Way Down We Go [closed]

The late evening sky was richly colored with the dying light of the slowly setting sun, bathing the lush river-side forest in various hues of reds and golds. However, instead of finding serenity among the admittedly lovely stroll, Lichenpaw could only scrounge up despairing feelings of agitation. The events that had unfolded with Shadefang, and Silverfang's subsequent involvement, had truly rattled every last fiber within his tumultuous body. His mentor, a cat who had taken it upon herself to relentlessly drill in the values of purity and loyalty, was bloodied with such vehement hypocrisy. Even though Silverfang was a less than pleasant mentor at times, he had trusted her. And look where his faith had gotten him. Swallowing down the heated flames of disbelief and anger, Lichenpaw continued to blindly make his way further downstream- hardly paying any mind to the subtle changes in the scent markings that resided across the slow-going waters.

Could he even trust any cat in RiverClan? Were they all hiding some furtive, wretched lies while sitting atop their own self-proclaimed purity? The selfish sense of betrayal pulsed angrily, throbbing like a freshly torn wound deep within his chest. A nagging sense of anger nipped at the corners of his mind, the dull roaring drowning out all other thoughts. Were all the Clans like this? Just a bunch of rogues pretending to be something they weren't? Teeth clacking together sharply in a outward display of the maelstrom that was currently tearing through him, eagerly grating at the foundations of what he had perceived to be reality. All but collapsing onto his haunches, a shower of pollen and brittle grass was sent up into the air around Lichenpaw, raining down upon the tom who was much too engrossed in his own self-pity.

Jaypaw had been feeling mischevious as of late, something inside of her itching to do something that she knew wasn't right. There were so many options, but in the end, she'd decided on something a little more mellow- sneaking out without the accompaniment of a warrior. It wasn't unlike the many other times she'd already done it, but it was enough to get out of camp for a bit away from the hustle and bustle that she despised. Soon enough, she found herself walking alongside the steadily flowing water of the River, which she also knew to be the border between SkyClan and ThunderClan. A slight grin sneaked its way onto her muzzle, peeking through at the corners of her maw as she thought of the trouble she could cause here. But before she could begin to put any sort of plan into action, she was met with the sudden thump on the grounds beyond the river. Slowly walking closer to the slow current, she looked around to try and find the source of the ruckus.

To say that Falconpaw was restless would be an understatement. The young tom groaned and rolled in his nest as he thought about the embarrasing morning patrol he'd gone on. He found it hard to communicate with Firflower, often mistaking her motions for completely different things, and if he was honest, it was annoying. He huffed as he stood and shook off the bits of moss that clung to his coat with distaste. His amber eyes looked to the camp entrance, then around for his mentor. The she-cat didn't seem to be around. He huffed, his dark brown pelt warm in the sunlight as he stepped out of the apprentice's den, then made a dash for the entrance.

Forget Firflower, he was perfectly capable of training himself! The tom darted through the entrance, then stayed on the ground. He had less of a chance at being spotted by a warrior if he stayed on the forest floor. His paws moved constantly as he padded farther and farther from camp. His gaze falling on bushes and things that looked a lot different on the ground. He blinked curiously at a fallen log, then compelled, he walked through it. A cobweb caught on his ear as he looked back at the darkness inside of it with a joyful smile.

Soon, his paws took him to a border. The scent of strange cats caught him off guard and he paused, scenting another SkyClan apprentice. He looked up, then padded after the scent, relieved to see Jaypaw's calico coat ahead of him. He smirked as he lowered himself to the ground and stalked towards her. His dark brown coat helped him to blend into the forest floor as he got closer, then stood behind her.
"Hey Jaypaw!" He meowed loudly, "You training?" He asked with a confident smirk. He hadn't scented her mentor, hopefully that meant he wasn't around.

Fixated upon the broken stems of grass that were caught beneath his paws, Lichenpaw at first paid no mind to the woody scents that drifted across the rippling current. Gaze narrowing slightly, his teeth continued to grate together painfully. The white-hot anger that scorched through his veins seemed to meander after him everywhere he went, apparently content with drifting after him to whatever ends of the earth he managed to wander upon. Everything... was a lie. The mindless thought only fanned the flames of his unsightly betrayal, resulting in him absently crushing the soft stalks of grass that sprawled out before him, desperately searching for an appropriate outlet for his rage. Why did it have to be such a confusing mess? However, before he could become further entangled with his enraged pity-party, the sound of voices nearby cut through the still evening air.

