RiverClan Clearing

[seasalt]

@starfall @Socks @BluBunny @Chameleon

Runningpaw was sitting in the clearing, optics closed as the evening breeze ruffled her fur. She was finally, finally get over her mother's death, and all the grief. For once, she felt like herself. The happy, hyper, and super excitable Runningpaw. But, she also felt like she had grown from an experience. She was older, and that probably meant her personality changed a bit. That was fine. At the sound of her name, Runningpaw was snapped out of her thoughts. Ears twitching, she hauled herself up, and came over to the ground. She didn't say a word, just gave a curt nod. And stood their quietly, and politely, with a small smile on her muzzle. She didn't really care for conversation for the moment. Maybe patrolling would keep her mind off of things that had happened. That was fine with her. A good distraction was just fine. Just, fine.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Clover

She smiled ever-so-gently, placing a paw gently over Shellfeather's. "Love... say whatever you need. I've been through a lot in my life and heard many stories. Every single one that I've ever been blessed to hear is different and unique; some more painful than others. Whatever you need to say, I'll listen to. Okay? Every bad thing-anything that you need to drain. I'm here," she replied, softly, her voice as tender and quiet as the she-cat could manage, though there was a coil of worry wound tightly in her chest. Cloversplash felt that Shellfeather just needed to cleanse; there was maybe a lot of emotional catharses that could happen just because of her talking. Her green eyes glittered with genuine worry, and she just hoped that the silver tabby would open up to her.
"Say whatever you need."

She actually wants to listen. She wants to help. The thought made it's way to Shellfeather's brain, standing there prominently as if she were going to forget it.
Taking a deep breath, the molly prepared herself for the ordeal. Letting everything out would not be easy, no, but it would all be worth it in the end. Her small and petite body was not meant to hold all of that in. She needed to let it out. She needed to rant. She needed to let it escape and never come back again.
"Well, really it all began when I came back to Riverclan. I didn't know what I was prepared for... A warm welcome, a shady greeting, but I certainly did not expect Russetstar to have... Moved on. And well, maybe some part deep deep inside of me did, but on the outside, I was always expecting him to wait for me, no matter what. I thought he loved me. So, I decided to stay in the clan. It was hard, but I mainly did it for my kits, all who missed me, well, at least Rabbitpaw did." So far so good. This beginning part had happened a while ago, so Shellfeather felt as if it was easier to talk about. "Cricketpaw.... Well she didn't see the good in me coming back. I had abandoned her, and she held a grudge against me. Which I found completely understandable. But it still hurt. So, I went along, adjusting to my new life. Spicepaw had been growing more and more distant, and he was really the only support I had. But I was happy for him, because after he started hanging out with this cat... Quillpaw I think? He's been a lot happier." A bittersweet smile crossed Shellfeather's face. She had always known that Spice was a lot like his father, in so many more ways than she could've ever dreamed of. "Then the news that Cricketpaw was killed came. Devastation washed over me, and I didn't know what I'd do. I had never gotten the chance to apologize for not being the mother she wanted me to be. I wish I could've been that mother.... But I suck at parenting." Tears were pooling at the edges of Shellfeather's eyes now, but she let out a little laugh at her own words. "Then, as I was still dealing with that loss, my best friend returned to the clan. I was overjoyed, and I felt as if he was as well. But... I'm not sure things are going to turn out allright." Shellfeather said the last part as a whisper. As an experienced queen, having borne two litter before, she knew what it felt like when she was pregnant. And Shellfeather worried that feeling was coming upon her once more.

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

[MENTION=40]RedHead[MENTION]
[ @Lawlipop @fenic! in case you guys wanna stalk ]



Scorchingflame padded through the camp entrance behind a patrol of RiverClan cats, a pathetic excuse for a fish clamped carefully between his jaws. Somehow, the massive feline had failed his fishing mission, but he succeeded in his own way as proven by the tiny fish he currently carried. He could probably swallow the fish whole if he wanted, but that probably wouldn't be such a good idea. He had to carry his weight if he were to stay in RiverClan. Over the moons he's been away from the clan, he hasn't been fishing as much which resulted in his lack of fishing skills. Instead, he'd focused on catching rodents or birds in a poor attempt to distract himself from the clan he ran away from. He hadn't wanted any reminders of his former life, but now, Scorchingflame was living his former life.


He didn't know exactly how to feel right now, or why he didn't just turn around and leave. Perhaps it was because Shellfeather was here? Or maybe even Dappleblossom? It was certainly not because he missed Russetswirl - he knew that much. But why would he stay in a clan that was under that fish-brain's rule? Scorchingflame could understand staying for Shellfeather; after all, he loved her. He wasn't so convinced about Dappleblossom being his reasoning. They were only `best friends` because Scorchingflame feared that if he let go of their friendship, she'd get back at him by revealing his love for Shellfeather.


