[IC] Warrior Cats - Plague of Misery

[Jeep Wrangler]

Frostbite

Frostbite froze still at the sound of words being flung into him, hitting him hard like a boulder. It could've knocked him off of his feet, sweeping him to the ground and could crush him in a heartbeat. His bones would pop, his skull would crack. The response was quite shocking to him, making his confidence evaporate like water left out to dry in a deep heat.

“Say that again and I’ll make mousemeat out of you!” She hissed, daring him to challenge her. His fur tucked into his body and his head buried itself into his neck. He cowered. He was cowering. Strange, wasn't it. Such a tall and proud looking soul to just sink away in fear, wanting to hide and wait until the horror was over, was gone, was never-to-return. He shuddered. Maybe she took it the wrong way? It was what he wanted, to be noticed that very moment, but not in such a spiteful and agonising manner. He felt like he had failed himself once again, like he did everyday of every week of every moon. He shuddered as he turned slightly, the Icy aqua-glisten in his small, narrowed eyes shivered with his body.

"I'm...I-I'm sorry...I...I didn't...m-mean...I...I..." He looked as if he were about to break down into an uncontrollable fit. He cowered behind the rock he sat upon. He wanted her to leave him. Obviously disappointed. He didn't want to question her, her authority, her reasoning for being here despite her pregnancy. He failed once again at Frogpelt's task. And failed her, in the way of not being liked once more. Not being noticed was one thing, but being noticed and yelled upon...Something beyond his, and anyone's he presumed, liking. "I...I h-hesitated...I...I was still thinking o-of the l-l-lack of gratitude...Why can't I g-get simple tasks right compared to complicated ones!" He whimpered to himself, expecting she was gone. He didn't realise she hadn't departed, listening into his episode. The chat to himself was of strangest experiences. Listening to him talk to himself more comfortably that he did when attempting to make contact with her...odd one he was. He would remain forever odd. It was clear that only Frogpelt had completely heard him talk in his non-stuttering voice with clear tones. He was a very strange tom...he knew it. "Why did I f-fail at that?! Why haven't I done what Frogpelt wanted and kept socialising?!" He complained to himself once more...

It was all very dramatic...all very innocent. He was breaking down, as usual. He hated socialising...he hated the lack-of-gratitude...

[Shurikai]

Warmpaw

Warmpaw's whiskers twitched and a sad expression crossed his face as Sketch told his tale. Mallownose confirmed the story, adding on that all the clans forced them away. Suddenly he wasn't so proud of his heritage.
"You were really brave to come all this way by yourself."

Before Warmpaw could voice that he wanted this poor cat to come with them, another showed up. His ears flicked back and he hid behind Mallownose before realizing their new company was friends with the bony tom.

Mallownose had started picking herbs, so Warmpaw stooped to help him. His mentor was already working on the catmint, so he made himself busy with thyme. It might be good to have extra around if Sketch was going with them to camp. He was about to say something about it, but Mallownose beat him to the punch.
"I wouldn't feel right if we just left Sketch here. He needs help, and I think Thunderclan would be the only place he would get it. Look at him." Warmpaw flicked his tail at Sketch while speaking quietly, "No twolegs is going to take in a skin and bones cat off the street. This other one, Coochie, looks fine enough. If he wants to come with us too, I think it would help Sketch settle into clan life." not to mention they would be very helpful in taking back herbs. If Hawkstar saw that they were willing to be helpful, he would hopefully give them greater lenience.

Yes, it would be a good idea. Warmpaw smiled warmly at Sketch and Coochie. "We could definitely use some help. We are gathering Juniper berries, Marigold, chickweed, and.. I think we were going to get coltsfoot?" he was sure he was forgetting some and he looked at Mallownose for some help.

[xXBalloonsXx]

@Blizz

Lakepaw became to come over feared again. Hawkstar made her feel unsafe, making her breath heavy again. "Wh-whose that?" She yelped slightly, moving closer to Timberpaw for comfort. She lifted her paw so she wouldn't be on the pain. it was still bleeding, and every few seconds she winced. Her deep blue eyes gazed at it, worried.

*I would write more but my head is hurting.*

[Shurikai]

Shadowpaw

The Great Sycamore.
It was a giant tree just outside Thunderclan camp. They had to keep an eye on the sky around here, there were big birds that would snatch up a cat before you could blink. Shadowpaw looked at his mentor, Sandfire, and Stonepaw. He hoped they had nothing to worry about today.

"Stonepaw, I bet I'm going to catch the first prey!" Shadowpaw crouched playfully, his tail high in the air.

[corrosive]

Mallownose & Sketch.

