Sleepy Thicket

[Akira]

Reedlight led the way into the thicket, a yawn stretching his jaws wide as he walked. It'd been a long time since he last came here... Actually, had he ever? He couldn't remember, given his time as an exile seemed to make him forget about a few things in his apprenticeship. Well, whatever. The mackerel-tabby turned to look behind him, checking to see if Snowleap was following.


@tokyo_driftin

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

Reedlight led the way into the thicket, a yawn stretching his jaws wide as he walked. It'd been a long time since he last came here... Actually, had he ever? He couldn't remember, given his time as an exile seemed to make him forget about a few things in his apprenticeship. Well, whatever. The mackerel-tabby turned to look behind him, checking to see if Snowleap was following.

♢ Snowleap ♢

Following Reedlight into the dense thicket, Snowleap lifted his gaze to look up at the dark, shadowy trees that loomed over them. It was no surprise that this place gave many cats the creeps, especially regarding the rumors, but the tall warrior didn’t let such a thing distract him. He was a warrior, an adult, and he didn’t have the time to be scared when he could be taking care of his clan. Snowleap had only been here once before and truth be told, he didn’t really like hunting here all that much. But hunting in the streams and ponds wasn't an option. Shaking his head with a small sigh escaping him, the tall warrior met gazes with the other tomcat once he noticed Reedlight looking back at him.

“So…” The young tomcat said, trying to start a conversation to avoid the awful silence that hung in the air, “What’s your favorite type of prey to hunt?”

[Akira]

Originally Posted by tokyo_driftin

♢ Snowleap ♢

Following Reedlight into the dense thicket, Snowleap lifted his gaze to look up at the dark, shadowy trees that loomed over them. It was no surprise that this place gave many cats the creeps, especially regarding the rumors, but the tall warrior didn’t let such a thing distract him. He was a warrior, an adult, and he didn’t have the time to be scared when he could be taking care of his clan. Snowleap had only been here once before and truth be told, he didn’t really like hunting here all that much. But hunting in the streams and ponds wasn't an option. Shaking his head with a small sigh escaping him, the tall warrior met gazes with the other tomcat once he noticed Reedlight looking back at him.

“So…” The young tomcat said, trying to start a conversation to avoid the awful silence that hung in the air, “What’s your favorite type of prey to hunt?”

"Um... Water vole is probably easiest for me to get, so I guess that..." Reedlight answered hesitantly, not used to awkward small talk. His pelt prickled with embarrassment: what was he supposed to say? He remained silent for a moment before turning back to Snowleap, whiskers twitching. "Hey .. do you... Happen to remember the raid?" He asked hesitantly, not knowing what else to talk about and immediately kicking himself for saying it. It definitely wasn't a pleasant thing to remember, but an iching curiosity in him demanded to know what were Snowleap's thoughts on it... And what he thought about Reedlight's actions back then.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

"Um... Water vole is probably easiest for me to get, so I guess that..." Reedlight answered hesitantly, not used to awkward small talk. His pelt prickled with embarrassment: what was he supposed to say? He remained silent for a moment before turning back to Snowleap, whiskers twitching. "Hey .. do you... Happen to remember the raid?" He asked hesitantly, not knowing what else to talk about and immediately kicking himself for saying it. It definitely wasn't a pleasant thing to remember, but an iching curiosity in him demanded to know what were Snowleap's thoughts on it... And what he thought about Reedlight's actions back then.

♢ Snowleap ♢

The Riverclan warrior nodded to Reedlight’s answer, looking up at the trees again for a moment. “Mine’s trout,” Snowleap mewed, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, “Though I’m sure that’s not really too unique for a Riverclan cat, heh.” He didn’t usually have this much trouble when it came to talking to his clanmates. Dragonflyfrond, Raccoonear and even Vinewatcher aren't this awkward. It wasn’t even Reedlight’s fault really, considering Snowleap is an anxious mess when it comes to silence and small talk. His ears perked up, however, when the other tomcat turned to him and asked him about a raid. It caught him off-guard and Snowleap pondered for a long moment. A raid? How long ago had it been since that happened? He assumed it was sometime when he was a newly-made warrior, which seemed like ages in his mind. It didn’t seem to ring a bell, but that didn’t surprise him really. Snowleap hadn’t really started to become a part of Riverclan’s loyal close-knit community until about two moons ago. “To be honest, no..” He said, not wanting to lie, “I was somewhat of a recluse in Riverclan for many moons up until recently. Kept to myself and didn’t really involve myself in anything. Why… do you ask?” Snowleap asked, a little confused as to why Reedlight brought it up in the first place. He didn’t mind talking about it, but Snowleap needed more context to form an opinion about it.

