A Journey for the History Books (RiverClan Journey to the Mountains)

[Rose]

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

There was... stuff on her pelt. Cobwebs and sticky sap and something or the other. She didn't... it wasn't that she didn't like it, she just felt... strange wearing it. What had her on edge even more was that she'd been told these injuries would scar.

'Scar?’ A tiny voice whispered in her head, repeating the word on an internal whimper. She knew that maybe she was being inconsiderate - everyone had scars, everyone received them. But for her, they weren't moments of pride, they were reminders of the terror, the hurt, the pain, the loneliness she'd felt in that moment when she'd been attacked and brutalized by that WindClanner.

Pupils dilating as her breath hitched with fear, Wisteriawren frantically glanced around, paws trembling. She was okay. She was safe. She could pretend none of it had happened, even though she felt shaken to her core. Gathering all her unfamiliar, unidentified feelings, the former outsider one-by-one tucked it all into a metaphorical bottle in the farthest corner of her brain and heart, and then twisted on the lid. Who knew bottling up was so effective until the glass shattered?

Daze expression clearing, Wisteriawren caught sight of Fadingsun making his way towards her - and oddly enough, her entire being relaxed. Well, it wasn't odd, considering she knew what was happening, but Wisteriawren was in denial currently. (Mostly). "Hi." She whispered softly, as if anything louder would drive him away. Just the thought of him not near made her uneasy. So when Fadingsun asked for her to accompany him on the journey, to walk alongside him, Wisteriawren all but melted and lit up at the same time with gratitude and happiness.

She agreed to walk with him, and then rose to her paws, only to squeeze her eyes shut as she was reminded of the faint limp caused by her injured right forearm and the memories it brought rushing back. No, she could ignore those for now.

. . .Speaking of ignoring things, Wisteriawren's gaze flitted to Dusklion as she lingered beside Fadingsun, unwilling to leave his side once he'd invited her along and yet still wondering if her (self-proclaimed) best friend thought Wisteriawren was ignoring her. She had not gone back after giving that hug and then leaving to get healed by Mistyshard or Berrypaw. But she wasn't ignoring her. That wasn't the case at all... and Dusklion didn't seem too lonely from afar. She had Cobwebpaw and another brown tabby with her. She would be okay. They'd all be okay, eventually.

Regardless, Wisteriawren quietly limped a little ways off and plucked a wildflower from the ground with her teeth, bringing it back and gently laying it at her paws. Maybe Dusklion would see it while walking past, maybe it would get trampled by the entire Clan by the time her friend saw it. But that was okay, so long as it was seen broken and stepped on or not. Maybe it was an omen of how broken her heart was eventually to be.

[ @occultation - Fadingsun / @taillow - Dusklion Mention ]

[chickadee]

Bearsnout

28 Moons || RiverClan Warrior || He/Him
Beefed Up Tier 1 || . . .
The Paladin

. . .


Bearsnout was quite grateful for being given a job, even if it was just to break up fights. A job was just what he need right now. It would take his mind off the journey ahead of them. Who knew how long it would take. Who knew how many days they'd be away. Who knew when they would come home? ... Would they even come home? He was letting his negative thoughts get to him again. It was being a bad habit recently, but it was so hard to stay positive in spite of everything that was happening. Their camp was destroyed, and they were forced out of their only home for StarClan knows how long.

He was lucky. He was okay. He didn't get hurt at all during the fight, while his Clanmates were brutally murdered and torn to shreds. He was angry. So angry. He couldn't even remember a time he'd been this angry. Bearsnout wasn't even sure who he was angry at. Bumblestar, Twilightstar, Dawnstar, all their stupid deputies and warriors who had shown no mercy. Deep down he knew that RiverClan maybe deserved it. They'd done some bad things. No. That was an understatement. They'd antagonized WindClan and ThunderClan, and Clans hold grudges. Maybe they always will. Maybe they'd always be caught in a cycle of death and vengeance until it tore them all to shreds. But in his own thoughts, Bearsnout was too blind to see that he too was the problem. The overwhelming, blazing anger, anger that stemmed from empathy, anger that stemmed from a kind heart; anger that kept festering and festering until it could drive a cat mad. That anger was what kept the Clans constantly warring. And maybe there was no way to ever stop it.

