RiverClan Clearing

[lone]

Originally Posted by ✨Blue Wishes✨

Goldenstar smiled awkwardly. "But still," he murmured, "If anyone gives you trouble, don't be afraid to talk to me!" He couldn't help but be somewhat awkward as he said that. He didn't want to think of himself as the highest rank in the clan, but that was what he was. He shouldn't think that way, and he didn't, but then reality came and slapped him. Well, that didn't matter right now, he could just feel like a normal warrior, smiling a little brighter now. "There will always be someone with some problem against something," he sighed after a moment. "The best you can do is keep being the perfect cat you are!" He smiled. He was not usally encouraging. Not that he dragged anyone down, but he had always been one to hold back on congratulations or something when talking to an apprentince. However, it felt nice to help others, a smile staying on his face.

Listening to Serval talk about the food made the leader want to laugh. "Well, honestly fish isn't too bad," he shrugged. "There are just cats that love to stir up drama and complain about everything," he laughed. He knew that Serval had a point, and he liked that the tom was like that. However, he still wasn't sure about the deputy part. Well, he would have to see. "They're probably just not used to being in another clan's camp," he said, shrugging, as it was perfectly logical. Some cats didn't like going into other clans' camps, or interacting with other clans at all. Sure, it wasn't exactly wonderful, but Golden was able to push past that, and so were other cats, so hopefully others would be able to do that as well.

Goldeneye was quiet after Serval spoke next, pondering what really made him annoyed. He would have told Serval to quiet down a bit, but it seemed somewhat rude, so he didn't say anything. "Mostly cats that can't accept others for who they are," he finally decided on what to say. He had picked the most logical one. Of course, there was always missing a piece of prey, or floods, but cats that couldn't accept others always just ticked him off. The small leader usally wasn't very mad, and was pretty much easy-going, however, when you ticked him off, you probably had done something pretty bad. He didn't know what else to say, so he just shrugged, as if signifying he had no idea what to say.

"Oh perfect, am I?" The Savannah asked with a half-cocky smile before his expression grew more serious. "Thanks though, Goldenstar. I'll make sure to let you know if someone gives me trouble." Although he probably wouldn't. Servalspots could deal with his own problems, he didn't need to involve their new leader in anything. Stress would be strong, especially with trying to balance everything. Balancing things was pretty difficult sometimes, from what Servalspots knew about leaders. He had seen Halestar get stressed several times - though he had never known the leader personally, and wasn't sure if he had wanted to. She seemed like someone he wouldn't have known what to do around. She cats, the tom had found, generally made excellent friends for someone like - him. Toms? Well, they were nice enough, some of them, but others just... tended to discriminate.

That wasn't to say he didn't have a few close male friends. Everyone needed those. But, not as many as perhaps other toms might have. "Well, if it helps at all, I'm fine with it. Like I said. And there are a lot of other cats who don't mind it very much either, you must have just run into some annoying ones." It didn't really bug Servalspots when others referred to him as annoying, and it didn't bother him to refer to other cats as annoying. There was a big difference between being referred to as "annoying" - especially teasingly - and being judged or hated for your gender, sexuality, etc. That was one of the things he didn't like about the 'Fuzz' family... they were always judging something. Judging cats who weren't the "right" gender or sexuality. Was there a right or wrong?

And then, they believed she cats should stay in the nursery. And be obedient little servants or whatever it was. That was just - stupid. Of course, not all of the members were like that. He liked a few - like Tigerlight, the tom was one of his closest friends. And a long-time secret crush of his as well. While the Savannah didn't want to dislike the other cats for "who they were," it was very hard not to when all they seemed to do was think negatively about everything. He had a strong belief in StarClan. But they weren't judging everyone because of their gender and sexuality, and they weren't going to look down upon anyone because of that. "I agree completely." And that was all he had to say on that matter.

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by Constellation

Dream preferred to call other cats their first prefix instead of their suffix. Even though he grew up around the traditions of the warrior code - let's face it. Dream was not the cat to follow code. They ruined his chances. The goals he aimed for - destroyed because the stupid code forbid one thing. Forbid another. And, every cat broke rules every once and a while. Even the cats who wanted to believe they were loyal at the finest. Like that Sunmist. Dream snorted just thinking about the Sunny boy. Who was so strict that he continuously ruined Dream's fun. His plan. So, he wanted to call Marigoldstream, Marigold. It was a very pretty name anyway. It suited her well. Now, that he seemed to have made a new ''friend''. Dream felt satisfied. Of course, it would take time for him to even consider her an actual friend. He was never the one to rush into anything. Whatever it was that she wanted from him. Though if it were a genuine friendship, that's something he couldn't say no to. ''Good.'' He said. There was nothing else to be said.

