Silverpaw was soon bowled over by her big sister, and she started to cry with joy. She was so, so happy and she accepted her sisters hug immediately. She started laughing raspily, and nuzzled her big sisters face. "I missed you, Reedy!!! I'm so happy to be home." Her mew was a rusty croak due to the reason for the scar on her throat. She soon saw her big brother, and her face broke into a wide smile. She untangled herself from her sister and started to pad quickly to Flintfang when.. He started yelling at her. Her ears laid back flat and her tail tucked between her legs.
Why... why was her big brother yelling at her? Why was he mad? Shouldn't he be happy that his baby sister is back? She sniffled and her eyes watered. Did she do something wrong? He was her mentor, her brother, her role model in life.. So why was he yelling? She watched him leave camp, and her body shook with unreleased sobs. This was supposed to be a happy day.. But now it wasn't. Her eyes travelled to a light brown cat standing in the medicine den, and she smiled softly to the medicine cat. Fawnpaw padded closer and spoke to her. The silver tabby nodded. "Yeah. And I'm not leavin' again." She promised, speaking both to her sister and one of her best friends.
She exhaled. Drowned, in the river... She was glad it wasn't... Murder, or some other violent way... but only for a heartbeat as she saw the brief look that crossed Nightpaw's face. That didn't help, in fact, it made Dappledpaw feel worse. However, she shook away the feeling and focused on the fact that Nightpaw was alive.
The world seemed to be playing cruel tricks on him. Or at least, that was what Flintfang figured as she stood motionlessly in the clearing, blank sage eyes trained on Silverpaw's figure with the intensity of one who thought they'd really gone insane. But alas, the silver warrior's eyes were not playing tricks on him. It was no angling of the light, no play of shadow that made Silverpaw's figure appear, standing in the midst of camp like an apparition. Maybe this was StarClan's attempt at a jest.
Reedwhisker, his dear sister, enveloped the ghost in a hug, yowling happily about how they'd missed her. That. Was. Not. His. Sister. His sister was dead! He should know, he had buried her with his own paws.
Jaw set with unbridled anger, Flintfang didn't bother get up from his spot, gaze searing holes into the ground. Or perhaps it was his claws that were doing it, seeing that they were aimlessly clawing away at the sandy ground. He didn't understand. One day his world had been turned upside down, and now with it, there was an imposter pretending to be Silverpaw. Sage hues narrowed at the pebble she held in her mouth. He knew that rock. Who had DARED unbury HIS baby sister?!
"You don't fool me." He spat in fury, green eyes narrowed with anger. Gone was the easy-going, happy-go-lucky tom from a few moons before, replaced by a raging monster with zero patience and a temper to match. "You can fool Reedwhisker, you can fool Pikestar, hell, you can fool the entirety of RiverClan! But you. don't. fool. me." And with those disgusted words, Flintfang whipped around and disappeared from the clearing.
Fawnpaw
As much as she had told Wormbite that she was ready to hear what had happened in her absence, the names that had been given to Fawnpaw as bodies added to the pile still rocked her. She hadn't really expected more tragedies to befall her home, and what made it worse was that her time away (save for the very beginning) hadn't been all that bad. Homesickness, sure, but there had been no burials, no sharp glares or angry yowls. Life with Jack and Moose had been calm. So she was finding it difficult even with her newfound growth to accept that StarClan had taken not one but three more lives. Lizardfrost, Nightpaw, and...
Silverpaw?
Blue eyes blinking rapidly as the young brown dappled she-cat stood near the entrance of her den, the image of the silver-furred she-cat she had just been informed had died did not dissipate. No, in fact it only grew more in focus as the pelt of Reedwhisker collided with it. Real, living, breathing... not dead. Not dead.
Fawnpaw was not naïve to the idea of cats coming back. After all, StarClan gifted leaders with nine lives. Birdpaw and Stormpaw had both been given air back into their lungs and life into their eyes. It had been a joyous reunion, Fawnpaw had recalled - both cats had been welcomed home with open paws. Grief was trumped by love and bliss at the fact that StarClan had seen sit to correct their mistake. But something about it was starting to tear at the young she-cat's heart...
It had started as a small, tumbling stone but now that she had a moment to look clearly... it only brought her confusion. The grief she had felt was so raw, so real in the moment she had learned of Silverpaw's death - and now elation filled her from whiskers to tail-tip. Such a sudden change left her feeling dizzy and confused. It begged the question in her mind: why take them in the first place if they were simply going to give them back after awhile? Why make them grieve and feel loss so deep it felt more like claws raking through flesh if it was all for nothing? Was life really nothing more than a game to StarClan? Or... was this the work of the more sinister Dark Forest?
