Warriors of the Plants

In Cactusclan camp

Sheepfish was at the front of the warrior's den slowly waking up with a yawn. All his muscles were screaming at him to lay back down and honestly. He probably could get away with sleeping in but he didn't want to be lazy

Bearsnap was up early too. Usually he would be up on the surrounding trees, watching over camp as the sun rose but they didn’t have many trees in Cactusclan. Rather, he stood on the ledge above the warriors den and watched the sleepy camp stir in the early light.

Sheepfish would lick his paw fixing his ruffled fur wondering how much work he had to do around camp and he cringed at the thought

Bearsnap leaped down next to the small warrior, padding over to stand in front of him. “You.” He said, a scowl underlining his voice. “Take me to your huntings grounds.”

Sheepfish would yelp just waking up and having a large tom suddenly next to him caught him off guard. He tried to catch himself but failed falling onto his side. He quickly scrambled onto his paws so he had no vulnerable sides showing. He looked up at Bearsnap "W-what?" He said, irritated but at least he was fully awake now.

Bearsnap flicked his ears. “Show me your hunting grounds.” He repeated, raising his brows.

Sheepfish blinked watching Bearsnap carefully before his eyes shifted to the camp entrance. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. He didn't exactly want to be alone with Bearsnap but it wasn't like Sunheart was here in camp to help if Bearsnap attacked him again. "Um...this way..." He muttered padding out of the warriors den, heading to the camp entrance

Bearsnap followed him, looking around, studying the camp

In Cactusclan territory 

Sheepfish would stretch a bit looking around wondering where to take Bearsnap. He looked at the tom, "Heavy coat...not used to the sand..." He muttered to himself, "Alright this way." He meowed bounding away to towards the Flowerclan border. Bearsnap wouldn't have much trouble following as the sand wasn't hot from the sun yet

Bearsnap stared ahead, following Sheepfish over to the edge of the river. The sand felt odd beneath his paws, as his paws sunk into the ground during his walk

At the border between Flowerclan and Cactusclan 

Sheepfish would look at the river before out at the horizon. He doubted Bearsnap would catch anything and he just hoped if the tom couldn't, he didn't direct his anger towards him. "Here...jump into the river if you start feeling overheated I can't carry you back to camp if you get a heatstroke." He said to Bearsnap, looking at the Forestclan warrior and being very small compared to him. Next to Bearsnap Sheepfish looked like a freshly appointed apprentice

Bearsnap scented the air. Picking up the whiff of a sand grouse filling itself up with water, Bearsnap stalked forward and swept a heft blow at the bird. Its damp body hit the riverside and he buried it before moving on to find other prey. As the sun had climbed higher in the sky, his pelt grew hotter. He was more sluggish in his movements and ended up missing a small lark that was chilling by the water

Sheepfish would take a bit but would catch a sandgrouse also burying it. He would catch another sandgrouse before looking at Bearsnap noticing his sluggish movements. He didn't want to say anything but he was worried the sluggish large tom would scare off other prey

Bearsnap scowled at his paws. His body wasn’t suited for this environment. Also it was still trying to recover from...whatever had happened.

Despite the vibrations in his paws and the tingled that danced through his body, Bearsnap didn’t want to show weakness. He stared into his reflection in the river, glaring at the weakness shone. He wasn’t weak. He wasn’t vulnerable. The chub that stared back at him seemed to mock him, he wasn’t having it. 

In a flash, his claws darted into the water and hooked their wicked curves into side of the fish, grappling it out of the water and onto the bank. He dealt with fish before, those slippery bastards weren’t going to escape him. Bearsnap felt his claws sink in, and blood pour out. It wasn’t enough for him. He needed something bigger.

Sheepfish would manage to catch a desert rat before it slithered away into a hole, panting softly. If his muscles weren't aching from the morning they were aching bad now. He would bury the rat before going to the river. He watched Bearsnap curiously, "I didn't know Forestclan liked fish." He would state before gingerly placing himself into the cold water letting out a long sigh of relief. The cool water taking away the heat and also easing the ache in his bones

Bearsnap narrowed his eyes, slamming the fish to its demise. “I could have caught more if you didn’t disturb the water.” He snarled. He glanced at the forest, far to their left, just a green thin line in the distance. “We have streams in the forest, and the areas there are plentiful in fish. Have you tried fish before?”

Sheepfish would sigh not really caring if Bearsnap wanted to catch more fish. His muscles needed some sort of comfort. "Despite my name, no I have never tried fish." He said before looking at the smashed fish under Bearsnap's paw, "And I do not want to eat that."

