//Petal's on the paw and nose{{Mothpaw}}//

[Fernpool]

Petalnose padded away from the warriors den with a look of utter sadness. Brackenfur seemed to be sick and it worried Petalnose that he wasn’t going to see Fernpool. Of course the she-cat was glad that he wasn’t spending too much time with the medicine cat, but if it was in the case of sickness, he needed to go.

Padding over to the apprentice den, she peered inside. “Mothpaw?” she called softly hoping to coax the shy apprentice out. Petalnose had promised Brackenfur she’d train his apprentice while the tom was sick and decided she ought to tell the kit now. Then perhaps they could go hunting.

Sitting down outside the den, she flicked her tail up and down waiting for the apprentice to come out if she was inside. Giving herself a few licks across the chest, Petalnose looked around for the little apprentice. Then a sudden thought occurred to her. Mothpaw might be out of camp with Hazelpaw again causing trouble.

With a sigh, the she-cat stood and padded towards the elders den to see if Hazelpaw was inside doing his chores as Lightstep had told him to. There was no apprentice inside the den and Petalnose thrashed her tail from side to side angrily. If Mothpaw was going to cause trouble, then Petalnose was not going to be as lenient as Brackenfur had been with punishments. Suddenly, she spotted a grey pelt and whirled around.

[Head{admin}]

Dreams wrapped themselves around Mothpaw's mind as she curled in the far corner of the apprentice den. She was a small she-cat, and her dusty gray fur blended in with the shadows of the dimly lit den well. A soft voice burrowed its way into her conscience, but Mothpaw ignored it, thinking it was maybe just Hazelpaw coming to talk to her. She liked hanging out with him, but she was too tired for that now.

However, as the pawsteps padded away, the scent slipped into the den, and Petalnose's smell caused Mothpaw to look up in surprise. Why was Brackenfur's mate looking for her? She sprang to her paws and rasped her tongue along her ruffled gray fur, trying to make herself a bit presentable. Then she padded to the entrance of the den and paused. Well...what if Petalnose wasn't actually looking for her? Maybe she had just said her name because she saw her sleeping. What if, by going up to the warrior, Mothpaw would annoy her or interrupt something? I don't want to make her angry... she thought uneasily, tilting her head to one side as she gazed at the she-cat.

Whatever...I can't...just stay here. She'll get mad if she really was looking for me.... Mothpaw thought unhappily, padding forward into the cavern that was CascadeClan camp. "Did...did you need me, Petalnose?" she mewed, stopping behind the she-cat with ears flattened and tail drooping. Petalnose didn't look very happy. Had she done something wrong?

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[Fernpool]

Petalnose let her fur lie flat and calmly sat down with her tail flicking up and down lightly as she waited for the apprentice to approach. At Mothpaw’s light words of confusion, the she-cat smiled forgetting all about her previous worries. She knew that unless Hazelpaw was involved, Mothpaw was very obedient and quite shy too.

“Yes,” she she-cat said gently. “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.” She added seeing the look of fear in Mothpaw’s bright eyes. “It’s about Brackenfur.” Petalnose’s tail stopped flicking playfully and her eyes saddened a slight bit. “He’s not well and I think he has greencough.” She continued. “So, until he gets better, I’ve promised him that I will continue your training.”

The she-cat sighed a little and glanced at the warriors den where she could hear Brackenfur’s coughing. “But,” she said turning back to Mothpaw. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, and for now, I thought we could go out hunting.”

Petalnose hoped the young apprentice wouldn’t worry too much for her mentor. He was bound to get better but only if he went and visited Fernpool she thought somewhat torn between hope and dismay.

[Head{admin}]

Soft brown eyes filled with unease as Petalnose spoke. From the first words "It's about Brackenfur", the small gray she-cat's ears flattened uneasily. The warrior hadn't taken her out for training in awhile, but she assumed it was because he was letting her recover from her little head wound she had received from a falling rock. It was much better now, and only a small scar above her right eye showed what had happened.

“He’s not well and I think he has greencough.”

Greencough! Ever since kithood, the she-cat had been taught that greencough was the worst sickness a cat could have. How did Brackenfur have it in newleaf? Mothpaw didn't even hear Petalnose's next words. "Is...is he okay?" she mewed, and her anxiety washed away her shyness at once. "Can I see him? Is Fernpool looking after him? When will he be better?" She wasn't usually the kind of cat to pester anyone about anything, but this...this was awful! Brackenfur....

