Cattail Pond

[Starfall]

???
@Fuzzy @spade

It felt like deja vu. The ebony tom could have sworn he'd been here before. At least the smell was familiar. Thinking back on it, he most likely was. Afterall this is where he met that weird, cannibal, happy go lucky tom. But before that as well...ah yes. When he'd met those two kits in the river...than that big tom. What was it his name was again? Bumble...Bee? Shaking his head, the loner shuffled around the little ponds, too much to think about at the moment.

[Cobra]

Copperpaw twitched his tail. "Um." Why was Cottonstrike staring at him? Was something wrong? Did he do something wrong - oh. Yeah. It didn't take him some getting used to, cause he felt.. natural with it. "Your mother. Fennelheart, I.. I didn't get along with her. She absolutely hated me. So, yeah??" They should focus on the task at hand. "Let's not get distracted by my petty kitten rivalries," he smiled.

"So let's get started! Once I finish swimming, I'll almost be ready to become a warrior! Not that, I'm, like, obsessed with it. Of course not!"

// @Angelique

[Fuzzy]

@spade @Starfall

Petuniapaw would tilt her head at the warriors mutter. Talk? Killing? She didn't quite catch what he had said, part of her feeling like it was noisy to try and figure out what he said. If it was under his breath maybe it wasn't intended for her to hear. That was the most she made out of it. That it was something she shouldn't hear. Or she was just reading far to far into it and he was just being quiet for some reason. Nah, that wouldn't have been it. So, not quiet knowing what he's said she just gave a little nod. That worked at times.

Pushing the thought from her mind Petuniapaw would try to focus on his next string of words. He was opening up to her slightly? Well he was telling her things. She wasn't sure that was expected... maybe this was a start of a friendship? Or at least a semi good Clanmate to Clanmate relationship. No no, this was just getting confusing. They would just have to see if they became friends.
"Mmm, I will try not to test your patience. I wouldn't want to upset you for no good reason." Petuniapaw stated. She would much rather this be a peaceful time, fighting among Clanmates was never good and she hated the idea of starting one. So, giving a smile she would follow Kestrelwing from camp, staying a bit behind him to allow him to lead. He was the warrior here after all. He had completed his training and earned an honored place in the Clan. That alone bought him respect. "Thank you for letting me come along, even if it is just so your... bane of existence?... won't follow you." Petuniapaw thanked him glancing up at the warrior.

Upon glancing up she noticed that they were going to Cattail Pound. She had a lot of found memories here. Mister Ms. Sassyfire had taken her here on their first training session together. She had fallen into the water and gotten them wet. They taught her how to fish here too. And Fennelheart taught her to swim, along with the rest of her group. In New-leaf and Green-leaf it was nice and warm. The water had all kinds of minnows that were honestly a bit dumb, would swim right up to your paw in the water and let you cat them. The bigger fish where another story. She had jumped into the water to catch the first big fish. Had gotten soaked but she ended up with a decent sized fish in her mouth so it had all been worth it. An amused huff left her as she remembered the fond memories of this pound. It was one of her favorite places now. All of RiverClan really gave her found memories, even if some places had more sad ones than found ones.
Taking another look she had to blink a few times. There was a cat moving around the pound. He looked like some cat she knew but at the same time he looked like a complete stranger. Was it a formal Clanmate? Or was it a loner she had seen on her way back? She wasn't quiet sure... "Umm, I'm sorry to bug you but who is that? He's probably a Clanmate, isn't he..? I just hadn't seen him sense I have been back..." Petuniapaw commented to Kestrelwing, stopping a bit before the reached the pound. She wasn't close enough to catch his scent, which maybe was an indicator that she should move closer.

[spade]

Kestrelwing

────── ⋆⋅✦⋅⋆ ──────

They had made it out of camp. That was already half the battle, Kestrelwing knew, and because he had company he doubted that Eelsting would follow him. Good. He didn't want to deal with his brother after the explosion that had happened on Bumblestep in the middle of camp. Briefly, the tom wondered if Sootstar had caught any of it, or even the newly named deputy. After all, the last thing he wanted was to be dragged into Sootstar's den and have a discussion about his actions. Because then he would have to tell the leader why he was acting in such a way, and something told the warrior that Sootstar wouldn't be too pleased to know of Kestrelwing's opinion of him...

