Back to the river [closed]

Elsa let out a small yawn. The sun was relatively high in the sky, and she was yet again out exploring. The heat was unbearable, like it had been for the past few moons. It was truly a wonder how those Windclan cats didn't burn to a crisp. If she was correct, they lived on the moor, and the moor had little to no trees. It seemed like her body heated up even more just thinking about it.

Soon enough, she heard the sounds of rushing water. Not thinking, she rushed toward the sound and found the river. She practically dove into the shallows, lapping up the cold water. It was really a shame how there were no clean water sources near the Twolegplace. It would benefit so many cats and animals if there could be a closer one, and it didn't help that a lot of the smaller streams that were previously used had dried up.

Sighing, Elsa stepped back. Where was she anyways? Then the memories came rushing back to her. The river, the wet land, the reeds, the amber tom. And at the worst time possible, the strong smell of fish hit her nose. Her head was darting this way and that, desperately trying to find where the scent was coming from. It was almost the exact same as what the amber tom smelled like.

Maybe the cat was nice? She really didn't have a chance otherwise, so she did the only thing she saw possible. "H-Hello? Who's out there? I don't mean to harm you, if you don't want me here tell me and i'll leave without a problem!"

Wisteriapaw had been swimming in the river to get some extra practice, and also to cool off. The slower pace and lower levels of it were helpful for her when she had learned to swim, and the warm day made her even more drawn towards the river. She had just gotten out of the river and shaken herself off when she spotted another cat upstream. Her bright white pelt and mismatched eyes were not familiar to the apprentice, and her scent certainly wasn't RiverClan. Maybe one of the other clans? she thought, I haven't been to the gathering yet and the river blocks most of the forest clan scents. Loner? She doesn't seem to realise this is clan territory. Wisteriapaw knew that it would be unwise to start a fight with this seemingly older cat, no matter who she was. Doesn't mean I can't talk to her.


Nearly jumping in surprise when the white she-cat called out, Wisteriapaw trotted closer and replied, "Hi! I would ask you to leave, but I want to talk to you first," without waiting for a reply, she sat down in front of her and began to clean the small pieces of river weed out of her long, thick pelt. "Are you from one of the clans? Why are you here? Why did you act like you know this part of the river? Have you been there before?" Finally, someone she could ask questions to, and just hope they don't suddenly get offended out of nowhere.

"N-no, i'm not part of the clans." The rogue slowly stepped away while answering her questions. "I was exploring and looking for water, and i have been here before, why do you ask?" The cat didn't seem to be hostile, but not particularly friendly either. Even so, maybe talking to her wouldn't be such a bad idea? "What's your name? I'm Elsa. You're from Riverclan, right? I'm not very familiar with the exact territories of you... clan... cats." Calling them clan cats still felt a bit weird to her, every cat she knew in the Twolegplace called them savages or forest cats, and often told scary stories about them. Yet Elsa had still developed a strong interest toward them eager to learn more. Maybe that was the true reason behind her frequent visits to clan territory.

"I'm Wisteriapaw, yes I am from RiverClan - the best clan - and I'm pretty sure out territory is bordered by the river on all sides, but I haven't seen all of it yet." The rouge seemed nervous at being flooded with questions, but the tabby apprentice wasn't one to care about how her endless talking affected other cats. At least she still seemed willing to hold a conversation. "Have you seen the other clan territories? Like ShadowClan? Do you like fish? The other clans apparently don't but I don't understand why, it's really nice!" Wisteriapaw suddenly decided to hold her tongue, as she didn't want to scare Elsa away. Maybe she should ask a slightly more important question, one that she really wanted to know the answer to after having met Elsa.


"Do you live by yourself, without a clan to support you: what happens when you get sick?"

"I'm not sure if it's bordered by it on all sides either..." Elsa trailed off. It'd really been better if she'd stayed home, but as long as her pelt wasn't being claws off, she was okay. "I've seen a few of the other territories. I've been to a big clearing with tall trees where i met a Thunderclan cat, Daisybloom, and i think i've been to Shadowclan before. I'm not sure about the other territories. As for fish, i've never had wild fish, but i've had similar stuff that Housefolk- or Twolegs, rather, have set out for the other cats. It tastes really good." The rogue wondered how a cat could create so much chatter, but Wisteriapaw was young, so she couldn't really blame her. She herself was probably like that before, after all.

