Saltmeadow Marsh

[Fawn]

Cheeks puffing, Fawnsqueak was indignant at the suggestion since he hadn't technically come here to... to thank him, of all things. First, he'd needed to determine if the guy was even real before he could consider a suitable way to voice his appreciation. "Well, yeah-- but then you started talking and now I mostly wish to bat your face." He probably got that a lot.

"Thanks," he said, meow dry. "I'm glad I don't look like a pile of dust to you, she's like.. ancient. And SkyClan, because that's all she talks about. The good old days, or whatever." Fawnsqueak shrugged it off, Fennelheart's sour old lady antics forgotten when he commented on his tail, which he prompted tucked in. A flush of heat on his skin was soothed by the cooler spring air. "Oh uh," a laugh, breathy and light, "yeah, it's alright. It's a tail.. not much of one, I guess, but.." Fawnsqueak craned his neck to look at his hind end, wriggling the tail in question.

Fawnsqueak was momentarily impressed by his towering height, jaw going slack in observation and finishing with a couple blinks to clear his thoughts. "Bumblebelly," he repeated to test out the name. In reference to his act of kindness, Fawnsqueak ventured, "So... it's not because you're sweet like a bee's honey?" Oh stars, he wanted to face-paw after hearing it aloud. With a cough and a faint groan, he added, "Ignore that. Sorry. It was lame, and I'm-- honestly, I should just be giving you an actual thank-you. Considering... you're the reason I'm not Fawnshreds in some predator's stomach."

Mention of his nerves had him offering a chuckle, something between a grimace and smile on his face. "I'm just, bad at the whole 'social' thing, y'know? That's how I got thunked on the head in the first place-- I may have angered the wrong tom." His nose wrinkled. "Didn't help that I forgot ShadowClan has thin skin."


@Bumblebelly

[ameko]

@:Grimm: @Slushie @Blissie Bliss

Rubbing his scent on the fronds that grew along the river, Sagehawk looked out towards the ice. It was probably a lot more fragile than it was during the heart of leafbare, so he imagined there wouldn't be much luck trying to get across. At least they'd get to fish more.

He marked a rock further away from the shore. Sagehawk opened his mouth to say something, to cut into the silence, but instead sighed and shut his mouth. The quiet wasn't all that bad, anyway.

[teddy.]

Another chuckle of amusement slipped from the Tom's fanged mouth. What he would give to have someone as playful in his own clan! Starclan certainly had blessed Riverclan with such a big character in a small cat. "If you wanted to bat in ny rather handsome mug, you would've done it by now," Bumblebellys smirk grew wide. "But... if you aren't careful you might end up buried in a ditch".

"I must admit, Elders are certainly a hit or miss. They're either the cuddlest cats to roam the earth or sour old bats! Never inbetween." He hummed, the warm feeling of content growing in his chest. It was odd, to think that at the end of the day, regardless of clans, they were cats with families and loved ones, just like any other feline.

Bumblebelly chewed his lip. "What's Riverclan like? I was only briefly there but your dad - Buck or something - didn't bite my head off so I'd call it a positive." He lowered his voice, nervously looking back at his own clans territory. What type of warrior had doubts of their allegiance? "The smell is... not brilliant, I just admit, but no doubt I smell like frogs to you," He flashed an uneasy smile.

@Dipper

[Slatepaw]

It was a fine, warm afternoon, with dappled Ray's that cut through the evergreen of Shadowclan territory, enough to remind them that New-leaf was nearing. Earlier that day, Blackfoot had taken to training his apprentice which always left him disheveled and distasteful. There was something wrong with Sparrowpaw. He felt that he shouldn't even be training her but that was up to Icestar and so far, she hadn't excepted his concerned. She was a manic and the last thing he wanted to do was teach her to fight well.

After returning to camp to drop off his apprentice, he needed a breather so out into thier forest he wandered. His golden gaze fell down to the ground, watching as each muscular paw dug into the earth as he stepped. His slick black pelt allowed him to slip through the shadows with sweet camouflage, not that he was thinking about that. His mind was much more occupied.

It was so occupied in fact that he found himself wandering to a place in the woods that he tried to avoid; Riverclan's border. Finally, his thoughts were cut through by the smell of those slimey, fishy rats. His maul immedately curled back with disgust as he caught the scent, his black pelt raising as a gentle growl rolled from his chest. In his apprentice years, this was where his mother was murdered in a petty border squirmish. He'd never forgive...
@Dipper

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by Bumblebelly

Another chuckle of amusement slipped from the Tom's fanged mouth. What he would give to have someone as playful in his own clan! Starclan certainly had blessed Riverclan with such a big character in a small cat. "If you wanted to bat in ny rather handsome mug, you would've done it by now," Bumblebellys smirk grew wide. "But... if you aren't careful you might end up buried in a ditch".