All of these thoughts passed quickly through her mind and Fawnpaw brought herself back to the present in time to hear a loud voice slicing through the clearing. Cold and curt, drawing her head in the direction of its source. Flintfang - wasn't that Silverpaw's older brother? She didn't have much time to react before he fled from camp. Part of her longed to chase after him, but the other part wouldn't allow her to move anywhere except closer to Silverpaw. "You're... alive?" Confusion, tinged with hopefulness, lined her words as her blue eyes grew round. In truth, she was terrified of being wrong. Of this being some sort of illusion.
But with so much pain over the last few moons, it was hard to turn away from the bright and blinding promise that perhaps this was a token of appreciation from StarClan. A gift given to ensure that no matter how many bodies they claimed, cats would always still follow them, if not for anything other than the small chance of being reunited with their loved ones.
If Fawnpaw had more time to give it deeper thought, she would've felt the unconscious anger at her ancestors that bubbled deep within her chest.
Silverpaw was soon bowled over by her big sister, and she started to cry with joy. She was so, so happy and she accepted her sisters hug immediately. She started laughing raspily, and nuzzled her big sisters face. "I missed you, Reedy!!! I'm so happy to be home." Her mew was a rusty croak due to the reason for the scar on her throat. She soon saw her big brother, and her face broke into a wide smile. She untangled herself from her sister and started to pad quickly to Flintfang when.. He started yelling at her. Her ears laid back flat and her tail tucked between her legs.
Why... why was her big brother yelling at her? Why was he mad? Shouldn't he be happy that his baby sister is back? She sniffled and her eyes watered. Did she do something wrong? He was her mentor, her brother, her role model in life.. So why was he yelling? She watched him leave camp, and her body shook with unreleased sobs. This was supposed to be a happy day.. But now it wasn't. Her eyes travelled to a light brown cat standing in the medicine den, and she smiled softly to the medicine cat. Fawnpaw padded closer and spoke to her. The silver tabby nodded. "Yeah. And I'm not leavin' again." She promised, speaking both to her sister and one of her best friends.
Hearing Silverpaw call her a nickname brought tears to her eyes, though they never came down. In fact, it was like they had evaporated into thin air as soon as her brother began to yell. The young warrior couldn't believe her ears. Flintfang, her own brother and Silverpaw's mentor, had gotten angry over the fact his sister was an imposter. What kind of bees got into his brain?! Reedwhisker drew back her lips but said nothing as he spoke. But when Silverpaw burst into tears- well... that was the final straw. She had dealt with kit behavior before, having been a queen a few times, but never had she expected her littermate to act so childish.
"Hang on one moment, sweetie," she spoke to her younger sister as if she were a kit and padded over to her brother, looking quite calm on the outside. That idiot! Oh, he's going to get it! It brought her back to the memories of her having to round up all her kits in the nursery, which she wasn't very fond of due to not having her mate around to help. "FLINTFANG GET YOUR FLUFF OVER HERE AND APOLOGIZE!" Noticing the silver tabby go out of camp, she let out a frustrated growl and quickened her pace, attempting to grab onto his scruff or tail to take him back to Silverpaw. "That's our sister and you know it, do not make me drag you back there myself like a kit!"
Returning to the clearing with her brother hopefully in tow, the dark brown warrior sighed and cast an apologetic glance at Fawnpaw as she arrived on the scene. "Apologies for my brother's actions. He clearly didn't think his own sister was back. Now, Flintfang... apologize to Silverpaw before I drag you to your nest." She may be overdoing it here, but if her kits ever misbehaved, this always did the trick. If he acts like a kit, he's treated like a kit.
Hawkpaw
Hawkpaw grumbled with displeasure as everyone seemed to be making a fuss. What was it this time, another dead Clanmate? Rising to his paws, the tabby and white tom made his way to the clearing. W-wha... t-that's... that's IMPOSSIBLE! Silverpaw died, she can't be back! Confusion and panic ran through his mind- what if any of his victims had returned from the dead? What if they had exposed his secret and his Clanmates were waiting to trap him in a corner? I suppose StarClan and the Dark Forest does exist... it'll never stop being weird, but... this could be good. This could be very good... Hawkpaw slowly backed up and re-entered the apprentice's den to think about his plan for the afterlife. Of course, he'd have plenty of time to think about what to do if he ended up dying.
