I Identify The Echo | Hazewish

[Mosspool]

There was still a buzzing in the back of her head, even as she walked with the sister who she had cried in fear of never seeing again. They had left the chatter of the newly returned cats behind them together to spend time with each other, but Mosspaw's mind kept threatening to wander. The good warrior in her was considering all that needed to be done to get the clan back in good health. It wanted her to head out right now to catch prey so her haggard, sickly clanmates could go to bed with full bellies. It wanted her to stalk the borders until she was certain that none of the rogues had survived.

Mosspaw did none of those things, however, because right now Hazewish did not need a good warrior. They needed a good sister.

Which, she thought with dull humor, was considerably greater a task. Even in her sleep she would know how to hunt prey or patrol the border, even if her travel-weary paws would protest against the tasks at present. In light of the strange journey she had just returned from, the routine of them even felt comforting to her. Meanwhile, she had not the faintest idea what to say to her sister. A moon and a half felt like too long a time for them to simply fall immediately back into familiarity, but also too soon for them to be strangers and begin asking each other very basic questions. Which left Mosspaw feeling stranded somewhere in the middle, struggling to find where to begin at all.

"I wish you could have seen what I saw on the journey." Was what she settled on saying after a brief moment of silence passed between them. It was a thought that had occurred to her a couple of times on her journey, but one she had not allowed herself to consider very deeply. Only now that she was finally home did she indulge in it. "You would have liked it." Mosspaw stated with absolute confidence. "There were things beyond the clans border that I would have hardly imagined. Massive walls of pure stone, stretching toward the stars, bodies of water too vast to swim across, caves with great and terrible depths..." She trailed off at those last words. The memory of her nights in the dark chilled her back into silence.

Even if Hazewish would have enjoyed the sights, she was glad that she had not come. She could not bear the thought that her own sister might have ended up like Little Wolf or even Stormpaw. Then again, she thought fretfully, between sickness and rogues it was dubious that they had been any safer here.​

 

[Hazewish]

TRAVELER, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED (AND NOW YOU MUST GO) ⋆⁺₊⋆

In spite of the exhaustion and lingering hunger, body aching where the teeth and claws of rogues dug into their flesh, Hazewish’s body thrums with nervous energy as they walk besides Mosspaw, occasionally pressing their shoulder against hers or nosing at her side. They hadn’t realized how much they’d missed her, when before the journey it felt like they couldn’t get far away from her, and now that her renewed presence has put into perspective the long moon without Haze can’t help but reassure themself that Moss is really, truly back.

Her sister feels a little of the same relief, she thinks; or she has gotten more lax about her duties while away from home, but Haze doubts that. Either way Mosspaw doesn’t try to wriggle away, and walks wearily besides Haze while the newly-promoted warrior tries to separate the jumble of her thoughts into smaller bits of her voice.

It’s like a moon’s worth of words have gone unsaid and are now tripping over each other on their way out of her mouth. She wants to say how glad she is that Mosspaw is alive and well, and how jealous she is about the journey, and ask her everything about it; she wants to tell her about the rogues, in turn, and Cicada’s death; she wants, most of all, to be a nuisance about the fact that she’s a warrior now and Mosspaw isn’t. Yet.

Moss speaks up before they can mention it, though, and the mention of the journey thoroughly distracts them.

The sights she speaks of sound… impossible. Dream-like and beautiful, wonders that Haze can only imagine: a pale, uncertain imitation of the places Moss saw and explored. Envy burns hot and fast through their chest, but the joy of reunion makes it impossible to sustain. Later, perhaps, it will return. For now it recedes, leaving behind only their usual burning curiosity. Mosspaw isn’t the ideal storyteller, but she’s better than no story at all.

”Tell!” They urge her, brushing against her side in response to her fretful silence. She can’t already be getting glum, she barely got back! With a sly grin they add: ”Warrior’s order.”

