RiverClan Territory

[graves]

Originally Posted by Mauve

@king kaleb!

Dawnpaw had practically skipped all the way from the training grounds to RiverClan's swampy territory. The soil squished underneath her paws, bubbles surfacing between her toes. The apprentice giggled as they popped one by one, new ones being created with each step she took. Glancing over her shoulder at her mentor, her blue eyes round with wonder, she grinned. "Are we going to practice on land prey first?" she asked, waving her tail back and forth. She wasn't sure how pouncing fully into the water would work out with catching fish, and she knew Wolfdancer was way smarter than that, so the only prey left was that on land.

"well start with prey on land, and work our way into the water maybe later today, just for funzies," she purred. it was a nice day outside, the breeze felt nice in her fur as the sun shined overhead. she loved to go into the water because it cooled her down greatly from her thick fur. "after all, water moves are alot like the ones on land. but we only have mostly two out of the four seasons to catch water prey, so well try and learn that quickly too, all in time." she hummed. opening her mouth she scented for prey, starting to walk a bit quieter. "open your mouth and taste the air, and tell me what you smell,"

[Mauve]

Originally Posted by king kaleb!

"well start with prey on land, and work our way into the water maybe later today, just for funzies," she purred. it was a nice day outside, the breeze felt nice in her fur as the sun shined overhead. she loved to go into the water because it cooled her down greatly from her thick fur. "after all, water moves are alot like the ones on land. but we only have mostly two out of the four seasons to catch water prey, so well try and learn that quickly too, all in time." she hummed. opening her mouth she scented for prey, starting to walk a bit quieter. "open your mouth and taste the air, and tell me what you smell,"

Excitement bubbled through her as Wolfdancer mentioned they might get to go in the water. "Okay!" Dawnpaw chirped, practically bouncing up and down. She was glad to have a mentor that wanted to tackle both starting off - oh, how she bet Cedarpaw would be so jealous when she told him! Trying to focus on the task at paw now, the creamy white feline opened her jaws as instructed and let the air flow in around her senses. There were so many smells that came to her, the most prevalent being her mentor. "Well, I smell you," she offered, a tiny giggle escaping before she snapped back into focus mode. "And let's see..." she murmured, thinking back to what smells had intrigued her around the fresh-kill pile. "I smell herbs, of course... I think a mouse? Or maybe... No, wait, I think that's a water vole?" She wasn't entirely sure if that's what she was smelling, but it had the same musty scent. Her blue eyes focused themselves on Wolfdancer, wondering what she could smell.

[Mauve]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

(This will certainly be interesting, that's for sure!! )

Mud was an interesting tool for Hannibal, and any other time he was trying to actively avoid being detected, he would fully utilize it. But of course, today he was not trying to stay hidden and ambush. He had a different agenda and this one required acting a part and gaining the favor of a clan cat, any would do. He's done research on the clans before, and while not every clan cat was the same, he found that, most of the time, if a loner seemed genuine and nonthreatening, trespassing would be dismissed, sometimes they would even be invited into the clan. That wasn't what his goal was however, he had no desire to be under some other cats rule again. Not that he actively obeyed the Commander of the Syndicate anyways. Pausing where he stood, he decided to begin dressing to his little part, dabbing mud onto himself in messy patches as if he'd been struggling in the sticky dirt.

Not enough to cover his scent of course, he wanted to be found after all, but enough to make sure to fit the tale he would tell. Hannibal wasn't expecting to find the clan leader, or even the deputy out here in the territory, the thought of one of their healers out here wasn't one that had been actively entertained. He recalled killing one of the healer's apprentices once, who was it, Northpaw? His mind was preoccupied on other things to entertain the idea anyways.
Ears perking up, he could hear someone approaching in the brush so he dawned an expression that could easily be read as exhaustion and frustration, jaws parted as he forced pants out of his mouth, struggling forward in the mud as it sucked at his paws.

