RiverClan Clearing

[MaskedBandits]

Originally Posted by BluBunny

Tigerpaw tilted her head as she watched the kit prepare for a hunters crouch, she didn't laugh or even smile as Mulberrykit struggle to get into the crouch. She could tell the kit didn't really know what a hunters crouch was but she was glad Mulberrykit was at least trying. "Hmm, well I am glad you're at least trying. It's not quite right." She purred, "You can stop now." She added, seeing the kit struggle to hold her position. 'She'll get stronger as she gets older.' She thought. Tigerpaw crouched low to the ground, her ears tilted forward and her tail was raised a bit from the ground. "Make sure your tail doesn't touch the ground, when it's scraping against the grass and leaves it can alert mice and squirrels." She said, "When stalking your prey keep your pawsteps light, mice and other prey can feel vibrations in the ground so if you stomp they feel them." She stalked a pretend mouse, keeping her paws light on the ground. She knew Mulberrykit might not get the hang of this the first time, but Tigerpaw could keep showing her until she got it.

Mulberrykit had been right. Her crouch was all wrong, from her body weight distribution to the positioning of her tail. Again, she tried to show no disappointment or frustration, thinking that too kit-like for her age; instead she took note on what Tigerpaw was doing, noticing the little details and presenting an aura of concentration. If I act mature, then I'll get to learn more than if I play the part of a whiny kit. So that's what she did. The red and brown she-kit nodded at the apprentice's constructive criticisms, taking into consideration the things she'd messed up on. She observed Tigerpaw move stealthily across the clearing ground, making no noise that she could hear. Ok... I think I get it now.

"All right." Mulberrykit said once her friend had finished her demonstration. "I think I understand." She dropped down low to the ground, but this time knew to keep her tail just above the floor. She didn't change much about the crouch itself, except that she evened her weight out more so one paw didn't make more noise than the others. It seemed harder now to maintain her position, but the kit did not complain, rather she held it, hoping to appear stronger had more capable. There. This must be better... even though it kinda hurts... Her strength was diminishing fast, so she hurriedly tried the final tip out for herself.

Having never walked in a crouch quite like the one she was currently in, Mulberrykit wasn't sure how well things would go down. Worst case scenario, I completely fail, fall, over, and she never speaks with me again. The thought wasn't very comforting, but she didn't have the time to come up with a best-case scenario. She had to walk. She placed one paw in front of the other, at first just making sure she could move, but once she got the hang of it, the kit tried to keep her steps light. She spread her weight out across her while body, and - at least to her - her pawsteps were very quiet. In reality, they were still pretty loud, and near the end her tail drooped, but she'd done much better than the time before. Mulberrykit jumped up, looked at Tigerpaw, and asked, "That was better, wasn't it? I did the things you said!" She eagerly awaited the apprentice's response, hoping she had done well in her mini-training session.

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Celestial

@Absurdjinx
[Reply when you can ]


Daisyshade was sleeping, the gentle rise and fall of her chest signified her peaceful sleep. A cool breeze drifted in front the entrance of the den and tickled his nose with the scents of the dawn patrol and hunting patrol. Her whiskers twicthed with the scent of fresh kill and mig ingot scent of Shadowclan Warriors, who despite their odds managed to settle into riverclan nicely. The she cat slowly raised her head having her dreams carried off by the scent of somthing to eat. Her eyes opened and she blinked away the sleepiness form her eyes. She watched the others cats around her sleep for a while before she raised herself onto her paws, and like punch the cold air hit her and she almost flinched. Leafbare is coming. I can just feel it. the feline shook out her hind legs and shook out her fur, taking another moment to flatten out her fur with delicate licks to her chest and muzzle. While doing so she was looking from nest to nest searching for tumblestep. It had been a journey. A long one and yet my day starts no different than it had since that night. Still it feels so much more magical with tumblestep to wake up too. Daisyshade had been giddy like a little kitten beofre it's apprentice cermony. Since the night they had made their unconditional love official she had no time to slow down. Almost half the clan knew and most of Shadowclan too. There wasn't a moment during conversation that she wouldn't bring it up. Once the molly had groomed her chest and washed her face she would wait to do a proper grooming until she found tumblestep. There is much to talk about that we hadn't had time to talk about yet. Our future is onyl pawsteps away and we've got nothing The pale cream and ginger she cat padded out into the open breathing a fresh breath of crisp air.

