no angst go with bells on || ice-skating

[heavybranch]

➳ ➳ Heavybranch had not intended to walk out onto ice.

He sits in the near-middle of a small stretch of it — likely a stagnant little pond in the warmer moons. At the moment its milky-white and, at Heavybranch's careful prodding, proves to be thick enough to hold his weight. Heavybranch's prodding becomes far less careful, and escalates to him hopping in place. The ice doesn't even give a creak.

Well.

Heavybranch's thick tail gives a single swish, the only warning before he breaks into a pounce that sees him sliding a near-foxlength over the ice, his reflection beneath him showing him his own grin. He throws his head back with a laugh and repeats the process, again and again. Finally, something fun! ✘ ​

 

[ROOSTERSTRUT]

The guffaw of the stout elder brings Roosterstrut to attention; it's not often that he hears sudden noises coming from his clanmates. The marshes were often kept silent, whether for the purpose of listening for the pawsteps of a bordering clan patrol or the scurry of a lizard. To hear the joyous laugh of one of ShadowClan's most senior members is... different, to say the least. At least it isn't a shrill cry, a harrowing scream.

Roosterstrut makes his way onto the scene, olive eyes bright with sheer amusement at the image in front of him. Who would have thought that Heavybranch had this much energy left in him? However old he was ( Rooster doesn't know exactly ), he would clearly muster up some childish excitement for slipping and sliding across a frozen pond. "It's like you're a kit again, Heavybranch!" The young warrior chirped with a grin. Of course, he hadn't been around for the elder's kithood ( his grandparents probably hadn't ), but just about any kit would act similarly in a situation like this.

In the midst of the fun, the orange tabby flicks an ear and fixates on the ice covering the pond. Heavybranch is not exactly light as a feather, and plunging into freezing depths would likely endanger the elder's life. Roosterstrut doesn't mean to dampen any spirits, but he wants to look out for the older tom's safety as well. "Just, er, be careful okay? Ice is real good at cracking." He didn't want to lose Heavybranch to a tragic accident as well.

​

— * ✰. ooc information recent events * ✰. —

• 
  
• 
  ✰ ROOSTERSTRUT
  —— amab, uses he/him pronouns. sixteen moons old. warrior of shadowclan.
  —— laid-back young adult who utilizes humor and fun in order to distract from serious matters. he is a decent warrior, though he hesitates to take risks.
  —— link to tags. @ on discord for plots.
  
  roosterstrut is a vibrant orange tabby tom with pale green eyes. he stands at a height ever so slightly above the average. his fur is long and whispy and his tail is especially reminiscent of a rooster's. he sports a signature, goofy smirk and a mischievous glint in his eye.
• 
  

​

 

[hitch]

in character   out of character   character tags   reference

• 
  
  
  ── At first, Rosemire thinks he's lost his mind— but that particular cuckoo has long since flown the nest and laid several new generations. Still, he's not entirely convinced that the delighted laughter isn't a figment of his imagination, so he follows it through the frozen marsh until he finds Roosterstrut and Heavybranch. In a turn of events he hadn't predicted, it's the elder responsible for the laughter as he careens over the ice repeatedly. Rosemire can't help the slow sprawl of a grin, one that widens until it reaches the corners of his eyes and a laugh of his own ekes out.
  
  "Nothing fun ever happens when you're careful," he says with a playful wink at the younger feline. Spontaneously, Rosemire backs up for a running start and flings himself onto the frozen sheet, nearly losing his balance as he skids in a half-circle. "Could you give me a shove, Heavybranch?"
  

  ---

  ​
•  
• n/a​
•  
• ──── surr'oseal'isme (rosemire; formerly roseal). he/him. reluctantly shadowclan.
  ──── approximately thirty-eight months old; not entirely certain of his own age.
  ──── single & uninterested in any romantic attachments; possibly open for flings.
  ──── very tall, scarred albino with sharply-peaked ears and a bobbed, scruffy tail.
  ──── ─── currently noticeably thin and haggard. ribs and spine are pronounced.​
•  
• 
  
  

 

[FERNDANCE]

The mirthful she-cat did not see any problems with the hefty elder skating on the ice. He'd lived a good life and death would come for him one day soon, if he stopped having fun for fear of it, then what was the point of still existing? A petite smile graced Ferndance's maw as she approached the two, her green eyes struggling to settle on just one cat. There was Heavybranch, cackling like a crow with all the joy of a kitten, there was Rosemire, following suit with a softer noise, and then there was Rooster, who enjoyed the view but still fretted like a mother hen. She nodded her approval as the pair skated past and slinked back a few paces, crouching into the thick snow and grimacing somewhat as the cold touched her short-furred belly. She gave the frozen lake a wide berth as she circled, her silent breaths condensing in the air in front of her. The ground did not crunch beneath the soft steps of the warrior, barely giving chance for her paws to settle before she'd taken enough prowl towards Roosterstrut's back. Her skills as a hunter were wasted in the famine, but at least she could have fun with them.

