Open Border SkC WC If you've lost your way, I'll leave a light on // Windclan Patrol

[Merrystalk Merrystalk]

Something heavy weighted on the shoulders of the gale guard; it was hard not to see the visage of his apprentice marred by the claws of another clan cat. It grew hard to shake the sensation, the guilt, but he still had his roles to fulfil. It was on the cool, misty morning that he gathered his patrol, his sister and her apprentice and Ripplemist. It would be an easy patrol, trusted cats and as simple as reaching the gorge.

But Merrystalk had underestimated how thick the mist grew this time of the season around the gorge. As the group approached the Skyclan border, the mist grew thicker and thicker, the rumble of the gorge roaring into the air.

"Y'all, keep 'n eye out, don't want no tumbles 'round the gorge." He called, voice faltering a little as his ear flickered, looking out to the mist like he may have seen something. The tortie's face knitted in muted concern, but he shook his head as they continued. Merry had already been distracted; now was no time to worsen the matter.

But the further they reached towards the gorge, the more the cacophony seemed to irritate the tom. Not far from the gorge, the rumbling had grown to a crescendo, and the gale guard seemed affixed to looking about the mist. Usually fearless, something had clearly unnerved the tom in their approach to the border. "I ain't been 'round here in some moons and I ain't ever heard the gorge that loud." His tail swatted behind him, uneasy. "'nd I ain't too much a fan've this fog. Keep alert, I don't wanna risk an ambush out here." Maybe he was being paranoid, but the poor visibility wasn't something Merry was used to, and it was clearly eating away at him.

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Prompt: As you approach the Skyclan border, you hear the gorge just beyond, but the mist from the cold over the gorge limits your visibility. Do you decide to try and get closer to see how active the gorge is, or do you think some predator is out there based on the noises you hear?

Tagging: @Ripplemist @Sunnyspring @Jaypaw ⏾

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MERRYSTALK He/Him, Windclan Gale Guard, 33 moons.
A lithe, tortoiseshell cat with green eyes and pelt speckled with rye grass.
mentored by none // mentoring Talonpaw
sibling to Goldenroar and Sunnyspring
NPC x NPC / parent to no one / mated to Harefoot
"SPEECH" // "THOUGHTS" // ATTEMPTED ACTION
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Jaypaw ⏾]

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ Jaypaw ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☽⋆⁺₊⋆-

.

Jaypaw felt glad to be assigned on yet another patrol with Merrystalk. The tom seemed fine, for the most part, but Jaypaw noticed the way the Gale Guard ran out of breath faster, the way his eyes suddenly lost focus sometimes. It was concerning. Jaypaw knew, realistically, he wouldn't be able to help, but he still wanted to keep a close eye on him and run to get help if Merrystalk suddenly got worse from one moment to another.

Though, as the patrol neared the gorge, Jaypaw suddenly had other problems on his mind - the heavy fog that lay spilled before them, like a smokescreen out there to get them. He stuck close to Sunnyspring, nose almost touching her tail and yet he could not see much further than that.

Merrystalk's instructions echoed through the thick cloud, to keep an eye out, to be alert. The apprentice's ears twitched, trying to listen to any sounds, relying on those rather than sight or smell. The air around him was all moist and heavy with the fog, making Jaypaw unable to recognise anything concrete other than just... moisture. The same could be said for sight, Jaypaw could only see shadows and vague silhouettes, the light barely shining through despite it being sunhigh.

Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention, made him turn his head around. Did he just see a shadow move through the mist? His body halted as he raised his nose to scent, angled his ears to hear. The smells were all but muffled, but were those pawsteps? Just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, the world around Jaypaw all but silent and unmoving again. He waited for a breath longer before deciding it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

The apprentice turned back to follow the patrol once again, only to be met with silence. He had not said anything as he spotted the shadow and the patrol didn't hear him stop, moving ahead without him. "Uhh.... Merrystalk?" Jaypaw called out anxiously. "Sunnyspring?"

 

[Ripplemist]

RIPPLEMIST
HE/HIM
42 MOONS
WINDCLAN MOOR-RUNNER
SPEECH | THOUGHTS | SPRIGHTLY | PHYSICAL

PENNED BY PLOT

Ripplemist bounded alongside Merrystalk as they made their way from camp and towards the gorge, yammering about any sort of nonsense he could think of and that the Gale Guard would entertain. It wasn't until the mist began to cloud his vision that the usually chipper and sprightly moor-runner began to slow his pace.

"Well, gee, Merry, you don't suppose there's beasties out there in the fog, do ya? What if a ghost or somethin' tries to eat us?!"

He didn't wait for an answer before padding a few tail-lengths forward, only to turn back and find that Merrystalk and the rest of the patrol was no longer in his field of view.

"Er, Merrystalk? Jaypaw? Sunnyspring?" His pelt shivered and he took a few more tentative steps.

"Ghosts?" he whispered, voice trembling. "I was just kidding, earlier, about the whole eatin' thing. I'm sure you're very nice ghosts."

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OOC: