PT Patrol serendipity

i came, i saw, i conquered;; Elkfrost had finally taken the opportunity to lead a patrol. The forest around him was misty, hazy, but the morning sun provided ample warmth and light. The chirping of birds and chattering of squirrels echoed through the woods as the spindly tom padded forward with a proud gait. His eyes were narrowed and his tail was held high. Elkfrost took the opportunity to sniff around here and there lest he catch the scent of his clan's previous medicine cat. It had been a while since Snakewhisper's disappearance and he was beginning to have his doubts that she would ever be found in one piece, but it was the least that he could do. He believed it was a futile seach, but at least the discovery of a body could bring her to justice. Even if the elements had done her in, it was only fair to give the taciturn medicine cat a proper vigil. The idea that FireClan may have imprisoned her weighed in on his mind every now and then, but it seemed improbable. He figured that if that were the case, it would've been easy to scent traces of FireClan in and around StormClan's turf. Besides, they probably would have gloated about it by now if it had been them. FireClan was far from subtle, and they were haughty to a fault. The tom's steps came to a halt as he reached the river. A familiar sight -- one of destruction and ash -- greeted him from across the water as he saw the start of the barren territory that he had seen a couple moons earlier. It remained a sorry sight, a grave reminder of StarClan's recent cleansing. Now, though, he recognized it as most likely being the home of the newborn clan that had introduced themselves at the gathering: EmberClan. Slowly yet steadily, Elkfrost wandered along the river. He secretly hoped that an EmberClan patrol would be moving nearby -- that would liven up this otherwise dull patrol. He was intrigued by his new neighbours, from the way they had challenged tradition and formed a clan of their own, to how they seemed to live in a wasteland, to their outspokenness towards FireClan. For once, it seemed that StormClan had a potential ally, and that created a whole new world of opportunity. (OOC: Feel free to have your character be part of Elk's patrol! c: He's currently near the EmberClan border.)

Wiktor Kettel

When the opportunity to patrol came about, Cricketskip was hardly one to pass the opportunity up. Whether it was fortunate or not for anyone in the party, she had been quick to offer herself up in hopes of savoring however many days of Greenleaf they had left to enjoy. It was, after all, her favorite season and the sun was especially comforting today – not too hot but not so shaded that you couldn’t bask in its warmth. It was enough to have the she-cat purring contentedly as she skipped along the freshly made borders of their new… ally? She had missed out on attending the gathering but there was plenty of whispering in and out of camp that told enough of what had happened, that Stormclan potentially had the friendship of Emberclan. She didn’t exactly know what that warranted, lacking both in knowledge and in interest of the clan politics but among the gossip there was the threat of a possible war on the horizon and if that were the case, they would be lucky to have another clan on their side. Ahead of her, the lanky tom she knew faintly as Elkfrost had come to a stop and seemed to be staring rather wistfully off into the ugly barren territories that now hosted Emberclan. How could any cat be surviving in such a horrible looking home? The smell had to be enough to have driven any remaining prey away if they hadn’t already been killed in the smoldering of the eruption. Intrusively, Cricketskip made brought herself parallel to the tall tom and peeked up at him, admiring the way he held himself proudly. It was hard to keep pace with him, those long legs certainly gave him distance and he couldn’t have been moving any faster than a slow walk. ’He’s like a string bean…’ What was probably for the best, she kept the thought to herself and continued to steal glances his way, studying his curiously sharp and angular features while he seemed to ponder something serious. The look on his face was just so… intense, prompting Cricketskip to pry. ”What are you thinking about?” She blurted without manner, now gazing obviously at him. She never met a cat that could look so grave for no obvious reason, was he worried about Emberclan? The way he would regard their new neighbors – was there someone over there he was looking for? Worried for? ”Are you worried about Emberclan?” Was he? She hardly knew anyone within the clan, except for Moosebellow. Did he know him, too? Probably, who didn’t know of that tom? Cricketskip reflected fondly on her introduction of him, distracted from whatever she had just asked Elkfrost. Wait, what did she ask him?

