Saltmeadow Marsh

[BEAR.]

Falconpaw pursed his muzzle at this loud little thing, wondering where he had gone wrong to deserve such an assault on his ears. "Alright, Barkfrozenkit!" If he wanted to give him a new name, fine-- Falconpaw would do the same. "It is Falconpaw, actually.. not Bigriverkit." He was not even from the river!

"Lionfatter..?" He did not know who a 'Lionfatter' was, the name was completely unfamiliar to him. It was strange, this.. Frozenkit looked nothing like a Lion-cat's kit. "So Lionfatter is your father? Did he throw you in the river?"

[ @Dipper ]

[Fawn]

"NO! FROZEN-KIT!" Frozenkit squeaked louder, voice cracking partway through his attempt at correcting Bigriverkit on his name. His immature vocal cords weren't ready for this kind of exercise. After Falconpaw introduced himself, he thought on that for a couple seconds and then announced with a little smile, "I like Bigriverkit! Fell-conepaw, BLEGH."

Frozenkit nodded the confirmation at Lionfatter. That was definitely what Lionstar said he should call him! "Lionfatter big stinky!" he chirped in an echo of Iceflower. "He taked me away from mama then... then said he was new daddy but he threw me in the river and my normal daddy never did that!"


@BILL.

[BEAR.]

"Well, I like Barkfrozenkit!" Falconpaw returned Frozenkit's smile cheekily, a little entertained by his stupidity despite the insult. "Fal-con, not Fell-cone." He did not plan on giving the kit too much issues over this-- he probably would not even recall this discussion.

Frozenkit's story made Falconpaw's stomach twist with concern. This sounded like he had been kit-napped, and that whoever this.. Lionfatter..? was attempted to kill him. Wary now, Falconpaw peered at Frozenkit. "Do you remember who your mother is? Perhaps I can take you back to her."

[ @Dipper ]

[Fawn]

Frozenkit was indignant, certain he had said the name right the first time, even if it was much less flashy than his idea of Bigriverkit. Despite that, he indulged Falconpaw by responding in equal emphasis, "Fail-conkit." Already, he'd forgotten Falconpaw was an apprentice and not a kit, his mind jumping to the assumption that everyone's name ended in kit.

He nodded, happy. Frozenkit could remember his mother! She was... lighter with some darkness! And she had a mom-voice, she yelled at the other kits a lot. Yes, he could indeed remember her. Frozenkit stared, waiting, until he actually managed to realize on his own that Falconpaw probably wanted her name. "Eyes...! Eyesfollow-- Eyesfollower?" Frozenkit stumbled over it, but he was pretty sure he'd gotten close.

@BILL.

[BEAR.]

Yeah, arguing with a kit probably would not get him anywhere.. so he would settle for Failconkit, though he was not a fan.

As he waited for Frozenkit to tell him, he could not help but wonder how he was going to find this kit's mother. With the exception of his scent indicating he was from RiverClan, there was not much to go off of.. but, there was something faintly familiar about his scent. A distant memory of a similarly colored she-cat a few moons back... hm.

"Eyesfollower." Either RiverClan had strange names, or this kit was dumber than a bundle of stones. "Okay, let us see if we can find her."

Falconpaw was about to pick up Frozenkit when nearby splashing startled him, and his fur bristled.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" A golden tom was in the water, thrashing around like some lunatic. He sort of reminded Falconpaw of.. whatshisface, Lionstar. "STARS DAMMIT, IF YOU DROWNED--"

More wild movements, and the RiverClan male was out of the water. Falconpaw was not sure how to proceed from here, muscles tensed. "Uh, do you know that cat..?"

[ @Dipper ]

[Fawn]

"Eeee!" Frozenkit squealed, excited to be back with Iceflower after too long apart and a terrifying encounter with the stream. If he had a choice, he determined that he wouldn't go near bodies of water in the future - they hated him and wanted him to die! When Falconpaw was seemingly distracted by something and wasn't picking him up to take him across the river, Frozenkit stomped his kit-paws into the ground with a demand. "UP!"

