and did the twin flame bruise paint you blue? — fire


There is a hum in the air. An electricity hanging over Riverclan following the meeting. Not only in conversation held between huddled groups, but heavy laden in the expanse of ashen clouds above.

'Looks like a storm is approaching,' one says.

'Starclan wouldn't flood us again, would they?' another asks, nervously glancing at the incoming storm. After all, they've only just returned to camp and were finally putting the finishing touches on den repairs and clean up.

Thunder rumbles low, reverberating into the very marrow of their bones. Robinheart pauses mid step, her maw clutching a clump of nesting material to be disposed of now that she no longer resided in the nursery. Citrine eyes flick skyward, gazing upon angry heavens that swell and writhe. The electricity in the air thickens. Her fur begins to stand on end and in an instant chaos unleashed.

Blinding light fills her vision, casting brief shadows of fear across the sandy camp. Auras dance in the tortoiseshell's vision as she scrambles backwards, nearly tripping over another clanmate.

A sharp CRACK echos throughout the territory following the flash of lightning. Too close, it's too close, the molly internally panics, shouts muffled by the ringing in her ears. Bodies are moving all around her, many ushering the young and old to safety. The storm rages on, thunder and lightning playing a frightful game of tag, uncaring of the feelings of the cats trapped beneath the bleak tempest.

From the corner of her eye Robinheart catches a flicker of light. Much more gentle than the flash of lightning, though potentially more dangerous. "Fire," she whispers, a lump forming in her throat.

Across the river, flickering to life among the trash and refuse of abandoned twoleg camp, is a fire borne of lightning strike. A fire not tamed or controlled by human hands. "F-Fire!" Robinheart tries to say again, louder than before. Her heart hammers against ivory ribcage as she tears her gaze from the small inferno. "Lichenstar! Hazecloud!" She searches for them among the blurry figures seeking shelter, "The twoleg campsite… the s-storm… fire!"

// hello and welcome to the next chapter of our plot! there is a fire at the twoleg campsite started by a lightning strike and currently being fed by the trash left behind by the humans. fortunately the fire will not spread to camp! but it can be seen. have fun!
[ penned by kerms ]
 
feel the rain on your skin

owlpaws freckled face rests on his paws after the meeting, his fluffy tail resting against his side. teeth protruding from the toms jaws, over lips pulled back in the perpetual frown of the emotions he had been feeling. green and blue eyes flickered up to the ground, thick clouds swirling off in the distance, but he seemed undisturbed, even as low chatter started to rise about the chance of flooding. he flickered a tufted ear, letting out a breath of annoyance as he shifted his chin to his other paw.

he was trying to rest, it was simple as that. even as rain started to fall from the skies, coating his fur into dampness, and dripping down his sides. but still, he remained unmoving. they would get sunningrocks back, they would fight thunderclan, and sure that would excite him a time ago, but he was still going through the angst of the argument, wondering and pondering why it mattered. lightning cracked between the clouds, thunder roared, and the chatter became louder, to fear that layered heavy over the camp.

'Fire!'

Finally, his head popped up, scarred muzzle aiming towards Robinheart in the stammer of words, before mismatched gaze followed to the glow in the distance, smoke billowing up in heavy layers. "What does that mean for us?" He asked, suddenly. Was it a sign? Was it more bad luck coming their way? Would they be chased from their camp again? "What do you need me to do?"

  • Name: Owlpaw
    Allegiance: Riverclan Apprentice | Mentored by: Hemlockshine
    Gender: amab, he/him
    Personality: Little Brother Vibes, Hides pain with humor, Competitive, Loyal, Confused easy, Not the smartest tool in the shed.
    Physical: Easy | Mentally: Medium
    will not start a fight || will not flee || will show mercy

 
Despite the smoke in the air, and how he expected to feel the heat of the flames as if they were ragging through their camp, he felt frozen. Frozen in place, unable to react fully to the situation. Never in his ten moons of life had he experienced a fire, but the way the warriors were reacting around him only told him it was something terrible. The CRACK of the lightning striking down the tree deep within Riverclan territory had nearly had him jumping out of his hide, and it would take several long heart-beats before he's moving.

