The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Once, she had been one with the shadows. Once, she had found a glimmer of light, one that did not scare her away.
Now......
....
..
.
Nothing.
Just how long she had been laying in that river, not even Starclan likely new. A rainstorm had come and gone, soaking the multicolored pelt that her consciousness inhabited like a tomb. Thunder rumbled, lightning split in harsh flashes that were hardly noticed. Had it not been for the fact that her head had remained tilted down, staring into the waters of the river that now signaled her abyss, she likely would have been blinded. Not that it mattered, anyways.
All that she heard was... well, nothing. The static of nothing. It rang in her ears, quickly becoming the tune that she found some semblance of promise in. While all of her had been taken with that single cry, with that message that failed to make it to the stars, it had left the worst of her behind. The part of her that thought, that moved, that felt. The part that had no other option than to go through the motions of life, to somehow push the breathing coffin she was trapped within to continue to the next day. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself completely to that ringing, that static that simply was a void.
Not even the chill that now had her body shivering managed to pull her out.
Characters : [R]owansong [Ro]okflight [S]ilverhawk [P]igeonpouce [F]ish [T]wilightkit Clan/Rank : [R] RiverClan T5 Elder [Ro] RiverClan T4 Warrior [S] ShadowClan T3 Warrior [P] T2 RiverClan Warrior [F] T2 Rogue [T] RiverClan Kit Number of posts : 2483 Gender : any or username Age : 22
Subject: Re: sinking. [c] Mon 24 Jul 2023 - 14:10
Rowansong
Waterlogged fur clung to Rowansong’s frame, though the storm had passed some time ago. He wasn’t fond of venturing out in storms, but when the rolling thunder quieted and the flashes of lighting grew further and further apart, he gathered himself and set out on a personal quest to the river. He did not spend as much time there as he ought to; as he promised himself he would upon becoming a warrior. A season ago, he couldn’t have imagined chasing turbulent weather to find the current’s churning company. But a season ago, he hadn’t had an apprentice as stubborn and intelligent as himself. A season ago, wounds were too fresh to touch.
He wanted to do right by Larkpaw; by himself. Perhaps deciding on a whim to run headfirst at this great fear was not the best way to remedy it, but it was what he knew best. He would sit at the river for the length of the dawning day, for the next— until he grit his teeth hard enough and chased his own fear away.
But then, perhaps the impulse had not led him here for pursuits of self-betterment. Perhaps, it had been a tug of StarClan’s will that guided his paws to the river. As he approached the waters— calmer, now that the storm had subsided, but still running fast and strong —he caught sight of a dark shape bobbing along its surface. He squinted, eying the form to decide whether it’d been a piece of driftwood pitched into the current, or if it was—
A cat. That was a body floating downstream, soaked as if it’d been there for days. That anxiety he’d traveled here to quell rose in his throat, hot like bile, but Rowansong’s paws were already moving before he could acknowledge it. He called out and ran to the water’s edge, not missing a beat when he slipped into the biting cold. It didn’t take him long to paddle to her, despite fighting against the current. Without a word, Rowansong gripped her scruff when he was close enough to, hoisting her muzzle above water. He didn’t bother to assess whether or not she was even breathing, if her movements were of her own accord and not just the manipulation of the water. He did not want to lose any time that could potentially delay a life. If hers had already been lost… Rowansong tightened his grip on the fur and skin between his teeth. At least he would have tried.
Returning to the bank was harder. It was difficult to drag the weight of two warriors, and they were buffeted frequently by low but powerful ways, several of which pressed their heads underwater or came close to it. Rowansong still fought, clawing through the thick current until his paws scraped against soft, unstable sand. He sank his claws in, and with effort, hauled them both onto stable, damp land, where he dragged them a few paces further so they were clear entirely of the water before releasing her scruff with a heavy pant. She was shaking– which meant, blessedly, that she was alive. ...But then, what did you say after pulling a strange cat out of the reach of death? For once, he was at a loss for words, choosing instead to regather his breath and see if she could gather hers before running his mouth.