At the sound of her voice, the mud-covered tom froze in his tracks with wide eyes, looking towards her, still panting out. "R-Riverclan? I'm sorry, but.. I don't think I understand what.. What you mean by that. Is.. There a river nearby? I see all this mud, but no flowing water. Pardon me but I'm terribly thirsty, I've been looking for something to drink all day." He meowed out in a raspy voice that could have been believed as real. Hannibal glanced down at the ground and at himself, not making direct eye contact with her. His body posture read that of exhaustion and struggle, and his face reflected that, now even dawning a look of nervousness. But his eyes. If she had seen his eyes directly, they were vacant. No emotion, no conviction, just burning pools of fire.

The first thought that came to Heatherfur's mind was to drive this stranger off of RiverClan's land. That's what she would've done had she still been a warrior in WindClan. Without question, she would've lashed out with her claws and shown the intruder no mercy, barking threats towards him as she stayed hot on his trail. But this wasn't WindClan, and she wasn't a warrior anymore. Breathe, she reminded herself, forcing her fur to lie flat. She didn't fully believe that this cat was starving and looking for help - but she had only been a medicine cat for a couple moons. Perhaps this was her warrior instinct talking, and she wasn't paying any mind to the healer instinct she was beginning to develop. "Yes, there's a river that cuts through the territory not far from here," the medicine cat responded carefully, though her tone didn't hold the same trace of aggression as it once had. Instead, it was just as if she was stating a simple fact. It appeared as though he didn't know about the RiverClan, or any of the Clans for that matter, so for now Heatherfur let herself relax a bit. "It belongs to a group of cats called RiverClan. This is their territory." She let her tail sweep out around her, indicating to the soil that Hannibal was standing on as well as all around them.

There wasn't much else she could tell about him, and as Heatherfur looked him over she took note that he tended to avoid eye contact. Not that she minded - the own grief that lay circling the bottom of the pale green pools of her own was enough to scare any cat away. She felt as though she'd been hollowed out since Surgestorm's death, her eyes blocked to anything that could possibly penetrate its way in to the darkness that surrounded her heart. This made her head foggy, and quite possibly added to the list of growing reasons why she hadn't chased this trespasser out yet. She knew if Fallenstar or Rowanflower were here, they wouldn't hesitate. But Heatherfur had other emotions she was dealing with, so instead she stared and waited for this tom to answer her question, unsure of what would come out of his mouth. If he posed no threat, she didn't see a reason why she could lead him to the river to have a drink before escorting him off of RiverClan's territory. "What is your name?" She knew some of the rogues and loners, but mainly the ones that would hang around WindClan's borders - and this tom looked unfamiliar to her.

[zinfranny]

Originally Posted by Mauve

The confusion that Dawnpaw had originally felt only became more intense as Chivewhisker's head shot up, a puzzled look plastered all over his expression as well. She blinked a couple times, as if perhaps this were all a dream and she was in a repeat scenario where the introductions never ended. "...My name is Dawnpaw. I'm a RiverClan apprentice," she mewed slowly, making sure each word was enunciated properly. She was stuck between thinking this tom was RiverClan and wondering if he was now a loner or a rogue. He seemed to be about as clueless as her, but that might just be a trick, or so Dawnpaw thought. "Do I know you? Or more importantly, does RiverClan know you?" She was beginning to get a little scared, her heart pumping fast against her tiny chest. I've only had one battle training session with Wolfdancer - one! I'm not ready for a real life battle! she thought, trying to slow down her breathing. Waves of panic lapped at the edge of her paws as she tried to keep her composure, watching Chive with the same wide, round eyes.

