out of my head, and my heart, and my mind [open to all of riverclan]

After her conversation with Waterpaw, time seemed to pass by much slower. Previously, the journey had filled with heaving sides and the panting of erratic breaths. But a sense of certainty had come over her. The night had grown darker as the moon and stars were covered with lazy clouds that drifted about and fractured what little silvery light bathed the forest. Finally, her pads pressed into the mud at the very edge of the river. Droplets sprayed her coat, splashing against her chest. A shiver crept down the slender spine of Kitefire but she didn't feel the cold. As she shared into the endless churning of the current and listened to its gentle hush, a semblance of peace began to settle in her chest.

Long ago, this had seemed to be some uncontrollable beast, with stories of cats being swept away to their demise. Thunderclan cats weren't familiar with the intricacies of the bordering waterway. But Jayshriek had taught her of the mysteries that she could have never hoped to know confined to the forest. Now, as she peered into the rapids, there were flashes of silvered fish, tucked away like hidden treasures. It occurred to the she-cat after a while that she could have stood there for moons, entranced by the scene before her. For once, her head didn't tilt and she seemed to lack the stern sense of morality that had pressed at her conscious for most of her life.

Here she had discovered a sense of being greater than herself, at the side of the dark-furred tom whose sharp-tongue and alluring glare had tugged her past the ancient borders that separated their clans. He'd taught her to navigate the waters and shown Kitefire desire greater than anything she'd ever imagined. With this, everything that she had known would be left behind, underneath the dense covering of leaves and thick foliage. There was no guarantee Riverclan would accept her but one thing was for certain... her paws would walk in step with Jayshriek going forward. As infuriating and ignorant as he was, nothing sounded quite as captivating as that simple thought.

Taking a deep breath, the slender cat dove forward, allowing the icicle sensation of the river wash over her. It was her first time swimming on her own but she had a good teacher and was able to surface on the other side without many difficulties. Unlike Riverclan cats whose coats were slick and shed water easily, it clung to her coat, a reminder of what she was. Mudded paws wandered aimlessly through the foreign territory. Glancing longingly across the border did little for any sense of navigation now. After sometime, Kitefire saw the shadows of cats near a large clump of reeds. Guards, no doubt.

Kitefire hesitated for a moment, sucking in the salty air and forcing it down to scathe her lungs. This was it. Sleeping soundly somewhere in there was the tom whose pelt she so desperately longed to see. He was ignorant to what had transpired and perhaps it was better that way. With one final glance across her shoulder, she stepped into an uncertain future with a surprising amount of calm written across her features.

"Wake Jayshriek, and take me to Ivystar."

Moonpaw jerked his head up from where he had been dozing as he heard a splash in the river. Figuring that it must be some prey that fell into the river he paid it no mind until it spoke. "Why should I do that?" he asked with his hackles raised, he recognized the scent of another clan but she didn't seem to be from another clan. Yet she knew Jayshriek and Ivystar.

Sneezingpaw was, like last time, one of the first to awake at the sound of a visitor. "Wha-- who's is it?" She asked yawning, then perked up when she saw a dainty little fire colored cat. Bouncing on four feet in a tro fashion, she approached. "Hi, hi! I'm Sneezingpaw but you can call me pretty much whatever! Well, 'cept anything'-- acho!-- mean, o'course." The speckled molly chirped, sneezing mid-sentence.

Then realization dawned on her. "Oh!" She gasped, and darted backwards. Wriggling her rump, Sneezingpaw launched towards the cat, though it was much more playful than an actual attack would be, and her claws were sheathed. Due to her height and sheer weight (mostly in fluff, but still weight none the less), it did feel almost like a monster had smashed into you and just... Stopped in it's place.

"Wowie, you're real pretty! And small! Your fur is short, but I like the color!" She mewed happily, as if she hadn't just rammed into a stranger and her wide green eyes were filled with nothing but happiness-- and a tad hint of sleepiness. The sneezing apprentice hadn't even heard the crack the came from Kitefire's ribs. "Sorry if I scared ya! Mr. Hoo Hoo said that next time I shoul' attack the visitor, not complimen' 'em. But you're just so small and cute I couldn't help but say so!"