Characters : Murkyriver ♀ | Mistwalker ♀ | Mintglade ♀ | Crakeburn ♀ | Snowvixen ♀ | Hollowpaw ♀ Clan/Rank : Riverclan | Skyclan | Windclan Number of posts : 4939 Gender : She/Her - ash was here :3 and Ro! Age : 21
Subject: Re: sinking. [c] Tue 25 Jul 2023 - 16:48
Murkyripple
“Even the darkness has betrayed me.”
For all that she knew, the movement of her body that first came was very simply the water pushing her whichever direction it was that it desired. Something about floating had been calming, lulling her into a sleep-like void where all she felt was that ringing static of absolute void. Her mind had completely gone elsewhere, retreating into the farthest corner of her form where it practically detached itself from the outside world as she curled tightly in a ball. Weeping. All that made it to her body of that mourning was her shudders, though that was far more reasonably explained by the fact that she had plunged herself in the cold water for far too long than even a Riverclan cat would find comfortable.
The only sensation to even slightly pull her from those deep recesses of her mind was when something other than the static finally made it through. A sharp feeling that had her paws just hardly kicking in assistance, the instinct to help somehow overriding everything else. Just as she had kept breathing.
In, out.
In.
Then out.
... And out of the water. Away from the call of the icey chill, of the friend she tried to call out to once more.
She couldn't see clearly. Whether it be from her lack of properly blinking, the water having scraped her eyes, or simply because she didn't care enough to see, everything around her was hazy. Especially with the darkness that seemed to still blanket the forest. With all of the water that had soaked past her pelt and even gone straight to her bones, she felt more than heavy. More than weary as she fought to simply lift her head, her lungs fighting and wheezing to breathe the fresh air. Actual air, instead of the fog that lurked just on top of the water's surface. It should have brought her life. Instead, well, it didn't.
Looking around for who it was that had pulled her away, her face seemed as if she was more akin to a ghost. Walking the forest like a simple shadow... except not. The shadows had forgotten her. Whatever golden flecks had hid themselves speckled throughout her fur were hidden by the onyx that weighed overtop of it, as if her very pelt were smothering out whatever light had remained beneath. Amber eyes that had once a haunting glow had gone out as well, but finally, they found the one who had dared to try and drag her from the clutches of the spiral she had allowed herself to begin tumbling down.
His features were muddied, but the brownish tones of his pelt were enough for her to know it wasn't one of the cats who came from home. Even if she refused to even attempt to sniff the air, just the air around her said there was no scent of home that remained. Not even on her. She'd given herself to the river, and the river had taken her as a gift. Thankfully, not a sacrifice.
Seeing another living being, though... one that had dared to take a chance on her. On the shade that had been left behind and forgotten. The night sentry who held no company but her own, who guarded sundown and moondown without any other cat on the daily... Even if her mind couldn't fully puzzle together their appearance, it seemed just a fragment of her had been saved.
A piece of her put back together.
It was only enough to keep her from slipping right back into that river, to allowing the stream to hopefully carry her right to the stars where she wished to be. Wished to see that onyx-pelted, green-eyed tom once more. Desperately wanted to learn more about the flowers that bloomed, to learn how to make a crown of them. To bow, a queen to her king. Whatever remained of the water-soaked molly yearned to go back to him... but this was her reminder. She couldn't do that anymore. She was nothing but another flower that had wilted, whose petals had all fallen off, who would not bloom any longer.
While it had felt like ages of attempting to make out his features, it had only been a few heartbeats. Seconds, compared to the ages that it felt like for her. She didn't quite know what to say either, or if she had somehow actually ended up dead from her venture in the river. Given from the full trembling of her body, there was enough evidence to suggest that it hadn't lulled her into that eternal sleep. There was an overwhelming urge to say something. To let somebody hear what had caused her this death-blow, to strike her into the river in such a way. Instead, what came out was a hoarse question. One word that summed up... everything.
