Ravenblaze | Dawnclan Medicine Cat | 25 Moons | White Green-Eyed Tom | Camp |Mentions: Gingerstar, Hornetpaw(ID)

Gingerstar | DawnClan Leader | 36 Moons | Mollie | Camp | Ravenblaze; Hornetpaw

Gingerstar turned back to Ravenblaze with a piercing glower. "Apprentices," she said coolly, "should be under their mentor's watch at all times. Regardless of age or 'status'. Former warrior apprentice or not, Hornetpaw is no more useful than any other apprentice is- he is not to leave camp without your express permission and supervision."

She returned her gaze to the wall, her fur prickling with irritation at how bloody calm the medicine cat was being about it. She almost would have rather he panicked than... whatever this was. Irritating, that's what it was. Frustrating. Not helpful, like she would have preferred. Only fools pretended to keep an air of calm about them in these situations... it was better he take his foolhardy 'calmness' and stow it in his medicine den with the rest of his ridiculous profession. StarClan's chosen or not- Gingerstar did not have to like him.

"We need to figure out the meaning of this little... situation," she grumbled, her voice low and gravelly, "it is not something to be taken lightly. Perhaps a bit of silent 'contemplation' on your behalf would be more helpful to us than jabbering about it in front of the clan. When Umbraclaw returns, maybe then we can get something done around here."

Though her own voice was pissy and disregarding of the sign, she had certainly been hit by the medicine cat's words. She did not like what the connotations were... perhaps an outright, preemptive strike on their behalf would save them grief in the future.


---

Weaselflight | DuskClan Warrior | 21 Moons | Tom | DuskClan Territory | Dustpelt; Redeye; Harepaw

Weaselflight nearly jumped out of his skin when Redeye snarled at him about the trap. He bounced backwards, tail raising in fear and fluffing up wildly. His pupils had dilated and his fur stood on end, and his comically large ears were in turn as pricked as they possibly could be. He crouched, now back behind the rest of the cats, and stared worriedly at the trap as his two companions stepped closer.

"W-w-we shouldn't t-touch it," he echoed Redeye's words, starting to slowly slick his fur back down now that it was obvious there was no immediate threat that the trap presented. All the same, his cautious nature kept him far, far away from the cold metal contraption. His eyes flicked to Dustpelt hesitantly, pessimistic nature rising up in the thoughts of it's most definitely not a mistake, and we're all going to be captured.

"I-if it's not a m-m-mistake," the little tom stammered, his speech impediment aggravated by the shock he'd just received, "We n-need to figure out h-how to disarm it... or at least how to avoid them. We n-need to talk to the c-clan, don't we?" His skittish self just wanted to run back to camp and let another cat, preferably a bigger cat, deal with it. But, for all his terror, he would never do something that put the rest of his clan in danger, and so he would stay here until someone else made a choice.
Better safe than sorry

⇺ [ Hornetpaw ] ⇻
18 Moons |:| Male |:| DawnClan |:| Medicine Cat Apprentice
Location - Outside Camp |:| Mentions - Foxpaw, Larkclaw, Umbraclaw (Direct) / Ginderstar, Ravenblaze (Indirect)

"Indeed he did," Hornetpaw agreed grimly with Larkclaw's final statement, and those were the last words to leave his mouth for the entirety of the trip back to camp. He did as Umbraclaw requested, walking beside Foxpaw at the rear of the group, keeping an eye on their surroundings for signs of an intruder. Every step they took filled him with dread. The forest felt tarnished, and he half-expected something to leap out at them any given moment, yet they made it back unscathed.

Now in the safety of the camp, his eyes strayed to Mousefur's motionless form once more as he was gently laid on the ground, gasps of shock and hushed meows filling his ears as the rest of the Clan reacted to the dreadful scene. He assumed Umbraclaw would be the one to seek out Gingerstar and he remained beside the corpse, keeping the others at bay for the time being. Gingerstar and Ravenblaze may want to examine the body themselves considering the death was suspicious and they couldn't risk any potential evidence being disturbed.

