Haven Springs

[Marigoldwhisper]

 

Originally Posted by mars

 

-.+riverwhisper+.-
purrks - mind reader (active)
23 moons
calm/anxious/caring

Riverwhisper purred. "You're welcome," he said, blushing. Now he had to muster up the courage to tell her how he felt. Relax, he told himself. You've addressed the whole Clan before. This can't possibly be much harder.
But he knew it would be.

Taking a deep breath, he began.

"Swanberry, ever since the day we met, I-I I've always liked you, and spending this time together and everything I realized how much I truly love you. I understand if you don't feel the same way, but I can see my future clearly in my head, and it's you. I just want to be with you. You're the only cat that matters to me. After all, like you know, my dad wasn't great, so finding someone who cared for me as much as you did... It was a miracle." He sighed. He'd finally gotten it all out, and Riverwhisper felt like a huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. Maybe she'd say she loved him too, maybe she'd hate him for the rest of her life. But at least she would know now how much she meant to him.

He shifted closer to her, offering his warmth as a cold breeze whisked by. He gently adjusted her blueberries, remembering when he'd given it to her. It felt like an eternity since that day, even though it was barely a quarter moon ago. He felt like he was at home when she was near him. But he braced himself for the worst, prepared for disappointment and heartbreak.

(We could just say that the entire rp was like a whole week? idk)

[Swanberry]
She\Warrior\RC
"No one knows how far I'll go."
· · ─────── ·· ─────── ·

Swanberry simply stared. She was flattered, honestly, that a cat as devoted as Riverwhisper could find anything worth liking in her... Well, anything above basic platonic like.

She was very stunned, but she couldn't just sit here, staring awkwardly! She had to do something, she had to say something, anything! Her words were left unuttered and unsaid in her dumb mouth.

She attempted to mew a few words of thanks, but she only ended up mouthing the words. She groaned in frustration.

"Yes," she said finally, as if the tom had just placed his bleeding heart into her paws, a heart that would break if she so much as breathed on it. "I um..." Her face suddenly tightened in a smile, pools of light reflecting on her green eyes. They were probably more pink in this lighting though, she wasn't sure. "I like you too. Is like the right word? Would love fit right? No, perhaps not. It's not that I don't love you, I certainly do! I'm just uh--- I'm just running my mouth again aren't I?" She laughed rather awkwardly, finally managing to shut up her obnoxious rambling.

[Epiales]

 

Originally Posted by Dolomedes

Seabreeze
He/him | Riverclan Warrior | Moons: 16 | Purrks: Go with the Flow | The Collector | Ultimate Predator |
“Ocean waters rising above your neck
You feel the glass start to crack.”

The tom readjusted his hold on the bird before setting it down neatly on his bi-colored paws and looked up happily to Frostmelt. Seabreeze found himself liking the other warrior a bit more than most others he interacted with because it felt like they were equal, that Seabreeze wasn’t leagues behind in countless ways. Not that Frostmelt was not good like Seabreeze, it was just easier to pretend that he wasn’t watching and likely judging Seabreeze. The tom shook out his fur, from his ears to his nubby tail before speaking to the other, “It is a nice start, I can bury it nearby and we can pick it up on our way back.” As he spoke, the warrior padded over to a more shrub-covered area and swiftly dug a hole to bury the seagull and hide it from potential scavengers for when they came back through the area. It almost made him feel nostalgic, thinking about how he learned the hard way how to properly hide your prey.

Frostmelt spoke awkwardly and clunky at times but Seabreeze almost found it endearing and it wasn’t as bad as Seabreeze’s stuttering when he gets nervous-which now that he thought about it, the feline hadn’t been anxious or nervous most of this encounter. He wasn’t overthinking his pawsteps and he wasn’t even fully focused on work, he was just…calmly existing for once. Seabreeze found himself purring a small bit, Frostmelt was quite the cat even if the tom himself didn’t realize it. The sandy grey-blue cat flicked his ears and returned to padding at Frostmelt’s side, “Well, I am happy that you chose to join me. I do like swimming and fishing but with all the ice melting the river is going to be a bit feisty and I would feel more comfortable if we had a bigger patrol. If you want we can continue with land hunting?” Seabreeze tried not to come off as bossy so he got a bit more unsure of his words towards the end but it was still better than his usual stumbling and tripping through words.

Soon the old twoleg bridge that was the landmark for Haven Springs came into view and Seabreeze smiled lightly, as his sharp blue eyes looked to where a crow was on top of the fencing. He crouched down and turned to Frostmelt, pointing his muzzle in the direction of the prey to let the other know so that he didn’t spook it off or think that Seabreeze was running off without him again. Oh, wait, should he let Frostmelt try his paw at catching this one. Then after a moment of examining where the crow had itself perched, Seabreeze decided that it was a bit dangerous to let another cat try for it. The fencing was icy still and it was taller than Seabreeze when the other was standing on the bridge. The fall even further if you took a tumble into the empty streambed. “I’m going to try for that crow. Wait here a moment.” Without waiting for a response, the feline was stalking forward.

There was no covering but the crow had its back turned, Seabreeze slowled his steps down even further as he made it to the odd, smooth ground of the bridge. His muscles bunched beneath his pelt and he made a calculated leap onto the fence ledge, digging his claws into the icy film on top of it. Then, in the next moment, as the crow started, the tom jumped again, front paws swinging towards the escaping prey. His claws caught on the crow’s wing but missed its body, he was falling from the air and away from the prey. Seabreeze didn’t land on the fence but rather slipped right off. Fortunately, he landed on his paws on the main bridge. Blue eyes glared up at the now fading crow, a blight against the light sky, as it escaped. He took a deep breath, his breathing had stilled as he approached and the remaining air in his lungs was knocked out in the brief fear that washed up in his body as he slipped from the ledge.

“Hmph…Well, maybe there’ll be other crows. Anyways, how do you feel about it? Do you prefer to hunt or fish?” It was an unusual topic of choice for conversation for Seabreeze but he didn’t have any other ideas so he continued the topic that Frostmelt started. Personally, Seabreeze loved the river, memories seemed to lessen as if water served to lift its weight off of his shoulders whenever he found the time to go down. That seemed to be less and less lately, especially with everything that just happened and all of the minor drama that followed. Thoughts of Birdsnow’s meeting after the raid was almost as tiring as actually being here. Maybe….Seabreeze hummed softly as he continued to lead the other towards the springs, keeping his ears pricked for any signs of prey, “Maybeeee…we-ummm, maybe we could meet up again and go to the river when it calms down, or…with a bigger patrol. Err-group?” As much as Seabreeze found himself calming with Frostmelt as company, the tom couldn’t help but feel anxious. Was Frostmelt enjoying the walk or was he just pretending to spare Seabreeze’s feelings? Also just asking things of people was hard in general for Seabreeze and if it wasn’t something that was productive like fishing, even if it turns more social, then the warrior wouldn’t have the nerve to ask at all.

[1/8 being carried]

[ @Epiales - Frostmelt ]

Frostmelt
|he/him|purrks: N/A|moons: 17| riverclan warrior|
"dulce bellum inexpertis" ~ War is sweet to those who have never fought.
"Factus sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, inter mortuuos liber." ~ I have become like a person without help, living among the dead.



Frost padded alongside the other warrior for a great while. It seemed they had been walking forever, days if Frost couldn't tell. But he knew it was only a few hours, the sky didn't seem to have changed much either, nor had the weather. The grass and dirt are still slightly damp under his paws. He didn't know whether he preferred the snow, the heat, or the rain. The rain, probably. He liked the feeling on his pelt. And it gave him something to focus on while he busied around camp. The fake reality he was building about the rain slowly faded when he heard Sea talk again. Burying the bird. He understood why they did this, hopefully, the dirt would shake off when they walked back to camp with it, he hated dusty prey, even if he wasn't eating the pelt the dryness seemed to slowly seemed to creep into the freshkill. But he understood fox and other predators were also on the lookout for an easy kill, and leaving a bird on the ground was just asking for trouble, and to go back empty-pawed. That would be embarrassing, he might as well go and try hunting, he wasn't he was just mindlessly walking beside Seabreeze at this point.

Finally turning his brain on he flicked his ears upwards as he waited for a sign of easy prey, or just any prey in general. Nothing but the birds flying above, occasionally a drop-down to peck at stuff before something else would scare it off, mostly Frost's nervousness and uncertainty kept him from trying to launch himself at the prey for a kill. He was a useless warrior. And here Sea was, actually wounded and still doing better than Frost ever could. He focused on his paw steps again and the world around him. Everything came back into focus, the smell of the air, always the same, mixed with the subtle scent of blood that he assumed was from when Sea had killed the bird. The dirt seemed to go dry whenever he focused on it, rock solid, but it still seemed to crumble beneath him, making him lose his breath, or hold it thinking he might drop.

