pafp Go where the water runs | swimming on a hot day

[Snakeblink]

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

Cindershade’s near miss after jumping off the twoleg bridge left Snakeblink shaken, but not, he thinks, as much as Cindershade herself. Coming this close to drowning would make most cats wary of the rivers they call home.

The shadowed molly certainly doesn’t show her hesitation openly, but Snakeblink is always watching. He sees what others might not: the slight hitch in her stride before stepping into the water, the wariness in her sharp eyes before diving into deep water. He never came as close to drowning as she did that day, but he recognizes that look from his own face anyway: long in the past, after the river had swelled with heavy rain and swept his sibling away. He had never seen the water as a threat before. He remembers the gripping fear, the once-easy swim in the shallows turned into a harrowing ordeal.

He also remembers that what got him over that fear then, what comforted him, had been the presence of his mother, and the knowledge that she would do everything in her power to keep him safe. He had been a kit then, still persuaded that as long as his mother was near he could never be in danger.

Cindershade does not have the benefit of such a naive relief. But the way she thanked Clayfur and him after escaping the twoleg line’s grasp has him believing that perhaps it doesn’t matter. They will try to keep her safe and she knows it: it might be sufficient to embolden her once more.

The hot weather has given Snakeblink the best excuse possible to invite Cindershade for a swim: few river cats would pass up the opportunity to cool down when the sun is high, and the lower water levels that are causing them trouble at the moment at least mean that the river seems less dark and daunting than usual.

”It will be nice to escape the heat for a moment,” he muses aloud while they approach the water’s edge. He fills the silence with a light stream of chatter as he steps directly into the water until he’s submerged up to his neck, kicking his paws away from the silt of the river bed to swim in a loose circle. ”I almost wish Frogpaw was still in need of swimming lessons — I could use the excuse to spend all day in the water…

Looking over his shoulder at his friend, he adds, ”Are you coming in?”
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——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• please wait for @Cindershade !
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 42 ☾, 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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[Cindershade]

The sun bears down upon her back as it reaches it's peak, the feeling of it's rays were all but near unbearable with her dark figure. She was sweltering as they winded along the beaten path, extremities already drying from their dip in the stream that swathes their camp, protected as it should be. She remains silent on her trek with Snakeblink, any indication of her listening to his ramblings only met with a light hum on her lips or a mere flick of velveteen ears. She has been rather quiet, more quiet than usual, since her little mishap and with Beesong's death so soon. Now, she often found herself lying awake at night whilst gazing over the indigo sky that stretch like a never ending blanket, dotted with twinkling stars, did she realize how close of a call she had. Her dreams are vivid as if reliving that day over and over—the crashing of water, the muffled sounds of river water flowing in it's usual current or the voices of her clanmates—the tightness that squeezed her chest till her lungs felt as if they were going to pop—it felt all too real.
She had lay awake at night, breaking into a chilling sweat and usually removed herself from the enclosed den, to get out and breathe before she felt as suffocated as she did that day, usually sitting out in the open snd staring aimlessly into the distance until the pale light of dawn encroached over the horizon. It unnerved her, much more than it should have—and it was starting to show to whomever watched her closely. She hesitates now. A brief stillness of her body that was easily missed, or the way she stared into the depths below her and just imagined herself then, trapped and suffocating. But yet, she still wades into the waters after everyone else, still manages to hunt for her clan because her own newly formed caution doesn't need her clan mates.
Yet today, as her tabby and white counterpart wades into the depths like a water serpent, she still stands at the edge. It was a hot day, and apart of her wants nothing more than to be caressed by the cooling sensation of flowing water, kissing against her warm skin and bringing a sigh of satisfaction from her lips. She stands, verdant eyes locked upon the encroaching water that laps at her paws, nipping at her toes and her heart thrums erratically against her ribs. Snakeblink's voice falls upon her ears but it is muffled, drowned out by the sound of her own blood roaring in her veins. Just get in it, she thinks in an attempt to grapple with her own rising fear. Imagine you're hunting. The lead warrior takes a breath, and exhales soundly—closing her eyes as she slowly wades into the receding river. Paws slide against the silt of the riverbed, her toes knocking against algae covered rocks but she does not wince at it. "Yeah—I'm coming." She finally grunts out, but she does not tread out as far as her clan mate, only stopping right as the cooling sensation of murky water reaches her abdomen.

