The Rift [ Atari / RiverClan Border ]

[taillow]

A long-running crack in the earth that splits the Atari territory from RiverClan's temporary camp and territory. It's not deep and small enough for cats to leap over, but it is heavily marked with Atari scent and as such is acknowledged as their border. A few trees dot the ground here and there but foliage is still pretty sparse.

!! DO NOT POST HERE YET !!

[taillow]

DUSKLION
she/her | riverclan deputy | 29 moons

Whatever stress had been building up as far as sending her Clanmates out into unfamiliar territory soon dissipated at the sight of Wisty. Stagheart was there too, yes, but he would have to forgive the deputy as she cast a large grin towards the gray-furred she-cat. "Oh, hush. You're not late, you're more than alright," Dusklion chuckled, blinking slowly at her as she aimed to smooth a piece of fur flat on her shoulders. Even at the mere attempt her heart sped up a bit, and after a moment she gave a nod. "Right then, let's head out 'n figure out what's waitin' for us around here, yeah?" Feeling more energized than she had in awhile, the deputy trotted out of their makeshift camp and lead them towards a rocky path that followed towards the more mountainous section of their new home.

Going deeper into the mountains proved to be just a tad difficult, but nothing that would likely stop any of them. As Dusklion heaved herself over a rock - made a bit difficult by her still-healing flank wound - and landed on the other side, she cast a glance towards Stagheart. "Why don't you check out that way, Stags, 'n Wists 'n I will scout over here?" Subtly she tried to widened her gaze at him juuuuust a little bit in the hopes he'd get the hint - but regardless she trotted away before he could protest (she would apologize later)

"Who's the flower for?" she asked as they came up on a tree and some sort of odd splitting in the ground. Dusklion could detect the scents of other cats that were most definitely not RiverClan, but her attention for right now was focused fully on Wists beside her and trying to build up the courage to just ask her already.

[ Stagheart - @squidz - sorry dusk immediately iced him out, she'll come back around like a boomerang once she's rejected ]
[ Wisteriawren - @Rose - OPERATION HEARTBREAK IS A GO ]

[squidz]

— STAGHEART —

very large, muscular, & scarred light brown tabby tom with stark blue eyes and a torn ear; beefed up tier 2 | just a scratch

[ riverclan warrior | tomcat | 51 moons | gruff & battle-hardened, yet thoughtful; loyal to a fault ]

—

Stagheart nodded his head in greeting as Wisteriawren had arrived, whiskers twitching in muted surprise at how apologetic and flustered she seemed. Despite that, the former kittypet seemed nice enough, so he said nothing and did his usual wordless gestures to show Clan acquaintance.

The large warrior followed his deputy out of the rocky path and into the mountainous areas, letting out a quiet grumble here or there as his paws slipped on uneven footing or sharp rocks prodded his pads. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, just a lot more different than the softer ground of the forest. He was missing his home already, a deepset ache in his heart at the premise of their camp being destroyed. The last glance he'd taken at the bloodstained clearing hadn't left his mind since.

When he clambered (ungracefully) over the rock and dropped down, he firstly nodded to the deputy's order. But then he tilted his head after Dusklion's words, finding that she was still staring right at him. Her eyes got... wider? Blue hues bored into him in some wordless plea — and Stagheart rightly had no idea what she she-cat was trying to say. Was she trying to make sure he didn't protest...? Didn't Dusklion know he'd just about never complained about an order in his life? Was she doubting his ability to go on his own? No... that didn't seem right. But she was acting a little strangely, admittedly; was this aimed at him?

He'd never been the best at reading... emotions.

Clueless, Stagheart's brow only slightly furrowed in confusion; but before he could even try to ask, Dusklion had already whirled around, sticking rather close to Wisteriawren. As they walked away together, his eyes flicked in between them with a slightly piqued curiosity; but then the tom simply shrugged, deciding not too look too hard into it. He was more of a simple guy, after all, and the whims of she-cats sometimes made his head boggle. Too much for his taste. So he'd leave the words at face-value and do what had to be done.

