Something's Fishy [closed]

"Mighty Patrol Organizer, when are you and Oakstar going to take back Sunningrocks already?" Ferretnose mused as she and Beartooth reached the RiverClan border. The sun shone high in the sky, dropping rays of light through the leafy canopy and warming the shorter cat's fur. "I'd fight one thousand wet-paws to stretch out on those stones. It's on our side of the river, anyway." The she-cat considered the much larger tom a good friend, as she did any ThunderClanner who gave her the time of day at this point in her life. She was desperate to maintain the sanity of her beloved clan at all costs, and it was her own way of contributing. Early to sleep, early to rise, carrying out her duties... making her clanmates happy. Was is distraction, or was she really happy? What was the point in dwelling on what could not be changed?

She stayed close to her partner as the Sunningrocks clearing came into view. With tensions already high, there wasn't any need for more fighting. Beartooth was quiet, but he always tended to be. She didn't mind it very much, since she knew he was listening. Every once in a while, a smile or a look let the younger know that her efforts were not being ignored. In fact, Ferretnose was so distracted that she almost missed the smell that wafted by her, and she was forced to pause. She shot a look at Beartooth with her good eye and stepped forward to investigate the fishy smell. RiverClanners were close.

Dacekit had elected to spend the afternoon with her father, Sparkfrost, once he returned from his patrol at sunhigh. So Dappleshine had reached out to Wasppaw, inviting her to come along on a walk. She desperately felt the need to stretch her legs, and she knew just where to go. As the large stones had come into view on the opposite side of the river, the queen had felt her excitement growing until her paws were feather light. It was such a beautiful, peaceful day, and she would enjoy the quiet solitude and warmth of Sunningrocks before returning home once more to play with Dacekit and then to bed. She was growing so quickly, and becoming even more beautiful by the day, and the joy her kit brought her never ceased to amaze her. She smiled just thinking about it as she swam across the river with Wasppaw, and settled herself on one of the large rocks, sprawling out on top of them with a loud, rumbling purr. The wind was blowing away from RiverClan, carrying their scent towards ThunderClan, but she hardly noticed or cared - they were safe on Sunningrocks and she was determined to enjoy the peaceful afternoon.

"It's been Riverclan territory since before we were born." Beartooth responded, simply and in his usual matter-of-fact manner. His gaze cast over the Sunningrocks, where a pair of Riverclan cat lounged lazily. It was a peaceful sight. The way the sunlight bathed the rocks offered an inviting scene. If he were a cat to ever consider such indulgences, perhaps he would have seen the appeal in wasting such precious time. Scents of prey that drifted over the border, were another matter. Ferretshine pointed out it was on their side of the river as well. Wars were something he found himself to be inept at organizing. He was much better suited to the task of fighting and following whatever. Glancing down at his claws, the deputy's face became a slight frown, abandoning the neutrality of his usual expression.

Most cats seemed to have this idea that he was now supposed to know how to manage the entire clan in Oakstar's stead. But he could hardly sift through the traumatic experiences of a life time. This simply wasn't a thing that suited him easily. Nevertheless, Beartooth had set to manage the most basic tasks expected of a deputy, even if the necessity of a calculated nature was something he lacked. Each time Ferretshine referred to his position, the tabby warrior's coat felt as if it was filled with ants. Even with his abnormal appearance, he'd never been self-conscious or anxious, despite what his lack of words may suggest. The pressure of deputyship was a far different burden than anything else he had wrestled with before. Other things, Beartooth had the luxury of internalizing and pushing away for the sake of continuing his duty with hast. This, however, was his duty now. And cats reminded him of it daily. Was he supposed to care about whether or not Thunderclan possessed Sunningrocks? Did he have to decide? For now, Beartooth was contented to not think about such things. But when leafbare came and prey was more pressing, maybe it would be an issue then. There were little more sound from the bulky tom other than a soft exhalation of breath from his nostrils as he peered ahead after the scent of Riverclan.

Ferretnose's head tilted curiously as Beartooth fell silent, staring down at his large paws. A part of her withered as she realized she may have overwhelmed the poor tom with talks of war and battle. She had always admired his bravery and nobility in conflict. It was the image ThunderClan deserved. Surely, he must be tired of it, as she was herself. "Everything alright?" she said softly, "I was mostly kidding about taking back Sunningrocks, you know. Oakstar and you are level-headed cats. For what it's worth, you're doing an alright job so far." Ferretnose purred to signify her appreciation for the tom. Her sage colored eyes locked softly with his more hazel ones. Perhaps for a bit too long. She looked away.

Quietly, and with haste, she stepped around Beartooth to finish the patrol, wincing with embarrassment. Stop it, Ferretnose, her mind shouted. Stop being crazy and... Snap. With a quick glance down, Ferretnose's good eye landed on a stick that she had broken across her paw. Had she been so distracted that she gave away their position? Her scruff stood up as she flattened herself against the ground, mouthing "sorry" to Beartooth. It was too late; the RiverClan cats had surely seen them both. Lovely.

Laughing along with Wasppaw as the droplets arced over her, Dappleshine felt her worries melting away. This was a wonderful idea. Shifting closer, she began to gently groom her sister's shoulder and back, a low purr in her throat. It had been far too long since they had any significant time together, and Dappleshine had a lot to share with the tortoiseshell she-cat. As she opened her mouth to talk though, the noise of a breaking stick made her pause, her head pulling back to look around nervously. With all the predators still around the forest after the flood, she half-expected to see a fox running at them. After a heartbeat, her blue gaze fell on the two ThunderClan cats and she looked at them, her fur relaxing slightly as she realized it was just a patrol. Still, she kept an eye on them as they passed by, she held no ill-will towards ThunderClan, but she didn't want to risk anything either - especially with everything else that had happened recently. No sense in fanning the flames.

