The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Subject: in good company [open] Wed 28 Aug 2024 - 11:43
you don't know love
Scarletflare's paws had carried him to the riverbank, led him to jump in and swim and dive until he was pretty sure there was water instead of blood running through his veins. Diving under to grab a larger fish that wouldn't come close to the surface was a valuable skill, and something worth practicing.
Taking a break in the middle of his personal training was unusual. He tended to push himself until he couldn't keep going. But today...
Today, there was a light rain that caused ripples on the water, sunlight dancing over its surface.
Maybe today, he was distracted. But for once, he just wanted to swim, and maybe bask in the company of his clanmates.
Subject: Re: in good company [open] Wed 28 Aug 2024 - 15:03
The light rain was just shy of being an irritant, but Swandive stood transfixed by the ripples on the water's surface. There was something soothing about them, oddly enough. And the sun was still shining, scattered atop the rippling water. It was a pretty sight, actually.
Movement farther along the river caught the warrior's attention, and blue eyes glanced up to see Scarletflare swimming. The sight provoked a small smile from Swandive. When... Was the last time she had simply gone swimming, rather than being engrossed in patrolling?
Whenever it had been, it was too long, she decided. "Hi, Scarletflare!" She didn't know the other warrior well, or at all really, but he was a clanmate and that was good enough for her as she waded into the river, paws pushing off the sandy riverbed to carry her farther in.
Subject: Re: in good company [open] Sun 1 Sep 2024 - 13:23
you don't know love
Though he tended to keep a slight distance from the majority of his Clanmates--something he supposed he should work on; some new company felt long overdue--he still felt a bit of warmth as Swandive joined him in the water, recalling her a little more clearly than most. She was his best--only--friend's sister, after all; of course he tried to pay some attention.
"Swandive," he acknowledged with a dip of his head.
"I wonder... Swimming too close tends to spook the smaller fish, doesn't it?" he mused aloud. "If we positioned ourselves correctly, I wonder if it we could drive them toward a fishing patrol."
Then he shook his head slightly, dismissing the idea for the moment.
"Still, what's the point in learning how to swim if we aren't going to have fun? Especially in greenleaf; there's less work to do, so we should enjoy ourselves while we can."
Subject: Re: in good company [open] Mon 2 Sep 2024 - 16:32
Her whisker's twitched at Scarletflare's words. "That would be an interesting way to fish... More engaging than just sitting on the banks. Still, fish are slippery little mousehearts and better at swimming even than we are..." It could be an interesting experiment though.
"Sometimes I wonder what the lake would have been like in this weather. Instead of, y'know, being frozen to death by just looking at it." And Wrensong, who had gone into that frigid water and actually nearly froze... The thought made Swandive shiver involuntarily. "It's so nice to be home, and in greenleaf." She added. They'd been home for a while, of course, but it was something Swandive wouldn't take for granted again. "Being able to swim in the river... I missed this.
Subject: Re: in good company [open] Tue 3 Sep 2024 - 13:00
you don't know love
He dove under entirely for a moment before surfacing again, freshly soaked from the top of his ears to his tail-tip. "Greenleaf is the best time to experiment with things like that, I'd say. Makes it so we won't have to worry about a shortage of prey if it doesn't work out."
Then, as Swandive mused about the lake, he suppressed a shudder; grateful that the water hid the way his fur bristled at the memories. "It was pretty, once we caught up with you," he acknowledged. "But who knows what other dangers might be hiding underwater, even in warmer weather? What if it's filled with massive water-beasts, with sharp teeth and a taste for flesh?"
The wolves, when they caught up with the Clans that night... He almost hadn't been able to force himself to move. He had been paralyzed by fear in that moment.
He took a breath, forcing himself to focus. Easy conversation, not bitter memories.
"Personally, I much prefer the river, where the only dangers are the ones we already know."
Subject: Re: in good company [open] Tue 3 Sep 2024 - 18:12
"That's true," Swandive agreed, paws moving to keep herself afloat. "I'd be happy to never see leafbare again, if only it could just stay like this..." She'd take the light, misty rain over the harsh snows and cold any day.
A flicker of movement below the surface caught her attention, but the fish was gone too quickly for her to even begin to move toward it. Indeed their swimming tended to startle the little creatures... A very different reaction to their territory being invaded than Riverclan themselves would have had, she knew. Blue eyes turned back toward the other warrior as he spoke.
"Honestly? I hardly remember what it actually looks like, things were so busy. So many cats were sick and I don't think I even explored half of the territory we had made for ourselves there. I don't know how you two managed on your own... No cat should have to." She had been so worried as to be furious with Pigeonpounce for daring to get herself separated from the clan at the time, but Swandive was simply glad that her sister and clanmate had returned to them safely.
"Maybe... You're not wrong. The river is familiar... It's home in a way that no lake or mountain will ever be. As curious as I was about it, I'm not sure I'd want to return. Not if it meant everyone's lives at risk again." The sickness that had swept through the clans had been terrible enough to deal with. The snows, the wolves, being on the run from a beast she'd only heard of in nursery tales... Yes, Swandive much preferred the familiar comforts of the river.
Subject: Re: in good company [open] Wed 18 Sep 2024 - 20:57
you don't know love
"With luck, we'll be able to stay where we are for quite some time," Scarletflare mused. "Though there's no stopping the changing of the seasons, just as we can't halt the sun in the sky. The leaves of the forest will change color soon, and then they'll fall; and eventually the pools will freeze over."
He darted from one side of the water to the other, tail swishing happily whenever it happened to surface. "This, right here, is our home. It was good enough for Riverstar to settle here, once upon a time; it's more than good enough for me. It might have been nice to see, under better circumstances... But the way I see it, it never could be better than this."
Subject: Re: in good company [open] Thu 19 Sep 2024 - 16:55
Swandive shivered at Scarletflare's wwords. "You're right... Hopefully things will never be so dire for us to leave again." There was something ominous in those words. The inevitability that things would change, whether they wanted them to or not. An unfortunate fact of life. Swandive ducked, allowing the water to flow over her head before popping back above the surface. It didn't entirely clear her thoughts, but it felt nice.
"Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't have compared to this." She agreed, "The river is home and I can't imagine considering anything else." She was not of Riverclan blood, and Perchstar and Owlcall had taken her and her siblings in, but that didn't make the river any less of a home to her. She would defend it til her very last, if she had to.
Subject: Re: in good company [open] Sat 28 Sep 2024 - 9:15
you don't know love
"Even if some circumstance sends us away, I'm sure we'll circle back to the place we belong time and again. I just hope I can skate on the ice come leaf-bare; it should be good for practicing balance."
As if the emphasize the water, not that he needed to, Scarletflare darted from one end of the river to the other and back again. "There's no sense taking a day this beautiful to dwell on potential misfortune, after all; especially when the water is so wonderful."