Then she was hit with a question that was a bit difficult to answer. " Well, i guess i live by myself. I used to live with a she-cat named Willow, but we've unfortunately growing a bit distant with each other." Letting out a sigh, Elsa thought about Willow. They had been best friends ever since they had met, since the day Elsa found Willow as a kit. If only they could rekindle their relationship somehow. "I actually learned a few things about herbs when i met Daisybloom. I was wounded and she helped me. Who knows, if i hadn't met her, i might not be here today."

"Wow! Daisybloom is probably one of ThunderClan's medicine cats, if she could heal you with herbs. You must have loads of fun stories if you've gone to other territories and met lots of different cats. I've never met any outsiders other than you before, but I guess I'm still an apprentice. It is exciting though." Wisteriapaw considered what living without the comfort of her clan for the first time, usually something she took for granted. What would it be like to live alone? One thing she knew she wouldn't like about it was less free time to clean herself: the long-haired she-cat hated being dirty. Also, the only rivers that she knew of nearby were part of clan territories. Completely oblivious to the fact she was probably wasting the rouge she-cat's time Wisteriapaw pried for more stories. "Can you tell me why Daisybloom needed to heal you? What happened?" 

"I think she mentioned something about being a medicine cat, at least i think that's what she said." Elsa paused, listening to Wisteriapaw. "Well, i don't have too many stories pertaining to the clans, i don't visit too often." Gently smiling, the white rogue pawed at the soft soil underpaw. It was obvious that Wisteriapaw was going to start asking for stories, what young cat wouldn't? The molly had no problem doing so, as long as she cold make it home before sundown, or before another clan cat finds her.

While she was messing with the dirt, she perked her ears as Wisteriapaw asked another question. Her mismatched eyes widened, but she quickly fixed herself and weakly smiled. "Well, she found me at fourtrees after i ran into a clan cat, from Riverclan i believe. All i wanted to do was leave, but i never got the chance. I defended myself the best i could, but i ended up badly wounded. He was a tall amber tom, i remember him like it was yesterday." Her body shuddered just thinking about him. She understood that many clan cats didn't appreciate cats like her on their lands, but couldn't they at least give her a chance to turn back?

Tall amber tom. Probably a warrior. No... "That might of been Applefang ... he ... he died a few days ago from a turtle bite." She paused and took a breath, for nearly the first time since meeting Elsa. Normally, Wisteriapaw wouldn't have known the name of the deceased tom, but he was her mentor's mate and Streamtail had been grieving a lot recently. "He was probably on a border patrol or something. Warriors tend to be less interested in outsiders than apprentices like me are."

Suddenly, Wisteriapaw heard a rustling in the nearby reeds. "Elsa!" she whispered, "I think that's a hunting patrol, I don't want to be caught, so you probably need to leave." The apprentice's usual self-important nature overcame her. She cared little for the fact that her new acquaintance might be injured and chased away, and more for her image. Truthfully, she would tell all the apprentices about her adventure, but, for now at least, she didn't want to get into trouble for it. "Bye! It was great meeting you!" And with that, she slipped back into the river and continued swimming downstream.

"Oh, i'm sorry about that, i hope he wasn't close to you." Elsa's gaze grew a bit dull, as she hated death, even if the cat had done her wrong. There was always some cat out there grieving over their death, and she couldn't bear to think about it. he wouldn't be able to live with herself if she herself killed a cat. "He was probably just doing his duty, i would understand. Many cats back at the Twolegplace do the same, but they're far meaner."

The rogue's ears picked up at the sound of rustling reeds. Quickly nodding toward Wisteriapaw, she immediately started sprinting the way she came. She only stopped to reply to the young she-cat. "It was great meeting you as well! May we meet again!" She turned back around and started sprinting again, determined to not get caught by the approaching Riverclan cats.