He headed directly for the fresh-kill pile, sheepishly depositing his poor catch on the pile. Just wait until someone points it out. Scorchingflame scowled at the idea, but embarrassment heated his fur. He watched the slimy fish slip deeper into the pile until it was unseen by him, and he let himself exhale a relieved sigh. At least nobody would see it for a while, not until a majority of the fresh-kill was already eaten. By then, his scent would be long gone off the fish, and nobody would be able to laugh at him for his failure.


Scorchingflame considered scooping a piece of fresh-kill from the pile, helping himself to his own deserved meal, but he wasn't really feeling it. He felt nauseous, his belly upset with him as if some really bad news was coming his way. So he cast the fresh-kill pile a disgusted look and with an irritated flick of his tail, Scorchingflame was padding off to a corner of the camp. He'd done his duties today, meaning the rest of the day would be relaxing and avoiding the RiverClan members. Hopefully he'd be able to fall asleep and escape his thoughts - he wasn't interested in thinking about his current predicament. He lowered himself on his belly, his hind paws tucked under him and his forearms stretched before him. He curled his tail at his side, the tip twitching lazily, and rested his chin on his forearm. After cautiously glancing around the clearing, Scorchingflame let himself close his eyes, but his ears swiveled in an alert manner.

A sapphire blue gaze could be seen from the shadows in the clearing, as Shellfeather was grooming herself. Her gaze was full of mixed emotions; excitement, worry, wonder, fear. She had had suspicions about it, but now she was for sure. The little bodies she could feel inside of her were definitely not her imagination.
And the molly knew exactly who the father was. There was no other tomcat that she'd spent more time with in the last moon besides Scorchingflame. Even though she hadn't even seen the kits yet, she was certain that they were his. But that is what worried Shellfeather. She had never seen Scorchingflame as the fatherly, loving cat. More of a stoic, sturdy warrior. But maybe there was something more to him that Shellfeather didn't know.
She did know that there had been moments when she loved him. When he had made her feel wanted and safe. And in those moments, Shellfeather had felt... Real again. She'd been living in this half-life, where she was practically a ghost, floating about the clan miserably. But Scorchingflame seemed to have found her, and brought her back.
But could he be as good of a father as a lover? And would he even want to be a father? Shellfeather wasn't sure if Scorchingflame would even want to accept the kits as his. The two weren't officially mates, it had never been mutual between the two.
And then there was Shellfeather's worries about herself. She had lost half of the kits she'd gave birth to. That had led her to believe that she was cursed or something. Cursed to bear heartbreak and turmoil. Maybe I'll need to take a different approach with these kits... Maybe I need to rest more, or eat more..
or... The molly realized that before she started deciding things, she should probably talk to Scorchingflame. She needed to hear what he had to say about the whole situation. She was scared, but hopeful at the same time.
Taking a deep and calming breath, Shellfeather stepped out of the shadows and walked over to where she had seen Scorchingflame sit down. Her belly was only mildly big, it looked a little bit like she ate too much recently, it was noticeable, but not too noticeable. Sitting down in front of the large ginger tomcat, Shell curled her tail around her paws, to prevent herself from shifting them nervously.
"Scorchingflame, I have something to tell you." Her voice had come out a lot more confident than she had expected. Please Starclan, don't let him be angry.... She waited for the large warrior to respond before she told him the big news. News that could possibly change their lives, their friendship, everything.

[Tigress]

Originally Posted by Swiftheart

He looked at the she-cat."That's a beautiful name.Mines flashheart!" He said."It's a beautiful day today." He said,looking at the clouds,but then rembered his fish."Oh-uh do you want to share?" He asked,indicating with his paw the fish infront of him.It was pretty plump for this late in the ear,and still looked fresh,and it's silver scales glistened in the sun.

Mintfeather smiled at Flashheart, then looked down at the rather large fish. "Sure." she purred and took a bite of the fish. It was still juicy. "What a wonderful catch." she remarked and looked back into Flashheart's eyes. "Would you like to go hunting, maybe swimming?" the she-cat asked. She loved swimming, just the cool feeling of the water on her and the way she felt so safe and at home swimming made her love it even more.