He had a job to do, and when his mind was set, he'd do it. Plain 'n simple.

As he started to walk, at first all he could smell was the freezing mountainous air and the occasional predator bird. But as he continued, worry started to creep into his head; was that a cat scent? Almost as quickly as it came, it was rushed away by the wind. But they kept coming back. And not just one cat's scent, but... multiple.

Is there... someone else out here too?

The thought sent a momentary chill down his spine. Just when he thought RiverClan might be safe out here, he picks up the scent of multiple cats? Perhaps it was just an outsider group passing by... surely that had to be it. No other groups would be crazy enough to dwell in this kind of terrain? Only an exiled Clan in desperation would seek shelter out in this unforgiving landscape.

But the scents didn't lie. Dread settled like a pit in his stomach.

Frowning in uncertainty, Stagheart continued his investigation, glancing back towards where Dusklion and Wisteriawren had gone off. He wouldn't go warn them, yet... perhaps they had already smelled it, too, and his warning would be of no use quite yet. Besides that, surely he should make sure of his suspicions before sounding off an alarm. Resolving to head deeper into this makeshift border he was picking up, Stagheart lowered his head and prowled forward — except now, there was an extra bit of caution and stealth to his steps.

[ @taillow - lmao i can't wait @Rose ]

[finley !!]

mumble

purrks ; hk [ atari ver. ] , dreamwalker
she / they . atari healer
24 moons . autistic
tags ; open to RIVERCLAN CATS
trigger warnings for this post: none

mumble crept out of their den and padded over to the exit of camp. nose to the ground, she decided the blood covering the floor of her side of the den, mind you, needed some cleaning. she was looking for some moss to sop up the blood and also to top off her herb storage. mumble's nose caught the scent of some new flower and her ears pricked excitedly. something to put on her walls! then her nose caught the scent of something else. what was that..?

[Rose]

She/Her | Purrk(s): Just A Scratch

Letting out a puff of relieved air when Dusklion declared her not late at all, Wisteriawren purred softly as her friend smoothed down her shoulder fur. She felt rather sheepish (and a tiiny bit embarrassed) over how disheveled she looked compared to Dusklion - Wisteriawren was still missing clumps of fur where she'd been bitten and scratched by Crowtooth - but her friend wouldn't be offended by something she could not help, right?

"Thank you." She murmured gratefully to her deputy, and then followed the tri-colored cat out of RiverClan's makeshift camp.

Clambering after Dusklion and Stagheart over the uneven, rocky terrain with a little bit of difficulty considering her arm was still paining her and her limp had not left entirely, Wisteriawren was too focused on the ground and her footing placements to notice the look Stagheart received from Dusklion. She merely wandered after her deputy without looking up from the ground, lest she trip over a pebble or as the like.

Looking up finally as Dusklion asked her a question, Wisteriawren's usually happy expression faltered slightly, brow knitting with a rare bout of worry and apprehension at not having been able to find her favorite kit. "It was for Springkit, but I think he's busy with his denmates. I'll get him a new flower later, this one probably won't last until we get back."

That said, the warrior sat back and gently brushed the flower out of her fur. "You want it?" She asked, and then her eyes brightened slightly. "Did you ever get the flower I left behind while we were traveling? Sorry if it got trampled, you were just all the way in the back and I didn't want to..." She trailed off, gaze turning distant for a moment. 'Didn't want to leave Fadingsun's side.' "...to cut through all those cats and upset them."

[ @taillow - Dusklion / @squidz - Stagheart ]

[taillow]

DUSKLION
she/her | riverclan deputy | 29 moons

"No, that's okay. You keep it. Maybe... maybe Springkit is just busy, yeah..." Dusklion didn't have the heart to tell her that she hadn't noticed Springkit with the group, nor his mother Cowskip. It pained her to imagine them still stuck back in their territory, but she hoped the two were at least together. "I'm sure he's gonna love it - you just... you got a way of brightenin' up every cat's day."