Eventually, he gave up... When Sea then nodded towards a crow. Of course, Frost wanted to prove something, but he didn't go ahead of Sea as the other tom crouched down and made his way towards the crow. Frost watched him as he attempted to catch and kill off the crow who then ended up flying away with a wing. He knew the crow wouldn't go far, but there was no point in chasing it, there would be others, like Sea said. And Frost, engaged in thought, almost didn't hear the question Sea had asked. "H-hunting or Fish?" he asked, stuttering slightly as he tried to think, "Either work.. I'm.. not very good at either.." he mumbled, fast-paced as if trying to keep Sea from hearing what he had said. He didn't believe his mentor liked him well enough either since Frost didn't seem to pick stuff up quickly and tended not to know simple things every cat 'should know', which had made Frost confused at the time. And not to mention he couldn't hunt. The one thing that made a warrior, fighting and hunting, Frost couldn't do. And socializing either? But he picked up on things about the clan, and history. Herbs, he had heard others talk about, simple stuff. He took in information like that like a sponge. You didn't have to tell him twice, or even the full text for Frost to understand something.

"If you don't want to go to the river we don't have to," he said quickly. Oh, his voice was so fast it was wavering and he hoped the Sea couldn't hear it. "I was just suggesting since I figured... you liked to swim... and get fish instead..." his voice trailing off near the end to a quick mumble. He shouldn't be nervous around Sea, but he was one wrong step... One wrong word could do it all. Frost didn't know either if he was willing to risk that. His vision blurred as he talked fast, anxiety rising and falling with every breath he took, it seemed so loud to him, blood pumping in his ears. He knew Sea was probably trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear anything. His eyesight almost seemed to go away for a second, his senses... Where was the ground? It seemed far away from where he was, was he falling? No, the wind was going to the left, not below him. Ok, now the smell, outside... salty, just a bit from the river he assumed. Ok now.. words... talking. He was starting to lose it again, Sea, think of Sea for a moment, he told himself. And he was back, just like that, was Sea there? yes, the other Tom hadn't left him. "Sorry... I thought I had heard something," Frost lied, an easy and very fake lie, maybe the other tom could see through it.

Finally, Frost heard a little scurry, and flap of wings. It gave him a chance to slowly follow the sound, away from Sea. He smelt the bird to, another crow, simple little birds, and lots of them. Sadly, most of them come alone, or in pairs. He crouched as he watched the bird peck at the dirt. He loved it when they did that, it used to make him giggle as a kit. And makes them easier prey. quiet, he told himself. Settle down. Breathe in... hold it. Pounce, now, while the crow is still pecking, head in the dirt, not focused. And he did, pouncing on the bird. Its wings fluttered, head frantically twisting, and turning, then trying to peck him. Not today, I am sorry. He said as he broke the bird's neck. Then there it was, dangling in his paws. He closed his eyes breathing in quickly, then out. It's ok... he told himself as he picked it up in his maw. He trotted back beside Sea, then going to bury it as well. Oh, he hated doing that, he had been nipped a few times for burying the prey in the wrong spots. Near the tree, he figured, finding one and burying the bird, marking the spot in his mind. He decided to make a small claw mark on the tree to remember, even if he could smell it.

"Continue?" he murmured. It felt awkward for him. Just to have stopped walking, and stayed quiet, looking at the ground while Sea talked to him. Was the other Tom nervous when he saw Frost like that? He would never know, would he? Or maybe he didn't want to know. Though to both of the things he didn't know why for either of them. It shouldn't matter to him. To care whether one was scared for him, or to be scared of the answer to that question. Silly of him. They would continue as normal, and talk... or not talk. Since neither knew what to say and both seemed happy enough with the silence. "Do you... Like going hunting? Or out on patrols?" Frost asked, trying anything to keep the awkward silence from enveloping this walk and hunting... Mini patrol? He knew Sea tended to be gone, flitting in and out of the camp with prey and people. Always doing something it seemed, to keep himself busy. Frost respected the other tom for that, but there was no way the other tom wasn't tired, or stressed. Or maybe the work kept him from all of that, took his mind off of it. Maybe Frost should try that, though he doubted it would work from what Frost had been experiencing.

[Dolomedes]

 

Originally Posted by Epiales

Frostmelt
|he/him|purrks: N/A|moons: 17| riverclan warrior|
"dulce bellum inexpertis" ~ War is sweet to those who have never fought.
"Factus sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, inter mortuuos liber." ~ I have become like a person without help, living among the dead.



Frost padded alongside the other warrior for a great while. It seemed they had been walking forever, days if Frost couldn't tell. But he knew it was only a few hours, the sky didn't seem to have changed much either, nor had the weather. The grass and dirt are still slightly damp under his paws. He didn't know whether he preferred the snow, the heat, or the rain. The rain, probably. He liked the feeling on his pelt. And it gave him something to focus on while he busied around camp. The fake reality he was building about the rain slowly faded when he heard Sea talk again. Burying the bird. He understood why they did this, hopefully, the dirt would shake off when they walked back to camp with it, he hated dusty prey, even if he wasn't eating the pelt the dryness seemed to slowly seemed to creep into the freshkill. But he understood fox and other predators were also on the lookout for an easy kill, and leaving a bird on the ground was just asking for trouble, and to go back empty-pawed. That would be embarrassing, he might as well go and try hunting, he wasn't he was just mindlessly walking beside Seabreeze at this point.

Finally turning his brain on he flicked his ears upwards as he waited for a sign of easy prey, or just any prey in general. Nothing but the birds flying above, occasionally a drop-down to peck at stuff before something else would scare it off, mostly Frost's nervousness and uncertainty kept him from trying to launch himself at the prey for a kill. He was a useless warrior. And here Sea was, actually wounded and still doing better than Frost ever could. He focused on his paw steps again and the world around him. Everything came back into focus, the smell of the air, always the same, mixed with the subtle scent of blood that he assumed was from when Sea had killed the bird. The dirt seemed to go dry whenever he focused on it, rock solid, but it still seemed to crumble beneath him, making him lose his breath, or hold it thinking he might drop.

Eventually, he gave up... When Sea then nodded towards a crow. Of course, Frost wanted to prove something, but he didn't go ahead of Sea as the other tom crouched down and made his way towards the crow. Frost watched him as he attempted to catch and kill off the crow who then ended up flying away with a wing. He knew the crow wouldn't go far, but there was no point in chasing it, there would be others, like Sea said. And Frost, engaged in thought, almost didn't hear the question Sea had asked. "H-hunting or Fish?" he asked, stuttering slightly as he tried to think, "Either work.. I'm.. not very good at either.." he mumbled, fast-paced as if trying to keep Sea from hearing what he had said. He didn't believe his mentor liked him well enough either since Frost didn't seem to pick stuff up quickly and tended not to know simple things every cat 'should know', which had made Frost confused at the time. And not to mention he couldn't hunt. The one thing that made a warrior, fighting and hunting, Frost couldn't do. And socializing either? But he picked up on things about the clan, and history. Herbs, he had heard others talk about, simple stuff. He took in information like that like a sponge. You didn't have to tell him twice, or even the full text for Frost to understand something.

"If you don't want to go to the river we don't have to," he said quickly. Oh, his voice was so fast it was wavering and he hoped the Sea couldn't hear it. "I was just suggesting since I figured... you liked to swim... and get fish instead..." his voice trailing off near the end to a quick mumble. He shouldn't be nervous around Sea, but he was one wrong step... One wrong word could do it all. Frost didn't know either if he was willing to risk that. His vision blurred as he talked fast, anxiety rising and falling with every breath he took, it seemed so loud to him, blood pumping in his ears. He knew Sea was probably trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear anything. His eyesight almost seemed to go away for a second, his senses... Where was the ground? It seemed far away from where he was, was he falling? No, the wind was going to the left, not below him. Ok, now the smell, outside... salty, just a bit from the river he assumed. Ok now.. words... talking. He was starting to lose it again, Sea, think of Sea for a moment, he told himself. And he was back, just like that, was Sea there? yes, the other Tom hadn't left him. "Sorry... I thought I had heard something," Frost lied, an easy and very fake lie, maybe the other tom could see through it.