That anger wasn't directed at the other Clans. Bearsnout knew that much. It was directed at himself. He couldn't escape this vicious cycle of blame. Everytime he tried to break out and grin and bear it, he only seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the overwhelming guilt that he could've done more to help. But now he needed to forget about it. His anger and guilt could be shoved down to linger somewhere in the back of his mind. He wouldn't let it consume him. Now all they could do was move on.

Bearsnout looked around. A prayer of thanks might help him to calm down. It might be better to focus on what remained, not what was lost. Irisfrost was safe. They still had herbs. They had Berrypaw and Mistyshard. Fadingsun, Dusklion, and all the Lionheart's were still here. The kits and Queens were safe. They had plenty of apprentices. And they'd gained new additions to the Clan. But maybe what he was most thankful for was the perseverance of his Clanmates. He knew that this tragedy wouldn't break their spirits. The tensions and the tide were high, yet they would still swim against it. Maybe thats what kept the Clans from ever being destroyed, despite the many histories and stories from the past. He quickly finished up his prayer. It helped him maintain his positive mindset.

But he had a task at hand! Best try to get it done. The large tom searched the crowd for Duskleaf, his fellow new Lionheart. He'd developed a liking to the other warrior. He admitted the warriors calm and organized nature. Quite respectable in his eyes. The tom approached with a friendly expression, a tired smile. "Hey Duskleaf." He greeted, was there much more to say the other warrior looked like he had it rough in the fight. He was all battered up and had a scarred eyed. Bearsnout decided not to make a comment about that. "Where do you think Fadingsun is gonna take us?"

. . .
@Seamrog - i know you're on vacation atm so feel free to ignore this if you don't have time/want to reply!!

[Bean]

[CENTER]

╔════▣◎▣════╗

A N T L E R B R A N C H
He/Him - 31 Moons - Purrks: N/A
Dark brown tom with white stomach, tufts of fur on his
head, green eyes

╚════▣◎▣════╝

As Antlerbranch rest in tbe abandoned twoleg den, he heard his leader's voice. So, they were moving. As Fadingsun moved to Wisteriawren to say something the warrior couldn't hear, a twinge of an unknown feeling hit the tom. It felt like... Anger? Jealousy? He didn't know. Prehaps it was due to the ex-kittypet having to see all of what happened at the battle. You are so very wrong antler. He stood up, waiting for his head to stop throbbing before trailing out of camp to where his clan was set to gather. Antlerbranch slowly made his way over and sat next to his clanmate.

"... Hi," Antlerbranch mewed quietly, shifting his paws before laying down in a loaf position. "... I've seen some stuff in my time, but nothing as cruel as tonight. Can't imagine what you're feeling. Fluff for brains," he said, instantly regretting the last part. This might not be the right moment for harmless jokes. It reminded of a dark time he's been trying to escape, but he shoved the memory away.

[ @Rose - Wisteria ]

[occultation]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

One day of travel has passed! You're welcome to continue whatever interactions/roleplays you've got going on from "Day 0", but just to keep things organized please stick something at the top of your post that notes whether it's a Day 0 (June 12) or Day 1 (June 13) roleplay!

Fadingstar sighed, flopping down on the grass at the edge of where the Clan had set up camp for now. They'd traveled all through the night and the morning; now that it was getting to be late afternoon, he felt it was high time to stop and rest. He was exhausted, and he knew everyone else probably was, too.

The leader rested his head on his paws. His eyelids were tugging to sleep, but Wisteriawren was still nearby and he felt bad at the thought of ignoring her somehow. Glancing up at her, he opened his mouth to ask her how she was, but found his mouth going dry. The words seemed to be sticking in his throat.

What's the matter with you? he scolded himself. Sure, he wasn't the most empathetic cat by far in this Clan, but he'd never had difficulty asking a simple question before. Not like this, at least.

During the journey so far, him and Wisteriawren had talked about odds and ends; he wanted to get to know her better. She was one of the only cats who had shown genuine kindness to him since he became leader, and he didn't want that to change. Maybe there was another, deeper reason, but he wasn't aware of it yet.

He tried to get the question out of his mouth, but the words just would not come. It was as if his heart didn't want to open up into some sort of potentially vulnerable conversation- not yet, at least.