Then, magnanimously, ”Exchange.” They have some wild stories to share, too.

[⋆]​

​

 

[Mosspool]

𓆝 . ° ✦ Mosspaw could only roll her eyes at the words "warrior's order." Her sister had only been a warrior for a couple of days and already she was being a nuisance about it, unbelievable. Evidently getting ones warrior name did nothing to help with maturity. Still, she could not help but smile despite herself.

It really was good to have her sister back.

"Very well." Mosspaw agreed with a much belabored sigh, as though she was not eager to share all her sights with Hazewish. She tilted her head, taking a moment to consider where to start. Eventually she settled on their first real struggle as a group. "Remember that dead monster we found? I got to see living ones. They are just as terrifying as everyone says." Even the recollection of them made her shutter. "We had to cross a thunderpath at the very start of our journey. Those beasts, they were faster than the swiftest current. My eyes could barely follow them as they raced past. Still, it was not the most unusual sight of our travels, the other clans territories have thunderpaths after all. What was unusual was the other clan actions. Thunderclan most of all." The word Thunderclan left her mouth with dry exhaustion, rather than the outright distain that she might have said it before the journey. Remembering her companions, she could not muster utter hatred for them in this moment, but she could still recall her annoyance at their antics. Stormywing especially.

"Riverclan crossed as a group under Hazecloud's guidance. We were very orderly about it." Mosspaw stated proudly, her chest puffing up. "The other clans were not. One particularly harebrained Thunderclanner, who I later learned to be named Lightstrike, darted across before anyone else, and missed being trampled by a monster by mere hairs. Nightbird, one of the other Thunderclanners, crossed right after him just to scold him for his foolishness." She shook her head at the memory. With how disorganized the other clans were, she was surprised they all made it across unharmed.

Mosspaw touched her tail to her sister's side. "Your turn."

✧　°　.　✶　.　°　✧​

ooc Information

• ooc: —
• 

  MOSSPOOL — SHE/HER･ 12 MOONS ･ WARRIOR & RIVERCLAN ･ PENNED BY @empyrean !

  Longhair black tabby with deep green eyes. Mosspaw is a very tall molly, standing a head above most cats her age. She has a slim, willowy physique with subtle musculature built up from a lifetime of constant training that lends itself well to swimming and running. Long, thick brown fur falls over her form with tabby patterning across it. Her eyes are a vibrant green, and shine with a bright intelligence and confidence.

​

 

[Hazewish]

TRAVELER, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED (AND NOW YOU MUST GO) ⋆⁺₊⋆

Haze is hardly the most attentive of cats: their own whirling thoughts usually supersede whatever mundane things others are talking about, and their focus slips away into daydreams with the same ease with which they slip into the river’s current. But there’s nothing mundane about Mosspaw’s story now (she’s quite good at telling it, actually) and their ears are pricked, their dandelion-colored eyes boring into their sister with bright hunger. Their whiskers tug into a smile at the reminder of the dead monster — they remember Mosspaw’s unamused glare quite well — but the expression quickly fades, replaced with something more sober. Cicadastar was there too, giving them an earful over their recklessness. For all that they occasionally butted heads, it stings that Hazewish will never again hear this harsh voice censuring or congratulating them.

Mosspaw’s mellowed opinion of Thunderclan cats doesn’t fall on deaf ears, quite the opposite really, and Haze peeps up with a smirking, ”Friends?” Her playful tone is clearly poking fun at the situation — considering how she had reacted to Haze running headlong into things, it’s unlikely that her opinion of this Lightningstrike is much better.

Still, there’s a little jealousy to it as well. Moss interacted with so many different cats from the clans they were warned away from, saw so much just outside their territory — what else did she discover on this journey, while Haze was fishing and patrolling as usual? And getting chased out of their camp by an army of rogues?

Okay, that part was different at least.

