no angst DEEP GREENS AND BLUES [ intro ]

[coyotecreek]

( 𓍊𓋼 ) it's a warm, clear morning on the river. chilled water babbles along over stones of grey-blue and pale green. there is a quiet peace to the air as it whisks among reeds, tall grasses rippling gently in the wind. the flaming tom perches upon a fallen log, white dappled tail curled around similarly hued paws. he is lost in thought, dual eyes misty even in the brilliant sunlight. it's early still - the dawn patrol has just been sent out, but he sits along the shore anyway, observant, silent. above in the great crystal expanse, shadows move, loud cries alerting the man to his new companions. arching his head up to scan the horizon, a soft smile graces his face as he observes the natural cycle of things.

a flock of geese, an animal known for their unkindness and lack of elegance, soars above with a surprising grace. they are soft shapes in the sky, forming a V with what he imagines is their leader at the front. flying across the rushing wildness of his river, the geese's cries break the momentary silence. it's a beautiful sight, one he recognizes from years past- warm weather creatures ending their long migration, arriving back from their warmer homes. how odd that they know when to move, spurred on perhaps by the arrival of twolegs, or, more likely, some wild instinct that has not yet graced their fellow creatures. it is amusing how alike his own clan are to the geese who now flock to the banks. warmer weather has brought a change of scenery, quite literally. riverclan has moved back to their original camp, back to the home most know like the pads of their paws. long whiskers twitch as coyotecreek ponders if the geese born wherever the flock had flown off to for leaf-bare are now just as confused as his own clan's kittens upon returning. the queens have had a pawful containing the rascals in the new and improved nursery.

the leaves are beginning to green on the willows, their elegant branches beginning to glow again with verdancy. they are not yet full, but the geese know. the geese can tell that cold is has receded. he admires this foresight, thinks of the creeping chill of snow-fall, the relief that it is now over. once, he would have curled up in the barn, the harsh cries of the geese only barely penetrating the slatted wood from the roof over his head. now he sits in the open, welcoming the arriving sun. odd eyes are fixed on this flock, head tipped slightly to the right as he observes the creatures. how delightful to witness this change, yet now terrifying to know that it means a new season arriving. his children will soon be warriors, then take apprentices, fight in battles, experience everything their parent was unable to. coyotecreek only hopes they will see many seasons arrive like this.​

( LIKE A GOLD RUSH )

 

[apricotflower]

RiverClan's first ascension into the warmth of Newleaf has certainly been an eventful one; loved ones lost, new life to the Clan gained. However, though it all, moving back to their original camp has truly been the final fish atop the pile and Apricotflower finds herself entirely content with the way that RiverClan has settled back into their home. The ginger-and-white molly pads over to pause beside a familiar ochre warrior, flicking her ear to Coyotecreek in quiet greeting before she draws herself close and takes a seat next to him.

There's silence for a while as the queen takes in the bustle of camp around them, attention lingering on two of her kittens squabbling in the corner briefly, but the little birds resolve their tension without her having to step in this time. A good sign, for certain. To her Clanmate, finally, she offers: "How're you doing, Coyotecreek?"
​

 

[Cowpaw]

₊°✩ Shadows will scream that I'm alone

---

Bursting through the willow branched entrance, a ball of black and white fur blundered about with excitement and blue eyes shone in the sunlight as they excitedly seemed to want to say something. This young cat looked around for a moment before spotting the dark pelt of their father, Coyotecreek, and the pale pelt of Apricotflower and then bolted over at max speed. Though they had to skitter to a halt as they stood there staring at their father intently and their body shook slightly from the amount of exicitement pulsing through their body. Cowpaw was rather thrilled with whatever had transpired on their outing in the territory and they needed to tell someone right away about it!

"Dad! Apri!" Cowpaw finally spoke up from their stiffness of standing there like a shaking dog, "I finally got to swim! I did it! I actually swam!" Swimming had been something of difficult for Cowpaw as they had always been weary of the dark depths of the river. So, they tried to put of swimming as much as they could until they finally had to deal with the fear. And they did it! Fae managed to swim against the current for a good few heart beats before things got chaotic! It was a messy feat, but a feat nonetheless! "SPEECH"

---

But I know we've made it this far, kid ! ₊°✩

⟪ OOC ⟫ ⟪ INFO ⟫ ⟪ REF ⟫

• //​
• COWPAW named for their fathers' farm.
  — they/them fae/faer 11 months old
  — riverclan apprentice, mentored by TBD.
  — morbid, stubborn and charming.
  
  primary character, medium-high activity. penned by itjustjaylin.​
• 

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[FERNGILL]

Perhaps the fact that Fernpaw let distractions tug at him so effortlessly was the reason he lagged behind his peers of the same age, a bitterness that had glowed clearly in his gaze when he had been held back from warriorhood. That ceaseless discontent that sat acidic in his throat, bile-like, was at least temporarily relieved when the arrow-shaper formation of geese flew above, a flurry of distant noise and shadowy shapes that was impossible for even an untalented tracker such as himself to miss.

He caught the upward tilt of Coyotecreek's head, angled as his pupils subtly followed the movement of the birds. Still brimming with an enthusiasm for learning, even in the face of an overwhelming lack of ability, he approached the warrior, gaze still half-trained on the sky. Apricotflower's greeting and Cowpaw's enthusiastic, stumbling approach was met with a dying-light bright smile, sincere but ever-so-lesser than it had been the last few moons, before bright eyes settled back upon the snow-splashed tom.