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Characters
Crow (Purrks: Heightened Perception, Agatha Kitty, Hulk SMASH, Dreamwalker)
Ravenhawk
Flintfang felt absolutely horrible. From the way he was asking to the state his mental health was in. He feared that if anyone pushed too much, he'd break down and start crying in front of them. He, the boulder for his sisters to lean on, was shattered down the middle. Lightning had struck, and Flintfang feared the damage was irreversible. Support couldn't be broken. It didn't work that way. You couldn't build a life on a weak foundation. A weak foundation meant even weaker walls; Nothing could stand without a base. Flintfang had been that base. He'd been the support, holding his sisters up for so long and refusing to break.
Until Silverpaw's death. That had been the final straw.
He'd endured silently through Lilyheart's vigil, refusing to cry. Had spent moons sitting at RiverClan's borders in hopes that one day Shimmerstream would return to them. And then, when she hadn't, he'd drawn Silverpaw and Reedwhisker as close to himself as possible, enveloping them and never wanting to let them go. StarClan had stolen his baby sister from right under his nose. And he'd let them. He'd wasted the day, not bothering to amend his wrongs and continuing with his idiotic ways.
But now it felt like the walls around him were crumbling to ashes, just because Flintfang. wasn't. strong. enough. He was weak, pathetic, and even useless at this point. He couldn't face his sisters, or whatever that cat in the clearing was supposed to be. Whether it was really Silverpaw, or some outsider pretending to be her, the silver-furred tom could not tell. He should know! He was supposed to be able to be strong enough to know who his sister was! But he didn't. And that thought alone made his heart feel like it was cleaved in two.
He hadn't been lying when he'd told Raccoonpelt that his heart was shattered and moth-eaten. It was no lie, just the wicked truth. Glistening tears slipped down the RiverClanners face, splattering on the ground where Flintfang had paused, sitting outside Camp's Clearing. He was a coward. A shameless coward, running from his fears. Because if that cat... That cat in the clearing really was his sister, then why hadn't StarClan sent anyone else back? Why... Why not Lilyheart, or Shimmerstream, or... Daisypaw?
Hanging his head like the utter failure that he was, Flintfang didn't bother move as he heard Reedwhisker's annoyed steps pace after him. He didn't even struggle as his sister cuffed him around the neck and attempted to drag him back. For a few moments, Flintfang considered hanging limply to let her do all the work of taking him back to camp. But he still had some dignity to maintain. Loosening himself from her grip, the silver warrior straightened and pushed his way after Reedwhisker. A wince, at Reedwhisker's snarly tone, and as Flintfang realized Fawnpaw had witnessed his little outburst.
He was really a loser, wasn't he? Hurting his own baby sister like this. "Is it..." He began, putting out his arms for Silverpaw and waiting for her to allow him to embrace him, his voice faltering slightly for a few moments at the hurt expression on Silverpaw's face. "Too late to pretend that didn't happen?" Would she forgive him for being a fool?
CLOUDPAW
⸻⸻⸻
➣ After awhile of sitting there in silence, watching cats go about their day, he would soon notice a familiar approaching figure. The burly RiverClan apprentice sat up a little straighter, allowing a small smile to come to his expression as his light blue-hued eyes fixed upon the older cat. “Good morning to you, Fogcloud,” Cloudpaw replied with a single twitch of his ears, “I would love to. It has been quite awhile since I’ve had a refresher on my land hunting.” Not since… What was that cat’s name again? He wracked his brain for a good few seconds, trying to recall his last hunting lesson, which had also been his first. Ah! Shimmerbird! That was their name. That once RiverClan shield was the one to take little Cloudpaw on his first patrol and had shown him how to hunt. It had certainly been a long time since then though, hadn’t it? Thankfully, Fogcloud was here to fix that. How convenient.
“Anywhere in particular you had in mind?” Cloudpaw asked, stretching out his front paws and standing up, “As long as it’s not Haven Springs, I’m fine with anywhere within RiverClan’s borders.” He ended that note with a light-hearted chuckle. It wasn’t that the curly tomcat had anything against that area, it was more so because he had been there oh so many times in the last two moons. He needed a new change of scenery if that made any sense. Something unfamiliar, something more… exciting? He didn’t know how to explain it. For the longest time, Cloudpaw had always longed for a sense of exploration, adventure. Of course, this was just a simple hunting trip. It wasn’t something to put too much thought towards. Stop overthinking, dummy.