"What do we need to do? How can we help?" Halting beside Owlpaw, he searches Robinheart's gaze, waiting for any task that would make him feel useful. Unbothered by the way the storm soaked his fur to the bone with his tail twitching uneasily behind him, he'd hope things wouldn't grow worse for them. Their luck was already bad enough, and now Starclan was sending a fire to them?
  • ooc:
  • ✶ gullpaw. apprentice of riverclan ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ་༘࿐⋆。𖦹°⋆.ೃ࿔*:・
    𓇼ㅤamab male, he/hims | bisexual, single
    𓇼ㅤ10 moons old | ages every 00/31/00
    𓇼ㅤapprentice | mentored by tba
    𓇼ㅤlonghaired blue point w/low white
    𓇼ㅤnpc xx npc | close with who
    𓇼ㅤwritten by halimede, ic opinions | tags
 
〕The storm roils overhead. Bubbleburst tries to ignore the rain when it begins. She's assisting in the never-ending cleanup efforts when the downpour begins. Thunder rumbles, but she ignores that too. She's a warrior now. She's seen plenty of storms and lightning in her life. The sooner she can finish up, the sooner she can go rearrange her coat in the warriors' den and dry off before getting into her nest. She doesn't want to rush through her work either; the sloppier she makes it the worse it'll be.

She's neatly placed all the littered reeds into a pile to be discarded (or recycled if she can think of something to do with them), when the roaring crackle of lightning violently grabs her attention. "Oh my StarClan!" Bubbleburst cries out in shock. She glances around camp, trying to take account of her clanmates and surroundings. They are scrambling for shelter, but from what? She hasn't yet realized that there's a-

"Fire?!" Bubbleburst echoes, scared and dumb. Her thoughts had been in the same line as Robinheart's. Surely misfortune has not befallen them again. Surely StarClan would not allow such tragedies. The flood had been scary enough- a stark reminder that the environment that works to their advantage can so easily turn against them- but there is no conquering or training with fire. Bubbleburst feels like her paws are frozen to the ground, suddenly now unbothered by the rain that soaks her to the bone. What is she supposed to do?

And so, the question comes forth from her mouth: "What should be do?" she asks. The question isn't particularly pointed, but she finds that her gaze still lands on Robinheart. The fire doesn't appear to be spreading much, and at the very least it hasn't ignited anywhere near camp. However, the winds in autumn as they transition to winter can be particularly strong, and Bubbleburst worries that lightning could strike again. Then there would be multiple fires. What are they to do? Would the rain take care of this?
u9a4dSL.png

  • ooc.
  • BUBBLEBURST —— warrior of riverclan , mentoring twinklepaw . mudjaw x breezeflower . littermate to swanpaw ✦ penned by carat
    she/her / 16 moons & ages every 13th
    single / bisexual / open to romance
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
    —— not a strong fighter, often prefers diplomacy and strategy over strength and battle skills

    "speech", 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
    biography — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
  • 73218862_HIq0jsq1uXx9fZd.png

    a mediumhaired silver marbled tabby with moderate white and blue eyes
 
Fire...

That word alone is one that Merlinpaw only has any recollection of through association others have spoken about, through cats who bear the moniker or synonyms thereof. The storm raging had provided a lullaby of white noise, and Merlinpaw had been spending the time when he wasn't hunting or repairing the camp in his nest, curled up in a tight ball and wishing he had a long enough tail to drape over his snout and block out the chill the storm brings.

The shout of panic alerts the tom, and his head shoots up, on his paws at once as the call of danger becomes ever more common... even if this is only the second time he can remember. Fur standing on end, sepia eyes blown wide, they look around for the fire, expecting it to be in camp, right on top of them and ready to claim more lives. But he does not see the orange glow up close and personal, rather, it's some distance away, in the direction of the two-leg's dens, but the glow is bright and growing brighter, and Merlinpaw does not know if they should be alarmed and prepare to run with the rest of RiverClan, or if they were to stay put.

Bubbleburst asks the question on the tip of their tongue, the one they would've blurted out should their throat not be constricted with horror. Where's Lichenstar? Hazecloud? Someone, anyone, to give them some sort of direction. What were they supposed to do?



  • ooc -

  • #6360c4

  • (img) Merlinpaw * they/him* 10 moons
    mentored by Streamsong
    short furred blue classic tabby w/ low white; brown eyes
    Peaceful & healing powerplay allowed || underline for attack
    penned by Neptune. || Neptune on disc, dm me for plots
 

When Twinklepaw thinks of RiverClan she doesn't think of fire, that's just... not right at all! Floods sure, storms? Yes, but fire? That's a WindClan thing, they should only be seen as some protective shelter from it rather than being afflicted with it. As the rain pelted and the weather turned tumultuous in the face of the storm there was a general unease from Twinklepaw but not fear. That shifted when the lightning started to crack, whipping streaks across the sky in a righteous fury. She is not ashamed to admit that the yelp she gave in response to it is a little undignified, fur bristling as she attempts to huddle closer next to her littermates.

