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[sub][h3][i]BirchClan border patrol[/i][/h3][/sub]
[indent][right][sub][i]Mentions: [@LetMeDoStuff], [@sassy1085][/i][/sub][/right][/indent]
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Flamepelt pondered Branchfall's request. The uneasiness of the tom almost reeked.

[color=ff5d2b]"Have you ever imagined what dreams with StarClan must look like? What is it like for medicine cats? Is it visions, or do our ancestors actually speak with them?"[/color] He twitched his whiskers at the thought of what exactly the medicine cats had to interpret, looking at his patrolmates, though he knew Rainstripe could not hear him. [color=ff5d2b]"It is unfortunate that medicine cats don't really share their visions and dreams with us until they interpret it, and even then they mostly just give us the interpretation. I've always wanted to know what it was like. What it feels like. How about you?"[/color] Flamepelt looked up at the morning sky. [color=ff5d2b]"Do they hunt there when all is well? What are StarClan's hunting grounds like?"[/color] He sighed. [color=ff5d2b]"The half-moon is tonight, and it always makes me wonder about it, makes me want to experience it just once."[/color] He added, as well, [color=ff5d2b]"And the BirchClan medicine cat will have to pass through today, right?"[/color] He wondered if Branchfall's uneasiness was caused by patrolling his old Clan's border. Yes, it probably was, right? He felt his sister's curiosity about Branchfall's feelings regarding his old Clan rubbing off on him, and he would have to fight it. He believed Branchfall would not betray the Clan when they needed his help, not when he had so many chances to leave already if he did not want to stay.

As they paused to leave their mark on the border, he caught Rainstripe's attention by standing in front of her and did his best to convey those thoughts and questions to her, though tersely. [color=ff5d2b][i]"StarClan dreams? What are they like? What about StarClan's hunting grounds? Do medicine cats hunt in times of peace? I want to experience it. The half-moon makes me think about it."[/i][/color]

He practiced on his own sometimes, watched others converse with her for some memory refreshment, but still did not feel entirely comfortable with that way of speech, particularly the way it interfered with movement - only so much could be said with ear, tail, and whisker, and those were mostly already taken by common gestures and battle and patrol gestures. That would not stop him from treating her as an equal, ever, but he wondered if Rainstripe ever felt like it was bothersome for some of her Clanmates.

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[sub][h3][i]Hunting patrol towards BirchClan[/i][/h3][/sub]
[indent][right][sub][i]Mentions: [@PrankFox], [@Apoalo][/i][/sub][/right][/indent]
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[color=ffc6a6]"Of course!"[/color] Dawnstep replied with a purr, amused by the question. [color=ffc6a6]"We are even supposed to do it, any prey we might come across. I'm sure Froststorm has shown you how to bury your freshkill to pick it up later, right? It is standard procedure for a hunting patrol."[/color]

Sometimes she would forget that Nightpaw was her younger brother, for they hadn't had much more contact than any other unrelated cats, especially as she was a busy apprentice and a typically ambitious fresh warrior during his kithood, and he was apprenticed to Froststorm now. Was it even possible to form a bond with him now that is more familial, closer to what she has with her parents? She had barely seen much of him before his apprenticeship except for the occasional visit to her nursing mother, and now they each had their mostly different duties - and she did not mingle that much with warriors other than Flamepelt, either, outside of Clan duties. He seemed a good cat, though, a good future warrior. Like Flamepelt and Dawnstep, he, too, has shown their father's kindness towards others, an important trait for a Clan cat. The care and kindness were good signs for loyalty, reliability. He did have the knack for mischief like Flamepelt, though, but just like his brother, Nightpaw would surely grow into a great Clan cat. Besides, almost every cat had some sort of adventurous incident while still in the nursery. That was not her choice of prey, but it was for [i]most[/i] kits.

[color=ffc6a6]"I'll go this way,"[/color] she said. She let her patrolmates spread out, picking a direction of her own, tasting the air first for traces of her same-litter brother and his border patrol. They were somewhere near, though she couldn't quite pinpoint it. They did leave earlier than her hunting patrol, but she had seen them head to halfway around the border towards DuskClan. She could catch up with them with no problems. With her paws light on the ground, she could not advance fast, but at least she spotted a brave or desperate mouse scuttling through the grasses. Whatever it used to be, it was now dead, neck bitten through and small body protected by a layer of dirt. Fewer and fewer of those critters showed up the more time passed and leaf-bare closed in on them. The smaller amount of food for them was also visible on their bodies, which were not quite as plump as usual. No longer the birds lingered on branches or the cold ground much anymore, especially not in the colder mornings. The later patrols might have more luck with their catches.

The further she went, the closer she thought she was to the patrol. At one point she caught some voices muffled in the distance, guessed it was theirs, and remained in that area, sneaking in search of more prey. There was no need to be too close, just close enough. For Froststorm and Nightpaw, the reason was obvious - making sure their Clanmates had backup in case of hostility by a BirchClan patrol they might come across. And it was a good reason, and half the reason why Dawnstep wanted to keep an eye on them. Sometimes she felt she was too wound up regarding loyalty, but the many deaths in the Clans called for it more than anything.

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