☄. *. ⋆ Fogcloud
The silver tabby hummed and shook their head lightly, "I had no where in particular in mind, probably just in RiverClan territory. There probably won't be a lot of fish left to catch." When Cloudpaw stood up and stretched, they started to lead the way out of camp. Ears just swivling to take in the sounds around them. Though she didn't really know how to start a conversation, it has never been one of her strong suits.
"How is your training going Cloudpaw? It looks like you'll be a warrior soon." Fogcloud asked as they glanced at the apprentice before looking forward again. Thankful for the small breeze that calmed them slightly.
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bump after a week
posting days are tuesday, thursday, and saturday if i happen to post outside of this, it's for my own enjoyment staff sign here
dracarys - dani <3
oh look a fossil
RAHHHH (velli)
Fawnpaw
At the confirmation that Silverpaw was in fact real and alive, Fawnpaw allowed herself to smile and stepped forward in an attempt to nuzzle her friend. "I'm so glad you're back." A quiet breath as she stepped back and nodded. A quiet chuckle as Reedwhisker brought Flintfang back, and his sheepish apology caused Fawnpaw to glance at the older warrior with a subtle nod and wink.
Figuring the apprentice would want time with her family, Fawnpaw took a step back and nodded to them. "It's great to have you back, Silverpaw." Plus, there were things the medicine cat needed to think over in the private of her own den. With a smile towards the family, Fawnpaw turned and headed away.
[ @maple. @SpiritedWarrior @Kat - Kept this short because I need to do an Otterfluff clearing post shortly after this. Glad to have Silver back!
Otterfluff
Quite a few cats had been going missing lately, some of them small kits and others who were quite older. Worry clenched Otterfluff's heart as the fluffy brown tom stepped forward. At least Fawnpaw had returned, as well as a few cats they had lost. But something about the growing list was gnawing at the former Shield to the point where he wanted to host a small, little search party.
"If anyone feels compelled, I plan to do a bit of searching for our recently missing cats. With the colder moons coming, I would hate for any of our Clanmates to be out their suffering alone." His voice was lifted high but not loud or yelling; more so to draw the attention of any cats who might be interested.
[ this takes place at a different time than the current resurrections happening in riverclan. CLOSED! @oleander @Poprock ]
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Last edited by taillow; December 12th, 2022 at 07:31 PM.
Otterfluff
Quite a few cats had been going missing lately, some of them small kits and others who were quite older. Worry clenched Otterfluff's heart as the fluffy brown tom stepped forward. At least Fawnpaw had returned, as well as a few cats they had lost. But something about the growing list was gnawing at the former Shield to the point where he wanted to host a small, little search party.
"If anyone feels compelled, I plan to do a bit of searching for our recently missing cats. With the colder moons coming, I would hate for any of our Clanmates to be out their suffering alone." His voice was lifted high but not loud or yelling; more so to draw the attention of any cats who might be interested.
[ this takes place at a different time than the current resurrections happening in riverclan. open to 2-3 cats, first come first serve! once 2-3 cats have replied this will be closed and the roleplay will move on. i've been wanting otter to do this for awhile so i figured i'd toss it up ]
Fogcloud ears perked when he heard Otterfluff speaking, they hummed lightly before they walked over to the other warrior, lightly bowing her head in greeting, “I would like to join you.”
__________________
bump after a week
posting days are tuesday, thursday, and saturday if i happen to post outside of this, it's for my own enjoyment staff sign here
dracarys - dani <3
oh look a fossil
RAHHHH (velli)
Otterfluff
Quite a few cats had been going missing lately, some of them small kits and others who were quite older. Worry clenched Otterfluff's heart as the fluffy brown tom stepped forward. At least Fawnpaw had returned, as well as a few cats they had lost. But something about the growing list was gnawing at the former Shield to the point where he wanted to host a small, little search party.
"If anyone feels compelled, I plan to do a bit of searching for our recently missing cats. With the colder moons coming, I would hate for any of our Clanmates to be out their suffering alone." His voice was lifted high but not loud or yelling; more so to draw the attention of any cats who might be interested.
[ this takes place at a different time than the current resurrections happening in riverclan. open to 2-3 cats, first come first serve! once 2-3 cats have replied this will be closed and the roleplay will move on. i've been wanting otter to do this for awhile so i figured i'd toss it up ]
Featherflame's ears perked up at the sound of one of her clanmates. A search party? How valiant indeed! Her last search party had been less than mighty... this was her chance for redemption! "Allow me to assist!"
Re: RiverClan Clearing
I see you there~
]
