pafp ALL CRIMES ARE PAID | decorating

[DEACON]

Dewcloud was perhaps one of Thornmask's favourite RiverClanners, on the simple basis that he wasn't a RiverClanner. Moons later, they still felt a divide between cats that had been a part of the nomadic colony and cats that had chosen to settle down and worship the stars (a big mistake when they'd seen the true omnipotent being, a spinning bunch of rats tied together with their tails). The Ripple Colony cats were ones they could banter with and would know it wasn't serious, they felt as if they wanted to be liked by them for saving them from isolation, the rules hadn't been perfect but they were manageable if it meant seeing the elders be proud of them. They'd been there when Dewcloud expressed not feeling like a RiverClanner, and that hurt because they'd never expected Dew to have such low standards. RiverClan liked to do things and claimed they were absolute, that no other way of thing of doing things was fine - the creatures that knew they were imperfect were the ones worth knowing, not the ones who held themselves to a lie that caused pain to those he loved. It hadn't taken much convincing for Dewcloud to join in on Thornmask's newest venture, making one of RiverClan's dens feel more like a piece of home.

Traveling had not left much room for keeping trinkets and decorating, but trying to remember history in one's head alone did not feel like the absolute way to preserve it now that the Ripple Colony was over. They'd seen the shells already there and decided that they were meaningless, things meant to be pretty but with no substance - fitting for the clan they'd attached themselves to. When Ripple Colony had done something, it was with purpose, it had to be when they could leave any place at a moment's notice. "We'll decorate with things we remember from our travels. It ain't perfect, but it's something." They doubted they could return beyond the mountains and collect very specific flowers or animals, but they could make do with what was there... probably. Thornmask had already gotten started, collecting as many things as they could that reminded the pair of their travels, some plants that bared a similar resemblance to ones they'd seen prior, others pieces of buried bones that the tabby had dug up. Thornmask stabbed a fish spine into the den's weaving with the jut of a broad head to fit alongside their fish skull and bird beak. "Ah bloody rats," they cursed. "Missing somethin' - beaver teeth. Think it'll be easier knocking 'em out or you think that Cicada bloke has some in him still?" With eyes the colour of reflective copper, Thornmask looked towards Dewcloud's side of the den - it was a serious question.

@DEWCLOUD
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[DEWCLOUD]

Though feeling like he sticks out in a place like RiverClan in ways he didn't quite in the Ripple Colony — Dewcloud tries, at least, to make the most of the new settlement. Homesickness is persistent and his newfound tasks in warriorhood are a distraction, even in his fumbled executions of chores done differently than what he's used to.

Thornmask's offer comes at a lull in his day, one swirling with wist for the mountains that held his earliest memories: decorating one of the dens.

Of course, RiverClan has a specific way of doing this too. The River-cats, they like all sorts of pretty things — colorful shells and shiny rocks and soft flowers. The blue tabby finds some beauty in them too, somewhat; if he were born here, he'd have his own little collection, have a more materialistic mindset. But, it's the Ripple Colony that raised him, ever-wandering in ways that many trinkets couldn't be held, only that of what was around them at the time. Dewcloud doesn't have a single rock to his freshly grown name, doesn't have leaves and feathers in his fur like some.

Thornmask doesn't offer decorating in new ways, rather ways that remind them of home — their travels. It's not perfect, they say, but it's something: and something feels like enough for Dewcloud right now.

He brings a similar gathering of items over to aid in the older cat's efforts — a smattering of fish bones, some rocks, dull and mountain like, and a few uprooted plants. Dewcloud gets to work, stabbing a fish spine tail-up into the den's roof.

" Like this? " he asks, stepping back to admire his work. It looks pretty nice, the placement of it, if he can say so himself. Maybe the RiverClanners will appreciate this — a reminder of the food they pride themselves in hunting, hung atop their sleeping grounds. Next, he picks up a single reed-stalk that had gotten tangled in his fur during a patrol the day prior, aiming to stick it beside the fish. Thornmask's voice pulls him away from his work, a questioning gaze set on the Ripple-cat.

" Oh, beaver teeth. Would've been nice, " he says, a frown pulling at his muzzle at the lack of the item. A mark of their aid, their journey's final stop. Dewcloud blinks in contemplation toward the tabby's words, before shaking his head. " Ah, no. I think the uh... the rogues? They might've taken them. " It only made sense, in his head.

" Maybe there's still some teeth over there. Where the beavers were. We can check? " Dewcloud offers, moving to pick up a large rock next. ​

✦ ABOUT

• 

  DEW ‣ DEWCLOUD
  ── Warrior of RiverClan
  
  ── ??? x ???
  ── AMAB; He/Him
  ── A gray tabby and white tom with blue eyes.
  ── Mentored by the Ripple Colony
  ── "Speech"; Attack​

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