Suddenly wanting to get away from the situation despite his tiredness, he rose to his paws. He could focus instead on something that wasn't hard to talk about- Dusklion's well-being. "I'll be back in a little while. Try to get some sleep if you can, hm?" He was speaking rather quickly, quicker than usual at least, but he hoped she wouldn't take it wrong somehow.

The black-and-orange leader shuffled away, looking for Owltalon. He knew his sister well enough to know that if he asked her directly how she was, she'd probably lie through her teeth just so she could keep pushing herself for her Clan. He'd seen her wounds after his vision had been restored, but he tried not to make a fuss about it. Dusklion had never seemed to like it too much when he fussed.

Spotting Owltalon, he called to her, "Owltalon! Can you come here for a moment? I'd like to speak with you privately."

( @Rose @Marigoldwhisper )

[kittycatburmise]

Originally Posted by PINTO BEAN

DUCKKIT

duckkit wondered why the clan was moving again.
she liked where they were, she looked around,
and meowed for help to be carried by someone.

Day 0

Irisfrost

They were moving. The decision was sensible; there was too much risk of being attacked if they stayed here, and RiverClan was in no state to fight. But they were in no state to move either. Just a glance around the makeshift camp revealed broken bones and severe injuries. They would have to take it slow.

As Fadingsun lead the cats out, Irisfrost's eyes fell on a kit. She stopped before her and peered down at the young she-cat with a frown on her face. "Do you think you can walk?" she asked. Irisfrost knew the kit would need help, but she didn't like the idea of carrying her all the way. Better to walk beside her and help when she got tired.

[Marigoldwhisper]

`~Owltalon
She, Her\Lionheart\43 moons\Riverclan
"Are you listening, starchild?"

Purrks: Agatha Kitty ACTIVE!
· · ─────── ·· ─────── ·

Owltalon hadn't thought it was possible to be so sore. All that walking certainly put her mind off things, but the strain in her muscles was going to sting for longer than awhile. When evening started to fall and camp was made Owltalon only waited a few more minutes before resting herself. Just incase there was a wild bear attack or something, who know what the heck was over here? This was uncharted territory, the uneasy kind.

Flopping down into a lay, the Lionheart curled in on herself and expected to dream of nothing as she slept. She had a paw over her eyes to shield the sun from them. Blind, half-bind, or whatever, she still didn't like the sun in her face like anycat.

For a good while, all she saw was darkness and all she felt was the steady beat of her heart and the rising and falling of her chest. Until...

"Owltalon! Can you come here for a moment? I'd like to speak to you privately."

Privately? The Lionheart shuffled to her paws, a yawn splitting the air around her. She did her best to be as quiet as possible when slinking away, cats were light sleepers and she didn't wanna wake anycat up.

"Whatcha need, chief?" Owltalon mewed her voice all thick and cracky with sleep. She didn't bother clearing her throat since it would muffle her meows. Owltalon was never really a quiet cat, more like a loud-whispering type but she rarely even got to that level. So, if she hadn't just woken up, she'd be speaking in her normal volume of voice, also known as full on belting. Considering this was Top Secret™ Owltalon was growing grateful for her horrible post-wakeup voice.

Amber eyes looked behind the tom, her eyes focusing on a newly recruited warrior... Or more like a disfigured grey blob in the distance. Wisteriawren? Hm, looks like they traveled together, she didn't quite catch that. If the she-cat wasn't going off to sleep at the moment, Owltalon flashed bright teeth at her before her eyes landed back to her leader. "Got company? Good on you! I'm 'ure it'd get borin' talkin' ta yourself. I'd know, I've done it before! Right right, ya had somethin' ta ask me, eh?"

Tags:
@occultation // Fadingstar

[cowboy froggo]

Originally Posted by kittycatburmise

Day 0

Irisfrost

They were moving. The decision was sensible; there was too much risk of being attacked if they stayed here, and RiverClan was in no state to fight. But they were in no state to move either. Just a glance around the makeshift camp revealed broken bones and severe injuries. They would have to take it slow.

As Fadingsun lead the cats out, Irisfrost's eyes fell on a kit. She stopped before her and peered down at the young she-cat with a frown on her face. "Do you think you can walk?" she asked. Irisfrost knew the kit would need help, but she didn't like the idea of carrying her all the way. Better to walk beside her and help when she got tired.

day 0

Duckkit looked at the warrior.
duckkit could walk, but she needed
to rest, she was still tired.