chivewhisker's head cocked back. this was getting weird- like both of them were tossing suspicion back and forth like a game of catch, each pass causing suspicion altering to confusion. the red and white tom had to side-eye her with a disgruntled face. but, suddenly riverclan. that was a word that chimed a bell of memory from his past.
"the real question is do i know you, but does riverclan know me? well, hmm... i think they do. oh- yes, of course they do!" chivewhisker gabbed as he looked around him and re-realized he was on the clan's territory. if he was on the territory and not being driven off, it would mean they know him, and are keeping him. he wasn't able to recall much, and what he was right now was vague, but he could just make sense of it. "i was in the dusk-syndicate, but something horrible happened," chivewhisker began standing as he spoke quickly, leaning towards dawnpaw. "and they drove me out, and they had always threatened to send me somewhere else and let someone else house me before the bad thing happened. so if i am here in riverclan and you're not attacking me, riverclan must be the place they decided will "house" me- that means i should have a clan name too- oh, i bet it's cool, i always liked the sound of clan names. i bet some cats met me before now- they probably know me, dawnpaw!" the disordered sentences spilled chaotically from his brain to dawnpaw, and he now beamed an excited smile at her. if chivewhisker could remember enough to properly explain who he was and what condition he had, he would have pleasantly explained he was an anterograde amnesiac, he was exiled from his rogue group, and riverclan had taken him under their wing. unfortunately good things are rare findings sometimes, so here dawnpaw fell as another victim to his confusing social interactions. but chivewhisker managed to piece together a puzzle just right then- then again, his pieceing together was a rough process, and it was debatable whether it helped his situation and dawnpaw's confusion, or just added to it.

[Mauve]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Binks

chivewhisker's head cocked back. this was getting weird- like both of them were tossing suspicion back and forth like a game of catch, each pass causing suspicion altering to confusion. the red and white tom had to side-eye her with a disgruntled face. but, suddenly riverclan. that was a word that chimed a bell of memory from his past.
"the real question is do i know you, but does riverclan know me? well, hmm... i think they do. oh- yes, of course they do!" chivewhisker gabbed as he looked around him and re-realized he was on the clan's territory. if he was on the territory and not being driven off, it would mean they know him, and are keeping him. he wasn't able to recall much, and what he was right now was vague, but he could just make sense of it. "i was in the dusk-syndicate, but something horrible happened," chivewhisker began standing as he spoke quickly, leaning towards dawnpaw. "and they drove me out, and they had always threatened to send me somewhere else and let someone else house me before the bad thing happened. so if i am here in riverclan and you're not attacking me, riverclan must be the place they decided will "house" me- that means i should have a clan name too- oh, i bet it's cool, i always liked the sound of clan names. i bet some cats met me before now- they probably know me, dawnpaw!" the disordered sentences spilled chaotically from his brain to dawnpaw, and he now beamed an excited smile at her. if chivewhisker could remember enough to properly explain who he was and what condition he had, he would have pleasantly explained he was an anterograde amnesiac, he was exiled from his rogue group, and riverclan had taken him under their wing. unfortunately good things are rare findings sometimes, so here dawnpaw fell as another victim to his confusing social interactions. but chivewhisker managed to piece together a puzzle just right then- then again, his pieceing together was a rough process, and it was debatable whether it helped his situation and dawnpaw's confusion, or just added to it.

Dawnpaw's heart began to full on race now as she watched Chivewhisker go through several emotions before landing on a surprised on. As she opened her mouth to retort that she had, in fact, asked him first if she knew him, when he began to spill out words like a waterfall. It hit the young molly like a large fish, the tail end of the words battering around her face. She scrambled to her own paws, leaning back as the odd tom moved closer towards her. The waves of panic now threatened to take her under, and the rush of blood in her ears made it hard to distinguish Chivewhisker's words. "Wait - hold on! What - You came from -" the ragdoll apprentice squeaked out, though she was barely able to get a word in edge wise against his swarm of topics. She did recognize the Dusk Syndicate and instantly her claws slid out, but it was met with even more confusion. RiverClan took this tom under their wing? He seemed rather confused... Perhaps I should take him to see Heatherfur? she thought, her eyes still wide as she stared back at the warrior. As he finally came to a pause in his soliloquy, Dawnpaw took the open window. "Wait, so you are a RiverClanner, then? How do you not remember your warrior name?" she asked, completely bewildered. It was clear on her face how hard she was working to understand this strange feline in front of her, and whether he was an enemy or not.

[Mauve]

Originally Posted by Mauve

It was a foolish hope to think that her and Fallenstar could spend much time together like a mentor and apprentice would; he had a Clan to lead, and Heatherfur had only just finished learning the basics of herb healing. The molly had knew even before she asked that there was still much to learn about Fallenstar and more trust to gain before he would feel as comfortable around her as he did Juniperpaw. It was the hole that Blazingstar had left in her heart that had made her come forward with the question. After all, Heatherfur had been born a warrior, bred and trained to follow and fight under the direction of her Clan leader. She knew in due time Fallenstar would become that to her, but a part of her was inpatient, wanting it to happen right then and there. Give it time, she thought to herself, flicking her tail tip back and forth as she thought. She wanted to comment more on it, but the moment and conversation topic seemed over, so the molly swallowed her words and decided to perhaps save them for another walk.

