Private Territory ShadowClan everything to go, everywhere to do ✦ wolfpack

[Timberfrost]

{$title} timberfrost and wolfpack go hunting together

—————————————————— 'Till I can't run no more ✦

Hunting for the nursery was always a tough chore, but it seemed to be wearing on the poor caretaker more than usual. It's as though the prey hardly existed anymore too, though he knew that couldn't have been true—well, at least judging by the juicy birds and voles that he saw the hunting patrols bringing back. Those weren't for him, of course—why would they be? He had to earn his keep, and so hunting for the nursery was his job... if only he could smell the damn things. It's as though this ... momentary weakness was sapping his senses away. He almost said sickness, but that would imply he needed to be cured, and there was no way in hell he'd let that happen. He'd struggle and pull hunting days that stretched from the sun rising to moonhigh if he had to. He'd work himself to the bone if he had to.

But thankfully, someone had noticed. A simple offer, an easy 'Would you like to go hunting with me?', and suddenly everything seemed just a bit lighter on his shoulders. To tell the truth, Timberfrost didn't know much about the Shadowclan deputy. He knew his name, Wolfpack, which certainly made him feel uneasy. He'd seen the large tom around camp, heard stories of the... well, violence that he could enact upon those poor little frogs in the field... at least that meant that he could hunt.

"—I can't thank you enough, Wolf." The tom had met with the patchwork deputy at the opening of the camp, greeting him with a warm voice and tired eyes. "With all these new kits... well, it'll take a miracle and a half to keep them fed." He chuckled wearily, tilting his head at the other. "You ready to go perform some miracles?"

It's true, I want to be with you tonight

But I'm a little too late

• @WOLFPACK
• 
  Timber
  ✦—Shadowclan Caregiver | 28 Moons
  ✦—He/Him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A large chocolate tabby with pale gold eyes
  #9A775A

 

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN

______________________________________________________________________​

The nursery never stayed quiet for long. It was a lesson he'd learned later in life, one a nomadic lifestyle didn't teach because often such a path didn't lend time to things like family or lasting connections. It was only with Shadowclan that he'd realized the importance of a thriving nursery– or perhaps more accurately, had need for it. Without those mewling scraps of fur, there were no apprentices to train. And with no apprentices to train, there were no new warriors to replace the ones lost to the elements, or predators, or illness.

And with no warriors, there was no Shadowclan.

But while he'd learned to understand it's importance, it was still the one part of camp Wolfpack had never had much reason to step into. He wasn't a nurturer, and as good natured as he may be with his clanmates, they all knew he struggled to forge meaningful connections. It was what made them all so wary of him, he was almost certain, red flags pinned to him like medals of honor.

Still, he wasn't blind. In fact, he noticed more than people likely gave him credit for, Deputy or not. And somewhere between Jade landing herself in the nursery and Wolfpack being partly responsible, Timberfrost had found himself on the toms radar. It wasn't difficult to see that the chocolate tabby was worn ragged trying to keep up, and if the caretakers went down, the nursery went with them.

So Wolfpack hadn't thought twice in asking them to go hunting with him. Truth be told, he'd been needing the company anyway. Solitude was often boring and unfulfilling to the mottled tomcat, and given the choice, he was often prone to seeking out others. It was obvious if you looked hard enough– always in a patrol or hunting party, always training with Cloudberrypaw, or trailing after Cicadabuzz like an unwanted shadow. Marbleshines company was most obvious with how close she was with him– often literally standing in his space or touching him.

Hilariously and ironically bolder than any of her clanmates, which said something considering Jadethorn was currently nursing his kits. Well, his and Coalstrikes-- but the two had agreed long before the litter was even born that they would each have full claim regardless of what pelts favored which toms. The most Wolfpack kit belonged to the gioant night Guard, just as the most Coalstrike kit belonged to the roguish Deputy.

"—I can't thank you enough, Wolf. With all these new kits… well, it'll take a miracle and half to keep them fed."

"Yeah, well, suppose I'm partly to blame for it." he replied, tone easy and casual in a way most cats didn't expect when they were so used to seeing him in 'Deputy' mode and not 'Wolfpack' mode. "Besides, I can't expect you to help wrangle my kits without me pulling my weight."

The admission was almost off-hand, but in truth it was only something he'd just then realized. Shadowclans caretakers were a community onto themselves, and every cat in the nursery typically played a role in looking after each others kits. For ones like Timberfrost, who chose to remain even when they had no kits there of their own, it meant they played a more intimate role in the lives of each litter. For generations, there would be kits who grew into warriors remembering this tom as the one who'd lived with them when they were young and helped raised them.

In fact.. Wasn't this Stoatpaws father? He saw her so often with Sablestar, that sometimes he forgot she was just his apprentice, but– that's right. The two of them had already been living in the marsh when Shadowclan arrived.

"I'm ready if you are. I'd say short of Sablestar and Cicadabuzz, we're the two with the best odds of pulling off a miracle." he huffed in amusement, though he was only partly joking.

Few things were more determined than a cat with kits to look after, and while Timberfrost definitely had him beat in that department, there was little that could contend with Wolfpacks own ambitions to see Shadowclan thrive. And if that meant pulling extra shifts, so be it.