Robinheart alarms them to fire and her gaze searches skywards to try and catch a glimpse of it, though despite the rain it's easier to smell that sickening scent of something burning. Fire. No way. Wide blue eyes look to the older cats gathered for guidance, to her mentor who seemed just as frazzled and to Robinheart who had spotted it to begin with.

Owlpaw and Gullpaw are quick thinking, seemingly calm enough when they talk but were they just faking it? Her own nerves were alight with that distant ringing echoing in her ears, she looks to Merlinpaw to see how he is. Is it unfortunate or a blessing to put her clanmates above the safety of the land around them? That's an issue for her in the future to worry about as she straightens up. Attempting to look for her mothers, hoping that they would have a clear plan on what they should be doing.

  • 51fSsM0.png
  • TWINKLEPAW
    They/she, RiverClan apprentice, 10 moons

    A sleek yet tufted short haired blue point with blue eyes
    Littermates w/ Eveningpaw, Horizonpaw and Snowflakekit †
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    Speech (#C9BAF3), thoughts
    penned by Juice | ouijeejuice on discord
 

⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆


A fire. Well, with everything else that's gone wrong as of late, Bleakpaw really shouldn't be surprised that there's a new problem to add to that list. Her clanmates' voices draw her attention, coaxing her over to their sides. Her single eye fixes on the distant plume of smoke with the wariness who hasn't quite seen anything like it before. She is, after all, still young, no matter how hard she tries to pretend that she isn't. The electricity in the air makes her fur stand on end, her ears pricked and attentive as she awaits any sort of orders. But none come, the rest of the group seemingly enraptured by the morbid sight. What if it spreads through the forest? It could reach camp, if they aren't careful. But the practical side of Bleakpaw reasons with herself, quick to point to the cooling weather and the direction of the wind as a comfort.

"The river is between us," she points out, her voice as cool as she can manage to make it. Her mind doesn't jump to any sort of supernatural means, her faith in the starry ancestors above a reluctant thing. "Will it even be able to reach us?" For once, there's no accusation in her tone. Only a genuine sort of curiosity, as she tries to determine whether or not to worry about the small blaze across the waters. Fueled by logic as always, she's already beginning to run through the possibilities in her mind. Perhaps a stray spark could drift in the wind, but surely a fire that size could be put out with some dampened moss, right?

  • BLEAKPAW she/her, apprentice of riverclan, ten moons.
    long-legged and well-muscled, with long silver-rosetted fur, tufted ears, and a missing left eye.
    family tbd. / / mentored by npc.
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    battle info tbd
    penned by kepler@keplerscope on discord, feel free to dm for plots/with questions!

 
A fire—of course, it would be fire. Tarantulamask watches as the flame flickers across the river, its light licking at the storm-choked sky like some living, breathing creature. The burn of heat and the taste of smoke are both familiar and foreign, stirring something in Tarantulamask's mind that feels just out of reach. The fire itself is distant, yet its potential for devastation unfurls in their mind, a collection of images and outcomes spiraling in all directions. They cannot look away. Fire is predictable in its unpredictability, a paradox that claws at their brain like an insistent ache.

The storm above has always brought change, and now this… this living threat. The others' panic hums like a low undercurrent, their voices merging with the rumble of thunder. It should disturb them, that constant motion, the dread of what fire might bring. But Tarantulamask finds a stillness in the chaos, an almost perverse clarity. As if the fire has snapped something into focus that drab, overcast days could not. What will this flame take from them? What could it leave behind? They feel no need to run, no urgency to raise their voice and join in the scramble. Fire is the embodiment of inevitability. A finality that doesn't relent, doesn't hesitate. That sense of order, of consequence, feels almost grounding in the whirlwind of lives around them. Tarantulamask's gaze is fixed, piercing, tracking the way the fire starts to shift and crawl in the distance, igniting the remnants of human presence. There's a strange satisfaction in watching it burn, as though it reveals something true, something primal in the world.​
 
જ➶ The sight of a fire is not a common thing in Riverclan but the storm herald it's beginning with a burst of bright light. Her maw is set in a frown as she looks across the camp at the bright red burning. There is no nervousness in the way that she moves as she steps over toward the group that has already noticed the fire. Her tail lashes back and forth and she shifts from one paw to another. Yet she dips her head in thought and toward Bleakpaw. "I don't think we have anything to worry about. The river will protect us and I've never seen fire last against water." Her gaze flicks away to from the fire and to the others. She is trying to assuage their worries about the blaze but the only thing she knows to do is to tell them to have faith that Starclan will not allow the fire to keep going or to touch upon the shores of their camp.