Unlike Daisyshade, Tumblestep had gotten up ages ago! Or, at least, what felt like ages ago. In reality, it wasn't too long before now when he blinked his eyes open to the most beautiful sight he's ever seen. Daisyshade. Ever since they've officially become mates, Tumblestep walked with confidence. It seemed that having someone who expressed their love to him frequently gave him a reason to live. Daisyshade was that someone, the someone who changed his life in such a positive way. He couldn't be more grateful. He didn't know how to express his gratitude to his mate, but he tried his best to do so. For example, today, Tumblestep woke up early to hunt. He planned to be back in time before Daisyshade woke up, introducing her to a new day with fresh-kill. Unfortunately, Daisyshade woke up before he returned.


The gray warrior carried a pitiful mouse. With leaf-bare nearing, prey would finish gathering food and then retreat to their own dens. Tumblestep didn't have much time either, eager to return to the clan before Daisyshade awoke, and he was lucky enough to find the mouse picking around the roots of a tree. Careful not to pierce the fresh-kill's sensitive skin, Tumblestep trotted through the opening in the camp walls, his gaze automatically falling on the warriors den where he shared a nest with his mate. Much to his surprise, Tumblestep discovered Daisyshade standing just outside the den, seemingly enjoying the fresh air. He smiled at the sight of her, a purr rumbling in his throat.


He practically ran over to her, only slowing when he was a few fox-lengths in front of her. Tumblestep gently dropped the warm mouse at her paws before raising his head and greeting her with an affectionate nuzzle. ``I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke, Daisyshade. I was hoping I'd be back before you woke up and surprise you with fresh-kill.`` His fur heated up in embarrassment as he revealed his failed plan, a sheepish smile crossing his muzzle.

[wren]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

Unlike Daisyshade, Tumblestep had gotten up ages ago! Or, at least, what felt like ages ago. In reality, it wasn't too long before now when he blinked his eyes open to the most beautiful sight he's ever seen. Daisyshade. Ever since they've officially become mates, Tumblestep walked with confidence. It seemed that having someone who expressed their love to him frequently gave him a reason to live. Daisyshade was that someone, the someone who changed his life in such a positive way. He couldn't be more grateful. He didn't know how to express his gratitude to his mate, but he tried his best to do so. For example, today, Tumblestep woke up early to hunt. He planned to be back in time before Daisyshade woke up, introducing her to a new day with fresh-kill. Unfortunately, Daisyshade woke up before he returned.


The gray warrior carried a pitiful mouse. With leaf-bare nearing, prey would finish gathering food and then retreat to their own dens. Tumblestep didn't have much time either, eager to return to the clan before Daisyshade awoke, and he was lucky enough to find the mouse picking around the roots of a tree. Careful not to pierce the fresh-kill's sensitive skin, Tumblestep trotted through the opening in the camp walls, his gaze automatically falling on the warriors den where he shared a nest with his mate. Much to his surprise, Tumblestep discovered Daisyshade standing just outside the den, seemingly enjoying the fresh air. He smiled at the sight of her, a purr rumbling in his throat.


He practically ran over to her, only slowing when he was a few fox-lengths in front of her. Tumblestep gently dropped the warm mouse at her paws before raising his head and greeting her with an affectionate nuzzle. ``I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke, Daisyshade. I was hoping I'd be back before you woke up and surprise you with fresh-kill.`` His fur heated up in embarrassment as he revealed his failed plan, a sheepish smile crossing his muzzle.

Just as daisyshade shut her eyes to enjoy the gentle breeze on her face, hurried pawsteps caught her attention. Pricking her ears her pale green eyes focused on the farmiliar grey pelt of her mate. She felt butterflies in her stomach and a giddy feeling in her chest. As he began hurrying in her direction she did the same and they met in the middle. As soon as he approched she showered his ears with affectioned licks as he spoke. She cranned her neck to look at the fresh kill and a blush appeared on her cheeks, I'm a lucky girl. She thought as she looked down at the mouse. "Tumblestep!" she exclaimed happily. She licked his forehead and she purred. "Your so sweet" she added with an amused smile. Sitting down the she cat curled her tail around her legs and motioned for tumblestep to do the same. Talking about their lives together with prey he caught for her sounded like the ideal morning. daisyshade laid on her side and leaned against tumblestep and butted her head agasint his.

