don’t leave me here alone // observing camp

[Pinepaw]

"nothing but pain on the edge of a knife"​

Pine stumbled into the camp, eyes blinking at the group of cats laid out before him. He had been here a few days, despite his plan to leave after the first night. These cats were kind in a way he had never seen before, sharing their meager food supply with him and giving him a place to stay.

And he found himself wanting to do just that: stay. He’d barely talked with anyone here, only nodding to Buck and the other she-cat who had found him–Boneripple, he learned her name was–when he saw them around camp. He’d still yet to meet Cicadastar, though Buck had assured him it was alright to stay. The Riverclanners with their strange names and strange kindness, seemed to welcome him with weary open arms. Not that he had really talked to anyone, or that anyone had talked to him. Pine tried his best to be invisible, as he had his whole life. Although he hoped to stay in the long term, he knew that one wrong step would send him back into the cold. That was the way it was, and he had learned the hard way.

The tabby padded along the edge of the camp’s perimeter before settling down on the cold ground, tail wrapped around him tightly. This was how he spent most of his day: watching the others, trying to understand their ways, and simultaneously hoping and fearing that someone would see him.​

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[CICADASTAR]

GUTTA CAVAT LAPIDEM : busy, always busy — their freshkill pile dwindled by the day and though the new paws had earned them a fraction better stock, his stomach still screams with hunger. buckgait had mentioned a young tom found in their territory, abandoned no doubt, and though he’d fixed her with nothing a simple, icy stare in response, he was of no mind to boot the youth alone in this weather. though he knew of him, he’d not met the child, not officially. the river leader had seen him around, of course — from his perch upon river rock or staring absently from the gaping maw of his willow den, cicadastar was also an avid fan of watching the clan bustle along, though admittedly for less wondrous reasons. he was a nervous type, mind always ticking, itching at him to pay attention, watch. many a sleepless night it had earned him so far.

his looming figure emerges from the splitting, waving reeds that make up the entrance to their camp, ivory paws moving near silent over the pebbles ground. his eyes are trained upwards, on the mist - swirling sky and perhaps that’s the reason he doesn’t notice pine nestled quietly along the perimeters until he’s nearly tripping over him — stumbling to a stop with just a moment to go before he would have toppled over his back, “ oh — guten tag! i didn’t — “ but this was a youth, and despite his time amongst the rivers, his tendency for odd tongue pulled the wool over his eyes again. it’s tired, but a smile comes to grace bicolored features, “ ah, hallo. i almost didn’t see you there, mouse. “ quiet, little thing, said through his friendly, velveteen tone. the tabby was not familiar, gaping at them curiously from afar, and that alone is enough for him to connect the dots, “ you’re the little one buckgait had stumbled upon, yes? “ he’d much rather it have been boneripple alone that led him to camp, felt the bitter edge of distaste unbidden as his tongue shapes her name. despite it, cicadastar keeps the sharp edges of his features neutral, if not a bit crinkled warmly at the edges of salt blue eyes for the sake of softening his stark appearance, “ what’s your name? “

− ♱ information visual reference out of character translations ♱ −

• ˖ ⁺ ｡ ˚ ⠀ CICADASTAR⠀⠀−−−−−−−⠀⠀king of the rivers.
  m. he / him. black smoke & tortoiseshell chimera with intense salt - blue eyes. a handsome, looming tom bearing patchwork black - silver curls that fall over his slim figure in loose, shining rivulets, broken with white and glossy from his fish diet. descending from a heritage of overtyped oriental shorthairs, cicadastar is unusually tall amongst his peers, and holds himself with a tragic grace, poised and prim and ever - aware of how he is being perceived.
  
  ᨒ gay, courting smokethroat. smells like wet stone & moss.
  ᨒ speaks with a german accent. 40 moons, ages on the eighth.
  
  penned by antlers​
  
  
• 
• none.

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[Pinepaw]

"nothing but pain on the edge of a knife"​

He had seen the black and white tom coming–of course he had, with the looming shadow the cat had cast–but he had not expected to be seen by him. His piercing eyes and strange accent pinned the tabby to the ground, and instinctively he backed up and pressed his stomach to the ground, eyes on the tom’s paws. ”Sorry,” Pine mewed quietly. “I didn’t mean to get in your way, sir.”
When called ‘mouse’, Pine flinched. He hoped that the tom above him didn’t see him as prey. Although the small scraps of food he had been taking–leaving as much as possible for those who belonged in the camp and only taking the minimum amount to quiet his stomach–had helped warm him, he was unsure how long he would survive back out in the cold. His eyes flicked up at the mention of Buck before shooting back down to the ground. “Buck said it was okay for me to stay, but I will leave if you like, sir. Or I can work! I’m a hard worker and I don’t mind doing the gross jobs! I don’t want to be in debt to you.”
“My name is Pine, sir,” the tabby murmured, hoping that the tom would have mercy.​

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[RAVENSONG]

There is a new face in RiverClan. Ravenpaw had been getting sick of them, wondering how many disgraced she-cats Cicadastar would continue to harbor. But this was no former ShadowClan medicine cat accused of lying, nor was it a fallen WindClan warrior. It was a kitten, as small as he himself had been when his father took him and his brother out into the wild to fight in the great battle. His heart squeezed a little, even though he wanted to badly to snap.