"And if you're going to be help then I'd like you both to remember to snip the stem and not to uproot the plant. If the roots are there then it grows again. This is all we'll need from here," gathering the catmint in his jaws, he could taste the sweet flavor rushing along his tongue and it was all he could do not to start chewing it himself. "We'll grab two poppy flowers and take those back with the rest of the stock. It'll be good to have more seeds around unless any cat becomes ill."

"Ill?" asked Sketch apprehensively, he bounded after Mallownose as he descended downhill again and the twoleg nests became farther and farther away.

The forest opened up around Sketch and he was reminded of how very different it was from the gorge in every single way. The trees were in tighter clusters and the grass was nearly so long that it tickled his chin in some patches that Mallownose moved through with ease. He could see towering pine trees further off and the smell of their sap was strong in his nose despite their distance. The sound of chattering birds overhead was clear in his ears, a few swooping past each other and landing noisily amongst the branches where they perched. Ground prey was much quieter, mice scuttling past fallen leaves and voles tucking beneath bushes as the the three cats passed by. He even sighted a squirrel springing past on quick paws and paused to watch it as it wound itself back up the tree quickly. His paws itched to try to spring up after it but he knew it would distract him from following the medicine cats and he'd become very lost, very quickly. He knew he would be hopeless within this territory and if a border patrol found him then they would surely chase him off without so much of a goodbye.

The scents were more amazing than Sketch could have ever imagined and it was unlike any dream he'd ever had about finding Thunderclan, it made his fur prickle with excitement and unease. The unfamiliar was the most amazing thing about the territory, he could hear a river rushing nearby and the sound of trees whispering as the breeze tore through them. It was nothing like Skyclan's territory had been, they had been adept to hunting by leaping through the trees with powerful legs and that had made for their territory to be full of long, clawed trees. Those trees hadn't harbored any leaves and their bark had been as rough as his mother's tongue, most of the grass had been browning and parched until it reached the twoleg nests. The gorge itself had been hard brown stone that heated under the morning sun and sometimes brought the occasional lizard out for a sunning.

His first ever kill had been a lizard and it had been crunchy and unpleasant on his tongue but his mother had praised him warmly. Scratch had been so jealous that he'd spent the whole afternoon stalking every shadow that scuttled past him. He hadn't caught a single scale but he had kept trying until he had became much too frustrated to try again. Scratch had been the first cat that he had ever learned to hunt with, his mom had wanted them to learn to work together so she had taught them to work as a team. It had been hard at first but after some time, he had began to understand the basics. Him and Scratch had become an amazing team together, they had practically caught any type of prey that the forest could have thrown at them.

He wondered if he'd be that lucky here, he wondered if him and Coochie could learn to hunt together in this new terrain. It made him wish even more that Coochie would decide to stay with them, he couldn't imagine losing the only friend that he had made since he'd come here. "We are under the way of a possible outbreak of a disease called Whitecough, these herbs will hopefully help. It's not uncommon for sickness to flare up but we try to keep it down if we can help it." Mallownose had paused near a spiny tree and he was sniffing along the ground before he lifted up a small branch full of blue tinted berries and that kept his mouth shut as they padded along.

He pressed all of the herbs beneath the sharp edged leaves of a holly bush and he lead them towards a small cluster of flowers nearby. Sketch immediately recognized the wide golden heads of the marigold that they were looking for and he sprung forward to nip at the stems himself, it was easy enough to free the big flowers from their standing perch and it wasn't long before he had collected a good mouthful of the bitter stems. He could feel the golden heads against his cheek and he felt silly holding them as he glanced to Mallownose.

"Coochie, go ahead and collect some of the bright red flowers. We could use at least two, but three or four never hurt any cat." he liked to have extra poppy seeds in the stock, it made his job all the easier and the young ones liked the blood red petals that they discarded. "You two stay here with Warmpaw and I'll be back in no time. I'm just going to gather some coltsfoot from Riverclan, I should have grabbed it while we were there but-" a shake of his white head as if he was exasperated with himself. "Always forgetting the essentials. Warmpaw, you can take them to collect the chickweed after you bring the flowers back to the holly bush. There should be a reasonable cluster near the training hollow."

Flicking his tail in short farewell, he turned to pad back towards the Riverclan border and disappeared amongst the trees. Sketch watched him go with his mouthful of marigold and glanced towards Warmpaw before setting the flowers down lightly. "What's the training hollow like? Do you two collect herbs like this every day? Do they all taste so awful?"