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

⇺ [ Redeye ] ⇻
36 Moons |:| Male |:| DuskClan |:| Warrior
Location - Outside Camp |:| Mentions - Harepaw, Dustpelt, Weaselflight (Direct) / Blackstar (Indirect)

“Why do two-legs do anything? Their logic doesn’t have to make sense to us. I’ve seen what they can do. This is no mistake,” he insisted vehemently, tail lashing. Only Weaselflight appeared to be practicing the right amount of caution, Dustpelt and Harepaw both creeping a bit closer. “It won’t be easy to disarm. Do you see that gray thing, right there near the back?” He motioned to a slab of metal with a paw, slightly risen above the bottom of the cage. “You’d need to step on that to get at the food, and once you do, it’ll trap you inside.”

Though Dustpelt was quick to reassure he didn’t doubt his knowledge, Redeye still appeared exasperated. “Just because it’s never been a problem before doesn’t mean it won’t be a problem now. The best we can do is inform Blackstar and hope no other cat stumbles upon it before we can spread the news. Let’s get away from this place before anything else has a chance to happen,” he suggested, already turning toward the direction of camp.

Larkclaw
15 Moons || Female || DawnClan Warrior
Location: Outside Camp || Mentions: Hornetpaw, Foxpaw, Umbraclaw, Ravenblaze, Gingerstar, Mousefur (NPC)

Larkclaw’s eyes wandered briefly over to Foxpaw when she heard the apprentice speak, and she wanted to ask what the young cat meant. But her own thoughts felt like they were bouncing from one side of her head to the other, and she decided that questions could be asked once they got back to camp.

The tabby’s attention came back to Umbraclaw and she nodded in response. Mousefur definitely should be buried in the traditional way. After a bit of awkward nudging and shrugging, they managed to get Mousefur’s body balanced across their backs, and they began to make the silent trek back to camp. It felt like it took twice as long as usual, with every sound making her ears twitch to make sure it wasn’t a threat.

Once they reached camp, they carefully laid Mousefur in the center. Even though some of the messenger’s blood had soiled her coat, she made no move to wash it. Instead she stayed close to Hornetpaw, answering her Clanmate’s questions as best she could and encouraging them to keep back until Ravenblaze and Gingerstar could take a look and access the situation.

Dustpelt|Warrior of Duskclan|Leggy Calico Tom|Location: Duskclan Camp|Mentions: Redeye, Harepaw, Weaselflight, Clan/Blackstar

Dustpelt felt his head bob with Redeyes words in agreement, pausing in his approach of the trap to turn, glancing from Weaselflights worried face to Redeyes retreating tail. With a last glance at the innocently gllittering metal, he shrugged his shoulders and began to follow the older warrior.
"C'mon Harepaw." He made sure to watch his apprentice as the group returned back into the depths of the forest to return back to the camp. The mood felt far more serious than it had earlier. Dogs and two-legs were one thing, but this new phenomenon could only spell trouble on the horizon.
~
As Dustpelt slipped into the camp, he uncharacteristically didn't say much as he scanned for Blackstar's familiar pelt, finding the dark tom resting on the lower of the clan meeting rocks, where the deputy usually sat. glancing at his compatriots, he paused, knowing perhaps not all of them needed to address the leader.
"Harepaw, go and get yourself some prey. You've had a busy day, I'll make sure Blackstar knows how well you did avoiding a dog." Sure, Dustpelt hadn't actually seen Harepaws navigating, but it was clear from his distracted gaze it was to make the apprentice feel less slighted about being sent off. With that, he padded forward, hoping Redeye would be able to best explain the situation.




Foxpaw|Apprentice of Dawnclan|Small Ginger Tabby She-cat|Location: Clan Borders|Mentions: Hornetpaw, Larkclaw, Umbraclaw

Foxpaw followed the group, until they entered the camp, her gaze twitching between Mousefur in faint fascination, and glaring at the earth. As they neared, she split slightly, away from the cats who would inevitably be swarmed with confused and curious clanmates. she did not however, stray far. Though her earlier indiscretion at the rocks had been rather forgotten in the wake of the tragedy they discovered, she knew to push the warriors only so far. Instead, she lurked nearby with her ears twitching to listen to the conversations, but her gaze on Umbraclaw and then to where she could just seen Gingerstar's pelt from the medicine-cat den.
The sound of the clan was not easy to miss, and she knew that Gingerstar would perhaps emerge before they even had time to go and fetch her, which was perhaps for the best. It would be difficult to talk in privacy about such matters, and Foxpaw felt Gingerstar would put a stop to any concerns, and tell them what to do, and how they would go about finding the culprit, and seeking revenge.