The gray tabby was lost in thought, not bothering to even listen to what Petuniapaw had said on their way out of camp. He'd gotten her out, and that was that. Now, his only goal was to stroll aimlessly around until he knew his disappearance would start to be obvious, then head back to camp. Hopefully by then Bumblestep would either be back in the warriors den or out on the dusk patrol. For a moment, he prayed that the molly wouldn't ask about being shown around, as he had no intention of doing so.

So when she opened her mouth to speak, Kestrelwing halted and winced, preparing for the worst.

Huh.

He glanced around, ears alert for any sounds. Yellow gaze finding the object of Petuniapaw's attention, he narrowed his eyes slightly. The loner across the pond didn't smell of any of the Clans. Dismay flashed in his eyes as he realized that this wasn't a ShadowClan trespasser. If only.... "Must be a loner who stumbled onto the wrong side of the river. I don't smell any scent on him." Or perhaps he really was a Clanmate. It wasn't like the anti-social Kestrelwing would know.

"Who do you think you are, trespassing on RiverClan grounds?" His voice came out loud and stern as the tabby trotted around to the other side. His yellow eyes narrowed as he neared the loner, the fur on his neck bristling. He was glad it was just him and Petuniapaw out here. Perhaps his need for battle would be met here - he couldn't see Sootstar opposing to him driving off a trespassing outsider.

[ @Starfall @Fuzzy ]

[Starfall]

???
@Fuzzy @spade
At this time, the Loner had shuffled to one of the shallower ponds, finally taking a good look at himself. He had dried up leaves buried in his fur, a few grass blades, his fur was all knotted and coated in a pretty thick layer of dirt. He could have easily been mistaken for a dark brown tom at this point. Wincing at his reflection he took a deep breath and hopped into the freezing little pond. Dipping his head in, making sure to get all the twigs and sticks and leaves out before he himself hopped out. Shaking himself off, violently, the feline failed to notice two strangers approaching.

Now only mildly damp he felt satisfied. That is, until a loud voice interrupted his cleaning. The ebony feline turned around, looking at the pair with an annoyed glint in his eyes. He looked from the tom, down to the molly. The shorter one sparked a foggy dream. For some reason he could see her...but so much smaller. Ears swiveled forwards as he continued to hold a staring contest with the Molly. Until the loud one started speaking once more.

With an annoyed snort the Maine Coon mix narrowed his eyes. "What's it to you?" he huffed, tail lashing behind him. "If you're from that clan with the fish, I'd like to go back to the Camp now. Last time I ran into a happy go lucky cannibal. You two don't seem to lean that way." he stated, looking between the both of them once more. After a few seconds the feline tilted his head to the side. "Hey. Is that tom still here? What's his name...errr. Beebelly? Oh. Bumblebelly. Him." he asked, brows quirked as he awaited an answer.

[Fuzzy]

@spade @Starfall

Kestrelwing, winced? Wait why did he wince? Petuniapaw wanted to ask but his answer came before she could. So, the tom was a loner. Hmm Did that mean they needed to take him to see Mister Sootstar or run him off? That she didn't know. She watched as the tom got into the water and washed off the dirty stuff that had been stuck on him. Spirits he was brave for a loner! Most cats didn't dare get into the water like RiverClan cats. Though she had to admit, she missed swimming while she was away.
She continued to observe him, noting in surprise that he was a black cat not a dark brown cat. Petuniapaw hadn't expected that! However, her amber eyes were shifted to the warrior beside her again as he let out a loud warning to the loner. Oh right! She should be ready to fight if this breaks out into a fight! She hadn't had to do that in awhile... surprisingly if you left cats alone and just minded your own business most loners and rouges would ignore you. So, on her way back from the Twolegs she hadn't had to fight at all. Just got caught between one fight with Mister Thorn and Ms. ThunderClan medicine cat. Ah that wasn't the point! She needed to pay attention.