[ChronoBovino]

Coochie

Coochie followed the clan cats orders, trying to be as much help as possible. "Red flowers, red flowers" he kept repeating to himself, able to gather three. He chuckled at Sketch asking so many questions. But whenever the other cats gave him orders he would just keep following no questions asked, they knew best.

Stonepaw

"Only thing you can catch is sleep" he playfully replied to Shadowpaw. He started jumping on some stones sticking out reminding him of how he lost one of his teeth as a kit, chasing a butterfly. He came a long way from that, it didn't mean he didn't miss being a kit, but he would choose apprentice over kit any day of the week.

[Jeep Wrangler]

Python

Python and Birch sat still in the bush. The two had been stalking Hawkstar and Redstar's meeting for a while. She had lost interest when they began to go on about kits. But something had caught her ear. Something that shook her slightly, even for a cold-hearted murderer. She heard the word disease...It made her think. It couldn't be the same epidemic that was happening in the Highrocks. The same one she'd been trying to deal with for time and time until she developed her fond for killing...the same one that took away Vine. The same one Birch and her had been 'Containing' for as long as they could. If so, she needed to get into this. Then it shook her once more...

"It started a week ago, after a patrol came across a body floating in a stream by our borders. The first one's to become ill were on that patrol." It finally made her feel slightly accomplished, but regrettable as well. She despised Clanners, especially the current Shadowclan. That body the two sent down stream was one of those infected, and their main target had conducted to disease. That was only the good part of the story. The bad part was what was left with the other Clans. Toadvine of Windclan was the only other 'Survivor' she had discover to be within the Clans. Though there was the hint of hatred and death-glaring she wanted to share, but it was then when she remembered. She was still one of her own. Someone to care for. The two were friends for times before the drownings. She had to somehow make sure she would survive. However, she needed to focus on the current issue...

It managed to regain her focus, and Birch looked at her as a grin began to wipe itself straight across her face. Birch grinned slightly as well, slightly unsure.

"Oh this is perfect..." She began. "With Shadowclan now doomed to fall...we have one less route to worry about." Birch gave her a confused head-tilt. "Oh come on, Birch! How can you not see this? This had made our deeds to be held at Thunderclan much...so much more easier! We have struck the ultimate luck!" Birch again looked at her, sighing to himself.

"We don't know about you...I know I am safe, as we know. The disease. You might still be vulnerable, right?"

"We can take chances. Look how close I have been to infected bodies when we were cleaning up the Highrocks! I am fine! Now...we better get moving to their territory, before this 'Hawkstar' get's back to greet us..." Birch nodded, his smile disappeared. He did worry. The two had turned an epidemic into a pandemic with one simple and sinister move. It was satisfying, yes...but it also endangered their fun. The two depended on the Clans to supply them with cats to torture. Lose them, and probably lose the connection between the two. They departed from the Meeting between the two Leaders as they rabbled on about kits and gossip. All the buggery stuff the two did not care or want to hear about. The two took deep breaths before trespassing their way silently into the Thunderclan territory.

They had been inside for about 4 minutes when they spotted their first group. The two grinned menacingly to one another. The group had about 3 cats, of all small sizes. Perfect...their first catch of the day. The two began to approach their first 'friends'...

[xXBalloonsXx]

@Blizz

Lakepaw's fur started bristling again, and her heart beat was rapidly pounding in fear. She gave a might breath, looking around frantically.

*head still hurts, so replys are short, sorry.*

[Orior]

Honeypaw

Honeypaw followed behind the older warrior as he continued, after taking brief pause to clean off his ruffled fur. The young apprentice, now that the older tom was up and fine, hid a bit of a smile at his blunder. It was nice for things to not always be so serious. She trotted alongside him easily, but when he turned back, replied, "There's- It's alright..! I'm just glad you didn't hurt your leg or something," She hoped he hadn't felt the need to apologize because he saw her smirk.

The two continued on until they reached the clearing of the Great Sycamore. The apprentice did her best to enjoy the clean air around the huge tree. She scented fellow Thunderclan cats, as well as the multitudes of different prey animals scurrying about the undergrowth and within the huge sycamore. Even though she knew they were there for the moss at the base of the tree, she would have rather chased the tails of mice and rabbits through the grass and brambles. She hoped Frostbite would return to camp around when she did, she wanted to ask if he would take her hunting. But, for the moment, her and Duskclaw were getting much-needed moss for the queens.