Gingerstar | DawnClan Leader | 36 Moons | Mollie | Camp | Ravenblaze; Hornetpaw; Umbraclaw; Larkclaw; Mousefur [NPC]

Gingerstar would have added something else to her words if a commotion in the camp's center had not interrupted her thoughts. Her ears pinned flat to her skull when she turned, irritation spiking up in her. She opened her mouth to snap something, but the thick scents of blood and fear rolled into her throat before she could speak. She felt a cold shiver drifting down her spine, and she shoved herself from the den, flipping her ears up into a dominant and confident position, her tail held out straight upright but smooth all the same. Her fearsome multicolored eyes fell upon the messenger's body, and she bared her teeth.

"What is the meaning of this," she snarled, her voice cool and low but not totally accusing, more of a statement or an order than a question. She pushed her way through the growing ring of cats, heart pounding considerably faster. For a moment she even wondered if it was loud enough for everyone else to see, but quickly dismissed that as foolish. Now was not the time for anxieties, it was time for action and discovery. She crouched down beside Mousefur's corpse, carefully inspecting his wounds and his body, not medically gifted enough to tell much about it other than the obvious. She could feel anger bubbling up in her chest- anger was a more warranted reaction than the sadness that she was certain most of the clan was feeling.

She waited for an explanation, piercing gaze scanning the clan for anything that might clue her in on what had happened to one of their highest ranking cats, and thinking about what could be done to rectify the situation that they were left with. A dead messenger, no trainee, and an omen of death to come.
If you ask too many questions, or seek too much approval, nothing ever gets done

Gingerstar | DawnClan Leader | 36 Moons | Mollie | Camp | Ravenblaze; Hornetpaw; Umbraclaw; Larkclaw; Mousefur [NPC]; Cloudburst

Gingerstar's attention was torn from Umbraclaw and the rest of the clan cats when Cloudburst turned to her, grief driven fury as intense as any the leader had ever seen. Her tail lashed, a tiny pin prick of sympathy flickering into her gaze as she recalled that the heavily pregnant queen was standing before the father of her unborn kits. She stood a moment, listening to her protests and her anger, letting it flow from the queen for a few long moments before speaking. She turned her gaze to Ravenblaze and Hornetpaw. "Hornetpaw," she ordered coldly, "Escort Cloudburst to the medicine den."

It was not spite that fueled her decision about the queen's presence, nor anything to do with her little theory about the DuskClan cat's potential involvement. Rather, it was the recollection of something she had overheard a long time ago, when Umbraclaw's mother was pregnant. Any type of stress or extreme emotion that could trigger a depression was potentially catastrophic to an unborn litter, and if there was anything that Cloudburst needed least of all it was to lose her litter, the only connection to Mousefur that she would have left in this world. She knew that her statement would only rile the queen more, but she hoped that by removing her from the situation she would give Hornetpaw and Ravenblaze time to calm her- be it with herbs or with threats about the potential dangers. She wasn't totally sure if Hornetpaw would be capable of handling the high strung she-cat on his own, but she needed Ravenblaze at her side to examine the body now and could not spare him.

She locked eyes with the tear-blurred gaze of Cloudburst for a moment, but the sympathy had been overrun by determination. The skies had spoken, and so had the earth. Mousefur was dead, and DuskClan had something to do with it. A small kindle of resentment in her chest knew it. "Calm her down, I don't care how you do it," she finished, breaking gaze from the other female. She hoped that Cloudburst knew even just a little that Gingerstar would not dare let another get away with this crime... if any cat in the clan could assure that justice was taken it was Gingerstar.
If you ask too many questions, or seek too much approval, nothing ever gets done


[Apologies if this is a little too realistic or somethin, it was just something I had read recently that I figured might make a bit of action for Hornetpaw to deal with. He could probably give her Thyme to quell the shock, and Poppy Seeds to calm her energy but that might lead to conflict bc it would stop her from the final sharing of tongues etc. If you want me to change this just let me know on the main board <3]

