Blackstar|Leader of Duskclan|One eyed Black Tom|Location: Camp|Mentions: Mothpaw, Redeye, Owlfeather

Blackstar's brow furrowed as he listened to Mothpaw, listening intently with a steady gaze. He could tell the young cat was trying his best without his mentor, and he wanted to make sure the tom knew he had faith in his abilities.
"Perhaps. I hope they send a clearer sign soon, though Starclan often works in peculiar-" his words cut off as he heard Redeyes yowls, jumping off his haunches as tension filled his muscles. However the words were not panicked, but excited.
Heart racing, he steadied himself as Redeye burst into the camp and into the medicine-cat den, prancing and panting as if he had been running. He heard the words, but it took the black leader a moment to figure out what Redeye was talking about.
"The traps?" His tail twitched to brush the white toms side as if to calm him, though he was sure the gesture would be fruitless. He thought momentarily, pondering the words the warriors brought to his attention.
"While I'm, grateful for this news Redeye what makes you so certain?" He would ignore the fact that by the look, and sound of it, Redeye had been traveling out on his own. His tail twitched as he gestured both Redeye and Mothpaw to follow him, padding from the den. It was apparently going to be one of those days. He could see cats bustling about, and then his eyes fell onto Owlfeather. It seemed she had gotten patrols settled. A grateful purr hummed in his chest as he gestured the cats to follow him to the deputy. It seemed fair that she should be aware of the situation at hand. There were too many parts to the puzzle, and having extra heads was better than him and Mothpaw trying to sort it out themselves.
"News." He mewed, settling down onto his haunches, tail wrapping gently around his paws.

"Alright Redeye, tells us what brings you to your discovery." He glanced at Mothpaw, hoping that the vision and this revelation might be connected somehow.

Dustpelt|Warrior of Duskclan|Leggy Calico Tom|Location: Camp|Mentions: Redeye, Owlfeather, [d] Weaselflight, Harepaw, Sootpaw Vulturepaw

Owlfeathers call made Dustpelts ears twitch, and scarfing down the rest of his meal he trotted his way, coughing, to where assignments were being put out. With the last bit of mouse still caught in his throat, he couldn't exactly tell the deputy he hadn't actually seen Redeye that morning. So eyes watering slightly as he finally found his breath, he looked around. He could see Harepaw slink from her den, and surpressed a sign. The apprentices still seemed a bit at odds with one another, and that didn't sit well with the plumy tom. Pushing himself to his paws, he padded towards the warriors den, peering into its depths.
"Oy, Weaselflight! Patrol. We're supossed to go with Redeye, but I havn't-" At that he heard the familiar warriors yowls, and jerked his head from the den. Redeye was prancing his way into the medicine-cat den, looking far more cheerful than he had in days.
"Well, nevermind that then. Patrol! He wiggled his way backwards out of the den opening, to start to angle his way towards where he last saw the white warrior. Though as he saw figures emerge from the medicine-cat den, it wasn't just the excitable warrior but also Blackstar and Mothpaw. Slowing, he decided against nearing. They were moving towards Owlfeather, he figured the deputy would let the tom know he would be joining them. Instead, he turned his attention towards Harepaw, trotting over with a friendly wave of his tail.
"Up for a patrol? It might actually be dry today." He purred, looking skyward for a moment. Though the sun meant two-legs in Green-leaf, he preferred it over the downpour from the other day.
"You can eat now, or we can hunt when we go. I'm sure Redeye or Weaselflight wouldn't mind."
With that he gave a twitch of his ear his cheerful expression hiding the lingering thoughts as his gaze twitched ever so briefly towards the other two apprentices. He needed to think of a plan to get the three working together.



