RiverClan Clearing

[Fuzzy]

@Dust

Dolphinsplash lifted her head in interest as Frostflight called for cats. He seemed to be looking for her. Cats that can fit in tight spaces. With her size she would do fine! For once the silver swirled tabby didn't feel upset about being smaller then almost all the other cats in the Clan.
Standing up Dolphin trotted closer to the deputy. "I can help out." informed for once not showing an attitude. The molly had to look up to see his face and still looked much like an apprentice but she assumed Frostflight knew other wise.

[Doom]

@Dust

Hearing Frostflight's request for helpful warriors, Minkshine immediately perked up. A special task? Sign her up! "Oh, yes, I can help!" Rushing up to the deputy, the lithe she-cat joined the row of aligning warriors. She was an average-sized cat, not exactly small, but her skinny figure and sleek fur would make it more than doable to slip in and out of tight spaces. Minkshine was never the claustrophobic type, so this shouldn't be a problem for her.

[Vessel]

Eveningpaw glanced around. Well, I guess since there's no other volunteers... The russet she-cat lifted her gaze to the leader. "I'll do it. I'm pretty small!" She flattened her fur and ears to demonstrate. "I may not be much good at hunting, but if this does't involve that, i'm your cat!" She had been feeling strangely upbeat ever since she met Rainpaw. Eveningpaw normally wouldn't dream of volunteering, but she had little flicker of confidince in her that wasn't there before. Her gaze was wide and hopeful. She was eager to prove herself! Please pick me, please pick me...

@Dust

[Dust]

The turn-out was... surprising good! Frostflight gave each feline that walked up a gracious nod, a warm smile settling on his maw. Well, now all they needed was Firehawk, but for now he would brief the others on what he was thinking, but first... he turned to Eveningpaw with a disheartened expression,

"I'm sorry Eveningpaw [ @Starstruck ], I appreciate you wanting to help, but I can't allow you. You're too young and I don't want you getting hurt due to your lack of experience. I promise there will be more opportunities.. This one is just too dangerous." It saddened him to have to turn her away, but it was for her own good. StarClan forbid a cave-in happened, but at least if it did... these warriors were experienced. He couldn't lead the young apprentice to a possible death. After speaking with Eveningpaw, Frostflight beckoned his tail for the rest of the group to follow him to a quieter section of the clearing.

"Thank you all for volunteering! We need Firehawk before we do anything, but I'll go ahead and let you know what's going on. Lionstar believes that there are tunnels beneath the territory, ones that the clans used to live in. Apparently, Firehawk may know where a few of the entrances are, but there's a large chance that most of these tunnels have collapsed. So long as you're comfortable squeezing into these tight spaces then we can leave as soon as Firehawk is briefed... but understand that this is a dangerous task and I can't promise that you'll be safe." Frostflight looked between each member, his expression deadly serious... icy eyes flickering with nervousness, but also excitement.

"Understood?"

@Skeleton Bliss Girl @Fuzzyfeline @Venus @BILL.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by Venus

(sooo sorry this is late!)

Bearkit had grown immensely in size the past four moons. He was hardly recognizable as a kitten anymore, in fact, he looked more like a young apprentice. If he hadn't kept inside the nursery all this time, the rest of RiverClan would certainly mistake him for one. That might have partially been the reason why he hasn't gone outside yet. Beetlekit kept telling him horror stories of unsupervised kits getting stepped on in the clearing. Now that he was...quite large, Bearkit figured it would be harder for cats to step on him.

So, working up the courage, he poked his fluffy brown face out of the nursery. The cold air nipped at his nose, and he nearly considered going back to the familiar warmth of his mother’s side, but Bearkit pushed himself to move forward. “Bearkit is brave…!” he told himself, puffing out his chest as he took wider steps.

As he wandered further into the clearing, his eyes settled on a lonesome molly. They looked quite similar, the only difference between them was their eyes. Curious, Bearkit stormed right up to her and poked her shoulder with his nose. “You look like me with blue eyes! What is your name?”

(mines even later I forgot about this...)

