makes me wanna turn around and face me [c]

Poppyshine

The crowd of cats was overwhelming, especially when they finally found a place to rest each night. Poppyshine continued to assist with RiverClan and anything that Perchstar needed of her, but today, everyone had gotten into enough of a routine that there was not much to do. Poppyshine did not want to stick around with so many cats though; it felt a little suffocating with five clans in one small space constantly.

She ultimately decided to go for a walk and asked Birdstar to come with her so she would not be alone in unfamiliar territory. It had been so long since she was able to catch up with her friend, too, and she wanted to take that time with Birdstar while she had the chance. Things were stressful enough as it was…they deserved some time away from all of that.

After exchanging general pleasantries—Hello! How are you? How’s the clan? Are you holding up? Are you eating well?—Poppyshine smiled over at Birdstar. She hopped up onto a fallen log, carefully walking along the cool bark that pressed into her tired paw pads. She meowed, “If you could only have one type of prey for the rest of your life, what would be the best prey to have, and what would be the worst?” She leapt down, landing with a slight slide in the mud underpaw in front of Birdstar. Their size difference was much more obvious when they were almost nose-to-nose like this…or more like nose-to-fur, with how Birdstar was a head taller than her. Poppyshine grinned up at her. “I will judge your answer quite harshly, so choose wisely.”

RiverClan • Tier 5 • Deputy • She/Her • 70 | 160 • #669966

Credits: code inspiration - 1 2 |  image 1 | image 2 | image 3

Birdstar

The journey had gone as well as possible so far. Their difficulties had been few, beyond the natural squabbling of asking so many cats to find familiarity in those they naturally opposed. And, somehow, Beechfang had not been spotted amidst their ranks--at least, if she had, it was not by traitorous eyes that would condemn her to Perchstar. Though they had a much longer walk ahead of them, surely with more peril lying in wait, these signs felt good. The stroke of mock good luck and the settling routine made it easier to relax as the day drew to an end, but the end of her nerves still buzzed. As surprising as it was, Poppyshine's invitation for a walk was the perfect excuse to step away from the humdrum of the Clans' mass.

So clouded by stressors as her mind was, Birdstar hadn't realized how much she'd missed her friend until they spoke together. Even the rehearsal of pleasantries made her feel lighter. There was a tingling regret at the base of her neck, and the want to apologize crept frequently to her tongue, but she bit it back. Poppyshine's companionship was easy to fall into despite moons apart, and she was going to pursue the rare opportunity to loosen the constant tension in her. She was selfish with what she loved. It was easy, anyway, to think of Beechfang less the farther they walked. Poppyshine's light was unbeatable, even against the storm of her thoughts, and Birdstar's attention was centered on her.

Birdstar tilted her head to watch Poppyshine hop onto the log, briefly amused by having to look up at her. It wasn't humor that made her blood run a little warmer, but she couldn't place the feeling. Whatever it was, it carried heat all the way to the thin veins of her ears, deepening when Poppyshine leaped back down to smile up at her. Birdstar's ears were twitching to and fro in an effort to dismiss the sensation, but she wasted not a beat before smiling back. "Is that so?" She laughed. "You didn't invent that question for an excuse to judge me for something, did you?" Birdstar's eyes crinkled with warmth. She gave Poppyshine's shoulder a friendly nudge--the same sort of gesture she'd issue to any Clanmate she joked with, but it made her feel lamb. Birdstar looked skyward rather than facing Poppyshine's expectant smile. The familiarity of finding the same deepening purple of evening no matter how far from home they were helped steady the (oddly, not unpleasant) unbalance she felt.

"Hm..." Birdstar hummed after a few paces. "Mice. No-- voles. We see them less, so it's not often I have them." She nodded to herself, satisfied with the answer. "It feels strange to say this as SkyClan's leader, but I think birds would be the worst. Any of them. I mean, I like them fine... all the feathers are a hassle, though. I think I would go mad, having to pick them out and clean them away with every meal." Birdstar laughed again, the sound carrying the faintest warble, and lowered her head to return her attention to Poppyshine. The smile she wore still lingered, sheepish and real, and her eyes were light. "Hopefully those answers are acceptable." A brief, rumbling purr of amusement rose in her throat. "What about yourself? Be warned, though--I'll be just as critical with you."

Poppyshine

Poppyshine’s ears stood tall and her smile grew wide at the sound of Birdstar’s laughter. With the absence of their meetings at the river, and with how dire the circumstances of the forest and then the travel had been, cheer had been lacking; especially for Birdstar. Hearing her laughter now was as refreshing as fresh river water on a hot greenleaf day. Poppyshine couldn’t help but echo the laugh with her own.

She continued walking, keeping close to Birdstar’s side as she listened to her answer. When the cold chill of the breeze blew through the shorthaired cat’s fur, she pressed up against Birdstar’s flank to sap some of the warmth of her thick pelt away.

“Voles are a good answer,” Poppyshine mused. “But you don’t like birds? As a leader of SkyClan and being named after them? I feel like that’s blasphemous!” She laughed harder. Of course she did not really mean it was, but Rowansong had taught her the humor in being overly dramatic. When her laughter faded out into gentle chuckles, she titled her head back to look up at the golden sky of sunset. “As for me…My favorite would probably be fish. It’s not a very compelling answer for a RiverClan cat, I know, but they really are the superior prey. There is very little skin to peel off, small organs, and mostly just meat! Have you ever gotten a chance to try fish?” She paused and then hurriedly added, “Oh! And my least favorite would be toads or frogs. We get them a lot by the river but they are so slimy!” Her nose wrinkled. “They taste okay, but the sliminess is too unpleasant.”

They came over a crest of a shallow hill. Poppyshine looked down into the low valley and her eyes lit up. The trees in this area were less like the pines of ShadowClan that they had been encountering, and instead their leaves were golden and yellow, drifting off onto the ground below and creating piles. There was one large particular pile several foxtail lengths ahead. Poppyshine did not often get kittish instincts anymore after she had grown older, but she felt it now buzzing in the back of her head.

Poppyshine looked at Birdstar and grinned wide with gleaming eyes. “I’ll race you to the leaves!” she challenged before taking off with an elated giggle towards the pile. Neither were speedy WindClan cats, but Birdstar was much bigger and had longer legs; Poppyshine needed all of the advantage she could to beat her.

RiverClan • Tier 5 • Deputy • She/Her • 70 | 160 • #669966

Credits: code inspiration - 1 2 |  image 1 | image 2 | image 3