He could see the bumbling of the mouse beneath the pine needles, it was an easy target. A silent leap later, the mouse's neck was broken by his weight, and there was a mouse dangling from his jaws. Bringing it back to the patrol, he buried it within the cold mud before continuing on.

Frostgaze caught a mouse! -3 SP

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 8

It wasn't long before Shypaw and Duskflight had joined them, the former giving Webshadow a gentle touch in greeting. The dark tom gave a low, short purr in response, and he nodded a quiet "Hello," to their newest warrior. With the four of them gathered, Frostgaze signaled for them to depart, and Webshadow gave his fur a quick shake before ducking through the thorns to follow.

It felt colder, somehow, out in the open marsh than it did in camp. Webshadow braced himself against the chill, grumbling quietly as they went. Leaf-bare was racing towards them, and he felt wholly unprepared for it. If he froze his way through leaf-fall, he was certain the colder season would be a nightmare. But after that came new-leaf, and the air would warm again and more prey would start to run. Webshadow hopped up to perch on a narrow root, watching as Frostgaze split off.

It wasn't long before their deputy returned with a mouse, and the tabby flicked an ear at the sight of it. "Nice catch, Frostgaze," he hummed before hopping down. Now to find something of his own... loping off, he kept his gaze focused on the undergrowth and the mud, searching for any sense of movement, breathing deep to catch any scents.

He heard the croak before he caught the smell, and he dropped into the crouch easily to track it. The toad was still, throat bulging with another rough croak. Webshadow's whiskers twitched at the sound, and he went still to see if it had noticed he was there. When it didn't move, he gave a satisfactory swish of his tail and pounced, claws fastening in its neck. It went limp, and didn't make another sound as Webshadow lifted it by a leg to carry it back to the group. "Well, we're doing good so far. This will be a good night for hunting."

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 2

(ooc: Restoring post.. )

As soon as they started, Frostgaze has already gotten luck with the prey hanging from his mouth, and so did Webshadow. Soon, he knew it had already reached his attempt to hunt. Both warriors have easily caught their prey, and Duskflight hoped he would be able to do the same, too. Raising his maw up, he quickly identified a familiar scent of prey, and easily crept up to the scent. He made sure his paws would not make a sound, silently inching closer and closer to the noise. The rustles of the grass from the prey surely made it more than noticable to others, and he kept focus.

The warrior made sure his weight was evenly spreaded, and that his paws were lightly kept on the ground. Then finally, he leapt up, his aim pinpointing to the creature disguising itself beneath the grass with outstretched claws. But what he felt wasn't a rodent's small figure— and instead, was a serpant. It let out a furious hiss, stretching out it's fangs to pierce through his skin instead. Instinctively, Duskflight slashed his claws against its slim figure, holding back a pained hiss from escaping through his throat. He'd met a similar one before, and knew that he had to act quick. This.. Surely wasn't what he'd expect when going out hunting. He felt guilty for troubling the patrol, but fortunately— it wasn't a larger predator, or such. But it still was one.

Snake appeared! Snake used Serpent Strike on Duskflight, dealing 6 damage and using 10 stamina.
Duskflight used Front Paw Strike on Snake, dealing 7 damage and using 7 stamina.

Duskflight:
24/30 HP (-6)
73/80 SP (-7)

Frostgaze:
60/60 HP
130/130 SP

Webshadow:
50/50 HP
120/120 SP

Shypaw:
20/20 HP
60/60 SP

Snake:
8/15 HP (-7)
65/75 SP (-10)

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 10

Shypaw's ears perked up happily as Duskflight joined them with a cheerful greeting. At the gentle flick of Frostgaze's tail, she followed the patrol out onto the marshes, her breath coming out in small white clouds. 

She caught Webshadow grumbling as they went, silently sympathising. Her fur was downy soft and short, and she was too numb to shiver, her tiny body tingling with cold. The cold made her feel alive.

Shypaw watched in excitement as Frostgaze silently broke off and dropped gracefully into a crouch. She hopped up beside Webshadow on a narrow root, standing on the perch on tip-toes to see Frostgaze's leap smoothly for the mouse.

Her eyes shone at her dad's catch, and she watched closely as Webshadow hopped down and loped off and caught a toad, returning with its leg dangling from his teeth. Shypaw hoped what he said was true and it would be a good night for all of them, even her. She was only a new apprentice, ShadowClan's youngest.

Eyes narrowing in concentration, she scented the air. Her heart thumped anxiously when she didn't scent anything but she closed her eyes and took a slower deeper breath, detecting the faint trail of another mouse. Shypaw dropped low, her small slender body stilling in concentration. It smelled of cold and earth and fragrant pine needles. With her tiny pink nose close to the ground she could pick out which direction the mouse was in. Shypaw slunk forward, keeping in the open where the moon lit the marsh. The mouse nibbled on a pine nut in its paws, so far oblivious to her. She darted forward on quick tiny white paws. Her movements, though still awkward, had a soft fluidity. 

Her tiny fangs snagged the mouse's fur, and she grasped in her jaws tightly, biting down and killing it quickly. Shypaw trembled with exhilaration, her eyes shining as she concentrated on a silent prayer of thanks for its life that she hoped StarClan could hear.