Yet, he had began dreaming again. Too far into another sense to comprehend anything around him. He needed to get to know this territory...the one they will be staying in for a while. It made his paws itch with desperation for exploring to get to know this land. Because Riverclan was different. They were surrounded by water. Which was odd. Wouldn't they have gone to a different clan...perhaps with no water? Why would they come to River if they just got finished with a horrible flood? Didn't it occur to their leader that most of these cats might as well be hydrophobic? Apparently not. Dream lifted his muzzle into the air, catching the few words that flew out of Marigold's mouth. ''Yeah...what's next? Cats that live in the mountains? Cats that live underwater? Cats that fly?'' His sarcasm was definitely showing through. But, the idea of another clan in the forest wouldn't be entirely bad. New cats were always welcomed. Though Dream had different plans. Truthfully, the tom didn't know what he wanted yet, but he tried his best to figure everything out to get where his heart wanted to settle. So, as he sat there for a moment, realizing that he didn't like sitting down for too long. The marbled bengal hopped to his paws, twitching his tail with an impatient flicker. ''Marigold, how about I see you later? I need to run for a little bit.'' He needed to move around with the numbness gone in his paws. He didn't like staying in one place. Yet, he had enjoyed the dark ginger's company and wanted to see her again sometime. Maybe take her out hunting or something. The tom began to walk past her, brushing his tail alongside her and threw her a quick smile before he bounded off like the dream he was. There one moment. And, gone the next.

(Apologies for my lateness. Writers block and school and ish ;-; )

Marigold, yeah, she'd refer to herself like that unless she was talking to someone in the Clan. Minus Dream. It didn't seem to be against the code to shorten her name, unless she hadn't heard that part before. But that was very unlikely. Even when she was Marigoldkit, she was lectured on the code and what not to do. But calling yourself..Lynx, or Dream, or Marigold, or..Tawny was uncommon unless you were a former-kittypet unwilling to part with your name. Well, now she had a little..nickname type thing with Dream. Good. Maybe this would speed up the progress of getting him to like her. Marigold. It matched her nicely. Her pelt was golden like the flower, and it was shorter than Marigoldstream. So..they were 'friends' now? At least, she thought they were friends. Or was that going too fast? Ugh! Why did this have to be so complicated? Or was she over-complicating it? Maybe she should ease into this like Dream seemed to be doing. She didn't want to appear needy. She smiled at him, Marigold. She liked it.

"Oh-er, okay!" She stuttered like an idiot as he left. Okay, that was odd. He just sort of..left. Fitting. She thought, considering his name. "Alright, time to look around." She told herself, padding deeper into RiverClan. She spotted a few cats she knew, but other than that didn't really give anyone attention unless they were attractive. "No, you like Dream, that's mean to stare at other toms." She scolded herself. But did she LIKE like him, or friend-like him? He was attractive, so perhaps she like-liked him. But she needed a tiny bit more time..maybe. He was friendly enough. Well, no harm in staring in case it didn't happen, right? She shrugged to herself, staring at the toms she found handsome enough to gain her attention.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by woly

For once, they hesitated. Daypaw trusted Nightpaw, alot actually. More then theyd like to admit. But this was something Daypaw had been dealing with since they could remember. Night terrors were so common that they felt like they were nothing without them at this point. For awhile they were silent, avoiding the shecats gaze and staring into the clearing, thinking. Thinking over what they dreamed about.It was hard to open up to people, or atleast in Daypaws case. Hell, it had taken awhile for them to even get comfortable around Nightpaw for awhile. They didnt give off any sign of aggression, twitching their tail and whiskers in deep thought.
If Nightpaw wanted to know, Daypaw would tell them.
They opened their mouth, looking like they were going to say something but closed it. This happened a few more times, them trying to piece the words correctly. But after a moment they sighed, and gushed instead, no filter or thoughts to second guess themselves.
¨I dream about my fathers death. I dream what it wouldve been like if he were here. I dream about cats shouting at me, insults and things Im insecure about myself. I dream about the cats Ive let die in my embrace, feeling like as a medicine cats, that Ive failed at my only purpose. Ive dreamed about dying. Ive felt it. I still feel it. Im left with bruises every day when I manage to open my eyes.¨
It was a lot to relive. the shouting of the cats, the insults, the insecurity. Their father. Watching him die over and over and over as if its some sick movie that Starclan has cursed them with for the rest of their days. They could feel the injuries of their deaths they faced in their dreams. They could feel the monster running over them, their ribs cracking. They could feel a dogs teeth cling to their neck and shake them apart like a rag doll. They could feel the water fill their lungs with a intoxication sensation, water becoming their second air supply. They could feel it all descriptively. they could describe what an injury felt like, despite never facing it in real life. They could feel it all, every injury. Its what made them a good medcat. They had faced so many injuries before hand, that they knew what they felt like, there for made everything easier to treat. They busied themself with their duties most of the time, usually until they physically fainted form exhaustion. They didnt eat, their bony body resting against the ground uncomfortably. They were possibly slowly killing themself like this, not taking care of themself, but they didnt care.