Foxpaw|Apprentice of Dawnclan|Small Ginger Tabby She-cat|Location: Outside Camp|Mentions: Hornetpaw, Umbraclaw, Gingerstar

Foxpaw looked as if she were about to speak again, when her ears flattened slightly. Her gaze tilted upwards as the shadow of Umbraclaw approached. She didn't speak, but her eyes clearly said, You're my mentor, what choice do I have. She pushed herself upwards off her chest, giving a faint glance back at Hornetpaw before she began to follow. As she did she plucked up the mouse, returning it to the fresh-kill pile. She could eat it later, or some other half hungry cat could.
With slightly bristled steps she followed Umbraclaw, slipping from the camp and following the deputy on the pathway they look, her gaze looking around the forest as she listened. It wasn't exactly what she expected, and her muzzle wrinkled slightly. Part of her found Umbraclaws words a sign of weakness, choosing words or claws, believing the Duskclan cats over what their eyes could clearly see. What was the point of it, if they couldn't get retribution for their fallen kin? At least she had tried to get some closure, some payback. Her short coat bristled slightly, claws catching the earth. For a moment, she looked as she had when she had first seen the Duskclan cat standing over Sunspots. As Umbraclaw finished her words however, she relaxed. Even if her pelt twitched slightly, her fur had flattened. It sounded as if her mentor had given up on her, didn't understand her instincts on right or wrong, and
for that, she had no words. Instead, she turned her gaze finally to Umbraclaws own. There was little expression in her yellow stare, a carefully crafted stillness.
"Whatever you say, Umbraclaw." She muttered, head lowering as she stalked forward. They had circled the camp during Umbraclaws speech, and she figured Gingerstar would be back inside, probably giving out the many patrols they had started taking on.

⇺ [ Hornetpaw ] ⇻
18 Moons • Male • DawnClan • Medicine Cat Apprentice
Location: Camp • Mentions: Foxpaw, Umbraclaw, Ravenblaze

Hornetpaw was unable to decipher Foxpaw’s mood as a flat response was uttered, but he hadn’t expected her to offer much else. He took the lack of bite in her tone as a sign she didn’t find his presence particularly bothersome at the moment, and the hint of snark lacing her words was encouraging. Foxpaw’s eyes held a familiar sharpness once she peered up at him, and while he might have been eager to tuck himself away from her critical gaze before Sunspot’s death, now Hornetpaw couldn’t keep the warm expression currently crossing his muzzle. “You might have noticed if the river flooded its banks and submerged the camp, I reckon. Thankfully the rain has indeed come to an end.”

Silence passed between them, but for once it didn’t feel all that awkward. Not until Foxpaw began to speak before cutting herself off, her countenance growing guarded. “Go on,” he coaxed, hoping the ginger molly would share what was on her mind. Unfortunately, she never had the chance, Umbraclaw’s approach signifying an end to the conversation. “Yes, very well. Thank you for asking,” he replied politely, dipping his head respectfully. It felt odd to address her this way at times. Umbraclaw was only a moon older than him. They’d trained together, for a time, when he was a warrior apprentice. Now she was the deputy, and he was destined to be DawnClan’s next medicine cat. Entirely different paths.

As Umbraclaw whisked her away, Hornetpaw shared one last glance with Foxpaw. “We’ll talk later,” he mouthed before she looked away, unsure whether this would be a comfort to her or something she would prefer to avoid. Watching the pair until they vanished from sight, Hornetpaw found himself lingering where he stood for a few seconds longer before turning back toward the medicine cat’s den. Ravenblaze might wonder what had become of him if he took much longer.

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

⇺ [ Falconstrike] ⇻
30 Moons • Male • DawnClan • Warrior
Location: Camp • Mentions: Scorchwing

His single turquoise eye opened as Falconstrike felt another body settle near his, far enough to keep from touching him yet still too close to go unnoticed. Vision filling with sleek charcoal and white fur, he returned the nod Scorchwing sent his way, eye reclosing for a moment or so longer before he rose into a sitting position. It was clear she was waiting on the same thing he was, and as such, it would do no harm to strike up a conversation. A little piece of normalcy. “It’s a fine morning,” he commented cordially. “What are you hoping for? A hunting or border patrol?”

While his gaze remained friendly, he examined the she-cat, gauging her condition. She hadn’t slept since the discovery as far as he could tell, some of it showed in the unintentional weariness he could see in her face and her movements, but he couldn’t blame her. He had lost no one and yet rest hadn’t been easy for him either. How impossible a task it must be for a cat who knew her sister was murdered in cold blood and they hadn’t a clue who had committed such a heinous act or why?