"I was actually going to find you this morming, otherwise I would still be asleep" she said with an embarrassed smile. It was true. She had never been a morming person, she did occasionally go on a patrol in the morning but she was always sleeping til late and would than hunt late into the night to pay for the time she had overslept. It caused her to repeat the cycle almost daily without end. "But, I was kinda wondering if you wanted to talk about... I don't know... Us?" she asked calmly. It had been on her mind for what felt like ages now. And she was more eager than ever to ask the untimely question that was always nagging her. "like. The important questions we have to ask... Now that.. We are mates..?" she paused for a moment and looked away still blushing heavily. She wasn't even sure she was ready for kits, and maybe they were moving too quickly. Maybe. But she had been waiting for this moment since the moment she knew she liked tumblestep. And she wasn't planning on ruining it with a quick paced relationship.

Perhaps cutting to the chase would be ideal, he may already suspect what's coming. Might as well get it out. Daisyshade looked back at tumblestep, this time her eyes met his. She took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. She pressed her nose to his cheek and smiled again, "like. Our future. And... Kits maybe?" she said blushing again and looking away for a few seconds. "I just thought we should just start thinking about it.. I wanted to make sure your ok with the idea... If your even ok with that?" she meow e calmly

[Fel]

Originally Posted by woly

Whisperblaze gave a small shudder feeling Russets words press against his ears. In a good way, of course. He could feel his pelt warm up again when he turned his head and looked into his mates eyes. They were a greyish blue. Not as bright as his own, but Whisper had always loved his eyes, despite how much his mate told him they were nothing compared to his own. Since he knew him for so long he could read them easily, he could feel the compassion, the fondness, the care. The love. It seeped into his fur and made his heart warm ans giddy, the thoughts and words Clawpaw had flooded his mind with slowly fading away. He could only give a soft smile and lean forward, running his cheek along his mates and resting his head on the taller toms shoulder, relaxing under his presence slowly. It was only Russet who could calm him down in moments like this, it was only him that could push those negative thoughts away, and the simple thought of him loving him beyond his history and origin, meant a lot to him. ¨Thank you for not looking at m-me differently,¨ his mew was soft, letting his eyes close softly to focus on how nice his mate felt pressed against him,¨I love you.¨

of course he loved whisperblaze, of course he wouldn't look at anything differently- whether he was born in riverclan, joined as a loner, or joined as a former shadowclan cat- nothing would make him less worthy of russetstar's love, because russetstar was the one who might not even be worthy of his mate's affection in the first place. entwining his tail with whisperblaze's in a soft smile, the leader couldn't help but feel a lot less stressed out when he felt his mate's fur against his own, as if everything else which had brought him down had begun to drown out, to fade away. "...whisperblaze, i'd never look at you differently. you can tell me everything, it's alright- i love you more, i love you to the ends of the earth and i'll never stop loving you no matter what happens."

[~Breadsticks~]

Originally Posted by Raggedclaw

"I missed this too Splashfeather." She yawned. She was beginning to drift off.

Splashfeather smiled at the molly as she began to drift off. His smile widened as he rested his head near her's. "It's fun when we get to do this."

[lio]

@Rubinaito
a small, ginger-and-white tabby tom rolled over from where he lay on his side, a gust of boredom being released in the form of a sigh. he flicked his tail, counting each and every heartbeat that passed. one, two, three, four.. he groaned after a moment, losing his place and needing to start over. it was annoying, having to share territories with another clan. humiliating, to be within the clan who needs help. the tom, by the name of honeyfall, dug his claws into the ground before lifting himself sluggishly. his deep, amber eyes scanned the camp, searching for a place to hide himself within, to stray away from the others. he absolutely despised communicating, so why suddenly do it now? a low growl escaped his throat, too low as to catch the attention of others, however. honey flattened his ears and padded into the largest, and darkest, shadow he could find.

[Clover]

Originally Posted by woly

Honestly, it took everything in Daypaws being to not spit harsh words. Daypaw knew what loss felt like. They knew what feeling utterly alone, felt like. Their father:dead. He was ripped away from Daypaws family when they were meerly a kit, also when the night terrors had started. The death played over an dover in their mind when they slept, when they weeped out into the night and cried. They pushed their mother away simply for that reason, blaming her for not supporting Daypaw, blaming her for not being there. It was so easy to put the blame on someone else. In the flood, they had lost countless cats. Some even dying in Daypaws embrace, watching their eyes go lifeless and Daypaw calling out to anyone- to save them Because they, as a medicine cat, had failed their duty to save a life. SO you could only imagine how they felt when Geckoleaf told them they didnt know how she felt. They might have handled things differently, but they have had a minor taste on what it felt like.

