camp HERE COMES THE SUN — rainbow




The past couple of days were brutal. The sky had gathered dark clouds to obscure the sun and release a torrential downpour on the forest. It had turned everything to mud and it made traversing through the marshes more miserable than usual. As a result, she had opted to stay in her den, though there were only so many things she could do, only so many ways her herb stores could be reorganized. She had turned to Granitepaw for conversation, but there were only so many topics in this world to speak about. Still, she could listen to him talk for forever.

Finally, the rain let’s up. Starlingheart wakes up to the absence of droplettes pattering softly on the rock roof of her den and her ears flick at the silence. It’s early in the morning when she picks herself gently out of her nest and makes her way to the entrance and into the sunlight. Her eyes are not used to the brightness and she has to squint as she nears the entrance.

When she takes a step into the warm spring air she tilts her head up to look at the sky and in it is the weirdest thing she has ever seen. A ray of light arcs across it, lined with all different colors, some she has never seen before. "Whoa" she can’t help the soft exclamation that escapes her mouth in a breath. "Wh-what is this?" she asks no one in particular.


 

Change your mind

While some might not have been fond of the rain and the currents it brought down onto the earth, Crowpaw had found time to get themselves all dirtied up and dragged other apprentices into the mess alongside him. Soon though, the rain let up and the young apprentice couldn't help but be slightly disappointed in it yet, he had noticed their medicine cat making her way out of the den she hid in, and was making an approach when he noticed the other having spotted something in the sky.

Pausing next to the other she would look up before her copper eyes flicked back towards the she-cat and tilted his head slightly at Starlingheart with curiosity playing in her eyes. " I don't know but it's pretty" they expressed, being no help to Starlingheart's question before their gaze flicked back up to the sky and a warm smile spread onto their maw. "I wonder if this always happens after a storm, you know? That would be really cool!" they expressed, their ears perking forward as they looked at the misty multi-colored thing in the sky, it was indeed quite beautiful and they hoped someone else would come along and give a better explanation to Starlingheart's question.

"speak""Thoughts"
 

Dewfrost is padding across camp when she spots the medicine cat and a young apprentice stopped and looking upwards at the sky. Curious about what has caught their attention in such a way, she also looks upwards, her eyes settling on a rainbow. "They call it a rainbow," Dewfrost answered Starlingheart, "I don't know why." It was just something she had heard her parents call it and she knew that they had heard it from another cat. Crowpaw asked if it always occurred after a storm, and Dewfrost shrugged not having an answer for that. "I haven't seen one for a long time," Dewfrost confessed. "But when I was younger I always used to see them more after a heavy rain."
 
જ➶ After a heavy rain. If he can stomach going out after such a thing then maybe he will be able to see something like this more often. Still the spring air is warm and the tom finds himself lingering on the outskirts of the group, his one eye with vision watching the array of colors that move through the sky. It is pretty, no doubt. It's really nice to be able to see and he tilts his head slightly wondering. He wishes that his mother and father were here. Briar always told him he looked the most like Amber. It used to make him laugh, his mother's genes seem to be the strongest. To him he isn't upset pver this fact as she was a strong cat in everything. A naturally born leader and he wishes...he wishes things had turned out different. The pain in his smile is evident as be looks to his sister now and he forces himself to find that ray of light to hold on to. "It is super nice to look at."

His smile remains, tight, strained but lingering happiness. It is another day. A glorious day and Shadowclan is becoming stronger. Soon they will be back to normal, a new normal.
 
DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP

they sit and watch for a moment, a warm feeling in the pit of their stomach. their tail sways behind them as they agree about it being beautiful. such a rare sight here, sometimes. the way the pine needles cover their view of the sky, it makes it hard to see even after a rain. to see one is so rare... to see a double one is nearly a once in a lifetime. they still enjoy it, however.

"certainly wished we saw more of them."

they speak up for a moment before returning to the silence. they just wanted to embrace the beauty before it was gone.
 
