first step // muddy bank

[SUNSPARK]

Though she wouldn't admit it out loud, she actually had a task list building in her head. With no time to chat with Owlpaw, it had enabled her quite a bit of free time to figure out what to do with her paws. Cleaning the camp itself was on the list - there was still a lot of debris left over, even if they had done a good job to clean out the dens and repair them - as was challenging herself to her personal best sprint time around the camp; but today was hunting. It was one of those activities where staying still, a task usually difficult for her, had the benefit of swimming and using her muscles afterwards. Her stamina was a good thing as much as it was a bad thing, but this happened to be a very rewarding task for both; and a mouthful of fish to bring back.

So maybe she's not a useless RiverClanner after all.

But it's turning back to return to camp that has its own difficulties. The ground around camp has been exceedingly wet since the flood, and the rainy season has done little to help mitigate the problem. Which means the bank and the surrounding area has been especially slippery, and especially muddy. She makes it just up off of the bank when her paws start to slip, and yet surprisingly, and by a good sheer force of will and muscle, she doesn't fall immediately. But she is stuck, her paws half-sticking into the ground as her catch of prey dangles from her maw. Her ears flick in annoyance. They're good catches too, she doesn't want them dirty. And more ironically is that while standing there trying to decide what to do, she starts sinking anyway; sliding right back down the bank that she had been trying to traverse with no traction in the ground.

"Mphf!" she calls, not willing to drop her catch in fear of it sliding right back down into the river. Her face scrunches in awed, annoyed, exasperation. There must be something they can do about this. Maybe someone with longer legs...? Because dang it, she wasn't fully grown yet and there were several times still she was reminded of that fact. "'omeone wanna... help me?"

​

 

[willowroot]

( ☾ ) for her part, willowroot has never held a young cat's actions against them. particularly a cat not even in their teen moons. apprenticehood is about learning, something the molly finds tremendously important for growth as a functioning member of riverclan society. she has mentored five apprentices into warriorhood, each with their own unique sets of challanges. none of these has she ever held against robinheart, against driftwood, or midnightash. not even her first apprentices, ashblaze and steepsnout, received such judgement, despite the youth of their mentor at that time.

the argument between sunpaw and her mentor foxtail had rung through camp like a great screeching eagle, and so of course the night-queen heard it. willowroot had made herself busy at the time, tending to her little ones and attempting to block out the sounds of yelling. now, she looks upon both mentor and apprentice with sympathy, cringes vaguely at their awkward interaction, simultaneously wishing she could step in and wishing they could simply figure it out. she suspects perhaps all of riverclan feels the same.

long legs traverse the muddy riverbank with relative ease, thanks to the molly's oriental heritage. she traverses it carefully anyway, well aware of the sinking, slurping nature of quicksand, mud so thick and viscous that it would suck a cat to their doom. clutching a bundle of semi-dry reeds in her maw, the willowy feline doesn't notice the golden furred girl for a moment. when the struggling sound is heard, the woman turns, verdant eyes widening. "oh!" she blinks, carefully stashing her reeds in a somewhat dry spot and turning to aid the girl.

"sunpaw, darling, i've got you," she tells the other, long legs helping her thin body clamber down the bank. "here, give me your catches, i'll stow them for you and help you get out." should sunpaw hand over her prey, the older warrior will place it carefully next to her reeds and then circle around the girl. "i'm going to put my shoulder here," she demonstrates, bracing her shoulder against sunpaw's hind legs. "and you can push off of me to get up."

THE ECHOING HYMN ☾ OF MY FELLOW PASSERINE

• // "#91A26C"
• 
• WILLOWROOT ☾ SHE / THEY, WARRIOR OF RIVERCLAN. 46 MOONS. MENTORING ECHOPAW. PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  a long-haired black smoke oriental with sage-green eyes. smoky long fur coats the length of willowroot's lithe body, cut through with dark ghost stripes. friendly sage green eyes that narrow in an almond shape, and her muzzle and limbs are thin and long due to her oriental heritage.

​

 

[Echopaw~]

[ ༻ ☾ ༺ ] Echopaw followed closely next to Willowroot, clouded gaze focused ahead of her. Never once had she argued or had any form of outburst with her mentor, even during moments of frustrations that the molly could have, she never took it out on her mentor or caused a scene, but she supposed everyone was different with things, and she only hoped whatever had cause an outburst such as the one Sunpaw had with her mentor would soon ease over.

Funnily enough, speaking of Sunpaw, the girl seemed to find herself trapped within the muddy banks and Willowroot was quick to offer help to the other molly while concern drifted into the apprentice's gaze as she carefully approached near the bank, not enough though that she too would get trapped as well but enough to peer her head over despite her not necessarily needing to. "Are you okay?" the apprentice chirped curiously, ears perked forward to hear an response while wondering, where was Sunpaw's mentor even at?

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── Following the sea breeze, Riding on the waves ──┐‎

• "speak""Thoughts"
• 
  Echokit ☾ She/Her, Kit of Riverclan, 9 moons.
  ⭃ Long haired smoke black chimera with low white and blue cloudy eyes (Blind)
  ⭃ Anemone x Glitch
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted (ask first) / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by Ryn ↛ @/Rynnaro on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​