Nightpaw listened in perfect silence as Daypaw let loose a torrent of troubles and worries that haunted them in their sleep. She felt her fur lying flat and her shoulders raising involuntarily as if bracing herself against the terrible onslaught of pain that engulfed her friend nightly, a chill running through her as she thought of what it must be like to feel the pain of dying when they slept. Nightpaw had come pretty close dying once and that had been enough to leave some kind of scars in her own dreams, but she at least had nights of peace every now and then. During her time in the medicine den, there had been nights in which Daypaw didn't sleep, and nights in which they did and in Nightpaw's memory, it had never been peaceful. And Daypaw's father... Nightpaw only had faded memories of her time with her own family. It was hard for her to imagine what it must be like to experience their death, but if it was anything like how she imagined it would feel if Daypaw, or Goldeneye, or any of the cats she'd come to know and care for, she didn't know how she could ever bear it! Nightpaw wished desperately that there was something she could do to help Daypaw somehow: an herb to feed them, and word of encouragement to say, anything to help them experience relief. But there was nothing. She was powerless to help. She dipped her head, not looking at Daypaw as she searched her mind for the perfect thing that would make everything instantly better. A cool breeze swept through the clearing, carrying with it the clean smell of water and muddy earth as another lark joined the first in song, filling the air with their sweet melody, and making the silence sitting between the two friends that much more tense and painful. Finally, Nightpaw lifted her green eyes and looked squarely into the enby's her gaze warm, and sad, and placed a paw gently on their shoulder. "I don't know what to say right now...I'm just really glad you told me. I wish I could make it better."

A thick silence followed, and Nightpaw struggled with whether to say more. Would it be good too? Maybe she'd already asked too much. Surely Daypaw already had enough to worry about living with their problems without having to talk about them. But then again, if Nightpaw couldn't take Daypaw's pain away, could she maybe help the enby hold it all? Just listen so that they would know their not alone? She wasn't sure if it would help, Daypaw was not the sort of cat to continue a conversation if they didn't want to, and would no doubt make it very clear to Nightpaw the second she set a paw over the line. "How did your father die?"

[lone]

Carrying his catches into camp, the apprentice had never felt so proud. His head was held high - that was, as high as he could without making carrying the prey difficult - and he quickly disposited it in the fresh-kill pile. Well, of course Gannetpaw would feel proud. Although the shrews were tiny, the vole was his real prize. He glanced back at his companion - who was surprisingly able to keep hold of the fish in her maw. His eyes twinkled with mischief as he gave her a half-mischievious look. "Changed your mind about that grooming?" I wouldn't give it to you, but I'd want to hear you say it anyways. Gannetpaw thought as he purred in amusement, his tail swishing. Oh no doubt he was lining himself up for a snarky remark. A sharp retort, courtesy of the she cat herself. Yes - all in all, she was someone that the tom could officially consider the most annoyingly fun clanmate ever.

Did she irritate him? Yes. Did she get under his fur? Yes. Did she drive him insane? Check. But at the same time, it was like a constant battle between wishing she would leave him alone and wanting to follow her around, joking and playing the whole day. It was like a game, a constant battle of sarcasm and wit and all of that made the tom quite pleased. At least there was one clanmate he could count on for that. Although things would never be serious - it was forever a game, the best of all, and Gannetpaw could never get tired of it. That wasn't to say that she didn't bother him sometimes. Considering that, whether he wanted to ignore it or not, the tom's ego was quite a bit bigger then healthy-sized, Gannetpaw didn't fully appreciate jests thrown in his direction. Yet he could definitely appreciate a good sense of sarcasm. There was nothing wrong with competition. And while this wasn't a battle, he was determined to win. To prove himself the best at - well - something.

Anything.

"By the way, while we're at it - if you're going to groom me I would suggest you get to it... deputy." The first part of the sentence was spoken in a haughty, yet still teasing tone, while the last word was spoken in the most aggravatingly mischievious way possible. It was clear he was joking. Ha. Had her there, didn't he? But then again, the she cat would probably come back with something just as aggravatingly sarcastic, or witty, and then he would have to come up with something else. In his mind, Gannetpaw was already thinking of possible responses. Not that he needed them. Although he was anxious to hear what she would say - being an introvert this was, quite possibly, one of the boldest moves of his lifetime. However she had initiated this playful game in the first place. And she was helping to keep it going. All Gannetpaw needed to do was... be himself. And as long as no one he didn't know showed up, no complete and total strangers or overly friendly cats - the type that did nothing but CLING - he would be fine.

(assuming this was being moved to the clearing?)

@reddykins

[reddykins]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Carrying his catches into camp, the apprentice had never felt so proud. His head was held high - that was, as high as he could without making carrying the prey difficult - and he quickly disposited it in the fresh-kill pile. Well, of course Gannetpaw would feel proud. Although the shrews were tiny, the vole was his real prize. He glanced back at his companion - who was surprisingly able to keep hold of the fish in her maw. His eyes twinkled with mischief as he gave her a half-mischievious look. "Changed your mind about that grooming?" I wouldn't give it to you, but I'd want to hear you say it anyways. Gannetpaw thought as he purred in amusement, his tail swishing. Oh no doubt he was lining himself up for a snarky remark. A sharp retort, courtesy of the she cat herself. Yes - all in all, she was someone that the tom could officially consider the most annoyingly fun clanmate ever.

Did she irritate him? Yes. Did she get under his fur? Yes. Did she drive him insane? Check. But at the same time, it was like a constant battle between wishing she would leave him alone and wanting to follow her around, joking and playing the whole day. It was like a game, a constant battle of sarcasm and wit and all of that made the tom quite pleased. At least there was one clanmate he could count on for that. Although things would never be serious - it was forever a game, the best of all, and Gannetpaw could never get tired of it. That wasn't to say that she didn't bother him sometimes. Considering that, whether he wanted to ignore it or not, the tom's ego was quite a bit bigger then healthy-sized, Gannetpaw didn't fully appreciate jests thrown in his direction. Yet he could definitely appreciate a good sense of sarcasm. There was nothing wrong with competition. And while this wasn't a battle, he was determined to win. To prove himself the best at - well - something.

