Smallpines

[goodacacia]

Floodsight
✦ RiverClan | 21 moons | Mind Reader ; Beefed Up T1 ; empty slot

Her focus turned from the water to the cats that just arrived. Thank the stars Fishfreckle had pulled the molly out of the water. They had been too late for Mudsmoke, but Jayfrost was still somewhere under. Her eyes pierced the bank and otters with cold hatred, but had a slight defeated look.

"Should we get Larkwing back first? And...for Jay..." Her voice trailed off, unknowingly if those were the right words to speak. But Larkwing needed medical attention, so that was a must.

Her eyes once more filled with grief and regret. Couldn't she have done something more? She did absolutely nothing during this whole patrol. Absolutely nothing. It hurts her to see her clanmate all bruised and batter while she stood almost unscathed. It almost felt like history was on repeat. Once again, she felt helpless to the world.

[ @Neptune. @taillow @burntToast @Idiotic.Bean101 @alec @Dark @BEAR. ]

[BEAR.]

The otter fled, and took its friends with it. At this point, Wolfhive was too tired to protest more than a couple grumbles when Duskfish and the Dumbfish decided to help him to shore. He could swim! ... well, not as well when the surplus of his energy was used up.

Second his paw hit land, though? Wolfhive weaseled away from the duo, taking a few steps away from the waters' edge before he sank into a sitting position. He didn't have it in him to try to shake the water from his fur, at least not immediately. The damage dealt to him by the otter was largely the gashes in his flank, but he had received a few additional bites and scratches as they drove the beast back. The extent though, was hard to see beneath his wet fur - and honestly he just didn't care.

Wolfhive didn't like being on RiverClan's bank, the last time he'd truly been over here, outside of the raids, was after they tried to kill him. He'd just been an apprentice then.. with his 'ma and Muddy, and he had to kill in self-defense.

... speaking of the devil. His gaze fell on Larkwing, eyes narrowing. From the other side of the river he hadn't given the tortoiseshell much though, but now that they were on the same side -- the otters were gone -- he knew this cat and his sodden fur raised enough to show the start of a bristle. Had he not been soaked, it might've been more spikey.

What was she doing here? Did RiverClan let back anyone who begged and pleaded? Wolfhive didn't understand this decision. A coward, deserter, lazy sack of fur that had no clue how to keep cats in line - evident by the mouthy shrimp that was going off on Dusklion and valuing the life of this worthless fox-heart over the rest. Hhe personally associated her with the poisoning and ambush; how disinterested she was in resolving that conflict, how his pain never mattered to RiverClan 'cause it was 'just a few cats who inflicted it.'

It's a sour note in his mouth, and the fish were lucky he had self-control because he wanted to take the shrimp and his dungfriend and feed them to the otters in pieces. After breaking all of Fartwing's legs, slowly - fragment by fragment. Of course he'd make sure not to kill either - he'd want them alive, watching as the otters consumed them. Wouldn't matter to anyone else, 'cause it was only him doing it, right?

Wolfhive thumped his tail instead, dragged himself to his paws despite his body's protests, and paced the bank to determine the best route across. The otters were still in the water - haaaing at the patrol - but had kept back, hopefully because they saw how injured one of their own was. He eyed the water a little skeptically before he went in and crossed, a little rough due to fatigue, but made it onto his side and up the bank into the woods.

---

Sedgeflake didn't really get why Dusklion bothered. Once the otter was driven back, he'd been instructed to help the stupid squirrel out of the water - was it really so bad to let him go?? The otters would've been blamed for it, it wasn't like ThunderClan could tell RiverClan let him drown. But nooo.

He ignored the rat for the remainder, simply disinterested and also if he did pay him further mind he might try to kill him. He hoped Dusklion didn't make a habit of fishing out Thunderrats - they weren't worth her mercy.

Larkwing had been scooped out by -- when did Fishfreckle get here?! And they had Floodsight, Catfishwhisker - Mudsmoke was gone, Jayfrost was gone. He wasn't that surprised, he saw Jayfrost go under but Dusklion had been the more important choice. (sorry not sorry)

Then Fishfreckle decided to run his mouth. Sedgeflake snarled back. "You suddenly an otter expert, Fishbrains? Why don't we chuck you in after Mudsmoke and Jayfrost and see how you deal since you know so damn much!" He wouldn't actually - probably - but if Fishfreckle pushed it, maybe. "Stars, a patrol this size could handle MOST predators, and we're trained in swimming if they got in the water. This should've been a breeze. Stop acting like she should've known better when this is new to ALL OF US. If you'd been in her place, more cats would be dead and that's a fact - everyone knows you can't fight for ass."