That was when Falconpaw asked if he knew some cat, and Frozenkit turned to face that obnoxious splashing noise only to narrow his eyes. "LIONFATTER!" he meowed in greeting, then dropped into a hiss when he remembered he was mad at him, "LIONFATTER...!" And as if to keep Lionstar away, he barked in the direction. "Buh-- ban..branana-boat!" It was intended to be an insult his mother used, "banana boy" but didn't quite come out right.


@BILL.

[BEAR.]

So, this Lionstar and the Lionfat guy seemed to be the same dude..? Falconpaw was a little more concerned than he was before, wondering if Lionstar had truly stolen a kit and attempted to murder it. "Uh.." He was not too keen on bringing the kitten across the river with the crazy golden guy around, but Frozenkit seemed adamant on being heard.

Lionstar's head jerked up at the sound of Frozenkit, and his gaze narrowed in on Falconpaw crouched over him. In a flash, he was starting to go back into the river-- and Falconpaw's fur stood on end. "Stay back! .." What was he going to do? He could not refuse to give a Clan leader a kit, but.. ".. What do you think you are doing, trying to cross the border?"

"That's my kit!" Lionstar informed him, standing in water deep enough to hit his elbows. "I'm going to get him." Yeah, Falconpaw did not buy that for a second-- Frozenkit already told him Lionstar was not his real father. "Look, just-- hand him over, okay? Mother is furious he's gone and you don't want to be the reason her precious stupid baby's return is delayed."

"You threw him in the river." Falconpaw narrowed his eyes at this cat, distrustful. "Why should I willingly give him to you?"

Lionstar let out a harsh scoff, splashing water as he stomped his foot down. "It's a kit, are you seriously believing him over the word of a leader? His mother wanted a break from him, so I took him out on a walk and the little runt decided to run off. He must have fell in the river-- his scent lead me right here. Now give him to me."

Yet, despite this story.. something did not quite settle right with Falconpaw, so he refused to relent. "No. If you want to take him, I want to come with. I want to make sure he gets home safely."

"Ugh! FINE. Come over here. Don't drop the stupid thing-- you might not be able to fish it out again."

Hesitant, Falconpaw reached down to pick Frozenkit up. He was not really looking forward to returning to the water, but if it meant the kit would get home in one piece.. he would tolerate it.

[ @Dipper ]

[Fawn]

Oooh, this was something Frozenkit could help with! He puffed his fur up to look menacing and did his best hiss, though it came out as more air than hiss. "BACK!" he barked at Lionstar but couldn't keep the angry scowl on his face, too delighted by yelling at the meanie who'd thrown him in the river.

Frozenkit lost interest in the rest of the conversation as he noticed a blade of grass swaying in the wind, and he dropped into a sloppy crouch to pounce on it, toppling over to his side to war-dance around his new grass-blade-enemy. He was too wrapped up in the new game to comprehend what was going on between Lionstar and Falconpaw.

Suddenly, he was being hoisted into the air and squirmed, letting out a squeal of protest when his grass blade was being left behind. That was quickly forgotten with Falconpaw nearing the water; his eyes went wide, and he let out an elongated screech. "NO RIVER!" he said in his panic, remembering the last time he'd been trapped in its swirling current.

@BILL.

[BEAR.]

.. Ugh. Okay, fine. He would tolerate the kit's request.

Falconpaw dropped Frozenkit on the bank, shuffling his body to make it possible for Frozenkit to easily climb him. "Get on my back, then."

This was one of those things he would rather dive right into and get it over with, especially when it came to the river itself. He did not like lingering around.

[ @Dipper ]

[Fawn]

Frozenkit took a flying leap onto Falconpaw's back and chomped into his scruff to haul himself the rest of the way atop his personal cat-boat. A happy noise burst from him, strangled with a pinch of fear during the descent into the water. They were still close to the bank, but Frozenkit was worried about their paws getting damp during this endeavor; they refused to be touched by the water again! "Wheeeeeeeee!" he called out but kept his death-grip on Falconpaw.

@BILL.