Anything.

"By the way, while we're at it - if you're going to groom me I would suggest you get to it... deputy." The first part of the sentence was spoken in a haughty, yet still teasing tone, while the last word was spoken in the most aggravatingly mischievious way possible. It was clear he was joking. Ha. Had her there, didn't he? But then again, the she cat would probably come back with something just as aggravatingly sarcastic, or witty, and then he would have to come up with something else. In his mind, Gannetpaw was already thinking of possible responses. Not that he needed them. Although he was anxious to hear what she would say - being an introvert this was, quite possibly, one of the boldest moves of his lifetime. However she had initiated this playful game in the first place. And she was helping to keep it going. All Gannetpaw needed to do was... be himself. And as long as no one he didn't know showed up, no complete and total strangers or overly friendly cats - the type that did nothing but CLING - he would be fine.

(assuming this was being moved to the clearing?)

@reddykins

"Oh, yes," Redpaw mews after spitting her catch on the pitiful excuse of a fresh-kill pile. Her amber eyes trail over it for a minute before turning back to Gannetpaw, her snowy-white paws now drenched in mud and water, with a stray fish scale tucked beneath one claw. "I bet you just love to groom other cats, huh? Especially cats you have crushes on, your majesty." Redpaw purred in amusement as she padded to a less-soaked area of the clearing, settling down with Gannetpaw beside a damp rock. She got to work, her tongue lapping at the mucky soil on her paws. It wasn't her favorite task, but Redpaw preferred to be clean. It wasn't a pet peeve to her as it was other Clanmates, but after their hard work in their hunt, the she-apprentice decided a break was necessary. Hopefully Honeypool wouldn't call her in for a training session - her limbs were sore from having to swim through the rough river waves, and her pelt was still somewhat wet. Nothing was worse to Redpaw than having to train half-freezing. Her pelt wasn't as thick as most RiverClan cats, but it was obviously thick enough to get her through leaf-bare and leaf-fall. Though, when she had to train with her coat soaked, Redpaw had to force herself not to tremble in place, nearly frozen, limbs sore. Swimming was hard work, after all! Not all cats could do this special talent.
"Puh-lease," chortled Redpaw, rolling her eyes as she paused from her grooming session to shoot a glare at her companion. Her whiskers twitched as she glanced the black-and-white tom up and down, taking note of a stray leaf tucked behind his ear; one that would likely be a pain for him to reach. Stretching upwards, Redpaw gently shoved her muzzle behind his ear and snagged the leaf between her teeth, holding it as she recoiled. She spat the thing out at Gannetpaw's forelegs, tail flicking. "The most I'd do for you, Gannetstar, is pick out the twigs and leaves you've managed to get caught in your coat. What a mouse-brain you are! I would expect a leader to at least know how to groom himself and keep tidy, though I suppose the standards are a bit... lower for you." Redpaw continued her work of grooming at her tainted paws, and once most of the mud was removed, her nose wrinkled with disappointment. They weren't as clean as they were before the hunting trip, though the calico apprentice only hoped it would fade out of her fur as time passed. Maybe the rain would help wash it out. After all, there was a corner in the apprentice's den where excess water dripped in, and nobody had bothered to fix it. Perhaps she could sleep with her paws angled below where the water drip-dropped. That'd be an option!
Or, her mind tried to beckon her, you could sleep beside Gannetpaw instead of having your paws freeze to death. There's a pawful of other apprentices that probably need nests, too, so you may as well move yours next to a cat you actually know. Unless you want ShadowClan scent under your muzzle when you wake up, Redpaw!
"That's ridiculous," murmured a distraught calico, eyes widening as she realized she was speaking aloud. Redpaw's ears grew warm with embarrassment, praying to all of StarClan that Gannetpaw hadn't heard her mumbling incoherent things to herself. He'll think I'm crazy! Oh, dear StarClan, I hope he didn't hear me..! How embarrassing would that be?!

(yep, yep - all good!)

[MaskedBandits]

Originally Posted by BluBunny

Tigerpaw tilted her head as she watched the kit, she hadn't replied yet and she assumed it was because Mulberrykit was back off into her own little world. Her eyes shone with humor as the smaller she-cat finally began to answer her. Her green hues moved upward as she began to think about what she should teach Mulberrykit first, she finally decided on hunting. She believed that would be the easiest thing to start with, it helps build more muscle before moving to battle training. "I think I'll start by showing you how to hunt!" She purred. "Now show me your best hunting crouch." Tigerpaw added, a light smile on her face. She remembered her mentor telling her this, her first hunters crouch was very awkward and looked more like she was trying to pounce instead of stalk. Many kits kind of learn the crouch as they play and learn from their fellow clanmates, some kits know the crouch better then others but she was confident she could teach Mulberrykit correctly.

A hunters crouch? Phff, that's easy! Now how did it go again...? Mulberrykit had no clue how a hunter's crouch should look, and considering how much time she spent staring of into space the last few conversations, she didn't think stopping to think about it would be approved. I guess I'll just have to wing it... it can't be that hard, right? "Ok... I'll try..." She said quietly, more for her own benefit versus Tigerpaw. Her nerves were building up again - she had no desire to bomb he'd first lesson - but she tried to push them back down.You can worry after you get this over with. Even though that didn't make much sense.