[seasalt]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

[ Don't worry about it! I've been a bit busy recently anyways, and I've been taking a while to respond to rps. That means you have all the time in the world to reply! cx ]



Juniperpaw felt pride flood her as Runningpaw seemed to brighten just a little, but it was enough to persuade Juniperpaw into continuing to try to bring happiness to the other apprentice. And then, much to her disappointment, the happy gleam vanished, having disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. However, Juniperpaw was determined to earn herself yet another smile, no matter how small it may be. When Runningpaw thanked her, Juniperpaw nodded her welcome, her smile not faltering for a moment.


And then the mood seemed to grow darker. Noticing Runningpaw's uncomfortable shifting, Juniperpaw wondered if it was something she'd said. She could sometimes lack a filter, crossing a line that should not be crossed. She opened her mouth, about to apologize and change the subject, but quickly clamped her jaws shut again when Runningpaw spoke. Juniperpaw's smile had fallen, the edges of her lips curled downward in a sad frown. She couldn't even imagine losing her parents or her half-brothers! And seeing what losing kin did to Runningpaw... Juniperpaw nearly shuddered, but luckily, she refrained from doing so.


Her compassionate gaze watched Runningpaw for a few moments after she finished talking, many thoughts rushing through her head. Juniperpaw was being trained to treat physical injuries, not mental wounds. Pain stabbed her heart as she continued to imagine losing her family, and she eventually had to tell herself that everything was okay. Inhaling deeply, as if having been struck by an emotional blow, Juniperpaw found herself crouching beside Runningpaw. She pressed against the other apprentice's flank, and what she hoped to be a comforting purr rumbled deep in her throat.


``Runningpaw,`` Juniperpaw meowed softly, looking away from the depressed feline as she wondered how to word her thoughts. She decided to take a page out of Daypaw's book, ``I'm going to be blunt here, okay? You won't ever get over their disappearances. You will always grieve for them, but the grief will lose it's intensity as life goes on.`` Juniperpaw looked at Runningpaw, green eyes dancing with warmth. ``You have to remain strong, though. I highly doubt your mother and littermates would want you to be so depressed. They'd want the best for you, and refusing to eat is not so great for you. Sure, you probably won't be jumping around camp tomorrow like an insanely happy kit, but you have to start somewhere. Kitten-steps! You can start your path to happiness with a bite of this mouse,`` Juniperpaw meowed, reaching out a paw to nudge the half-eaten mouse even closer to Runningpaw.

Runningpaw blinked at Juniperpaw's statement. She knew her mother wouldn't want her to be sulking around the camp all depressed, or her littermates either. Allurepaw would probably tell her to stop being so down, and chin up, Rainkit would try to cheer her up somehow, and as for Tricklekit.. he would probably just blink at her and tell her bluntly to stop being sulky and sad. As for her mother... Minnowstream would probably gently try to cheer her up with something she liked to do. Butterflies being one of them. She smiled slightly at the thought of all her siblings and mother. Their disappearances were sad, yes, and she needed to move on. And then she looked down at the mouse.

Kittensteps, Runningpaw, Kittensteps... She told herself what Juniperpaw had said, before taking a small bite of the mouse, chewing, and then swallowing it. That was a start.. Runningpaw thought. Her blue green eyes blinked, and she looked up at Juniperpaw. "I.. thank you..." She muttered, looking down at the mouse thoughtfully "I didn't really know, or think of how my siblings and mother would think, or.. anything really..." Runningpaw paused at what she just said, thinking for a moment. Their disappearances hit me really hard. They were their, and then... gone the next.... I need to worry about who I have left, and the present, instead of the past.. Perhaps, her mind and herself was slowly, moving on. She looked up at the medicine cat apprentice again. "Thank you.. again..."

[Static]

Originally Posted by Tigress

Mintfeather smiled at Flashheart, then looked down at the rather large fish. "Sure." she purred and took a bite of the fish. It was still juicy. "What a wonderful catch." she remarked and looked back into Flashheart's eyes. "Would you like to go hunting, maybe swimming?" the she-cat asked. She loved swimming, just the cool feeling of the water on her and the way she felt so safe and at home swimming made her love it even more.

"Sure!We can finish this later if it stays good." He saidHe loved swimming more than anything!The water seemed to wash away any worries in the world,anmd was usfull to for the clan.It had fish in it,it was drinkable of course,and it helped clean fur.

[Tigress]

Originally Posted by Swiftheart

"Sure!We can finish this later if it stays good." He saidHe loved swimming more than anything!The water seemed to wash away any worries in the world,anmd was usfull to for the clan.It had fish in it,it was drinkable of course,and it helped clean fur.

"Ok!" Mintfeather pipped and she started walking in the direction of a pond. She turned back to make sure Flashheart was still following her. Once she saw that he was there, the tabby gracefully jumped into the water. The water felt nice on her sore paws. "C'mon!" she called to Flashheart.