 
StarClan has only just allowed them safe passage back to their camp, has only just drawn the crowding waters from their home, and now this? Iciclefang's fur stands on end as pale lightning claws the darkened sky. The Clan hops on their paws, nervous energy thickening like static between them. Anxious murmurs begin to circulate. "Will we have to go back? Is this another flood?" The storm does not unleash water, though — it brings fire, and helplessly, the cats watch as flames lick the sky golden from above the trees.

Iciclefang's body is stiff, poised to action, but what can she do? No cat, not even Lichenstar, can extinguish flame. They need the rain to come, but selfishly, the clouds withhold their precious waters. The tang of smoke is heavy on the air, even with the river between RiverClan's camp and the Twoleg encampment.

"Even if it doesn't reach our camp, it might destroy territory we need to survive," she says. Midnightash is right, hopefully — there is no immediate danger — but what remains of their leaf-fall prey will be burned, their nests damaged, and they will flee for richer grounds. Iciclefang's jaw clenches with frustration.

We need Sunningrocks more than ever.

  • ooc:
  • DEuJTnr.jpg
  • Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
    — "speech", thoughts, attack
    — 29 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
    — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Pinepaw ; previously mentored Cicadaflight
    — riverclan lead warrior. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
    — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
    — penned by Marquette.

    sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.

 

lichenstar-6-24-hs-png.1872

✦˚.✦˚✦˚✦˚ ✧ ˚✧˚✦˚✦.˚✧
  • What few blessings they are afforded are always in equal pairing with strife. A love warmed in a tender hearth left sparks to fly and set an inferno elsewhere... The storms that had overwhelmed their banks now change to a new suffocation... one that makes the air itself alike poison. It is the tickle in the back of her throat that says something is wrong first... Then the rise of the fur along her shoulders, as if being summoned skyward but unseen paws. Her strides back into camp grow quicker, urgent, as she escapes the waters that drift around their home mere moments before the loud snap of thunder... and the flash of lightning that follows.

    Fog-dusted ears swivel towards the Twoleg camp, crystalline gaze growing sharpened by alarm... Robinheart is the first to recognize the scent of smoke... and Lichenstar's lungs soon agree as they flutter uncomfortably in her chest. There grows a simmering uncertainty in the cats that gather to look on in horror... Will it reach them?

    Many share her sentiments, her suspicions, that it won't... not when the river wraps around them so graciously. As she stifles a pained cough, buried in the thin furs of her chest, Iciclefang comments on what the real concern becomes. With the smoke spreading across their skies... what did that mean for the land prey? What did that mean for the dry-paws that could not fish? They became empty mouths in need of feeding with useless paws.

    "Is everyone- cough- in camp?" Hopefully StarClan had the mercy not to strike when a patrol might be wandering closer to SkyClan's border... Lest they get caught in the crosswinds. We should be safe enough... But one good look at the prey pile spelled a worrying story. They'd run out of food at this rate...

    Any inch of territory they might be able to squeeze out of ThunderClan may be the difference between starvation or not.
  • about

    speech hex code ✧ #6368A5

    ooc notes ✦
    tagging ✶
    penned by tieirlys
  • ˚ ★⋆. ࿐࿔ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦ ˚ .

    . ˚ * ✦ . . ✦ ˚ ˚ .˚ ✦ . . ˚ . ✦ . . ˚ ੈ✧˳·˖✶ ✦ ˚ ✦ . . ˚ ★⋆. ࿐࿔

    . ˚ * ✦ . . ✦ ˚ ˚ .˚ ✦ . . ˚ . ✦
 
Against potentially the better wishes of her mother, she plays outside, rolling a mossball between her paws as the clouds grow darker and darker overhead. When rain patters against her head, she shivers, only for something to CRACK!

