Rippling Current Guide Us

Once he got over his initial surprise, Raventail decided it wasn’t that shocking Dappleshine had caught a rabbit. Scooping fish out of the water the way she did took a certain kind of speed. He opened his mouth, thought back to every short white tail he’d seen disappear untouched into the depths of the moor, and decided he’d rather accept his friend’s complement as it was. ”It’s not easy, for sure. They’re really…jumpy.”

Dappleshine noticed Barleytuft about the same time he did and probably had a similar train of thought: There was no way Barleytuft could have mistaken their reunion for anything else. Fortunately, Barleytuft seemed more amused than anything by their shared moment of panic. Relaxing to the end of his tail, Raventail shed his nervous smile for a relieved one. ”We’re carrying on a tradition, then,” he meowed slowly. It seemed so obvious in retrospect—of course Barleytuft wouldn’t be angry, he’d led Raventail here!—that Raventail let the older warrior’s tail brush over his ears with no complaint beyond a shake of his head and a twitch of his whiskers. No offer of respect could convince him to give up a friend; he was no less grateful to Barleytuft for not forcing him to make that choice.

With that settled, he had nothing to fear. The dark warrior pressed his nose into Dappleshine’s pelt once again, a quiet I missed you, too, before stepping back to look at her. Immediately, his gaze settled on the pink spot between her ears. ”Now, uh—could you lean down a bit?” Stretching up, he bopped the top of Dappleshine’s head gently. As planned, the petal clung to his fur as he brought his paw down; it was no less visible on white than it was on gray, and he proudly displayed it to both warriors. ”There we go! With enough of these, you'd look just like a stalk of heather.”

Belatedly, Dappleshine’s first words to him registered. Ravenpaw. It had been so little time since his ceremony that his old name still felt like it belonged to him. Raventail paused, looking from Dappleshine to his Clanmate in confusion. ”Oh, Barleytuft didn’t tell you? I’m Raventail now.” He’d had so few opportunities to say those words that they still sent a rush through him, bringing a slightly lopsided grin to his face. ”See, I’m catching up!”

Dappleshine's relief was immediate, she hadn't truly thought that Barleytuft would have an issue with their friendship, he had been so eager to help and fetch Ravenpaw after all, so it was to be expected that he was fine with it. She was surprised to hear that he had a friend in RiverClan as well, and purred at Raventail's comment. "I suppose we are! We should keep it going, for sure." As Raventail pressed his nose into her pelt again, she pressed the bottom of her jaw to the top of his head and licked his ear once before he pulled away again. Pulling back, his eyes seemed to settle on her face, and her ear flicked subconsciously. "Oh! Yeah, thank you!" She laughed, leaning down for the tom who bopped his paw on her head, and as she straightened she saw the petal that had stuck to his paw.

"Oh? We don't have much heather over here, just reeds, I'd have to stay with WindClan for that disguise to work! Although.... That might explain the rabbit!" She laughed, looking down at her catch proudly. Her head tilted to the side as Ravenpaw - no, Raventail, announced that he had been made a warrior, and the RiverClan warrior's smile grew bigger, the purr rumbling in her chest growing louder as she pressed her head to his shoulder again. "Raventail, that's wonderful news! I knew it wouldn't be much longer, I'm so happy for you! I wish I could have been there. Was your ceremony everything you hoped for? How has being a warrior been for you?" She questioned, curious about her friend's well being and how things had been for him in the time since they had last met.

The lean tabby stood gazing at his two friends with shining, amused eyes for several more moments as he watched them process his words and then each other, both slowly relaxing as they understood his stance. Barleytuft was a little surprised that either one of them had expected anything different from him, of all cats; Raventail had grown up knowing Barleytuft, and Dappleshine had only been an apprentice on the shores when he met her and he'd gladly hunted with her. It was likely no fault of his own that they had already learned to fear reprimand for friendship; as much as Barleytuft hated to admit it and wished it weren't the case, he knew it was simply the return to normal Clan life that had begun to add strain to cross-Clan friendships once more.