Pouncing toward her younger clanmate, Ferndance aimed to slam her forepaws into Roosterstrut to push him forwards onto the ice. If Heavybranch could not break it, she doubted the autumn-colored tom would either. Mischief lined the ticked tabby's smirk but regardless of her joy, she would not attempt to follow anyone out onto the ice just yet. There was more entertainment to be found by forcing others to ice skate, the idea of others falling over and being unable to keep their balance was far funnier than it had any right to be. "I wonder how many cats it would take to break the ice..." She pondered aloud, her neck craning upwards as she tilted her head towards the frozen lake. It would be a curious experiment, one best saved for rogues and other random creatures rather than her own clanmates. Still, with a glint in her eye, the ticked tabby still moved as if trying to test that theory. She placed a single paw onto the ice and pressed down as hard as she could, her ears tilting as the layer beneath didn't make a sound.



​

 

[heavybranch]

➳ ➳ ❝What'cha mean, again?❞ Heavybranch calls back to Roosterstrut, his gruff voice betrayed by the light in his tone, ❝Practically fresh out'tha nursery, this tom-cat is.❞

He'd very nearly called himself an old tom-cat, which was rather counter productive to the point Heavybranch was trying to make. It was a damn shame, what happened with Roosterstrut's father — understandable that Roosterstrut would be cautious. Heavybranch glances down at the ice out of instinct alone, and finds it still intact.

❝Pfah! It's at least a kitten-step thick! No, forget that, three kitten-steps! A whole deer could walk 'cross this and not worry but a touch.❞

Perhaps an exaggeration, but Heavybranch has seen plenty of ice in his days. This wasn't the breaking sort, of that Heavybranch was near certain. So it's a joy when Rosemire decides to join Heavybranch, sliding out on the ice with the grace of an upside down newborn.

❝How'my supposed to see you?❞ He grouses without any heat as he plods over to Rosemire, eyes squinted for effect. Then, with little more than a snort and a hack in warning, Heavybranch aims to leap against Rosemire to send them both barreling over the ice.

Then, commotion at the shore. Heavybranch's head twists in time to see Ferndance's mischief.

❝There better not be no rough-housing over there!❞ Heavybranch hollers, his flat face scrunched, ❝Any rough-housing and I'll tell'ya what!❞

✘​

​

 

[hitch]

in character   out of character   character tags   reference

• 
  
  
  ── Rosemire watches the older tom step slowly closer and huffs, glancing at Ferndance. She's not paying them much mind, though, more interested in investigating the ice and circling closer to Roosterstrut. Then Heavybranch's comment registers and his mouth's curling wryly. "Ha ha, very fun—NYYY!" His voice raises in pitch like the rest of his body under the force of his clanmate's spring, flailing gracelessly across the frozen pond. He splutters snow, pink nose chilled by a brief brush with the ice.
  
  Nearby, it seems that Ferndance is similarly ruthless, but at least Rosemire had technically asked for Heavybranch's intervention. "What was that, then? That wasn't rough-housing?" Indignant as he sounds, there's a helpless laugh at the tail-end. "I usually like a little warning before attempted murder." While Heavybranch's gaze is on the other pair, Rosemire lunges in an attempt to shoulder-check the other cat, just hard enough to give him some momentum.
  

  ---

  ​
•  
• n/a​
•  
• ──── surr'oseal'isme (rosemire; formerly roseal). he/him. reluctantly shadowclan.
  ──── approximately thirty-eight months old; not entirely certain of his own age.
  ──── single & uninterested in any romantic attachments; possibly open for flings.
  ──── very tall, scarred albino with sharply-peaked ears and a bobbed, scruffy tail.
  ──── ─── currently noticeably thin and haggard. ribs and spine are pronounced.​
•  
• 
  
  

 

[ROOSTERSTRUT]

It wasn't long before others showed up, though it was quickly apparent that he was the stick-in-the-mud here as Rosemire reminded him that living a life overly cautious and sheltered wasn't one worth living at all. There was a lot of truth to that statement; people did not grow without making their own mistakes, nor was knowledge pushed to its limit without some level of exploration.

Maybe Rosemire is right. Perhaps he is just being a chicken, just as he had always been. As much as he tried to live a lifestyle that was worry-free and unconcerned with minor things, Roosterstrut constantly found himself fretting about situations that could quickly go south. What if the ice cracked in a spiderweb-like spiral and swallowed his clanmates in seconds? What if he accidentally hurt someone during a claws-out training session? What if someone else died at the jaws of a fox?

Roosterstrut's smile had faltered as he grew consumed within his mind. Before he could plunge any deeper, however, a shove from behind sent him flying out onto the icy pond. "Wh— agh!" The young warrior exclaimed as he scrambled and struggled to find his balance. He ultimately ended up tripping over his own paws and crashing onto the cold surface, his head spinning and disoriented.

Once he managed to lift his head, Roosterstrut's gaze fell onto the only cat not currently on the ice. "Really, Ferndance?" He harumphed, though only half-serious. The older she-cat was always playing pranks on her clanmates; in fact, she had messed with him a lot as a kit. Things certainly hadn't changed.​

— * ✰. ooc information recent events * ✰. —

• 
  
• 
  ✰ ROOSTERSTRUT
  —— amab, uses he/him pronouns. sixteen moons old. warrior of shadowclan.
  —— laid-back young adult who utilizes humor and fun in order to distract from serious matters. he is a decent warrior, though he hesitates to take risks.
  —— link to tags. @ on discord for plots.
  
  roosterstrut is a vibrant orange tabby tom with pale green eyes. he stands at a height ever so slightly above the average. his fur is long and whispy and his tail is especially reminiscent of a rooster's. he sports a signature, goofy smirk and a mischievous glint in his eye.
• 
  

​