Blinking, she seemed to realize the pretty cat asked for her mom and brother. "Oh, mom will be out soon. She always his! Shriekingbro will come soon, I'm sure!" Sneezingpaw blinked, staring down at the cat pinned beneath jwr with a wide grin.

The sound of a voice somewhere in camp had stirred Cloverpaw out of her already fitful sleep but, assuming it was just the dawn patrol, she turned over in her nest with a grumble. As much as she loved training, she wasn't one for early mornings, and if she wasn't being summoned she would gladly take a bit more sleep.

...but, soon the rest of her den was shifting around too, paws trotting away and Moonpaw and Sneezingpaw's voices making themselves clear outside, and she decided any more rest was out of the question. With a groan, she shook herself awake, taking a moment to blink any last grogginess out of her eyes before getting to her paws and joining the other two apprentices outside.

Is that– wait. The she-cat's fur was instantly on end, and she hurried to join the quickly gathering group of cats. She carried herself with all the importance and confidence she could manage, hoping she could pass for a warrior, even just a young one. "Who are you?" She snapped, tone harsh, though there was a faint tremble of anxiety in her voice. She crept a bit closer, hovering between Sneezingpaw and Moonpaw. The poor cat looked liked she'd been crushed flat by Sneezingpaw's.. 'apprehending,' and despite how hard she was trying to make herself seem older, Cloverpaw couldn't help but giggle.

Greykit was snoozing, as per usual, when the commotion began. The five-moon-old kit yawned grandly, shuffling to his paws and stretching, thick-furred tail arching in the air. He inhaled deeply through his nose, and it soon scrunched up as he caught a whiff of an unfamiliar smell. Soft, circular ears perked as he started shaking off the lingering cobwebs of sleep.

Comments his developing mind was able to piece together with the odd scent soon brought him to the conclusion that some stranger had approached the camp. Weren't border patrols supposed to, you know, prevent this? The kit frowned, he was barely comfortable with anybody in his own clan, so obviously, his fur bristled at the thought of an outsider coming in and disturbing his sleep.

Grey eyes narrowed, the kit skulked off his favourite sunbathing rock, creeping along the edge of camp and slipping slightly into the surrounding brush in a poor attempt to conceal himself. He knew nothing about stealth and was hardly quiet as he stalked through the undergrowth toward the shenanigans happening near the camp entrance.

He knew the apprentice that pounced on the strange cat, not personally, but it was hard to ignore such an energetic, and, in his opinion, rather dumb feline (of which he was growing closer in size to as he approached six moons of age). The kit frowned intently, scrutinizingly sharp, steely hues trained on the unknown. His claws flexed, but he dare not attack because he knew nothing about fighting other than basic, easily defeated hack-and-slash tactics. He preferred words anyways.

The camp was stirring, he wondered if anyone would notice him and bother to drag him away from the intriguing, though sketchy, appearance of the outsider. Ironically only the apprentices seem to be the first responders to the situation. What they thought they could do against the outsider he didn't know, maybe catpile on them in a group to subdue the stranger enough for warriors to take over? Were apprentices able to take charge in situations like this?

Well, no matter, he was sure warriors would arrive soon enough.

Perhaps he should tell the apprentice on the she-cat to leave her be... what was their (the app's) name again? Sneerpaw? Sizzlepaw?

Well, whatever their name, even Greykit wasn't cruel enough to subject strangers to such high concentrations of pure energy and excitement. Who knew what sort of stuff that could do to a cat's brain? Grey was feeling exhausted just watching them.

"Crazy apprentices... I have sleep with them when I have my ceremony? I don't think I'll last a day in such close proximity to... that." His muzzle wrinkled as he observed the energetic apprentice (Sneezepaw, maybe? Seemed close...)

Wait- were they saying words? His tired brain couldn't process what they were communicating in the slightest, constant exhaustion muddled his comprehension of such fast-paced speech. He was getting a migraine in even trying to attempt the feat.

Great Starclan, that cat was draining. No way was he getting within a foxlength of them, not even to save innocent cats from such suffering. It pained him to watch another cat be tormented by such... positivity; He shuddered at the mere thought of it.