The Road so Far

Time are tense in the forest. After the death of Mousefur at the claws of an unknown assailant, the clan was thrown into a new more wary existence.
Gingerstar, ever calculating, listened to her Deputies words carefully, agreeing with the she-cat that the area needed to be examined more closely, least they miss any potential clues to Mousefurs assailant. On top of this, she makes sure to have Ravenblaze and Hornetpaw do what they do best, and examine the deceased cat, their expert eyes knowing the signs of how a cat falls.
Before escorting a grieving Cloudburst to the medicine-cat den, Hornetpaw notices that while the dark fur in Mousefur's claws could be from a cat, it seems off somehow. Longer and denser than usual. This is however, only shared in hushed tones with Ravenblaze, sharing the misgivings that Duskclan was the culprit. As things settle, Ravenblaze prepares to bury Mousefur.
Umbraclaw, with the permission of the leader leads a small patrol of cats back to the scene, investigating the area. Interestingly, it seems as if two-legs had been nearby in their short absence, making some of the scents muddled. There is still a lingering scent trail at the scene, unfamiliar except for its appearance around the territory lately. The trail leads towards the south, angling towards the river border with Duskclan and the Cavern near the two-leg place. Nearing the river border yields the scent to vanish in the slightly swampy terrain, and overpowering two-leg scents.
Umbraclaw and Swiftclaw, upon losing the scent will notice however that the forest seems stiller than normal, and its difficult to tell if its their paranoia of the two-leg camp site, or the abandoned nest and cavern that lurks just south of the trees, or something else.
As the night begins, the cats on patrol return, and the clan mourns their lost messenger. Gingerstar decides against telling Duskclan of the death, as she would prefer definitive proof that they didn't have anything to do with the incident.
As the next two days pass, patrols increase along the Duskclan border, and cats are to go out in pairs. Ravenblaze and Hornetpaw get some fighting tips, Umbraclaw offers cloudburst condolences and comfort. On the third day, prey remains are found near the river border, and the report is brought to Gingerstar, along with reports of two-legs messing about in the forest.

And thus a new day begins.


As Redeye informs Blackstar of the traps, his anxieties rile several of the cats, many who still have firm Rogue roots. The news seems to perturb the leader, and while he shares the white cats nerves, knows there is a time and place for panic. He eases the white tom's worries as much as he can, and while he won't be chased from their home so easily, knows better than to take the threat lightly. He instructs Fleetwhisper to keep an eye on Redeye however, seeing the odd look in the strange cats eyes.
A meeting is held, and Duskclan is warned of the danger of the traps, and how to be cautious of them despite their innocent appearance. He tells the clan of Fernfoot's disappearance at the hands of the two-legs, but assures the clan he will do his best to find the missing warrior. He instructs cats to go out in pairs, as well as avoid two-legs at all costs. This causes the clan to have more difficulty hunting, as it is the height of the two-leg season.
He also decides to wait to tell Dawnclan about the traps, in case he appears weak to their neighbors.
In the two days, the clan sees many two-legs, and two new traps in the territory. At one of the traps, a raccoon was found but the next time it was seen, it was empty and innocent as ever.
As a new day starts, things seem tense, as if a storm is waiting to break on the horizon.

Owlfeather|Duskclan|Deputy|Siamese She-Cat|Location: Medicine cat den-camp|Mention(s) Directly: Blackstar, Fleetwhisper, OPEN|Mention(s) Indirectly: Fernfoot, Duskclan

Owlfeather sat in her nest, the deputy still sleeped in the healers den. She had only been two days in the medicine cat den, but that already felt like an eternity. The she-cat tentatively moved her leg back and forth, trying out her shoulder. The deputy could still feel a pull in her shoulder, but it was not painful. Maybe she could finally move back to the warriors den and get back to her duties, the she-cat let out a huff.
Looking to the entrance, the she-cat wanted nothing more then to go out on patrol. Several things had happened in the last days, most of which the she-cat had of course missed. Fleetwhisper had allowed Owlfeather to at least sit in the entrance of the medicine cat den, when Blackstar held the meeting. The siamese she-cats claws gripped her nest tightly, as she remembered the Duskclan leader informing the clan of Fernfoots capture. Looking around, the deputy tried to see if she could make out the medicine cats frame. "Fleetwhisper?", Owlfeather tentatively called out. The deputy perked her ears, to make out a sound. No response came.
Taking another look at her shoulder- the wound she had gotten from the dog, luckily did not get infected- Owlfeather stood up. The shoulder did not hurt, good. Taking a few steps, the deputy paused. Looking around the she-cat waited to hear the commanding voice of Fleetwhisper calling her back the the nest. No voice came, letting out a sigh the siamese she-cat stepped convitently to the entrance. With only a light limp in her right leg, Owlfeather paused. Her eyes scanning the camp, the deputy searched the camp for Blackstar. Not being in the loop for the past days, has left the she-cat a bit lost on what she should do. Had patrols already been sent out?