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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​

 

[Sablemist]

In every situation you give me peace

She was not there when her mentor came close to death's embrace. It's cold, chilling tendrils seeking to snatch away the warmth of a living soul. Despite having missed the horrendous occasion, something still felt off in the way Cindershade carried herself. Periwinkle eyes narrow ever so slightly, grasping the briefest moments of hesitation, of reluctance. The unease of wading out any further than necessary. She knew all too well what it felt like after her close encounter with the bass she so foolishly thought she could catch. Her white splashed face tips to the side by a small degree. Taking note of her mentor's choice to stop when the waters caressed her flanks.

Silently, the skunk striped apprentice stands to her paws to cross the pebble laden shoreline until her own toes meet refreshing cool water. A slow blink and a gentle exhale overtake her features as she allows herself to adjust to the rapid shift in temperature. Wading in a little further she shares a look with the dark molly by her side. Her slender shoulder gingerly bumps a thick, well muscled one. A wordless inquiry seeking her shadowed mentor's wellbeing. Her attention then shifts, drifting over Snakeblink with a nod. "I'm sure he's an excellent swimmer by now? Frogpaw was one of the first to get me in the river for a lesson." She voices across the waters. ​

Don't gotta be afraid because you're in the lead​

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[BONERIPPLE]

જ➶ The heat is not letting up this day, even with the wind. It is dry and unforgiving. Her paws take her towards where she can hear others talking and some debating on taking a swim. Though the woman knows nothing of what has happened to one of the lead warriors she can sense the hesitation in Cindershade. She has stilled before the water's edge and for a moment she is curious as to why. Yet the light dashed huntress does not say anything nor does she mention it. Instead she looks to her child as she bumps gently against her mentor. A smile pulls at her muzzle and she too begins to start making her way into the cool waves. After a long hot day it feels satisfying to be able to cool off after such a long time. Though she doesn't go all the way in and instead she lays down so that the water can wash over her chest. "I prefer to lay in the water sometimes. Less exertion when I'm already tired. Care to lay beside me, Cindershade?"

Those molten eyes look over to the shadowed woman before she then turns to look at Snakeblink. Amusement glimmers in her eyes before she shrugs her shoulders, feeling the water rush against her form. "You can always come up with something to get Frog back into the water."​

 

[Snakeblink]

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

Cindershade exhales loudly, from trepidation rather than exasperation — the latter a more common occurrence in his presence — but she does follow him in, though with less easy grace than what he’s used to seeing from her. He slithers closer to her, though never so close as to crowd her. Besides, he likes being fully submerged. It’s where he’s the most at ease — and it helps him bland in. He feels as if he sticks out like a sore paw among the three dark-furred mollies, his brown pelt almost garishly colorful.

To the apprentice perpetually shadowing his friend, he offers a gentle nod. ”He is — hence why I am reluctant to drag him back under a pretense,” he adds in reply to Boneripple’s comment. ”There are many other things he would benefit from learning that unfortunately do not take place in water.”

He sighs, kicking his paws away from the ground. The lower level of the river also means the current is slow enough that, sheltered by the rocks dotting the shallow edges of the riverbed, he can float in place without being pulled downstream. With only his head from the mouth up peeking from the water, he turns to Cindershade with a shrewd look.

” I could use some exercise myself. Would you—” his eyes dart to the other cats present, mutely inviting them into the statement as he gestures across the river to rocks jutting out of the deepest part, ”Care for a race? Though I wouldn’t blame you for preferring to rest: it’s a nice day for a lie down,” he concedes, flicking an ear towards Boneripple and her kind offer.
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——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• 
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 42 ☾, 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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