The moment he was apprenticed, he was going to hide, he doubted they'd pass up the chance to... welcome a new apprentice if they were acting like this around a complete stranger.

Where was their mentor?

His grey hues rose as he poked his head out of the bush he was lurking in, scanning the area for whoever was going to arrive on the scene next. Maybe he should just grab the leader and save everyone the trouble of questioning the outsider. Honestly, he had no doubt the same repetitive question was about to be asked over and over again just by different clanmates, that sounded like the worst kind of torture (Next to energy-leeching apprentices, that is.)

Well, if no one did it soon, he was going to, even if it meant having to interact with a new clanmate (Didn't matter if they were the leader).

The horror.

OOC: FOMO got me posting two days before exams end-
Mountainpaw snored away as her sister disentangled herself from her and bounded off to greet the newcomer. She'd always been the heavier sleeper, with bad hearing to boot so the presence of Kitefire didn't even stir the young she-cat. She slept on, dreaming of snow and silver pelts and just a hint of blood. The only thing that woke her up now, as opposed to in 12 hours as her biological clock would wake her, was a particularly deep snore that sent her into a coughing fit. Eyes shooting open as she tried in vain to get rid of some nonexistent blockage in her lungs, she slowly got up while her coughing died down.

A final sneeze settled the coughing and she opened her mouth with a smile, ready to wake K- wait. Where was Karen? Oh no oh no had she sat on her in her sleep? She checked, finding no flattened sister on her rear. She spun around in a circle. If she wasn't here where could she be? She spun again. Man, this spinning thing was fun. She should get Sneezingpaw to j- ah. Right. With no evidence of her sister in the apprentices' den, Mountainpaw trotted out in search of her. She didn't need to look far, finding Sneezingpaw just a little way away on top of-

"Oh. My. STARS KAREN HAVEYOUFOUNDANEWFRIEND??????" She shot into a gallop from a standstill, barreling into her sister and by proxy the poor ThunderClanner she was smothering. "Hello! My name is Menace and I'm a Mountainpaw! Wait no, that doesn't sound quite right. Hmm..." She crinkled her nose, but she'd already forgotten what she'd gotten wrong so she continued with a grin. "What are you doing here? Sneezingpaw, what is she doing here? Are you here to see Dennisbro? You're breathing pretty weird. I breathe weird too, Dennisbro says it's cause my muzzle is too short. But your muzzle looks fine, so maybe you're just sick. Do you wanna be friends?"

"I'm here," Loonwhisper said plainly, though his fumbling upper lip betrayed his annoyance and alarm. "That's quite enough. The four of you, Moonpaw, Cloverpaw, Mountainpaw, Sneezingpaw, will leave us... now, please. Hooo-oo. This is not concern of apprentices. If you'd like to be of use, you will fetch Ivystar and Jayshriek."

He approached Sneezingpaw and Mountainpaw, gently placing a paw on each of their shoulders and nudging them carefully off of the new cat, who stank miserably of ThunderClan. Her body language betrayed some semblance of injury... and for that, Loonwhisper could only compliment the sisters. And yet, there were admonishments to be had, still. "It is terribly reckless to give your name unprompted. Don't you know that it could be stolen?" he murmured. "Their are certain creatures who would disguise themselves to take your name, you know. Without your name... are you a cat?" It was impossible to discern whether or not he was teasing. His tone was entirely serious.

As he removed the sisters from their... "visitor," Loonwhisper looked across her body for some twinge of recognition. He found that he could not place her name, though he might have seen her once or twice, in passing. ThunderClan had a pawful of warriors with this pelt pattern. He moved to help her up, but quickly recoiled. She seemed the type that would not be keen on such an act of simple generosity. She might take insult. Loonwhisper's head swiveled for another warrior, or Ivystar, to aid him. Shimmerdust might be nice help for this. "Go on," he said firmly, to the apprentices. "And if any apprentices would like to further make funny little geese of themselves, they'll not be leaving this camp in the next moon. Hoooo... No, you'll be tending to Carpsplash." His eyes twinkled. Though he taunted, he hoped that the apprentices of RiverClan would understand his firm and unyielding resolution, and that his wrath was not something to flippantly invoke.