Finally, Frost heard a little scurry, and flap of wings. It gave him a chance to slowly follow the sound, away from Sea. He smelt the bird to, another crow, simple little birds, and lots of them. Sadly, most of them come alone, or in pairs. He crouched as he watched the bird peck at the dirt. He loved it when they did that, it used to make him giggle as a kit. And makes them easier prey. quiet, he told himself. Settle down. Breathe in... hold it. Pounce, now, while the crow is still pecking, head in the dirt, not focused. And he did, pouncing on the bird. Its wings fluttered, head frantically twisting, and turning, then trying to peck him. Not today, I am sorry. He said as he broke the bird's neck. Then there it was, dangling in his paws. He closed his eyes breathing in quickly, then out. It's ok... he told himself as he picked it up in his maw. He trotted back beside Sea, then going to bury it as well. Oh, he hated doing that, he had been nipped a few times for burying the prey in the wrong spots. Near the tree, he figured, finding one and burying the bird, marking the spot in his mind. He decided to make a small claw mark on the tree to remember, even if he could smell it.

"Continue?" he murmured. It felt awkward for him. Just to have stopped walking, and stayed quiet, looking at the ground while Sea talked to him. Was the other Tom nervous when he saw Frost like that? He would never know, would he? Or maybe he didn't want to know. Though to both of the things he didn't know why for either of them. It shouldn't matter to him. To care whether one was scared for him, or to be scared of the answer to that question. Silly of him. They would continue as normal, and talk... or not talk. Since neither knew what to say and both seemed happy enough with the silence. "Do you... Like going hunting? Or out on patrols?" Frost asked, trying anything to keep the awkward silence from enveloping this walk and hunting... Mini patrol? He knew Sea tended to be gone, flitting in and out of the camp with prey and people. Always doing something it seemed, to keep himself busy. Frost respected the other tom for that, but there was no way the other tom wasn't tired, or stressed. Or maybe the work kept him from all of that, took his mind off of it. Maybe Frost should try that, though he doubted it would work from what Frost had been experiencing.

Seabreeze
He/him | Riverclan Warrior | Moons: 16 | Purrks: Go with the Flow | The Collector | Ultimate Predator |
“Ocean waters rising above your neck
You feel the glass start to crack.”

The response he was given made Seabreeze frown slightly, Frostmelt seemed to be getting more and more anxious as the walk went on. Was it something that he said? The warrior shoveled back on bi-colored paws, the overly-smooth twoleg bridge felt so wrong beneath his paws now and he took a moment to get off and back onto worn Riverclan trails. The grass, wet with dew as the spring morning melted the light frost that doused them this more, was padded down and smells slightly of cats that he couldn’t quite put a name to besides being Riverclan. The previous patrols. An uneasy, sheepish smile lifted the tom’s muzzle as he listened to Frostmelt’s words carefully. Perking his ears and placing his blue eyes on Frostmelt’s, as Seabreeze was too nervous for eye contact and he didn't think that would help the other tom’s anxiety, the warrior tried to show that he was giving Frostmelt his full attention. “Y-yes, I would like to go swimming with you- errr, hunting, or swimming. Or..just going to the river in general. We could practice fishing! I like…” you, is what Seabreeze wanted to say but something about it felt…intimate, not like romantic or anything, just too close and he didn’t want to scare Frostmelt away so he didn’t speak it into existence, “your company. I like it a lot.”

Then things went wrong, Frostmelt seemed to be panicking, his breathing picked up and his already swift way with words went faster and Seabreeze took moments to process and try and understand…then his pupils widened and it was almost like he had shut off. His breathing was still incredibly irregular and it was clear as Seabreeze called his name a few times that the other warrior was no longer fully present. It-he- Seabreeze felt panic rise in himself as he watched Frostmelt, paws frozen to the ground and blue eyes stuck on the dazed golden ones, he…Seabreeze didn’t know what to do. Was he okay and was just spacing out? Seabreeze took a few steps back, then whipped his eyes around the area was…could thyme help? He distantly remembered Spottedstream explaining that it helps with shock during the raid. Does this count as shock or was it more like Seabreeze’s abstances? But when Seabreeze wasn’t fully present he was still aware of things and replied to people and wasn’t breathing so fast that he was probably going to pass out.

Frostmelt heard something. Yeah, no, Seabreeze didn’t believe that for a moment but Frostmelt seems to have calmed down a bit and was responding and aware-ish again, he didn’t want to accidentally cause that to happen again so Seabreeze remained silent. Just carefully watching the other tom as the other padded away. Did…did he actually hear something? That wasn’t just hearing something though, that wasn’t normal. But, Seabreeze doesn’t really know Frostmelt, even if it felt like he did. The warrior let it go. His blue eyes watched the bushes where Frostmelt had disappeared before frowning with a sigh and looking away, perking his ears and lifting his muzzle to try and find another catch of his own. A breeze ruffled his fur and the tom shivered but on it was the odd dusty scent that lizards seemed to carry.

Seabreeze hummed curiously to himself as he pondered that, sure leafbare was starting to lighten up but surely it was still too cold for any sort of lizard to be active yet. The warrior stalked forward, lizards are incredibly flippant and easily spooked so he took care of his paw placement. He crawled on his belly until his ears caught on the sounds of pecking and he realized what must’ve happened. The lizard was probably found hibernating by some sort of bird. Finally, along a large rock was a fish crow. The thing was staring down curiously at the half eaten lizard in its talons. Fish crows were Seabreeze’s least favorite bird and in his opinion one of the most annoying. Blue eyes narrowed and claws unsheathed as the warrior stalked forward. One step, two step, three step- Pounce! Seabreeze shot out, pushing all of his weight into his back haunches to send him leaping across the grassy soil and landing square on the crow. Its panicked squawking ended with a swift bite on the back of its neck. The lizard was not salvageable but! Maybe….

[ +1 Crow]
[ 2/8; 1 Crow, 1 Seagull]

He tilted his muzzle up and to the skies where he saw a bird of some sort, too far away to make out, flying past. Maybe, it could be used as bait for some greedy bird. Swiftly, Seabreeze buried the crow nearby and made a note of where it was before picking up the dead lizard and walking back out to where Frostmelt and him were last together by the bridge. The tom walked back out from where he had run off carrying a crow. Maybe he really did just hear something and was just a bit odd about it, or maybe it was just a coincidence and something was wrong just now. Seabreeze withheld the sigh that built in his lungs, too many ‘maybes.’ He would just keep an eye out for Frostmelt, he knew what it was like to be alone when something like that is happening, or at least if it was similar to Seabreeze’s abstances in his apprenticeship. Frostmelt didn’t seem to hate Seabreeze’s company, or did he? And that's why the other panicked, it was because Seabreeze did something stupid and upset him, and now Frostmelt doesn’t like him. Well…there is no saying that’s what’s happening so all he can do is just continue.

“Yes, let’s continue.” Seabreeze spoke softly, turning to walk across the rickety twoleg bridge and starting. When his paws were touching real ground again, he slowed to a more casual pace and looked to Frostmelt, more focused on him in case something went wrong again, but his ears and eyes are still on the lookout for more prey to catch and bring back to the clan. “Hunting..patrols….hmmm,” Seabreeze had to take a moment to answer, he didn’t mind patrols and he was on them more than he wasn’t which he never minded as he was being useful for the clan, it made him feel okay when he was helping the clan but he wouldn’t say that he liked patrolling. His obsession with work which often came down to patrols and solo patrols and teaching younger cats around camp, was always there. Loyal to the clan and wanting to help it heal from the instability and rocky waters it found itself in, the especially rough rapids, but then it turned more…selfless. Patrolling and work after Cloverpaw turned into a sort of twisted coping mechanism, a distraction from the grief…He blinked his blue eyes once, then twice, before realizing how long he’s been silent. Seabreeze gave a nervous laugh, “I…I do, but not for entirely selfless reasons…you umm, remember Cloverpaw, my sister.”

Seabreeze didn’t know why he was talking about her, talking about her made her being gone more real than it usually was lurking in his mind. In his thoughts, he could sometimes pretend that it was just bad thoughts but talking about it meant it undoubtedly happened. But it was high time he faced that reality, and in some ways he has been this past moon, finally living again after his moons just existing, he realized just how much Cloverpaw’s death killed both of them. “Well, I started to work so much because I wanted to distract myself from it. To be honest, some days it felt like if I were to stop, I would stop, like it was my only lifeline in endless water. It’s better now, I work to help the clan. Riverclan needs that, but I can’t deny that my working habits have changed. Just…umm..motives I guess.” Seabreeze stared down at his own paws. “It was Cloverpaw’s dream to be there when Riverclan got back on its paws, to be one of the reasons it is back on its paws, and I felt the same. So anyways…I do like patrols, It's just a bit unnecessarily complicated, my relationship with them.”