I can walk some, but may you put
me on ur back? I'm really tired. pls?

[Seamrog]

 

Originally Posted by chickadee

Bearsnout

28 Moons || RiverClan Warrior || He/Him
Beefed Up Tier 1 || . . .
The Paladin

. . .


Bearsnout was quite grateful for being given a job, even if it was just to break up fights. A job was just what he need right now. It would take his mind off the journey ahead of them. Who knew how long it would take. Who knew how many days they'd be away. Who knew when they would come home? ... Would they even come home? He was letting his negative thoughts get to him again. It was being a bad habit recently, but it was so hard to stay positive in spite of everything that was happening. Their camp was destroyed, and they were forced out of their only home for StarClan knows how long.

He was lucky. He was okay. He didn't get hurt at all during the fight, while his Clanmates were brutally murdered and torn to shreds. He was angry. So angry. He couldn't even remember a time he'd been this angry. Bearsnout wasn't even sure who he was angry at. Bumblestar, Twilightstar, Dawnstar, all their stupid deputies and warriors who had shown no mercy. Deep down he knew that RiverClan maybe deserved it. They'd done some bad things. No. That was an understatement. They'd antagonized WindClan and ThunderClan, and Clans hold grudges. Maybe they always will. Maybe they'd always be caught in a cycle of death and vengeance until it tore them all to shreds. But in his own thoughts, Bearsnout was too blind to see that he too was the problem. The overwhelming, blazing anger, anger that stemmed from empathy, anger that stemmed from a kind heart; anger that kept festering and festering until it could drive a cat mad. That anger was what kept the Clans constantly warring. And maybe there was no way to ever stop it.

That anger wasn't directed at the other Clans. Bearsnout knew that much. It was directed at himself. He couldn't escape this vicious cycle of blame. Everytime he tried to break out and grin and bear it, he only seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the overwhelming guilt that he could've done more to help. But now he needed to forget about it. His anger and guilt could be shoved down to linger somewhere in the back of his mind. He wouldn't let it consume him. Now all they could do was move on.

Bearsnout looked around. A prayer of thanks might help him to calm down. It might be better to focus on what remained, not what was lost. Irisfrost was safe. They still had herbs. They had Berrypaw and Mistyshard. Fadingsun, Dusklion, and all the Lionheart's were still here. The kits and Queens were safe. They had plenty of apprentices. And they'd gained new additions to the Clan. But maybe what he was most thankful for was the perseverance of his Clanmates. He knew that this tragedy wouldn't break their spirits. The tensions and the tide were high, yet they would still swim against it. Maybe thats what kept the Clans from ever being destroyed, despite the many histories and stories from the past. He quickly finished up his prayer. It helped him maintain his positive mindset.

But he had a task at hand! Best try to get it done. The large tom searched the crowd for Duskleaf, his fellow new Lionheart. He'd developed a liking to the other warrior. He admitted the warriors calm and organized nature. Quite respectable in his eyes. The tom approached with a friendly expression, a tired smile. "Hey Duskleaf." He greeted, was there much more to say the other warrior looked like he had it rough in the fight. He was all battered up and had a scarred eyed. Bearsnout decided not to make a comment about that. "Where do you think Fadingsun is gonna take us?"

. . .
@Seamrog - i know you're on vacation atm so feel free to ignore this if you don't have time/want to reply!!

Day 1 I think?

Duskleaf

19 Moons | He/Him | No purrks

RiverClan Lionheart

Incredibly tired after the battle, Duskleaf had fallen asleep for a little while. He didn’t know how long he was asleep for, but Fadingsun’s voice echoing through the air woke him up from his sleep. For a moment he had no idea where he was, this was some strange land he'd seen before but was not very familiar with. Then everything that had happened flashed in his mind: the battle, the evacuation, carrying Mousepaw, giving out some food, his encounter with the spider when he went to get some cobwebs, then visiting the medicine den, burying the dead cats. All of it suddenly came back to him. Not wanting to seem lazy, he immediately got up and walked over to where Fadingsun was speaking from.