"Where do you think they're going?" Perhaps a banal question, but... who knew what might be useful and when.​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[lichenstar]

Things were finally (slowly) returning to normalcy. It meant no more kittens born outside of their true home. No more surprise attacks in a camp exposed to the elements. No more longing for the closeness of the river in a way the copse couldn't provide. It was a relief. A weight off the entire clan's back that they sorely needed. The tension of properly grieving everything lost lingered... but that's just how scars were. Some wore the physical badge of that pain and others, the emotional baggage to pull their hearts down.

All wounds take time to heal. They'd only just begun that process.

Cowpaw's enthusiasm was, alike Fernpaw's usual bright and cheer demeanor, one of the reminders that all things weren't bad. Fae came in practically rattling around in faer own skin, overjoyed by the discovery of one of RiverClan's common joys. Swimming. A smile pulled itself onto her face as fae practically sprinted over to faer father, squealing about the accomplishment.

Looking to Coyotecreek in the quiet contemplation he had been enjoying, Lichentail offered a friendly smile. "Yanno bird watching isn't much of a RiverClan pass-time," she was a hypocrite to say so, given how much she enjoyed a feathery snack.​

 

[coyotecreek]

( 𓍊𓋼 ) it isn't long before he is approached by a friendly face, and the flame tom will offer a bright grin as apricotflower approaches. "well g'mornin to ya, lass," he purrs, wrapping his tail tighter around snow-white paws. "i'm doing just fine. watchin them geese return is a real treat." he angles his ears towards the horizon, where the V of birds moves slowly ever forward. he can hear their cries, filling the clear sky with delighted vocals. "they remind me o' us, returnin home after so many moons. i bet they've got some young'uns up there who'll be dyin to explore their new home, kinda like your little tadpoles yonder." coyotecreek has always been fond of children- he finds their tenacity and curiosity invigorating, enjoys watching them bounce about as if they have no cares in the world. "how're the kittens adjusting to being back home? i suppose it's a bit odd to them." he'll tip his head, odd eyes focused on the woman beside him.

awaiting her response, he is interrupted from his musings as the undergrowth rustles and a black and white blur bursts out, panting and sopping wet. taken by surprise, the rust pelted tom jumps slightly, head spinning around to make eye contact with his child. fur on his neck laying flat once more, the tom lets out a bark of a laugh. "stars, cowpaw, ya scared your ol' man!" he chuckles, before sizing the apprentice up. fur wet... excited, breathing heavily... i finally got to swim! the apprentice shouts, and coyotecreek leaps to his paws. "oh cow! congratulations!" he'll exclaim, lapping his tongue across the spiked damp fur of the kid's head. "good job, little bug, i bet ya showed that river who's boss." swiping one last lick across the spotted feline's cheek, he sits back down, paws tapping the ground in excitement. "stars, they grow up fast, apri," he purrs. "just you watch, one day they'll be better at swimmin' than i am. cowpaw's on faer way!" chuckling once again, the tom sweeps his tail across his kit's back.

fernpaw is next to approach, verdant gaze directed up at the sky, where the forgotten geese loom closer, beginning to sweep over the camp. high above in the clouds, the birds look tiny, minnow sized, but coyo has it on good intelligence that they are much bigger. "i bet they're on their way to find a camp," he tells the boy, nodding knowledgeably. "i saw them fly the other way last leaf-fall. it's them returnin' home." lichentail's comment sends the warrior's head whipping around to find her. he'll offer her a sheepish smile, wiggling his eyebrows. "i suppose, but i can't forget my roots. when i lived on the farm, we'd make an occasion out of the return of the geese. it means green-leaf is around the corner. although, i wouldn't recommend chasin' one down. my pa did that, got his nose almost bitten off. those birds are terrifying." ​

( LIKE A GOLD RUSH )

 

[Cindershade]

Unlike the rest of her clan mates, the rosetted molly absolutely despised geese. It wasn't the first time she's been haunted by those wolves in sheep's clothing, looking so delicate and vulnerable—but their sheer size alone could put a cat in it's back without much effort. Beyond those hardened beaks resided small razor edged teeth, able to snap and tug just as any other cat could. Their dreaded honks, while at a distance, still caused her fur to prickle and a low growl rumbled at the base of her throat. Cindershade cranes her neck to the sky, watching their half-hazard V shape soar overhead. Ugh, the molly scoffs to herself before trudging towards the groupnand standing beside Fernpaw. She watches Coyotecreek with a half narrowed gaze and the rest of the group, keeping silent but lending an ear all the same until she finally spoke. "Geese are definitely not to be trifled with. I've seen that with my own eyes." The woman rumbles quietly, velveteen ears pinning back towards her helm. "Hate those things and their incessant honking."


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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​

 

[Snakeblink]

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

Snakeblink is nearly bowled over by Cowpaw as he’s walking through the camp, the excitable apprentice dashing past him and sprinkling him with droplets of water as fae went. His attention is pulled along with them to a small group gazing at the sky, the apprentice bounding up to their father. His whiskers soften from their startled tilt as he listens to the pride in Coyotecreek’s voice as he congratulates his child.

He’s about to move on with his day and leave them to their talks of geese when Cindershade interjects into the conversation. Smirking, he slithers up to the dark molly.

”Cautionary tales are meant to be shared,” he says pleasantly. ”You should tell us more about your goose stories… for the apprentices’ sake, hm?”
​

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

ooc. information.

• 
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 40 ☾, 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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