Looking back at the loner across the pound she noticed he was staring at her now. Was something wrong with her? Or did he recognize her somehow? Petuniapaw would keep his gaze, mind searching for a reason why he would be staring at her when she hadn't spoken to him. Yet it seemed he had turned to Kestrelwing, making her do the same. What where they going to do. "Are we going to run him off? Or ask him to leave?" She asked quietly. That seemed like a good idea, ask first then if he didn't leave they could use force.
However, yet again, her attention was taken by the loner. Clan with fish? Back to camp? Bumblebelly? Wait was this loner a formal RiverClanner?! "Do you mean RiverClan?" Petuniapaw asked, glancing at Kestrelwing shortly after to see what the tom was thinking of this. "Also... Mister Bumblebelly hasn't been here for a long while..." The tom had disappeared before her if she remembered right, he was a cool cat but for some reason was no longer here. Maybe he was catnapped by twolegs as well.

[spade]

♠ Kestrelwing ♠

So this little tom wanted to be bold, huh? Kestrelwing almost felt bad for him, to be so abrasive towards a Clan warrior - and one with a thirst for battle, no less. "You might find it wise to watch your tone," the gray tabby snapped, his voice cold and sharp. He wasn't in the mood to deal with any kind of attitude, and the familiar rage of anger seemed to be swirling about once more in his belly, threatening to erupt in the same fashion as it had back in camp. Except this time, the focus of his attention was an outsider, not a Clanmate. Perfect.

"Look, I don't know how you know about RiverClan, but..." He cut himself off as a faint scent drifted towards his nose. Maybe it was due to his spill in the river, or perhaps something deep down, encased in his undying loyalty towards RiverClan despite his hatred for them, was reacting to this tom's presence - either way, Kestrelwing could've sworn he caught the brief traces of RiverClan's signature fishy scent on the tom. He certainly didn't recognize him, so even if he was a Clanmate, he was wary. "What's your name, anyways? You don't look like any RiverClanner I've seen before."

It didn't register to him that Petuniapaw seemed to recognize the tom in front of them. After all, she might have been older but was still an apprentice. This tom could still very well be an outsider, and Kestrelwing wasn't about to just lead him back to camp.

@Starfall @Fuzzy

[Starfall]

???
@spade @Fuzzy

The tom's eyes narrowed at the molly's comment. "I can hear you." he snapped, tail thrashing behind him. "You can try to run me off, but I'll get to the camp eventually." he huffed. He kept his scowl as he looked between the two. He was beginning to wish the cannibal was here instead of these two...specifically the tom.

The Loner let out an annoyed huff and sat himself down, making sure his posture was somewhat proper. "You might find it wise to watch your attitude." he barked back. Anger bubbled up in his stomach. He wasn't sure, but being talked to like this just ticked him off. It wasn't like he was older, and he was asking them for a favor. Though he could probably find it on his own. But there was something else that was itching in the back of his head.

"Riverclan yes. Also, I was a member before. But the people who took me in left...or disappeared. So I did too." he shrugged. His 'family' wasn't there, so why should he? He hadn't really made any connections. But the thing was, he couldn't find them. So here he was again, one of the only places he could really remember. He kept getting this sick feeling whenever he was too far away, something continuously pulling him towards this place.

As Petuniapaw spoke up the ebony tom let out a sigh, "I was hoping he'd be back by now. That's fine I've gotten big enough to where I could be by myself." he huffed. Dark blue hues flickered with uncertanty as he was asked about his name. Brows furrowed together. What was his name. Surely he remembered that one tom giving him a name...but it never sat well with him. It felt..off. So of course he forgot about it.

The Maine Coon tilted his head from side to side as he thought, brain screaming at him but he couldn't quite articulate what it was in the back of his mind. Did it start with an F? Fear? No that was dumb. F- hrk what was it F"Fallen." he muttered aloud. Finally. The buzzing stopped and it was quiet once more.