Falconstrike was lucky. Greencough had taken his mother and a loose dog his father. While both incidents were traumatizing and worthy of grief at least, he had been granted answers and closure. What did Scorchwing have to keep her going beyond dedication to her Clan? “You should really get some rest,” he commented, the first indication he’d given since his initial condolences the night-of that she had suffered a loss. “I’m sure I already know your answer to that suggestion,” he interrupted any attempt to protest.

“Not now, perhaps, but tonight,” he concluded. “If I don’t see you in your nest I’ll come looking for you,” he added a bit more playfully, a mirthful glint in his eye. “Trust me, you won’t want that. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I can be quite the persistent tick in your pelt.”

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

⇺ [ Redeye ] ⇻
36 Moons • Male • DuskClan • Warrior
Location: Camp • Mentions: Blackstar, Mothpaw, Owlfeather

Surprisingly, the majority of Redeye’s exuberance abated once his news was delivered, though his entire body still quivered with elation as he followed Blackstar from the medicine den, eager to describe his discovery. At the very least his shouting had ceased, and he was able to keep in one place, his ears picking up some of the complaints from previously resting Clanmates. He couldn’t spare them so much as an apologetic glance and his regrets were few. This was a groundbreaking revelation, he was sure of it!

Given the go-ahead to explain once they reached Owlfeather, Redeye was quick to disclose what he knew. “When we first came across the traps I didn’t notice the difference because I was so freaked out, but I found another one this morning, and it’s different. Bigger. A lot bigger than the kind twolegs use for us cats, as if it’s meant to catch something a bit...larger.” Redeye leveled both Blackstar and Owlfeather with a meaningful look.

“I...have a theory. You might not like it or believe it, but perhaps we should consider...maybe a cat, or native predator isn’t what killed Cherrysong. Something else is out there. Something so bad even the twolegs want it gone.” His gaze drifted down to Mothpaw momentarily, somewhat regretful such a young cat had to hear these troubling words, but knowing full well he’d earned his right to know. “We need to find out what it is...and kill it if the Twolegs don’t get to it first,” he added, claws unsheathing and piercing the dirt beneath his paws.

Scorchwing | Warrior of DawnClan | Long-Limbed White & Charcoal Female | Location: DawnClan Camp | Mentions: Falconstrike [Direct]

Scorchwing nodded in agreement, eyes glancing around to take in the brightening camp. She was glad most of the rain had left, but the mud was pretty bad too. And every time she left the camp and went near any stream, she came back muddy and aggravated. “Border patrol.” She mewed, eyes returning to the face of the scarred tom, watching as he seemed to scrutinize her.

At his suggestion of rest, her stomach dropped. The thought of sleeping made her feel as sick as a dog. How could she sleep with her sister’s killer still about? It had killed more than just her sister, showing it was capable of much more than causing grief for just her. It had killed three cats in one go. Three warriors good at what they do. She couldn’t stomach the thought of her Clan being dwindled down to nothing. “Rest is the last thing I need, but you’re welcome to try. Hope you’re packing more muscle than you let on. I can get wily.” She tried to joke warmly with the tom. Even tried to smile a bit. Ultimately, the gesture fell short, almost coming off as a grimace.

In the end, she settled down, tucking her legs beneath her and tried to keep the bile in her throat from rising any further. She missed the feeling of being on top of the world rather than the bottom. But for now it will have to do. Like Doegaze always said, you never truly know how to fight until it’s all you can do. And right now, that’s what it felt like.

Harepaw | Apprentice of DuskClan | Small, Hickory & Cream Female | Location: DuskClan Camp | Mentions: Dustpelt, Weaselflight, Owlfeather

Harepaw had tried to slip around to the outskirts of camp. She had been trying to avoid everyone’s eyes as of late, and Dustpelt was no exception. Before she could even continue to her little hideaway, the sound of pawsteps on damp grass caused her to freeze, gilded copper eyes darted towards the sound coming her way. Her ears dipped and she nods to the blithe tom in greeting. She didn’t bother to actually answer him, as she doubted she had a choice in the matter.

She did hope it was dry today. At least a little bit. The smell of rain and mud simply reminded her of numbness now rather than her adventure with Dustpelt or the time she had met Clovershine, her half-sister, when Harepaw and her newly opened eyes stumbled free of the nursery with full intent on exploration. Now it reminded her of bone chilling coldness and Cherrysong’s rosy brown pelt smeared in muck.