[Akira]

Originally Posted by tokyo_driftin

♢ Snowleap ♢

The Riverclan warrior nodded to Reedlight’s answer, looking up at the trees again for a moment. “Mine’s trout,” Snowleap mewed, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, “Though I’m sure that’s not really too unique for a Riverclan cat, heh.” He didn’t usually have this much trouble when it came to talking to his clanmates. Dragonflyfrond, Raccoonear and even Vinewatcher aren't this awkward. It wasn’t even Reedlight’s fault really, considering Snowleap is an anxious mess when it comes to silence and small talk. His ears perked up, however, when the other tomcat turned to him and asked him about a raid. It caught him off-guard and Snowleap pondered for a long moment. A raid? How long ago had it been since that happened? He assumed it was sometime when he was a newly-made warrior, which seemed like ages in his mind. It didn’t seem to ring a bell, but that didn’t surprise him really. Snowleap hadn’t really started to become a part of Riverclan’s loyal close-knit community until about two moons ago. “To be honest, no..” He said, not wanting to lie, “I was somewhat of a recluse in Riverclan for many moons up until recently. Kept to myself and didn’t really involve myself in anything. Why… do you ask?” Snowleap asked, a little confused as to why Reedlight brought it up in the first place. He didn’t mind talking about it, but Snowleap needed more context to form an opinion about it.

Reedlight winced, eyebrow twitching. Ah, he should not have said that. He should NOT have said that. It was just something he should have kept his mouth shut, but nooooo. Now, he was stuck with this. But... He dug himself into this rabbit hole, so he would have to get himself out.

"Well... It was a raid on ThunderClan by RiverClan, after takingg Firefly Cove from them. Kestrelstar revealed that he killed their leader before Aspenstar, and decided to go on a revenge rampage over two cats who died on ThunderClan territory. And, uh, during the raid, uh..." He swallowed thickly before continuing. "I attacked Kestrelstar, and ended up exiled..."

He never liked talking about that night, yet here he was, instigating the conversation in the first place. Ugh... He continued to walk ahead, not bothering to look back to see Snowleap's expression.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

Reedlight winced, eyebrow twitching. Ah, he should not have said that. He should NOT have said that. It was just something he should have kept his mouth shut, but nooooo. Now, he was stuck with this. But... He dug himself into this rabbit hole, so he would have to get himself out.

"Well... It was a raid on ThunderClan by RiverClan, after takingg Firefly Cove from them. Kestrelstar revealed that he killed their leader before Aspenstar, and decided to go on a revenge rampage over two cats who died on ThunderClan territory. And, uh, during the raid, uh..." He swallowed thickly before continuing. "I attacked Kestrelstar, and ended up exiled..."

He never liked talking about that night, yet here he was, instigating the conversation in the first place. Ugh... He continued to walk ahead, not bothering to look back to see Snowleap's expression.

♢ Snowleap ♢

The dark-furred warrior was silent as Reedlight explained the raid and his actions regarding it. He simply nodded as the other tomcat spoke of Firefly Cove and Kestrelstar killing Thunderclan’s former leader. However, Snowleap’s eyes widened when Reedlight told him he had attacked their clan leader and had ended up exiled. He didn’t know what to say, being loyal through-and-through to Kestrelstar. Despite this, the young Riverclan tomcat couldn't help but see that Reedlight didn’t seem like a bad cat. Maybe Snowleap just didn’t know the whole story. Before he could even open his mouth though, his clanmate started walking away from him, not looking back.

“Hey, wait up!” Snowleap meowed, padding after him briskly until he was walking beside Reedlight, “Listen, I know it sounds bad, but I don’t know your life and I’m sure you had your reasoning… You obviously don’t have any ill-will against Kestrelstar now, right? Otherwise you would not have come back to Riverclan.” He was desperately trying to get a read on Reedlight, refusing to assume anything about his clanmate.

[Akira]

Originally Posted by tokyo_driftin

♢ Snowleap ♢

The dark-furred warrior was silent as Reedlight explained the raid and his actions regarding it. He simply nodded as the other tomcat spoke of Firefly Cove and Kestrelstar killing Thunderclan’s former leader. However, Snowleap’s eyes widened when Reedlight told him he had attacked their clan leader and had ended up exiled. He didn’t know what to say, being loyal through-and-through to Kestrelstar. Despite this, the young Riverclan tomcat couldn't help but see that Reedlight didn’t seem like a bad cat. Maybe Snowleap just didn’t know the whole story. Before he could even open his mouth though, his clanmate started walking away from him, not looking back.