Once his piece was said, Raventail and Dappleshine both relaxed considerably. The black warrior helped to remove a heather petal from Dappleshine's head, earning a laugh from the entire group - Barleytuft included. As the two began to talk and catch up, Barleytuft gazed around, listening as he surveyed their surroundings. He looked with curiosity and interest at Raventail as Dappleshine asked him about his ceremony. What had he thought of it?

Soon, the conversation turned to his warriorhood. It would’ve been nice to have a friend there. Those thoughts didn’t matter anymore. Since his ceremony, he’d come to understand that he had as many potential companions in WindClan as he’d had the first time he set foot on the moor as an apprentice. Besides, saying that in front of Barleytuft, who had been watching his ceremony long before Raventail had pulled himself out of his thoughts long enough to notice, seemed a little insulting. ”I wish you’d been there,” he purred instead, sincere through his slight laughter. ”It was better than I thought it’d be. Really, uh, ceremonial—but better. And I got a good name.”

Then his smile faded. ”Even though you weren't there, what you told me... It helped, a lot.” Would he have been able to face warriorhood without Dappleshine’s words to bolster his spirit? Someday, yes. But on the day that had been chosen for him, as he stood beneath the then-imposing figures of Finchstar and the Tallrock, they’d held as much weight as the ceremony itself. He had been sure Brookclover was watching and, more importantly, that he wasn’t leaving her behind just because he was shedding the suffix under which she’d trained him. She walked with him. How long would it have taken to see that on his own?

This, too, was something he was reluctant to voice in Barleytuft’s presence. Uncomfortably aware of how long he'd been silent, he glanced over his shoulder at the taller tom. Maybe it was one of those things that didn’t need to be said…or, at least, didn’t need to be said now. "I know I said it before, but. Thanks." He brushed his muzzle against Dappleshine's shoulder one last time, then withdrew until he had enough space to sit without accidentally trapping anyone's fur. ”It’s been all right. Being able to leave camp almost any time is nice, not that I’ve been able to much. You were right, it is a lot of work. I’ve done so much hunting in the last few sunups, I’m surprised my paws haven’t fallen off!”

The warrior watched Raventail's face carefully as he responded, and purred in return, bumping her shoulder to his again. "If I could have been there, I would have been. I'm glad that it was better than you thought, and that you're happy with your name! You're going to have it for a while after all." The she-cat winked at the tom, smiling back at him before the smile slipped from his face. She tilted her head, expression going serious as he spoke again, but a soft smile came once more when he had finished speaking. "I'm happy to have been able to help, Raventail. I hope it keeps helping you, through everything to come, my friend. There's no need to thank me, you would have figured it out eventually, I just helped you see it a bit sooner, don't worry." She lowered her voice as she leaned into his gesture before he stepped back, and she looked between the two WindClan toms. Laughing lightly, she nodded in understanding before lifting a paw to reveal the tough bottoms of them, worn by the last several moons of work, whether it be patrols or hunting. There were a couple of thin scars across the pad of her paw, likely from a misstep onto a sharp stone in the river.

Looking back at the two toms, she smiled slightly, but her eyes held a sadness that spoke for the meaning behind her words. "I've been staying out of camp almost constantly... It's easier that way. I wake up to patrols, then continue to go out until I'm so exhausted I don't even have the energy to notice that he's still ignoring me...." She placed her paw back down on the ground, and studied the tops of them, her tail wrapping around at her side. "I've tried... Really hard... He just walks away without hardly looking at me... I'm ready to just give up, Raventail..."