Skylark trotted along behind her patrol-mates, happy to be out of camp and nearly unable to hide her eagerness at sticky-beaking across into the new EmberClan border. Elkfrost seemed to be half-heartedly searching for something, but she didn't bother to pry. Instead, she kept her own eyes and ears alert at the sign of a juicy morsel that might be dumb enough to cross paths with a patrol of cats.

It wasn't hard to see several freshly tracked and well used vole paths, and she made a mental note of where to come back when she was on a hunt.

Then they were off again. Skylark couldn't help but noticing Cricketskip's admiring glances toward Elkfrost as they moved. She allowed herself a quiet chuckle. The tom would have to be careful, or he'd have half the Clan's she-cats swooning over him. Not that she'd ever swoon of course, perfectly sensible as she was. She gave another chuckle at that thought. In any rate, there were too many things to get done in the Clan to worry about toms for the minute. The rest of the cats could worry about swooning.

Skylark wasn't prepared for the sight that seeped into view like a sick adder. Her jaunty trotting stopped short and her tail drooped. All thoughts of swooning cats left her mind. Across the river was dead. A gentle breeze carried the smell of ash to her and she instantly coughed and spluttered on it. Her eyes stung. She stepped slowly toward it until the river water lapped at her front paws. "Why?" She asked simply, more to herself than anyone else. She heard Cricketskip's questions as well, but they seemed distant compared to the destruction ahead. How could any cat survive such a thing? How could any prey? She was just as loyal as any StormClan cat, but suddenly she felt guilty for her full belly.

She looked back tentatively at the others. "Is...is there anything we can do to help them?" Her voice sounded small in her own ears. She wasn't sure why she'd even ask such a thing...StormClan had many mouths to feed and the season wasn't getting any warmer, but surely cats living in such a state must not be living happy lives.

This post rolled 14 in Perception

His gaze took in the wasteland that lay beyond the river like a plant's roots soaking up water. He was staring at everything and nothing all at once, mainly resigning himself to his thoughts — specifically, the rumination about EmberClan and the fate that had befallen FireClan.

That was, until one of his clanmates prodded at him for his thoughts. Remembering himself, he looked back at Cricketskip and Skylark. His eyes narrowed before relaxing.

"So much destruction," he mused aloud. It should've been FireClan that got this sorry piece of territory. StarClan had struck out against the fox-hearts that dared call themselves warriors, but rather than heeding an obvious divine warning, they had instead seemingly left the territory to the only cats of theirs with common sense. They were cowards, the lot of them — mice among cats. "I'm thinking about seeing how they're holding up, from one clan to another." That wasn't necessarily what he was thinking about at the present moment, but it was part of the reason why he had come all the way out here. He wouldn't say he was worried for EmberClan's safety — they seemed strong enough at the gathering even in spite of their fledgling status and the sorry state their territory was in. It was curiosity, not worry, that brought him to the border. And perhaps, if he was lucky, they would get the chance to foster healthy relations with the new clan even further. After a moment, Skylark chimed in too, asking what could be done to help them. The two seemed keen on asking questions. Elkfrost thought for a moment.

"Valerianstar did extend the offer of assisting EmberClan with prey," he recalled. "Perhaps we can take the time to hunt, and then wait for a patrol to arrive." That would nurture the unofficial alliance that had begun to blossom, no? The tabby tom had yet to encounter a patrol sent by the ash-bound clan, but considering that they had their origins in FireClan, it was safe to assume that they had kept up that tradition. How else would they protect their borders? "One of us should probably stay here in case a patrol comes while the others are still hunting. If needed be, I'd be willing to keep watch." Elkfrost was humbling himself, of course. He wanted to be the lookout because that would mean that he'd potentially have the chance to speak with EmberClan cats. He fancied himself the perfect spokescat for StormClan, he wanted a chance to get to know his neighbours better, and he liked doing things his way. Anything to further his social standing and StormClan’s alliance. An ear flicked as he waited to hear what the two mollies thought of his idea.

(OOC: Phone post. I'll add a table soon!!)