Shypaw caught a mouse! -3 SP

Suddenly a furious hiss and scuffle erupted from the undergrowth and the mouse fell from Shypaw's jaws. Duskflight wrestled with the slippery slender writhing form of a snake. For a moment Shypaw was frozen, silvery eyes wide in terror.

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 8

"Thank you," was all Frostgaze replied as Webshadow broke off to kill his own prey. He did so handily, a toad hanging from his jaws what felt like only moments later. Or was it an eternity? Time could get strange around Webshadow. At his friend's proclamation, the deputy couldn't help but say, "I have found that most patrols have good nights when you are on them." An odd way to phrase a compliment, but it felt as unprofessional as it could get to the cold tom.

Out of the corner of his ever-watchful eyes, Frostgaze observed Shypaw. She was getting far enough along in her training that there was some amount of grace in her movements. Good for Shadowclan cats. Very good. It made him proud. Of course, as Duskflight had broken off, there was the sound of a hiss. More noise than necessary when hunting. He immediately broke into a bound, rushing through pine and mud to where Duskflight and Shypaw were located. A snake.

"Snake! Webshadow, come help." A quick call to his clanmate, then he was quickly moving into action. A muddied paw went deeper into the mud, then a flick. Mud went flying directly onto the snake, and it writhed in an attempt to see once again.

Frostgaze used Mud Slap, dealing 5 (+1 night finesse) damage and using 10 stamina! The snake is stunned for 1 turn!

Duskflight
24/30 HP
73/80 SP

Frostgaze
60/60 HP
120/130 SP (-10)

Webshadow
50/50 HP
120/120 SP

Shypaw
20/20 HP
60/60 SP

Snake (stunned 0/1)
2/15 HP (-6)
65/75 SP

Shypaw's presence at his side was welcome, and Webshadow found himself keeping a careful eye on her, even after he'd departed to catch his own prey. Her and Duskflight both split away not long after he returned, and the dark tom was left to linger near Frostgaze. His friend's statement made him clumsily drop his toad, which he hastily tried to cover up by scraping mud over it in an attempt to bury it. "I– I agree. You bring good luck." Webshadow mewed warmly, offering Frostgaze a slow, kind blink. Despite the chill, his pelt buzzed with warmth– he was proud to have found a friend in Frostgaze, and ecstatic that the warmth was mutual. Tail waving low, Webshadow hummed and turned to try and catch sight of the other members of their patrol.

Both of them had slipped out of view, something that made Webshadow's eyes narrow. Duskflight, though young, was at least a warrior– the tom was capable, versed in their territory. Shypaw, though... there was no doubt in the tabby's mind that Murkystar had been training her well. Still, she was young, and unease pricked at his chest. He hated seeing cats so young hurt, and he hated even more when he could've done something about it.

As if to confirm his worries, a hiss rose out of the undergrowth, fierce and pained. Ears pricked and turned forward, sharp eyes stared into the darkness, as if waiting for an answer. But nothing came except Frostgaze's own call to action– admittedly, waiting for trouble to show its claws wasn't the best idea. The pale tom announced there was a snake, and Webshadow shoved himself forward, racing to meet his Clanmates.

Without stopping, he threw himself onto the serpent, teeth catching against its throat. Another sharp hiss rose from it, and Webshadow tightened his grip, bracing his legs against the earth as it thrashed against him in an attempt to strike, or to get free. Blinded and infuriated by pain, it made a valiant attempt at catching his shoulder with its fangs, but Webshadow's determination to protect his Clanmates was stronger. Before it could writhe enough to reach him, his teeth bit through its neck, and it went still against his chest.

For a moment, the dark tom loomed there with the snake between his jaws. He blinked, looked at it out of the corner of his eye, then unceremoniously let it drop to the earth. "... Good night for hunting." Webshadow echoed, though with less warmth than before. Nudging it once with a paw to confirm it was dead, Webshadow let his gaze settle between Duskflight and Shypaw. "Are you two alright? You especially, Duskflight."

Webshadow used Snap on the Snake, dealing 9 damage and costing 7 SP.

Webshadow
50/50 | 110/120

Duskflight
24/30 | 73/80

Frostgaze
60/60 | 117/130 SP

Shypaw
20/20 | 57/60

Snake
KO'ed

Duskflight blinked, nearly amazed of how quickly the two other warriors rushed by, helping him finish off the snake in just an instant. This surely was different from last time.  The serpant hung limp in Webshadow's jaws, then the warrior casually let it drop down. As Webshadow's gaze met his, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. The bite didn't seem too deep, luckily." The tom spoke up, forcing a smile to appear on his maw. The bite was painful for sure, but it wasn't so bad that he couldn't continue hunting. He wanted to be of use to the patrol— somehow. Any way possible. The others didn't seem injured, and he was glad. "Maybe a small visit to Basilpaw if it hurts enough, but it's not anything that I can't handle." He mewed again.

The two warriors fought the serpant quickly and fiercely. Duskflight was amazed at how experienced they were— and he promised himself to learn, eventually reaching the same level, too.