pafp down by the river ✘ patrol report

[SMOKESTAR]

“Cicadastar.” It was the full title, of course, in the presence of clanmates he was not so aloof and he didn’t need to hear more whispered teasing behind his back from Cindershade and Snakeblink; troublemakers that they were. The patrol to ThunderClan had been exactly what he expected and also something entirely surprising and he felt a mix of things as he trotted forward into the temporary camp to greet the leader. The first was annoyance, that ThunderClan thought to make some dogs their problem when clearly they had driven them there in the first place and also that there were dogs at all. Making his way over to the other he gives only a careful shoulder bump in greeting to alert him to his presence should he be focused on something otherwise before sitting down nearby. Much as he wanted to just take a moment in silence he knew it was pertinent to quickly inform the leader of the incident so they could figure out how best to handle any future ThunderClan whining or dogs-as much as he expected the canines to not be an issue.
“Scented dogs on the border by Sunningrocks, a passing patrol confirmed and also-” His lips curled, he scoffed in irritation, “-expected us to deal with it. Told them it was their problem.” Sunningrocks was practically cut off from them and they were halfway across the territory in the most barely covered area they could find near the gorge with a camp currently beneath the river itself. Any dogs making their way over would find no feline prey nearby, if they even survived the frigid plunge to begin with without being swept up and drowned. RiverClan had other things to deal with but knowing how bothered the ThunderClan deputy had been with his reply she was going to cause a tizzy about it back at their camp; as if RiverClan owed them anything.
It wasn't like SkyClan pleading help, dealing with cats was an entirely different beast from dogs and who didn't enjoy sinking their claws into moorland rats? Frankly, it was a gift if anything. ThunderClan complaining they didn't mark their territory when it was practically swimming only showed how foolish they were. His lone orange eye scanned the derelict temporary camp that was still not quite home and he felt irritation bubble up once more to the supposed entitlement to their aid.

Pafp for - @CICADASTAR
Optionally Patrol members - @Cindershade & @BUCKGAIT.
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[CICADASTAR]

the river king is lounging on his side when smokethroat approaches — the sun beats down upon him, warms the waves of curls slicked and tufted from his clanmates grooming. the beech copse, if nothing else, was a receptacle for light, melting away the mush and snow for their temporary home. the sound of encroaching pawsteps swivels an ear, slits pale blues to stare, voidlike as the tom halts before him. patrol news. he expects nothing different, though awaits with baited breath to hear if the clans had inquired of their move. they’d no way to know, surely. still his head lifts and — cicadastar, a brief bump. as much as he would like to press into the fleeting touch, the oriental mix hums a deep purr of greeting, flexes his claws to indicate that he was listening. buckgait had assigned him to thunderclan, long - standing allies, and he expects nothing more than the standard fare.

scented dogs at the border. the fur along his spine bristles to life, feathering out along the notches of his bony back. dogs. giant, slobbering beasts with hulking mouths and paws big enough to stomp even him to the ground in one blow. by sunningrocks, “ theyre across the river, then? “ it’s quick, just a tick beneath frantic, and it’s then he sits up — or tries, forces himself up to his elbows and plants his paws on either side of himself. his body is weak still, the man manages to push up into a sit. irritation flickers to life in his chest, tilts his chin skyward, indignation painting clear on his alabaster - black features when his words finally begin to register. thunderclan.. expected them to deal with dogs? the man snorts, pins his ears back to his sloped skull, “ they expect.. oh, yes, we’ll be right on that — in fact, why don’t we fill up their freshkill pile while we’re at it, since we’re feeling so generous. “ his great, fluffy tail lashes out behind him as well as it can with the stiffness still in his limbs, “ was emberstar present? “ he thinks of the molly and his irritation only grows — he considered her a friend, but he would not brave the waters for risk of his warriors lives.

the river king finally wobbles to a full stand, takes his time lifting upon unsteady haunches, pawpads raw with the remnants of frost burn. it’s clear his intention ; the feline would pull himself from his kingdom of reed and isolation, pay their ally a visit. starclan damn it all. pallid eyes meet singular orange, pupils narrowing in the slightest bit of knowing hesitation, “ and what.. exactly, was said to them? “ really, he didn’t want to know, felt himself aging prematurely the longer he puts off the words he would surely have to reiterate once he made his way down to their shared border — politely.

− ♱ information out of character ⟐ visual reference translated ♱ −

• ˖ ⁺ ｡ ˚ ⠀ 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 stands 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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[SMOKESTAR]

His expression remained neutral but his eye glinted amusement; he expected as much of a reponse to the nonsense. He hoped the WindClan patrol had been less full of stupidity on their end but given Redpath had been sent there he was sure the others had their paws full with just her rather than any jabs the moorland rats might send their way. The dark tom sat down carefully, but not so comfortable he couldn't rise to stand and join the RiverClan leader if he wanted company on his errand, though he warranted if he was going to visit ThunderClan that Smokethroat might not be so welcomed given their deputies uppity remarks.
"Of course, saw some tracks myself. The scent was there and I doubt they'd even make the attempt this way if at all." Dogs were stupid, that they would stumble their way to the two-leg bridge to get over meant a lot more intelligence than he warranted the drooling mongrels had and they were probably content causing ThunderClan trouble on their own as it were. If Sunningrocks had been in use, were this newleaf proper, he might have been more inclined to care but as it stood the pine forest cats could sort it out among themselves really.