She can feel her heart skip a beat. Its bright, oh, Stars, it's so bright- dumbly, Dropletkit stares and then yanks her head away in writhing pain, as if the very light sent a shock through her body. She crouches, trying to blink it away, eyes moving back to look at where it had struck out of sheer, morbid curiosity.

Through the afterimage of the dazzling light, she sees something red and orange and angry ignite. When it billows up, clouds the air and chokes the earth below it, Dropletkit feels a seize of panic overtake her for the second time in her life; deep-rooted dread, a chill that runs through her very core. The mossball is all but abandoned in the face of terror, mouth parted in a half-shriek that doesn't leave, ears swiveled back against her skull. A flooding river churns in their stomach and mind as they watch the blanket of gray grow heavier, wider, threatens to sweep them all away. It looks like... Oh... Droplets legs feel weak beneath her.

All Dropletkit can see is a familiar rush of waves, of her Mama's terrified words as she tries her best to comfort her. Mama, mama, mama- "Mama!" her chest heaves with the effort it takes to breathe, even if the smoke has not quite reached them, scrambling back against slick pebbles, a zooming spark of her own as she hunts down @claythorn in crazed panic. "Mama- Mama we gotta go, come on!" she cries, opening her mouth to try to drag Claythorn away, looking around to try to spot her siblings. "Mama it's gonna get us all!" she doesn't want to die like Apricotflower, like Gladefrost and Magpiepaw. She doesn't want anyone to die!

  • dropletkit
    afab demi-girl .☘︎ ݁˖ she/they .☘︎ ݁˖ 4 months
    riverclan kit .☘︎ ݁˖ adopted by claythorn & otterbite
    small albino she-kit with dusty rose colored eyes .☘︎ ݁˖ very soft & fuzzy
    "speech, F3C4C5" .☘︎ ݁˖ thoughts
    single .☘︎ ݁˖ too young to consider love
    smells like flowers & milk .☘︎ ݁˖ distant nostalgia
    penned by chuff
 
MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

Thunderstorms have never particularly scared him, but even the calmest of cats would jump at the mighty CRACK that shakes the air. Snakeblink looks up at the lightning-streaked sky, short fur bristling, and watches and watches as Robinheart raises the alarm about the fire of the twoleg camp.

He can see the smoke rising, like a trembling haze over the clouds, through the rain. Hints of its acrid smell are already drifting through the petrichor of fresh rain. Bleakpaw and Midnightash are right, the river should stand between them and the blaze--but for how long? And what of the smoke thickening in the air?

A few cats ask what they can do. "Nothing for now," he hisses, eyes narrowing through the pouring rain. "But stand ready to help the elders and kits evacuate, if it comes to this." Another crisis -- does it mean anything? Or only that they have rotten luck?

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely
  • 2h3Dnip.png


    Snakeblink • he / him. 57 ☾, riverclan warrior
    — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
    — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
 

CRACK!

Claythorn awakes with a start, having dozed off at some point. Her ears are ringing, eyes narrowed against the flash of light across the distance... and then the flames began. She's in a panic then. Counting, always counting, always ensuring her young are near or safe. Dropletkit finds her face, an insistent tugging on her leg to get her to move from where she had dozed off- when did I get that lazy? A sharp breath was taken, words booming and tone strong.

"Dropletkit- stop panicking." She orders. Claythorn crouches down swiftly, eyes searching her smallest's vision. ".. Stay low. Do you see how the others are running or screaming yet? This isn't the flood." Claythorn speaks like there is no doubt, no argument, to her words- she can only have faith that Lichenstar didn't have wool between her ears like last time. Mismatched goldens flicker and she turns towards the rest of the camp.

She nudges Dropletkit towards the front of the nursery. She didn't want to entire, given smoke could overwhelm in a tight space like that. "Stay right in front. We're going to group here until we know more, okay?" She says to her daughter, vision turning to look for @DARK-KIT, @eelkit and @ONYXKIT. If they had found her and drawn near, all was well, if not- "Come here, you three. Now." She bids them.
  • "speech"
  • CLAYTHORN she/her, queen of riverclan, nineteen moons.
    LH chocolate torbie with mismatched golden eyes, scars across her right cheek and over her left ear. cold exterior and threatening glares, built for stamina/battle and not swimming (tall/muscled)
    mentored by darkbranch (npc) / / mentoring no one
    mated to otterbite / / mother to dark-kit, onyxkit, sparrowkit, eelkit, dropletkit
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.