The leader asked him and Bearsnout to watch for any sort of trouble during the move. That wasn't any bother to him at all. He got along well with Bearsnout, even if he didn’t know his fellow Lionheart too well yet, he seemed like a decent and kind-hearted cat. Bearsnout approached Duskleaf just as he was about to look around for the warrior. Usually he could tell if another cat was approaching and who it was, but Duskleaf had somehow managed to forget that he couldn’t smell anymore, and so for a moment was quite puzzled by the fact that he couldn’t detect Bearsnout approaching. He gave the other Lionheart a polite nod and a smile in response to his greeting, before Bearsnout asked him where he thought the clan would be going.

"Hmm…I'm not sure, although I hope it's somewhere near water so it can still feel a bit like home." Duskleaf said. Part of that reason was because he would really miss the taste of salmon if the clan were to go somewhere away from water. But also because dry land with no rivers or streams would feel very strange.

"I hope there won't be any fights or anything though, the last thing we need right now is the clan fighting amongst ourselves." Duskleaf said as he began to walk. "It feels…strange, this, walking out into the unknown." He said looking at Bearsnout. "Not knowing where we're going, it doesn’t feel right, if you know what I mean?"


[I'll still try to respond when I find time!]

[Desert Rain Frog]

Originally Posted by Marigoldwhisper

[Deerspark]
He, Him\Warrior\24 moons\Riverclan
"Da da da we're dead-"
· · ─────── ·· ─────── ·

Deerspark was ready to leave, more than ready actually. He felt a bit better, his jaw was till undoubtedly crooked and jacked up, but after a few moons he might actually be able to talk again (that and a visit to the medicine den. Should he even call it that anymore? It wasn't really a den, more like an area). Itching to be of some use, he paced around the earth, shredded tail high.

Nearby, he heard a kit squealing. Deerspark cocked his head at them, noticing how they miserably scrambled on every landing though they didn't seem to mind, or notice. Talking was still a huge NO with big bold red letters, but that wasn't about to stop him from helping out a bit.

He walked over to them, crouching to their level. He tugged his maw into an easy smile and flicked his tail up in down in a welcoming gesture, almost like a play-bow for dogs. I can help, Deerspark thought, wondering what expression he'd have to make to convey that. Uh... Let's try smiling a bit more. Wait, maybe that's creepy. Yeah no doubt he was freaking this kid out. What a joy...

Uhhh.... Not important! He could definitely carry them. Not in his jaws but on his back maybe, he could to that. He nodded briskly, wincing as pain shot through him from his maw. Okay fine. No more nodding.

Tags:
@Desert Rain Frog // Tinytoad
@sleepyyjax // Shellkit
(I gotta get him healed boufdnuovfeoin)

TinyToad

She Smiled At DeerSpark. Hello, DeerSpark! If Ya Want, You Can Take Shellkit. Ill Take SalamanderKit, My Legs Good Enough To Walk With A Slight Limp. She Made Her Way Over, Staying Off Her Injured Paw A Bit. We Cant Stay Here Forever, So We Better Get A Move On. She Turned To Mander. Want A Ride On My Back? Were Goin' Up The Mountian, And Theres Some Big Jumps Well Probobly Have To Do, And A Small Warrior Like Yourself Cant Make Those Jumps! She Leaned Down, Gestering SalamanderKit To Hop On.
.
@kenjaku - The Mander Baby
@sleepyyjax - Shell Babay

[finley !!]

cobwebpaw

purrks ; the collector , herbal knowledge t2
she / they . riverclan
15 moons . missing back leg
tags ; @taillow - dusk , @Marigoldwhisper - owltalon
trigger warnings for this post: none
day ; 1

after a day of travelling, cobwebpaw was quite literally about to a) burst into tears b) fall over or c) die right there. she'd been alternating between leaning her right side against owltalon and dusklion the entire time, barely able to walk without a crutch there. she'd barely said anything the whole day, afraid that if she opened her maw to talk she'd start sobbing her eyes out. her paws shook as they finally reached the resting place, and cobweb essentially fell over. grass somewhat broke her fall, but she still let out a punched out huff of pain.

cobwebpaw, then and there, began crying, eyes blurry with tears as she curled up awkwardly without even bothering to turn around in her makeshift nest. everything hurt. her heart, her leg, her paws, everything. pitifully, she let out a soft cry for her mentor, wanting some form of comfort. ' d-dusklio-n? if you're not bu-busy, could you co-come.. sleep next to m-me? ' stars, she hated sounding so helpless. for starclan's sake, she was about to be a warrior, warriors didn't need their mentors to come sleep with them because they were scared. not that she was scared.