Raventail's first thought of his ceremony was how it would have been better if Dappleshine were there. Barleytuft's whiskers quivered with amusement, and he listened as the conversation continued pleasantly. The RiverClan cat was quick to wish she had seen his ceremony, as well; it was a life-changing event, as she pointed out. Suddenly, however, Raventail's voice dropped ever so slightly, and Barleytuft's ears perked to listen in. What had Dappleshine told him that helped him so much and had mattered so dearly to him? He supposed it wasn't his secret to know, but the she-cat spoke warmly back with words of reassurance and confidence. Though Barleytuft didn't know to what they were referring exactly, he nodded in agreement: Raventail was an incredibly capable cat.

Then the moment of intimate sincerity had passed, and instead a familiar conversation arose: the hardships of warrior life. Raventail complained of his paws aching and Barleytuft grinned, rolling his eyes. "Being a warrior certainly isn't a roll in goose down, but it has its perks," he chimed in. He didn't lift his own paws to examine his pads; they were often dry, but rough and calloused. They certainly didn't bother him anymore.

The conversation moved on again, and a sadness washed over Dappleshine. Immediately Barleytuft was attentive, his  eyes glimmering with a sincere concern. She spoke of avoiding camp, patrolling constantly, running until she had no energy... because of a "he". As the pale she-cat continued, Barleytuft's eyes hardened with annoyance and impatience at whoever was being mentioned. His face stayed soft and concerned, though, and when she murmured something about giving up the tabby tom sat up straight and stated sternly, "I don't know who this tom is that's got your whiskers frazzled, but to me it sounds as though he has given up on you - not the other way around. A true friend, someone who truly loves you, will be there for you when you reach out for them - not run away and skitter around you like a guilty kit."

The shift in his friend’s expression didn’t go unnoticed. Raventail sat straighter to show he was listening, hints of a frown appearing at the corners of his mouth. He had a feeling he knew where this was headed—sure enough, it wasn’t long before she spoke of the problem’s root. Magpiepaw. Since Dappleshine had first told him about her troubles with the RiverClan tom, Raventail had thought about them quite a few times, always with a twist of optimism. He found it easy to put faith in strangers, especially when he imagined how happy Dappleshine would be if this particular stranger started talking to her again. But judging by Dappleshine’s sorrowful tone, nothing had changed. She sounded so despondent that Raventail’s heart turned over. For once, he couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye and say, Oh, he’ll come around. Friends, especially best friends, didn’t leave each other in the dark. Not for this long.

One of his paws tapped soft and slow against the ground. In all honesty, he didn’t know what to say. None of his friendships had ended like this… Even the situation with Finchstar had a solid reason behind it. (Not that he knew how to navigate that, either.) Barleytuft opened his mouth, and Raventail, forcing his paw still, looked over to see his feelings reflected in the older warrior’s face—the world’s sympathy for Dappleshine, noticeably less for Magpiepaw. Though Barleytuft didn't have the whole story, his words rang true to Raventail's ears.

Raventail shook his head, eyes sharp. She'd kept Magpiepaw's name secret for now; he would do the same. ”If he’s still avoiding you, that’s on him, not you. Maybe…” Maybe there's nothing you can do. It went against what Raventail wanted to say, but if waiting was hurting Dappleshine this much… "I don't know if there's anything you can do right now, but, Dappleshine—you deserve friends who'll stand by you no matter what." Surely Dappleshine had other cats in RiverClan to lean on; RiverClan was big, and Dappleshine was easy to talk to. She had mentioned Scorchclaw and Thornbriar before, though from the sound of it Scorchclaw, at least, didn’t qualify as a “friend” any more than Brookclover would have to him. "If he's not ready to do that, you shouldn't have to wait until he is."

Dappleshine's head lifted and she met Barleytuft's eyes as he spoke, his words holding wisdom that helped a little bit, even if her thoughts remained in a jumbled heap. They shone some light on the heap, and gave the she-cat a couple ideas on how to pick up and continue on, with or without Magpiepaw. Barleytuft was right, she had made her attempts to reach out, to try to correct whatever she had done wrong, Magpiepaw was the one who kept turning his back on her. Her eyes brightened a bit, and a small smile appeared as Raventail spoke in turn, voicing the thoughts she had just had. Her blue eyes shifted to Raventail's, and she straightened up as he spoke, confirming that he felt the same as Barleytuft. As she thought about it, she found that she agreed. Why should she continue to reach out and get spurned and hold herself back when she wasn't the one who had done anything wrong? After a moment she nodded, the sadness was still in her eyes and voice, but it was clear that she was bolstered by their words.