They prevented their claws from digging into the ground, not wanting their mother to think that they were angry. Instead, they kept their eyes in slit, the same emotionless face as they stared back at her, watching her cry more. Perhaspe they were cruel in that way, not grieving for aslong as everyone else. Maybe they were cold hearted, maybe something was wrong. They just couldnt cry. Instead, keeping a calm and cool demeanor and not expressing a thing. When Geckoleaf snapped, Daypaw couldnt hear any softness in her voice like before, the mothering shecat they had met in the Starcave. The only indication that it made Daypaw uncomfortable was them pinning their ears to the back of their head- a rare sign of submission.

They heard her soften again. Daypaw couldnt really be angry, half of the stuff Geckoleaf had gone through they werent even alive for. They couldnt understand some of what she was going through, what reliving it be talking is like. They physically and mentally couldnt wrap their large brain around it. But she had never snapped at them like that before, though they couldnt blame her. They had taken that risk when talking about such a touchy subject. They closed their eyes, taking in a deep breath,¨Okay.¨

They didnt say anything else, it was a lot to think about. They werent one for words.

Geckoleaf sat in the silence, blue eyes burning silently with tears; for all the finesse she thought she possessed, sometimes letting the quietness invade was the only thing to do.

Since she was coasting on autopilot, her eyes darted across Daypaw's body, a habit she had developed after seeing so many patients; she subconsciously checked anyone who entered her den, to try and ascertain what was wrong before even they had. And she noticed something that disturbed her, deeply; the enby was ridiculously skinny- starving, even. Their skin sagged down from their bones, and she could count every prominent rib. Daypaw's face seemed hollow; sunken cheeks and eyesockets, further accentuating the features of their face that should have been far less angular.

Another soft growl rumbled in the back of the medicine cat's throat; it was one of motherly anger, that something had been stolen from her child. That thing, at least to her, seeming to be caring towards personal health. "Daypaw. We talk about my intrapersonal connections like this, while you lay there, withering away to nothing. I-I love you, I really do, but you can't stay like this." Leaning over Daypaw, she snagged the brown trout by an auburn tail fin, dragging it until it lay in front of the golden medicine cat. It reeked of RiverClan; the stink of fish compacted into one rotting corpse, putrid and smelly, although at this point eating it was still safe.

With a stern, pointed look, she frowned at Daypaw disapprovingly. "Eat," she muttered, gruffly, giving the enby's bony shoulder a purposeful shove, though the bone dug into her side slightly. Geckoleaf herself was slim; though, she had not expended any calories during the flood, and, with the influx of patients, steadily gaining weight as she regained mental fortitude. But, on the other side of the river, Daypaw had not been eating regularly; instead, they seemed to waste away to a skeleton.

Not wanting to again broach the topic of her relationship with Juniperpaw, Geckoleaf arduously pushed herself to a sitting position, muscles gooey with exhaustion, and scooted slightly away from the sunlight-colored feline, though her tail rested gently against theirs, making it clear she would not talk to them until they'd eaten. And beyond that, she probably wouldn't dare talk about anything touchey until they'd consumed a healthy serving. "Eat... Please," she repeated, leaning back on her haunches, willing to wait patiently until Daypaw had begun.

[rubinaito]

Originally Posted by denysiarus

@Rubinaito
a small, ginger-and-white tabby tom rolled over from where he lay on his side, a gust of boredom being released in the form of a sigh. he flicked his tail, counting each and every heartbeat that passed. one, two, three, four.. he groaned after a moment, losing his place and needing to start over. it was annoying, having to share territories with another clan. humiliating, to be within the clan who needs help. the tom, by the name of honeyfall, dug his claws into the ground before lifting himself sluggishly. his deep, amber eyes scanned the camp, searching for a place to hide himself within, to stray away from the others. he absolutely despised communicating, so why suddenly do it now? a low growl escaped his throat, too low as to catch the attention of others, however. honey flattened his ears and padded into the largest, and darkest, shadow he could find.