He returned his focus to the intruder, "I am much more interested in how you did not drown."

Like the other apprentices, Turtlepaw was stirred awake by Sneezingpaw’s loud greeting and Mountainpaw’s accompanying crows. He wandered out of the den just after Cloverpaw, though he stuck close to the edge of camp. It was clear there was a stranger in camp, though why she’d come had not yet been discovered. Turtlepaw’s fur rose along his spine. Was this the precursor to an invasion?

Loonwhisper’s soft croons called off the twin terrors and even threatened the rest of the ‘paws, something Turtlepaw didn’t know he was capable of. He obediently nodded, though he didn’t move from his spot. One of the more boisterous apprentices would probably like to get Ivystar, and he wasn’t too interested in interrupting her sleep.

Much of the clan waking in the quieter hours of the night was, historically, not a good sign (in legend or in recent history; whether it was the flood of her mother's time or the Asylum of a few short moons ago); and it was with apprehension that Flashlight made her way toward the source of the commotion. The sight that greeted her was a single stranger, one whose scent made it clear that she hailed from from ThunderClan. Seeing that Loonwhisper was already tending to the situation, she held her tongue, opting to stand a short distance away in order to offer her support. Close enough to intervene, should she have to.

For now, she silently narrowed her eyes; fixing the ThunderClan stranger with an icy glare. Surely there wasn't a Clan cat stupid enough to march into another's camp alone, so what was she hiding?

After the words had left her maw, there had been little more than the chirping of crickets and the soft hush of the river in the distance. The hiss of an apprentice was a jarring contrast. Kitefire had her pads rooted firmly to the saturated earth. She wasn't prepared to back down or even step away at the harsh response. Seconds dragged and felt like an eternity. But following that hiss was an cacophony of sound. Riverclan camp exploded in a manner that could only be considered instantaneous. At once, it seemed like every apprentice in the clan had been roused from their nest. There was a blur just as she processed what was happening; the she-cat was pinned to the ground with a sickening crunch.

Pain exploded in her side, coursing through her in agonizing waves. It threatened to obscure her vision and rendered her consciousness a haze. A hiss broke instinctively from the sides of the little she-cat's maw. What had she expected, approaching an enemy clan in the dead of night? Kitefire wanted to curse herself into the dark forest. Truly, it appeared, she was indeed chasing a minnow, too enamored by the glistening scales. Just when the black spots at the fringes of her gaze threatened to become overwhelming, a soft voice called out to the masses, and freed her from the overwhelming boulders that pressed into her chest.

The spirit of a warrior that had been bred into the russet cat's very being was the only reason that she was able to rise to her paws. Kitefire winced. She found Loonwhisper's gaze, something which only invoked confusion. What an odd creature he was. Some vague recognition that this was the deputy washed over her. As the gaggle of apprentices began to retreat, Kitefire tried to pull a neutral expression and grit her teeth until she was certain they would be ground into stumps. So he wanted to know how she had braved the river. After a brief pause, she meowed simply, "I was taught to swim." Adrenaline deafened the pain. But there was an obvious wheeze to her tone. Mousedung.

The late evening sky, a silky wreath of droll late spring darkness and gently tattered wisps of pallid cloud cover, was gradually imbued with the resounding cacophony of unwarranted noise- an unfamiliar dredging of hushed voices, concern and mistrust sharp upon both the acrid air and sleep-heavy tongues. Silvery rivulets of leisurely lingering dream-fog hung heavily to the sharp, skeletal outline of Jayshriek, the gradually strengthening disruption vengefully bleeding through the dissipating hues of some insignificant dream, external sensory input rapidly gaining permanence within his slowly firing neurons. Full consciousness blossomed suddenly within his bones, a violent jarring slipping down the tensed length of his spine with all the grace and serenity of a seasonal flood, as his groggy brain finally relinquished its puzzled hold upon the initial speaker, a bright flash of something much too similar to joy bursting behind his lids at the recognition.