She inhaled and blinked harshly, eyes darting to the fresh kill pile. The thought of eating now didn’t sit well with her. Not now. She shook her head and sat on damp soil and poking blades of grass, her tongue rasping over her disheveled fur. She hadn’t bothered to even shake the moss free from the tresses or take the time to untangle them. For somecat so dedicated to appearing immaculate in terms of appearance, this was a new low. But for now, she’d be content looking as if she had just crawled from the depths of some unknown carrion place.

Owlfeather|Duskclan|Deputy|36 Moons Old|Siamese She-Cat|Location: Camp|Mention(s) Directly: Blackstar, Redeye, Mothpaw|Mention(s) Indirectly: Fleetwhisper

Owlfeather had looked up, as Blackstar, Redeye, and Mothpaw came out of the medicine cat den. The she-cat had sat up, as the three cats came over to her. 'What is going on?' the siamese she-cat had wondered, as the leader, warrior, and medicine cat apprentice came and settled down around her. The deputy had wrapped her tail, around her paws and listed to Redeye telling them about his findings.
Owlfeather sat for a few moments, after the white tom had finished speaking. Her eyes narrowed and looked to the ground, as she processed the toms words. Looking to Blackstar, Owlfeather started to speak, "I think that for now we should have more patrols, keep an eye on the traps and the area around it. If there is really something.... big out there, we should be able to spot it, if we keep an eye on the area the Two-legs suspect it to be in." The deputy looked to her leader, would Blackstar agree?
As the she-cat waited for the black one eyed toms response, her gaze drifted to Mothpaw. It had been quite a while since Fleetwhisper had disappeared, nobody knew where the medicine cat was. Maybe the she-cat could speak with Mothpaw, but then again, the apprentice was still pretty young, should she and would it be fair to the young tom, to ask for his advice? Letting out a slight sigh, the siamese deputy sat up a bit straighter.
Looking to the entrance of the camp, the she-cat emagined that somewhere out there was a big... thing, that even the two-legs feared. It felt preposterous, what possibly could be out there that could be so dangerous? Then again, if that thing had killed Cherrysong and the two Dawnclan cats, then maybe there was some merit to Redeyes theory.

Flamepaw|Dawnclan|Apprentice|13 Moons Old|Ginger She-Cat|Location: Camp|Mention(s) Directly: OPEN|Mention(s) Indirectly: Foxpaw, Scorchwing, Mothpaw

The ginger tabby she-cat finished her squirrel and, as she was cleaning herself, looked around the camp. Many cats were now out and about, as the apprentice watched, Famepaw noticed her littermate being taken out by her mentor. It did not seem like they were heading off to hunt or train, what were they going to do? Flamepaw wondered. As she stood up, to bury the leftover bones, the ginger apprentice noticed Scorchwing sitting next to Falconstrike. Picking up the squirrel bones, Flamepaws mind was elsewhere. Ever since Sunspots and Dewmist had been found dead, Flamepaw had not trained. It felt strange, normally she would be out hunting on such a nice day.
After she was done, getting rid of the bones, Flamepaw just sat down on a nice dry spot. She was glad, to see that the camp was starting to get dry. Like so many times in the last days, her mind wandered to Mothpaw. How was he doing? Was Duskclan also suffering under the death of one of their clan mate? Flamepaw wanted nothing more then to see her friend. Friend, where they really friends? Flamepaws mind sort of stopped, as she wondered this. The she-cats brain started to hurt. Flopping down on the ground, she moved her paws to the top of the head and started to scratch her head ruffly. As she moved her paws away, the fur on Flamepaws head was ruffled and tangled. Now her fur looked even worse than normal, letting out a heavy sigh, Flamepaw glared daggers at a small black rock in front of her.

Gingerstar | DawnClan Leader | 48 Moons | Mollie | Camp | Umbraclaw; Foxpaw

Gingerstar lay prone near the entrance to her den, still engulfed by the darkness of the arching latticework of roots and earth. Her pale coat had been perfectly groomed half a hundred times over in the past two days- both to eliminate the constant muddiness but also as an obsessive behavior she had long since developed as a manifestation of her anxiety, a method of hiding or venting the emotion without showing it nearly so much as she would if she held it in or spoke her feelings [overrated, who does that?]. Now, with the easing of the rain, her coat was only slightly brown around the legs and belly.