Violetpaw didn't have to wait long for a lot to come out of the nursery and to her surprise he looked just like her. That couldn't be one of her new siblings. Though as she started debating on wither or not they could be related he walked right up to her and poked her. Causing her to let out a slight squeak of surprise.
Meeting the tom's gaze she was silent for a second. He differently smelled like Lotusheart. "Its Violetpaw." She answered a bit disappointed at his size. He was younger then her and yet he was already almost her size. Why did she have to be small.
"Of course I look like you. Though more accurately you look like me sense I'm older." The tabby meowed already deciding without a doubt he was her brother. Why else would he smell like her mom. It made perfect sense. "You're Bearkit right? Or was that one of the other's?" Violet asked her voice trailing off as she pondered which one he was. She might sound weird to the tom. He's never even been out in the clearing and he runs into her, who's not explaining a thing. Maybe if she had not been so caught up in things she would explain better.

[BEAR.]

[ sorry i'm late! ]

Firehawk hadn't processed his name being called at first. He had been drifting off in a patch of sunlight when Frostflight first started his patrol announcements, and the repetition of his name drew him out of his slumber in a groggy haze.

Training an apprentice at his age was an exhausting task, but he enjoyed it immensely. Pebblepaw was a bundle of excitement he found he could hardly keep up with, though he tried.

On heavy paws, Firehawk pulled himself over to the deputy and his group of warriors, ears twitching. "The tunnels?" he questioned, at first in disbelief. "Ah.. those collapsed during the flood several seasons ago. I'm afraid most entrances to date are inaccessible unless you plan on digging them out. And even then, you'll be more likely to find our fallen Clan-mates over any functioning segments." He imagined what pockets of tunnels remained were filled with water and skeletons, a thought that made Firehawk shudder.

"I can show you some of the openings, but.. what are you planning? I can't imagine any scheme worth endangering our lives like this."

He remembered the floods well. The chaos as cats struggled to rush out of the narrow corridors, only to get trapped as tons of rock and dirt crashed down in front of them. The halls that rapidly filled with icy storm water, the panicking cats that fought against the cold currents in vain as what little air they had was stolen from him.

Even the thought of.. reliving that made him shudder.

@Skeleton Bliss Girl @Fuzzyfeline @Venus @Dust

[Doom]

@Skeleton Bliss Girl @Fuzzyfeline @BILL. @Dust

[having writers-block, sorry this is so bland u.u]

Minkshine's eyes lit up as Frostflight spoke. Secret tunnels? The dark molly purred, her haunches wiggling excitedly as she took her seat. She wasn't worried about getting hurt, and maybe that was all little conceited of her, but all she could think of right now was the thrill of discovering underground passageways! How cool would that be?

But when Firehawk emerged, Minkshine's entire mood changed. She could sense the tom's discomfort as he sat beside her, her maw slightly gapping at his description of the tunnels. The mentioning of finding the remains of their past Clan-mates worried her. Wouldn't that be like disturbing a graveyard? Shuddering, the secret mission suddenly didn't sound all too appealing, but Minkshine held her ground. She signed up for this mission, therefore she had to go through with it.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The clearing was loud enough that Blazingcomet didn't hear Gingerblossom approaching, but when she'd almost reached him, he could smell her. At first he thought it was his own imagination; perhaps some wishful thinking, his own subconscious calling him out on this ridiculous crush. Because it was ridiculous, him not doing anything about it, waiting for some sort of sign; that was never going to happen! It was ridiculous that he was waiting because he didn't want to hurt her; he wasn't going to hurt her. It was ridiculous that he was waiting for it to go away; it was never going away. So here he was, stuck with this crush.. this uncomfortably strong crush, that he was still too scared to admit was love (out loud, anyways; he was slowly beginning to come to terms with it in his mind), and he could do nothing about it. He would be stuck with it until the day he died, and even then, he would do nothing about it. He would wait until a sign came, or he was sure he wouldn't hurt her, or these uncomfortable feelings went away.. or, at the rate things were going, he would do nothing at all.

The last option was the most probable, all things considered. After all, it wasn't like Gingerblossom was going to drop out of nowhere, right? Just as he was brushing her scent off as nothing, she sat down, her tail swept out behind her (he had an overwhelming urge to intertwine his own tail with hers), so close that he momentarily forgot how to breathe. Oh no. Oh why. You've gotta be kidding me. Was she messing with him? Why was she so close? Then, just as he was working up the courage to say something, and trying to avoid looking directly at her eyes, she spoke first. His heart felt like it was about to beat out of its chest. He swallowed hard, trying to calm himself before he said anything, so his voice wouldn't come out high-pitched and cracked. Focus. Relax. Flirt back, you mouse-brain. This shouldn't have flustered him. He was used to this, for StarClan's sake! He'd been flirting with Gingerblossom forever, he knew what to do. The problem was, he wasn't used to her flirting with him. At least.. he thought she'd been flirting with him. The words had been so bizarre, he wasn't sure how to take them.

