no angst CAN WE PRETEND THAT AIRPLANES — stargazing

[CLAYFUR]

The sky is open, unclouded and clear for the first time in a while. There are still a few wispy clouds lingering on the horizon past the trees, but for the most part Clayfur can see the entirety of the sky from his place in the center of RiverClan’s island camp. The brown tabby tom is sprawled out on his back across the dirt with a few clanmates, all of them staring up into the night sky.

The sky is dotted with stars, white and yellow and some of them blinking—there’s a few red ones that move, too—and after a while of staring up at them, shapes begin to form from the lines drawn between stars. When one cluster of stars catches his eye, Clay chuckles and stretches a white paw up to point at it. "That one looks exactly like Smokethroat, if he was missing a leg… and his tail." He glances over to the cat beside him, frowning lightly as he considers what he’s said. "Okay, so maybe not actually that much like Smokethroat," he concedes, shrugging.
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[ WHAT'S MY AGE AGAIN? ]​

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[apricotflower]

"Nah, it's just Smokethroat after another fight with WindClan." Comes Apricotflower's cheerful hum, gold eyes searching the skies for the pinpricks of light that Clayfur had pointed out to their little group. Truly, though, if their lead warrior got into another scuffle with the moor-runners he'd probably lose at least one of those limbs - but that's a problem for future Smokethroat, if at all. Wriggling on her back a little to sate an itch - both physical and the inclination to move - the cream-and-white molly points her own nicked paw skywards.

"That one looks like a cat though. I dunno which cat, but it's one of 'em." Her gesture appears slightly off-center to the cluster Clayfur had pointed out - but with one eye closed for accuracy, Apricotflower doesn't realise she's just pointed out the exact same grouping give or take a few.​

ooc ✧ info ✧

•  
• ✦ apricotflower, warrior of riverclan
  — mentor to shellpaw.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with gold eyes. big scar on her left shoulder, little scars on her paws.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

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[BARBELHOP]

"Heard someone say once that stars were dead cats. Explains why they look so similar to them. Makes no sense to see Smokethroat though. Very much alive... unless..." The tabby had sneaked close to the group of stargazing cats as their eyes were enamored by the stars, his own also staring up until mention of a potentially deceased clanmate came up. He looked around like a frantic rabbit, waited for his frosted breath to disperse from the air, and shook his head. "No. Very much alive. Probably." Barbelhop found an empty spot on the grounds to settle and shimmied down into a loaf, his paper-thin tail curling around himself to keep himself as warm as he could. Winter had gone from being difficult on his body to be easy, to being difficult again, he hadn't decided if it was because of age or the fresh scars he seemed to add after every season. It would be nice to know, but it didn't matter either way, soon new leaf would come, and with it, the promise of a prosperous few moons for his home. Kittens, fat fish, he was looking forward to it.

Blue eyes squinted up at the sky, struggling to find the same shapes his clanmates did. There was beauty in pattern-finding even when it seemed meaningless, but try as he might, he could not see passed the cynicism that they were all just randomly placed there.... until... "Found a rat. In the stars, not in camp." A white paw lifted toward the air, pointing to an amorphous set of stars behind the stargazer's heads. Attached to it was a red star, blinking and moving until it had formed a line that made up the rat's 'tail'.



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[BUCKGAIT.]

MY NAME IS BRUTUS AND MY NAME MEANS HEAVY ✧​

when there is a slowly growing group, anyone would be interested. riverclan's deputy is no exception, joining the rest in their observations of the star-kissed heavens. she had not spent time drawing figures in the stars since she had been a kit, or entertaining some kits. there's a childlike wonder to it all. of what may be up there. if there truly are the deceased, watching over them. lightningstone had told her of starclan, an attempt to bring comfort to a grieving mother. now, there's a foolish hope of reuniting.

her eyes follow to where barbelhop's paw points, a star far different from the others moving. the rest stay still, some twinkling in the same beat as her heart. now her own eyes are roving over the sky, following random pockets and groups of stars to find something. clay had found a mangled rendition of smokethroat, apricotflower with a random cat, and barbel a rat. she feels that it is now her turn. it is when something catches her eye does she let her own paw fall forward, tracing the figure for the rest. "i see a reed." it's plain, and nothing too interesting. her paw finishes tracing the head of the common plant, before looking to the trio of warriors. if they were interested in her findings, even if it didn't seem as interesting as cats or rats.
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[SMOKESTAR]

