Open Border ShadowClan SkyClan through the pines and past the line // border patrol

[Coalstrike Coalstrike]

{$title} Coalstrike is heading to SkyClan border with Possumgrin, two other ShadowClan warriors are welcome to join!

Coalstrike moved with precision, each pawstep deliberate. His sharp eyes scanned the forest, ears swiveling to catch the smallest sound. So far there was nothing. No movement. No threat. But he knew better than to trust silence. Danger could appear in an instant. His gaze flicked toward the sorry excuse of a ShadowClanner he had brought with him. It took effort not to say what he truly felt, words that sat like stones behind his teeth.

What are you still doing here? You bring nothing but shame. ShadowClan is better off without you.

But he didn't say it. Not yet. Sablestar wanted to give this one a chance, a final test. So Coalstrike would watch. And judge. Quietly. He doubted it would amount to anything… but time would tell. " Tell me, Possumgrin. " he said at last, voice low and cold. His ear flicked once in irritation. " What do you smell? " The words were simple, but the tone made it clear: this was no game. Coalstrike looked at him like one might study a bug, curious only in how quickly it could be crushed.

He already knew what he smelled. It was faint, but unmistakable. Other cats. Not ones he recognized. Not from RiverClan. Not WindClan either. Not ThunderClan. His ear twitched again, and his gaze slid ahead into the trees, sharp and calculating.

Another clan? Or something else entirely…?

___________________ I DON'T FORGIVE, I DON'T FORGET ☆ A wound's a warning, a debt is a debt. ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• COALSTRIKE he/him, shadowclanner, sixty-six moons.
  ☆ a lh black cat with dangerous amber eyes. has a mane around his head, is huge [ grandiose ]
  ☆ mentoring vanillapaw
  ☆ loyal to sable, despises thunderclan
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by lion ↛ lionharted on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

ooc: 2 more shadowclanners are welcome to join in on this patrol!

 

[possumgrin]

Possumgrin did not walk but dragged himself. Not his paws, no, he was too proud for that. His presence trailed behind like a fog of indifference, thick and deliberately sour. Every pitter patter beneath Coalstrike's precise pawsteps only made Possumgrin walk louder. Sloppier. Just enough to irritate. He didn't want to be here to be alone with the other.

They could feel the other tom's judgment like thorns along his spine. The cat supposedly meant to be his father figure looked like an eerie stranger. So stiff and self righteous you would think 'Starclan' themselves had popped him out of the nursery, fully formed and already frustrating.

Fiery eyes slid lazily to Coalstrike as he spoke. The question was stupid simple, but the tone made Possumgrin's tail whip back and forth. Not in a position to refuse he inhaled. Loudly. Dramatically. Held it a moment longer than necessary, then huffed like a kit being forced to sit still. "Smells like sticks and..." He muttered first, lips twitching upward. Then his expression shifted. Subtle. A flare of something behind his orange eyes. Because he did actually smell something. Not prey. Nor the usual backwater stink of Riverclan or the pine sharp tang of Thunderclan. Albeit it rang similarly to the Thunderclan scent. He hadn't the displeasure of meeting this particular clan yet.

"Other cats." They meowed at last, the humor gone from his tone. "Not any I recognize." He stared ahead. but not like Coalstrike who studied the world like he was ready to burn it down. Possumgrin's stare was quieter. If there was one thing he was good at, when he bothered, it was noticing what didn't belong. Much like myself. The suddenness of the thought made his earlier embarrassment blind him momentarily. ​

 

[Stonepaw]

The trees in SkyClan grew denser, taller, their limbs stretching like claws overhead, casting a patchy lattices of shadow and sunlight across the forest floor. Stonepaw walked quietly, head tilted up, watching curiously as birds flittered between limbs. She was taking time to explore on her own—to learn their land.

She jerked to a stop, nose twitching intently. The wind had shifted, carrying a scent she didn't recognize.

Stonepaw crouched near a trunk of a lichen-covered tree carcass, eyes narrowing as she crept forward and peered over it. Her tail swayed irritably, half-length brushing the ground. She watched as a pair of large toms approached their border.

Too far to make out with much detail, but close enough that she could see the way they moved. They were talking, but she could not make out the words. Their scent was sharp and foul, bitter and damp, not at all like the musky scent of RiverClan...

She sank lower into the undergrowth, watching with unblinking eyes. Too comfortable for strangers. Do they not realize how close they are to the border?