Was it too late to pull out? Heatherfur couldn't really understand the logic in this statement, though she also wasn't a Clan leader. A medicine cat's duties were far removed from that of a leaders, though they were correlated. If Fallenstar led RiverClan into any unnecessary battles, Heatherfur would be the one scrambling to put the pieces back together. "I don't think any wound is ever too deep to patch up," she offered, remembering her own experience with forgiveness and moving on. She had done so with forgiving Blazingstar and his involvement in her father's death. Perhaps it was more difficult between Clans, but not impossible. "I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that peace and forgiveness, even at this stage, are not unattainable. It will take time, just as with anything," she mewed out loud, deciding to not step around the delicate precipice of this opinion of hers. "Perhaps it's more difficult between Clans, as you never want to look weak in front of the others, but I think there is a certain strength in forgiveness. In calling for peace. It takes a certain character to look beyond the status of ranks and realize that fighting sometimes isn't the best option." It was weird to hear the way these words rolled off of her tongue so eloquently. After all, part of her make-up as a warrior was to defend her Clan with tooth and claw if necessary. Maybe being in a position where she was meant to heal wounds instead of inflict them had changed her perspective a bit.

A bit of a shock traveled through Heatherfur though as he mentioned her not being a RiverClanner. It wasn't necessarily an insult to her, at least she didn't take it that way. Heatherfur had heard about everything there could be in her first few days in the Clan. Her fur still held a hint of the moorland, but the more she worked with patience, the more the smell of marigold and flowers stuck to her pelt. "It's alright, I understand what you meant," she replied, looking over at Fallenstar with shimmering pale green eyes. Just like the first thought that had come to her when he had shot down the fact that they could learn the herbs together, it would just take time. Her scent to wash away, for her to be close to Fallenstar, all of it. "You know, I'm kind of excited to be apart of RiverClan. The other day, Rowanflower taught me how to swim," she mewed, deciding to change the subject. She wanted to discuss something light and airy with the RiverClan leader. It didn't have to be all business between them all the time. If Heatherfur truly wanted to get closer to her leader, she knew that discussing the current state between her new Clan and her former Clan.

Originally Posted by Mauve

It had been quite some time since Heatherfur had felt actual companionship. Not since she had left WindClan, and while there were some in RiverClan who accepted her without hesitation - mainly because they had no other choice with no one to heal them - she didn't feel close to any of them yet. Not like she was sure Surgestorm had with each member of WindClan. Medicine cats were suppose to have a special bond with their Clanmates, someone that they could rely on and trust blindly to keep them healthy. With this recent loss hanging over her head, the tabby felt even more disconnected from her Clan. After all, Surgestorm wasn't RiverClan. She was sure this clouded opinions on her across the board, but Heatherfur couldn't bring herself to care. But when she felt Rowanflower's tail land across her back, something shifted. A small, faint trace of kindness blossomed around her stone of a heart, and for once she felt as though someone might actually care about her as more than just a medicine cat. The last cat she had expected this to be was Rowanflower, of course, given that Fallenstar still didn't trust her all that well. But it was something, and Heatherfur wouldn't question it when it was the one thing she needed the most in the midst of all the grief and loss she was suffering.

"I just hope that StarClan knew what they were doing when they led me here," she murmured, mostly to herself but it was just loud enough for her companion to hear if she listened closely enough. Now as they stood at the edge of the passing water, a new nervous feeling over took Heatherfur. She carefully followed behind the deputy, her paws sinking into the cool sand beneath her. She hadn't ever really felt sand before, the closest being the soft dust in the WindClan nursery from years of being smoothed down by countless paws. "I guess it wasn't really a priority since rabbits never swam either," the tabby joked, figuring that masking her pain with humor was the best way to avoid it for the time being. Her pale green eyes studies the pebbles before her and she cautiously lowered her haunches down, the cool surface of the stones foreign to her bushy pelt. She knew at one point this would become natural for her, and perhaps even exciting, but now that she was just mere whisker lengths away from the current, its spray reaching the edge of her fur, she began to second guess her previous notions.