Honeypaw looked up as they quickened their pace into the clearing, spying Shadowpaw, Stonepaw, and their mentors. She waved her tail at them in a simple greeting, unsure if they had seen it, but kept by Duskclaw's side up to the trunk of the Sycamore. The she-cat started to poke at the roots with her paws and nose, looking for a big enough patch to roll up into a ball. She craned her neck to look on the undersides of the roots where it was cool and moist. After a few encounters with grubs and startled chipmunks, which she would hurriedly swat at and miss, she finally found a piece of thick moss. She pawed at it gently, not wanting to shred it, until it started to peel off. "Here's some!"

[Blizz]

@xXBalloonsXxtimberpaw began to feel worried about lake paw."hey don't worry it's alright.trust me, you and I aren't very different so...you wanna be friends?"he said as he nudged her in the shoulder slightly.timberpaw asked because he hadn't had any friends other than broken branch.he than thought in his head(I feel bad for her.)

[Strawberry425]

Snowpaw

Snowpaw stared at her mentor for a moment. She was torn between telling Tabbyfur the content of her dream, or continuing on as thought nothing had happened. Her tail swished nervously, and as her mentor licked between her ears, she very nearly blurted out all her apprehensions. Surely, her mentor was there to comfort and guide her? And, though Tabbyfur sometimes seemed unsure of herself, Snowpaw admired her and fancied herself to have one of the best mentors in the camp. Tendrils of fear twisted in her heart; would Tabbyfur shun her for revealing one her very greatest desires?

Its now or never, Snowpaw thought nervously. They were alone. It was the perfect opportunity to pour her heart out. Briefly, her paws shuffled on the sandy earth nervously, and then, without any prompting, the content of her dream spilled out from her muzzle,

"I had a dream Tabbyfur," she meowed nervously, "About my family. You know," Her blue eyes flashed up nervously to Tabbyfur's face, "My kin in Riverclan. I dreamed my siblings...they were drowning...the Clan was there...Thunderclan I mean. I jumped in to rescue the kits, and when I came back to shore, the Clan shunned me...and...and..."

Snowpaw's mewing had become progressively quieter, subdued. She stared at her paws, her fur burning with shame. What would Tabbyfur say? Would she request a new apprentice? In those moments, it seemed like a million different and negative thoughts flitted through Snowpaw's mind.

[Tea at midd]

Tabbyfur

Tabbyfur watched as her apprentice spent a few moment squirming uncomfortably, and attempting to start sentences before she broke them off. She was quite evidently distraught; so Tabbyfur's suspects seemed to be correct. Her paws shuffled across the ground uncomfortably and she explained her discomfort. As she stuttered through her words, Tabbyfur nodded slowly, paying close attention to what she said. When Snowpaw finished explaining, her eyes seemed to flash with panic. "Hey, hey it's okay.. It's fine." She moved herself next to her apprentice and crouched down. "ThunderClan would never do such a thing. If they did... well that's not ThunderClan." Tabbyfur looked out towards the treeline. "I didn't even realise you had kin in RiverClan. I'm sure they're very safe there, and you shouldn't worry. Believe it or not, RiverClan have a pretty solid nursery. I traveled there once when accompanying Mallownose to their territory to speak with Mistfur. I got a good look around, and it's pretty secure." She looked at her apprentice, who still seemed to be filled with anxiety. "If the opportunity arises, and cats are needed to travel to RiverClan, I'll insist that you be apart of that. You could see them for yourself if it made you feel better. Okay?" Feeling somewhat empathetic towards the apprentice, she remembered having several dreams about the painful end that her parents came to, and she felt that she understood her apprentice.

Duskclaw

Duskclaw looked up and down the enormous tree. Even from a few paces back, he couldn't see the top through the tangle of leaves. It's widespread branches were a host to lots of birds, and from where he was stood he was sure he could make up a few rough shapes of squirrels and pigeons. Though he wasn't there to catch prey, he wouldn't mind spending a moment getting a taste of new-leaf rather than doing an apprentice duty, but he wasn't going to complain about it either. It was nice to spend some time with a younger member of the clan, even though she spent a considerably large amount of time in camp.

Snapping his attention back to Honeypaw, he realised that she was already starting to claw parts of the moss off the large tree. "That's good! Sorry - I'll help." He made his way over to the base of the tree, and picked a spot to start clawing the green stuff off the tree's bark. He sat down and curled his fluffy tail around his body, and started to use a unsheathed claw to force off some of the moss. As he did so, some parts of the bark came off and the moss partially shredded, and he let out a slightly humoured sigh. "It's been quite a while since I've collected some moss, I think my 'skills' are slightly worn down." His white whiskers quivered in amusement. "I feel kinda sorry for you apprentices some times, collecting moss is kinda a bore." Slowly going back to clawing the moss, he pawed the small parts that he had together and pushed it with his nose into a little roll.