Mulberrykit took a deep breath, giving only a momentary thought to how she'd pull this whole off. Her only idea was to crouch normally, then add something to make look all hunter-y. She didn't consider the high chance of failure embedded in her plan; she only saw the positive outlook. And it will happen. So she went for it. She went into the BEST crouch she could muster; legs bent, paws in front, also bent, and her tail low to the ground. But what'll make it look hunter-y? She realized she'd only gotten so far in her plan, and she had no idea what was supposed to be hunter-like. Maybe this is good enough. Maybe this is all there is to a hunter's crouch! But inside she knew she was wrong.

Mulberrykit wasn't sure for how long she'd be able to hold the pose. It wasn't excessively uncomfortable, but she would rather not be stuck in it for the rest of the day. Please tell me quickly if I'm right or wrong! "Tigerpaw?" She questioned, turning her head to glance in the apprentice's general direction. "Am I doing this right?" Though she'd been down only a short while, her legs were beginning to ache, and she hated that. Stupid kit legs! Why can't I hold this pose for as long as I know Tigerpaw can? She kept her frustration hidden, though; her older friend didn't need to see the kit's internal struggles. Mulberrykit concentrated on keeping her face focuses and legs in their proper positions, as she wanted Tigerpaw to see her as an equal, not a mouse-brained kit.

[lone]

Originally Posted by reddykins

"Oh, yes," Redpaw mews after spitting her catch on the pitiful excuse of a fresh-kill pile. Her amber eyes trail over it for a minute before turning back to Gannetpaw, her snowy-white paws now drenched in mud and water, with a stray fish scale tucked beneath one claw. "I bet you just love to groom other cats, huh? Especially cats you have crushes on, your majesty." Redpaw purred in amusement as she padded to a less-soaked area of the clearing, settling down with Gannetpaw beside a damp rock. She got to work, her tongue lapping at the mucky soil on her paws. It wasn't her favorite task, but Redpaw preferred to be clean. It wasn't a pet peeve to her as it was other Clanmates, but after their hard work in their hunt, the she-apprentice decided a break was necessary. Hopefully Honeypool wouldn't call her in for a training session - her limbs were sore from having to swim through the rough river waves, and her pelt was still somewhat wet. Nothing was worse to Redpaw than having to train half-freezing. Her pelt wasn't as thick as most RiverClan cats, but it was obviously thick enough to get her through leaf-bare and leaf-fall. Though, when she had to train with her coat soaked, Redpaw had to force herself not to tremble in place, nearly frozen, limbs sore. Swimming was hard work, after all! Not all cats could do this special talent.
"Puh-lease," chortled Redpaw, rolling her eyes as she paused from her grooming session to shoot a glare at her companion. Her whiskers twitched as she glanced the black-and-white tom up and down, taking note of a stray leaf tucked behind his ear; one that would likely be a pain for him to reach. Stretching upwards, Redpaw gently shoved her muzzle behind his ear and snagged the leaf between her teeth, holding it as she recoiled. She spat the thing out at Gannetpaw's forelegs, tail flicking. "The most I'd do for you, Gannetstar, is pick out the twigs and leaves you've managed to get caught in your coat. What a mouse-brain you are! I would expect a leader to at least know how to groom himself and keep tidy, though I suppose the standards are a bit... lower for you." Redpaw continued her work of grooming at her tainted paws, and once most of the mud was removed, her nose wrinkled with disappointment. They weren't as clean as they were before the hunting trip, though the calico apprentice only hoped it would fade out of her fur as time passed. Maybe the rain would help wash it out. After all, there was a corner in the apprentice's den where excess water dripped in, and nobody had bothered to fix it. Perhaps she could sleep with her paws angled below where the water drip-dropped. That'd be an option!
Or, her mind tried to beckon her, you could sleep beside Gannetpaw instead of having your paws freeze to death. There's a pawful of other apprentices that probably need nests, too, so you may as well move yours next to a cat you actually know. Unless you want ShadowClan scent under your muzzle when you wake up, Redpaw!
"That's ridiculous," murmured a distraught calico, eyes widening as she realized she was speaking aloud. Redpaw's ears grew warm with embarrassment, praying to all of StarClan that Gannetpaw hadn't heard her mumbling incoherent things to herself. He'll think I'm crazy! Oh, dear StarClan, I hope he didn't hear me..! How embarrassing would that be?!

(yep, yep - all good!)

A crush? On her? Please, Gannetpaw thought with a roll of his eyes. Since it wasn't true he couldn't feel that familiar bubble of anxiety rising quite as high - had that been the opposite, it probably would have been. Thank goodness Gannetpaw knew exactly what kind of cat he liked. And she was NOT it. "Oh come on, Redpaw. If I had a crush on you, it'd be like this." He stopped for a second before going into 'nervous, introvert Gannet' mode. "H - hey, um... R - R- Redpaw, would you, uh... c - could I... help you w - with that?" He stammered, an anxious expression crossing his features. 10/10 impression of that, considering that moments before he had been perfectly fine. And slowly his stance returned to normal. This was not to last, as a semi-surprised expression crossed it just seconds later when she picked the leaf out. "Alright, alright! Point taken - I can do it myself."

