A Simple Outing

[Midnight]

When simply patrolling territory, it was not smart to make too much noise. The probability of spooking potential prey was too great, too dangerous. And though his outing was meant as a hunting expedition, it was certainly more of a stroll than anything so far. The weather was nice, the grass of the large expanse of field tall enough to where he could contently pick his way through without being seen overhead, and the sun was shining, shining brightly and warmly enough to create a comfortable and consistent heat against his back. It was hard to keep Midnightstar in camp for more than a full day; he found it hard to stay in the same place, giving the same instructions and doing the same routine. In order to ensure his duties never got the best of him, these simple walks through ThunderClan territory benefited him well.

Bright yellow eyes peer in the grass, large paws taking care not to snap a twig. He stopped occasionally to sniff at the air, catching abundant scents of prey but none too nearby until, that is, a strong waft of vole fluttered temptingly past his nostrils. His head swung to the direction, muscles coiling as he crouched low. Midnightstar carefully and lightly moved towards his prey, spying the little brown shape mere kitten-lengths away. His belly rumbled though, making him freeze, wondering if the creature had heard, but the brown rodent sniffed the air and went back to its foraging. The tom breathed out in relief, whiskers twitching earnestly. Once he was close enough, he raised his back end slightly, chin nearly touching the ground as his back legs prepared him for launch.

Within mere seconds, the blow was dealt and a victor arisen. Midnightstar poked his head up with tasty vole in tow, tail held up proudly. He silently thanked StarClan for the kill and proceeded to bury it; he would come back for it on his way to camp. The leader continued on, keeping his ears pricked for any sounds and his eyes vigilant for any movement.

OOC: Anyone is free to join!

[p e b b l e h e a r t ;;]

{ I hope you don't mind me, I'm just jumping in hereee. c: }

p e b b l e h e a r t

The underbrush swayed gently in the subtle breeze, from afar seeming to be a rippling wave of green. In fact, it was almost like a sea hued emerald; there even seemed to be a sparkle dazzling off the water's surface--of course, it was just the countless leaves wavering in the gust--the warm light reflecting on the shiny surfaces. But Pebbleheart's imagination liked to wander into these adventurous thoughts, as it was seldom she left the radius of ThunderClan's territory. Let alone, neared water.

The dainty, black-and-tan speckled she-cat picked her way carefully through the bushes and plant life. She, being a medicine cat, was not hunting, of course--she had no mind on scaring away potential prey. But something about the petite little feline was delicate, the way she held herself--it was just the way she walked, naturally--so gentle and attentive.

Her bright, dazzling blue eyes emerged into view as she perked up and observed her surroundings.
Poppy seeds, Feverfew, Dock, and Borage. I need Feverfew, Dock, and Borage. she thought to herself, flicking her ear. Poppyseeds are around here somewhere... I think I might see a poppy flower right now. Feverfew... I'll probably have best luck if I can find a ravine with damper soil, she took a small step forward, as for Dock.. could be anywhere around here, shouldn't be a problem. Borage. Borage should be around here somewhere, too.

Squinting her eyes, she tried to locate the poppy flower. The scarlet petals of the plant stuck out like a sore thumb in the midst of the green glow. She quickened her pace to a trot, determined to make the herb run as fast as possible. Once a tail length away from the flower, she noticed another few poppy flowers scattered along nearby. Oh, goody! she thought, looks like I won't be needing poppy seeds for a while.
Swiftly cuffing the petals, she watched carefully for where the seeds landed. Then she very carefully licked them up, storing the little beads in the side of her mouth, just under her tongue.

She was about to continue on to the next flower when she heard a rustling only a few fox-lengths away. Spooked slightly, her first instinct was to jump up and sprint away; but she locked her muscles and remained crouched over the plants. Forcing herself to remain calm, she let her jaw hang open the slightest bit, tasting the air for scents. Right away she recognized Midnightstar's scent, and suddenly she let her muscles relax and the fur sticking up on her back lie flat.

"My goodness," she squeaked, stealing her way from the undergrowth, heading towards the tom's scent, "you almost gave me a heart attack!"

[Midnight]

Midnightstar had it in himself to stay fairly distracted. He stared at a butterfly that fluttered around him, a pretty white one. He wondered if there was much to being a butterfly, how long they dare lived in a world full of things much larger than itself. Than anything, he thought, he himself was much smaller than many things: trees, dogs, hawks, twolegs. Nothing ever stopped him from wanting to be there though, nothing difficult could fully convince him that existence was futile; ThunderClan and the loyalty he had to them was enough. They were his family and would forever-

“Foxdung!” He exclaimed just as the scurrying of what smelled to be a mouse reached his ears, much too far by now to chase. The tom chuckled to himself though; leave it to him that he would daydream far too much. He had always been a skilled hunter as equally as an avid daydreamer, a funny combination. Midnightstar scented another presence of a feline drawing near, and it wasn’t long before the gentle pawsteps of a Clanmate rustling amongst the brush alerted him, making his head perk up. The soft and familiar voice of his medicine cat reached him, and he breathed out, glad she was only collecting herbs and not searching him out for being missing from the camp.