[Strawberry425]

Snowpaw

"If the opportunity arises, and cats are needed to travel to RiverClan, I'll insist that you be apart of that. You could see them for yourself if it made you feel better. Okay?"

An intense feeling of warmth and affection for her mentor spread through Snowpaw's fur, and she purred loudly.

"Thank you, Tabbyfur," she meowed gratefully, bowing her head ever so slightly. Her mentor's sympathies had eased the tension in Snowpaw's chest, and for the first time since the morning, she felt the tensity in her muscles loosen. Little, imaginative scenarios flashed behind her eyes, and she wondered exactly when this momentous occasion would arise. With Tabbyfur's promise, Snowpaw paws, which had itched to bound into the Riverclan camp and check on her father and siblings, now felt relaxed and at ease. Tabbyfur's suggestions had pricked another curiosity in Snowpaw's mind, one she felt more confident voicing to her mentor.

"Tabbyfur, do you know why I've never been to a Clan meeting? I'm ten moons old...certainly old enough to have gone already, I think...Do you think you could maybe, err, mention it to Hawkstar?"

Sandfire and Bravefeather

The apprentices had bound far ahead of their languid mentors, who walked behind slowly, savoring the tastes and scents of the forest around them.

Bravefeather wondered apprehensively if it would be safe to bring up Mallownose in the quiet seclusion of the forest. Surely, no other cats besides the apprentices walked around them, and if anyone else did, Bravefeather was sure he would have heard them.

"Sandfire," he meowed, averting his eyes so as not to rile her up too quickly, "What is it with you and Mallownose?"

Just as he had predicted, Sandfire's fur spiked into thin, angry bristles, and she bared her teeth ever so slightly. Her fur seemed to burn anger, and Bravefeather edged away from her, now desperate to catch up with the apprentices. But his sister's tongue was fast, and before he had taken a few steps ahead of her, she was spitting all sorts of angry profanities at him. Bravefeather had learned there were certain times when toms should not breech into the lives of she-cats, but he thought, Sandfire, who was his sister, would have been more open to discussing whatever bothered her.

Then, all at once, she beautiful she-cat seemed to dull in vigor and her eyes fell to the brown dirt between her paws. For a few moments, they walked in tense, but quiet silence, and then,

"I think I like him, Bravefeather." What Bravefeather had hoped he had simply been imagining had been truth, then. Sandfire had feelings for Mallownose, whatever those feelings were.

"You can't," he whispered quietly.

"I know," she snapped, scowling. Her tail lashed furiously.

Their conversation dulled, with Bravefeather being at a loss for words. They had come upon their flitting apprentices at the Great Sycamore, whose fur seemed to be bristling with eagerness to get hunting.

Bravefeather purred at the sight of both of them, young strong cats who would grow into fine, powerful warriors. Or so he hoped.

"Sorry for taking so long, Shadowpaw, Stonepaw," Bravefeather meowed, speaking for his sister, who was still brimming with anger.

"Shadowpaw, why don't you see if you can find anything among the roots of the Sycamore." Bravefeather would never admit it to the apprentice, but he feared sending him anywhere near Snakerocks, where dogs, snakes, and the occasional fox lured. Nor was he exactly pleased with the idea of sending Stonepaw closer to the Snakerocks, but he trusted that Stonepaw seemed less likely to test the limits of a resting adder.

Sandfire seemed to think the same thing, and, trying to sound less angry, she whipped her tail in the direction of the Snakerocks.

"Why don't you see if you can find any prey by the Snakerocks, Stonepaw. I'll accompany you. Just be on the look out for adders and dogs," she meowed in warning.

[Shurikai]

Warmpaw

Warmpaw watched as Mallownose walked away back to Riverclan. He immediately felt less safe.. none of the cats here were remotely good combat, and he was the only one with any training. They needed to finish quickly and get back to the holly bush to wait for Mallownose. He was distracted from his thoughts by Sketch's questions.
"The training hollow is spacious and filled with sand. Mallownose and I are going tomorrow. You should come with us!" he purred his excitement, then mrrowed in laughter, "We dont collect herb everyday, but if we start to run low or we need fresh ones, we go out and generally spend most of the day collecting them. No, not all of them taste bad."

He was still chuckling when he heard something moving in the forest. Whatever it was, they were upwind. It could have been anything and Mallownose wasn't here to help them. He had to be strong though, to protect Sketch and Coochie. They were his responsibility and he wasn't going to let them get hurt, no matter how scary whatever was out there was!

