camp HEAT WAVES [ 𓆟 ] PRE-GATHERING PARTY

[CICADASTAR]

the night is clear and alight with laughter and life — a rarity at one time, not so long ago. now, as dusk begins to settle over the lands, the clan is rancorous and buzzing high energy. apprentices settle at the fringes of camp, weaving water lillies and fish scale into one another’s fur. the air smells of fresh - caught fish and warmth, a gentle breeze casting over the lounging, conversing cats. the wind had died down at long last, easing into a whisper - breeze that coils slowly through bicolored curls. fireflies alight the air just over their heads, glowing their flickering pale yellow like glimmering stars. and the tom stares upwards into them, watches the expanse of wisping clouds as they roll slowly over the full, rising moon. the sky is a bruised purple - pink, bleeding watercolor down into the dripping horizon, saturated like an overripe fruit. in half a sunrise he would be atop that towering rock, high amidst its deepening sky and crooning to the faces below.

he can nearly taste it — the vitriolic leak of poison from a too - barbed tongue, the familiar scorch of a voice forced too far. the wind that slips through cool - toned curls and he feels a presence approach, does not look before he leans his head down and murmurs a playful, " evening, " a trill to his words, oddly sloping germanic vocals alight with a warm, gentle humor it had lacked in moons prior. the man inclines his skull, ripping towards the fluttering insects above, ” fireflies. my mutter used to say they were the souls of the dead, come to light our paths. “ a brief pause. laughter and chatter caws in the distance. a smile dances upon dark lips, rubberblack, ” though i suppose i know better nowadays. “

˗ˏˋ 𓆩  OOC ✟ VISUAL 𓆪 ´ˎ˗

• i. this takes place just before the gathering party takes off. they’re sharing freshkill, weaving and decorating fur, just generally hanging out and having a good time. some fluff to prepare,,,
  
• ˖ ⁺ ｡ ˚ ⠀ CICADASTAR⠀⠀−−−c−−−⠀⠀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, mated to smokethroat. smells like wet stone & moss.
  ᨒ speaks with a german accent. 43 moons, ages every 50 posts.
  
  penned by antlers​
  
  
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• "speech"
  

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[Petalnose]

I FIND COMFORT IN THE SOUND AND THE SHAPE OF THE HEART ⋆⁺₊⋆

Petalnose had found herself approaching and settling beside her leader carefully, searching for comfort of prescense in the flood of cats. Socializing wasn't a thing the she-cat found herself participating in unless it was private... quiet. So someone familiar, someone she trusted was suited best to have a possible chat with or just silently share space until he had to leave to represent his clan. Besides.. Petalnose needed to get to know her leader with the newly announced position. Even if she had his trust, she wanted to really confirm it for him.

The tall feline made no word or sound as she sat beside him. She nearly jolted from suprise when she got recognition so soon, shaking her pelt in her seat from the suprise and gazing in his direction. He was smiling, happy and it was quite contagious to see. Her neutral frown rose like dawn in a smile. She gave a trill in return, a small purr rumbling through her body, "Evening."

Dark colored eyes then dragged to the fireflies he pointed out, imagining the souls guiding them and watching them in the meeting. Her head tipped thoughtfully, wondering if her mother and brother's soul was apart of his myth. Apart of the beautiful insects. It gave her a sort of comfort, slowly dragging her gaze to Silverpelt and then back at her commander as he tore down that myth. "Well, I find comfort in that. Mothers are 'always right', you know." She rumbled in good humor, leaning her head towards him as he had done. "You're in good spirits. I believe our strength and power will be reflected onto you brighter than the stars tonight. Riverclan is strong right now. I'm sure they will see that through you... I've never doubted you once... I can't wait to see Windclan cower in fear."

She smirked, blinking lightly with a light chuckle of good humor. It was beautiful to see her leader smile, warmth making her way to her guarded heart like rays of the summer. Like rays in a dark cave. "Would you care for some fresh kill? I know you're belly is probably full of anticipation but I like to see my leader fed."

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[silverpaw]

the gathering ... the gathering. so much talk of something silverkit has never, ever seen! silverkit is barely old enough to remember cats leaving for then last one, just over two months old now, just barely walking and worming her way out of the nursery last full moon. but she's definitely walking now, running and leaping even. causing problems!!! silverkit loves being silverkit.