When their turn comes, they raise their head high — unlike their sister, they tend to slouch — and allow themself an uncharacteristic verbiage to tell that particular anecdote. A good story deserves a few words more than usual.

”Dark, moonless night,” they murmur, like the beginning of a scary story like they used to tell in the nursery. Though honestly they can’t quite remember how bright the moon had been: every memory of this moment is black, subterranean, like a badger’s den. ”Rogues poured in like the tide. Everywhere — even the nursery.” A shiver at the reminder of little siblings. ”We try to fight, but they’re too many. Blood in the air, in the water. More claws and teeth than there were stars. Cicadastar—”

She stops, casting her sister a sideway glance. She admired their leader deeply; they all did, but Mosspaw most of all, as if his word wasn’t only law but scripture. Her tone gentles, her tail reciprocating the earlier touch against her side as she continues.

”He fought them alone. Let us escape. Catfish and I were chased by a rogue, lost in the night… Absolute chaos.” Another wry grin. ”Missed you. Wouldn’t have let us all scatter, huh?”

[⋆]​

​

 

[Mosspool]

𓆝 . ° ✦ Pausing her story, she tilted her head in consideration as her sister asked if she considered them friends. She took the question far more seriously than the joking tone asked of her. "Perhaps." Mosspool murmured uncertainly.

It was difficult for her to know what to make of the bonds she formed on the journey. She was not altogether certain that she would call Lightstrike or Stormywing her friend, exactly, they had annoyed her too much for that. Even with them though, she felt a certain bond that could not be denied. They had spent nearly a moon together, and in that time they had overcome obstacles more terrible than she had ever dreamed up. Even if they were Thunderclanners, that meant something. Besides, there was one Thunderclanner who she might call friend. With a pang she remembered Stormpaw, and wished they had more time together. Others were easy, Bobie she would certainly consider a friend.

Then it was Hazewish's turn, and Mosspool's attention was rapt. Especially when her sister described the rogues as a tide. Her eyes widened. She had known there had been rogues, but so many of them... stars, the thought of it was terrible. More claws and teeth than stars; that description bordered on blasphemy, and yet she could not bring herself to argue with it. The rogues had, if only for a moment, thwarted Starclan themselves and driven the clans from their homes. It was only fitting to describe their power as akin to the stars.

Cicadastar's name made her suck in a breath through her teeth, as though preparing herself for a blow.

The death Hazewish described for him was exactly what she would have imagined. Heroic, brave, tragic; a warrior's death. She could envision him fighting the current of rogues and - for an impossible moment - winning, before eventually succumbing. She nodded curtly. It was all she could manage. Her tongue felt to heavy to move to words. The touch of her sister's tail to her side was the only comfort she could find, and for it she was immeasurably grateful.

Mosspool had to clear her throat in order to respond to Hazewish. "I missed you too." She murmured back, though she couldn't help but glance away at the suggestion that she would not have let them scatter.

"That is nice of you to say." It was a tempting thought, that she might have organized the clan when the rogues attack. That it was her absence alone that left the clan in chaos. Part of her couldn't help but believe it, and felt a touch guilty for leaving them, even though she knew it was untrue. "But there were warriors greater than I at your side, our dearly departed leader among them, if they could not organize you than I doubt I would have done much better." Was all she said, even though she did not completely believe it. If only she could have been in both places at once.

Still, she would make up for her absence by being here now.

✧　°　.　✶　.　°　✧​

ooc Information

• ooc: —
• 

  MOSSPOOL — SHE/HER･ 12 MOONS ･ WARRIOR & RIVERCLAN ･ PENNED BY @empyrean !

  Longhair black tabby with deep green eyes. Mosspaw is a very tall molly, standing a head above most cats her age. She has a slim, willowy physique with subtle musculature built up from a lifetime of constant training that lends itself well to swimming and running. Long, thick brown fur falls over her form with tabby patterning across it. Her eyes are a vibrant green, and shine with a bright intelligence and confidence.

​