"WindClan will get no other parts so quit the wishful thinking, you'll not be rid of me so easily."
He'd heard his name and like a fool wandered over only to find mindlessly prattlings about shapes in the sky forming cats, rats and even himself albeit extremely dismembered and not exactly a very favorably description; was he being teased again, he couldn't tell. Especially not with Clayfur who consantly joked about that his rare moments of seriousness were often pointedly missed. The dark tom paused at the edge of the cats lounging in the center of the camp, admiring the sky despite the chilling cold and he glances from them each in turn before hearing the final comment made. Buckgait adds onto the list with a quietly pointed out and simply stated plant and he finds himself squinting upward at the star flecked sky, the swill of clouds making it slightly difficult for him to focus on the twinkling lights above especially with only one eye, but he still saw nothing of real interest when it came to shapes.
"Maybe I'm just not creative..." He muttered to himself, uncertain, this felt more like something a cat with more imagination might be capable of but he was having a hard time making out the stars enough to connect them; hope that didn't mean his other eye was going bad too. Or maybe he'd just not been very good at seeing to begin with.

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[otterpop]

Otter sits with the group, right besides Apricotflower, nervously thumping his tail against the frozen earth below. He does not remember the last time he had so foolishly spent time with his clanmates, besides when he had brought things to Apricot, but that was different right? Right?! Or is he going crazy, because his hearts racing the same way it had before? He almost misses everyones answers in his panic: Smokethroat (he giggles a little bit, stifling it under his breath), a cat, a rat, reeds and... He blinks warmly towards Apricot at hers. Oh, Smokethroat speaks up suddenly, which makes him slightly jump in shock. Oops!

Buck is here too, but theres no nervousness towards her, only a friendly warmth. What gives? He decides to distract himself by answering Smokethroat. "No! Thats not it, uh,-" shoot! what does he even say? "I think the stars only make things when they want to be seen, haha... Or, uh, thats what I was told." perfect! Not weird at all, no major stutters, absolutely flawless! Mentally Otter smacks his face, groaning at the fact that he sounded awkward. "I see a... Uhm... Fish, I think?" he raises his paw to a cluster of stars that look absolutely nothing like a fish.

"speech"​

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[Newtspring]

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---

Newtspring noticed the stargazing group after returning from a quick walk around outside camp,
and followed their gazes toward the sky. Newtspring squinted where Otter pointed, turning his
head almost upside down trying to see what Otter was seeing.

"I see it, I think? It's a fish after having a bite taken out right?"

Shaking his head as he straightened himself back out, he glanced around above, wondering
what other shapes there could be! But he couldn't seem to make shapes besides attempting to
see fish now.

"If our ancestors are in the stars... do fish ancestors go up there too?"​

 

[Cindershade]

Placing herself underneath the coverage of a blanket of darkness was eerily comforting for the warrior, the sky decorated with an abundance of stars and the stillness of the world around here was—peaceful. Cindershade often volunteered for night time patrols or standing guard, just to be in the presence of the ethereal night sky. She felt at peace, her worries washing away when bathed in the pale light of the moon, the distant river rushing in the background playing a song in her ears.
She stands a little away from the group who all seemed to antsy in order to sleep, all enjoying the presense of stars as they looked upon them. Each pointed out different images, and Cindershade couldn't stop herself from lightly chuckling as Clayfur pointed out that he saw something of Smokethroat. She could kind of see it. The twinkling lights resembled his white spotting, but the missing limb and tail was lost to her. Apricotflower pointed out another cat, but unsure of who. Cindershade nodded in thought, her own glowing eyes casting to the heavens above for a moment. Barbelhop claimed to see the tail of a rat and she huffed out another quiet laugh to herself, wrapping her thick shaded tail over her paws.
Buckgait pointed out a reed, her paw tracing it just as Barbelhop did. She listens more intently to their findings, her erect ears pulled towards them to hear more clearly. Otterpop and Newtspring point out a fish, their rambling filling the wintry night air as their breath billowed around them. She looks to Smokethroat who couldn't see much of anything, his muffled voice barely reaching her ears. Cindershade sighs, returning her own sight back upon the frosted star lit canvas, watching them flicker ever so slightly as if they danced with one another.
"Stars have told a plethora of stories for generations." The shadowed she-cat breathed, her quiet voice breaching from her perch. "Everyone sees something different, it's all perspective. I believe they are guides, story and fortune-tellers. Their mystery knows no bounds. They bring peace over the world, reminding us of how small we are and humbling us. One could sit and stare st their ethereal beauty for hours and not get bored—or at least I could." Cindershade began to ramble quietly, something she wasn't very known for doing. She spoke to no one in particular, unsure whether or not they even could hear her in the first place. Usually she was silent like the essence of night fall, but something about being under a blanket of stars stirred a bit more of a liveliness within her.
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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​