Heatherfur turned her head to look from the water before her to Rowanflower, her whiskers twitching. "I guess at some point I will need to learn. I wouldn't be much use to any cat right now if they were to drown," she agreed, nodding as she spoke and focused her gaze back onto the current. It looked fast, as though if she were to stick one paw in it would carry her down the bends and away from the safety of the shore. Heatherfur knew this wasn't the case, however she hadn't ever really been this close to a body of water in her life that she could remember - there were no streams on WindClan's moors. "Are you offering to teach me?" she asked the deputy, this time keeping her eyes on the river. A part of her was excited, half of her heart wrapped up in the anticipation and the thrill of learning a new skill. But the other half was coated in fear as she absentmindedly stuck a single paw towards the water. It's cold current washed over her paw and the medicine cat quickly drew it back, eyes widening in shock. It was enough to momentarily cut through the dark clouds of grief that hovered over her, and she shook her head slightly. "Oh, StarClan, you didn't prepare me for this," she gasped, her heart starting to race just a bit faster.

(Bump for @starfall and @Celestial so you guys don't have to go searching! ^^)

[ConfusedCas]

Originally Posted by toodlesteddy

Panic flooded the she-cat’s face. *Damn it...* She thought, mentally cursing herself. She felt a strange magnetism toward Allister, one she couldn’t even begin to explain.

“I’m sorry,” she sputtered, desperate to hold onto this unusual but strong connection she felt already. “I... I’m sorry. I’m used to interacting with people of a—let’s say a different wavelength than the one you hold.” She gave a bittersweet smile. “I’m a very, uh... I’m a very frivolous cat. I’m good at shallow conversations; I’ve been having them all my life. And then you come in, and you’re—you’re different and I don’t know what to make of it.” Her honesty startled her, but she didn’t want to stop. She took a deep breath before continuing.

“I’m sorry. That’s not how I feel. I stay here because... because I’m scared, I think? I don’t want to have nobody. I’m good at people; I’m good at words. I’m not good at being alone.”

Once again shock overcame him from how open she was but he felt understanding. A lot of the time he had a difficult time relating to the other cats but he truly could understand what she was getting at.
“Y-Yeah... I soon as you starting talking I-I knew you were different- in a good way.” Allister was silent for a moment matching the she-cats gaze as he thought of what to say. “I’m good at being alone... But I don’t necessarily like it. I want- ... I want to be close to someone but I never let myself because I wouldn’t want to mess up a good thing. May as well leave on a good note, right?” The words that had come out were not the ones he was planning on but he felt relief at the honesty. Still, fear lingered around him. Did I say too much? Though their encounter was refreshing it was an unnatural situation. The thought of leaving flashed through his mind again. It would be leaving on a good note but something magnetized him to her. I want to stay... Allister took a deep breath and stayed where he was, now waiting eagerly for a response.

[zinfranny]

Originally Posted by Mauve

Dawnpaw's heart began to full on race now as she watched Chivewhisker go through several emotions before landing on a surprised on. As she opened her mouth to retort that she had, in fact, asked him first if she knew him, when he began to spill out words like a waterfall. It hit the young molly like a large fish, the tail end of the words battering around her face. She scrambled to her own paws, leaning back as the odd tom moved closer towards her. The waves of panic now threatened to take her under, and the rush of blood in her ears made it hard to distinguish Chivewhisker's words. "Wait - hold on! What - You came from -" the ragdoll apprentice squeaked out, though she was barely able to get a word in edge wise against his swarm of topics. She did recognize the Dusk Syndicate and instantly her claws slid out, but it was met with even more confusion. RiverClan took this tom under their wing? He seemed rather confused... Perhaps I should take him to see Heatherfur? she thought, her eyes still wide as she stared back at the warrior. As he finally came to a pause in his soliloquy, Dawnpaw took the open window. "Wait, so you are a RiverClanner, then? How do you not remember your warrior name?" she asked, completely bewildered. It was clear on her face how hard she was working to understand this strange feline in front of her, and whether he was an enemy or not.

