A Triumphant Return [Open Skyclan Camp Topic]

As Rosepaw and Sunfire headed back to camp, snow began to lightly fall, dusting their coats in fresh flakes. Rosepaw's kill, a large quail, was beginning to feel heavy in her jaws. It was worth it, considering how many of her clanmates the bird would feed. Sunfire had done well too, a large squirrel and a mouse clamped in his mouth. The pair were tired and Rosepaw worried that her mentor had overexerted himself during their hunt, not that mentioning it to him would be particularly productive. Still, the apprentice kept her tail held high. A few more successful hunting trips like this, and Skyclan's overall health was sure to improve...right?

As they neared the clearing that the clan had made their home, Rosepaw nodded to the entrance guard. Padding over to where the fresh-kill pile should be, she placed the bird gently down, shaking her pelt to clear the layer of snow that had settled. She glanced around the camp, curious about who would notice her and Sunfire's return first.

“Is that new fresh-kill I smell?” called Brackenpaw, weaving his way towards the pair of cats from where he’d been taking a brief break from honing his skills. His blue eyes darted to the three pieces of prey Rosepaw and Sunfire had caught letting out an appreciative purr at the sight. “Nice catch, Rosepaw!” he meowed “Take me next time? Foxtrot hasn’t even taken me out of camp yet. I train myself, but it’d be nice to get some real training in.” The tom’s blue eyes met Sunfire’s, waiting for his answer. His uncle was a great warrior and hunter, and it was clear he was teaching Rosepaw well. Brackenpaw was more than okay on his own, he’d been training himself even as kit to protect his family, and SkyClan, but he’d be a bigger fool than he already was to not ask for advice from a warrior like Sunfire.

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"Well caught, you two!" Wolfblossom was glad to see the two hunters return to camp, it seemed that Rosepaw was adjusting well, and the prey was another good sign. The deputy rose from where she'd been sitting, though she was careful to still stay a few paces back as Brackenpaw and Honeypaw also approached. She was still sick, though not as bad as some, and didn't want to risk her clanmates further. Honeypaw and Brackenpaw seemed to be healthy, so did Rosepaw. Wolfblossom only prayed that they would stay that way and not fall to illness.

Wolfblossom's eyes narrowed slightly at Brackenpaw's words. She would have to check in on Foxtrot, it seemed. "If you feel your mentor is inadequate, you can always come to me." She mewed quietly, "If you'd like I can take you hunting, too." Her own apprentice was missing, and had not turned up in any of the searching the clan had been able to do. If Brackenpaw needed training, she would do what she could to remedy that.

"You didn't run into any trouble out there, did you?" She asked, eyes flicking briefly to Sunfire. She wanted to ask if he'd found any trace of Ploverpaw, but if that had been the case, surely her granddaughter would have been with the two already.

Though they'd spent the morning hunting, Sunfire had no appetite by the time they returned to camp. All as well, he figured, since that just meant it would feed someone else, which was their whole point of going out in the first place. He could eat later, when his appetite returned. The warrior let Rosepaw lead them into camp, and to the fresh-kill pile, where he deposited the squirrel and mouse, then retreated a few paces to sit and wash his face and paws. He had nearly dislodged a chunk of compacted snow that had caught in the fur between his paw pads when Brackenpaw sauntered over, Honeypaw at his heels, but Sunfire didn't bother to look up from his task until his nephew started speaking.

He frowned over at Brackenpaw, wondering why the tom hadn't said anything until now, and opened his mouth to respond - but Wolfblossom beat him to it. He'd check back up later, to see if the tom wanted more training... or perhaps he'd do something with all of the apprentices, as a group. Sunfire pondered that while he finally chewed the remaining ice from his toes, and looked up when his mother addressed him. "No trouble," he stated flatly, sinking down on to his belly and stretching his forelegs out in front of him. The cold ground felt nice after the long walk back carrying prey, and maybe it would make him actually want to eat something if he sat here long enough.

Rosepaw looked up as Brackenpaw and Honeypaw approached, and trilled lightly in greeting. She hadn't had much chance to speak with either of them, but Brackenpaw's request would be a good chance to get to know him better. "I'd be happy to hunt with you!" she purred. She glanced briefly at Sunfire, hoping he wouldn't have an issue with that. Rosepaw then turned and regarded Honeypaw, watching as the younger apprentice stared nervously at Sunfire. The large she-cat didn't blame her, as Sunfire could be quite intimidating if you didn't know him well. Starclan knew, he could be intimidating even if you did.

Rosepaw's eyes widened as Wolfblossom approached them. She purred harder at the deputy's praise, then looked quizzically between her and Sunfire at their brief exchange. What trouble should we be expecting? Perhaps it had to do with the trouble that had happened with Thunderclan before she'd rejoined Skyclan. Deciding not to comment, she gestured towards the pile of prey. "No use letting it get colder, right?" She padded over to Sunfire and lay next to him, setting to work on her own frozen paws. Rosepaw could eat later; her clanmates needed the prey more than she did.

Brackenpaw settled down into a sitting position, waiting patiently for the exchange to finish so he could start complaining.  “He is.” he meowed matter of factly holding his head high “The only reason i am am shaping up to be a great warrior and asset to this clan is my own dedication. I am proudly self taught as of now.” Brackenpaw flicked his tail and his nose twitched at the smell of the fresh-kill before him, his stomach starting to rumble, already forgetting his previous woes. “Do you mind?” he asked politely, pointing his paw towards the large quail Rosepaw had caught. The tom took her joining Sunfire in sharing tongue as his sign to dig in, pulling the quail towards him and Honeypaw. Brackenpaw took a large bite, flicking his tongue out to wipe away the excess. A purr rumbled in his throat at the taste of the bird. “I will take you up on your hunting offer Rosepaw, especially if you always catch prey this good.” realising he’d forgotten his grandmother’s offer Brackenpaw turned to look at her in turn “And yours too Grandmother. I will be stronger and a better warrior having learned from many great cats.”

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