[Fernpool]

Petalnose nodded as the young she-cat reaction. It wasn’t a surprise at all really. “He’ll be alright.” She assured the young kitten. “It might not be wise to see him right now. I don’t want you to catch it.” She said and avoided the question about Brackenfur’s seeing Fernpool. Petalnose didn’t want to worry the kit any more than she already had. “He’ll be better soon.” She promised instead. Hopefully it won’t escalate to the deadly Blackcough…she added mentally before glancing briefly back to the warriors den.

Petalnose turned back to Mothpaw and smiled now before standing. “Come on. A little hunting will get your mind off of it. I’m sure Brackenfur will be alright soon and then you can go back to being his apprentice. But for now, it looks like you’ll be mine.” She smiled. Petalnose then added towards the entrance of the cave encampment, flicking her tail for Mothpaw to follow, and skirted the waterfall at its front.

[Head{admin}]

Huh.... Mothpaw hadn't thought about the fact that she could catch greencough from Brackenfur. It made sense, though, so...maybe Petalnose was right. Brackenfur would be fine. In a few days he'd be up and about and ready to train some more. For now...for now, she and Petalnose could train. Okay...I guess that'll be okay, she thought, glancing over at Petalnose uneasily. The she-cat had always been nice to her, but shy Mothpaw never really believed a cat liked her unless it was very clear. She wasn't very good at catching hints or anything.

"Okay," she mewed softly, padding after her temporary mentor as she headed for the entrance of the cavern. The roaring of falling water was completely natural to Mothpaw, since she had always lived here and had always heard it. It acted like a lullaby sometimes. Therefore she did not shy away from the heavy downpour as she padded out onto the narrow ledge, placing each paw carefully. Used to the sound or not, it was still dangerous for a cat to fall off the ledge and into the pool below.

((Hey, we could join Lightstep's thread. No one's posted there yet. If not, let's at least just move this thread, there's no need to start a new one.))

[Fernpool]

Petalnose nodded at the apprentice and, with one last wistful glance at the cave and towards the warriors den were Brackenfur lay, she padded forward into the territory. It was a dank and horrible day with many big grey clouds hanging around with the promise of more rain. There was a light wind that blew through the trees making everything colder and ripping right through her warm pelt straight to Petalnose’s bones. They gave her a feeling of uncomfortable foreboding but Petalnose convinced herself the feeling was about more mudslides and not the greencough ridden camp. The trees around the two cats billowed horribly making the warrior wonder how strong the winds where higher up.

She padded on for some time, until they reached a small clearing that the warriors and apprentices used as a training hallow of sorts to train their apprentices in fighting skills. Passing straight though without a second glance, Petalnose went deeper into the forest stopping only when she finally thought they were far enough away from anything that might be familiar to the young apprentice. Lifting her nose into the air, Petalnose caught the scent of mouse somewhere nearby. She turned to Mothpaw and sat. “What can you scent?” she asked the young apprentice gently. After hunting around here, she would show Mothpaw how to hunt river fish which was the primary source of fresh-kill for the clan. She wondered if Bracken had ever taught Mothpaw that.

[Head{admin}]

Truthfully, the young apprentice didn't notice the weather. She wasn't thinking about the dark clouds or the cold wind. All she could think about was Brackenfur lying in camp, sick. Hazelpaw had been coughing a little while ago, too. What if he had the same sickness? What if...

Stop that, it won't happen, she thought, frowning at her own gloomy thoughts. There was no point in getting all depressed. Petalnose looked worried too, and...they needed to get their minds off it.

They passed the training grounds, and Mothpaw couldn't help but be surprised. She kept herself from thinking, however, and instead followed Petalnose without a word as they delved into a part of CascadeClan territory she had never been to before. Finally Petalnose stopped, and Mothpaw stopped at well. She closed her eyes, lifted her head, and opened her mouth to scent the air. At first, she smelled nothing but the trees around her and Petalnose's scent. "I don't-" she began, but stopped as a new scent filled hers. "Mouse? Somewhere nearby?" she mewed, tilting her head to one side as she turned around. "...That way?" She pointed her tail to the left, where the scent seemed to be stronger.

[Fernpool]

Petalnose nodded. “Alright, let’s see if I can catch it.” She hissed playfully and dropped into a hunters crouch. The she-cat crept forward and flicked her tail from side to side as the mouse came into view between a group of ferns ahead.

[dice=6]hm...

Waiting a moment until the wind passed, Petalnose leapt at the mouse. Bowling the small creature over onto its back, she bit into its neck and everything ended for the small mouse. Picking it up by the tail, she padded back to Mothpaw with a happy look. Placing it at her paws, she smiled. “Now you try.”

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[Head{admin}]

Mothpaw watched in slight awe as Petalnose effortlessly caught the mouse. Would she ever be that confident at hunting? Probably not... she told herself, ears flattening unhappily as she thought about it. But I can at least try...