The tom half-laughed, sitting down and quickly beginning to groom himself. The thing with a short pelt was that stuff didn't get as entangled in it as easily. And it was cleaned more easily. As his rough pink tongue worked at it, slowly the tom's black and white pelt began to look more normal. Not anywhere near as waterlogged and muddy as it had. But of course... Gannetpaw hadn't gotten everything out. He thought he looked fine. Except he didn't. The tom continued to try to work, just in case there was something he had missed (and there was) but of course there were always those muddy spots in strange places that were near-to impossible to reach. Submerged in his own world, the tom barely heard her words and answered somewhat absentmindedly - "Yeah."

He would do that every once in a while, answer questions without really hearing what the other cat had said. It wasn't the best skill or, indeed, problem to have, but Gannetpaw had it anyways. "Wait, what's ridiculous?" Coming out of his absentminded state and realizing that, in fact, Redpaw could have said something offensive against him and he may have accidentally just agreed to it, the multicolored tom's optics flashed with alarm. Please let it have been something good about me. Or just random, he wouldn't really mind. As long as it wasn't something seriously mean about him - he didn't mind the joking, teasing, offhanded jests, but what he did mind was seriously being made fun of. He hated that. It was painful to listen to and it was bothersome to hear.

Not meaning Redpaw had ever said something ill-tempered being completely serious, but there were other cats who had. Gannetpaw avoided them. And even though it meant generally sleeping surrounded by strangers or other "outcasts," as he thought of himself, the tom really couldn't care less. Being one of these "outcasts" didn't bother him in the slightest. It was better then being popular and surrounded by cats who were constantly trying to kiss up to him. At least, that was what the tom thought. He had never cared much for being considered popular, even though that would never happen. A lot of cats in the Clan weren't really that... how to put this... enjoyed by everyone, was the mildest way to say it. There was nobody that everybody liked. It wasn't possible. No one could be a cat that everyone would like the company of, and Gannetpaw knew it well. He was still wondering what Redpaw could have possibly been talking about. What was ridiculous?

[BluBunnie]

Originally Posted by MaskedBandits

A hunters crouch? Phff, that's easy! Now how did it go again...? Mulberrykit had no clue how a hunter's crouch should look, and considering how much time she spent staring of into space the last few conversations, she didn't think stopping to think about it would be approved. I guess I'll just have to wing it... it can't be that hard, right? "Ok... I'll try..." She said quietly, more for her own benefit versus Tigerpaw. Her nerves were building up again - she had no desire to bomb he'd first lesson - but she tried to push them back down.You can worry after you get this over with. Even though that didn't make much sense.

Mulberrykit took a deep breath, giving only a momentary thought to how she'd pull this whole off. Her only idea was to crouch normally, then add something to make look all hunter-y. She didn't consider the high chance of failure embedded in her plan; she only saw the positive outlook. And it will happen. So she went for it. She went into the BEST crouch she could muster; legs bent, paws in front, also bent, and her tail low to the ground. But what'll make it look hunter-y? She realized she'd only gotten so far in her plan, and she had no idea what was supposed to be hunter-like. Maybe this is good enough. Maybe this is all there is to a hunter's crouch! But inside she knew she was wrong.

Mulberrykit wasn't sure for how long she'd be able to hold the pose. It wasn't excessively uncomfortable, but she would rather not be stuck in it for the rest of the day. Please tell me quickly if I'm right or wrong! "Tigerpaw?" She questioned, turning her head to glance in the apprentice's general direction. "Am I doing this right?" Though she'd been down only a short while, her legs were beginning to ache, and she hated that. Stupid kit legs! Why can't I hold this pose for as long as I know Tigerpaw can? She kept her frustration hidden, though; her older friend didn't need to see the kit's internal struggles. Mulberrykit concentrated on keeping her face focuses and legs in their proper positions, as she wanted Tigerpaw to see her as an equal, not a mouse-brained kit.

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.

[Lunarfalls]

Leafpaw walked out the den stretching and yawning she looks around the camp noticing no one is awake yet she walked over to the fresh kill pile and grabbed a vole she walks over to her normal eating spot and started to eat the vole

leafpaw finishes the vole and gets up and walks out of camp

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Risenphoenix

Mistripple let out a purr, her tail-tip flicking, much happier in the pleasant company of her friend; true, she hadn't stopped worrying, but it was much harder to worry until her fur fell out with Lucille's warm presence and calm nature so close at hand, and she nodded her agreement at her words about crowds,

"Oh yes, I'm much happier when it's smaller groups. Anymore it's like being in a permanent gathering!" She replied before having to stifle a mrrow of amusement at her whiny tone, her ears flicking, "I'm quite inclined to agree, and with the prey taking shelter thanks to those fox hearted Twolegs, our bellies are already emptier than they ought to be."

She laughed quietly at Lucille's eyeroll, nodding her agreement, her own tail, though nowhere near as fluffy, having received much the same treatment, "Mine too! I think we're all finding the close quarters more than a little too uncomfortable. It reminds me of those strange Twoleg containers of tiny fish all stuck together in a little tin."