Seabreeze shook out his pelt, and fumbled his footing slightly but kept up just fine beside Frostmelt. Rather than waiting for a reply to his honestly really embarrassing ramble, the warrior searched for another topic to talk about before it can be acknowledged. Random icebreaker, any ice breaker ...Seabreeze couldn’t think and instead awkwardly blurted out, “Well! Any cat got your eye?” Yeah…what. Seabreeze! You do not ask cats you barely know if they are romantically interested in anyone! Where did that even come from? Cloverpaw, his mind supplied in the next moment. She would often ask the question randomly with any cat, when asked, she always said because it was interesting and not boring like regular ice breakers. That a bonus was that she was pretty well knowledged with the romance in the clan and sometimes, with Seabreeze unwillingly acting as her assistant, took it upon herself to play matchmaker.

“S-sorry! I-don’t know where that question came from, I- it’s not like I’m interested or anything- ah! Not that you’re bad, I just not- stars…just sorry, ignore me.” Seabreeze pointedly refused to look anywhere in Frostmelt’s direction and rather the trail that Seabreeze has walked countless times in his life seemed to suddenly have more details that he hadn't noticed. Like…that tree! Has that always been there…Seabreeze once more held in a sigh, this time it was one of disappointment of himself. The warrior cringed, and just awkwardly stayed quiet, not wanting to blurt something out and embarrass himself again.

[otter]

 

Originally Posted by Marigoldwhisper

[Swanberry]
She\Warrior\RC
"No one knows how far I'll go."
· · ─────── ·· ─────── ·

Swanberry simply stared. She was flattered, honestly, that a cat as devoted as Riverwhisper could find anything worth liking in her... Well, anything above basic platonic like.

She was very stunned, but she couldn't just sit here, staring awkwardly! She had to do something, she had to say something, anything! Her words were left unuttered and unsaid in her dumb mouth.

She attempted to mew a few words of thanks, but she only ended up mouthing the words. She groaned in frustration.

"Yes," she said finally, as if the tom had just placed his bleeding heart into her paws, a heart that would break if she so much as breathed on it. "I um..." Her face suddenly tightened in a smile, pools of light reflecting on her green eyes. They were probably more pink in this lighting though, she wasn't sure. "I like you too. Is like the right word? Would love fit right? No, perhaps not. It's not that I don't love you, I certainly do! I'm just uh--- I'm just running my mouth again aren't I?" She laughed rather awkwardly, finally managing to shut up her obnoxious rambling.

-.+riverwhisper+.-
purrks - mind reader (active)
24 moons (supposed to have aged him up on the 15th but yk)
calm/anxious/caring

Riverwhisper watched as Swanberry stumbled for words. He gently rested his tail on her back, silently comforting her.

When she finally found the words, he purred. "So, would you be my mate?" he asked, hoping she would say yes. She clearly liked him, she said as much, but was she ready for this. He wanted kits, a family to replace the one he never had...

"I'm glad you love me back. As you know, my dad was barely my dad, and someone who actually cares about me was something I thought could never happen. And I'm thankful we met. You changed- and will continue to change- my life."

(he is going to say an adorable quote that i found but it's not his)

``I swear I couldn’t love you more than I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.``

[Epiales]

 

Originally Posted by Dolomedes

Seabreeze
He/him | Riverclan Warrior | Moons: 16 | Purrks: Go with the Flow | The Collector | Ultimate Predator |
“Ocean waters rising above your neck
You feel the glass start to crack.”

The response he was given made Seabreeze frown slightly, Frostmelt seemed to be getting more and more anxious as the walk went on. Was it something that he said? The warrior shoveled back on bi-colored paws, the overly-smooth twoleg bridge felt so wrong beneath his paws now and he took a moment to get off and back onto worn Riverclan trails. The grass, wet with dew as the spring morning melted the light frost that doused them this more, was padded down and smells slightly of cats that he couldn’t quite put a name to besides being Riverclan. The previous patrols. An uneasy, sheepish smile lifted the tom’s muzzle as he listened to Frostmelt’s words carefully. Perking his ears and placing his blue eyes on Frostmelt’s, as Seabreeze was too nervous for eye contact and he didn't think that would help the other tom’s anxiety, the warrior tried to show that he was giving Frostmelt his full attention. “Y-yes, I would like to go swimming with you- errr, hunting, or swimming. Or..just going to the river in general. We could practice fishing! I like…” you, is what Seabreeze wanted to say but something about it felt…intimate, not like romantic or anything, just too close and he didn’t want to scare Frostmelt away so he didn’t speak it into existence, “your company. I like it a lot.”

Then things went wrong, Frostmelt seemed to be panicking, his breathing picked up and his already swift way with words went faster and Seabreeze took moments to process and try and understand…then his pupils widened and it was almost like he had shut off. His breathing was still incredibly irregular and it was clear as Seabreeze called his name a few times that the other warrior was no longer fully present. It-he- Seabreeze felt panic rise in himself as he watched Frostmelt, paws frozen to the ground and blue eyes stuck on the dazed golden ones, he…Seabreeze didn’t know what to do. Was he okay and was just spacing out? Seabreeze took a few steps back, then whipped his eyes around the area was…could thyme help? He distantly remembered Spottedstream explaining that it helps with shock during the raid. Does this count as shock or was it more like Seabreeze’s abstances? But when Seabreeze wasn’t fully present he was still aware of things and replied to people and wasn’t breathing so fast that he was probably going to pass out.

Frostmelt heard something. Yeah, no, Seabreeze didn’t believe that for a moment but Frostmelt seems to have calmed down a bit and was responding and aware-ish again, he didn’t want to accidentally cause that to happen again so Seabreeze remained silent. Just carefully watching the other tom as the other padded away. Did…did he actually hear something? That wasn’t just hearing something though, that wasn’t normal. But, Seabreeze doesn’t really know Frostmelt, even if it felt like he did. The warrior let it go. His blue eyes watched the bushes where Frostmelt had disappeared before frowning with a sigh and looking away, perking his ears and lifting his muzzle to try and find another catch of his own. A breeze ruffled his fur and the tom shivered but on it was the odd dusty scent that lizards seemed to carry.

Seabreeze hummed curiously to himself as he pondered that, sure leafbare was starting to lighten up but surely it was still too cold for any sort of lizard to be active yet. The warrior stalked forward, lizards are incredibly flippant and easily spooked so he took care of his paw placement. He crawled on his belly until his ears caught on the sounds of pecking and he realized what must’ve happened. The lizard was probably found hibernating by some sort of bird. Finally, along a large rock was a fish crow. The thing was staring down curiously at the half eaten lizard in its talons. Fish crows were Seabreeze’s least favorite bird and in his opinion one of the most annoying. Blue eyes narrowed and claws unsheathed as the warrior stalked forward. One step, two step, three step- Pounce! Seabreeze shot out, pushing all of his weight into his back haunches to send him leaping across the grassy soil and landing square on the crow. Its panicked squawking ended with a swift bite on the back of its neck. The lizard was not salvageable but! Maybe….

[ +1 Crow]
[ 2/8; 1 Crow, 1 Seagull]

He tilted his muzzle up and to the skies where he saw a bird of some sort, too far away to make out, flying past. Maybe, it could be used as bait for some greedy bird. Swiftly, Seabreeze buried the crow nearby and made a note of where it was before picking up the dead lizard and walking back out to where Frostmelt and him were last together by the bridge. The tom walked back out from where he had run off carrying a crow. Maybe he really did just hear something and was just a bit odd about it, or maybe it was just a coincidence and something was wrong just now. Seabreeze withheld the sigh that built in his lungs, too many ‘maybes.’ He would just keep an eye out for Frostmelt, he knew what it was like to be alone when something like that is happening, or at least if it was similar to Seabreeze’s abstances in his apprenticeship. Frostmelt didn’t seem to hate Seabreeze’s company, or did he? And that's why the other panicked, it was because Seabreeze did something stupid and upset him, and now Frostmelt doesn’t like him. Well…there is no saying that’s what’s happening so all he can do is just continue.