Gaze lifting to peer across the crowded banks of the river, Lichenpaw could hardly pick out any shapes in the rapidly gathering dusk. In fact, he hardly recognized the stretch of woods directly across from him. Whenever he had strayed to the frequently disputed border shared with ThunderClan, he had encountered Alderpaw and Thornpaw, who had easily helped soothe over the strange dream he had experienced. Perhaps he was meant to find whoever was there for help, once again.

"Is any cat there?" Lichenpaw's voice raised into a call before he could even properly think about the repercussions of his question. For whatever reason, his gut seemed to plead for him to speak.

"If I were training do you really think I'd be all alone, mousebrain?" The she-cat's attention was elsewhere, and she didn't care for the unnecessary small talk that Falconpaw seemed to adore. The abruptness of his words didn't frighten her a bit, which she figured was his intention. His loud tendencies did nothing but further anger her, and without much thought, her hind leg made contact with her fellow apprentices' chest, pushing him backward at least a fox length. Without even bothering to look back, she continued her 'stalking.' Her words were merely a whisper, just loud enough for the tom to hear. "Now be quiet, you big oaf." Narrowing her eyes on the brown and white form from across the river, Jaypaw thought over her options carefully. It was obvious to her that, if anything, this cat was not looking to pick a fight. A disappointment, really. Lifting herself from her crouched position behind a rather thick patch of reeds, the calico she-cat turned to face the RiverClanner.

"Although I'm positive that I'd rather be elsewhere, consider me present." Jaypaw didn't have a clue who this cat might be, but the confidence in his voice drew her out. "Usually I prefer to skip the formalities, but I'm Jaypaw." Her eyes quickly flickered back to Falconpaw, a satisfied grin crossing her maw when she spotted him keeled over behind her. "That would be Falconpaw." Tilting her head in his direction, she displayed an obviously false display of sympathy. Even if she wanted to keep her mind focused, it strayed to other places, but she would never admit it to anyone. She was curious as to the reasoning behind the toms presence, but she kept calm, not showing the least bit of curiosity in her features. The calico was completely content with the unsettling silence between the three cats, as long as it meant that she was able to keep her smooth appearance.

Falconpaw huffed at her lack of reaction, then sat down next to her with a bit of a huff. At least, until he was pushed away. The tom narrowed his yellow eyes at the paw that shoved his chest then huffed and proceeded to directly fill in that space again with his presence. Her next words caught his attention and he flattened his ears in distaste at the mockery.
"I'm not an oaf." He grumbled in displeasure as he followed her lead and stayed quiet in following her. At least, until another cat was spotted.

Immediately, he stepped forward in a misguided attempt to shield Jaypaw from the intruder's gaze. Though she completely ignored him and began talking anyways. He tried not to look upset by the action and huffed as he stood with his back slightly arched and ready to defend if nessecary.
"What are you doing here RiverClanner?" He spat in distaste, and as he realised he was the only cat that seemed ready to fight, he sat abruptly, his ears flat and looking distinctly sulky.

For several agonizingly long heartbeats, the only immediate answer to Lichenpaw's question appeared to more furtive whispers and the painfully noticeable sounds of heavy creatures bumbling about in the brittle undergrowth. Perhaps it only sounded so blatantly obvious to a cat whose ear's were finely tuned to picking up the slightest noises against the river, though. Tufted ears rising to a state of attention at the sudden sound of Jaypaw's voice, the young tom's bright gaze narrowed ever so slightly as he was able to pick out the calico's shape against the rapidly dwindling light of dusk. He likely would've remained completely oblivious to Falconpaw's presence alongside the she-cat if not for his spitfire attempt at a challenge.

"I'm Lichenpaw." He mewed, voice sweetened with a note of careful deliberation. The pestering notes of selfish anger still prickled unpleasantly at his nape, but the roar had faltered down to a lackluster couple of embers at best. Lichenpaw was entirely caught up in the odd urge to catch a proper glimpse of his newfound conversational companions. Perhaps Alderpaw and Thornpaw were correct, he must've gone completely mad. However, the internal realization didn't stop him from plunging into the dark, slow-going waters before him and easily crossing the water in sure strokes. Halting a short distance from Jaypaw and Falconpaw, he made sure to leave a respectable amount of distance between himself and the forest-dweller's shore.

"I'm here so I don't have to deal with my Clanmates. I'll go out on a limb here and say that you two are probably doing something similar, considering that SkyClan rarely comes down here." The words were a blunt, flavorless attempt at small talk, but Lichenpaw felt as though he might actually go mad if he didn't speak to any cat. He just needed to pretend that, even for the briefest of moments, things were somewhat okay.