This kit had done nothing wrong, and he knew their policy was to never turn down a kit. The black apprentice sat calmly, observing the exchange between Cicadastar and the kitten. His elongated oriental ears were angled forward in interest. He finally approached, but made it seem as if he had some other destination in mind and was just passing by. He dipped his head slowly by Cicadastar before looking down at the kit.

"You'll get to earn your keep soon enough. I'm Ravenpaw."​

 

[Pinepaw]

"nothing but pain on the edge of a knife"​

Pine noticed Ravenpaw dip his head to the lanky cat before him Oh no, he must be highly ranked and I caused him to trip. The tabby dipped his head even lower to show submission before glancing to look at the young black tom. “Will you show me how to start earning my keep? I don’t want to get in the way or be dead weight.” Pine felt more comfortable addressing the younger cat, though he still didn’t raise his eyes from the ground. He didn’t want to bother the higher ranked tom with his stupid questions.​

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[SMOKESTAR]

"You can worry about earning your keep when you're more comfortable." All cats, inevtiably would give back to the clan, but as young as this one was they had a certain adjustment period to work through before they needed to worry about anything like paying anyone back for the pleasure of being allowed to live her. The dark tom ambled forward with a slow stride, each step was in turn met with a light turn of his head that looked almost irritated but was more his own attempts to focus forward without his left eye; it was going to be a struggle for certain and he was not looking forward to practicing combat with such an impairment but he would manage. Smokethroat was a lot of things but resilient and tenacious were the top contenders, it would take more than a few missing parts to put him out of commission and Weaselclaw best bless his stars they were now more properly on an even level as a result of this. Killing him otherwise would have been almost cruel.
The dark tom comes to a stop alongside the towering form of their leader, briefly close enough that fur meets fur before he is turning to look at Ravenpaw, head tilted so he could actually see the young tom properly, "You could show him around the camp more properly perhaps? But as for actual work, give that time on its own. Trust me, you will enjoy being a kitten for a touch longer."
The apprentices in RiverClan worked hard, well, knew their limits. Pine would eventually realize he had it good, but the effort was rewarding in its own way.
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[Pinepaw]

"nothing but pain on the edge of a knife"​

At four moons old, Pine hardly considered himself a kitten. He’d done work for his parents starting and one and a half moons, always trying to stay on their good side. It never worked, of course, but he still tried desperately. The first real kindness he had experienced outside of halfhearted praise intended to make him feel worse had come from the Riverclanners.

Before he could stop himself, he made this known to the older cats around him. “What do you mean by kitten? I’ve been doing work since before I was two moons, I am more than capable of pulling my weight here. I’m not going to sit by the side when I am able to help.” As soon as the words left his mouth, the tabby slapped his head with his paw and dropped to the ground, fur bristling. Stupid, stupid cat. Might as well kick yourself out with the way you spoke to them! Now they’ll never let you stay. The tabby squeaked out his next words, curling in on himself in the hope that he might disappear. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me, of course I’ll do whatever you tell me I didn’t mean to disobey–” Pine flinched, waiting for the cats around him to decide his punishment.​

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[RAVENSONG]

Before Ravenpaw could answer, Smokethroat spoke up before him. The lead warrior echoed Ravenpaw's thoughts. Kittenhood was to be cherished. He wished that he had been given that luxury at least.

But the dark-pelted apprentice was stunned into silence once more when a fiery spat came from Pine's mouth. Such a defense coming from a young cat on pulling his weight and working hard was a quality every Clan cat looked for. Ravenpaw wished he could have half the spirit Pine had. He let a beat of silence pass before his lips parted in a faint smile before it was wiped from his face entirely. Exchanging a look with Smokethroat, he got up and started to pad away, but not before cooly inviting Pine for later.

"Come by the apprentice den just before sundown. I'll teach you a little trick." He promised before he was off with a flick of his feathery tail.​

 

[SMOKESTAR]

Pine's outburst and subsequent apology is met with a quiet and expressionless stare for a moment before a bubble of warmth rises up in his chest and escapes as a laugh, rasping and deep and unmocking in its tone; just a genuine chuckle for amusements sake.
"Well, it is good to see you've a fire in you with this cold but take my advice still and get used to your new life here before you throw yourself into your duties. I promise, we'll be working you down to the bone in no time soon."
His eyes turned to Ravenpaw, smiling in his own quiet surprise as well before the dark apprentice is wandering away with an invitation for later. He made a mental note to check in on the two once again before nodding down to Pine and then glancing to Cicadastar with a knowing look.
"Pinepaw has a good ring to it though. Strong name. I'd take him if my paws were not already full with Iciclepaw."
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