“Yes, let’s continue.” Seabreeze spoke softly, turning to walk across the rickety twoleg bridge and starting. When his paws were touching real ground again, he slowed to a more casual pace and looked to Frostmelt, more focused on him in case something went wrong again, but his ears and eyes are still on the lookout for more prey to catch and bring back to the clan. “Hunting..patrols….hmmm,” Seabreeze had to take a moment to answer, he didn’t mind patrols and he was on them more than he wasn’t which he never minded as he was being useful for the clan, it made him feel okay when he was helping the clan but he wouldn’t say that he liked patrolling. His obsession with work which often came down to patrols and solo patrols and teaching younger cats around camp, was always there. Loyal to the clan and wanting to help it heal from the instability and rocky waters it found itself in, the especially rough rapids, but then it turned more…selfless. Patrolling and work after Cloverpaw turned into a sort of twisted coping mechanism, a distraction from the grief…He blinked his blue eyes once, then twice, before realizing how long he’s been silent. Seabreeze gave a nervous laugh, “I…I do, but not for entirely selfless reasons…you umm, remember Cloverpaw, my sister.”

Seabreeze didn’t know why he was talking about her, talking about her made her being gone more real than it usually was lurking in his mind. In his thoughts, he could sometimes pretend that it was just bad thoughts but talking about it meant it undoubtedly happened. But it was high time he faced that reality, and in some ways he has been this past moon, finally living again after his moons just existing, he realized just how much Cloverpaw’s death killed both of them. “Well, I started to work so much because I wanted to distract myself from it. To be honest, some days it felt like if I were to stop, I would stop, like it was my only lifeline in endless water. It’s better now, I work to help the clan. Riverclan needs that, but I can’t deny that my working habits have changed. Just…umm..motives I guess.” Seabreeze stared down at his own paws. “It was Cloverpaw’s dream to be there when Riverclan got back on its paws, to be one of the reasons it is back on its paws, and I felt the same. So anyways…I do like patrols, It's just a bit unnecessarily complicated, my relationship with them.”

Seabreeze shook out his pelt, and fumbled his footing slightly but kept up just fine beside Frostmelt. Rather than waiting for a reply to his honestly really embarrassing ramble, the warrior searched for another topic to talk about before it can be acknowledged. Random icebreaker, any ice breaker ...Seabreeze couldn’t think and instead awkwardly blurted out, “Well! Any cat got your eye?” Yeah…what. Seabreeze! You do not ask cats you barely know if they are romantically interested in anyone! Where did that even come from? Cloverpaw, his mind supplied in the next moment. She would often ask the question randomly with any cat, when asked, she always said because it was interesting and not boring like regular ice breakers. That a bonus was that she was pretty well knowledged with the romance in the clan and sometimes, with Seabreeze unwillingly acting as her assistant, took it upon herself to play matchmaker.

“S-sorry! I-don’t know where that question came from, I- it’s not like I’m interested or anything- ah! Not that you’re bad, I just not- stars…just sorry, ignore me.” Seabreeze pointedly refused to look anywhere in Frostmelt’s direction and rather the trail that Seabreeze has walked countless times in his life seemed to suddenly have more details that he hadn't noticed. Like…that tree! Has that always been there…Seabreeze once more held in a sigh, this time it was one of disappointment of himself. The warrior cringed, and just awkwardly stayed quiet, not wanting to blurt something out and embarrass himself again.

Frostmelt
|he/him|purrks: N/A|moons: 17| riverclan warrior|
"dulce bellum inexpertis" ~ War is sweet to those who have never fought.
"Factus sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, inter mortuuos liber." ~ I have become like a person without help, living among the dead.


Frost tried to calm himself down. It wasn't the other Tom making him anxious more than it was himself. His paws scuffed across the dirt and grass beneath his paws, scrapping them up a bit, jagged rocks digging into his fur as he moved along. He could tell Sea was enjoying that walk, slightly, as the tom looked over the grass and the dirt, taking in the details of the morning. The dew, the frost... Frost, that was a silly word. It didn't look like him but he enjoyed the word, frost. Felt nice when he said it, that was silly too, wasn't it? He enjoyed the sound of his name, happy the leader had given it to him... but... Frostmelt sounded like a name for someone an explosion waiting to happen. Which, Frost didn't want to say he wasn't... but sometimes it felt like it. And he could feel himself melting away slowly as it was. What other names could he have gotten?.. Frostclaw... Frostdew... Frost... why was he thinking about that? He should, love his name. It was his anyway. Frost looked up when Sea began to talk about going swimming. There was the anxiety there that Frost couldn't tell was literal or if Sea could've been joking. He doubted Sea was joking, or maybe a part of him wished he wasn't. Sea is telling the truth, he would tell himself as he watched the tom frantically search for words to take the place of ones that seemed to have stuttered or sounded wrong. Frost wanted to take that anxiety for himself, though he had a lot already it seems that Sea might need a little more help.

If Frost could, he would blush, slightly. Though the other Tom couldn't see it. It wasn't romantic, he knew, the feeling was just... Happiness? Yes, and he was surprised Sea wanted his company. Frost felt like he had put the tom off for moons. Like he ignored him, but he doesn't remember ignoring Sea, but he doesn't remember talking to the other tom. Whenever he got out of his... anxiety attack if it was even that, he could see the look on Sea's face. Which he desperately tried to forget. He had not only had a full-blown attack, almost losing it fully, but then he lied. The fakest, easiest lie to see through. Would he tell Sea? 'oh, I have panic attacks so bad I am just stuck in this black box with no way out... you know, it's so bad that I've even forgotten why I have them or how they started,' yes because Sea will think you are very sane after that, he thought to himself sarcastically. But what if these attacks keep happening...? Sea will catch on eventually, and then it will go down in flames. "Well... I.. uhh... sorry about running off," he said quickly, "bird." he said, motioning towards where he buried it.

When Frost watched Sea hunt, Sea seemed to be calm and steady. He perfectly leaned back and got the timing right. Must be from hunting so much, Frost would think. Maybe he should too. Getting better, helping his clan more... But still clumsy, you can't teach or train that away. Frost tried and tried. Though he doesn't remember much of the training, or who it was with if it was with anyone. But enough of his thoughts, he might as well focus on Sea while the other Tom is here. Maybe get used to having him around, since Frost wanted to keep him around... maybe... the idea made him happy though. He could tell that Sea was in thought when Frost had asked him about the patrols. He could see some hurt in the other warrior's eyes. Pain. It made Frost's heart pound, it made his head spin. And it made him sad. To think Sea had gone through pain. Should Frost ask him what pain?... Should Frost already know what pain? That though made his head hurt. He couldn't think straight when he thought of loss. It made him sick and he didn't know why. He could smell blood at the word 'loss' and taste it even. The rusty taste, mixed with dirt and hunger, hunger not his but others. And maybe that's what made him sick.

"Yes, I remember her," Frost said, almost confused a bit. Had something happened to Sea's sister? His brow furrowed as he continued to listen, keeping his gaze away from Sea. He didn't want to make Sea uncomfortable, but he wanted to let Sea know he was listening, keeping his ears flicked up, slightly towards Sea as if to hear better. He felt a deep pain in his chest like he knew someone bad had happened to her, but what? The pain was distant though, as if whatever it happened a while ago... As Sea kept talking, it was obvious something bad had happened to her. But the other Tom talked like Frost knew what it was. Should he even ask? He decided he wasn't but tried to feel sympathy for the other warrior. For whatever had happened to her. "I think that's still selfless," Frost murmured without thinking, "you are doing it for another person, not yourself. Not to gain status, or be the best. But I think you should live for yourself... just a bit," he said, maybe the words were for himself just as well as the other next to him. He couldn't even understand the pain Sea was going through, for whatever happened to his sister. Because he didn't understand death, or know it. He was never faced with another dying. And truth be told, Frost didn't have a family as it was.

He continued to walk next to the other warrior awkwardly before a bird landed near a tree. Another crow, Frost sighed and went for it, crouching low when he got near it... And he was at the edge of the small slope when he launched himself at the bird and tumbled down the slope. The bird then pecked at his paws, trying to break free from his grip before Frost scowled and bit the bird's neck. He scowled at the dead bird once again as he looked down at his now bleeding paws. He scuffed his paws in the wet grass to wash off the small wound he had gotten, making the blood run, then stop quickly. He picked up the bird once again in his maw, crows were nasty little things. He sighed as he looked up at the large slope above him he needed to now, hike up. Which, he saw Sea's face. How embarrassing. Frost shook off his pelt of leaves and little things of bark that he got as he tumbled down the small hill. Some bark and grass stuck to his pelt, annoying him as some bit into his skin and made his fur stick together. The wetness slicked down his fur, which was going to nip him later when it puffed up like a dandelion. Maybe Sea would find it funny... And then he would smile, and that would make Frost happy too. Finally, he hiked up the hill with the bird... and a few wounds, but they would heal quickly and easily. He buried the bird next to the one Sea had buried before continuing on.