She stared out at the clan in dead silence. Umbraclaw had been expending her energy on patrols left and right, and Gingerstar had mixed feelings on this. It meant that she had very little time to explore on her own, to see if she could track back that... shadow. Her piercing gaze turned sharply towards the entrance when Umbraclaw slipped back inside with Foxpaw travelling just a bit behind her.

She was aware that they had been in conflict lately, but headstrong as Foxpaw was, Gingerstar thought that Umbraclaw was giving into the apprentice's nonsense too easily. Mentor and apprentice relationships were... well they were almost built to be strained. She had never known an apprentice who did not rebel against their mentor. StarClan knew that she had tried Umbraclaw's father beyond both of their breaking points for moons and moons. They had fought incessantly, and if anything it had made Gingerstar that much more a better warrior. She didn't think that a few days after a trauma any real decisions by either cat would be logic based. But all the same, it was not her choice. Her tail flicked, waiting for Umbraclaw to approach her.
If you ask too many questions, or seek too much approval, nothing ever gets done


---

Weaselflight | DuskClan Warrior | 21 Moons | Tom | River Rocks | Dustpelt; Harepaw; Redeye

Weaselflight had not slept much recently. Dustpelt was both a help and a hindrance to this fact. Having his nearness was soothing, and helped the nervous tom to fall asleep when his anxieties were causing trouble. However, the staying asleep was questionable. Dustpelt was an... enthusiastic sleeper. Generally sometime just after moonhigh the dusty colored tom would roll into his nest and begin pummeling him in a mix of kneading, kicking, and general twitching and shifting of position. Weak hearted as Weaselflight was for Dustpelt, the smaller tom would never dare to disturb his friend's sleep by pushing him from the nest (now this is not to say that it would wake him up, Dustpelt slept deeper than a bear in hibernation). Instead, he just made do by kinda sitting himself on Dustpelt's flailing limbs, or by arching away from them at the edges of the nest.

All the same, when it was paired with his inability to sleep in the first place, it left him more tired than usual. He was still half asleep when Dustpelt shoved his head into the den and yowled that they were going on a patrol. Frantically, the tom hauled himself out of his nest, stumbling out of the den and giving a very small yelp of pain when his front paw touched the ground. It was still swollen, more than yesterday, and was leaking a pale off-white liquid from around where his claw had been. He grimaced, pressing the paw to the ground and wincing as it smarted with pain. After he pushed a little more down, and it seemed to have cleared itself up a little more, the pressure was less painful. He looked around for Dustpelt, catching sight of the tom over with Harepaw, intercepting Redeye by the deputy and leader.

His eyes perked up when he caught sight of Mothpaw over there as well. The apprentice was what seemed to be the only Medicine Cat they would have left- Fleetwhisper's disappearance was... less than boding well for DuskClan. He approached them at a well paced hobble, trying to keep the weight off of his hurt toes by angling his foot. He missed most of what Redeye had said, but flopped himself down next to Dustpelt and Harepaw, close enough to hear what would be said next. His little paw throbbed again and he sighed.

"Dustpelt," he interjected hesitantly, "D-do you t-think that M-M-Mothpaw would know what to do a-about this?" He lifted up his infected foot, eyeing it for a second before dropping it to the ground and glancing over at Harepaw as well. The little mollie had seemed to deflate in the days after Cherrysong's death, and though she was not his apprentice he could sense the worry that rolled off of Dustpelt and that made him anxious for her as well.
Better safe than sorry

Blackstar|Leader of Duskclan|One eyed Black Tom|Location: Camp|Mentions: Redeye, Mothpaw, Owlfeather, Vulturepaw, Sootpaw, Dustpelt, Harepaw

