RiverClan Territory

[panchiko]

Originally Posted by Rosemew

Oakflame nodded, starting to walk. The tabby made his way deeper into the thickets and trees. His ear flicked hearing a bird squawk loudly before flying away. He scrunched up his nose, his amber gaze falling on Spiderpaw, making sure she was still following. "I think you'll like this part of the territory, for future hunting. Lots of prey thrives here in newleaf and greenleaf."

"speaking of newleaf and greenleaf, what's your favorite season?" spiderpaw questioned innocently enough, looking up at oakflame interrogatively. she padded behind her mentor before a gnarly, twisted branch snagged her fur. the female shook herself, unhooking the branch from her pelt. spiderpaw continued casually, as though nothing had happened, but was more cautious and careful where she stepped and made sure not to go too close to the branch-full trees.

[furrensic]

Originally Posted by hope

"speaking of newleaf and greenleaf, what's your favorite season?" spiderpaw questioned innocently enough, looking up at oakflame interrogatively. she padded behind her mentor before a gnarly, twisted branch snagged her fur. the female shook herself, unhooking the branch from her pelt. spiderpaw continued casually, as though nothing had happened, but was more cautious and careful where she stepped and made sure not to go too close to the branch-full trees.

Oakflame hummed, his ears flicking slightly. "I personally like greenleaf." He answered with a slight grin. He kept his gaze forward, every now and the glancing around. "What's yours?" He inquired, deciding to ask the question back.

[panchiko]

Originally Posted by Rosemew

Oakflame hummed, his ears flicking slightly. "I personally like greenleaf." He answered with a slight grin. He kept his gaze forward, every now and the glancing around. "What's yours?" He inquired, deciding to ask the question back.

"honestly, newleaf. everything comes back to life after a few moons of withering, and cats feel warmth for the first time in forever. it brings the prey back to the clan so we'll stop starving ourselves, and everycat is happy for the sun to be out," she responded, smiling. "either that or leaffall. i love stomping on the leaves that fall off the trees," spiderpaw added, reminiscing about the times she'd crunched those rust-colored leaves and satisfied herself, leaving only crumbles of the leaves after stepping on them a million times. the female sighed, then continued, eyes darting and ears twitching alertly, searching for any signs of prey; or, for that matter, anything she hadn't seen before. the point of this exercise was to explore and hunt, so the female didn't only have to hunt, she could search for new things & hunt when she spotted any healthy prey. "on a scale of 1-10, how annoying am i? and on a scale of 1-10, how annoying was that question?" spiderpaw asked, grinning widely at oakflame.

[furrensic]

Originally Posted by hope

"honestly, newleaf. everything comes back to life after a few moons of withering, and cats feel warmth for the first time in forever. it brings the prey back to the clan so we'll stop starving ourselves, and everycat is happy for the sun to be out," she responded, smiling. "either that or leaffall. i love stomping on the leaves that fall off the trees," spiderpaw added, reminiscing about the times she'd crunched those rust-colored leaves and satisfied herself, leaving only crumbles of the leaves after stepping on them a million times. the female sighed, then continued, eyes darting and ears twitching alertly, searching for any signs of prey; or, for that matter, anything she hadn't seen before. the point of this exercise was to explore and hunt, so the female didn't only have to hunt, she could search for new things & hunt when she spotted any healthy prey. "on a scale of 1-10, how annoying am i? and on a scale of 1-10, how annoying was that question?" spiderpaw asked, grinning widely at oakflame.

Oakflame grinned at the question. "I would say 0 for both. I find you fun not annoying." He snorted, his tail flicking.

((Sorry the reply is so short n ugly ^^; ))

[graves]

Originally Posted by Peachy

chestnutfall’s eyes faded as dappledghost explained her life. it was strange knowing some cats’ lives were so strictly planned out since the beginning, it almost made himself feel stupid for trying to be so tightly scheduled. it made him sad. she...didn't deserve a life like that. he leered off in the distance, humming thoughtfully. “my life was quite the opposite, really.” you could hear his voice shaking slightly out of nervousness. he’d...never spoken about this to anyone before. “everything in my life happened by surprise...and never a good surprise. this is why i strive to live by a schedule, so that everything happens according to plan. even though i know not everything can be planned...” his brows furrowed momentairly, but he shook it off and forced a small smile. taking a deep breath, chestnutfall gazed back up at dappledghost. he chuckled awkwardly, hoping to lighten the mood. “so you aren't allowed to choose things for yourself? i understand parents want the best for their children, but we all grow up to be our own person.” his eyes began to wander the leaves overhead, still smiling. “you should be allowed to make your own decisions, dappledghost...especially about certain elements, like your future ma-...loved one.” the tension in the air changed, but maybe it was just him. or a breeze. or something. “isn't that the fun part of life? having the freedom to love whoever and whatever you wish? whether that be a hobby or another cat, it should be something we personally chose, don't you think?”

it was strange hearing himself talk about this sort of thing...he lost everyone he ever loved, so he felt hypocritical in some way. this was something he wanted to improve about himself, though. hence he spoke about it. but only with dappledghost.