It can be easy to forget that for every ugly thing in the marsh, there was something beautiful. There is a flower for every toad and a startlingly vibrant feather for every mosquito. The marsh held a careful balance, never seeing a day where the ugliness overwhelmed the beauty, and never allowing either side to be altered by the presence of the other. The rainbow is further proof of this — a stripe of color in the sky while the ground is a slick mess, and so this balance is maintained.

"You'll see something similar on still water," Betonyfrost notes from where she had laid down — face scrunched in annoyance at the mud on her pelt, but not enough to move, "But only when the light hits it right."​
shadowclan queen | blue mackerel tabby | 19 moons | tags
 
Granitepaw had not minded the days of stormy weather. It gave him an excuse to retreat to Starlingheart's den after his hunting patrols. There wasn't much for a medicine cat to do in such weather, but frogs were especially out singing when the weather was so wet, so ShadowClan hunters were not given a reprieve from feeding the Clan. Still, his return was met with a kind tongue working hard to dry his fur, her sweet scent like nectar and spice, her quiet and pliant company.

He's almost sad when the rain lets up, but he wakes as Starlingheart does and pads to the exit of the medicine cat's den. There's a grayish cast to the sun as it fights with storm clouds for dominance. He blinks up into the sky, searching for what Starlingheart has pointed out.

A spill of colors shimmers faintly in the sky. Blue, then yellow, then orange, then red, altogether a marvel, like nothing he's seen in nature before.

Granitepaw is awed for a moment. Cats gather to revel in the ceasing storm. His Clanmates dub the thing a 'rainbow.' Betonyfrost comments it can be seen on the surface of the water, too. "I've never seen one before," he mutters, whiskers trembling. "I wonder what causes that." He wonders if it's a good omen. He presses his flank to Starlingheart's at the idea.

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]
 
heavy rainfall is starting to become more frequent the further they get into the warmer seasons and unfortunately that means shadowclan transforms into an even bigger sodden mess with the territory becoming a giant shallow puddle of mud that threatens to trap you in place and makes future hunting and border patrols an even bigger pain in the ass. when the torrent finally eases up during the wee morning hours, cats are finally able to exit their dens where they are greeted by a beautiful display of colors streaking across the sky.

"it's a rainbow." informs dewfrost to the curious minds who begin to gather round to gaze upon the colorful spectrum left behind by the storm. "it's quite the stunning sight." hums geckoscreech who brushes subtly against chilledstar's side before settling down besides them. perhaps this is a sign of a new beginning for shadowclan.
THERE'S SO MANY FAKE ASS PEOPLE PREYING ON YOU.
 

The Lead Warrior's fur looked as if it'd been sprayed with a light mist as she crawled out from beneath a damp piece of undergrowth, her shelter from the heavy rain protecting her less than she thought it would. It was the first bath she'd had in ages though, and the feeling of her skin sodden with water was enough to make her realise that she really didn't want another anytime soon. Her bug pals were writhing more than ever from the wet intrusion and the only thing that stopped her from biting them at that moment was the declaration of something new and unique in the sky. Fascination glinted in her eye as she craned her neck upwards, taking a while to search what Starlingheart had pointed out, disappointed that Dewfrost had ruined the surprise by calling it a 'rainbow'. She knew what they were, and she hurried to find the lovely thing before anyone else explained it to her. Sure enough, a flash of several colours was there, disappearing into the horizon and leaving the Lead Warrior with a budding sense of wanderlust.

Ferndance's pupils dilated as she recollected the first time she'd seen such a magnificent arch in the sky. She'd been a baby then and her world had been a very small one. She remembered asking where the rainbow went, and her dad boldly proclaiming it was where treasure rested for those who had earned it. It was odd at the time that he'd never gone to find those shiny trinkets for himself, but with her paws firmly secured in ShadowClan's lands (except for when they needed her to steal something), she was beginning to understand the black tom's perspective - he'd earned his treasure already, his family, all weird and wonderful and so full of love that anything else was just a bonus. Her smile momentarily twinged with sadness before she heard the rest of the clan speak, compliments and confusion swirling together like a tabby's stripes but the sentiment stayed the same - it was beautiful. "I want to eat it." She proclaimed breathlessly, licking the air in front of her like a broken snake. The ticked tabby froze, tongue still hanging halfway out of her mouth, and slowly turned to the rest of her clanmates with a knowing glance. "Doesn't anyone else want to taste the rainbow?"
 