Mistripple nodded slowly then as her ears quirked back, her eyes clouding in sympathy for the losses that ShadowClan had suffered, "No doubt kits, elders and apprentices all had a hard time of it, the poor things. We're the only clan that's confident in the water, and even we can drown from time to time. I can't imagine a flood like that..." she shuddered softly at the thought, her tail fluffing up a bit before her tail tip curled and her eyes narrowed in a speculative manner, "Oh, I don't doubt Russetstar is thinking along the same lines. While it's true RiverClan will never watch cats drown without trying to do something, letting an entire clan share our camp is another matter entirely. You can bet once ShadowClan is back in their own territory and on their own paws again, there'll be something expected in return."

Lucille allowed the sun to soak among her fur, making it glow into natural colors of beautiful. Her pelt colors came off as a gorgeous piece of artwork that was truly admiring to the eye. It was no doubt that the she cat was one of the prettiest of the clans. Lucille knew this as well. Growing up as a spoiled molly, she knew she was gorgeous. Other toms knew her. Even her two-legs known it. Lucille never thought she would be used to clan life. Especially since it was all new for her despite her being their for more than three moons. The code made her head run in circles, in twists, in tough turns. But, friends like Mistripple made her calm. She could get used to this life. Albeit, she wouldn't be spoiled any longer. Which sucked - truly. ''Crowds are simply not my lifestyle, darling.'' She nodded her head at Mistripple's words before sliding her eyed to the other cats of the clan. Lucille tried to be a riverclan cat. She tried to be like them in every way. She could never like fish, however. She could never allow her pelt to get wet. She could hardly hunt. And, don't even get her started on fighting!

''I could smell the sweet deliciousness of my two-legs cooking dinner,'' She licked her jaws. Yeah, prey was starting to get scarce. Bellies were empty. Lucille usually gave her fresh kill for the queens to eat the last of. They had kits to feed anyway. A part of her missed the aroma of fresh food when her two-legs would put something new in her bowl every chance. The thought blinked away, and the feel of disloyalty made its meek presence in her heart. ''But, I love my new home! But...I hope there is oughta somethin' we could do to get this prey here on movin' in, ya know.''

The molly gave soft licks at her pelt, keeping her ears swiveled to converse with her friend. Mistripple was lucky in Lucille's opinion. Not having fluffy fur meant less maintenance. Whereas, she, being a former southern belle, cared about her appearance more than she liked to admit. ''Well!'' She huffed, bringing her muzzle forward once more. ''I do declare we allow those shadowclanners to be a'sleeping out front! Our nesting was there first!'' She mewed, proudly. But, not loudly. She didn't need any passerby glaring at her. Especially if they were from the rivaling clan. Then, the multi-patterned molly began to spoil her pelt in more licks to content her bristling nature. Her friend had mentioned tiny fish in little tins. Lucille didn't know anything about such, since she was given the lavish of cuisine. If she ate fish, it was cooked rather than raw. It was seasoned well for her taste buds that eating fish from the river for the first time didn't please her. Instead, it had upset her stomach greatly, and she refused to have such...festering forms.

''That flood a'musta been rough on them. Which is why I'm spoiling the young'uns in attention. Those kits sure do love to play! They're so adorable!'' Lucille couldn't imagine how many lives were lost during that food. Nor, did she want to. She was doing her rightful duty by helping out the other clan. Not for herself, but because she trusted Russetstar and his decision when it came to such. Mistripple's words struck Lucille on another level. It made her fur bush up, which pricked annoyance within her because she finally had gotten it to flatten down. Though the words Mistripple spoke were of the truth. ''Well, I'll say,'' She huffed, staring once more at her tiny paws as the uncomfortable feeling settled within her. ''A leader's decision effects the entire clan. Russetstar, though I trust him with all my heart, he better hope he's setting a future for a'riverclan and not sending us to our a'demise, ya know? Darling, I just can not handle. It is too much for me to handle.'' Obviously, the pretty feline had the tendency to be dramatic. Yet, the feeling never ceased; what if Shadowclan took Riverclan's hospitality as an advantage? That wouldn't be very good. ''Oh, Mistripple! You a'have to go on and say all that? Now, I have to a'worry 'bout my every move when I am around those helpless felines.'' She laid her head on her paws, a displeased sigh escaping the pretty feline's maw.

Originally Posted by Beau

The ginger warrior didn't appear to be buying Tumblekit's bravado, not that that bothered the fiery she-kit. She didn't need anything from this tom other than him leaving her and Coastkit alone. Tumblekit met his gaze evenly, not fazed at all by the look in his eyes. The kit watched the warrior's movements with a fiery gaze, flattening her ears at his words. She did NOT have a temper issue. "I'm fine!" She grumbled, "I have a right to get angry when somecat nearly stomps on my brother!" Her seal point fur was fluffed up and her tail lashed behind her. The molly tried to make herself appear larger, but due to the fact that she was barely taller than the warrior's ankles, she was far from intimidating. His gruffness had no effect on her and Tumblekit sassed the tom in response, "How does the presence or absence of other kits affect me or my brother?" The kit didn't even take the time to look around and see if there were other kits in the clearing. She knew it wasn't likely, since they themselves weren't even supposed to be out there. Normally, the tiny feline was much kinder and less rude, but she had a fiery temper that could be set off easily. She also noticed Coastkit stand up taller, smiling at her brother as he did so.