The small gray apprentice sniffed the air again. It took several moments for her to catch a scent, but pretty soon she smelled...vole. Or mole. Or mouse...something like that. They were all small little creatures, so...what did it matter which it was?

[dice=6] ((oh, bah))

Dropping into a crouch, Mothpaw padded forward a little wobbly. When she thought she was pretty close to the vole-mole-mouse, she stopped, crouched down, and lashed her tail in excitement. As a result, her tail swished through the grass, creating a loud noise, and as she sprang forward, Mothpaw saw that the vole-mole-mouse wasn't even there anymore. It'd heard her coming long before she reached it. The young apprentice sat up, ears flattened and tail drooping as she waited for Petalnose to say something. Was she disappointed? Was she annoyed that her mate's apprentice couldn't hunt a simple mole....vole...mouse-ish thing?

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[Fernpool]

Petalnose mrrr-ed softly in amusement and padded up to the young apprentice. Giving the small, very downtrodden kit a lick behind the ear, she smiled. “Don’t worry Mothpaw.” She mewed. “Just remember next time to creep still and silent only moving your paws and eyes to follow the mouse.”

Then, Petalnose flicked her tail softly. “Would you like to try again or shall we go down to the river?” she asked. “I don’t know how much Bracken has taught you about fishing.” Standing, the she-cat waited for Mothpaw’s decision while scenting a rabbit nearby. Perhaps Mothpaw would have better luck with one of those rather than a mouse.

[Head{admin}]

The warrior's gentle reaction soothed Mothpaw, and her ears perked up slightly. "I'll try...one more time?" she mewed, tilting her head to one side as she looked at Petalnose inquiringly. Without waiting for the she-cat to reply, Mothpaw scented the air and caught the smell of a brown squirrel.

[dice=6]Gyaah!

Mothpaw dropped into a crouch and padded lightly towards the squirrel, but she had only gone a few steps before she stepped on a twig. Startled, the squirrel sprang away and clambered up a tree.

[dice=6]Woot!

This wasn't okay. Mothpaw narrowed her eyes angrily as she followed the squirrel with her eyes. She was sick of missing prey. What did Petalnose think of her now? What did she think of Brackenfur? Poor, sick Brackenfur...she was letting him down. A soft breeze brought to her the scent of a mouse. Okay, a mouse. Pad lightly so it won't feel your pawsteps... she thought, stalking forward as slowly as she could while keeping her steps as light as possible. She rustled a small bit of grass, but the mouse was too interested in the seeds it was eating to notice. Finally, Mothpaw was just a few pawsteps away. She stopped, eyes narrowing, tail flicking in concentration, before bounding forward.

Again, she stopped a little too far away from the mouse, but it was so stunned by her appearance that she was able to scamper forward, catch it in her mouth, and kill it with a bite. As warm blood seeped into her mouth, Mothpaw's eyes lit up and she turned towards Petalnose with excitement. "Now we can go to the river?" she mewed as she dropped the mouse. She wanted to end on a good note...and she was excited about hunting in the river.

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[Fernpool]

Petalnose twitched her tail in irritation for the young apprentice. She could tell how frustrated Mothpaw was and decided not to say anything in order to let the apprentice redeem herself. Having done so, Mothpaw seemed pleased and Petalnose purred in satisfaction.

“Good job.” She mewed. The she-cat dipped her head in acknowledgement to the apprentice’s hard work and smiled. “Brackenfur has done well with you. You just need a slight bit more confidence and pay a little more attention to your surroundings.” She added. She then stood and gave her chest a few brisk licks before turning and beckoning with her tail for the apprentice to follow.

Petalnose then began to pad back towards a more familiar part of the territory for Mothpaw. She was sure that Brackenfur had never taken Mothpaw that far before but their new surroundings now where something the kit should be able to recognize. Continuing towards the river, she caught the scent of Mire Clan and wrinkled her nose in distaste. They were approaching the rivers edge that was just on the border between the two territories. As they neared, the sound of rushing water floated to Petalnose’s ears, softer than the roaring of the waterfall outside the camp, but still loudly. She could see a strong current rushing and making the water swirl between the rocks in the middle of the river. It was also fairly deep and not all too safe but this was one of the best places for catching fish.

Padding to the edge, Petalnose took a few laps from the river and sat down with her tail flicking up and down lightly before turning her attention to Mothpaw. “Now,” she began sternly. “The river rushes very strongly here and the currents are dangerous. You must be extremely cautious on this shore. I trust Brackenfur has taught you how to swim?” she asked still sternly but with a slightly gentler tone underlying the question and hoping to compel Mothpaw to answer.