As the cats around him spoke, Blackstar listened with a soft gaze, clearly thinking of the different options the cats presented. Finally, after Mothpaw spoke the tip of his tail twitched and his eye widened, taking them all in more clearly.
"It is, good to hear news that is beneficial, and not a detriment to the clan." He mewed softly, turning his gaze on Redeye.
"I'm going to look past the fact that you seem to have discovered this alone." Though his tone was level, it was clear Blackstar may still have words for the tom for breaking the rule he had put into place about venturing out into the forest alone. His gaze then turned back to Mothpaw.
"This may go along with what you have seen. If Starclan is sending us a sign about a darkness overtaking the cats, perhaps it does have to do with the two-leg traps after all." His tail twitched again, it was clear he did not want to put anymore cats in danger, yet the potential to discover what was causing the tension that lay across their terrain was to enticing to pass up.
"Mothpaw. I need you to go to Dawnclan." His eye closed for a second, as if this wasn't exactly his first choice.
"Right now, you are the medicine-cat for Duskclan, and therefore they are far less likely to take offence to our presence if you are the one to go. We need to know if they have seen anything odd in their territory as well, and Ravenblaze may be able to help your vision as well." His muzzle curled slightly as if it were a rather unpleasant thing to say, but he continued despite it.
Take Adder-" He paused again, the name of their missing messenger fading from his tongue. There were less and less warriors to spare at the moment. His gaze flickered across the camp, landing upon Dustpelt and in turn, Harepaw. The tom had mentioned the young she-cats swiftness, and how similar it had been to Adderflights. He had praised her so much as to say she should have been the messengers apprentice all along. He detested sending two apprentices alone, but he trusted the young cats speed, and had the dark feeling that Mothpaw would be taking on more than the responsibility of traveling with a younger cat soon.
"Harepaw!" He raised his voice to the cat lurking just outside their group.
"I need you to accompany Mothpaw to Dawnclan. I do not want you taking any risks, so if you see or hear anything suspicious come right back. If Dawnclan looks for a fight, I want you to run. I don't trust them, but even I don't think Gingerstar would attack two young cats." He nodded at the two, shifting his gaze to the other warriors who had neared.
"Dustpelt, Redeye, take Vulturepaw and do a full border patrol. Owlfeather, take Weaselflight-" He glanced at the tom, who was favoring one of his paws.
"If hes up for it, and Sootpaw and go check out the traps, make sure nothing is amiss. If any cat finds anything unusual-" His gaze scanned each warrior, narrowing faintly.
"I want you to report back here. Do not take any chances, we still do not know what we are dealing with, if we are dealing with something unusual at all." Blackstars claws kneaded the earth. The information of the morning had changed the patrols, and he glanced at Owlfeather with a faint nod of his head, showing appreciation for her, hoping she would take it in stride.

Dustpelt|Warrior of Duskclan|Leggy Calico Tom|Location: Duskclan Territory|Mentions: Weaelflight, Harepaw, Blackstar, Redeye

Dustpelts tail twitched at Harepaws less than excited movement for the patrol, but did not say anything for a moment. Instead, he leaned forward, giving the she-cat a few swift rasps across the head to dislodge some bedding.
"I can show you a secret spot by the lake if we make it that way." He purred mischeviously, hoping the prospect would at least light some of the curiosity in the she-cat. He moved away to let her finish grooming, but only made a few steps before Weaselflight made his way over, looking far more tired than usual. As the tom flopped down and made his inquiry, Dustpelt couldn't help but give a snort of exasperation.
"That looks, painful!" He shook his head as if he could feel the wound himself, then lowered, peering at it with a grimace. He was never one for wounds, and he was always impressed the medicine-cats could handle such problems without so much as a twitch of the whiskers.
"I'm sure he can! You should have mentioned it earlier, I would have gotten you something." He huffed, half annoyed at himself for not noticing his friends pain before now. He let his tail twitch against Weaselflights flank for a moment in apology and reassurance, before his ears pricked, listening to Blackstar as he addressed the trio that lurked nearby.
Harepaw? His eyes glanced at his apprentice, curious. She was still so young, he wondered what Blackstar was thinking sending her and Mothpaw. Sure they were less target for Dawnclan, but if there was something in the forest; his fur quivered slightly. Even still, he just nodded at Blackstar in acknowledgement, listening to the duties being addressed. Turning towards Redeye, he nodded to show the white warrior would lead, the leaned over to Weaselflight.
"I'm sure no one would judge you if you stayed, that paw looks rough. But if not, you might want to catch Mothpaw before he leaves." He mewed quietly, his eyes scanning his friend, unable to hide the faint worry he had whenever they went on separate patrols. It seemed all the cats he wanted to keep together would be in different parts of the forest today.



