RiverClan Warriors' Den

[Blueberry]

Originally Posted by memetastic

Hello! I'm Mousekit, is anyone interested in being my future mentor?

(Possibly wolfpool, but honestly idk. You will have to make a finder then we will see.)

[BEAR.]

@Rose Queen

By the time he made it into the den, Firehawk was a shivering mess. His fur was plastered to his side, a frozen sleet of ice from the onslaught of bitterly cold wind, and he slowly made his way to the center of the den. It's so warm in here, he thought as he approached his nest and the curled figure of his sleeping mate. She looks cozy.

The fish still hang limply between his jaws, and he gently set it on the ground by her paws. It was remarkable it didn't share the same icy fate as him. "Iceflower?" he murmured the name of his significant other, moving to press his numb nose against her forehead.

[Fawn]

@Mad King

Sound asleep and enjoying peaceful dreams, Iceflower didn't stir as Firehawk padded into the warriors den, her flank rising and falling rhythmically. When her name was spoken, bleary eyes blinked to adjust to her surroundings. "Hm?" came the sleepy hum, then her eyes rested on the wonderfully comforting sight of her mate. "Oh! ..Firehawk?" Iceflower stiffened, about to rise to her paws once she noticed he was wet.. and she could feel the cold radiating off of him. "Why--" she started, nosing his cold body, "are you--?"

An expression of confusion was on her features, her tail twitching anxiously. "Is everything okay?" There hadn't been a flood, had there? It seemed impossible to her that he'd gone for a swim in this weather, the thought never occurring to her.

[BEAR.]

@Rose Queen

"H-dad a bit of an i-incident while I was h-hunting," he murmured. "P-paws slipped on rocks and I went into the r-river. I-I'm okay, j-just a bit on the c-cold side." Firehawk nuzzled her cheek gently, trying to avoid getting her wet or cold as well. "I'm o-okay, sweetheart. Y-you don't have to w-worry about me, d-darling."

It was nice to see her again, even though he hadn't been gone long. The disheveled tom hoped she wasn't too worried about him; the last thing he wanted was his precious mate being scared of his health. The river couldn't kill him if it tried. "I m-missed you a lot."

[Fawn]

@Mad King

Ears instantly swiveling forward in alarm, Iceflower's eyes filled with concern to replace the confusion. "Incident?" she repeated, shuffling anxiously and awaiting further detail. She accepted the nuzzle and reluctantly returned it, still taking it all in. "I don't know.. It doesn't sound okay," she meowed, expression uncertain. Iceflower was fretting, that much was clear from her tone. "How can't I be worried about you when you come in here soaked?"

She pushed closer to him in hopes of sharing some of her warmth, trying to suppress a shudder herself as she did so. It was cold, he felt frozen to the bone. "I missed you a lot too, and I'm so glad you're back," she replied, nuzzling closer. "I just wish you weren't freezing half to death." So caught up in Firehawk and concerned for his health, she didn't even notice the fish he'd dropped near her. Her thoughts were on Firehawk alone, making sure he was regaining heat.

[BEAR.]

@Rose Queen

"S-sweetheart," he murmured, "trust me. I-I'm okay." Cold, but alive and that wasn't likely changing. At worse, he figured he'd get a small sniffle out of his current condition and have to swing by Juniperpaw's den. If it did happen, he didn't think it was preventable. Other than warming up, there wasn't a lot he could do. Firehawk didn't quite know how to respond to her question, but he was glad to accept her snuggling up close to him. He wished he was a bit dryer. Then she .. probably wouldn't get as cold as he was.

He nuzzled into the smaller form of his mate, a shaky purr erupting in his throat. "I-I'm glad to be back. I wish I wasn't freezing too." A part of him longed for New-leaf and Green-leaf, where they could dive into the water without worrying about being frozen. Paws slipping wouldn't result in feeling like he was dying.

"S-should try to d-dry a bit," he quietly said. "I-I'd hate to get you all wet, too."

[Fawn]

@Mad King

His assurances weren't lost on her, but they weren't really helpful when he was shivering, freezing beside her. All she could think was that she was glad he was okay, safe beside her and curled into a loving embrace. Iceflower made a noise of discontent instead of verbally replying to that, pushing closer into his fluffed albeit cold form. It was uncomfortable still, it didn't grow easier -- all she could feel was her own warmth slipping away, hopefully comforting Firehawk instead.

She returned the purr, saddened by his quivering one. "It's okay," she tried to promise, "you'll get warm soon enough." As if to demonstrate her point, she began grooming his fur backwards in an attempt to preserve whatever heat he was producing. "Please don't fall in again.." she meowed, a hint of strain in her voice. "It's not like you to be careless like that. What happened?" If he had to fall in the stream, she wished he would do it during greenleaf when the consequences wouldn't be as unfortunate.

[BEAR.]

@Rose Queen

"I'm n-not gonna fall in again," he attempted to continue assuring her. "I-I think I m-moved a bit too quickly o-on the stones I was on while I-I was throwing a f-fish onto the bank. M-my paw slipped out from under m-me and it sent me into the w-water. I-I don't plan on m-making the same m-mistake twice." He didn't plan on falling in at all, but being half frozen was a bit of a wake up call that he should be mindful of his footing. It'd likely be a while before he approached the water again.

"I l-love you," he said softly, nuzzling close to his mate as she began to groom his sodden pelt. He would have helped, but the warmth of her body and the den was beginning to make him drowsy, and the tom could feel the exhaustion creeping into his bones. Firehawk slowly slumped down into their nest, once more nuzzling his gentle mate. "C-can we .. rest for a bit? Think today h-has left me a bit drained."

[Fawn]

@Mad King

Honestly, Iceflower hadn't thought he would be falling in the first time, much less again-- she hoped not, anyway. "It's lucky you were able to get out," she said, the same worried tone in her meow. It wasn't unheard of for a cat to freeze up, shocked from the cold water, then be unable to escape its icy grip. "Please don't.. just be safe when you're out there." Iceflower wasn't sure what she would do without him, Firehawk was the only reason she felt at home when she was in RiverClan. "No fish, or anything, is worth losing you over."

Letting out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, Iceflower sunk deeper into him, gradually getting herself to relax. Everything was okay now, she just hoped he didn't become ill due to this incident. "I love you too," Iceflower promised with a purr, taking a short break from grooming his pelt. She could feel the tension draining from him, and although surprised he wanted her to stop, she nodded in agreement. "You should get all the rest you can, keep your strength up.." and regain some of his lost heat. Curling into her wonderful mate, Iceflower exhaled slowly and allowed sleep to begin to set in.

[BEAR.]

@Rose Queen

"I know," he murmured quietly, words almost slurred together. Firehawk did consider himself lucky to be alive. He knew the river could be merciless and that RiverClan had lost a handful of cats to it in the past. Even with Cloudsky accompanying him, if the water had wanted him, he would have been swept away into the icy current and lost.

Firehawk was down for Iceflower continuing if she wanted, but the tom was feeling drained after his unexpected swim and the unpleasant walk back to camp. She was warm and comforting, and he snuggled into his mate as she settled down beside him. He hoped he wouldn't get sick either, but it was one of the last things on his mind as he drifted off to sleep beside her.