Returning from helping the rogue Bait find a place to stay for a few nights, Shadeleaf walked into the camp with a surprisingly cheerful smile for one who was famous for being a grouchy senior warrior. Her golden eyes flicked around the camp, the Norwegian forest cat stretching out for a moment before her eyes landed on Honeyfall. Sinking her claws into the soft earth and working her paws through it for a moment, she finally made the decision to approach him and strike up a conversation with the transmale. Retracting her claws and putting on a polite smile, Shadeleaf walked over, bouncing on her paws slightly as she remembered the satisfaction that came with teaching Bait how to hunt. Yes, she loved teaching younger cats; there was something so wonderful about seeing your hard work being paid off. Her attention returned to Honeyfall, and Shadeleaf flicked her tail slightly as she meowed her greetings to the tom. "Salutations, Honeyfall. How are you?" The ShadowClan cat meowed, settling down a respectful distance away from the currently grumpy tom and giving him a calm smile. She wasn't sure why, but Shadeleaf was very cheerful; the satisfaction of helping a rogue wasn't all of it- no, she was just in an oddly good mood today. The sun rising over the horizon was a beautiful sight to the molly, signalling the start of a brand new day- surely ShadowClan was blessed in this moment. Despite her general aversion to cats of other clans, she had to admit that the flooding had helped ShadowClan avoid a needless battle with RiverClan, and instead brought them closer together as opposed to ThunderClan and WindClan's clear hostility. She frowned at the idea of the two leaders bickering like kits, lost in thought for a moment longer before Shadeleaf snapped to attention and looked back at Honeyfall, waiting for his answer to her inquiry. Her wandering mind was a signal that she needed to rest soon- otherwise she would end up messing up the entire day, something that Shadeleaf would not tolerate.

[BluBunnie]

Originally Posted by MaskedBandits

Mulberrykit had been right. Her crouch was all wrong, from her body weight distribution to the positioning of her tail. Again, she tried to show no disappointment or frustration, thinking that too kit-like for her age; instead she took note on what Tigerpaw was doing, noticing the little details and presenting an aura of concentration. If I act mature, then I'll get to learn more than if I play the part of a whiny kit. So that's what she did. The red and brown she-kit nodded at the apprentice's constructive criticisms, taking into consideration the things she'd messed up on. She observed Tigerpaw move stealthily across the clearing ground, making no noise that she could hear. Ok... I think I get it now.

"All right." Mulberrykit said once her friend had finished her demonstration. "I think I understand." She dropped down low to the ground, but this time knew to keep her tail just above the floor. She didn't change much about the crouch itself, except that she evened her weight out more so one paw didn't make more noise than the others. It seemed harder now to maintain her position, but the kit did not complain, rather she held it, hoping to appear stronger had more capable. There. This must be better... even though it kinda hurts... Her strength was diminishing fast, so she hurriedly tried the final tip out for herself.

Having never walked in a crouch quite like the one she was currently in, Mulberrykit wasn't sure how well things would go down. Worst case scenario, I completely fail, fall, over, and she never speaks with me again. The thought wasn't very comforting, but she didn't have the time to come up with a best-case scenario. She had to walk. She placed one paw in front of the other, at first just making sure she could move, but once she got the hang of it, the kit tried to keep her steps light. She spread her weight out across her while body, and - at least to her - her pawsteps were very quiet. In reality, they were still pretty loud, and near the end her tail drooped, but she'd done much better than the time before. Mulberrykit jumped up, looked at Tigerpaw, and asked, "That was better, wasn't it? I did the things you said!" She eagerly awaited the apprentice's response, hoping she had done well in her mini-training session.

A smile spread across the she cats face when she saw how quickly the kit learned and how determined she seemed to.be. she showed no disappointment or annoyance when.the young cats pawsteps were a bit too loud, "You did much better! You're a fast learner!" She purred, "We can keep practicing and soon you'll get the hang of it and be as quiet as a mouse." She chuckled. "This time I'll walk along side you so you can follow my paw steps." She added as she prepared her crouch.

[Raggedclaw]

Originally Posted by ~Breadsticks~

Splashfeather smiled at the molly as she began to drift off. His smile widened as he rested his head near her's. "It's fun when we get to do this."

Mudtail gave a soft hum of agreement before completely passing out.