"THE GATHERING!" she screams now, jumping up and down and running through the crowd as they share meals and decorate their pelts. she's stolen a mouthful of fish-scales from someone, and they're falling from her grip, leaving a trail as she races in circles and figure-eights. "GATHERING, GATHERING GATHERING!! IT'S A GATHERING!"

all she really knows is that it's something to be excited about. if there's tension on the air the girl does not register it, only seeing the color and light of this party, feeling the excitement. a gathering!! what is a gathering, exactly — an irrelevant question. it's an EVENT!! and right now there's a party for it.

she lands in front of cicadastar, briefly, and drops the remainder of the fish scales in front of them. "HI," she announces. she bats some of the scales toward them. "i got these off a fish all by myself. i didn't steal them at ALL," she lies proudly. these are completely, 100% stolen.

she's moved on just as quickly, and in a moment of cheekiness, as she darts away she swats at petalnose's tail, hoping to pin it before racing off again.

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.˚◦○˚ TAGS ˚○◦˚.

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  • npc x npc kitten • 1.5 moons old • silver tabby & blue tabby chimera with a dusting of white freckles • meticulous, observant, opinionated • stuck in her own head a lot of the time • peaceful powerplay welcome • wants to make friends! •

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[CLAYFUR]

For once, there is no tension resting in his shoulders, along the line of his back. Instead Clayfur sits in a relaxed slump, long limbs stretched out beside a patch of scattered fish scales. He’s just finished rolling in them, and the shine of fish scales glimmers across his pelt. It’s a comfort, a reminder. He’s faced WindClan. He’s gotten what he wanted, if not exactly what he wanted. He’s happy, and for once he’s truly excited to go to the gathering.

He looks forward to facing WindClan at the gathering, to look the moorland warriors in the eyes knowing that he’s finally not wrecked. They haven’t destroyed him, not forever. They left a mark, sure, but the scars they left will heal. Are healing, slowly but surely. And he’s changed, yeah, but that’s a given.

He watches idly as Silverkit bounces around, offering Cicada her hard-earned (almost certainly stolen) fish scales. The kit seems rather excited, especially for a gathering that she isn’t even going to, but then again that’s just how some kits are. A default setting, perhaps. It makes him wonder, for a moment, whether his and Clearsight’s kits would have been this unbearable (in a good way, of course). But that track’s not a good one to follow, so he chuckles at the child’s antics instead. Raising his head from where it rests on pale paws, the tom grins at the others gathered around. Petal and Cicadastar talk idly about the fireflies, about the gathering. "This will be a great gathering, I’m sure," he says, unsure of what else to add that hasn’t already been said.​

[ YOU ARE THE STARS TO ME ]​

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[✧ Stalkingpaw.]

˚⊹ COME ON MAKE ME FEEL ALIVE ⊹˚
stalkingpaw | 08 months | polygender | any pronouns | physically easy | mentally medium | attack in bold crimson

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Stalkingpaw can't help but be drawn over by the promise of pretty things, eyes searching silverkits pile of stolen goods. "Is there anything red-?" she asks, head dipping to the side as paws shuffle through the scales, green eyes searching. She wants to weave pretty things into her feathery tail, wants to shimmer and sparkle and shine like the stars overhead - but it'd be even better if she could just find something in her favorite color. She finally mange's to find one, sleek and smooth, almost pinkish in tinge but not quite, and she preens, glancing round. "Oh look - I found one! Hey, can someone help me put this in my fur?" She really likes these pre-gathering grooming sessions - they always leave her feeling pretty afterwards.

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[PIKESPLASH]

( tags ) In truth, he's not celebrating. Everyone is full of cheer, yet he can not bring himself to join their enthusiasm. Silverkit does manage to get a slight chuckle from him, his mood becoming less tense as a result. It's funny, how she and Otterkit troublesome as they may be really do bring him joy. He would give a silent thanks tonight towards Onyx and Gwen for leaving both Silverkit and Otterkit. Just watching Silverkit jump around and steal fish scales which he for once will not be apologizing for truly is enough. You're not even going to the gathering, but look at you. Imagine the time came you'd actually go. A small smile breaks through his solemn expression. Just the thought of a slightly older Silverkit with her mentor attending the gathering was amusing. It's almost time for them to become apprentices. I wonder who would be their mentors...