Foxpaw|Apprentice of Dawnclan|Small Ginger Tabby She-cat|Location: Camp |Mentions: Gingerstar, Umbraclaw

Even Foxpaw couldn't help but feel a bit of intimidation as they neared their leader, her eyes averting slightly as she looked at Gingerstar. Umbraclaw, who had been silent for a while had started to speak again, and Foxpaw acknowledged the words with a twitch of her ear. She didn't exactly get why this was happening, and she didn't know exactly what to say, stuck between her leader and deputy. Her claws kneaded the earth for a moment, the prickling in her pelt was back before she finally spoke.
"I don't care." She growled, trying not to bristle again, though her tail lashed back and forth across the earth.
"If Umbraclaw doesn't want to mentor me, then fine." She pushed herself up from her crouch, willing herself to look at both cats, trying to keep her face calm but unable to stop her muzzle from twitching slightly.
"I don't care." She repeated, taking a deep breath and steadying herself. Part of her had always liked the fact that she had the deputy as her mentor, but lately she wondered if she wasn't better off with a cat who was willing to fight tooth and claw for their clan, not just with words. Still, she held her tongue, holding her head higher now. She wasn't going to react, she didn't need anything, she would become the strongest warrior on her own if she had to, and then she would be able to get back at any cat who caused her, and her clan trouble.

Sootpaw | Duskclan Apprentice | 13 moons | Small, gray tabby tom | Location: Duskclan Camp | Mentions: (Direct) Vulturepaw, Owlfeather, Weaselflight (Indirect) Harepaw, Mothpaw, Blackstar

Sootpaw had picked out a small vole, his sudden hunger blocking out the bustle of the camp, when he heard Vulturepaw speak. Looking around, he realized that patrols were being organized. He sighed, "Yes, I suppose we should." Sootpaw quickly tore into his meal, not noticing Vulturepaw's lack of interest in his own prey. With the vole swallowed down, Sootpaw tuned in to what was being said and realized that he had just been assigned to a patrol. With a quick "See ya" to Vulturepaw, the gray tom padded to Owlfeather's side, feeling much more energized than he had earlier this morning. Sootpaw hadn't really gotten a good look at these traps before, so he was interested in getting the chance to investigate them now.

However, as much as he liked this duty, he was a little jealous that Harepaw and Mothpaw would be venturing into Dawnclan's territory. Sootpaw always wondered what it was like over there. Were their forests any different than those in Duskclan, with strange prey and cats that lived in trees? He had never actually heard a rumor about Dawnclan living in trees, but he liked to entertain the thought from time to time. They certainly acted as though they lived high above Duskclan, at least that's the impression he got on the few occasions he was around any of the lot. Hmm. He wondered, if they actually lived in trees, would they get pecked at by the birds each morning? He could imagine hearing annoyed cats yowling and hissing in the treetops as furious little birds tried to chase them from their branches. Hehe.

Sootpaw's thoughts finally returned to the present, and he stared at Weaselflight expectantly, waiting to see if the warrior would be able to join them or not.

Owlfeather|Duskclan|Deputy|36 Moons Old|Siamese She-Cat|Location: |Mention(s) Directly: Blackstar, Sootpaw|Mention(s) Indirectly: Weasleflight, Vulturepaw, Redeye

Owlfeathers focus shifted back to Blackstar, as the leader spoke. She did not feel any sort of anger or anything else, when the leader gave them his orders. Nodding her head in response, the siames she-cat sat up and first looked to Sootpaw and then to Weasleflight. Before Sootpaw could reach his mentors side, Owlfeather remembered something. Once the young tom stopped next to Owlfeather, the she-cat looked down at him, "Do you mind going over and checking if Weasleflight will come with us, I need to speak with Blackstar about something", the deputy told her apprentice.
Turning back to Blackstar, the deputy cleared her throat, to get the one eyed toms attention. "Blackstar", the she-cat started, "With all of the events of the last days, I forgot to give my report on Sootpaws assessment." Looking to the young tom, as he went off. A smile came to the deputies face, "I am happy to report that he passed. He was able to catch a squirrel and a duck. After this he fought with Redeye and although this was cut short, he did well to hold his own. After I ordered Sootpaw to return with Vulturpaw back to camp, he did this and took care of the younger apprentice on the way, he then also reported what had happened. I believe that he has proven to be a capable young tom and I recommend him to become a warrior", Owlfeather reported, she was proud to give the leader all of this information. To her it only proved, that Sootpaw was ready and able to become a warrior. Sitting down, the deputy waited on Blackstars response.