Flamepaw|Dawnclan|Apprentice|Ginger She-Cat|Location: Camp|Mention(s) Directly: Foxpaw, OPEN|Mention(s) Indirectly: Cloudburst

Flamepaw drew her left paw over her face, the ginger tabby she-cat was sitting just outside of the apprentice den cleaning herself. Once in a while her blue eyes would flit over the camp, she was watching, just watching. This was one of her favorite things to do. Leaning down, the young apprentice started to clean her long tail. Leaning back again, Flamepaw looked across the camp, towards the nursery. Her heart went out to Cloudburst, it must be hard to lose her mate when she was this close to kitting.
Setting her paw down, the apprentice let out a sigh. What was going on? First all of the two legs had appeared and now even a warrior had been found dead. The apprentice felt confused and she hated it, the tabby ginger she-cat got to her paws. Looking into the apprentices den, the apprentice looked for her sister. "Foxpaw!", Flamepaw whisper called into the darkness. Not able to make out if Foxpaw was there or not and not hearing an answer, Flamepaw backed out of the entrance of the apprentice den. Walking over to the fresh-kill pile, the apprentice looked down at it. Prey was running well, but with all of the things going on in the forest, hunting was still hard. Leaning down, the apprentice grabbed a squirrel by its neck. Bringing it over to one of the less busy spots of the camp, Flamepaw layed down. Before she started eating though, the young she-cat looked around for her sister again.

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

At first, it didn't seem as if Blackstar was in the camp. His den was empty, and so were his usual resting places among the rocks and roots of the main camp area. Yet, tucked away in a corner of the camp, the tip of a black tail could be seen. Blackstar was wrestling with a bit of brambles, broad paws one one end as he used sharp teeth and the strength of his neck and back to press the sharp branches more securely into place around the nursery. even though they were low on kits, the action made him feel as if he were acomplishing something, and the hard work took his mind off of the threats he couldn't control, or fight.
After a few more tugs on the branches, Blackstar seemed satisfied with his work, and trotted around the edge of the den and into the clearing, his coat ruffled but in his eye, the glint of satisfaction. Upon noticing Owlfeather finally freed from the medicine-cat den, he angled directions towards her, giving a warm purr of greeting.
"Hows the shoulder?" he asked as way of greeting, giving her injury a brief glance and cautionary sniff. Even if he didn't always show it, the tom worried deeply about each member of his clan, especially his deputy.
""Think it's up for some patrolling?" He felt a twinge of regret for having to ask the injured cat, but with all the patrols and hunts the clan had been going on, it was starting to wear on them all. Blackstar knew however, that Owlfeather would want to pull her weight, and that the days spent recovering were perhaps driving her to have a bit of camp fever.


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

The sound of her sisters whisper pierced the air, and Foxpaw buried her face deeper into her flank with a groan. She didn't know how early it was, but she hadn't exaclty been sleeping well. for a moment, Foxpaw considered rolling over and returning to sleep, but even as she lay there, the thought of Umbraclaw seeing Flamepaw up and about, and herself still sleeping would not bode well for her. Even thought Umbraclaw had been on a mission to find more about the Mousefur incident, it hadn't caused her any slack in training.
Blinking open her eyes, Foxpaw regretfully uncurled from her nest and with a swift stretch and a shake, emerged blinking into the sunlight of the camp. She could see the cats who were up and about talking quietly among themselves, but she ignored them, instead her sharp glare landing onto Flamepaw, who lurked in a quiet corner of the camp, squirrel underpaw. She debated grabbing her own bit of prey, but she didn't have much of an appetite so instead she padded over with empty jaws, perching next to her kin and curling her tail around her paws.
"Any plans with Scorchwing today?" she inquired after a pause, her eyes watching the camp for any signs of her own mentor.