only with dappledghost.

his words struck home - he was right, dappledghost knew that perfectly well. she just.. had a fear of failure. so not go by a plan and just jump. "youre right, i know you are," she hummed quietly, the polite formality of her voice starting to wear a bit off, trotting a bit slower along the trail they were walking on. she set so many standards for herself, and once she reached them, she set them higher. it was a never ending cycle that she was so used to. "i guess sometimes i forget that i am a living being instead of a vessel to follow orders," there were many things in life that she missed out on. instead of playing with kits during her kithood she was being taught the formalities of life, she was forced to mature at such of a young age she... kind of forgot what it was like, to have a choice and just play around. the unexpected. it was hard to get her upset or cry, she had forced those feelings down long ago, so she held herself up like normal despite her voice sounding somber. "if im going to be honest with you, just between you and me," she mewed, catching his attention,"if i had the freedom, i dont know what id do with it." she was so used to being told what to do, how to act, who to love.. shed lose herself.

[Dust]

Originally Posted by North

| @Dust |
Mintflower had been thinking quietly to herself, feeling as though she was forgetting something but she simply could not put her paw on what it was. What in Starclan's stupid name have I forgotten?! As if Starclan themselves had answered, a loud voice bellowed through the forest and Mintflower didn't have to turn to know who it was. Frostflight. She had forgotten her patrol partner. "I am so sorry-" The smaller she-cat began, before she was cut off by Frostflight's own apology - his words only adding to her guilt. She was dumbfounded for a moment, words stuck at an invisible block between her mind and her mouth - the usually articulate feline feeling as though a sudden wave of embarrassment was crawling along her skin. Once he had finished, she finally tried to get her apology in, but once more the tom spoke up; had her guilt not been as large as it was, she would have told him to be quiet, but she argued it wouldn't make him or her feel any better. She waited as patiently as she could, eyes lowered to the ground as she tried to force the heat to disappear from her cheeks. "I- No, I haven't noticed anything," She answered his question first, but quickly spoke up again to avoid having Frostflight start talking once more, "And it's not your fault, I left too early; I should be the one saying sorry. So- Um, sorry?" She gazed up at him hesitantly, but forced herself to regain her posture. She puffed out her chest as a kit would, and tried her best to stand tall, but alas, next to Frostflight she remained as small as ever. She pouted, eying the tomcat up for a moment before marching past him, gesturing for him to keep up. "For someone almost twice my height you're not all that fast," She challenged, hoping to make up for her aforementioned mistake with a little playfulness. She hadn't been her playful self this past moon, but she was beginning to realise if she wanted to regain her sense of enjoyment she'd have to start with making the effort.

Frostflight's own guilt ebbed away into curiosity as he listened to Mintflower's report. It was clear that she wasn't lying about spotting anything - why would she have to anyway? - though the tom-cat remained on alert just to play it safe. With the current state of conflict between the clans it was better to be cautious. The last thing Frost wanted was for the two be ambushed by a patrol gone rogue. With a hefty shake of his pelt, the Mackerel tabby shook away his nervous thoughts - he didn't want Mintflower to be unsettled by his behavior anyway. Though her apology definitely seemed to take him by surprise, his icy gaze softening with understanding. There was no use in trying to argue who was more sorry than the other so he let it be, instead offering an amused smile as he watched his clan-mate puff up. Sometimes the tom forgot how big he was, he knew some cats could be intimidated by it, hopefully not his patrol partner. As Mintflower beckoned him with her tail, the silver feline followed close behind her keeping his senses on alert. Each pawstep squished with the soft terrain, his claws sinking in for more stability. Frostflight perked up at her comment, a smile stretching across his maw. "I've only just woken up!" He protested, "I bet I could best you in a race any day. These legs aren't long for nothing!" Frostflight mumbled as he lowered his head to drink in the scent of a nearby clump of ferns, making note that it would need to be marked again. Hopefully Mintflower would be able to detect the playful quality to his voice and to make sure his words weren't taken out of context, the tom glanced upwards to try and catch hers, "Just kidding, I bet you could outrun me in a heartbeat." In all honesty, Frostflight wasn't that fast!

[North]

| @Dust |
[Apologies on the wait ^^"]
"Well, I'm no Windclanner with these stubby legs of mine, but I am a pretty fast molly," She replied, glancing down at her short legs with amusement - she used to despise her strange proportions, having been bullied for then. Nowadays, she'd come to accept she couldn't magically change the length of her legs and so it was better to just accept them as they are. Besides, they'd never been too much of a bother for her; she certainly wasn't the best at climbing trees, but she was an avid swimmer, and as a Riverclanner she knew which skill she preferred having. The sandy she-cat inspected the surrounding forest cautiously, her nose held high as she tasted the air for any unwanted smells. She was relieved to find nothing of particular interest, a small sigh escaping her maw. She'd hate to get into a fight. Mintflower was done with fighting, done with the cuts and bruises and tears, done with losing friends and family. She was 100% done with fighting. The war had changed a lot of cats, some more than others. She wondered if it had change Frostflight. She had never been very close with the tom, they were barely even acquaintances in her books. Had he once been a different tom to the one she was talking to right now? Mintflower realised she was staring blankly at him, and quickly looked away with a muttered excuse about being lost in thought. Different subject, different subject... "Prey is becoming more bountiful, don't you think? Good thing, too, with all the kits Riverclan's got in the nursery," She began, inspecting different bushes and patches of soil as though to make herself seem busy. Mintflower was still trying to get her conversationalist skill back up the scratch, but it was a fairly decent attempt in her books.