____You are a stranger here, why have you come? ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ Lift me higher, let me look at the sun____

• "speech" - thoughts / emphasis
  

• 

• Stonepaw she/her & skyclan
  ☁︎ LH lilac point with a thick mane, blue eyes, and a half-tail.
  ☁︎ A hollow, vacant voice, stripped of emotion.
  ☁︎ Mentored by Stormcrow.
  ☁︎ Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted For other, DM.
  ☁︎ Smells of pine needles and petrichor.
  
  
  penned by Scarlet​

 

[Daisydream]

​

He was delighted to show @Creamkit more of the territory and even happier to be joining a patrol. Daisydream always felt a little too cooped up in camp and yearned to stretch his limbs. While the cats grouped up and split off, he noted that one of the apprentices had already wandered in their own direction. During the day, he saw no issue with it, but for safety's sake he would keep close. Being a new mentor made him wary and so he kept his eyes on his pupil often.

"Remember to pay attention to all the smells and sights around us." He gently reminded his apprentice as they walked after Stonepaw. Mind wandering back to the scenery as his pale paws waltzed across plush grasses.

Their nose twitched as he checked for any movement. Hoping to find something hopping behind the trees or swooping into burrows. After a few deep inhales, the older tom's findings came up null. Nothing of interest stirred, and his stubby ears twitched restlessly at the silence.

Soon enough, their linear path brought them toward the scent markers. Suddenly, the wind flip flopped their way, his wide gait slowed. Fur bristling faintly as blue eyes caught two figures standing close to the border. Off to his left he spotted Stonepaw's short tail as she ducked away but unfortunately, Daisydream was far too visible to hide in kind. Casting a quick glance to Creampaw, he gently tapped the apprentice's side with his tail. "Stay close to me." He murmured, offering an encouraging smile before continuing forward. He wouldn't pull Stonepaw from their safe vantage and opted to play oblivious.

Vibrant and low, the cream tabby called out to the unfamiliar smelling travellers. "Hello!" He did not want a repeat of his incident with the kittypet. That and news of other clans had spread fast. For now, Daisydream decided to play things safe and calm. Cautiously waving his curled, lavish tail in greeting to soothe the tense predicament.

Stopping just shy of the border, leaving a few safe pawsteps between himself and the strangers, he sat down on pale haunches and beamed a fuzzy smile.

"My name is Daisydream! What has you so close to the Skyclan border?" The pair looked dreary both in expression and posture with matching frowns that made the tom feel slightly out of his element. Still, he held up a courteous facade. No use stirring trouble, not when there were kits around. It always made him anxious when unfamiliar souls wandered too close, but he comforted himself with the knowledge that the rest of the patrol wouldn't be far behind if things got hairy.

​

​

​

 

[Coalstrike Coalstrike]

A flick of his ear was the only sign he gave in response to Possumgrin's scoff. At least the tom wasn't entirely useless, he could smell what Coalstrike had already sensed: unfamiliar cats. That was promising. " Exactly. " Coalstrike murmured, voice quiet but satisfied as his gaze swept the area. For a split second, something flickered at the edge of his vision, but it vanished before he could place it. His attention shifted as a tom approached the border instead, with him a young apprentice in tow. Ah, mentor and apprentice it seemed. He would have rather stood here with Vanillapaw, atleast she knew how to act, but alas...

Diplomacy, then. Sablestar would want that. So, mustering a thin veil of charm, Coalstrike dipped his head politely to the stranger. " Good day to you as well. " he greeted, tone smooth but guarded. His ear twitched as he glanced past the tom, gauging the surroundings. " I must admit... I hadn't realized there was another Clan this far out. SkyClan, is it? " His amber eyes flicked toward the tom. Daisydream, was it? Interesting name...

" I'm Coalstrike. " he said, flicking his tail toward the cat beside him. " And this is my son, Possumgrin. We're from ShadowClan. "

His gaze remained steady, unreadable, but alert.

___________________ I DON'T FORGIVE, I DON'T FORGET ☆ A wound's a warning, a debt is a debt. ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• COALSTRIKE he/him, shadowclanner, sixty-six moons.
  ☆ a lh black cat dangerous amber eyes. has a mane around his head, is huge [ grandiose ]
  ☆ mentoring vanillapaw
  ☆ loyal to sable, despises thunderclan
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by lion ↛ lionharted on discord, feel free to dm for plots.