[+1 crow]
[2/5 2 crows]

They continued to walk in silence. Awkward silence. And Frost doing the walk of embarrassment after falling trying to catch a crow. One that pecked him a great number of times. And... that's when Sea asked him if any cats got his eye. Well... his eyes were here... does Sea mean literally or figuratively? He can't mean literally, so... Romance? He remembers others asking and then them telling him about liking one another. Frost wasn't good at that and tended to run in situations like that, or when he was in love... well, he never was. When Frost was quiet made Sea stutter trying to fix a mistake he had never made. "No.. the question was.. interesting but fine.. I... ah... don't... know?" Frost said, his voice slowing and picking up with every pause. How awkward. For both of them. "I... ah... what about you?" he asked the question as well to keep the conversation going, maybe to take a different turn, hopefully. But wasn't it almost a quiet rule to ask the other cat the same question? Frost always figured it was since... whenever Frost asked a question it was almost always thrown right back at him for Frost to then give an awkward response back. Frost then listened to Sea's response before both went quiet... "Ah... Well... are you hoping for an apprentice? or.. have one, at all?" Frost asked, trying to slow his talking down to more of a normal pace than too quick for anyone to catch up and hear him. He hated repeating stuff as well, and faster words meant not being able to hear what he said, he was told.

Frost never wanted an apprentice, and always thought he was going to stay one, considering how bad he was at being one. He wasn't sure he was ever going to get a warrior name. Never expected it, which was silly. Everyone gets a warrior name. But everyone else ended up being a warrior at 20 moons... and him so young? That seemed like a joke. Starclan was making a joke out of him, weren't they? He sighed at the thought, looking up slightly at the clouds. His face was calm as he watched the birds flit past. They seemed so majestic, the way their bodies moved. It made Frost jealous sometimes. And sad, thinking they kill these creatures. Even though there were more of them, and they needed to eat to... He wondered what they talk about, how they care for one another if they do. To think we kill these animals like they are emotionless beings who have no life of their own... maybe that's what stopped Frost from always killing them, from not letting them go. How do they feel when they escape? what do they do...

Snapping again from his thoughts. How terrible, he should be paying attention to the other warrior, not in his head about silly things like birds. His paws again felt the dirt, but he would stay focused, not go down the rabbit hole again, to the darkness that surrounded him when his breath picked up. "And... What... did happen to you sister?" he asked quickly, his breath staying low and his voice trying not to waver as he asked the question he tried to keep down. But he was curious, why can't he be? But Sea's face slowly turned to a look of horror. Or surprise? Maybe both. Terrible Frost, why couldn't he remember? Was he there? When did that terrible thing happen? did he see the body?... His head began to spin again, his breath... no, his breath-- he was ok. Calm yourself, he told himself as he tried to focus on his breathing. The corners of his eyes darken but his focus is on Sea. He remembers... A body, the smell... Blood and damp dirt. Seabreeze... Frost couldn't tell if he was crying... Then it went away. It felt... unreal... like a dream, not a memory.

"I'm... sorry... I don't... remember?" Frost mumbled, his face falling along with his breathing, slowing as if trying to stay quiet. He was being truthful, he didn't remember. He remembered that moon... going to training with his mentor, going back then... waking up. That seemed like most of his days now, like he didn't remember dragging himself back into the den and falling asleep in his nest. He didn't know how far back he started having memory gaps. Obviously, because he has then. What irony, not remembering how.. and having memory loss? That would've made Frost laugh silently if it weren't for how serious and tense the air seemed to be, almost suffocating. So... he just waited for Seabreeze to say something.

[Marigoldwhisper]

 

Originally Posted by mars

 

-.+riverwhisper+.-
purrks - mind reader (active)
24 moons (supposed to have aged him up on the 15th but yk)
calm/anxious/caring

Riverwhisper watched as Swanberry stumbled for words. He gently rested his tail on her back, silently comforting her.

When she finally found the words, he purred. "So, would you be my mate?" he asked, hoping she would say yes. She clearly liked him, she said as much, but was she ready for this. He wanted kits, a family to replace the one he never had...

"I'm glad you love me back. As you know, my dad was barely my dad, and someone who actually cares about me was something I thought could never happen. And I'm thankful we met. You changed- and will continue to change- my life."

(he is going to say an adorable quote that i found but it's not his)

``I swear I couldn’t love you more than I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.``

[Swanberry]
She\Warrior\RC
"No one knows how far I'll go."
· · ─────── ·· ─────── ·

Swanberry smiled giddily. Oh, this was exciting, wasn't it? She felt like running or something to kill of her newly found adrenaline, but her head barely slowed it's realing as she stared back at Riverwhisper, somewhat dumbfounded.

Kits? Mates?

She was ready for a mate, yeah. Definitely. But kits? Swanberry wasn't sure if she'd even be a good mother, she was always so scatter brained and distracted. What if she ended up neglecting them? What if bad parenting just ran through her icy veins?

Her eyes fogged as she thought back to her own kithood, hackles raising. She frowned back at Riverwhisper's comforting eyes.

"Yeah." Swanberry murmured, her gaze dropping to the floor. She wasn't deserving of such kind gestures. Why did he like her so much? She was a mess! He seemed genuine though. So she'd try, she'd have to try. If not for her, than certainly for him. He was deserving of a good healthy family. Hopefully she could give that to him.

Hopefully.

[taillow]

Unamused, Dusklion glanced at the prey that Nettleshadow held like he was a newly named apprentice and not a warrior. "Good." It was all she could muster at the moment, wanting to get home with the prey they had caught. Glancing in the direction of Sharkhail who had caught a plump piece of prey on his own. "Let's get goin' back to camp." And with that the dark tabby set off back towards RiverClan's camp.

[ total catches: 2 mice, 1 rat, 2 squirrels ]

[ @Fish @Moondapple - apologies for the shortness of this post; wanted to get it done and reported before the deadline tomorrow ]

[Moondapple]

Originally Posted by talle

Unamused, Dusklion glanced at the prey that Nettleshadow held like he was a newly named apprentice and not a warrior. "Good." It was all she could muster at the moment, wanting to get home with the prey they had caught. Glancing in the direction of Sharkhail who had caught a plump piece of prey on his own. "Let's get goin' back to camp." And with that the dark tabby set off back towards RiverClan's camp.

[ total catches: 2 mice, 1 rat, 2 squirrels ]

[ @Fish @Moondapple - apologies for the shortness of this post; wanted to get it done and reported before the deadline tomorrow ]

Nettleshadow looked disappointed. I just wanted to redeem myself for being late....He thought sadly. He really did care about him being late. He actually felt bad about it and wanted to try and do his best to help the patrol. "Sorry I was late....." He mewed and his reply was muffled by his prey. "I-I just had some really bad dreams and-um-......just i'm sorry. I will do better...." He trailed off and looked away sadly

[Mica]

Sparrowsnarl RiverClan Lionheart
he/him | 50 moons
[Heavily scarred, fluffy dark brown tabby with amber eyes]
· · ────────────── · ·
· · ────────────── · ·
Sparrowsnarl sighed, having hoped the apprentice would show up even after he ieft, since he couldn't wait around any longer. The lionheart found a clump of poppies and carefully picked them, making sure to not drop any seeds. With one last glance around, Sparrowsnarl left for camp.

[Dolomedes]

 

Originally Posted by Epiales

Frostmelt
|he/him|purrks: N/A|moons: 17| riverclan warrior|
"dulce bellum inexpertis" ~ War is sweet to those who have never fought.
"Factus sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, inter mortuuos liber." ~ I have become like a person without help, living among the dead.


Frost tried to calm himself down. It wasn't the other Tom making him anxious more than it was himself. His paws scuffed across the dirt and grass beneath his paws, scrapping them up a bit, jagged rocks digging into his fur as he moved along. He could tell Sea was enjoying that walk, slightly, as the tom looked over the grass and the dirt, taking in the details of the morning. The dew, the frost... Frost, that was a silly word. It didn't look like him but he enjoyed the word, frost. Felt nice when he said it, that was silly too, wasn't it? He enjoyed the sound of his name, happy the leader had given it to him... but... Frostmelt sounded like a name for someone an explosion waiting to happen. Which, Frost didn't want to say he wasn't... but sometimes it felt like it. And he could feel himself melting away slowly as it was. What other names could he have gotten?.. Frostclaw... Frostdew... Frost... why was he thinking about that? He should, love his name. It was his anyway. Frost looked up when Sea began to talk about going swimming. There was the anxiety there that Frost couldn't tell was literal or if Sea could've been joking. He doubted Sea was joking, or maybe a part of him wished he wasn't. Sea is telling the truth, he would tell himself as he watched the tom frantically search for words to take the place of ones that seemed to have stuttered or sounded wrong. Frost wanted to take that anxiety for himself, though he had a lot already it seems that Sea might need a little more help.