“Hey, wait up!” Snowleap meowed, padding after him briskly until he was walking beside Reedlight, “Listen, I know it sounds bad, but I don’t know your life and I’m sure you had your reasoning… You obviously don’t have any ill-will against Kestrelstar now, right? Otherwise you would not have come back to Riverclan.” He was desperately trying to get a read on Reedlight, refusing to assume anything about his clanmate.

"Of course not now, but back then? I was angry: angry that Kestrelstar was willing to go about spilling blood when enough was already spilled. Angry that he wasn't willing to listen to others when they insisted otherwise, branding them traitors. And most of all, I was angry that it spiraled to such chaos," Reedlight ranted, tail whipping behind him. He'd never been so angry besides that night... And he'd rather not ever again. His eyes darkened with those memories, a frown quickly appearing on his face. "I didn't want to do anything like that: I never planned to. But, well, after all that and heading how he killed Eveningstar alone, and knowing other cats would be killed, well..."

The dark tabby tom turned to claw at the dirt underneath him, irritated but somehow keeping his voice calm.. it was a chore to do, but Snowleap did not deserve to be snapped at, especially because of Reedlight's own stupidity bringing him to this spot in the first place. "I'm loyal to RiverClan, through and through: the way I see it, if a leader or someone else does something against the warrior code and what the Clan stands for, then I'll stand up to it no matter what... Though look where that got me..." he said, finishing with a bitter laugh.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

"Of course not now, but back then? I was angry: angry that Kestrelstar was willing to go about spilling blood when enough was already spilled. Angry that he wasn't willing to listen to others when they insisted otherwise, branding them traitors. And most of all, I was angry that it spiraled to such chaos," Reedlight ranted, tail whipping behind him. He'd never been so angry besides that night... And he'd rather not ever again. His eyes darkened with those memories, a frown quickly appearing on his face. "I didn't want to do anything like that: I never planned to. But, well, after all that and heading how he killed Eveningstar alone, and knowing other cats would be killed, well..."

The dark tabby tom turned to claw at the dirt underneath him, irritated but somehow keeping his voice calm.. it was a chore to do, but Snowleap did not deserve to be snapped at, especially because of Reedlight's own stupidity bringing him to this spot in the first place. "I'm loyal to RiverClan, through and through: the way I see it, if a leader or someone else does something against the warrior code and what the Clan stands for, then I'll stand up to it no matter what... Though look where that got me..." he said, finishing with a bitter laugh.

♢ Snowleap ♢

The tall warrior was silent, blinking at his clanmate as Reedlight angrily ranted about the raid. It made Snowleap feel bad that he didn’t remember such an event, but something about it didn’t surprise him. Hearing about how aggressive and violent Kestrelstar was at that time while remembering how he was during the meeting earlier when rogues invaded their camp, Snowleap couldn’t help but shudder. Such a sight would stick in his head for a long, long time. The anger in Reedlight’s voice scared him, but only a little. He was never too good at being around cats when they were angry, such emotions reminded him of his parent’s mistreatment of him. But the young tomcat stayed calm on the outside as best he could so that his clanmate was able to vent without feeling like a burden or something.

Snowleap looked off to the side for a moment, not knowing what to say at first. He didn’t disagree with Reedlight’s words, but the thought of saying it outloud terrified him. Riverclan was his home and the tall warrior was already on thin ice with Kestrelstar due to what happened at the Gathering. He didn’t want to be exiled because if he was, Snowleap didn’t know where he’d go. He uttered a curt sigh and turned his gaze to his irritated clanmate. “I can only imagine how frustrating that must be,” The Riverclan warrior remarked, his tone soft as he rested the tip of his tail on Reedlight’s shoulder in a gentle, consoling manner, “I’ll be honest, I don’t know what you’re going through, but hey, at least it’s in the past now, right? Maybe you should just try focusing on current matters. The past can be quite the weight on your soul if you let it be.”

( The foreshadowing in Reedlight’s words, oh dear… )

[Akira]

Originally Posted by tokyo_driftin

♢ Snowleap ♢

The tall warrior was silent, blinking at his clanmate as Reedlight angrily ranted about the raid. It made Snowleap feel bad that he didn’t remember such an event, but something about it didn’t surprise him. Hearing about how aggressive and violent Kestrelstar was at that time while remembering how he was during the meeting earlier when rogues invaded their camp, Snowleap couldn’t help but shudder. Such a sight would stick in his head for a long, long time. The anger in Reedlight’s voice scared him, but only a little. He was never too good at being around cats when they were angry, such emotions reminded him of his parent’s mistreatment of him. But the young tomcat stayed calm on the outside as best he could so that his clanmate was able to vent without feeling like a burden or something.