As she pressed about the state of his being, the responses were endless. But Beartooth chose the least trying of the many and simply nodded in the direction of the Riverclan cats. When she spoke again he glanced in her direction and their eyes met. It wasn't an uncomfortable moment. Although, when Ferretnose did not immediately glance away, he blinked slowly. There was somewhat of a release in his chest, a sensation he had not realized he was holding, that loosened at the reassurance of her words. The deputy rarely stopped to consider the state of his own mind nor credit his own feelings. Ferretnose's care seemed to shake something deep in his core that had long sense been ignored. Before he could consider this for even a moment, there was a snap. His eyes immediately focused on the direction of the sound. So much for stealth. Perhaps it might have bothered the warrior more if it weren't for his own inability to creep undetected through the forest.

Her apology went unnoticed and he padded forward, ahead of the she-cat. There was no sense in keeping their position hidden. It was only two Riverclan cats, at least from what he could detect. Their lounging on those rocks made him want to scoff underneath his breath. For as beautiful and peaceful as the moment seemed, even considering the idea made his own actions seem less productive. There seemed to be more than just the consumption of fish that fattened their neighbor's cats. Beartooth strayed just close enough to the border to size up the pair and let out what could have been construed as a warning, "Stay on your side of the border and we will stay on ours."

Ferretnose tried and failed to hold back her laugh at the apprentice. Though she was quite small herself, the ThunderClan she-cat knew she had seniority over the RiverClanner, and she intended to exercise it.

"You're so cute!" she cooed in a teasing manner, "Don't be so touchy, little one! Nobody likes a sore sport. You ought to show some respect for the deputy and his..." She paused tentatively. "... trustee. Now, go bodyguard your queen so I can finish my patrol, alright? The poor she-cat's still got milk scent clinging to her." Ferretnose rolled her eyes and turned her back on Wasppaw. Unbelievable. Ferretnose hated to get mouthy, but the embarrassment might encourage the younger she-cat to scram. Avoiding a fight was her top priority. She wondered if this was Jaystar's idea of respect to instill in his apprentices. She flicked her ears to signal to Beartooth that she wanted to leave and waited for him to join her.

Feeling the fur along her back begin to rise, Dappleshine called out to Wasppaw. Let them go, they're just trying to instigate something. We don't need to sink to that, let's just enjoy the rest of our time here." She padded forward to stand next to Wasppaw, shooting an exasperated look to the two ThunderClan cats. Were they really going to bother the two of them when all they wanted was some time to relax? She huffed lightly. Figures that her first trip out of the nursery in moons would have something happen.

Beartooth was surprised to see such venom spewed from the Riverclan she-cat. He hadn't expected to cause more than a light warning. With how often this territory had been disputed over, the deputy knew that often fights weren't hard to come by. When Ferretnose spoke, he simply listened with his eyes trained across the border at the pair. If it were to come to a confrontation, he wanted to make sure the she-cat was safe, and that the rest of their clan would not be attacked by some restless cats from another clan. He was wary of that apprentice and didn't want to pull away quickly. For this reason, he missed Ferretnose's intention to continue on in their journey. Even if his intent was not to start an issue, that was the wrong move. They wouldn't walk away without a wound or two today. Sometimes bad blood was reason enough to start something.

Ferretnose's eyes narrowed in annoyance, more than anything. What a silly reason to fight! There was a bigger problem, of course, and it was how far the more argumentative of the pair had shifted to her left side... the side where she couldn't see. She found herself moving so she could better view the tortoiseshell, brushing pelts with Beartooth. Wait, had that seemed weak? Don't cower, she said to herself, jutting her chin out against her verbal assailant.

"I'm not scared of you!" Well, you are a little. "You're tactless, and you don't have the guts to pick a fight!" No, Ferretnose, that's you. "Go crawl back across the river and hide, will you? Leave me and my clanmate alone. Come on, Beartooth, I need a nap after listening to this kit tell stories." Ferretnose finished her remark with a grumble, shooting Wasppaw one last hard look.

Wasppaw had gotten even closer to the border, and Dappleshine felt herself tensing, looking over the two she-cats. One RiverClan, and one ThunderClan. As Wasppaw spoke out again, Dappleshine laid her tail gingerly over her shoulders, a silent plea for peace. She was in no state to be fighting, she was still in the process of recovering from her kitting... She could only hope that the ThunderClan cats would stop this nonsense and continue on....

And then the she-cat over the border goaded Wasppaw on. Her eyes narrowed as she regarded the young warrior, ears flattening. These two were the ones who started the issue, why wouldn't they just leave them alone? Wasppaw and herself had just been relaxing, taking a break from their duties for a short time before returning, and then these two had to come along and ruin it. Wasppaw would be in a foul mood the rest of the moon, at this point, no matter what happened. Frowning, she turned her back on the two ThunderClan cats, mewing loud enough that they could hear.

"Come on, Wasppaw, it's not worth it. Let them leave with the knowledge that they interrupted us when we weren't harming anything, well within our border mind you, and then were too stubborn to back off when called out on it." She had a feeling that the small she-cat's words would be enough to send Wasppaw over her tipping point, but maybe.... Just maybe, it wouldn't.