refreshing [closed]

More time had passed, and after trying to find wisdom from others the feelings of uncertainty had slowly begun to morph into feelings of of trepidation - a new unwanted certainty. Clovertwist was out on a hunt, trying to outrun the creeping thoughts he'd had about his struggle of faith. Another hunt would clear his mind - yes, surely another failed hunt would help him feel less useless. The silver tabby tom was walking across the moor and found the familiar roaring of the river down below in his ears. Clovertwist realized he'd wandered to the Gorge and immediately noted to take care; it was a long drop, and the river would be raging from the rainfall that season. The silver tabby tom spotted movement in the grasses and realized there was another cat traveling along the neutral territory, too - one with silky, shining fur. His knotted tail raised and he called, hoping to express his friendliness, "Hello! Lovely day for catching prey, isn't it?"

Streamtail padded along the gorge, glancing down ever so often at the raging water. Shivering uncomfortably, she looked away. Though Streamtail liked the river and all, the gorge was something...scarier. She didn’t like it one bit. The blue-gray warrior’s ears perked up at a sound. Glancing around curiously, she spotted a silver tabby on the WindClan side of the gorge. He seemed friendly enough. Since this place was neutral territory, Streamtail figured a simple greeting wouldn’t hurt. “Hello! I’m Streamtail of RiverClan! Who are you?”

The cat looked to him quickly, ears perking, and after a moment she returned his smile faintly. Her voice was clear and bright. "Nice to meet you, Streamtail! I'm Clovertwist of WindClan." It might've seemed silly to introduce their Clans from their own territories, but loners often wandered past the gorge. It was good to know they were both Clan cats and would act honorably! The tabby took a few steps towards the she-cat. "How's everything going in RiverClan?" he asked, trying to make small-talk and hoping he wasn't being nosy.

Streamtail stepped closer towards the WindClan warrior to hear better. “Oh! Everything’s great! Uh...there was a bit of surprise though...I mean, for me and my mate, Applefang.” Streamtail quickly covered up the news of Ivystar’s new kit. It wasn’t her place to share secrets of her leader. “We had a litter of two!” Despite being worried about Applefang’s...current mood, Streamtail made her voice as light and cheery as possible. Will he ever stop judging himself as a coward?

Clovertwist didn't know Streamtail, having never met her; for a moment he'd been worried that perhaps some hostility would exist simply because of the warrior code, but thankfully she seemed more interested in a relaxing chat than a skirmish. The silver-blue she-cat expressed that she had been fortunate in the past moon to grow her family with her mate. Clovertwist's tail raised with happiness - even at the icky thoughts of pregnancy and kitting - and replied, "Oh, congratulations, Streamtail! I'm sure you and Applefang must be very proud - and RiverClan, too. Kits are good for any Clan, especially in newleaf." He hoped he wasn't being stupid; every Clan cat knew that.

Streamtail smiled at the WindClan cat. He did seem friendly enough...she didn’t like skirmishes. Tilting her head in question, Streamtail asked Clovertwist, “What are you doing out here? It’s not...common to see cats around the gorge...especially WindClan.” The warrior only came here to check the height of the water. The warmer seasons always brought more rain. It was a bit strange, though. It wasn’t common to see cats around, especially one that couldn’t swim.

Clovertwist chuckled half-heartedly and nodded, acknowledging the oddness of his location. "Yeah, to tell you the truth I kind of ended up here by accident. I was just kinda wandering. I'm supposed to be hunting, but my mind's sort of elsewhere." Both of them gave the ledge the same mistrusting stare before looking back at each other again. "I guess I wanted to go somewhere that was louder than my head. What about you?" he asked curiously, smiling at the RiverClan warrior. It did make more sense for RiverClan cats to be near the water, even if it was treacherous there.

Streamtail wanted to glare at the gorge. Who knew how many cats it had killed? Her head snapped back towards Clovertwist. “Oh! Yeah, I was just checking the height of the water...who knows what would happen? Especially in the warmer seasons, it tends to be more moist. I know that the RiverClan river has more water than usual...” Streamtail wondered what was going on in Clovertwist’s thoughts. He did seem a bit distracted...in a sad way. Not wanting to pry, Streamtail just stood there awkwardly.

Clovertwist nodded a couple times as Streamtail explained she was checking the water levels. Curiously, he asked, "Aren't there safer places to check?" He added, hoping not to dismiss her or her duties, "We have to check the water levels of the Gorge sometimes, too. When it's high the lower parts of the moor get a little more mucky."

Streamtail nodded. “Yes...there are. But today I think I’ve just gotten a bit daring and uh...” She stared at the river again. “Yep. So now I’m here. Don’t get me wrong, I love swimming. And fishing. But really, the gorge just seems weirdly chaotic. If I were to fall off...well, I’d have to use all the skills I’ve learned the past moons about swimming in chaotic currents in it.” Streamtail kicked at a pebble, watching it fall down the cliff...before splashing into the waves below, disappearing from sight. “I, for one, would not want to be that pebble.”

Clovertwist chuckled a little at Streamtail's explanation, listening intently to her words. He nodded along, humming with agreement. He hadn't ever been taught to swim unlike the other warrior before him had. Her perspective was pretty interesting, and he watched the pebble fly off and get summarily swept by the currents. Clovertwist felt his stomach churn and muttered, "Ugh - me, neither. I couldn't swim in a puddle, let alone a river." He looked at her and grinned, meowing, "I'm not jealous of your skills, but they are really impressive."

Streamtail laughed softly. “You sure you aren’t jealous? I know I am. WindClan cats can run so fast it’s impossible to beat them at catching rabbits. I have always wondered how a cat could catch something that’s that fast, let alone leap high enough. Even fish are kind of hard to catch as they’re so slippery! I wonder how WindClan cats don’t let those rabbits slip away...” Grinning up at Clovertwist, her eyes sparkled. Streamtail hadn’t had much of conversations with other Clan cats before, and this was definitely the friendliest one.

Clovertwist laughed a little harder and shook his head more firmly, insisting, "I'll keep my pelt dry, thanks." Streamtail spoke fondly of WindClan's speed and agility, and Clovertwist couldn't help but feel proud of the skills his heritage and training had provided. He mrrowed, "We've got our secrets!" The silver tabby tom chuckled, his kinked tail flicking contentedly, and he continued more seriously, "I mean, every cat can catch stuff on land - except for kittypets, maybe. It's really something to catch stuff in the water. Is it really true that the fish you eat make you better swimmers?" He was very curious now; he wasn't sure how fish could make cats swim better. It wasn't like eating rabbits made cats any faster!

Streamtail tilted her head. “Well, you could say that. Fish is believed to help our pelts soak up water less, which makes us slightly lighter. I guess you could say that the oils in the fish help us swim better...but it isn’t really proven yet.” Her eyes glinted mischievously as she lowered her voice. “I guess it also helps our pelts get smoother and shinier and oh so BEAUTIFUL.” Streamtail tossed her head in an imitation of a vain she-cat, before purring in amusement.

As Clovertwist had expected (and really hoped), it wasn't quite so simple. In fact, it wasn't really proven at all. Clovertwist looked at her quizzically for a second as she lowered her voice playfully. He was fully surprised and tickled by her sudden ostentatious display, and he threw his head back laughing. "Everyone says that's all RiverClan cares about - I think you guys are deeper than you look, just like the river," Clovertwist declared. "Your pelt is really glossy, though."