The wildflower? "'Course I did - saw you pick it 'n didn't want it to get left behind. I didn't... get to bring that sprig of wisteria you gave me on the first day we met. But I'll make sure to protect the wildflower with my life - I swear it. It... it meant a lot to me, Wists." At that her eyes brightened a bit, a wide grin spreading across her maw. It was tucked away safely at her nest, where she could return later to watch it. Hopefully, maybe, if things went right here... Dusklion would even get to expand that nest.

Her paws tingled with excitement as she slowed her pace and eventually came to stand in front of Wisty while she sat down. Too distracted by the pretty presence of Wisty to notice the unfamiliar scent nearby, the deputy tilted her head to one side and averted her gaze briefly, scuffing the ground with a paw. The normally cool, confident, and composed she-cat was nervous, but she hoped it wasn't... too obvious. "I, uh, actually have been meanin' to ask you somethin'," she started, chuckling nervously at the end. The dark tabby shook her head and looked up at the sky with a grin. "I know you're probably expectin' something a lot cooler, 'n maybe if I wasn't so nervous I could actually ask without all this ramblin' - because stars know I can do that - but uh, I just... I wanted to ask, maybe... if you wanted to come look at the stars with me tonight?"

Oh stars above her heart was hammering at full speed. She was almost certain the pretty she-cat in front of her would be able to hear it. Having looked back at Wists while asking her question, the deputy chuckled again sheepishly. "I guess... well, I mean... ever since that day at Lionsbeach - or heck maybe even at the border where you were tryin' to do that cute little headstand, I've, uh... well, I've liked you. 'N I figured with the wildflower, 'n you're always smilin'... maybe you would want to, uh... do somethin'. Like the stars - watch 'em, that is." Smooth. Real smooth. The deputy internally scolded herself for the butterfly nerves that flooded her stomach as she smiled hopefully at Wists.

This was it! This was her chance she had missed on the journey...

...Oh how wrong she was about to be.

[ Wisteriawren - @Rose ] [ Stagheart - @squidz - feel free to have stag wander back if you want him to witness ]

[squidz]

— STAGHEART —

very large, muscular, & scarred light brown tabby tom with stark blue eyes and a torn ear; beefed up tier 2 | just a scratch

[ riverclan warrior | tomcat | 51 moons | gruff & battle-hardened, yet thoughtful; loyal to a fault ]

—

Stagheart had seen — and smelled — enough. His eyes narrowed at the realization that they were certainly not alone up here. Suppressing an instinctual growl that rose in his throat, the tom quickly turned around and began heading back towards Dusklion and Wisteriawren, carefully traversing the uneven ground. Last thing he needed was a sprained paw on his way to warn his Clanmates that there might be other cats lurking here right now.

What if they're in danger? That made him pick up the pace.

Stag had just scaled a rock ledge when he heard Dusklion's voice. She sounded alright; no yowls or screeches to indicate fighting. His bristling fur relaxed and his pace slowed to a stop, picking up on the last few sentences.

Usually, the tom had no social grace and would essentially barrel into the conversation — but something about her tone made him pause. His ears angled forward as he peered around the corner, seeing that Dusk was clearly... nervous? Best way to put it. She was rambling off about something and glancing up hopefully at Wisteriawren.

Something about the situation told Stagheart that this was mighty personal, and here he was sticking his nose in it. He hesitated, ducking back behind the rock ledge to shield himself. He shuffled his paws a tad impatiently as he waited for Wisteria's reply, wanting to warn them but not stupid enough to interrupt the moment... whatever it was. He had an idea of what it was, of course, but wasn't the type to assume too much.

In the meantime, his eyes scanned along the rocky ridge they walked on, silently daring any of these mysterious mountain cats to step forward and try to lay a claw on his Clanmates. Yet he couldn't stop his curiosity from angling his ears towards the two she-cats, intent to pick up what was happening... against his better judgement, that is.

[ @taillow don't mind the eavesdropper @Rose ]