"Get behind me!" he hissed and puffed up his fur, making him look twice his size. Which really wasn't saying much considering how small he was. It didn't make it any better when the two cats revealed themselves. Being upwind, he didn't catch their scent until now. A scent he would never forget.

All of them were in very real danger now. Quickly, Warmpaw calculated what they could do. There were three options, run to Riverclan and hope to StarClan they find Mallownose, run to camp and gather some warriors, or stand his ground and try to run them off himself. Crossing the river was dangerous for him, it would be suicide for the others. Mallownose wouldn't be able to help them. Running for help may lead them to the camp, which might be what they want. No, he would have to hold them until his mentor got back.
"Who are you?!" he yowled at the pair, hoping someone, anyone would hear him.

[Orior]

Honeypaw

The apprentice looked up and laughed a bit under her breath at Duskclaw's strands of moss. "I'm sure you've more important things to do." She meowed as her ball of moss came loose from the tree. It was a good size, especially because it was thick, but she could wrap another piece around it and still carry it in her jaws. She grabbed the ball in her teeth from where she had held it against the roots, and then placed it on the ground once she pulled it off. She straightened and looked at the warrior with a smile in her eyes, "Yeah... Definitely not my favorite thing to do, especially while hunting is finally so good!" This was her first New-Leaf as an apprentice, and in contrast when she had became an apprentice in Leaf-Bare, the bountiful prey excited her and motivated her to practice. "I see it as I'll only have to do these things now, and when I'm older, there'll be other apprentices for it."

Honeypaw started poking around the roots again, enjoying the earthly smells she found near the moist dirt. The leaves overhead rustled with the landing of a brightly-colored songbird, and Honeypaw watched its reflective coat flit about the tree limbs for a moment before it sailed away on the wind. She held back a bored sigh, and her head swept downwards and back to the sycamore's roots. Soon enough she found what she was looking for and repeated the tedious task of pulling it easily off the root. Her thoughts turned to the scene in camp this morning, and she was curious if Duskclaw knew what Gingerflame had been so upset about. She didn't want to pry where she didn't belong. "Hey, Duskclaw," she started, a bit hesitantly, because at first she wasn't sure she wanted to continue, but then went on, "Is... Is Gingerflame alright? She seemed very upset this morning." The apprentice was concerned about the queen, Gingerflame was her mother's mother and her own kin, not just searching for clan gossip.

[xXBalloonsXx]

@Blizz

"S-sure.." Lakepaw said, before letting another silent cry of pain. Her wound was pretty bad, of course. Her father and her were never friends, let alone did she loved her father. She stared down at the ground, her ears still pulled back. She gave a deep breath, the silvery tabby shecats white belly growled, but on the other hand she wanted to fix her paw. She smiled slightly for Timberpaws help.

"T-thank you for your h-help, Timberpaw.." She said, smiling slightly to Timberpaw, and now feeling a little safer, she looked around the clan. She chuckled as she watched Angelfeather and Brokenbranch wrestle, and Angelfeather was winning.
======================
"Your scared to beat a Shecat!" Angelfeather slightly yowled to Brokenbranch, not interrupting the clan. She was already standing onto of Brokenbranch, smirking. Brokenbranch growled playfully, and gently swiped a paw at her. Angelfeather dodged the hit, grinning. Brokenbranch leapt up, knocking the white tabby Persian to her back. The two laughed and continued wrestling.

[corrosive]

Mallownose.

"Herbs." snorted the white tom softly as he descended downhill again, his tail lashing from one side to the other, he was muttering to himself like a grumpy old badger. "Herbs! I'm named after them and I can't even remember them, you'd think I'd have half a brain by now and then I go and surprise every cat by having no brain at all!"

Bouncing onto the first stepping stone, the sound of the river flooded his senses as he skirted over their slick surface and into the territory with careful paws. His white form landed on the other side and he could see the territory open up before him with it's damp peaty grass and it's scattered trees. Without need for cover, Riverclan was somewhat at an advantage and had long since taught themselves to fight under the most ridiculous circumstances. Water was one of those ridiculous circumstances, they were the only cats he had ever known of to favor water. His pelt was heavy at the thought of fighting within water, he couldn't imagine how unfortunate it must feel to be so drenched and it brought a shudder out of him. The river had always appeared to him as an angry thing, it was constantly snarling after all and it leapt at the rocks each time he crossed over them. It seemed as eager to get him out of Riverclan territory as the Riverclan cats probably were.

With a mental apology to the grumbling river, he pressed forward on light paws.