If Frost could, he would blush, slightly. Though the other Tom couldn't see it. It wasn't romantic, he knew, the feeling was just... Happiness? Yes, and he was surprised Sea wanted his company. Frost felt like he had put the tom off for moons. Like he ignored him, but he doesn't remember ignoring Sea, but he doesn't remember talking to the other tom. Whenever he got out of his... anxiety attack if it was even that, he could see the look on Sea's face. Which he desperately tried to forget. He had not only had a full-blown attack, almost losing it fully, but then he lied. The fakest, easiest lie to see through. Would he tell Sea? 'oh, I have panic attacks so bad I am just stuck in this black box with no way out... you know, it's so bad that I've even forgotten why I have them or how they started,' yes because Sea will think you are very sane after that, he thought to himself sarcastically. But what if these attacks keep happening...? Sea will catch on eventually, and then it will go down in flames. "Well... I.. uhh... sorry about running off," he said quickly, "bird." he said, motioning towards where he buried it.

When Frost watched Sea hunt, Sea seemed to be calm and steady. He perfectly leaned back and got the timing right. Must be from hunting so much, Frost would think. Maybe he should too. Getting better, helping his clan more... But still clumsy, you can't teach or train that away. Frost tried and tried. Though he doesn't remember much of the training, or who it was with if it was with anyone. But enough of his thoughts, he might as well focus on Sea while the other Tom is here. Maybe get used to having him around, since Frost wanted to keep him around... maybe... the idea made him happy though. He could tell that Sea was in thought when Frost had asked him about the patrols. He could see some hurt in the other warrior's eyes. Pain. It made Frost's heart pound, it made his head spin. And it made him sad. To think Sea had gone through pain. Should Frost ask him what pain?... Should Frost already know what pain? That though made his head hurt. He couldn't think straight when he thought of loss. It made him sick and he didn't know why. He could smell blood at the word 'loss' and taste it even. The rusty taste, mixed with dirt and hunger, hunger not his but others. And maybe that's what made him sick.

"Yes, I remember her," Frost said, almost confused a bit. Had something happened to Sea's sister? His brow furrowed as he continued to listen, keeping his gaze away from Sea. He didn't want to make Sea uncomfortable, but he wanted to let Sea know he was listening, keeping his ears flicked up, slightly towards Sea as if to hear better. He felt a deep pain in his chest like he knew someone bad had happened to her, but what? The pain was distant though, as if whatever it happened a while ago... As Sea kept talking, it was obvious something bad had happened to her. But the other Tom talked like Frost knew what it was. Should he even ask? He decided he wasn't but tried to feel sympathy for the other warrior. For whatever had happened to her. "I think that's still selfless," Frost murmured without thinking, "you are doing it for another person, not yourself. Not to gain status, or be the best. But I think you should live for yourself... just a bit," he said, maybe the words were for himself just as well as the other next to him. He couldn't even understand the pain Sea was going through, for whatever happened to his sister. Because he didn't understand death, or know it. He was never faced with another dying. And truth be told, Frost didn't have a family as it was.

He continued to walk next to the other warrior awkwardly before a bird landed near a tree. Another crow, Frost sighed and went for it, crouching low when he got near it... And he was at the edge of the small slope when he launched himself at the bird and tumbled down the slope. The bird then pecked at his paws, trying to break free from his grip before Frost scowled and bit the bird's neck. He scowled at the dead bird once again as he looked down at his now bleeding paws. He scuffed his paws in the wet grass to wash off the small wound he had gotten, making the blood run, then stop quickly. He picked up the bird once again in his maw, crows were nasty little things. He sighed as he looked up at the large slope above him he needed to now, hike up. Which, he saw Sea's face. How embarrassing. Frost shook off his pelt of leaves and little things of bark that he got as he tumbled down the small hill. Some bark and grass stuck to his pelt, annoying him as some bit into his skin and made his fur stick together. The wetness slicked down his fur, which was going to nip him later when it puffed up like a dandelion. Maybe Sea would find it funny... And then he would smile, and that would make Frost happy too. Finally, he hiked up the hill with the bird... and a few wounds, but they would heal quickly and easily. He buried the bird next to the one Sea had buried before continuing on.

[+1 crow]
[2/5 2 crows]

They continued to walk in silence. Awkward silence. And Frost doing the walk of embarrassment after falling trying to catch a crow. One that pecked him a great number of times. And... that's when Sea asked him if any cats got his eye. Well... his eyes were here... does Sea mean literally or figuratively? He can't mean literally, so... Romance? He remembers others asking and then them telling him about liking one another. Frost wasn't good at that and tended to run in situations like that, or when he was in love... well, he never was. When Frost was quiet made Sea stutter trying to fix a mistake he had never made. "No.. the question was.. interesting but fine.. I... ah... don't... know?" Frost said, his voice slowing and picking up with every pause. How awkward. For both of them. "I... ah... what about you?" he asked the question as well to keep the conversation going, maybe to take a different turn, hopefully. But wasn't it almost a quiet rule to ask the other cat the same question? Frost always figured it was since... whenever Frost asked a question it was almost always thrown right back at him for Frost to then give an awkward response back. Frost then listened to Sea's response before both went quiet... "Ah... Well... are you hoping for an apprentice? or.. have one, at all?" Frost asked, trying to slow his talking down to more of a normal pace than too quick for anyone to catch up and hear him. He hated repeating stuff as well, and faster words meant not being able to hear what he said, he was told.

Frost never wanted an apprentice, and always thought he was going to stay one, considering how bad he was at being one. He wasn't sure he was ever going to get a warrior name. Never expected it, which was silly. Everyone gets a warrior name. But everyone else ended up being a warrior at 20 moons... and him so young? That seemed like a joke. Starclan was making a joke out of him, weren't they? He sighed at the thought, looking up slightly at the clouds. His face was calm as he watched the birds flit past. They seemed so majestic, the way their bodies moved. It made Frost jealous sometimes. And sad, thinking they kill these creatures. Even though there were more of them, and they needed to eat to... He wondered what they talk about, how they care for one another if they do. To think we kill these animals like they are emotionless beings who have no life of their own... maybe that's what stopped Frost from always killing them, from not letting them go. How do they feel when they escape? what do they do...

Snapping again from his thoughts. How terrible, he should be paying attention to the other warrior, not in his head about silly things like birds. His paws again felt the dirt, but he would stay focused, not go down the rabbit hole again, to the darkness that surrounded him when his breath picked up. "And... What... did happen to you sister?" he asked quickly, his breath staying low and his voice trying not to waver as he asked the question he tried to keep down. But he was curious, why can't he be? But Sea's face slowly turned to a look of horror. Or surprise? Maybe both. Terrible Frost, why couldn't he remember? Was he there? When did that terrible thing happen? did he see the body?... His head began to spin again, his breath... no, his breath-- he was ok. Calm yourself, he told himself as he tried to focus on his breathing. The corners of his eyes darken but his focus is on Sea. He remembers... A body, the smell... Blood and damp dirt. Seabreeze... Frost couldn't tell if he was crying... Then it went away. It felt... unreal... like a dream, not a memory.

"I'm... sorry... I don't... remember?" Frost mumbled, his face falling along with his breathing, slowing as if trying to stay quiet. He was being truthful, he didn't remember. He remembered that moon... going to training with his mentor, going back then... waking up. That seemed like most of his days now, like he didn't remember dragging himself back into the den and falling asleep in his nest. He didn't know how far back he started having memory gaps. Obviously, because he has then. What irony, not remembering how.. and having memory loss? That would've made Frost laugh silently if it weren't for how serious and tense the air seemed to be, almost suffocating. So... he just waited for Seabreeze to say something.

Seabreeze
He/him | Riverclan Warrior | Moons: 16 | Purrks: Go with the Flow | The Collector | Ultimate Predator |
“Ocean waters rising above your neck
You feel the glass start to crack.”

