Private Thread Song of the Lark

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
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Leopardrose's sleek form emerged from the rain-moist, shadowed forest. She had just returned from patrolling near Twolegplace where she had seen a skunk. As she padded toward the camp, her sharp aqua eyes caught sight of Larchsong sitting alone at the camp entrance.

Normally, she might have skipped over greeting her Clanmate, but something about the way Larchsong was perched there made Leopardrose slow her pace. Larchsong always seemed so lively, always talking, and yet now, the silence felt heavy around her.

Curiosity tugged at Leopardrose, though she disguised it with her usual air of confidence. As she approached, she flicked her tail in greeting. "You’re on guard duty now?" Leopardrose purred lightly, her tone casual as if they hadn’t both noticed the unspoken weight in the air.

Without waiting for a reply, Leopardrose got straight to the point. "I just came back from patrolling." She started, her ears twitching with mild irritation. "There's a skunk nearby....You can imagine how lovely that was to stumble upon." She wrinkled her nose in exaggerated disgust. "Thought I'd warn everyone to steer clear of the Orchard unless they fancy smelling worse than crowfood."

     'Blissful at best, clueless at worst'
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  Leopardrose coming to talk to her was possibly the last thing the pale ginger warrior could have expected. She did her best to hide her surprise, turning her head away for a moment before answering the bengal she-cat's question. 'Uh yeah, I wasn't assigned to it but I didn't really have anything else to do. I can sit in quite and think and stuff.' The urge to continue talking was there, but so was a heaviness inside her, pushing any energy she had away. 

Hearing that the sleek warrior had ran into a skunk sent an amused ripple of disgust across her face. 'That's disgusting. Ya shoulda killed it' Larchsong said, a brief moment of fire flickering over her eyes. While she could be a bit of a bruiser sometimes, gross things were something that Larchsong hated, and an opportunity to get rid of one was exciting. She didn't exactly have the energy to go out a slay a beast right now though. It seemed fun, but there was a slight fear that if she did go out right now, she would end up surrendering to the skunk and let it speed up her trip to StarClan. 'You don't stink right now. You're lucky or I might not have let you come in! I take my guarding very seriously, and that means you at least have to smell reasonable to enter camp. Wouldn't want to upset the kits.' Or my nose!

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●── 

Leopardrose chuckled, relieved to see a spark of amusement flash across Larchsong's face. Her gaze softened as she dipped her head, pretending to sniff at herself with an exaggerated look of horror.

"Well, I’m glad I passed your ‘reasonable scent’ test." Leopardrose teased lightly, whiskers twitching with humor. "You’re a far stricter guard than I expected! But... as tempting as it was to tackle the skunk, I thought I'd spare myself a stripe of white down my back. If anything, I’d much rather have a little backup."

Her aqua eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint as she continued. "What do you say, Larchsong? We can take on the odorous beast together tomorrow, just us against that wretched stinkbag." With the assumption that the young warrior would jump to the adventure, of course.

She wanted to give Larchsong time to consider, though a part of her hoped this might be just the thing to draw her out - even if it meant a bit of a stink. They surely didn't want a skunk to settle with newborns come newleaf.

     'Blissful at best, clueless at worst'
      ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧

 Despite not knowing the older warrior all that well at all, if Larchsong had to pick a few of her clanmates to stick around, Leopardrose was higher on the list at most. She couldn't even remember the last private conversation they had had, but deep down she knew the outsider born she-cat's company was many times better than her own families. 'Strict means safe! Although if a hoard of cats came running to me right now I don't think yelling at them would do a very good job, not that that'd uh happen y'know.' 

Leopardrose's slight switch in demeanor caught the pale ginger she-cat's attention, her green eyes flickering towards Leopardrose's aqua gaze. It seemed as though her own words had encouraged the bengal she-cat, who had now proposed taking on the skunk with her. She tilted her head slightly to the side in thought. Kill the skunk with Leopardrose?! She wanted to say yes, but she wasn't entirely sure. Did she have the energy to do so? What if she embarrassed herself in front of another warrior? If she did bad enough maybe she would get turned back into an apprentice! It was also just a normal warrior activity, something that Larchsong should be offering to do no matter the consequences. Who knows, maybe she could even impress Leopardrose! 'Uhh maybe? I've been quite tired at the moment and I don't really have the best skills but I might change my mind tomorrow.'

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●──

Leopardrose’s whiskers twitched with amusement at Larchsong’s hesitation, and she tilted her head, giving the younger warrior an encouraging look. She could see the flicker of doubt in Larchsong’s eyes and wanted to ease her worries, though her own excitement for the challenge was hard to contain.