He had always been fond medicine cats, jealous of their special connections with StarClan. He had only met his warrior ancestors once when he received his nine lives. Midnightstar could only hope that one day he would have the honor of meeting them again, perhaps some lingering part of him wanted to see deceased loved ones or something, but he thought most cats would want that. He dipped his head towards her in respect, giving a charming smile with curl of his maw. “Apologies, Pebbleheart, I did not mean to frighten you.” The black-pelted leader meowed to her and turned his head upward. “It is a nice day to be out.”

“Have any luck with herb-collecting?” He could smell the poppy seed on her. “I could help if you’d like.”

OOC: I don't mind at all. Thank you for responding!

[p e b b l e h e a r t ;;]

p e b b l e h e a r t

With a gentle purr of amusement, Pebbleheart mewed, "No worries, Midnightstar! I marvel at your stalking skills." Flicking her tail, she rolled the poppy seeds to one side of her mouth, being careful not to let them trigger her swallowing reflex. She swiveled her head up, scanning the scene and silently counting the amount of flowers she could spot scattered around.

"I've only just started, but luckily, so far so good." She tilted her head, eyeing ThunderClan's leader, "That's very kind of you, and a helping paw would be appreciated, but I wouldn't want to interrupt your hunting session. It is indeed a nice day out, I can imagine the prey's out and about," she chuckled softly, "I mean, if I were a delicious little mouse, I'd be frolicking in the grass, doing my little mousey things."

For a moment, the thought of being a mouse crossed her mind. No Clan to tend to; no loyalties; maybe a mate--she sighed--a mate, oh, just maybe; not needing to hunt, only needing to gather berries and nuts. Such things were a bit painful to think about, the life of her prey--and though it was critical to eat for survival--she did feel a little guilty that another creature's life had to be taken to support her own. And maybe that was why she was a medicine cat; she couldn't take another creature's life.

Giving life was so much better. Treating the wounded, curing the ill, assisting a queen while she gave birth to kits; nothing was better. And knowing she was serving her Clan just as well as any warrior only made Pebbleheart adore her role more. And don't even get her started on meeting with StarClan--such wondrous, fantastic dreams, the thought of meeting spirits who walked the earth before she was even born intrigued her.

Though, there was a downside. Being a medicine cat, by the warrior code, meant living life alone. Of course, she had her Clanmates--she'd always have her Clanmates--but never would she have someone to touch noses with, to intertwine her tail with. She'd never take a romantic stroll in the moonlight, she'd never be able to fall asleep to that special tom's heartbeat, never be able to curl up against his side in their one nest made for two, she'd never be able to wake up with her nose buried in his fur. She'd never be the mother to his kits, never have those precious wriggling little bodies tumbling over her feet and never would she be able to attend her sons' and daughters' apprentice ceremonies.

Suddenly, Pebbleheart blinked and she caught herself in the daydream. If there was one thing she could think forever about, it was her mushy romantic hopes and dreams. That, of course, she would never be able to have. There was a gentle sinking feeling in her heart, her strings being tugged.

...Unless, of course, she broke the warrior code. But the very thought sent her heart racing in her chest and her pupils dilating in fear. In fact, she could almost feel the adrenaline trickle in her veins. The idea of breaking one of the Clan's most sacred set of rules seemed too daunting. It was all a matter of following her heart verse loyalties to her duties, and she didn't have the backbone to follow her heart. Not yet, anyway. She flicked her ear, and with a quick couple of blinks cleared her head. For now all she needed to worry about was collecting herbs.

[spiritcat]

[]

Shadowpaw trotted through the thick brambles of the Thunderclan forest. His eyes were bleary with sleep as sun-high beat down on his fluffy, ungroomed pelt. He parted his jaws to taste the air. Pebbleheart.... and Midnightstar! Hmm. I wonder what they're doing!
Shadowpaw jerked himself into a hunter's crouch, his belly fur touching the ground, being careful not to trample on any twigs. Using only his whiskers and scent to guide him, he located "the prey". Wiggling his hindquarters, he pounced as if he was pouncing on them, but but landed a hairlength in front of Pebbleheart's nose.
He giggled a little bit and felt Midnightstar tense up a bit, though Pebbleheart seemed unfazed. "What are you doing? Can I help?" he said with an eager face.