Not to mention, the mere fact that she'd settled in so close had thrown him off guard. Usually he was the one to move closer, and she would accept it as part of their normal routine. "What?" He finally managed to get out, blinking in surprise. "I mean, uh.." He cleared his throat, trying to get his voice back to its normal state. This was the opposite of what was supposed to happen. He was supposed to sweep her off her paws, and eventually, she would realize she was in love with him and they would live happily ever after. That was, if he ever decided to make an actual move on her. Apparently, she wasn't ignoring his advances anymore, which made things complicated.. to say the least. Still, his willpower only stretched so far, and after a couple of agonizing minutes of silence, the tom launched back into a flirtatious mode. At least, he did the best he could without snapping altogether.

"So, you think I'm hot stuff, huh?" He purred, passing over the part where he would usually lean in; she was close enough. He thought if he got much closer, it might actually break the invisible boundaries he'd accidentally set for himself. "And I have sparkly eyes? My goodness, you're a natural at this." Alright, that was enough. Time to move towards complimenting her before he asked if everything was okay, because if he kept this up for much longer, he wasn't sure what he would do later.

"Well, you know you're always stunning. Honestly, you should have half the toms in this Clan tripping over themselves to impress you by now." He paused, giving her a wink before he continued. "I guess you'll just have to settle for me, huh? Your number one fan and best friend, right?" She was definitely one of his best friends. If he ever lost her, he wasn't sure what he would do. It was one of the reasons he'd been so hesitant to make a real move; harmless flirting was the most he'd allowed himself. Apparently, it'd had more of an impact than he realized. Or.. was it possible that she liked him for everything? Irritating flaws and all?

Taking on a more serious expression, Blazingcomet moved so he was sitting next to her, wrapping his ginger tail around her gently. He made sure to meet her eyes so she'd know he cared before speaking. "All of that aside, Gingerblossom.. is everything okay?"

(Ack this is so late)

Now she was panicking. He was flirting back with her and this time she actually noticed it. It caused her eartips to heat up a considerable amount as a flush overtook her body, making her pelt uncomfortably warm. But his words set a fire in her heart, reminding her again that yes... she did love him. And she was going to tell him, no matter how much she was regretting approaching him today. No matter how terribly his sparkly eyes affected her.
I'd totally settle for you. Her immediate response in her head surprised the she-cat, and it only caused her eyes to widen more. But all was lost once he'd moved to sit next to her. Once he'd wrapped his tail so gently around her, like he did when he wanted to comfort her. Once he'd asked if she was okay. She didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth quite a few times to speak, but nothing came out.

After a moment, the dilute calico finally gave a groan in frustration, before she hung her head forward. "No, nothing's alright!" She blurted out, shaking her head. "You're sitting over here ruining me as i'm already struggling to confess my love to you that I only just found out was a thing maybe... two days ago?" She looked up to meet his gaze, her minty eyes blazing with some sort of anger that only Gingerblossom could express. "And you're probably having the time of your life with your flirting and seeing me flustered because now I finally understand what it means, and I bet you're internally laughing at my struggle but its true!" She pushed her nose towards his, so it was almost touching, her eyes still narrowed. "I love you and I didn't know it and I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how, and everything is so confusing and now I probably look like a mouse-brain and you're definitely going to laugh at me, like you probably already did at my attempts at flirting and you know what?" She pulled back, as if just having realized something important. "That makes you not a very nice cat." She huffed at the end of her statement, eartips still red in embarrassment and her nerved still buzzing but she'd said it. Gingerblossom had actually told Blazingcomet how she felt. And that was a reward all on its own.

But now, as she sat there staring into his golden eyes, Gingerblossom began to grow terrified. Because what if he denied her? What if he didn't feel the same? What if now she'd made everything awkward? That couldn't happen. She couldn't lose him, Blazingcomet was the best thing that she'd ever had in her life. And she didn't want to lose him. She needed him. So, with a growing fear in her stomach and a fearfulness entering her gaze, she awaited what the ginger tom would say.