"I must admit, Elders are certainly a hit or miss. They're either the cuddlest cats to roam the earth or sour old bats! Never inbetween." He hummed, the warm feeling of content growing in his chest. It was odd, to think that at the end of the day, regardless of clans, they were cats with families and loved ones, just like any other feline.

Bumblebelly chewed his lip. "What's Riverclan like? I was only briefly there but your dad - Buck or something - didn't bite my head off so I'd call it a positive." He lowered his voice, nervously looking back at his own clans territory. What type of warrior had doubts of their allegiance? "The smell is... not brilliant, I just admit, but no doubt I smell like frogs to you," He flashed an uneasy smile.

@Dipper

Fawnsqueak scoffed at the notion of Fennelheart being an elder. "Elder? She's... not even an elder yet, but she's getting plenty of practice for when she finally retires." Despite his moons of being an apprentice, he hadn't much experience with elders and tipped his head at Bumblebelly's perception of them. Perhaps poking fun at the fact he was visibly older than him, Fawnsqueak snarked, "So which of those two types are you?"

And for a moment, he was left to wonder if he should be able to talk so easily with this ShadowClanner considering their difference in allegiance. It felt like a disloyalty to be enjoying their discussion.

The next question suggested he wasn't alone in his concerns. "Yeah, Buckfrost," he confirmed, clearing his throat while gathering his thoughts. "I guess it's kind of like anywhere else-- well, mostly. We don't have shortages like ThunderClan or WindClan since there's ground-prey and the river, uh... Oh! Lionstar and Sootflare keep it pretty organized with patrols and everything, and we have SkyClan's old land ever since the merge."

Unable to resist returning it, Fawnsqueak beamed faintly. "I'm pretty sure that's just the smell of a dullard's defeat. Must be spending too much time around your leader."

[teddy.]

"You act like a shadowclan cat is going to know which of your clanmates are elders or warriors," His brow raised at the others questioning words, "You described her as old, so I assume elder. The first time i saw your tiny butt - flopping about here like one of the fish you eat - I assumed you were an apprentice!" He snorted at the notion, looking back on it he was deeply wrong with that assumption. "I suppose hanging around with giant cats filled to the brim with confidence and strength leaves me a little.. biased when it comes to assumptions." Bumblebelly cleared his throat.

A loud scoff sounded from the Tom, one of his large black paws came to playfully poke Fawnsqueak in his little brown chest, "Excuse me I have more than twice the amount of moons left! I'm in my prime!" Bumblebelly ruffled his neck fur up to appear larger, his ego mildly pained but it would heal quickly, no doubt. He was a resistant warrior, afterall!

He decided sit properly as the other spoke, nodding encouraging with each word he heard. Bumbebelly was fascinated with the other, hanging off every meow that left Fawnsqueak. Bumbebellys fluffy tabby tail came to curl over his paws. "Sootflare is an honorable cat, I've heard. Your father seemed so as well, reasonable and the likes," His warrior voice was on now, maybe he hadn't stopped seeing the other as an apprentice? "I have no comments about that situation regarding the defeat, on your part..."

Once again, Bumblebelly looked over his shoulder, back at the woods he called home. A pained wince left him, a quiet sound hidden by the noise of the stream. "If you have any questions about my own clan, I wont hesitate to answer, a s gratitude for you answering my own! As long as they're reasonable, of courses."
@Dipper

[Fawn]

Fawnsqueak's chest inflated as it was poked, poofing up his fur every-which-way. "I guess that explains why you're out here talking to me instead of in camp basking in your fawning clanmates' attention," he teased, then became a little more curious about that than he should have as he wondered if Bumblebelly did have cats throwing themselves at him. He was a handsome tom with nice eyes and a kind smile, a great personality, so it wouldn't surprise him. Upon seeing his ruffled appearance, Fawnsqueak playfully added, "I mean, I don't know how they could resist that neck-fluff of yours."