The sky overhead was casting warm light on his coat and he could just scent the coltsfoot growing in a tiny cluster near the root of a tree. The long stems were covered in tiny sharp edged leaves that hadn't spread for their last time this season. Coltsfoot was a fickle plant and if he wanted the best use of it then he would have to collect it later in Leaf Fall but he could make do with this for now. Coltsfoot was generally good throughout the seasons and grew in thick bunches, it was almost never a worry that they would run out because it grew wherever it could leach water from. The soil in Riverclan was definitely the richest and it thrived all over, even towards the rapidly rushing water in the gorge. He had never had to travel that far for it but he had recognized that it was there, it was not of his concern but he had made himself knowledgable about the positions of the herbs.

Setting to his task of freeing the hardy plants from the ground, he had to gnaw a little harder to free the thick stems. The tiny yellow flowers fell into a quick pile and he used his paws to arrange them into a neat stack as he pulled himself into his thoughts. He wondered how he would ask Sandfire to hunt with him and if he even had the nerve to do it. It was not something he was particularly good at, he often avoided bothering warriors with his queries unless they concerned their health. She was a respectable young cat and highly appreciated within in the clan for her expert hunting abilities. He thought that he might just compliment that if he did not bite his own tongue first out of nervousness. He could imagine the way she might look at him if he stumbled over his words to try to ask her a simple yes or no question and it made his ears burn.

He didn't even know why he was becoming flustered by the thought and he thought himself a fool. She was just a warrior, another she-cat within the clan. He had spoken to her on several occasions in the same manner that he had spoken to any cat who lived in their camp. He had been taught by Robinwing to know his potential patients and to make himself aware of their habits because if he was not aware then they could be suffering a wound and it may go against their pride to come to him. He had to understand things like that or cats could become severely injured, it was his job as a medicine cat to make sure they got the treatment that they needed. In that time, he had learned of the spitfire hidden beneath a genuine personality. A kind she-cat, she was somewhat foolhardy but she was more likely to get herself hurt in an expedition off the territory than she was to get herself hurt in a bloodthirsty attack against another cat.

He liked that about her though, adventure was a good thing to keep in one's heart and she had the insatiable urge to explore. It was almost like the longing he had to leave Thunderclan sometimes, just the slightest itch in his paws to run somewhere where he would not have to feel Puddlefoot's gaze burning into the back of his neck. The urge to feel the wind in his fur and to breathe in the scent of the unknown, he wanted to find a forest with cats that he had never met, he wanted to see herbs that no cat had dared to use. He had the draw to discovery but he had never acted on those wishes. Thunderclan would be lost without him, they wouldn't recover without a medicine cat, especially with a Greencough scare. Warmpaw needed him to succeed and this was his place, every cat here understood and respected him, there was never any need to leave.

Shaking his head against his treacherous thoughts, he gathered the herbs up in his jaws and turned to head back towards the river before his paw nearly tread something. Blinking in surprise, he lifted his black foot and stared down at the item he'd nearly trod on. It was a simple thing, really, something that a warrior would overlook but something that made a cold stone drop into his belly. It was an omen of some sort, a strange one at that with it's simplicity. A catmint plant. It stood tall and surrounded in damp grass, it looked almost luminous in the sunlight that spilled over it and it looked unnervingly alive.

A prickle of unease settled over him and he pressed his paw to the plant, bending the stem over with a precise movement, he studied the leaves with careful eyes. They were the same thin, toothed leaves and they were covered in a thin fur that collected dew in between its sensitive hairs. It was a normal catmint plant and yet so strange that he couldn't decipher it. It didn't belong here and a chill set into him as he stepped away from it in his discomfort. He didn't know what it meant unless it was referring to the Greencough being particularly bad this season. Was it going to kill him clanmates? Was it going to be so bad that even Starclan was concerned with it?

Troubled, the medicine cat tucked the omen away in his mind before pressing his way back over the stones.

Sketch.

"I can't wait!"

When Warmpaw had described the training hollow, a small thrill of excitement had washed through Sketch and he'd practically started bouncing on his paws. He had never been to a training hollow before, the only training that he had undergone had been with his father and Scratch. It hadn't been rigorous training but it had been basic defensive maneuvers and he had learned to dodge and strike in the way that Skyclan taught their warriors. Leaping was an important skill and he could practically leap higher than any cat, he wondered if that would come in handy when fighting with the other apprentices. His excitement grew as he imagined them going in for a blow at his hind legs and him leaping straight over it, he could prove himself to be as good as a warrior as any cat.