[lone]

Originally Posted by RedHead

(Ack this is so late)

Now she was panicking. He was flirting back with her and this time she actually noticed it. It caused her eartips to heat up a considerable amount as a flush overtook her body, making her pelt uncomfortably warm. But his words set a fire in her heart, reminding her again that yes... she did love him. And she was going to tell him, no matter how much she was regretting approaching him today. No matter how terribly his sparkly eyes affected her.
I'd totally settle for you. Her immediate response in her head surprised the she-cat, and it only caused her eyes to widen more. But all was lost once he'd moved to sit next to her. Once he'd wrapped his tail so gently around her, like he did when he wanted to comfort her. Once he'd asked if she was okay. She didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth quite a few times to speak, but nothing came out.

After a moment, the dilute calico finally gave a groan in frustration, before she hung her head forward. "No, nothing's alright!" She blurted out, shaking her head. "You're sitting over here ruining me as i'm already struggling to confess my love to you that I only just found out was a thing maybe... two days ago?" She looked up to meet his gaze, her minty eyes blazing with some sort of anger that only Gingerblossom could express. "And you're probably having the time of your life with your flirting and seeing me flustered because now I finally understand what it means, and I bet you're internally laughing at my struggle but its true!" She pushed her nose towards his, so it was almost touching, her eyes still narrowed. "I love you and I didn't know it and I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how, and everything is so confusing and now I probably look like a mouse-brain and you're definitely going to laugh at me, like you probably already did at my attempts at flirting and you know what?" She pulled back, as if just having realized something important. "That makes you not a very nice cat." She huffed at the end of her statement, eartips still red in embarrassment and her nerved still buzzing but she'd said it. Gingerblossom had actually told Blazingcomet how she felt. And that was a reward all on its own.

But now, as she sat there staring into his golden eyes, Gingerblossom began to grow terrified. Because what if he denied her? What if he didn't feel the same? What if now she'd made everything awkward? That couldn't happen. She couldn't lose him, Blazingcomet was the best thing that she'd ever had in her life. And she didn't want to lose him. She needed him. So, with a growing fear in her stomach and a fearfulness entering her gaze, she awaited what the ginger tom would say.

"Confess... wait, what?" Blazingcomet asked, dumbfounded at what she'd just said. The words hit him too fast, too hard, and he could feel his world spinning around him with the weight they held. For him, anyways, this was going to have severe consequences. Everything that he'd been holding onto had just been knocked aside because she loved him, and... what? How was he supposed to deal with this? Swallowing hard as she pushed her nose towards his, still speaking, sounding angry (with him), and he could barely focus because she was way too close, and mad, and he didn't know how to respond to any of this. Once she was through, Blazingcomet shook his head as though he was coming out of a daze. That was how he felt... dazed. What had she just said to him? What had she done to him?

"You're playing with me, aren't you?" He asked, voice unsteady for a moment before he began to laugh. It was just too funny, the idea that she would like him, and that after all this time she'd figured it out, and now she was coming to tell him, and... what was happening, anyway? What kind of sick game was this? He laughed harder, close to hysterical, at this point. She was convincing. She'd been too convincing, it'd hit too close to home. It wasn't funny. Nothing about this was funny.

"You're playing with me because I've been flirting with you and you thought it'd be funny to get back at me. You think it's funny, Gingerblossom, to do this? Do you want to play with my feelings? Well, how about this, I'll lay it all out on the line for you and we'll both laugh about it." His voice hardened to a darker tone, one that he wouldn't have used with her before. He hadn't thought about it. But he was furious and disoriented, and his head was still trying to mold this into a reasonable explanation. She couldn't love him. There was no way she was serious about this, why would... how would... he couldn't figure it out.

"I've been in love with you for a long time. I had to push it down for so long, because I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to mess what we have up, and I... I was waiting for something like this, isn't that hilarious? I kept hoping - wishing that you would come up, and do just this, and guess what? You did. You have. But after all this time, I don't... you can't expect me to think you meant all of that. You can't mean all of that, because if you do, and I... and there's nothing stopping me, then... then that means..." He leaned forward and gave her a quick, soft nuzzle. Gentle. Experimental, almost, before jerking back with that same hardened expression. It faded after a few minutes, and he sighed, wrapping his tail around his paws.

"Game over. Congratulations, you won."

[Aroogi]

| @Skeleton Bliss Girl |
Vixensong was laying down in the clearing, wondering why the flea-ridden tree rats had moved in. SkyClan is a nusance. Now Lionstar expects me to live with them? I'd rather go with mother to the Dark Forest. As she thought of Doveshade, her mind wandered to her daughter, Russetpaw. She gave a snort. That oversized kit I swear, she takes after her father. Her russet scarred pelt shone in the weak leaf-fall sunshine and she licked her paws, running them over her ears.