Bearsnap looked at his, wincing. His frustration had led him to ruin what could have been great prey. How horrid. He got up, tossing his head, and stalked further along the river until he was a few ways from where he last hunted.

Sheepfish would stay in the water a little bit longer before dragging himself out. He needed to go lay and rest his weary paws but it looked like Bearsnap wasn't ready to head back to camp. He would groan to himself before going to the bigger tomcat, "I think it's about time we head back to camp?" He asked hopefully

Bearsnap watched the water carefully but kept his head away from casting any shadows on the water. The stream here moved quicker than the other area, so he had to be precise in his actions. He flicked his tail at Sheepfish, a signal for him to shut up. 

Sheepfish gave Bearsnap an irritated look but he did shut up watching Bearsnap curiously. None of the Cactusclan cats ever fished. Sure there was the large river here by Flowerclan but neither Flower or Cactus usually hunted in it. There were a lot of battles in the past to see who owned the river. He usually got away with sitting in it to cool off because the Flowerclan patrols always felt bad that he had to live in the desert with such a coat. 

Then as quick as a snake lunging forward, Bearsnap's paws flashed in and hooked not one but two fair sized fish out of the water. When his claw snagged a swimming chub, it managed to startle a larger squaw fish out of the water. Bearsnap seemed surprised by his own catch but quickly smoothed his expression into something more smug. He quickly slashed their gills and caught off their breathing areas.

Sheepfish's eyes widened, "Woah..." He murmured looking at the two fish Bearsnap caught in one go. He'd never seen anything like it before

Bearsnap nodded at his work. Despite the sharp smell, he picked up both fish by their tails before going to pick up his sandgrouse.

In Cactusclan camp 

Bristlethorn wondered if there was anything else he could do for the Forestclan cats. He didn't really like them that much because of their attitude the two other times Cactusclan had to live with them.

Sunheart would be walking into camp with Bramble empty-handed. They had did a bit of night hunting and Sunheart was unsuccessful instead being shown up by Bramble who carried a fat sandgrouse into camp

Bristlethorn noticed his friend come back to camp with the stranger, he just assumed that he was another Forestclan cat that he had not met? He padded over to the two of them. "Nice catch!" He complimented.

Bramble puffed out his chest, "Why thank you." He said before studying Bristlethorn up and down

Sunheart smiled, "You remember Bristlepaw, well he's Bristlethorn now. Bramble just goes by Bramble now." He said to Bristlethorn assuming the black tom remembered their old friend

Hearing this, Bristlethorn felt like he was suppose to know Bramble. He felt nervous all of a sudden. "Y-yeah..." He just says.

The brown tom looked surprised to hear the name. Bramble looked back at Bristlethorn, "Bristlepaw...really?" He said, unconvinced. This black tom acted completely different than the Bristlepaw he knew

"Um...yeah, that's me..." Bristlethorn says nervously. This cat knew him when he was a apprentice? He felt like he was in trouble. "Well...I'm going out...for um...a patrol-" He says quickly, wanting to get away from the two

Sunheart raised a brow wondering why Bristlethorn was acting so nonchalant of Bramble being back

"Hey hold on." Bramble said standing in front of the black tom, "Don't you want to catch up?" He said squinting his eyes

"Y-yeah...but um...someone's gotta go check those borders ya know? Maybe check the bug situation...or something..." Bristlethorn says, he couldn't just ignore someone when they talk to him, that might be seen as more suspicious, either way he needed to worm his way out. "We could catch up later..." He says as he tries to slink off.

"When did you start liking border patrols?" Bramble asked raising a brow. Truly he didn't remember much of what Bristlethorn liked or didn't like but he had a suspicion Bristlethorn didn't remember either and he wanted to test that

"I-I don't know, I've liked them for a while now..." Bristlethorn liked them since it was a good excuse to avoid conversations, but he wanted to still be there for his clan so it was two birds with one stone for him.

Bramble narrowed his eyes, "Well, I guess I can't say you haven't. We were only friends when we were apprentices. It's just crazy, you seem like a totally different cat." The last words seemed more like a threat than an innocent observation

Sunheart finally stood between the two, "Alright Bramble, that's enough." He grunted looking at Bristlethorn, "We can talk more when you're finished with your patrol." He offered able to lead the brown tom away

Bristlethorn watched the two pad away, he quickly went out to the territory, his fur was still a bit raised from the integration.