Coastkit seemed to stand on his toes and had a sudden influx of confidence, making Tumblekit puff out her chest, proud of her brother. The ginger warrior was thinking on her words, but Tumblekit was confident he would believe her. Tumble was a very good liar already. Before she could respond to the tom's question, though, her brother spoke up. Tumblekit nodded, backing him up, but stayed quiet. The warrior started to question her lie, but Tumblekit wasn't worried. She knew she could keep it going. Once again, though, Coastkit beat her to it, looking at her before proceeding to answer the older cat. Tumblekit flicked an ear, slightly worried that Coastkit's answer wouldn't satisfy the warrior, but when he added the bit about breakfast, Tumblekit smiled confidently and thought to herself, Nice one! She couldn't commend her brother for the lie at the moment, though, as that would give it away, so she made a mental note to compliment it later. Wanting to back up her brother's words, Tumblekit decided to add some detail. One of the rules of lying was that details made it more believable. "Yeah!" She piped up, "Coaastkit and I were just trying to decide whether we should bring her back a minnow or not. I couldn't remember if her favorite fish was minnow or bass, but Coastkit remembered that it was minnow, right?" She turned fake, inquisitive eyes on her brother and gave him a tiny smile instead of a verbal commendation.

Originally Posted by Zero to Hero

Coastkit watched his sister, admiring her determination in such a situation. He seemed to almost inflate with the confidence that radiated off of her, strightening up from his hunched over and nervous position. A grin appeared on his features, and he turned to look back at Chestnutsplash with an almost smug expression as the lie rolled from Tumblekit smoothly. She worded that perfectly! However, as he studied the warrior once more, with a now slighly new perspective, it was clear that he was not impressed by that. But, this particular tom held onto hope.

He bounced to his paws, balancing on his toes, and hoped it would make him feel less small compared to him. The warrior was still huge, but Coastkit still held tightly to any confidence he had borrowed from his sister, staring up at him with one more set of determined blue eyes. "Yeah! That is so!" He meowed loudly in response to his first question, finally speaking up from his position next to Tumblekit. However, at his second question, he hesitated slightly; but still proceeded to answer after a quick look in Tumblekit's direction. Hopefully, I don't mess this up... "She's in the nursery taking a nap," He meowed, trying to let the lie come out as smoothly as Tumblekit's had. Coast caught sight of something he could add in the background, his smile only widening as he gaze quickly shifted back to the warrior. "She said that we could grab breakfast by ourselves today." The tomkit made a nod toward the freshkill pile, which they had been heading in the direction of; if only by coincidence though.

The ginger tom let out a huff of air, flecking his tail from one way to the other as he studied the kits' expression. At first his gaze was solely on the she kit, because she appeared to be the talkative of the two. He awaited her response to his question, mimicking their smug expression. To him, he seemed to have gotten to them. Of course, they were lying. Kits weren't supposed to be in the clearing if their mother wasn't around. Especially with the entirety of Shadowclanners that could crush them. Though the tom simply shook his head, because all this was truly nonsense. He could see through the white lies. Could they see through their own lies? But, kits were gonna be kits. Chestnutsplash could remember plenty of times when Hazelnutsplash and himself were kits, and they told lies. Ridiculous lies. The tom's whiskers twitched upon suddenly mirth, and his eyes flashed with shortspan amusement, before trying to play more stern on the kits. Her brother was the first to speak. Suddenly, showing a great deal of determination. ''Is that so?'' He meowed. Then, his attention turned back to the other kit. Upon hearing her words, Chestnutsplash snickered, ''Si?'' She said she didn't have a temper. This made him roll his eyes upward - definitely. She definitely didn't have a temper.

Chestnutsplash didn't understand why he was arguing with these two scraps of fur. It was ridiculous! Yet, he was still curious about them. ''Haven't your mother taught you to respect warriors?'' Now, his tone was more teasing than anything. Kits were truly adorable. So full of mischief - he couldn't deal with them. Other than being little rays of ''sunshine'' or a sparkling rainbow, kits carried that fascination that either annoyed an older warrior or kept him playful at heart. The kits had said that they were out to get breakfast for their mother. Now, why would their mother send them out to get breakfast in this fray? It was uncanny. Definitely something fishy concerning what they were saying. Though, Chestnutsplash didn't act upon this. These kits simply wanted to play. If that was so, Chestnutsplash would give play. His paws had been itching with an uncomfortable desire to frolic around. Especially since all he did was work all the time. All of a sudden, another thought popped into his mind. ''Oh, realmente?'' If their mother was napping...why would she need breakfast? That was weird. Sounded a lot more than fishy all of a sudden. ''Interesante...'' His voice trailed off. He had ignored most of what the she kit was saying. Ay! Her voice is killing me! Because her kit-like ferociousness was adorable, yet annoying to him. The tom sat down on his haunches, watching the kits with mock, feigned curiosity. They were certainly adorable, but a few key points the tom picked up. ''Kits like you are already weaned off milk, eh?'' Because, if he could recall, the tomkit said they were allowed to get breakfast themselves. Yet, the she kit said that they were getting breakfast for their mother.