dawnpaw's perplexity seemed to go unnoticed to chivewhisker. when she asked the question, he paused, expression slightly empty as he momentarily thought. what should i say? i mean. . . riverclan has to be where they sent me. i don't want to get hurt, so i guess. . . the topic was a doozy for chivewhisker to ponder. he was simply going off on a whim- a whim of the in-tact memories before the incident of his amnesia as a young cat. he hoped with all his heart he was correct, and that he wasn't feeding dawnpaw ludicrous facts.
". . . yes." the word, to confirm he was a riverclan member, came out awkwardly. he was visibly still thinking, but then his brow furrowed and he turned away. "i think so!" he meowed his conflicting thoughts. "i forget things. i just, can't. . . think right. there was a period of time where i knew things and i can still remember them now but then i got hurt and everything's just blurry and stupid now- all that i know is that they spoke about getting rid of me for a long time, and my mom said i'd go to another group of cats, and since i'm gone, i'm not in the syndicate and caraway isn't here, they did it, and if you're here and i'm here, it must be riverclan,"
[lol i thought this was going to be a friendly hello turns out we're having an existential crisis here]

[Mauve]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Binks

dawnpaw's perplexity seemed to go unnoticed to chivewhisker. when she asked the question, he paused, expression slightly empty as he momentarily thought. what should i say? i mean. . . riverclan has to be where they sent me. i don't want to get hurt, so i guess. . . the topic was a doozy for chivewhisker to ponder. he was simply going off on a whim- a whim of the in-tact memories before the incident of his amnesia as a young cat. he hoped with all his heart he was correct, and that he wasn't feeding dawnpaw ludicrous facts.
". . . yes." the word, to confirm he was a riverclan member, came out awkwardly. he was visibly still thinking, but then his brow furrowed and he turned away. "i think so!" he meowed his conflicting thoughts. "i forget things. i just, can't. . . think right. there was a period of time where i knew things and i can still remember them now but then i got hurt and everything's just blurry and stupid now- all that i know is that they spoke about getting rid of me for a long time, and my mom said i'd go to another group of cats, and since i'm gone, i'm not in the syndicate and caraway isn't here, they did it, and if you're here and i'm here, it must be riverclan,"
[lol i thought this was going to be a friendly hello turns out we're having an existential crisis here]

(I love this ^^ Also Dawnpaw is about to be the most supportive friend and she will fight anyone who gets annoyed with Chive because of his amnesia ^^)

Though the situation was still as confusing as ever, one that Dawnpaw would need to take time to sort out, it began to make just a sliver of sense. Forgetting things... not remembering... Accident... It sounded like a condition her dad spoke about at times. There was a name for it, but it was one the apprentice couldn't recall. Her heart though, ached for the tom in front of her. Her claws slid back under their sheathes - she didn't feel like he was a threat anymore than a bee circling a flower nearby - and took a deep breath. Her heart still beat against her chest like a drum, but the fog cleared from her mind and she studied Chivewhisker closely. "I... Yes, I think you are a RiverClan cat," she breathed, finally deciding on 'friend' instead of 'foe'. But how come he doesn't remember his warrior name? she thought, the question lingering in her mind. "It makes sense... You smell like RiverClan, and you were dipping your paws into the river... You have to be RiverClan..." Now it sounded like the young apprentice was talking it out with herself, trying to divulge Chivewhisker's true identity. "I know I'm RiverClan. I'm an apprentice, training to be a warrior. Do you remember if you are a warrior or an apprentice?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to upset him again. His size deemed him maybe an older apprentice, but she didn't want to just assume.

[Raids]

Originally Posted by .:Raven:.

Thrushwhisker gave her head a lick before he started walking away from her, and when he finally hid in a bush, he simply waited to see if his apprentice could find him, making sure to remain still.

She let her mouth open, scenting the air. Much to her surprise, his scent filled her mouth. She smiled then frowned. She could smell him, but which way did he go. Her head dropped and her ears flattened against her head.