Dawneye was resting next to the warrior den, his eyes glazed over from tiredness. Occasionally he flicked his tail, shooing away flies. His mind was inactive, and he was just resting.

Drizzlekit pranced over to the warriors den, hoping to spot a Forestclan cat. He saw plenty, but for some reason they kept giving him dirty looks and glaring at him and the other Cactusclan cats. He saw Dawneye resting next to the den, and walked over. "Hey Dawneye!" He said excitedly, batting his ear. "Can I have a badger ride?"

Dawneye flinched at the sudden impact of Drizzlekit's claw, and rolled over quickly. "What?" He asked, calming down as he saw Drizzlekit.

A little scared by his reaction, Drizzlekit backed up a bit. "Oh, I was wondering if I could have a badger ride?" He said politely, trying to win over Dawneye.

Dawneye got up, groaning. "Well, I suppose one couldn't hurt anyone!" He said, looking at Drizzlekit carefully. "Plus, I don't think anyone could say no!" He smiled, as Drizzlekit hopped on his back. "Oof, you're getting big!"

Drizzlekit hopped on Dawneye's back excitedly. "Can we go see some Forestclan warriors?" He asked, looking around the camp.

"Maybe not..." Dawneye said, looking up at Drizzlekit on his back. "What about the nursery?" He asked, smiling.

Drizzlekit sighed, but agreed to go to the nursery. "Ok, you can go now!" He said to Dawneye. "Thanks for the ride though!"

Dawneye nodded his head and padded out of the nursery, a little perkier.

Bearsnap padded back to camp with Sheepfish, each cat being successful in their hunts. Bearsnap wondered if he placed his catch with the Cactusclan preypile or if there was a designated pile for Forestclan.

Sheepfish would walk in noticing Sunheart and Bramble chatting by the warrior's den. He relaxed seeing the orange tabby but first he padded over to the fresh kill pile putting his kills away

Bearsnap still stood in the clearing looking a bit lost. He found himself grumbling when Daykit saw him and bounded over with gleaming green eyes. She was eyeing the fish in his grasp.

“WOAH! Did you catch those at the river? Are they yummy? Is that their biggest size or do they get bigger?” Daykit meowed with excitement.

Bearsnap wanted to respond but he wasn’t sure where he could place the fish down without having other cats snatch it as soon as he did so.

Daykit circled around him, batting off questions like her life depended on it. "What part of the river did they come from? What’s their name? What type of diet do they have? Why do they smell like that? Why so many scales? Is there a bad aftertaste? What’s your favorite fish?"

Bearsnap felt a migraine forming, and he was curious what would happen if he were to smack her with the chub. It would have been funny as the chub was half her size. Narrowing his eyes with a tired huff, he laid down the prey he caught. “Put this in the prey pile first or something.” He muttered. 

Daykit perked up, excited to have her questions be answered. She picked up the pudgy sandgrouse and pattered off to drop it off with the other fresh kill before sprinting back, shaking with excitement

Bearsnap pointed at the chub before at the squaw fish. “Yes. They’re from the river.” He answered her first question. “I don’t know. “They came from north end of the river, near the rapids. They’re called chubs and squaws. The scales are part of their biology, I don’t know, I’m not a fish. Squaws taste weird to me, not gonna lie. My favorite fish might be catfish, woooah.”

Sunheart would be watching from where he sat. His fur prickled and he flicked his tail worriedly. Of course he was worried about Daykit after Bearsnap had almost ripped his throat out. Did they really mean nothing? He shook the thought out of his head as he got up prodding Bramble on the side before walking over to the two cats "Daykit!" He meowed with a smile, "Remember how I was telling you about Bramblepaw?" He asked

Bramble would look over at Bearsnap and Daykit as well, before looking at Sunheart as he was prodded. He would slowly get up stretching before padding after his friend. He would look at Bearsnap, any emotion unreadable before smiling looking down at the small kit. He raised a brow looking at Sunheart surprised, "You talked about me?" He laughed

Daykit looked up at Bramble and Sunheart. “Hi! I remember Sunheart mention you like once or twice but from what he said about it, it was really sweet!” She beamed. Then turning back to Bearsnap she bounced in place. “What does catfish taste like? Do they look like cats? Why are they called catfish?”

Bramble blinked, "Catfish kind of taste sweet to me." He would meow, not really the biggest fan of fish. He didn't like getting his paws wet and he didn't like how slimy the texture of fish was but in the out-lands, he ate what he could get

Sunheart would raise a brow, "From the river? We aren't really supposed to hunt there..." He murmured flicking his tail

Bearsnap looked at Daykit then moved his icy gaze to Sunheart. “Look at Sunheart,” He said, meowing to Daykit. 