The thought of training with Coochie by his side was a fun one and he had long since decided that he liked hunting with his kittypet friend. He would like training with him even better and he could see a future before them with their lives as warriors. Excitement made him want to purr but he contained it when he noticed the alarm flash in Warmpaw's eyes. His senses weren't as trained to the undergrowth filled territory and he couldn't have heard a bird land in a bush near his paws but he could see a shape moving closer and by Warmpaw's expression, this was not Mallownose returning from his trip into Riverclan territory. It confused him initially and he had stepped forward to get a look before Warmpaw yelled to get behind him.

Sketch stepped back until he was standing at the smaller cat's side and lashed his bony tail from side to side as a strange pair emerged from the bracken. The she-cat was the color of dry soil in the Gorge back home, a dusty brown that seemed to only become disturbed by the pale markings in her pelt and a muscular set to her body. She had a long tail that whipped behind her and a pair of unmistakable golden brown eyes that almost seemed to glow with some internal light. There was knowledge there, knowledge and something else. Something that he didn't quite like to see and something that made his fur rise along his spine. He knew that this she-cat couldn't belong here and he was suddenly very frightened of her.

His claws unsheathed and he tried to make himself look bigger by bristling up beside Warmpaw, his teeth baring at her. Anxiety was setting in and making his flanks heave with each struggling breath and he didn't think he would have the nerve to actually fight them but he had decided that he would try. Warmpaw definitely couldn't fight two strangers alone if they chose to attack and he would feel like a mouse-hearted kit if he didn't do anything to help the flame marked tom. This cat was trying his best to stand up for them and he was going to repay that by fighting alongside him if he had to, even if he was more frightened then a vole being chased near the river.

"I- I don't think you should be here." he spat, his ears flattened against his head and his legs were shaking. "This is Thunderclan territory and you're trespassing."

[Blizz]

@xXBalloonsXx"you're welcome"timberpaw said as he just made friends with someone.before now he hadn't had many friends."we're almost at the medicine cats den."he said as he was happy to help lakepaw."how bad is it?"he mew with question.

[xXBalloonsXx]

@Blizz

LAKEPAW

"Pretty bad.." She mewed, the tabby said staring at her paw. It was bleeding badly, and every drop was worse then the last. She had never been in that much pain, so she wasn't used to it. She smiled slightly, looking around, before falling onto her belly. She couldn't really stand up straight because of her paw, and slowly stood up.

"I think we should continue.." She said, weakly walking. Her walk was slow, and it had a limp to it. she weakly walked past, before landing onto her side again. The silver tabby shecat stood up, grunting in pain. The paw was useless. What could they do? She wandered in her head, before standing back up. And padded to Timberpaw.

"Timberpaw, are you sure they will let me in, and care for my paw..?" She asked, looking at him with a worried gaze. Her eyes shone fear, pain, and worry. The silver tabby with black stripes and white belly and chest was scared of almost anything. She felt crying a million tears. She started to whimper, looking back at her paws as her ears were still pulled back. Just looking at her, would let anyone know that she was scared, hurt, and worried. She felt like just screaming in pain and running back into the shadows. But that wouldn't show the clan she wanted to be in. It would show she had the fears, brain, and body of a kit.

[Jeep Wrangler]

Python

"Who are you?!" The cat growled at both Birch and her. Python's face tilted slightly as she began to plan her approach quickly. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she spied the two behind her. He saw the much, much smaller Cat trying to look intimidating. A smile came onto her face. It seemed friendly, and warming, something Python was good at pretending to be. The found the way he protected them adorable. She always had done...On numerous occasions she had dealt with those defending others. These were normally the one's to be quickly struck down first. Although, Birch knew that she had a plan...

"Aww...That's sweet..." She said, padding closer to him. She was clearly a lot bigger than him. Her body-strength would outmatch the defender easily; though like predicted, she wasn't going to attack. The tom backed away slightly, the two behind following his actions. "Pfft...I'm charmed. Thinking I'm Scary-She cat...the threatening one is you actually..." Python's grin swiped across her face. "To answer your question...This here is my lovely follower Birch, and I am Python...Famous, I know. Save the questions of my fame for later..." Birch chuckled slightly. He looked away. There was slight embarrassment with being described as 'Lovely'. Eventually, he joined into the introduction.

"Yes...greetings..." His eyes followed to the two behind him. He grinned as well, finally. "You can come out now...we aren't a threat to you nor Thunderclan. We simply came to greet our neighbouring-group." There was strangeness with their arrival. They had said so much without a response. Simply a Tom trying to look threatening, panting heavily as if he were already out-of-shape. Two smaller hiding behind him. Wonderful, they knew that when the time came...these would be easy to manipulate and scare. The perfect crime and the perfect Victims...Once again, this plan was Perfect. They could probably get into meeting some of the other Clanners inside...