"I told them it sounded like their problem. We're not using the sunningrocks right now due to the waters and certainly not with dogs." He mused quietly, recalled the iritation in the black tabby's expression when he had said as much, "Not Emberstar, their deputy Howling Wind." Cindershade made a joke about offering her tail to the first dog who crossed the river to them successfully, but he wasn't sure Cicadastar would find that as amusing as he had.
Howling Wind's comment expecting them to step up to assist was more the issue than anything, SkyClan had at least had the decency to ask for help without the smug assumptions; not that he expected cats to grovel for aid but really.
"They lost cats to it supposedly." He'd told them sorry for their loss but its not like those dogs had sprung out the river, "Wondering if they chased it them Sunningrocks on purpose to make it our problem."
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[BEESONG]

smokethroat brings news of dogs from the thunderclan border, a worrying revelation that has beesong at full attention. jaw tight with nerves taut, the cinnamon tabby listens but does not interrupt. (it is a report for cicadastar to answer, not him.) canines are nothing if not animalistic, seeking destruction for amusement and tearing apart other living creatures without desire to consume. riverclan already has plenty of worries, with their camp flooded and their leader recovering from his plunge beneath the ice, without the added stressor of mutts on their land.

sunningrocks belong to riverclan, in all technicality, but they cannot disagree with smokethroat; sunningrocks have fallen into disuse over the past moon, and they cannot afford to deal with dogs that reside on a piece of land riverclan isn't even utilizing at the moment. emberstar was an old friend of the pine group, however, riverclan must pick their fights carefully... it's ludicrous of thunderclan to proclaim that the dogs are a problem for riverclan to handle, especially when sunningrocks is on thunderclan's side of the river, by definition. maybe in greenleaf, maybe when the river wasn't overflowing, cicadastar would've called warriors to action. but now? it isn't worth the potential injuries.

smokethroat wonders if thunderclan purposefully drove the dogs to sunningrocks aloud. it would be a cunning move on the oak forest clan's part... but is emberstar capable of such a sly move? she'd never seemed like the type, but cats can deceive and cats can change... it could've been a last ditch effort, since smokethroat also said that cats had been lost to the dogs. should've sent them across the thunderpath to shadowclan, a darker part of beesong whispers, which the healer quells with a hum. ​

 

[Cindershade]

Trailing behind the speckled tom, she remains his shadow throughout the patrol and back to camp to report to Cicadastar. Smokethroat calls upon the mighty River King himself, announcing his presence with a business-like voice that makes the molly almost want to smile but she shoves that tingling feeling down. Usually she's all for teasing the speckled tom over his personal affairs, but now wasn't the time. This was a serious matter and Cindershade would present it as such. She remains quiet throughout the report, nodding her head every so often in agreement with the lead warrior. Dogs in ThunderClan needed to be the least of their worries with their own home being flooded and the recovery of their once hypothermic leader. They needed to heal, to finally settle down amidst their temporary camp by the gorge and wait out this flooding to subside.

Cicadastar rises from his resting place on still unsteady paws, hauling himself to full height while he spoke. She raises a brow at the venomous sarcasm that spilled from his jaws; her reply to that comment a mere huff of laughter through her nostrils. These days it felt as if RiverClan was being generous enough as it is. Aiding another clan with a raid, taking in refugees from other clans. It was time to be selfish for once.
"It's not like they appeared by Sunningrocks, anyways. They came from somewhere. Why's it immediately have to be our problem?" The warrior flicks her own tail in annoyance, remembering the scowl that plagued Howling Wind's features and the jabs thrown at them when they didn't jump into the flooding river to immediately help. Smokethroat's accusation about them purposely keeping the dogs by Sunningrocks to try and make it RiverClan's problem causes her to bark out a laugh, hollow and cruel as it was. "It's a possibility. But I doubt they'd be smart enough for that. I think they're lucky the dogs didn't decide to sit their asses in the heart of their territory." A grim smile etched over her dark features, the tips of ivory teeth protruding under tightened lips. There was no personal animosity sne held over ThunderClan. Frankly, they seemed to have kept to themselves more so than the other clans, at least. But she still didn't feel the need to come to their aid at their beckoning call. Her gaze traces over Beesong as they begin to hum, a contemplative express resting upon their features. She aims to flick her tail over one of their paws to gather their attention. "You okay?"

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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​