“Well, a skunk isn't much the usual type of animal to come across - and they can be quite messy...” The bengal's tone was casual. “We don’t have to charge out unprepared. We can practice sometime - work out the best way to take down a skunk without getting a nasty surprise." She curled her tail thoughtfully. "They rely on their backs to spray, so we can’t let it turn on us. Maybe we could spar a little, just to try some maneuvers?”

Her aqua eyes sparkled with mischief. “We’re both warriors - we can handle a bit of training, right? And that way, when we’re ready to face it, we’ll have a strategy worked out.” Not to mention a bit of training could let out some steam if either of the she-cats were stressed - which Leopardrose frequently was, even if she managed to keep it mostly hidden away.

     'Blissful at best, clueless at worst'
      ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧

   A spar? Larchsong had always enjoyed friendly fights, especially with her siblings. It was one of the only times her and Brindlespice fully got along, but she avoided her siblings like the plague now. Larchsong wasn't exactly that strategic when fighting either, more just throwing brute force around rather than aiming for weak spots and what not. It worked well enough, to an extent, but was yet to go to the test against a more intelligent opponent. 'I mean sure, but I'm not exactly the best opponent to practice on. I just throw myself around and hope my blows hit hard enough. Worked against Greenfang' she said with a shrug. Worked on Sootpaw too, but the ShadowClan apprentice had easily escaped from her grasp. Since then she had worked extra hard on how to keep cats pinned beneath her paws. 

 Her build, while still lithe leaned more on the bulky, muscular side. She wasn't exactly fast, but had a raw, fierce power that she didn't know how to use very well. No doubt Leopardrose would beat her easily, but it was worth practicing anyway, especially if she did feel up to exterminating that skunk tomorrow. 

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●── 

Leopardrose could see the younger she-cat’s confidence, raw and untamed, and something about her straightforward honesty made Leopardrose’s heart warm. The older warrior always felt disadvantaged in the nursery while playfighting against moon-older milk siblings. Now that she was a warrior she had managed to avoid Savagefox well enough, but Kestralswipe seemed far away too. A part of her wondered just how close Larchsong was to her siblings. Who knew if she would appreciate the gesture or not, but it seemed right to offer.

“Power like yours is nothing to brush off." Her tone was playful yet sincere. “And I’ll admit, I could stand to work on my own strength.” She flicked her tail and gave a small chuckle. “I’m more used to weaving around, so maybe we’ll teach each other a thing or two.”

Stepping back, she settled into a loose stance, her muscles coiled but relaxed, watching Larchsong with an encouraging smile. “Alright, let’s give it a go. Imagine I’m the skunk. Your aim is to get close enough without letting me turn my back on you - and remember, we don’t want either of us smelling like the real thing!” She flashed a grin, settling into the playful focus of the spar.

With that, Leopardrose took a small, teasing step forward, ready to see what Larchsong would bring. And just to add a touch of realism, the length of her tail arched over her back, fluffing out as much as it could to mirror an actively fear-aggressive skunk itself!

     'Blissful at best, clueless at worst'
      ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧

    Leopardrose's arched, puffy tail led to a soft snicker from Larchsong, the pale ginger warrior looking at her clanmate with an amused gaze. Larchsong readied her stance, balancing on the tips of her paws while she tensed her muscles. Pouncing right onto Leopardrose was too much to start with, and if she really were a skunk, it could result in her turning around and spraying her. Instead, with not much thought behind it Larchsong charged towards the bengal she-cat hoping she would reach her in time before she turned around. Larchsong was not quick enough on her paws to dodge such a move, so she reached out with her white paws, hoping to strike at Leopardrose's chest with her sheathed paws. 

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●── 

Leopardrose’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she saw Larchsong charge, her approach bold and straightforward. She admired the younger warrior’s willingness to dive right in, and there was something thrilling about facing such raw power.

In an attempt to keep the “skunk” act alive, Leopardrose swiveled to the side, trying to avoid the brunt of Larchsong’s strike. But her plan was quickly foiled when she felt Larchsong’s paw connect with her chest, her strength undeniable, even with sheathed claws. The impact sent her slightly off balance and she let out a playful huff, giving her tail another exaggerated wave like the skunk she was mimicking.

“You’re quicker than I thought.” Breathless with a huff of laughter. Straightening herself, she flashed an approving look. “That’s exactly the kind of move that could get you close without letting a real skunk turn and spray..." They weren't finished - far from it. A skunk could easily spin around even when grappled, and Leopardrose aimed to strife away from Larchsong, tail waving as she hoped to spin. The best method, the bengal thought, would be to corner a skunk, keeping it face to face with you.