Flamepaw|Dawnclan|Apprentice|13 Moons Old|Ginger She-Cat|Location: Camp|Mention(s) Directly: OPEN|Mention(s) Indirectly: Umbraclaw, Scorchwing, Foxpaw, Gingerstar

Flamepaw watched the camp, from her secluded spot. The young ginger she-cat head lifted up, as she noticed Foxpaw and Umbraclaw going over to Gingerstar and talking to the leader. From her sisters body language, Flamepaw could tell that something was wrong. What was going on? Flamepaw wondered, sitting up and trying to strain her ears to see if she could overhear something. Barely any words made it to the young she-cats ears, the only words that really reached her was, "Umbraclaw don't want mentor". Flamepaw cocked her head to the left side, that did not make any sense. Flamepaw mulled the words over, until a light bulb went off. Umbraclaw does not want to be Foxpaws mentor, Flamepaw released with a start.
The ginger tabby apprentice looked down at her paws, as young she-cats claws started to scrape grooves into the ground. She sort of understood the deputy, Foxpaw had rushed over the river like a made fox and then even flung herself at the Dusckclan cats. It could've gone very badly. Wait, was Flamepaw also going to be punished, she also rushed over the river. She did not attack anyone, but she did threaten that white tom. Flamepaw looked to Scorchwing, with concern. Was her mentor just waiting to talk to Gingerstar too? Wait, didn't Gingerstar want to talk with her and Sorchwing about something?
Flamepaw got to her legs and started to walk in a sort of rough figure 8, her white tail tip was twitching back and forth. The young tabby ginger apprentice wanted to run, pausing and looking to the camp entrance, she shook her head. No, she would only get into trouble, if she was not already in trouble. Letting out a sigh, Flamepaw started to walk again. Her blue eyes would dart between Scorchwing and Gingerstar, as she continued.

Harepaw | Apprentice of DuskClan | Small, Hickory & Cream Female | Location: DuskClan Camp | Mentions: Dustpelt, Blackstar [Direct] Mothpaw [Indirect]

Harepaw winced, startled by Dustpelt’s helpful gesture, but didn’t stop her own grooming for that. Only after he mentioned a secret did she react. Her mirthless copper irises darted to his own eyes, staring for a moment before she sighed, taking the very obvious, but very appreciated bait. “Sure.” It wasn’t much verbalization, but it was better than silence for an answer. And better than her usual outbursts.

The mention of the secret did spark somewhat of her former carefree interest. Though the thought of finding another member of her family bobbing lifelessly in a body of water didn’t make her feel any better. Thankfully, a booming call for her dragged her from the morose thoughts. She lifted her head a bit higher, her ears perking as she trotted closer almost hesitantly. Her breath caught in her throat. A trip through the swampland of a territory? To their enemy? With a medicine cat? The very thought caused her fur to lift along the ridge of her spine. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish. Why her? Adderflight was missing, sure, but she was young! And stupid! And had the worst luck with fate, apparently.

She jerked her head towards Dustpelt, practically begging him without words to interject. What if she failed? She was quick on her feet and with her wits, but was Mothpaw? She wouldn’t lead her Clanmate to the badger den and leave him there! The thought made her feel sick again. She slunk forward slowly, dragging her paws as she tried to form any intelligent excuses. I’m an apprentice! Surely I’m not the best choice. Shouldn’t I hunt instead? About a million justifications for her refusal ran through her mind, but none seem to make it out of her throat.

Once the orders had been given she slunk closer to her leader, obvious worry on her dainty features. “Blackstar, I think you’ve made a mistake,” she meowed, her voice low and eyes averted to her paws. “Don’t you think that you should send someone more… capable?” Her eyes darted to the medicine cat apprentice for a moment. She doubted she’d ever be able to forgive herself if she ended up being the young tom’s downfall. And, in turn, the Clans. He was, after all, the only one with healing knowledge.