A matter of time

[Cartouche_]

. The crisp air was broken by the sound of a cat padding along the side of the thunderpath. It was mid-day, although with the sun hidden by bold clouds, who could really be sure? It was warm enough so a thin-furred cat like Crowberry could walk in the open and be just comfortable enough to not be bothered by it. The thin tom had been looking around for some time, and even his patience was beginning to fray. Although no stranger to hunting for herbs, it was rarely this difficult. Maybe he should have brought along one of the apprentices.

. It was evident that Crowberry didn't care who heard him. The tall tom was kicking aside bracken and leaves, as if searching for something. The dark eyes had examined a good number of small plants, but they still frowned. This was not the time of the year to have a low supply of catnip. Crowberry, a little agitated now, kicked over a small piece of wood. The trace of anger disappeared, and the tom leaned over the patch of dirt he had cleared. It was dry, and no bugs were scrambling to find new shelter. The medicine cat scowled. Clearly no catnip would be growing in the area, if the soil was dry.

. Crowberry's lofty form turned, facing the thunderpath. Its scent made his nose cringe for a moment, and he stood there, staring, for a moment. Despite his own past experience with the thunderpath, it was not that which made him pause now. Monsters rumbled by every few moments- crossing would be no easy task. At least with the general peacefulness of the pathside, they were easy to hear. Crowberry's ears flicked to attention, and he crouched, sneaking up to the edge of the paved road. He licked his lips anxiously, waiting. Nothing seemed to slow, and there was always another monster in the distance, ready to roar past. The tom sighed, and lowered himself a little more. Gradually, his pose became that of a seated tom, not a crouching one. Behind him, a scrawny tail flicked about, betraying a mild level of nervousness in the tall medicine cat.

. He had little doubt the thunderpath would empty eventually- at least, enough for his purposes. It was just a matter of time. And patience.


ooc;; Open for anybody ^_^

[shadowsoul]

--Ashpaw enters--

The gray tabby apprentice padded out from between the trees and ferns and found himself standing in the sunlight by the side of the Thunderpath, blinking after the transition from the foggy darkness within. He had been wandering the territory looking for prey after his fruitless -- or rather, meatless -- journey near the Foggy Cliff, but began to detect the Thunderpath and headed towards it on a whim.

Now, he could just barely feel the wind coming from the monsters rushing past. He wrinkled his nose in disgust -- why did they smell so bad? There was going to be no prey around here. Yet, he kind of wanted to explore a bit before continuing his hunt. Looking over his shoulder for his sister, and assuming she wasn't too far behind, he began to walk parallel to the black surface, keeping close to the forest edge.

It wasn't long before Ashpaw thought he smelled something different in the scents on the wind. With the stench of the Thunderpath, it was hard to tell, but... was that another cat? Maybe Goldenpaw could tell him, she was better at tracking... but he didn't wait. Instead, the apprentice went on ahead, and saw a figure by the side of the road.

He recognized it quickly, and wondering what the other tom was doing out here, called out, "Crowberry!"