down by the water

[taillow]

Once again, as the sun was starting to sink low towards the horizon, Dusklion found herself out of camp. Her paws had led her almost immediately towards her favorite spot on all of RiverClan's territory; the soft sand of Lionsbeach. Normally this was about the time she would retired to her makeshift nest just outside of the camp's entrance, concealed by a swath of foliage, but sleep wasn't calling for her just yet. Plus, tonight she wanted to be able to look up at the stars. Perhaps it would make her feel less lonely.

The gentle sound of waves crashing softly against the shore was like a lullaby as the dark tabby padded along. A few birds dotted the sand a bit further down, all of them squawking and taking flight as soon as Dusk got closer. Even with that, the whole atmosphere still felt quiet and peaceful. It was calming to her in a way that nothing else had been since the Meeting. Even thinking about it now brought a scowl to her face, followed by a quiet huff.

...Why couldn't she just go apologize to her brother? She regretted the harsher parts of what she'd said now, why couldn't she just tell him that? Dusklion felt the familiar sting of tears and immediately shook her head. No, she didn't want to think about that tonight. There were other, more pressing matters to look into; such as her new responsibilities as the head of the Lionhearts (a shock that she'd been able to even keep it, really). A few candidates had stuck out in her mind, but every time she thought to go talk to them something held her back. Be it her uncertainty of the Clan's feelings towards her, or a shriveled scrap of her pride still trying to hang on, but Dusk just couldn't do it yet.

A loud squawk snapped her back to reality and Dusklion turned to see a couple of seagulls flying together, dipping into the water here and there. Humorlessly she chuckled and started padding down the shoreline. Once reaching one of the rock piles that jutted out from the sand, the head Lionheart sprang up onto the flat top one and settled into a loaf position. Her blue eyes narrowed a bit against the slight breeze, watching as the sun continued to sink in the sky.

[ @Cherry~ ]

[occultation]

( @talle )

Cinderflare lay stretched out on one of the highest stones that dotted Lionsbeach, looking out over the ocean. It was late, but unlike the rest of the Clan she had no intention of going anywhere near the camp. Sleeping in her own place, somewhere in the territory, had always been her choice ever since she got her warrior name.

Usually, this late at night, nobody else came along to bother her. She should've been expecting someone to show up on this particular night; Lionsbeach was a popular destination, and the sky was clear. A great swath of stars stretched from one horizon to the other; if she were more sentimental, she might pause to admire it.

Instead, her attention was caught by one of her Clanmates. Dusklion, the warrior - or Head Lionheart now, rather - who had caused such a ruckus at the last meeting. Cinderflare didn't know much of her, but that wasn't anything particular to Dusklion. It was hard to get to know too many cats when she spent most of her days finding some odd or end to busy herself with out in some corner of the territory.

The gray molly watched the other cat quietly for a while; it didn't seem that she'd been noticed. Dusklion still seemed rather emotional, which earned a silent scoff from Cinderflare. Why was she so bent out of shape over losing out on the deputy spot? Cats who made their entire life all about leadership never made much sense to her.

One thing that had certainly never escaped Cinderflare's notice was Dusklion's appearance- she was certainly one of the more unique-looking cats in the Clan, and in a good way. The warrior had no romantic interest of any kind in her- she wouldn't, even if she knew her better. But, there was some... sort of interest, some sort of draw. She was a very pretty cat, and Cinderflare concluded that must be the reason.

Bright blue eyes watched as Dusklion took a place on a rock, one situated a fair bit lower than her own. Crossing her front paws, she said, "You know, that fur of yours looks awfully pretty in the moonlight."

[taillow]

DUSKLION
she/her | riverclan's head lionheart | 27 moons

With it being as late as it was, the head Lionheart hadn't been expecting any cat to be out here. Dusklion nearly jumped out of her own fur as a voice above her spoke, claws out immediately as the small dark tabby whipped around to stare up at - oh. While her heart continued to beat heavily against her chest she flattened her fur and withdrew her claws, narrowing her eyes up at Cinderflare. Her jaws parted to speak, but no words came out as she registered what the other cat had said. Her... huh? What?? Blinking and shaking her head, the smaller cat couldn't help but be caught off guard.

"...Didn't think anyone else was out here, 'specially this late." What else could she say? Dusk felt like something had scrambled her mind and the usually snarly she-cat didn't exactly have any sort of quip for this moment. Instead she took a seat and started to groom her fur back down, still grumbling quietly to herself about being spooked. Perhaps if she were in a better mood, under better circumstances, she would've tossed a witty, flirty remark of her own. But the last meeting where Birdsnow had stepped down and her brother had taken her place still shook her.

"What are you even doin' out here, anyways? Feel like I never see you in camp." All she really knew about this cat was her name. Maybe she had been around here and there, but Dusklion certainly hadn't seen her. Lifting her head up she looked to Cinderflare, trying to read her expression. It proved useless, what with the gathering dark around them, so instead the Lionheart just went back to grooming.

[ Cinderflare - @occultation ]

[occultation]

( @taillow )

Dusklion seemed rather startled by Cinderflare's comment, which drew a bit of a smile from the cat. Interesting- she would've expected some sort of witty remark in return, considering what she knew of the Head Lionheart. Granted, that wasn't much, but given the way she'd burst out at a past meeting, the gray molly figured she was nothing short of a spitfire.

So, she wanted to know why she was out here? Nice deflection. She must not want to focus on herself, then. An attempt to grow, perhaps just her being startled that someone would see her in that light, or an effort to hide who she really is after how she's acted in the past? Dusklion's fiery, determined side didn't blend well with the attitudes that many of RiverClan's cats had, either past or present.

Most of RiverClan's higher ranks had been too passive, in Cinderflare's opinion. It was probably why RiverClan was in the state that it was in; if a cat was going to be a high rank, they needed to actually have the spine to go and do something, good or bad. Simply sitting around like a lump on a log doing nothing was worse than going out and making mistakes.

Realizing she was getting a bit distracted, she finally answered the Lionheart's question. "I usually sleep outside of the camp. There's too many cats in the camp; it always feels too stuffy. Out here, I have the space and freedom to think, and to explore."

Shifting her eyes towards the distant horizon at the edge of the sea, she asked, "So, your brother is the leader now, it seems. It's been quite the whirlwind lately, with leaders coming and going like leaves in the wind." Cinderflare was curious how she'd respond- it could give her more insight into how she really saw herself fitting into this Clan. Would she choose to focus on the shift in leadership, or move the conversation back to herself?