[wren]

@Charmer
[ is this length good? ]
[ I can go bigger if needed ]

Clementine was a silent cat- Er I guess clementinepaw. She would be withdrawn back at her housefolks house but she was also quiet here. But it seemed to hard to slide into the background when your so orange and bright your like a homing beacon for cats to come look at you. She had come to to earn that the past few days. Cats wanted to know everything about where she came from and she wanted to know everything about there they came from. She was clueless and practically mentorless. It was a strange feeling knowing that apprentices where supposed to guiders... Mentors. Right. And yet she felt like she had none of these. She didn't know the territory or the scent she didn't even know what a water vole was let alone a crane. She heard some apprentices saw it the other day while she crouched in her little nest.

[wickedvirtues]

@Mystical

An American Curl bounced energetically around the clearing, her ears as tall as they could be, with them being curled back at the tips. Her tail swayed behind her, and she tried to spot the thing she'd been following. The hyper cat spotted the wings of the white butterfly and grinned. Who cared if it was kit-like? She didn't feel like hunting or flirting. Mothlight followed the creature, observing it as it gently fluttered. Something - again - distracted her, and the butterfly flew away, but this was far better. "Hi, Ivy!" She mewed, rushing over with a large grin on her face. "Glad I found ya." She added.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Clover

(maybe we do a real slow romance, so while their kits and apprentices it's just close friends, and then mild crushes, and then as warriors it really develops?)

Cygnetkit smiled broadly, misty eyes gleaming slightly. "I've been... okay," he said, not wanting to lie, but knowing she worry if he spilled the truth. "I'm excited to be an apprentice! Only a few more days until I hit six moons!... Wait! Could you become an apprentice with me?" he exclaimed, mouth hanging open slightly; in a few moments, he'd gone from only a bit excited to overwhelming and claustrophobic, the sheer weight of happiness hitting him obviously, from even the outside. "Oh, Blossomkit, you wouldn't have to be alone! We could do it together!" he mewed, bumping his nose under her chin, still slightly shorter than her since neither of them had stopped growing. Beyond his want for her to be happy, he himself felt that a friend would be good; she could support him and keep him safe, from being bullied for his blindness, and she would have someone who cared for her equally passionately. It was, in his mind, a perfect compromise.

Her? Become an apprentice with Cygnetkit? The idea was calming, definitely, it wouldn't be anywhere as scary if she had someone that she could trust, but - Blossomkit wasn't sure. The nursery had a certain air of steadiness to it. Of routine, of no day-to-day excitement, it was easier to stay calm and keep your head down there. Worried queens asking about her Mother was the greatest challenge that she faced. "Oh, but I-" She was cut off my his next excited statement. He was so excited, how could she say no? How could she crush his hopes that they would be apprentices together like that? Well, she couldn't. "Sounds great! I'll see if I can." The small kit cleared her throat and looked down at the ground. At least he couldn't see the hesitation on her features, that one thought running through her head - oh StarClan, what have I done? This was a new experience and a scary one. Something that Blossomkit wasn't at all sure was a good idea, but hey - she would have a friend to protect her. And she would be able to protect him. Although the biggest fear of all was wondering how long it would be before she failed him.
(yes! That sounds great )

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by CandyFlossCat

@Mystical

An American Curl bounced energetically around the clearing, her ears as tall as they could be, with them being curled back at the tips. Her tail swayed behind her, and she tried to spot the thing she'd been following. The hyper cat spotted the wings of the white butterfly and grinned. Who cared if it was kit-like? She didn't feel like hunting or flirting. Mothlight followed the creature, observing it as it gently fluttered. Something - again - distracted her, and the butterfly flew away, but this was far better. "Hi, Ivy!" She mewed, rushing over with a large grin on her face. "Glad I found ya." She added.

The female was a shadow, invisible on the outskirts of the camp. Never coming into the light, attention was not what she wanted. Ivysong was a mysterious cat, who quite honestly understood herself no better than her friends and family. But one thing she knew, is that beauty lay in the darkness, that so many were afraid of. It was her home however. She sat, as far away from cats as she could, but not because she disliked them, but because she was not the type for conversation. She was solitary, and favored her alone time a lot. But that didn't mean she wouldn't talk, or that she didn't have friends. She had many actually, and they meant the world to her. Suddenly, Ivysong heard her named. At least her prefix. When nothing followed the molly was aware that whoever that cat was, they were her family or friend. By the sound of the cats voice family, and none other than her sister, and best friend. Spinning around the feminine american curl faced her sister. "Mothy!" she purred, louder than she wanted it to be.