[Dust]

@North
[Hush hush, it's perfectly fine!]

Frostflight could only chuckle at her comment about her stubby legs and not being a windclanner. "Good thing," He snorted with discontent quietly to himself as he rubbed his side against the truck of a nearby tree to temporarily mark it - at least until another patrol came by to strengthen the scent. The mention of Windclan left a bitter taste on the tongue of Frostflight, the tom instinctively turning to give the scars on his shoulder a rough lick. His teeth chattered as he chewed free the knotted strands of silvery-gray fur, giving it one final look over before giving a quick nod in satisfaction. It was usually shiny and well kept, but well... he had just woken up prior to the patrol! There had been no time to give himself a good washing! Raising his head to the sky, Frostflight inhaled deeply, then exhaled, his chest moving in rhythmic motion as the scent of the forest washed over him. Fresh moss, the marshy grass and smell of the running river. How Frostflight had missed it here, in Riverclans's territory. This was THEIR home. There was no tainted, coppery smell of blood or screeches of pain echoing throughout... only the calming chirp of morning birds overhead and sound of the river rushing out to the ocean and... was Mintflower saying something? Pulling away from his thoughts, the large tabby startled at the sight of the other staring at him before she quickly looked away. The fur on Frostflight's spine bristled with unease, though he clamped his jaws shut, the skin beneath his pelt burning with embarrassment. Did I do something? And as the short lived silence between the two was broken by the molly, Frostflight let out a sigh of relief he had been holding in. "It is a good thing really, isn't it? I can't imagine it will be hard to keep the pile stocked, especially with new-leaf here." The tom noted with a smile. "After living in that stinking camp for leaf-bare and that break-out of sickness, I'm glad we're back in our territory and everyone is healthy. Besides, who would fish in the river without us?" He cast a glance over to the she-cat, trying to keep in pace with her as they patrolled the border.

[Doom]

Originally Posted by graves

his words struck home - he was right, dappledghost knew that perfectly well. she just.. had a fear of failure. so not go by a plan and just jump. "youre right, i know you are," she hummed quietly, the polite formality of her voice starting to wear a bit off, trotting a bit slower along the trail they were walking on. she set so many standards for herself, and once she reached them, she set them higher. it was a never ending cycle that she was so used to. "i guess sometimes i forget that i am a living being instead of a vessel to follow orders," there were many things in life that she missed out on. instead of playing with kits during her kithood she was being taught the formalities of life, she was forced to mature at such of a young age she... kind of forgot what it was like, to have a choice and just play around. the unexpected. it was hard to get her upset or cry, she had forced those feelings down long ago, so she held herself up like normal despite her voice sounding somber. "if im going to be honest with you, just between you and me," she mewed, catching his attention,"if i had the freedom, i dont know what id do with it." she was so used to being told what to do, how to act, who to love.. shed lose herself.

chestnutfall fought the urge to abruptly stop in his tracks, but his pace definitely slowed momentarily. he...planned for a more personal conversation, but didn’t expect to upset her. he always admired dappledghost’s balance, but knowing nothing in her life was done at her own accord depressed him. “i’m...sorry you feel that way,” he finally piped up, trying to reorganize his thoughts. “it's understandable that you have no clue who you’d be with. this...freedom only just occurred to you, so obviously there hasn't been anyone on your mind.” the warrior’s gaze wandered as he spoke. “but you’ll know when you find the one.” his expression went soft for the first time this morning, accompanied by a genuine smile. he was thinking about her, to his surprise. he knew he liked dappledghost, but never really thought about how he liked her. she definitely was the type of cat he’d picture being with. maybe less tall, but she certainly has the qualities. she doesn't like anyone at the moment. this was good. he had a chance.

“maybe you should talk with your parents about you choosing who you want to be with? or you could just...choose. i personally think it’s a bit wrong to choose someone else’s happiness, you have every right to be your own person. love is love, after all.” his eyes faded, remembering. that chronicly-tired look on his face returned. "you can't control it." this was said for himself, too.

[wren]

Originally Posted by Teggy

The tom let out a soft purr to the young cat, "Hey there little one, why are you here without your mentor?" Roanclaw purred as he somehow came behind her. How sweet and naive she is.. something said as Roanclaw only circled the young apprentice

''HE can't seem to find the time to train me" she said promptly before the tom seemed to emerge from the fog. She grinned and flicked her tail turning to glance at him. "Perhaps you'd have the time to show me a few things" he said with a smile cocking her head to the side and sweeping her tongue over his whiskers flattening them to the side of her muzzle