It was genuinely surprising and maybe a touch flattering that Bumblebelly seemed truly interested in RiverClan, not merely a courtesy question like he imagined it was. "I... seriously didn't expect you to be that interested," he admitted, a smile blooming on his muzzle. "With things between RiverClan and ShadowClan, it's.. y'know, kind of unusual to be here chatting rather than clawing each other's ears off, much less having a civil conversation? Well," Fawnsqueak paused, lost to his political daydreams, "at least from ShadowClan's side. I don't think we really feel hostile toward you guys anymore, but I wouldn't be shocked if Icestar incorporated RiverClan-hatred into apprentice training."

Fawnsqueak followed Bumblebelly's gaze deeper into ShadowClan, then peered to him with a cross of disappointment and curiosity. He could deduce what that look meant, though it put a sinking in his heart. So he was slightly taken aback to receive the offer from Bumblebelly in return but visibly relaxed, humming as he considered his options. "Okay, uh... I've always wondered this-- do you guys actually eat frogs? ..Is anyone bitter about Lionsgrove? Are all of your clanmates, y'know, large? And who is that jerk who's big and burly and.. somewhat scarred, golden fur? Hangs out in the medicine cat den, I think? That's the asshole who gave me the head injury." Carried away, it was only after he finished speaking that he grew sheepish in light of the realization it may have been more questions than allotted. Heat rising in his cheeks, he coughed, pupils darting. He... could fix this, negate it possibly. In an airy chuckle that aimed to be casual but primarily seemed nervous, he joked, "And.. I'm dying to know, how many of those ShadowClan cats are mooning over you?"


@Bumblebelly

[teddy.]

"Fawning clan mates attention? Starclan, you really did bump your head!" A bright ball of laughter burst from the black boy. His howls of chuckles could be heard from all around, if you knew what to listen to. "Mooning over me? Dear Fawnsqueak I haven't had a mate in over ten moons. Nobody cares to take much notice of me. Besides, the little time I do decide to spend lingering around camp will be with kittens or apprentices. I have.. a habit of trying to adopt anything with a pulse." Bumblebellys cheeks would grow hot under his fur as he admitted it, with two biological kittens and another two adopted, admitting he was a fatherly fellow wasn't unexpected.

his laughter stopped, expression turning to a grimace. It would be hard to discuss clan life without talking about that situation. "Everyone in the bloody clan thinks they're a tough nut you can't break. The place is filled with aggression and the likes... But you know, it's my clan, my home.. I can't do much about it other than trust my leader to do their job." His meow was a low grumble of discontent. Bumblebelly refused to see how violence was the answer to everything, for a cat born into Shadowclan, the title of Gentle Giant would be befitting. "If I can avoid shedding blood of another feline, I will. Its impossible to have four clans running the forest if we all have died from war, it's bad enough we have predictors and two legs setting out to end us, without our clans at war!" Passionate was an understatement for the enthusiastic warrior.

Besides that point, he had questions to answer! "Everyone is relatively... thick? They aren't all large but they definitely have long fur, thick muscles, just well built. It's a gene, I suppose. Not that I have Shadowclan blood."

Bumblebelly's curiosity in the Tom kept growing and growing with each syllable that left him. He was fascinated! Ears perked to attention, ready to absorb every question or comment like a sponge. "Yes we eat frogs, they're like fish but.. land living. Everyones pretty upset about Lionsgrove; Lionstar seems a bit full of himself for the name."

A big cat with scars? Half of the clans were Big Cats with Scars. "Neard of them. You've just gone and described half of the bloody clan in a single sentence. Besides, I'm not familiar with everyone in my clan. The only cat I know to hang about the medicantion cat den is Irispaw... unless you're referring to Thunderhowl?" He quirked a brow. "I think I've wrapped up all your questions. I just admit I'm a little bewildered about your assumption I have cats crushing over me. I'm a big Tom, you can find a million and one of those in my clan, and probably one that actually bloody liked the violence we are eager to impose. Does anyone fawn over you? No pun intended, of course.." Bumblebelly snickered at his own, such a cheesey cat.

@Dipper

[dino.]

[ @:Grimm: @pathos @Blissie Bliss ]

Goosepaw rounded a big rock as he returned from his section of the border, but he paused as he saw Sparkheart race onto the ice. It was getting warmer out. There was no way that ice could hold a warrior for very long. "Hey, Sparkheart!" he called. "Be careful!"

[marshy]

[ @Slushie @pathos @Blissie Bliss ]

"Yeah! That Ice could break at any moment!" Morningmeadow called. That ice didn't look the thickest, Sparkheart could fall in easily.