---

​

OOC NOTES . ◭ . CHARACTER INFO

• ooc : — Sorry for the wait!!!!!​
• shadowclan deputy - male - a large, black & blue chimera with moderate white splashing, mismatched eyes, and several scars.

 

[Timberfrost]

—————————————————— 'Till I can't run no more ✦

"HA!" The tom belted out a laugh, surprising him more than anything. He wasn't expecting the sort of... okay, well, maybe it wasn't a joke, but it was far more casual than the brown tabby was expecting. He could almost forget that the patchwork-colored tom in front of him was Wolfpack the deputy, but that steely mismatched gaze was familiar all the same. "Sorry, I just—" He suddenly apologized, feeling heat rise to his cheeks in embarrassment. Timber tilted his head for a moment, studying the larger cat with a curious eye. "Nevermind, nevermind. It's just good to have some company is all." He trailed off with a smile as Wolf spoke once more. It was nice to hear such words—he had to admit, the nursery did feel overlooked at times. Hunting for the queens had been grueling at the best of times, but he wouldn't dream of making his fellow caretakers hunt while they had such little kits. Timberfrost knew just how tiring newborns could be.

"Well then, I suppose we should get to it." With a cheerful smile, and a gentle sniffle, the tom set out from the camp. His saving grace was that it was a nice day, the sun shining through the leaves cast strange shapes upon the grassy underbrush as they went about the woods. "I figured... maybe we should try the ponds." He began after a moment, cautious with the suggestion. "Fish... it's an old wives tale from where I'm from, but its meant to be good for mothers, if you don't mind getting a bit wet."

It's true, I want to be with you tonight

But I'm a little too late

• 
  Timberfrost
  ✦—Shadowclan Caregiver | 28 Moons
  ✦—He/Him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A large chocolate tabby with pale gold eyes
  #9A775A

 

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN

______________________________________________________________________​

Wolfpacks ear twitched, a low hum rumbling in his chest as Timberfrosts laughter cracked through the air like a stone across the surface of a pond. It earned the other tom a sidelong glance– amused though, not annoyed. It wasn't often anyone laughed around him without there being some kind of tension in the air or the awkward stammer of nerves. Maybe that was his own fault, though. The life of a roaming stray was jarringly different from that of a colony cat, and he hadn't exactly done much to soften his sharp edges after settling among them.

It was a bit funny, though. For all the death that fallowed him, and for all the differences between their philosophies and his, he'd never meant to paint himself as a cat that didn't appreciate a good joke, or sparring match, or a bit of fun. What was life without things to enjoy, after all? All work and no play made for a miserable existence in his opinion.

"Likewise." the muttered, the corner of his mouth tugging upward as his gaze turned back to the path ahead. Company was almost always welcome in some form, with Wolfpack– with a few exceptions, of course.

He followed the other up the stone-imbedded slope of the camp and out into the territory beyond, easily falling into step with the caregiver. His gait was smooth and unhurried as the pair of them navigated the dappled shadows of the underbrush, the sun warm and the sky clear. It was the kind of day that made the general dampness of the pocasin bearable and kept the worst of the mud at bay.

"The ponds, huh?" he echoed, attention drifting off in the direction of the water. "Sure, why not? It's been a minute since I've gotten my paws wet. Might as well make sure I haven't lost the skill altogether." he reasoned– though he wasn't entirely thrilled at the idea of grooming bogwater out of his fur. Maybe Marbleshine would do it for him? She seemed to have a weird obsession with doing nice but unnecessary things for him, and Wolfpack was often selfish enough to let her.

"Besides, I trust your judgment more than mine when it comes to what prey a nursing shecat needs." he admitted easily, finding it cost him nothing to be honest about the way things were. While he almost undoubtedly did have kits out there somewhere, it had been a mutual understanding that whatever the result of these flings may be, Wolfpack would be moving on by the weeks end. Shadowclan would be the first time he ever remained somewhere long enough to see his kits be born. "Though, I can't say how grateful Jadethorn will be for our efforts– she seems to have a distaste for things with slime and scales. Picky shecat." he huffed, though he couldn't say it was a trait he disliked entirely. There was nothing wrong with having standards or preferences. It just made things difficult when the dam of his kittens preferred squirrels and mouse meat over lizards and toads.

Still, he was confident she'd eat it, especially if it was supposed to be beneficial to her precious 'gemstones'. And if not, there were other cats that would happily take the free meal.

A moment of quiet lingered between them, before Wolfpack decided to break it.

"So, where'd you come from if not the swamp?" he asked, partly out of curiosity and partly just to break the silence– they were hunting fish today anyway, so there was no need to hide from the birds and voles. Timberfrost and Stoatstream both seemed too kind-hearted to come from the same life of wandering the streets city to city. Perhaps a different colony, then? Or smaller family group?

Which begged the question– why had the pair left?

---

​

OOC NOTES . ◭ . CHARACTER INFO

• ooc : —​
• shadowclan deputy - male - a large, black & blue chimera with moderate white splashing, mismatched eyes, and several scars.