Characters : [R]owansong [Ro]okflight [S]ilverhawk [P]igeonpouce [F]ish [T]wilightkit Clan/Rank : [R] RiverClan T5 Elder [Ro] RiverClan T4 Warrior [S] ShadowClan T3 Warrior [P] T2 RiverClan Warrior [F] T2 Rogue [T] RiverClan Kit Number of posts : 2483 Gender : any or username Age : 22
Subject: Re: sinking. [c] Mon 31 Jul 2023 - 18:38
Rowansong
Thankfully, the she-cat managed to breathe– sputtered and rattling, but breaths nonetheless. Rowansong let himself relax at that confirmation, reclining back on his haunches and slouching at the shoulders. She looked… he couldn’t say she looked well. The flash of amber against the darkness was unignorable, but more than their color was the hollowness that dimmed her eyes. Perhaps it only stood out because of their stark appearance against her dark pelt, made somehow darker by the water plastering it to her well-built yet haggard frame. And stars, she shook so violently.
And she spoke, too.
Rowansong peered down at her, angling his head curiously. “Why?” He echoed. Green eyes met amber, and he blinked with slow surprise. “I suppose that is a fair enough way to begin this conversation! Perhaps not the question I would expect, but fair in its own right.” A tittering, strangely awkward laugh rose in Rowansong’s chest. “Why, why, why… well, you had been drifting rather… listlessly. Most do not deign to spend their time attempting to breathe in the river itself, and especially in the wake of such weather. You appeared to either be quite daring or quite unlucky.” He laughed again, a stronger bark, and slowly shook his head. After a pause he spoke again, softer and more sincere, “And assuming the latter… I could not just watch you go by when it is within my ability to save you. In truth, my paws ran from me before I might have thought better of it. For the best, I imagine.
“But!” He straightened his posture, though he kept his head angled downward to maintain eye contact. “The traditional hail and hello, though it would seem we are a bit beyond that. …My name is Rowansong, warrior of RiverClan. Would you think it possible to share your own name, or what brought you to the waters? Are you— for lack of better query, are you well?”
Characters : Murkyriver ♀ | Mistwalker ♀ | Mintglade ♀ | Crakeburn ♀ | Snowvixen ♀ | Hollowpaw ♀ Clan/Rank : Riverclan | Skyclan | Windclan Number of posts : 4939 Gender : She/Her - ash was here :3 and Ro! Age : 21
Subject: Re: sinking. [c] Fri 11 Aug 2023 - 7:15
Murkyripple
“Even the darkness has betrayed me.”
He sure had a lot of words to say. She knew the sounds were coming from him, but not quite what they all were. It was a static-filled slurry that filled her ears and mind, and she had to strain to make any attempt to properly decipher their meanings. The easiest to decipher were his laughs, as well as his tone. Sharp, to contemplative, to soft. Part of her would have expected it to be demeaning, or some semblance of a threat in lieu of the fact that she had so blatantly trespassed onto his territory. By some miracle, certainly not gifted from the shadows but perhaps the river herself, there was no attack made. It would have been so easy to finish her off in that moment, to take that final strike that she had so wistfully attempted to be given from the waters she was pulled from.
Eventually, she managed to sort out the questions, and his answers. Mimicry was perhaps the only thing she could resort to, a weak bark of sorts somehow making its way out of her wheezing chest. The sound was significantly hollow, so much so that it could have been considered a den that was too fragile for even the thickest-pelted warrior to properly consider as a shelter. Words were never something she shared. They were wasted breath, more often than not, but he at least was owed something of a sort for keeping her here.
Whether it was his ears clawed off or a thanks, she was still judging.
"Murkyripple." Even her name felt foreign on her tongue, a title that no longer belonged to her. Gripping the earth beneath her paws in some feeble attempt to still her shaking, her gaze grew momentarily distant as it seemed all remaining energy and effort came from deciphering just what to say and being able to voice those very thoughts. "...Eternal night sentry of Thunderclan." That felt like a betrayal. The shadows had left her, had taken everything from her. Whatever allegiance she had with Thunderclan felt like a farce all the same, given how such a foreign entity had been able to crack and shatter every emotion that dared contain itself within her body.
Yet again the warrior pondered his question. Are you well?
Was she ever "well?"
