Above the outer atmosphere | Riverclan patrol

[Snakeblink]

MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

The sunlight is warm on their backs as patrols leave camp for the day. Snakeblink’s group walks with those sent to their flooded camp for some time, only peeling off to follow the path towards the border they share with Skyclan. It’s a pleasant enough day despite their recent losses, and Snakeblink is trying to focus on that instead of the myriad other things souring his mood.

Bitterness at Skyclan’s lack of intervention in the battle weighs on his mind, overlaid by the persistent buzz of pain radiating from his wounded shoulder. The gouges there have barely scabbed over, the fur still stained and tacky from dried blood that he hasn’t dared wash away in fear of reopening the wound. It pulls and stings at every step, on top of the deep, sharp ache that makes his breath short no matter how gingerly he walks and how little weight he puts on it. The reminder of their recent defeat nags at him, evident in the injuries that his patrol companions bear. Frogpaw in particular worries him: every wound suffered by his apprentice feels like a personal fault, a failure of his teaching.

”We’re on good terms with Skyclan at the moment,” he whispers wryly. ”Let’s keep it that way and be quick about it.”

Stars, he can’t wait to be back in camp. Still, he tilts his head towards the more socially-inclined cats in his patrol and adds, ”If we see anyone, remember to ask them about Gloompaw. It hasn’t been that long since she disappeared…” And they could certainly do with some hope and miracles right now.​

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• ooc: @DARTERWING @RAVENPAW. @frogpaw @iciclepaw
  No need to wait for them before replying!
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 37 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

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[CLOUDBERRYTHORN]

The shuffling approach of pawsteps is joined by unfamiliar voices, and the blue smoke crouches down against the limb that he’s settled upon. He doesn’t show himself until he’s certain that they aren’t going to just cross the river and charge into SkyClan territory. "RiverClan," he raises his voice, calls out across the river from his tree perch. He doesn’t bother asking whether they won their battle against ThunderClan—Blazestar doomed the river cats, he knows. They have no reason to be friendly, to be kind, in the face of any SkyClanners.

He doesn’t ask about the battle, but he does have a different question for the other clan. "Have you seen Howlpaw?" It’s important, he thinks, to keep reminding the bordering clans about their missing apprentice. He’d heard that the tom Thistleback killed had claimed to have maimed Howlpaw and left her to die, but he doesn’t really believe it. And until he knows what happened to his fellow apprentice, he’ll keep asking after information each time he meets a border patrol.
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[ just a side character ]​

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[HEATHERPAW]

જ➶ Cheery as always she is happy to be out of the camp and exploring even if it is a small patrol. There is always something to do and she is tired of training and having sore muscles. Now she gets to take it easy and when the scent of Riverclan invades her nostrils she is sharp and quick to make herself rush to the river's edge. With a bright smile on her muzzle the fawn girl waves her tail in greeting and is about to call out when another does so before her. She glances to Cloudberrypaw at his question which makes her a little sad. That's right. Howlpaw is missing and so is Ashenclaw. It makes her pout just a little before she finall speaks up. "Yeah! Have you seen her?" She calls lightly before the fluffy youth sits down and her eyes are drawn to the water. She watches it trickle by before suddenly thinking.

"Oh! I hope everything is going well with all of you! Are the fish, um, are they swimming?" She scrunches her muzzle up at the idea of eating a fish but she supposes each cat has their own tastes.​

 

[RAVENSONG]

They had lost their rocks and Ravenpaw only suffered a bruise to the head for it. He had gotten far more blood drawn during the WindClan raid. He kept his head low, but observed every laboured step that Snakeblink made, like a predator eying its prey for weaknesses. StarClan, did RiverClan have many of those, he thought bitterly with a lash of his tail. They ought to be the most protected and prosperous Clan with their river.

Ravenpaw stayed alongside Darterwing's side, keeping his mouth shut. It was only when the SkyClan cats approached did he raise his head to look at them—one of them was sitting in a tree. Ravenpaw flicked his ear in annoyance. Couldn't these tree-lovers come down to have a proper conversation instead of shouting from the sky like this?

"No." He replied drily. "And I heard you have lost another one, a large warrior with grey fur. Neither of them have been found by our patrols." Surely it could not be good that so many cats were going missing. He thought of Gloompaw and swallowed. Someone else could inform SkyClan of their loss.

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[DARTERWING]

(=^･ｪ･^=))ﾉ彡♡ —After rubbing up against a tree on their side of the border, Darterwing blinks at the SkyClan cats. A thought is shared with Ravenpaw, were all these cats going missing for the same reason? Wherever they all are she prays StarClan is working on guiding them back home.

A silence rolls over the patrol, she decides to listen to Snakeblink and ask the SkyClanner’s in turn about their own missing. ”We have missing too. Gloompaw, our medicine cat apprentice is gone. Have you cats seen her?” To be frank, the she-cat is far from hopeful they’ll get any answers.— tags​

 

[Orangestar]

"No, your patrol are the first RiverClan cats we've seen in a while." Orangeblossom shakes her head as she pads into earshot, though her ears twitch back in a wince at the indirect mention of Ashenclaw. Her path - on the ground, always on the ground these days while her brother's voice reaches her from the trees - draws her closer to their neighbours, and the deputy takes a careful seat at the base of the tree Cloudberrypaw drawls from. It's less painful than normal, though she's careful of her bad leg, but some weird discomfort makes her set her weight down gingerly. Stars above, she's getting old. "What does she look like? We'll keep an eye out."

— info

•  
• 
  orangeblossom. tags.
  — she/her, skyclan deputy.
  — mentor to eveningpaw.
  — attack in #e08550. uses trees as an integral part of her fighting style.
  — mean enough to note that her thoughts don't reflect my opinions as a writer haha.
  — penned by mercibun; @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots. :]
  — art by merc!<3
  

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[iciclefang]

Iciclepaw's ears flick, an acknowledgment of Snakeblink's instructions. She has no doubts many of her Clanmates are sour-bellied about SkyClan not coming to their aid during the battle with Sunningrocks, but she is more curious than anything else. Curious about what Cicadastar intends to do about this so-called alliance, curious about the reason Blazestar had stayed his warriors' paws. She supposes she knows part of the reason, at least. SkyClan and ThunderClan have always been friendly -- at least to her eyes.

We shouldn't need kittypets fighting our battles for us, anyway, she thinks loftily, eyeing the cats who peer from the trees across the river. We'll get Sunningrocks back on our own merit, not Blazestar's. The sting of a favor owed not returned does sully her mood, though, she can't deny that.

The cats are friendly enough, and Iciclepaw gives a curt nod to them. Darterwing asks about Gloompaw, and SkyClan's ginger-and-white deputy appears to give her reply. The young tortoiseshell wrinkles her nose bridge -- does SkyClan really need to know all their business? She supposes it couldn't hurt, knowing the kittypet Clan had lost members, too.

More than two. Iciclepaw gives the deputy a cool look. "Seems you've lost another. What about that sand-colored tom with the overbite who claimed to be fighting on our side?" Her smirk is small and tight. "Or are you not claiming that one?"

Her tail twitches, and she gives a small sigh. "Gloompaw has smoky-blue fur. She's been gone awhile." She rubs her cheek thoughtfully against a clump of reeds to mark them before adding: "She's our medicine cat apprentice." More of an admission of weakness than she'd like to admit, but perhaps it would put more importance on the she-cat's disappearance.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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