Snowleap looked off to the side for a moment, not knowing what to say at first. He didn’t disagree with Reedlight’s words, but the thought of saying it outloud terrified him. Riverclan was his home and the tall warrior was already on thin ice with Kestrelstar due to what happened at the Gathering. He didn’t want to be exiled because if he was, Snowleap didn’t know where he’d go. He uttered a curt sigh and turned his gaze to his irritated clanmate. “I can only imagine how frustrating that must be,” The Riverclan warrior remarked, his tone soft as he rested the tip of his tail on Reedlight’s shoulder in a gentle, consoling manner, “I’ll be honest, I don’t know what you’re going through, but hey, at least it’s in the past now, right? Maybe you should just try focusing on current matters. The past can be quite the weight on your soul if you let it be.”

( The foreshadowing in Reedlight’s words, oh dear… )

Reedlight blinked, surprised at the contact, but grateful nonetheless, offering Snowleap a small and apologetic smile before taking deep breaths, slowly calming himself. Snowleap was right: he needed to focus on the now, and not what happened moons ago. Not that he would change any of his choices, but still, that night refused to leave his mind. Perhaps because of how significant it was, or for some other reason? It was as prominent in his mind as the meeting where Kestrelstar killed Quietclaw in the clearing, both holding rather dark memories... So why was he so obsessed with them?

Reedlight shook his head. That would have to wait for later: right now, they were hunting, so that was what they were going to do. He plastered a smile on his face, turning to Snowleap. "Anyway, we're off topic: we should be hunting, not talking about dumb stuff from the past! Smell anything?" He asked, turning to scan the area quietly.

( )

[spade]

Originally Posted by Dizerel

The sky above was a darkish gray, covered in clouds. There was no snow at the moment but it felt like it could start at any time. Though the dark sky did nothing to make the land look any sort of dreary, instead the white canvas of snow across the ground contrasting with the dark sky gave everything that winter feeling. Calm, relaxed, but also far from bland. Junipersong loved it, because her pelt was thick enough that the snow didnt bother her much, and most of the prey that still ran around during this seasons usually got slowed down by said snow, slow enough that she actually had a decent chance to catch some things! Cause she will be damned if she goes back from a hunting patrol empty-pawed!

Though with the noise she was making it would be a while before the prey in this area would get brave enough to take an expedition out into the snow, so the two of them should have some time to just chat and be friends. "Maybe not a ghost. But when I was a kit, before my mother brought me to join the clan, I heard similar stories from her. That she had seen a strange creature out somewhere around here. Cat-like but also.... not cat-like. Just different enough from a cat to put you on edge. Some sort of.... monster!"

If the snow had been tall enough to hide in she would have emphasized that by burrowing down into the snow, and then jumping out as she said 'monster'. Unfortunately it was only an inch or two at most, this being just the start of leaf-bare. "You ever wonder what creatures are out there? We know there are coyotes, badgers, foxes, twolegs, but do you ever think there might be other things out in the world that we have never seen yet?"

// @arden

Ears perked as his friend continued to talk, Kestrelstar was curious what stories might've been told to Junipersong. Trying to recall nursery stories his own mother had told him was difficult as they were concealed under a thick layer of sleepy fog. He faintly recalled being told of the headless cat-ghost, though such things didn't garner much faith from the gray tomcat. He did chuckle a bit at his friend's impression of whatever was rumored to roam the thicket however. "Or maybe it's just an oversized mouse whose shadow is just really big," he joked, giving a shrug of his shoulders as the grin stretched across his face.

It wasn't often that Kestrelstar imagined what the world was like beyond the Clan borders. He had spent a moon outside of them, traveling for days, and did not wish to revisit such a time. Spending moments like that, away from his Clan... it felt almost wrong now. "I'm sure there are. I saw many strange... things in the moon that I was away from RiverClan." He had never spoken before on his time away from the Clan. "I came across one kitty-pet that had this weird lake in the middle of what she called her "yard". But... the shoreline was smooth and flat, and one half of the water was cool, and the other half was warm to the touch." Eloise had also spoken of something called a "jet", though Kestrelstar was still unaware what that was even after her explanation.

Casting a curious gaze to Junipersong, he offered another shrug. "I certainly hope there are no other predators out there aside from badgers, foxes, and coyotes though. We've got enough to worry about as it is."