Sedgeflake looked over at Dusklion, visibly irked but not with her. "You want me to round up a couple cats to see if we can find Jayfrost 'n... maybe Mudsmoke?"

[ @Neptune. @taillow @Idiotic.Bean101 @alec @Dark @goodacacia ]

[taillow]

Dusklion - RiverClan Deputy

No sooner had she turned around did she have a face almost immediately in front of hers. Instinctively her claws came out as her hackles rose, watching with narrowed eyes as Fishfreckle started in on her. His tone was fierce, and all over an ear. Larkwing was fine!! The deputy bared her teeth, a low growl rumbling in her throat. She was still acutely aware of Wolfhive on the bank with them, and the last thing the Clan needed was to implode, again, in front of ThunderClan.

Each and every one of his words was life a knife, and the deputy lashed her tail. "How in the hell was I suppose to know they wouldn't be easy to take down? Have you ever fought an otter, Fishfreckle? 'Nfact, have you ever fought for anythin' in your starsdammed life 'sides you 'n your own interests?? 'M so sorry to burst your bubble, but I didn't drag Larkwing on this patrol - I asked for volunteers 'n she volunteered! Go stick your muzzle in her face 'n yell at her for it 'n get outta mine before I claw it off!"

Bristling fur, tail bushed out, hackles up, the deputy stared with pupils that were nearing slits as the tom practically squared up with her. The threat to kill her earned a barking laugh. "Ha! Kill me, good one. Get in line for that, Fishface." There were plenty who wanted to do that already - maybe they could all work together and take her out of her mistery. A sharp look was cast to Larkwing, then back to Fishfreckle. "Last I checked, Larkwing is a fully capable warrior who can handle herself, not some kit you need to babysit. But excuse me, maybe that's the set-up you both have. Some sort of weird mate thing." She'd be a fool to not recognize how close the two were, how their reunion had gone after she had returned with the warrior after he'd been missing.

Claws dug into the ground, teeth barred. At some point Dusklion faintly registered splashing in the bank and caught Wolfhive retreating back to the ThunderClan side out of the corner of her eye. Great. So the thunder-rat had witnessed all of this. Just great. Narrowing her eyes, the deputy was fully prepared to bark out a few more words when... Blinking in surprise as Fishfreckle apologized, she just stared at him. He was apologizing. Something constricted in her chest and she looked away with a snort.

Sedgeflake laid into him too, then turned to her with a question. Watching Fishfreckle momentarily, then flicking her gaze up to Larkwing, Dusklion eventually looked between Floodsight and Sedgeflake. "Mudsmoke is... gone. Water was... was too red. Jays... I..." Some part of her told her it was useless to look after them. Jays wouldn't just not be here if he hadn't gotten swept away by the stream, or torn into like Mudsmoke. Stars, the water still held a faint red tint to it. She steeled her expression. "Take the patrol back to camp - make sure Larkwing gets her ear looked at." A glance towards the one of the other relatively uninjured cats there. "Floodsight, come with me to look for Jayfrost... see if we can find him further downstream."

[ @Dark @Neptune. @BEAR. @goodacacia @Idiotic.Bean101 ]

[Neptune.]

Larkwing
~<>~
26 moons || she/her || RC Warrior || Kitty Softpaws, Mind Reader, Killer Aptitude T2
scarred, scrawny dilute tortoiseshell; green eyes

Coughing, Larkwing dislodges the water from her lungs, feeling the way it sloshes and makes her almost sick. She’d barely had the energy or the time to register what was going on until now, veins so full of adrenalin that her vision had narrowed solely to the otter and not much else. Now, though, as the threat had vanished for the moment and she was back on dry land, no longer struggling to stay afloat while disoriented, her brain plays a little game of catchup.