Jayshriek was suddenly afoot with an entirely alien lack of grace, a shadowy streak of anxious movement practically lost to the lackluster darkness and disorganization of the calamity unfurling, likely treading carelessly upon a tail or two in his newfound haste. Shambling steps were hurriedly taken in a careless, synchronous, process of sleep-addled anxiety, muscles stiff and heart throbbing out some erratic rhythm at the sudden surge of apprehension- necessity often drove them apart for longer than comfortable, but what could've possibly happened that Kitefire was forced to approach on her own? White-hot emotion curled down the twisting knots of his circulatory system, a tumultuous throbbing that embedded itself low and frantic in the natural flutter of his circadian rhythm, as he abruptly pushed his way through the loose collection of familiar faces, dark gaze flashing bright upon the liminal light of the late hour. "Kitefire?" He rasped out, low voice rumbling with a bereft urgency, teeth chattering sharply as he promptly thrust himself forward to the small molly's side, concern robbing him of any subtly.

A sharp shoulder, distorted faintly by the angular protrusion of bone, was immediately offered up for the sodden ThunderClan cat to rest against, the carefully-veiled discomfort evident upon the rounded curves of Kitefire's delicate face no match for Jayshriek's masterful familiarity in emotion. This entire display would do no favors, soothe no misgivings that were certainly rife in this particular moment; though he excelled at the art of misdirection and careful displays of practiced emotion, his mothers would certainly know without needing to make any genuine inquiries. The dark floodwaters, once ever-present in the tenuous relationship with Ivystar, were lapping eagerly at his paws once again. There was a silky flash of dark fur pressing against the pitiful, drown-rat-like, state of Kitefire, long tail carefully twining itself across the slim margins of her haunches in a bid to share warmth, in a bid to help her shed water a bit more quickly. "What happened? Are you well?"

What could've possibly driven you to cross the river without assistance, knowing that the spring currents could easily drag you to a watery grave? Jayshriek silently questioned as he gazed down at the unlikely intruder, the careful question plainly evident for Kitefire to find within the wide depths of his molten gaze.

Begrudgingly, Ivystar pushed herself onto her paws and forced herself to take a moment and breathe. The cacophony of voices outside the warrior's den had already managed to paint a scowl on the she-cat's maw, her annoyance evident in the way she carried herself and the manner in which she chose to go about handling such a situation. For a moment, she simply watched from the entrance of the den as Loonwhisper handled Mountainpaw and Sneezingpaw, saying a simple prayer of gratitude that she didn't have to pry them from another cat at such an ungodly hour. Once they'd retreated, she listened to what Loonwhisper had to say to the she-cat and narrowed her eyes at the wheezing that was rather obvious in her tone. The two sisters must've been responsible for that. Padding up to Mountainpaw and Sneezingpaw, she whispered in a low voice so that the outsider wouldn't hear, "I'll be speaking to the both of you about what you've done shortly. In the meantime, you'll both tend to the elders. If I find a single tick on any of their pelts, neither of you will see the outside of the elder's den for a moon." Without giving them a chance to respond, Ivystar pushed onward and approached Spiderquill's (she'd once again started referring to him as such- Dennis was no name for a respectable RiverClan medicine cat, after all) den, calling out to him and muttering that he was needed in the center of camp.

Once he'd been alerted, she turned around and with her eyes narrowed nearly to slits, approached the ThunderClanner. "Thank you, Loonwhisper," The silver she-cat mewed over her shoulder. Afterward, she turned to face the she-cat and her son, a rather peculiar and almost terrifying look overcoming her features. "Jayshriek, I suggest you leave before I do something we'll both regret." The anger that was present in her voice ricocheted across camp, and it was evident that she already knew exactly what had transpired between the two without bothering to ask. "You," Emerald eyes settled on Kitefire, scanning her up and down and eyeing her bulging rib. "Spiderquill will assist you with your injuries while you explain to me why you dare show up with no warning in my camp at such an hour, with the stench of ThunderClan still obviously clinging to your miserable pelt."