The small black kit turned to look at her senior, wide eyed. 

“Now imagine his eyes further away, his mouth opened wide and he’s all slimy and gross. That’s what a catfish looks like.” Bearsnap teased.

Daykit held back a snort, covering her mouth with dignity

Bearsnap twitched at Sunheart’s words regarding the river. “Your friend didn’t have any issues with it.” He said nodding to Sheepfish

Sunheart's fur bristled, "H-hey!" He meowed before looking at Sheepfish, "You really think Sheepfish would have tried to stop you after you attacked him? Why were you even out of camp with him?" He murmured

Bearsnap shrugged. “I needed a tour guide.” He said simply. “And you were ignoring him.” He winced.

Daykit looked at the Forestclan cat, hesitantly. “Could I possibly try the fish?” She asked carefully. “Like a little bite?”

Sunheart would look back at the fish. He'd never eaten fish and looking at the creature up close he did not want to start eating the sad looking creature

Bearsnap gave her a leveled look. He thought about it, not quite sure what to expect from the kit. It was just a fish (one he caught, that was intended for his clan). Daykit looked up at him wide eyed, and he could also sense Sheepfish eyeing the fish as well from a distance, curiosity taking a hold of them. 

Bearsnap reluctantly nudged The squaw forward, his least favorite of the two, and turned his nose away. “Go ahead and try it. This could go to Cactusclan since I don’t like the fish. I’ll catch more later.” He huffed

Daykit looked excited. She bounded up and struggled to drag the big fish to the preypile

Bramble would go and pick the fish up "Here let me help." He meowed padding over to the fresh kill pile before putting it down so Daykit could have a taste, "Don't get used to it though, Sunheart's right about not hunting in that river..." He muttered

Daykit tilted her head, narrowing her eyes in confusion. “Why? What’s wrong about the river?”

"Well you know how the river borders Flowerclan and Cactusclan? Neither clan can decide who the river is for. There's been many fights because of it so now neither clan hunt in it anymore." Bramble explained, "At least that's what I remember learning when I was an apprentice and it seems like it hasn't changed."

Daykit blinked. “But if the river is a natural resource that supplies both clan, why fight over it when we can share it brings us? No one has any sole right to the river, it’s a sustenance that comes far from the clans!”

"Look kiddo, don't ask me. All the clans have been squabbling over borders as far back as any cat can remember. It's best to keep teeth and claws away from attacking each other. Even if it is for the littlest things." Bramble meowed with a huff, annoyed at it as much as she was

Daykit scrunched her nose. “That’s so stupid!” She retorted. “Fighting over a river? The river acts as a border, it doesn’t belong to someone!”

"Well apparently the leader's do." Bramble sighed "Why do you think I left..." He smirked, although it really wasn't the real reason he left. He would never never talk about the real reason he left.

Sunheart tail tip would flick watching the two before realizing he had been left alone with Bearsnap. He turned to Bearsnap sighing "Don't torture Sheepfish. He already gets walked on enough."

Bearsnap twitched, raising his brows at him. “Like you ignoring him?” He goaded. “You left him alone since yesterday. He had been looking all over for you and you weren’t there.”

Sunheart shook his head, "I was out with an old friend. Besides he's a full grown warrior not my apprentice." He scoffed but did feel a little bad. He needed Sheepfish to stop clinging to him but he wasn't sure how to help the young tom

At the mention of apprentices, Bearsnap found himself frowning and his heart stuttered. The scent of fish suddenly became too much and his eyes flitted off somewhere else. Minnowpaw had died so young, and despite them not being the most compatible, he still felt a stab of grief when he remembered how the small child was no longer with him. They had just been getting along too

Sunheart would stare at Bramble and Daykit before looking back at Bearsnap. "You okay..?" He asked carefully his amber eyes studying Bearsnap's face

Bearsnap didn’t know how to go on about the topic. He had been so weak when it happened. Unable to defend himself, unable to save Bleakheart and Minnowpaw. He didn’t know what happened afterwards and no one explicitly told him anything of it. Smogwillow had been vague. He failed Minnowpaw. As a mentor and as a protector.