Tears slipped from her eyes without her knowing. The fact that she even still possessed some semblance of hydration to cry once again was bewildering, but the warrior was powerless to stop it from happening. "...No." What was there to elaborate on? How did one properly articulate the sensation of their heart being ripped out of their chest, only for it to have been smashed to pieces by the side of oneself they had only just begun to accept? How could one possibly begin to form any semblance of communication around the fact that they had lost the one patch of light that had dared enter the sphere of eternal darkness she kept herself in? Perhaps... Perhaps she could find something new. Her ears somehow pinned against her head, the chill only just now slightly registering amidst the way her entire frame continued to shiver. It was easy enough to ignore.
If the shadows wanted to abandon her, perhaps the river would give her something new. "Death claimed the one I let in." Perhaps that would be enough to understand the heartbreak she felt. That soul-shattering, near-tortuous sensation of everything being ripped away.
Some semblance of self-preservation addled its way out of the warrior, as her gaze turned to the ground. "... You may leave me, should duty calls... Or kill me, given my transgression..." Every word was a fight, wheezing with what little energy remained. Sleep tugged at her entire body, the type of sleep that was a toss-up for whether she would stir once more. "I will return home... eventually." The home she chose, or the home she was born into? It didn't matter too much to her, not at all. She wouldn't see him again.
Characters : [R]owansong [Ro]okflight [S]ilverhawk [P]igeonpouce [F]ish [T]wilightkit Clan/Rank : [R] RiverClan T5 Elder [Ro] RiverClan T4 Warrior [S] ShadowClan T3 Warrior [P] T2 RiverClan Warrior [F] T2 Rogue [T] RiverClan Kit Number of posts : 2483 Gender : any or username Age : 22
Subject: Re: sinking. [c] Fri 18 Aug 2023 - 9:38
Rowansong
Rowansong simply nodded at the delivery of her name, of her station. There were many questions that came with finding a warrior of ThunderClan, half-drowned and clinging to vestiges of what had nearly claimed her, but it did not seem his place to ask beyond what he needed to know. It did not seem his place, either, to chase her away; he was well within his right to, but it felt cruel, to bustle her across to the other side of the border so soon after pulling her out. Rowansong spared a look around, searching for any other late, restless wanderers before returning his focus to Murkyripple. He would certainly not be the one to chase her away-- yet, he told himself, though he doubted it would truly be a chase when it came time to escort her away.
His eyes didn’t leave her again once he was sure no one with worse temperament would come along. Even though watching tears spill forth stirred an ache and discomfort in his own chest, he kept his attention on her. “…I see,” he mewed somberly, closing his eyes with respect to whoever it was she had lost. “It is difficult. The tides are often a more welcoming friend than grief.” Rowansong’s shoulders moved in a loose shrug. He did not want to offer platitudes or well-meaning condolences; such talk only aggravated his own grief, when it was fresh. The offer of understanding, something to connect to-- he hoped it meant something to her pain, as it had for his.
“Well, I certainly do not intend to kill you,” Rowansong spoke softly after a stretch of quiet. “You have only trespassed, and-- in a ways, you have an escort. I brought you to the shore. It would be unduly cruel, to end your life so abruptly after ensuring its continuance.” His attention lingered on Murkyripple a few moments longer before he finally turned away, gazing across the rolling waters at ThunderClan’s fog-wreathed woods. “Oh- in case you are curious, leaving cold water to cling to your fur is quite the easy way to get sick.” The comment came seemingly out of nowhere, but Rowansong edged closer to her side as he spoke; not close enough to make contact, but enough to make a silent offer of his presence, should she want to accept it.
“I have nothing to attend to, at present. Perhaps someone will come to fetch me with the hours. Perhaps they will await my assured return.” Rowansong shrugged again. His posture was relaxed, unbothered, and his mew was light and easy, but there was an underlying weight that’d crept into it since he first acknowledged Murkyripple’s loss. “Should you not loathe the company, I am happy to provide it. It is miserable, just to sit and think, is it not? It is often nice, just to have another body near. And perhaps I can make your return passage a smoother one, should you let me linger.”