[Midnight]

The tom purred, licking his chops idly and finding the taste of his earlier kill on his fur. It made him a little hungry, a lingering feeling that he had grown used to feeling and luckily did not have undying urge to catch something for him. Though the soft, warm flesh of a fresh vermin was one of his favorite things, he would not break the warrior code, not even if he is the leader of ThunderClan; that didn’t give him rights over the rest of his Clanmates. Pebbleheart’s words were true; on a pleasant day like this, the prey would practically fly into his paws left and right. There would be plenty of days to come that were of the same conditions though, and he would be honored to help her out with her work.

“Nonsense. I can hunt another day.” Midnightstar responded with a gentle smile. Normally, a medicine cat would have to instruct his or her helpers, but he had a common knowledge of herbs and remedies thanks to his adventures as a younger tom, as a warrior, and as a close friend to one of their previous medicine cats. He could identify common herbs and their uses quite readily, but medicine cats would always have a special place in his heart, and helping Pebbleheart would do well for him and probably her as she lacked an apprentice at the time.

“Now, what herbs were you on a quest for today?” He asked, sniffing the air. He could smell the faint scent of another ThunderClanner on the breeze, but it was too far away to be certain if it was coming towards them or skirting around them, probably just another lone hunter.

As a kit, Midnightstar didn’t have many friends in ThunderClan, and he was lucky wandering into the medicine cat’s den wasn’t all that condemnable. The medicine cat at that time sympathized with his unfortunate beginnings, his lack of companionship and seemed to have no trouble sneaking him a honeycomb or a teensy bit of catmint. In turn, his love for his medicine cats as leader started very young and would be forever instilled in him. He would always be kind and forgiving towards them as he knew how much responsibility they had over the Clan, nearly same as a leader if not more so. Pebbleheart had served ThunderClan well, but he had to admit it was strange watching his Clanmates grow up and become his warriors, his deputy, his medicine cat. Though, this tortoiseshell she-cat before him had more or less grown up with him; their ages were not too far apart.

It was at that moment that a familiar pelt flashes in front of him, and he recognizes the dark fur of Shadowpaw. He had bristled slightly at the surprising “attack”, but he promptly relaxed. It was only one of the apprentices, after all. Midnightstar gave the young cat a slight smile, but he had to remain a little stern with cats of his age. “You are far from camp, Shadowpaw, and without a warrior in your company.” He remarked but not too harshly. It was not against the rules necessarily, but it was wiser for an apprentice to be accompanied by their mentor or another warrior when going from camp. His tail quavered slightly as he remembered Shadowpaw still needed his own mentor. “I was just about to help Pebbleheart gather herbs. Though I’d prefer if you hunted closer to the camp… I suppose that can’t be helped now.” His golden eyes looked upon the medicine cat next to them. “You are welcome to join us as long as Pebbleheart has no qualms otherwise.”

OOC: I was under the impression that Shadowstep was still an apprentice, so I referred to him as such. In fact, I messaged you about giving him a mentor. But it is fine that you joined us!

[spiritcat]

[[Yes he is an apprentice, my mentor wasn't online at the moment though x) ]]

[Midnight]

OOC: Unfortunately, your cat must remain as an apprentice until his mentor thinks he is ready to become a warrior. He is Shadowpaw until his warrior ceremony, always.

[spiritcat]

OOC: Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I just realized I put his name as Shadowstep instead of Shadowpaw. I just modified the post, and I'll be more careful next time.

[leopardpaw]

[[ Mind if I join?]]

Yawning, LeopardPaw trotted out of the apprentice's den. Still bleary with sleep, he noticed the fresh-kill pile was looking a bit low. "Better go hunting," LeopardPaw thought aloud. Once he was out of camp he heard a rustling in the leaves. Dropping into a hunters crouch, he crept up slowly then pounced. He lifted his head with a victorious gleam in his eye and a mouse dangling from his jaws...

[leopardpaw]

[[Btw who's my mentor?]]

[jayfeatherthecool]

Mistypaw was wide awake as usual and decided to go hunting. She knew her mentor would not minde even a bit. She spotted a fluffy white tail and guessed it was a rabbit. Mistypaw's instincts told her to go after it. Only minutes later, did she return with a fat, plump rabbit. Mistypaw was bored so she wanted to find another apprentice to hang out with. It is harder to hunt all alone. Mistypaw set down the rabbit to bury... She soon spotted pebbleheart, the medicine cat. Mistypaw bounded toward her.

[dawnpelt]

{{Can someone review my post? So sorry to barge in }}