[Fuzzy]

@spade @Starfall
[Sorry this is so late guys ;-;]

Oh, he heard them... Petuniapaw wasn't trying to be rude, really she wasn't. She just wanted to know what she was supposed to do, or what Kestrelwing wanted her to do. Than again, the warrior was ignoring her, fully focused on the outsider it seemed. That made sense, he was a possible threat and she wasn't. Still, Petuniapaw would have liked an answer...
Instead the tom asked about the other toms name. That was a good question! Even if the black tom seemed to take offense by how it was asked. Honestly, if both of the younger toms settled down this would have gone so much soother. However, who was she to butt in? Wasn't like she was in charge of either of them or had any authority at all. Really she didn't want any either.

"Oh," She let out in surprise before she could stop herself. So, he was formal RiverClan! Maybe that was why she recognized him. If he lived in RiverClan at the same time she did than it made sense that she'd seen him at some point. Though, his reason for leaving was kind of sad. All his family left, she hated that. At least she still had Bizzardsky other wise she would be in the same place as this loner, er, ex RiverClanner was. "I'm sorry to hear that." Petuniapaw would comment not really sure what else to say with this.
Her amber gaze would flicker between the toms a few times, really not sure what to say. The apprentice just knew that there was a loner or former RiverClanner and Kestrelwing staring each other down. Seemingly neither liked the other but she was not sure. Petuniapaw did find interest in the black toms name. Fallen... She knew that name, well she knew it on a different cat but not this one. Mister Fallenstar was the only Fallen she could remember and this young tom was not him, possibly related but they were not the same cat. "Well, Fallen.. paw?" She guessed, assuming he was an appretnice if he was a former RiverClanner. "I am sure we can peacefully talk this out of you are a former RiverClan cat, right?" The patched tabby asked, glancing up at Kestrelwing as she did so. That made sense for her. "I mean even if you, Fallen, weren't I think a peaceful route would be better than the two of us having to fight you... A fight is really not the best thing in the mist of the cold season, its really not a good idea if you can avoid it..... ehh, um sorry Kestrelwing..." Petuniapaw rambled, before cutting herself off a whispering an apology. The molly had forgotten that the warrior she was with didn't like apprentices or talking.

[spade]

➳ Kestrelwing

Each time this tom opened his mouth, it dragged at Kestrelwing's pelt like thorns. Irritating, brash, and downright just painful to listen to. Like a kit begging for it's mother during it's apprentice ceremony. The anger that had just started to bubble threatened to overflow now, and the gray RiverClan tabby let out a warning growl. Former RiverClanner or not, he would not allow himself to be talked to in such a way. "Careful," he snapped, making sure the weight of the threat landed heavily before moving past it. Now was not the time to attack this newcomer.

Annoyance flashed in his gaze as Petuniapaw spoke up. Out of all of the cats he could've used to get out of camp and it had to be her. Shooting her a rather pointed look, he replied, "I'm sorry, when did you receive your warrior name?" His tone was curt and cold, and no longer did he wish to be dealing with any of this. Swinging his gaze back around to Fallen, his yellow eyes narrowed. "In any case, you'll have to get by Sootstar if you want back into RiverClan. Though, that might be easier done than said, as he's gotten particularly soft in the past moon or so - lucky for you." A hiss of annoyance. "If it was me, you would have already turned and ran, tail tucked between those chicken legs." Without another word, he motioned with his tail for Fallen to follow them back to camp, making his way back to the entrance.

This had been a rather... disastrous outing. All he wanted was some peace and quiet to clear his mind and forget the voice that had disrupted his thoughts. Now he was a babysitter to not one, but seemingly two apprentices. Joy. It was like the dead cats had some kind of personal vendetta against him - or just relished in the fact that his life was full of cruel irony. Surrounding him with younger, more vibrant versions of himself. Well, they could just back right off according to Kestrelwing. With a huff, he glanced down at the path as he led the way back to camp, kicking stones here and there.


// @Starfall @Fuzzy