Sunheart blinked "Bearsnap?" He called again wondering the the brown tom was thinking

Bearsnap inhaled, closing his eyes. “I don’t remember much from the stone den.” He admitted. His mind was a blur when he thought back to it. All he could distinctly remember was Minnowpaw...and his limp...torn body. “I only remember seeing Minnowpaw and that was that.”

Swoopkit sneezes in the background of those two talking

Bearsnap remembered claws digging into him, the surprising strength of his attacker and the way his head hit the edge the whatever he was near before his vision blacked out.

Sunheart slowly nodded, "I didn't see what happened...but you were knocked out. There was a murderer among the Castleclan cats. That's who attacked you and killed those other cats" He explained subconsciously pressing his paw gently against his neck where cobwebs still covered his neck wound

Bearsnap scowled. So he let himself get beaten easily. How embarrassing.

"Then you went back to Forestclan...I'm still not sure what happened there but now you're here and you finally woke up." Sunheart explained "That's all I know." He sighed putting his paw down and away from his neck. Thinking about the attacker made his throat sore

Bearsnap frowned. He missed out on a lot. Not good. He needed to make up for lost time and press strength back into his form

"Are you sure you're okay? Does your head hurt anywhere?" Sunheart asked curiously. He'd never seen a cat stay 'asleep' for so long. It was scary to him...especially when it was a cat he cared about

Bearsnap held a paw to his head. “I’m fine.” He muttered knowing damn well he wasn’t

Sunheart looked at Bearsnap not really convinced, "Well you're lucky.. my neck is still bandaged. It feels like it will never heal." He grunted annoyed

Bearsnap glowered at Sunheart’s wound. He faintly recalls seeing it before but he wasn’t so sure. “I feel as if that’s due to you poking at it.”

"I'm trying not to but at first it just...hurt so bad." Sunheart sighed shaking his head remembering the sleepless nights as he laid in his bed the pain throbbing as if it would never go away. "Well, it's good to know that you aren't in any pain anymore." He softly smiled

Bearsnap raised his brows, wondering where Sunheart’s prior stiffness went. “I would say the same for you but…” He nodded at Sunheart’s wound and then grimaced. “I’m not like that.”

Sunheart would press his paw against the wound again before quickly pulling it away. He really did have a bad habit of that. "Yeah...hopefully it heals fully soon. Then I get to get a good look at the scar." He chuckled to himself digging his paws into the ground as if that would stop him from pawing at his wound

Swoopkit padded over to the nursery, wanting to talk to the other kits. It was almost time for him to be an apprentice, so he was curious about the other kits- whether they were close to being apprentices too.

Daykit poked at the fish. “How do I eat this?” She inquired, tilting her head. “Maybe I should ask Sheepfish if he wants any too! He has the word fish in his name!”

"You can eat the skin but really the only good part is the flesh." Bramble explained unsheathing a claw before carefully cutting a square out of the side of the fish peeling back the skin and scales. "You can go grab Sheepfish as well." He smiled faintly remembering him being the one Bearsnap had attacked first

Daykit bounded off to go find Sheepfish and maybe anyone else who wanted to eat fish

Sheepfish would be grooming his pelt before looking at Daykit

Daykit bounced up to Sheepfish and beamed. “Come on! Try the uhh the squaw fish! Pleaseee!! I don’t wanna try it alone!”

Seeing Daykit in the clearing, Drizzlekit walked over. "Hey, Daykit!" He mewed, tapping them with his paw. "You wanna play a game?" He asked excitedly.

Daykit looked at Drizzlekit and gently shook her head. “Maybe later! We’re trying out fish!”

Sheepfish would look at Daykit before thinking, "Alright sure." He said standing up walking over towards Bramble and the fish looking down at it. It didn't look the most appetizing...

Looking a little crestfallen, Drizzlekit walked away.

Daykit tapped Drizzlekit’s shoulder. “Wanna try some fish with us?”

"No thanks, maybe later." Drizzlekit said, and he bounded away.

Daykit watched him go, not knowing how to really feel. She sighed and padded over to Bramble and Sheepfish. “Is it good?” She asked the warriors.

Sheepfish shrugged, "I haven't tried it yet, I want you to get the first bite" He smiled

Bramble blinked, "I don't really like fish" He chuckled

Daykit looked between them, hesitating before dipping her head and taking a bite. She chewed down the piece and gave a delighted hum. “Ish gud!”

Sheepfish glanced between Bramble before Daykit. He dipped his head taking a bite. He chewed it before nodding, "Oh yeah that's good." He murmured taking another large bite

Bramble gave a disgusted look, "Really?" He murmured watching the two cats enjoy the fish