Her eyes are still fixed on the spectacle before them, unable to tear them away from the gorgeous display of colors that spread out in the sky before them even as cats gather to speak to her. Crowpaw isn't certain what it is either. Starlingheart nods in agreement to his other testament though. It would be cool if it happened every time it stormed. It would be something to look forward to every time it rained, at least. A reminder that there is beauty in this world, after all. "A rainbow.." she echoes softly, grateful to Dewfrost for giving a name to the sight. She confirms Crowpaw's suspicion that it occurs after a heavy rain and Starlingheart cannot help the smile that lifts the corners of her mouth. "It-it's beautiful" she says, agreeing with her brother as he speaks up, giving voice to his own opinion.

She finally tears her eyes away to look at the small crowd that has gathered around her to observe with her. Chilledstar says that they wish it happened more often and she cannot help but nod in agreement and Betonyfrost is saying how sometimes it happens in still water. She makes a mental note to look in the puddles she is sure lay around the marsh right now when she goes out for a herb patrol next. "It- it would be cool if I could- if I could get it to happen in the uh the p-pool in my d-den" it would be nice to brighten the place up, have something to look at on rainy days when there is nothing else to do but snooze and groom the same patch of fur over and over again. There are only so many ways she can organize the same herbs. When Granitepaw joins them she cannot help but to lean into his gray fur when she feels him start to press himself against her. She is happy that he is here to take in such a beautiful sight with her. It was the first time they were both experiencing such a thing, it seemed, and she is grateful they can do it together. A soft purr rumbles in her throat at the thought. She is happy, content.

Then Ferndance speaks and she cannot help the small laugh that escapes her. "B-but its it's all the way in- in the sky Ferndance! How will- how will you ever reach it?" perhaps she would grow wings and fly there like Magpiepaw thought they were capable of doing. it is a silly thought but she can imagine Ferndance in StarClan, leaning as far forward as she can and trying desperately to take a bite out of a rainbow. The thought makes her laugh again.

Moments like these are what make her glad she was born here and not anywhere else.
 
EYES COVERED IN INK AND BLEACH
maggotpaw | 05 months | female | she/her | physically easy | mentally hard | attack in bold mediumpurple
It is a rare sight indeed to find maggotpaw anywhere near groups such as this - adults, most of them, or nearly there. But the sight of the glittering, flickering colors in the sky has her striding forwards, teal gaze turned overhead. She doesn't think she's ever seen anything so pretty - not a single bone, rock, or feather could compare. The closest, perhaps, the wings of dragonfly she'd seen once - but even that pale in comparison. She wishes she could pluck it right down out of the sky, to hide it away with the rest of her little treasures. Wants it to be hers. But she cannot - and so she can only stare. Beautiful. A god omen indeed.
 

The burst of color above stands so vastly different from the void that observes it. Though it stretches across the sky like his own limbs stretch across ShadowClan, Eeriepaw could never compare to the sight above him.

So pretty - so stunning as Geckoscreech calls it - this... this rainbow. A beautiful sight, like the fireflies he'd recently observed - was this rainbow a source of evil spirits too? Surely it couldn't be, if it was all the way up in the sky, right? So high up, unobtainable by the evil below.

Dark eyes reflect the burst of color as the apprentice observes the sight. Eeriepaw decides its presence must be a good sign. For the sake of the clan, for the sake of those who wish for its fading presence to last forever. For the sake of himself.

He's glad leaf-bare didn't call for the end of the world, that he's able to sit here and see the beauty of newleaf for himself.