"Thank you, both of you. I suppose you're right, even with everything if he had come to me with an issue I would have listened and tried to help. I still would, in a heartbeat. It's becoming more and more clear though that he doesn't want to do the same for me. I suppose I have given him more than enough time to come to me...." Her heart dropped into her stomach as she thought about accepting that the black and white tom hadn't really been her friend, at least, not as much of one as she had once thought him to be. "I suppose I'll see if he comes to me, but I'll try to stop trying to get him to. Thank you, so much." She dipped her head to both of the tom's, her smile a little brighter than it had been a few moments ago. A faint shadow crossed over the trio, and Dappleshine paused, her head quickly flicking skyward. A lazy cloud had drifted over the sun, and she felt a little embarrassed as she looked back down to the WindClan toms.

"I'm sorry, we've been having a real problem with eagles, especially by the river. They seem bent on stealing prey that we've caught rather than catching their own. One attacked a group with Jaystar and I both the other sunhigh!" Casting another glance skyward, she sighed reluctantly. "With that in mind, I suppose I shouldn't stay much longer. Especially with this prey." She stepped in, and pressed her nose to Raventail's shoulder before stepping back once more and bowed her head to Barleytuft. "Thank you, Barleytuft, it was wonderful to see you again. Hopefully we can meet again some time soon!" Her gaze shifted to Raventail and softened, something sparking in their blue depths. "I'll see you soon, okay? Stay safe, and take care of yourself. Both of you." She turned to collect her prey, looking back one last time before nudging the hare towards them. "Here, you can take this. A present for you both, for coming and helping me."

Barleytuft glanced aside at Raventail as he began to deliver his own wisdom - and wisdom the warrior considered it, however much younger the black tom may be. He had grown quickly under the immense pressure of Clan life at the lake, and he knew far more than he seemed to share. Raventail seemed to have knowledge which Barleytuft did not, for his words were a little softer, a little more conscientious of what she felt and the effort she'd already been putting in. At the tom's final words, the senior warrior nodded firmly in agreement; Dappleshine didn't deserve to be held back by someone who had no desire to uplift her.

The pale warrior looked at the RiverClan cat, watching as she considered their words. Though no amount of wisdom could take away all the pain that another cat had inflicted, her expression seemed a little less stricken and hopeless than a moment before. After another moment of thought, she accepted their kind wisdom gracefully, acknowledging how much she would do for him and realizing, with sadness, that he would no longer do the same. Barleytuft nodded graciously at her thanks, thinking nothing of it - she had offered support for Raventail before, it seemed, why should they not offer it for her, then?

Then Dappleshine hesitated, and Barleytuft glanced up as well but saw nothing but an eagle. At her comment of eagles, Barleytuft's tail twitched and he shook his head. "They like it near the Gorge - I can't imagine why, but we see nests around here sometimes. I hope they settle elsewhere and leave you and your Clan in peace," the tom purred, smiling. Dappleshine continued speaking, seeming to realize how much time she had spent at the border - what with the waiting and all - and declaring that she likely should get back to her own Clan. The kindly RiverClan warrior spoke with warmth and fondness to Raventail, and Barleytuft couldn't help but feel a spring of joy that the young warrior had such a loyal friend. He deserved it.

When the RiverClan cat pushed the hare over as a gift, Barleytuft's tail shot into the air. "Dappleshine, you are too kind - I imagine it likely helps you to not have to carry so much back, though, eh? We're certainly not too stuffy to turn down a gift from a friend if you're sure; you did catch it, after all."