camp elderberry branches ཐིཋྀ ticks & talks

[paleroot]

⊹ ︶⏝⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒⏝︶ ⊹

A barkish laugh echoes from behind the spindly branches of a woven willow, comfortably nestled atop a tiny hill where the apprentice's den lives downwind of- it is a den that stinks of mouse-bile most days but more importantly, home to legend and stories that younger warriors couldn't replicate if they tried. Paleroot twists to face the apprentice who picks carefully at her fur, separating it in search of an annoying tick, and continues to drone about her observations for the change of season.

"Was a bluegill, you daft ninny, not a minnow," she argues with another elder, a grin stretched across her face despite the ragging insult, "That means it's the new-leaf of the bluegill.. and y'know what that means, love. These kittos will be fearless! Bold lit'l swimmers, ready to bite the paw that feeds'em." She lifts a hindleg to scratch at her ears, disrupting whatever progress Duckpaw had made in her search for bugs.

"'Ow old are yous, Duckpaw? Ya seem like a late leaf-fall babe... 'Ardly old enough to be doin' proper battlin' and the like." If her joints weren't so sore (it foretold a coming storm) she might walk on down the mound towards Smokestar to chew his ear about keeping the poor littles closer to home; maybe that was just a difference about RiverClan she'd have to swallow. "Eaglestorm- What's yer guess?"

// pafp , please wait for either of the two to respond: @DUCKPAW @EAGLESTORM​

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[DUCKPAW]

tags! ₊˚✧ ﾟ. it had been another late start to the day. the warriors who remained in camp after the dawn patrols departed had been witnesses to duckpaw's hasty exit from the apprentices den. she had tried to be sneaky, staying low to the ground and moving only when backs were turned, but bi-coloured fur didn't make for good camouflage, and so she was quickly caught "no!! i mean ... mosspool had told me i was allowed to sleep in!" her desperate lies, so blatantly and boldly told, had been met with laughter. they knew mosspool would never allow for truancy. the warriors had then imposed tick-duty on her as a punitive measure, and as she sits adjacent to paleroots backside, she would be sure to never sleep in again. the smell of bile overwhelms her, but she is breathing through her mouth to ease nausea that arises when it offends her olfactory senses. she is diligent and detail-oriented, systematically parting paleroots whispy fur to locate the troublesome tick. she has to hold her breath to suppress a frustrated sigh when the elder contorts her body to face her. she is arguing with a similarly dilapidated denmate. "please hold still," she says through strained teeth. she knew better than to argue with her elders. they were a fountain of knowledge, holding memories and stories of a life now passed, but she found her patience depleting, tested with every twitch of muscle. when paleroot insults the other elder, duckpaw laughs a little. okay, maybe they are good company! but the thought is shredded when paleroot lifts a hindleg to scratch behind her munted ears and duckpaw does indeed lose track of where she had been. a tight inhale resounds through the willowy den.

paleroot turns her sights (or what was left of it) onto her, and duckpaw squirms under her gaze, trying to hide annoyance that paleroot had reset all her hard work. the elders observations are correct. she wasn't old enough to be battling, was she? they could see it. she was a pretender. duckpaw aimlessly rubs her neck where a vicious bruise had once taken hold after the rogue battle. it was healed now, but the memory of how it had been inflicted on her remained. she feels stung at the comments. "i am old enough to battle!" she says defensively, puffing out her fur to appear bigger. she knew that the elder could peep beyond the false confidence she projected and into where a bruised ego resided. somewhere mosspool could not. paleroot beckons eaglestorm into the conversation. she tries to collect her common sense as she awaits for the other elders guess.
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[SWIFTFIRE]

I'VE LEARNED LOVE IS LIKE A BRICK — It had been difficult, starting to adjust to a life trapped away in camp instead of being free to just wander about as she wished. Though Swiftfire was hardly banned from ever leaving camp, she wasn't able to just sneak out without an escort any more, or volunteer for any patrol that caught her interest. Instead she was confined to the nursery, often relaxing near the entrance so that she could at least soak in the rays of the sun. The entire experience was starting to make her more sympathetic to the elders of Riverclan, seeing as they were similarly stuck within camp alongside her. Though at least they didn't have to deal with a slowly ballooning belly, even if the queen was eager for the life that would come about afterwards. She was happy, she was just plenty frustrated in the very same breath.