The sound of gentle paw steps was soothing to his ears and the tom gave an equally soft sigh, as Frostmelt’s words of his weirdness with patrol filtered in his mind. Pleased that the other warrior didn’t think of any less of him. Living for himself…that is what he is trying to do but being asked to do that was weird, it was- the tom couldn’t quite put his paw on the thoughts or feelings that sloshed together in his chest like… Seabreeze wasn’t even sure what words would match, like ice in a river perhaps? It's something familiar but he doesn’t quite- Seabreeze shook out his fur and sighed in his head again, it wasn’t that important. The warrior rather just gave a small smile to Frostmelt, “T-thanks, umm, that’s very kind of you.” The warrior turned his head away as he spoke, then the fluttering of wings that Seabreeze couldn’t hear over his noisy thoughts became apparent as blue eyes landed on a crow nearby. Seabreeze remained silent and still as he watched the other warrior approach.

That was, at least, until he realized the slope that was beside Frostmelt, though just as he went to call out to the other in warning- the tom pounced and sure enough went tumbling down the slope. Seabreeze let out a panicked noise and sprinted to the edge of the slope, a sigh of relief escaping him as he realized that it wasn’t too far of a drop and that the other was already making his way back up the slope’s hillside with a crow in his mouth. That was an impressive catch, and Seabreeze gave a little smile as he carefully watched Frostmelt move up the hill looking for any injuries or the likes. Nothing was immediately apparent. Likely some scraps and bruises from the tumble as well as- Seabreeze couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him as Frostmelt’s pelt with all of the mess that was collected in his fur came into closer view. On bi-colored paws, Seabreeze walked over and gently started to take out some of the bigger twigs and cleaned out some patches of mud but some still remained. Next, he took the time to look over for injuries. Hmm, Seabreeze let the warrior walk away to bury the pesky bird and followed behind before taking a few bounds to catch up with the golden-eyes feline.

Seabreeze made a note to check over Frostmelt’s paws, perhaps it was time to head back, wouldn’t want to lose anymore of the forest inside of Frostmelt’s fur, Seabreeze teased to himself but it was fond. That was until the warrior stumbled slightly as his extremely embarrassing question was turned on him after Frostmelt’s unsure answer. “W-well, I mean…no one? I hav-ven’t had much time- for, uhhh, romance. I’ve been trying to…be a person, more in gen-general. I-” Seabreeze fell silent, trailing off to awkwardly avoid making eye contact at all with Frostmelt. Then, fortunately, Frostmelt switched the conversation elsewhere. Perhaps the other could feel his discomfort or was himself, anyways, he wasn’t going to turn away or question the abrupt change of topic. Apprentices, hmmm, it brought up the conversation that he recently had with Adderpaw at the meeting. She had said she wanted to get an apprentice when she was older and Seabreeze had agreed with her that she’d be a great teacher but didn’t agree much when he thought about getting an apprentice himself. “I don’t think I should get an apprentice right now. I am not where I want to be in my skill and I don’t want to pass that on, you know? Maybe in the future, I like teaching kits and apprentices swimming though, so I often do that. What about you?” In his mind, Seabreeze thought that Frostmelt was likely in a similar river of thought; the other warrior doesn’t seem to be too confident in his own skills as a warrior. Seabreeze would disagree with him on that though, especially with the catch with the crow right now.

Before Frostmelt could answer, Seabreeze noticed a scuffling noise over to his right and pointed to the direction so that Frostmelt knew that he heard some prey before he stalked forward swiftly on evenly balanced paws. The sound that he had heard was none other than a mouse that had unluckily thought that just a couple tail lengths away was a good idea to squeak and scavenge, though he didn’t think that most prey had the brains to do anything unless there was an immediate threat but that may be a bit mean. The tom crouched down and crawled forward, feeling slightly off with the loss of his tail but trying to not let that annoy him too much. Finally, when in proper distance, the tom dashed forward. Leaping up and landing on the mouse’s tail. The creature squirmed and managed to get from his paws but Seabreeze was up in a flash. Bounding forward and smacking a paw out at the little creature, it hit and the mouse went flying into a tree. It stumbled and only made another tail length of space away before Seabreeze properly pounced and managed to kill it before it got away again. The tom pulled his head up and looked around the area, wincing inwardly at the scuffle that was sure to have scared away more prey they could’ve caught. That was sloppy. A mouse was still a mouse though and Seabreeze padded back to where he left Frostmelt on bi-colored paws.

The tom followed after Frostmelt again with a smile that was awkward because it was around the mouse in his mouth and not because of his nerves this time. They walked a few more paces down the trail but just as Seabreeze was going to set down his mouse and ask if Frostmelt wanted to head back to camp because they caught quite a bit and they had been out for quite some time now he was hit in the face with Frostmelt’s next words. Seabreeze could feel his own face fall as the words processed in his head, alongside the mouse that he was carrying. What…happened to Cloverpaw? Should-shouldn’t Frostmelt know! He was in camp when she was- Seabreeze took a few steps away from the other tom, tears welling up rapidly in his eyes and he could feel the burn of tears start in his nose and throat and he wasn’t sure he could tell Frostmelt even if he wanted to. How could he forget something like this? Was Cloverpaw that forgettable? Surely…surely not, right? He stumbled back again, Seabreeze refused to look to Frostmelt. “I-I don’t- how could you-? She…she’s dead, Frostmelt. I don’t….” Seabreeze tripped horribly over his words, it was painful to get them out at all, his throat felt like it was closing and it was getting hard to breathe. He needed to get back to camp, he needed something to distract him or he was going to drown. It was almost as if he was losing her again, but this time it was knowing she was being lost in other cats’ memories. Call him selfish but Cloverpaw is-she was brilliant! One of the best. Not just another cat that could be forgotten so soon…but she is...one of so many deaths these past moons.

Swallowing around the growing lump of grief and tears in his throat as his tongue suddenly felt too big for his own mouth, it was so hard to push out the following words and when they did leave, they were fractured, quiet, but lacking so much emotion that it scared even Seabreeze, “We need, we need to go back to camp. We caught enough.” Without waiting for the other, Seabreeze grabbed the mouse by its tail and turned around, walking back down the pathway they had been walking back towards the bridge and back towards the camp. H ewasn’t sure he could face Frostmelt right now, not after that, it almost felt like a betrayal not to just him but to Cloverpaw as well, which was honestly much worse in his eyes. The warrior collected each of the prey that he caught awkwardly. Throwing the birds over his shoulders so their spread out wings fell off both sides and kept them there and kept the land prey by their tails in his mouth. He kept walking, not listening to anything over the louder drone of buzzing of blood rushing through his ears, not that he wanted to. He didn’t want to hear anything from Frostmelt right now. The tom made sure that the other was behind him as he walked, he wasn’t going to leave behind a clan mate while there were only the two of them there. Never would he, especially so soon after the raid, who knows what is lurking.

The scent of an unknown cat stuck, tainting, his sister’s body came to mind. Lacing the injuries like poison that stayed stubbornly despite the way the blood flowed. It was later known to him that a rogue of some sort had attacked her and she had been alive before they carried her back to camp. She had been alive when they treated her, she had been alive until the stars were high and Seabreeze was at her side, praying to the stars that they wouldn’t gain another. That they wouldn’t take his sister from him after everything else they set him up with, but they did. Seabreeze had known that night, before she stopped breathing, that she was not going to see the daylight of the next morning because when he peered out of the den, there was a star out there he had never noticed before. Brighter and softer than the rest in the skies, hanging where his blue eyes were naturally trained to and he knew that it was his sister’s warning, that it was his sister and her star in the sky. In those moments, he had refused to see that and pretended that it was lying, that it was a coincidence that such a thing caught his eye in those moments. But it was right before dawn that he felt the subtle shift of oxygen whispering in her lungs to nothing at all that he couldn’t deny it. It was when a part of him died as well, a part of him that he was going to never get back. Even now.

His paws hit the ground of the camp and his dull, tired blue eyes landed on the prey pile instantly. Seabreeze walked slowly to it and dropped the prey and while he should be hungry he felt that he was empty but in a way that could not be filled so there was no point. With one last glance to the warrior following him in, those golden stars reflecting in the river blues, Seabreeze turned and walked to the warrior’s den.

[Sorry it’s a bit shorter than I would’ve liked but I didn’t want to push it or it’d come out bad lol.
Also drama, gotta love it. They’ll have a bit of a rough patch but it’ll be okay, hopefully. I’m going to turn in the patrol after this post so if you could Frost not catch anything else that’d be great!!! Thank you!]