Characters : Murkyriver ♀ | Mistwalker ♀ | Mintglade ♀ | Crakeburn ♀ | Snowvixen ♀ | Hollowpaw ♀ Clan/Rank : Riverclan | Skyclan | Windclan Number of posts : 4939 Gender : She/Her - ash was here :3 and Ro! Age : 21
Subject: Re: sinking. [c] Sun 20 Aug 2023 - 9:46
Murkyripple
“Even the darkness has betrayed me.”
Her mind took far too long to weigh whether it was a cruelty or a mercy that he was going to spare her life. From the way that her frame screamed its anger at her for the way she had abused it, she almost would have been preferred simply ending the cries of her mind. As he turned to peer into the fog-ridden lands from whence she came, her own eyes followed suit. Flicking in that direction, the only word that seemed to scream into her mind was Wrong.
What exactly was wrong? Well, there was so much. Her location, for one. She didn't belong here, as much apparent by the comment that she was practically signing herself up for further torture by keeping her pelt soaked in such a way. The cold that seeped in was simply another numbing hum, and truthfully, she didn't mind it. For her current allegiance, her location was wrong as well. Even with the pact that had been forged between her mother and the leader that the tom allied himself beneath, she was not supposed to linger too long on this side of the river. Yet... it called to her. For the song she currently listened to was the waves, and the words of the feline who had trained to become an ally of the waters himself. What did that make her?
A silence lingered between the two of them for what could have easily been an awkward amount of time before she finally responded. It simply took her mind that long to process just what was being said, the exhaustion rumbling louder and louder. "My life has been nothing but thinking alone," Murkyripple practically whispered. Her calling was as Thunderclan's night-guard, always patrolling, always covering the terrain that threatened monsters that lurked in the shadows. But she was a shade herself, fearlessly peering into each void-kissed pit. Wasn't she just doing the exact same thing? Now staring at the face of death, only to flick her tail and turn right around with the assistance of another?
Realizing she had yet to actually formally decline or accept his company, the warrior squinted her eyes shut for just a moment before finally giving a proper answer. "Should it not inconvenience you, I would appreciate it." After all, she was now indebted to him. He'd saved her life. Whether or not she truly wanted to continue walking the forest while the grief still stung so fresh and heavily, that did not matter. Life debts were a serious matter for the molly. At the very least, his debt would not go in vain. Considering in what way she could make the company worthwhile, eventually, it was just a natural question that whispered from her maw. "Tell me of river life, Rowansong." Even if her tone betrayed the curious nature, he hoped he'd see past her failure with words and be able to regale her with some tale or another.
Characters : [R]owansong [Ro]okflight [S]ilverhawk [P]igeonpouce [F]ish [T]wilightkit Clan/Rank : [R] RiverClan T5 Elder [Ro] RiverClan T4 Warrior [S] ShadowClan T3 Warrior [P] T2 RiverClan Warrior [F] T2 Rogue [T] RiverClan Kit Number of posts : 2483 Gender : any or username Age : 22
Subject: Re: sinking. [c] Thu 31 Aug 2023 - 20:03
Rowansong
Murkyripple was quiet long enough for Rowansong’s attention to slide back to her, as if seeking a sign of life. She spoke again no sooner than he’d looked at her, and a singular nod was the only acknowledgment to Murkyripple’s quiet admission. He understood. He kept seemingly few of his thoughts actually bound behind his teeth, but there were many that never breached the confines of his thoughts. “Not an inconvenience at all,” Rowansong assured, tail whisking along the divide between damp grass and shale. “I have little better to do at this hour. I would argue this a better use of my time, even if I had.”
He looked back toward the shadowed forest, watching the darkness dapple and twist. His clipped ear flicked at her question. For a bit, he only sat and watched the dense woodland of her home territory. With a hum and another nod, Rowansong turned back to her, his grin as wide and winning as it’d been since their timely acquaintance. “You should count yourself lucky, Murkyripple,” he said, a faint purr framing his words. “No greater storyteller than I walks these wetlands. Nay-- the whole of the forest.”
Rowansong rolled his shoulders back, clearing his throat as he settled into a more proper position befitting a story. “Oh, so many tales to be spun... to speak of the lives who inhabit these lands? Or to speak of the land itself, breathe words to its heartbeat? Such decisions, such decisions...” His head tossed left and right several times as he weighed his options, exaggerating his consideration for effect. “I suppose I may even weave several stories into one. We shall see what comes of my restless tongue, yes?”