The first thing she focuses on is, of course, Fishfreckle. The fact that he was here now, despite his orders not to be without an escort, was something that both grated on Lark’s nerves and something she was incredibly thankful for. Without him, her situation could’ve ended a whole lot differently, even if Dusklion or another on patrol had gotten to her. She registers in another corner of her mind that… they’re down a few patrol members. Jayfrost… Mudsmoke… and they’re up a couple patrol members too, with Fishfreckle and Sedgeflake (when had he gotten here?). The otters are gone. Not defeated, just… gone. It’s a small victory, if you could even count it as a victory. Larkwing doesn’t feel victorious.

There’s a moment where Fish reaches out to her, and the concern and fury swirling on his face an odd mix, and Larkwing found herself almost scared. Not of him, not really, but more like she was scared of what he would do in his anger. He pulls back, though, before he can make contact with her ear (why was he so concerned about it?), and the snarl in his voice has a shiver running down the former leader’s spine. Weakly she gets to her paws and follows behind Fishfreckle as he storms the remnants of the patrol.

He’s angry. She doesn’t think she’s ever heard him be this angry - and on her behalf, no less.

’Look at her, Dusk- look at her ear!’

"My ear?" She murmurs to herself, reaching up a paw to poke at it and hissing when she makes contact. She’d thought the wetness there had just been river water, but when she pulls her paw away, startled by the sharp and stinging pain, cream fur comes back stained red. She swallows thickly, but Fish isn’t done yelling quite yet. "Fish-" she tries to interrupt, but hesitates, guilt and anxiety coming now to replace the adrenaline in her belly. She had half a mind to snap back at him, that she doesn’t need his protection, that she doesn’t need him to worry, that she’ll get involved in whatever she damn well pleases and it’s not on Dusk to keep her out of matters to keep the clan safe. She has half a mind to shout at him. But… she doesn’t. She lets him keep going even as her own expression darkens somewhat. Yelling might ruin all the progress they’d made in their… whatever this was. So she’ll bury her anger. She’ll never look at it again. And he… he seems to have worn himself out anyway.

Dusklion, though...she does the yelling for her, so there's nothing left to say, not really. The 'mate' comment, though- that isn't- they aren't- are they? She feels a little warm at that and shifts uncomfortably.

"Let's go, Fish," she says after Dusklion dismisses most of the patrol back to camp, "did you want to clear every sharp stone and thorn from the path for me too?" There's a sarcastic bite that she hadn't originally planned on letting out. She'd meant to let her anger go, but it didn't turn out that way, it seems, and her tail twitches behind her irritably.

[ @Dark || @taillow || @BEAR. || @goodacacia || @Idiotic.Bean101 ]

[goodacacia]

Floodsight
✦ RiverClan | 21 moons | Mind Reader ; Beefed Up T1 ; empty slot

Between the putrid red waters and the constant yelling, it made Floodsight kind of nauseous. The initial scare of the moment and the adrenaline had faded, leaving her with only a headache. Just like that, they've lost Mudsmoke and Jayfrost. It only took a few seconds for them to be torn into shreds, leaving a trail of red and death amongst what was originally still waters. She couldn't help but just stare numbly at the bank, almost wanting to gag at the fact that the otters were swimming in bl....

Then there was Fishfreckle and Dusklion, who were yelling at each other. Was it now the time? The silver molly wanted to just tell them to shut it; that there's better things to do than blame each other for something they couldn't have imagined. But they were both just scared, scared of the possibility of losing their life, of someone's close to them. But the words didn't come out. She knew it was all true, if she was in his position, and stars forbid it was someone like Waspmeadow, Rainpaw or Raven...she'd be more than angry, scared to death, blame everyone around her if it meant she could get them back and for them to never have experience something like that.

But they can't change the past. Mudsmoke was gone. Jayfrost is...

That's when she heard her name get called. There was no resistance as she looked at Dusklion and Floodsight just nodded numbly. It would've been for the best if she just lied to herself, gaslight her mind into believing there's some random good positive side. But she couldn't tear her mind off of the shreds of...

"Y-yeah. We'll find him...Mudsmoke, too, give Muds a proper burial...a proper," Floodsight wanted to say 'end', but she knew saying that they'll find him was untrue. What are even the chances they could find them and whose to say the otter didn't just keep them for themselves. She turn back, her blue gaze lay upon Larkwing's cut up ears and then to Fishfreckle. "Take care...on the way back."

[ @Dark @Neptune. @BEAR. @taillow @Idiotic.Bean101 ]