It was hard to ignore the fact that Ivystar was awake and moving - Honeytongue letting out a small whine of discontent as she fell into the nest - having slide from Ivystar's back as the leader stood up. She opened up her eyes, catching the sound of voices that had drawn her mate's attention. She knew it was more of a matter for Ivystar to attend to as leader but that didn't stop the golden warrior from pushing herself up to her paws, wishing to be at her mate's side - although she did stop to give Stormbringer a small lick across the head before she headed out.

There was quite the gathering of cats - spotting mostly apprentices gathered around a stranger. She sighed as she spotted Ivystar giving a harsh whisper to Honeytongue's own apprentices - and their adopted daughters. "Mountianpaw, Sneezingpaw!" she called out, unsure of what Ivystar had said to them as she was now moving on...But she had an idea. "You two better get to doing whatever Ivystar said - or no more swimming trips until she says otherwise," she scolded, giving her head a shake before her eyes fell onto the she-cat that was the center of attention. As Ivystar pointed out, it was hard to miss the smell of ThunderClan that swept from her water-logged fur. What had driven her all the way out here at such a time? Her eyes flickered over to Jayshriek, who seemed...Close to the strange she-cat, with the way that his tail was curled over her back.

The golden warrior simply titled her head with a soft hum, saying nothing as she waited for the answers that Ivystar had demanded.

There was not much more Loonwhisper could say. This was where his leader soared: crime and punishment, the same place where he fell flat like a klutzy squirrel. He listened patiently. This may be his duty one day. Ivystar's clanmates fell into line at the mere sound of her snarl, and her pointed remarks to the invader roused them. Honeytongue was corralling the kit-prentices back. He turned to watch them with a deafening sigh, and twisted in his gut was the conflict of whether or not they were suited to warriorhood, and what Ivystar might do if they weren't. It was not for him to decide, and he didn't dare council her on things which gave her such psychological grief as these. Better to let her burn to embers than to interfere and catch fire. This was another such situation, for though he had not listened to her air her grievances about Jayshriek as she often did for the former SkyClanners, he could hear for himself how it all bubbled up to the surface as he leaned against the injured molly. Ivystar was recognizing something terrible that Loonwhisper did not yet notice. He searched their expressions and the ones of the cats around him for a cue, finding none.

"I do not think he should leave," the deputy confided, "He has been implicated by this ThunderClan cat."

Loonwhisper's tufts of wispy pelt ruffled as he elongated his neck to further observe the pair. Jayshriek was a secretive tom in his own right, reclusive and a bit angsty. He did not speak much to his deputy, except to join patrols. Loonwhisper began to think that this was a purposeful measure more than a deficit of character (though Loonwhisper was hardly one to judge), as fraternizing with an enemy was certainly something to keep under wraps.

Loonwhisper could hardly blame Ivystar for her hostilities. ThunderClan was a threat to them, even in times of peace. "She has beckoned him for a reason. He should not be sent away."

Sneezingpaw blinked in confusion at her sister. Had she done something wrong? Loonwhisper had told her not to compliment the intruders, and to apprehend them.. Was this not the correct way to do so? Why... Why was every cat so mad at her and Menace? Her brow crinkled, and her eyes glistened in confusion. She didn't understand. This wasn't like other times when she didn't understand, those times she'd been curious to learn what she didn't understand, but this time she just couldn't.

The thought of not being able to please her family, to do what they wanted made her sad, and she felt the onset of tears. Why was it so hard to understand what they wanted her to do? She couldn't help but tell the cat she was cute... She was just trying to be honest! She wanted to ask her mom, Ivystar, what she'd done wrong, to try and fix it but... Mom seemed mad, mad like how she'd been at Dennisbro, and it almost scared her.

Instead she just awkwardly shuffled away, heading towards her other mother, Honeytongue, as she called for them. "Mama, what'd I do wrong? I was just tryin' to do what Mr. Hoo Hoo said... Why is every cat so upset with us? I'm real sorry if I wasn' supposed to tell her she was pretty, but I just couldn' help it." Sneezingpaw asked, sniffling, half from allergies and half from her oncoming tears. The large molly didn't like feeling upside downy brain, and that's how she was feeling now. Sneezingpaw didn't know what to do to fix it, and that scared her.