The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp; [R]ashoumon; [B]lazekit Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; RC T5; RC T5; Rogue T1; WC App Number of posts : 3162 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: frozen kill [c] Mon 29 Jan 2024 - 10:41
Larkspring
Things were far more disorganized in the mountains than they were at the lake or even back home. Larkspring had two apprentices and yet here he was taking Swanpaw of all cats out to hunt.
“Stick close,” Larkspring grumbled as they trekked through the snow. His pelt stuck out like a sore thumb against the bright white landscape. Swanpaw, on the other hand, blended in so well that he almost last track of her a couple of times. Thankfully she stuck close enough that that was not really an issue. “Prey will be difficult to find here, but we’ll find something to bring back.” He wished that there was a river they could fish at, but even then, it would probably be too frozen-over in this cold to actually use.
Larkspring tried to catch prey…and was successful! -5SP.
Larkspring didn’t even have to hunt in this case. He caught the slight smell of rodent and after sniffing around to find the trail, he found the mouse itself, having died in the cold of the snow probably looking for food. It wasn’t eaten at all, nor was it decomposing, instead remaining frozen and fresh. Larkspring picked up the rodent and said between full teeth, “Lucky us.”
The snowy mountains were quickly becoming something Swanpaw did not enjoy, she decided. In some places the snow was deceptively deep, and finding prey in these cold wastes seemed a miserable task even for Riverclan's skilled hunters. She trudged alongside Larkspring, ears flat against her skull in annoyance as she struggled to navigate the sometimes deceptively-deep snow drifts, and fought down a low growl at his orders to stay close. What was she, a silly kit? Still, with her breath a silver cloud in front of her and her nose and paws stinging from the cold, she didn't have the heart to grumble at him as she had Owlcall and Ravenpaw.
At least he seemed hopeful enough about finding prey. Or maybe it was just a front. Still, Swanpaw nodded up at the warrior. It wasn't long before she finally caught the scent of mouse on the frigid air, and carefully the apprentice followed it. If there was one good thing about the snow, it was that her pelt blended in very well... And the dark shape of the mouse stuck out like a sore paw. She leapt for it, bringing a paw down and swiftly cutting off any escape or noise the little creature could make, and turned, blue eyes searching for Larkspring.
He'd caught a mouse of his own, it seemed, and the apprentice padded back toward him. "I'll be happier when we can fish. On our own territory." She grumbled in response, "Nice catch, though."
Larkspring looked back at Swanpaw when she emerged from the snow drift and he nodded. “As will I,” he agreed. He missed the river, though he wouldn’t want to admit such soft things aloud. “Good find. Perhaps we won’t starve on the trek back.” He dug up a small hole for them to deposit their catches into. He covered them up with snow again and looked out at the sheet of white surrounding them. His lip curled in distaste. “Leafbare should pass soon as well. I will not miss the snow.”
"Let's hope that luck continues, then." She had to wonder if their old home would be habitable once they reached it. Prey had run a bit better at the lake, of course, but it still wasn't enough. And something had made them all sick just before arriving... The lake and the mountains were not places meant for clan cats, in Swanpaw's opinion. Neither had their old territory been by the time they left. Moons had passed since though, so maybe things had changed. But in the heart of leafbare that seemed unlikely.
"It's nice to easily blend in... That is the only good I can say of it." Swanpaw missed the warmth of greenleaf, missed the cool fresh water of the river against her skin. Here it was icy cold and the snow even colder. Blue eyes turned from her clanmate toward the snow again, seeking out something more to hunt.
Larkspring gave a simple nod in agreement. The frost that numbed his pawpads annoyed him and left him tired. He had yet to experience being able to run free without supervision in their territory when it was warm. He hoped it was as fun as he imagined it to be. Larkspring looked back at Swanpaw. “You’ve been an apprentice for a long while. Doesn’t the deputy think you’re ready yet?” He saw Poppyshine go out with Swanpaw a lot, as well as her snotty sister when she hadn’t gone missing for a while. She expected them to be in the greater ranks after so long.
"Don't remind me..." Swanpaw grumbled with a flick of her tail, "I feel like I've been playing catch up ever since Drizzlepool didn't teach me anything. Poppyshine's been great, I just..." She huffed, remembering her impatience with her first mentor and the frustration of feeling like she was behind her siblings in training. "I'm sure my ceremony has to be soon though. It would be a shame if it was out here and not in our own territory... But it has to be sooner rather than later, I think." Pidge might grumble if she became a warrior first, but it would only be right with how much effort Swanpaw was putting in.
Larkspring glanced at Swanpaw.“My apprenticeship ran long as well. I was more than sick of it by the end. Given everything on their paws lately, I would bet that there is just too much on their minds to think about promotion…but it will come soon. Perhaps when we return home.” He can’t imagine that even the deputy was very eager to perform many ceremonies out in this wilderness. “It will be nice to be home again…I hope the forest has healed. I don’t want to go back to rationing dewdrops.”
"Who wouldn't? After a while it starts to feel like some apprentices pass us by despite our efforts, doesn't it? Frustrating." Her nose wrinkled. "I know Poppyshine and Perchstar have a lot to deal with. I think as much as I want the ceremony, I also want to be back in our own camp first." Swanpaw nodded at Larkspring's words. "Let's hope so. The way the water was so foul... Eugh. I'm sure it'll be freezing when we get home but I'd rather that than what we left behind."
![frozen kill [c] Mistpe10](https://i.servimg.com/u/f80/12/50/89/25/mistpe10.gif)
![frozen kill [c] Sig2](https://2img.net/h/i105.photobucket.com/albums/m235/Nightshade302/siggys/sig2.gif)