Perhaps overly eager for someone to talk to that wasn't a kit or another overly stressed queen, the bicolored molly had made her way over to the elders' den itself, where Paleroot was chattering away. Swiftfire sent a sympathetic look in Duckpaw's direction, having also bore witness to the earlier commotion that had landed her doing tick duty in the first place. Sure, she had brought the punishment down on her own head, but that didn't mean no one could feel bad for her. "I'm sure you'd be quite the asset in battle, Duckpaw. Certainly more of an asset than I would be at the moment, at the very least." She couldn't keep the grumble from her voice as she settled nearby, unable to keep her tail from curling protectively around her own belly. It was obvious that she was safe within the walls of Riverclan's camp, but some part of her was always on edge these days. Worried that, in actuality, it was just a matter of time before her kits were torn from her.

The thought prompted a light shiver down her spine, shoved away as she grinned in the direction of both Paleroot and Eaglestorm. "Don't go picking on poor Duckpaw, she's already got to deal with the both of you, not to mention all your ticks. Might as well give her a bit of mercy." Although her words were technically scolding, there was a great deal of humor in them that made it clear she was joking around with the pair of elders. Even if she hadn't been a Riverclanner nearly as long as some cats, she wasn't blind to the idea of respecting your elders, and she'd never seriously box them around the ears.

YOU CAN BUILD A HOUSE ✿ OR SINK A DEAD BODY

• 
  ✧ shorthaired blue and red tabby chimera molly with green eyes
  ✧ 41 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✧ bisexual; secretly mated to hush
  ✧ daughter of lilou and germaine
  ✧ formerly of the ripple colony; loyal to riverclan
  ✧ easy to befriend; desperate to improve the former colonists' reputation
  ✧ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed

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[Gladefrost]

Troutsnout had recently returned to camp, a plump fish shackled in her jaws as she glances around. She wasn't necessarily hungry, but she knew with all the new life bubbling in Riverclan that someone would be hungry and the freshkill would need to be restocked regardless. The sight of the two elders teasing Duckpaw and Swiftfire attempting to appease the elder's from bullying the young apprentice. Elders were aspects of a clan's history, mother and fathers of the working class and helped built the clan to the stage it was at now. "How is everyone's day?" The warrior would inquire after placing the fish on the ground, nudging it towards the elders or the queen in case they were hungry. "Eat away if you're hungry, I caught it for the clan."

Her cobalt blue gaze shifts to Duckpaw with a fictional eyebrow raising, curious on what she had done to get herself on tick duty. Unlike Swiftfire, the spotted warrior was not there to watch the commotion that lead to the apprentice's punishment. "How are you feeling, Swiftfire?" The young lady would question the queen, glancing at her stomach and noted that she seemed ready to burst at any moments time. Troutsnout gives her mane a slight shake as she allows for the queen to respond before looking towards the other three and speak once more, "Do any of you need anything?" She would inquire before giving a weak smile to Duckpaw as she can sense the annoyance radiating off the younger girl from the elders moving while she tried to remove the ticks from them.

"They can be quite wiggly and rowdy for their age, don't get too annoyed at them." Troutsnout would respond with a soft laugh. Elders were similar to older kittens or apprentice as they often laid around talking of the old times, gossip or anything else they could meow about all day. It was strange how someone so old could still be so energetic in a sense; they felt lively and the same age as others but couldn't follow with their warrior duties and had to retire due to old age, injuries or more.

WHENEVER ITS COLD ♡ LET THE SHADOWS TAKE HOLD

• OOC |
  
• REFERENCE
• 
  
  LH cinnamon and white spotted tabby w/ blue eyes
  ━ 13 moons old; ages the 23st every month
  ━ cisgender female; uses she/her pronouns
  ━ currently mentoring none
  ━ somewhat easy to befriend; cautious to outsiders
  ━ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ━ peaceful powerplay allowed
  ━ all opinions are ic
  

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