This is something he can't control, yet he has preferences for who his kits would train under. At the moment the only cats he would trust to train them would be Snakeblink, Lichentail, and Petalnose. I'm worried about Petal though... She's too close to him. He's not safe anymore. The him in question is their very leader. Odd isn't it? As a warrior you're supposed to trust in your leader, yet he can't say he does fully. Watching Petalnose converse with him disgusted him. Not because she had no right to. Who are you? The Petalnose I know wouldn't have done that. It unnerved him how quickly she changed her tune. As soon as she was promoted she decided to kiss the very ground Cicadastar touched.

Whatever slight joy he felt evaporated when he saw Silverkit approach the pair and deliver stolen fish scales. He wanted to drag Silverkit away from those two, not wanting her close to him. However, he knew that would be dangerous. It would raise eyes and he would be questioned. Hyacinth, I'm glad you're not here anymore. Stay safe wherever you are. Oh, how his paws itch to be busy. This is a celebration and all he wants to do is be alone. At the Stalkingpaw's call for help, he saunters over. He makes sure to greet her with a forced smile, "I can help!" What Stalkingpaw doesn't know wouldn't hurt her.

Humming he stops in front of her and inspects where he should put said scale. It then occurs to him that it's not up to him to decide. "Where would you like to put it?" ​

 

[SMOKESTAR]

The is a gnawing anxiety that keeps him from resting even marginally, of the cats present he has not bothered to let himself be adorned in anything yet; had not lowered his head for kits and apparentice's to detail dark fur like a canvas. He is too afraid, of what he isn't sure. It feels like he hasn't really taken a breath since the altercation with Hyacinthbreath, wishes things were different; wishes she had not turned on them like she had. There were lapses in judgement but she had her several prior before now, just how many times was she willing to let RiverClan suffer for her foolishness? He had not expected Cicadastar to attack her, but he knew she was gone the moment they returned to camp and he saw how all of his clanmates felt. How he felt. Part of him missed her, another part of him was angry he'd ever trusted to begin with. Smokethroat perches at the edge of the camp, waiting for them to leave, head leaning into the willow tree next to him for support because after everything, after losing Beesong, after being put on the spot; he is alarmingly tired.
His long gaze drifts to the fireflies that flitter about the area-souls of the dead-supposedly. He once thought they were escaped stars when he was younger, shaken loose and set adrift from the night sky; sometimes he missed being naively unaware of the world but he couldn't imagine a time where he'd go back to it and manage well.
Several comment on the gathering going well, surely, and he hopes so. He truly does. He feels oddly trapped in place despite himself. A partial smile flits across his maw, kittens singing and apprentices dancing about in delight at the adornments. Maybe it would be fine.
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[hazecloud]

Hazecloud had preferred staying home on the full moon. A night of peace both underneath the canopy at Fourtrees, but most importantly at home as well. With the ilk of traitors and wind-brazen cats out of their pelts, she was ready to enjoy her time in camp. Many of the kittens would be restlessly excited, watching their Clanmates duck out of the clearing to see the other Clans. She was sure the queens might appreciate some help keeping them entertained just for the night.

"It's a beautiful belief to have, König." The word is harsh from her usual speak, Hazecloud isn't fluent of course. But she doesn't appear fazed by it, instead she watched as a firefly hovered between her Clanmates, leading her attention to the solemn deputy. She swiped a flower from the piles scattered about. The silky-furred cat moved quietly to approach him. "May I?" Her voice is gentle, hints of her parents accents in each vowel. She carefully tied the stem of a buttercup through the longer fur of his tail. "Not just for tonight, but the one's that will follow. You have an entire Clan that admires you, I have faith you are just what RiverClan needs in a deputy." Hazecloud purred, rising back to her paws after seeing the buttercup secured.

"Did you ever imagine yourself here?" From her tone she doesn't just mean as RiverClan's deputy.​