A final breath to prepare, then he began. “Of course, I cannot speak of river life without speaking of the river. You have had a rather unfortunate first encounter with her, but should any caution steal into your heart regarding her, let my word ease you. She can be quite the tempest, of course: she rages with the storms, with her fierce waves and black tides. Even on quiet days, the river makes a consuming force of herself-- always, she pulls; when she wills it, she takes.” The heaviness weighed on his lilting voice again and grief briefly dulled his gaze. Rowansong was quick to shake it off, coughing inwardly.
“But for all her whims and all her violence, she nurtures us. We proffer ourselves before her: in days of yore, when the Clans dawned and the ancestors of mine sought refuge here, and still yet now. And as she fostered the first warriors to bear the mantle of RiverClan, so does she today. She shelters us from undue harm as well she can; she provides clean, vital water, not only to sustain us but to cool us over the miserable lengths of green-leaf; she provides our most crucial source of prey, in the myriad fish that occupy our waters.
And with every step, she watches us. Nowhere can you go without the river’s pulse following yours. The cut of her that wreathes our island camp, warding away those too witless or too gutless to attempt crossing... And countless cricks and tributaries wend across our glade, ensuring damp paws nearly everywhere you go.” Rowansong laughed, a genuine sound of mirth rather than a fluttering attempt at clearing the somber air. He’d grown animated as he spoke, gesturing along with his forepaws or waving his tail quickly.
He looked toward the dark stretch of water in front of them, racing noisily along. For several moments, Rowansong only sat and listened to the water’s chatter. When he looked back to Murkyripple, his bright green eyes were squinted shut from the force of his smile. “We are bound to each other. I am sure the river would find herself quite alright without our presence, though perhaps we help to keep her waters from overcrowding with fish or the land overcrowding with fowl. But, we would be nothing without what she provides. Aside from our namesake...”
Rowansong’s voice drifted thoughtfully, and he swayed his head side to side again, humming softly until he came to a new subject. “I am sure your woodland is attractive in its own right, but you should see the sunrise from the heart of my territory. As I am sure you know-- or could ascertain, by looking briefly over your shoulder --we boast little by way of trees. Beech trees are fond of the wet earth, and we possess a small, pleasant grove of them, but no grand, ancestral forests such as yourself or SkyClan. Perhaps a curse in some ways, but in others...” He sighed, wistful and dreamy, and tilted his head back as if he could conjure the sunrise to appear before him simply because he wished it to.
“With no canopy, there is nothing to shield the sky from us. The thick cover of night gives way with the cresting sun, and heavy black melts into rich purple, best comparable to perfectly ripened juniper berries, though truly lacking comparison. And as the sun mounts higher and higher, creeping into its place to assume the start of a wondrous new day, deep violet burns into fierce red, deep and warm like my own pelt; orange and gold, the tones in which I imagine a ravaging fire. They are the hues by which I want to be welcomed into StarClan. And under this light, this burning sign of a continued future... everything glows. Every pool and dewdrop aglitter like Silverpelt itself has filled them; fields awash with color. Everything-- from the crowns of what few trees we possess to the smallest kernel of sand, everything --stained gold. It is a radiating, possessing sight. Should you linger long enough, perhaps you will see a RiverClan sunrise for yourself."
Rowansong drags in a long, deep breath through his nose and exhales slowly out his mouth. It’s been... a considerable time, since he had the opportunity or wits to speak at such lengths. His tail curls around his paws and he chuckles a bit sheepishly, turning toward Murkyripple again. “It would seem I went the ‘heartbeat of the land’ route, mm? Perhaps a wise choice on my part. I cannot share secrets with a rival warrior, can I?” He said, tipping his entire head to dramatize the wink that accompanied his rhetorical question. “Omitting essentials of our lifestyle or no... I hope it is what you wanted to hear.”
![sinking. [c] RFRAcV8](https://i.imgur.com/RFRAcV8.png)
