camp i was 19 in a white dress | puddle splashing

[Halfshade]

Dawn patrol was done and she had a moment's break upon returning before going out hunting. Halfshade managed her time very well, capable of having her fun and doing her duties without much of a struggle and without overexerting herself like some of her more silly clanmates. The workaholics of the clan would tell you that any moment spent being unproductive was a waste, but she would happily argue that all work and no play made for a dreadfully miserable lifestyle and she would rather be viewed as ridiculous than to work herself into a stupor. Leaf-bare was fast approaching, they were stockpiling as best they could but she worried for how things would unfold and she worried even more for Bonejaw and dear little Starlingpaw in her new role as an apprentice medicine cat. They must be especially stressed about the entire thing.
The camp had met with some light rain recently, cold drizzling droplets that were just enough to form a few puddles and she wandered over to one now to gaze down at her reflection with the ghost of a smile on her maw. A cat like her in this place seemed strangely unfitting, ShadowClan was a shrouded marshland group who wallowed about in the muck and ate frogs and she was a clean and pretty little longfurred queen from the two-leg place that looked and felt as if she didn't belong. But, Halfshade didn't allow such things to bother her, after all, she was as filthy inside as the clan in which she resided and wasn't it the inside that mattered? The queen turned as if to walk away from the puddle only to swiftly pivot back around and spring upward in the air above it.
Her white limbs and bicolor form was quickly drenched in dirty water and debris, mud washing up to her chest and she laughed as she continued to stomp about; one paw lifted up only to come down hard and sink into the puddle and she repeated the process with each paw in turn. The torbie happily pranced about in her puddle, making a right mess of herself and looking foolish but happiness was a fleeting thing and perfection often took it from her.

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[FLICKERFIRE]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

Flickerfire is content to hang around camp after the dawn patrol. The cold seems almost bitter to her this morning, though they've still a moon of leaf-fall to go before they're really starting to freeze their fur off. Like Halfshade, the tortoiseshell has no qualms about stealing little moments so she can relax and unwind from the duties that now occupy her time.

She wants to think about pleasant things. She wants to think about golden fur and the strange, hearty scent of leaf piles and bramble thickets. She wants to think about her tail crossed with a red-banded one, face tilted towards stars. About a genuine smile, rather than the scowls and smirks everyone in ShadowClan wears.

But she shouldn't think about those things, because she's a lead warrior now. Ugh. She should be thinking about patrols and mentoring (where is Siltpaw, anyway?... did Flickerfire lose her on the patrol somewhere?) and how to judge her leader's temperament based on the time of day.

She snorts to herself, laying her head on her paws. Pale morning light gleams across the surfaces of some of the puddles. Halfshade peers into one of them, looking at her pretty, well-kempt reflection. Flickerfire twitches an ear, bored and about to turn her attention away when Halfshade brings all four of her paws into the water and splashes.

She shoots to her feet immediately, glee lighting up her burning gaze. "Oh! Oh, me next!" She flings herself into the puddle, muddy water splashing her up to her chest. Her laughter is raucous. "Startin' to look like one of us now!" She smacks the water with a forepaw, attempting to dirty Halfshade's face.

// mentioning @Siltcloud. since flicker was on patrol, no obligation though!

- ,,​

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[CHILLEDSTAR.]

if there was one thing that chilledgaze didn't do enough of, it was relaxing. they hadn't long before they became deputy, too busy raising their brother, and now that they had a responsibility to their entire clan that was deeper than it had been before, they had no time for it, even though the stars knew that it was necessary to keep from going absolutely crazy. as they walked along, they looked back at minkpaw, and forestpaw. their apprentice, and their little brother, deserved some rest. they had been trying really hard to make forestpaw get off her lazy ass, but there was only so much they could do with the nice approach. hopefully she'd find the drive without chilledgaze having to bite on her tail. minkpaw, however, was different. he worked hard, even if it was reluctant. they watched him, and they were proud of him and they still wanted him to have his childhood. moving closer to the pair, they aimed to push both @FORESTPAW and @MINKPAW into the puddle, giggling childishly, had they fallen in.

"you have always said you liked the mud, forestpaw."

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[ NOBODY ELSE MATTERS, GIRL ]​

 

[Shimmerpaw]

SHIMMERPAW - SHADOWCLAN - TOM - SINGLE - HOMOSEXUAL​

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Halfshade was probably the closest thing to a 'trusted cat' that Shimmer had in the clan. When other cats had been glaring at him or threatening to eat him that day on the border, Halfshade had been the first one to greet him with a genuine smile and sincerity in her voice, and every encounter he'd had with her since then had been just as plesant. She was one of the few cats that didn't go out of their way to exclude him or overlook him, and so when he saw her splashing about in one of the many mud puddles that had popped up in the wake of the recent rain, he padded over to join her with a smile.

The other cats gathered he didn't know nearly as well, and there was still some apprehension in him about going over to this group of practical strangers to join in on their fun, but everyone was laughing and smiling, and Shimmer had missed such things since leaving his siblings and mother behind. "Hey you guys missed a spot!" he called before leaping into the puddle to shower Flickerfire and Halfshade in muddy water, effectively soaking himself as well and soaking his cream and white fur with dirt.
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-- A SMALL, SLEEK CREAM TABBY WITH SKY BLUE EYES. HE HAS HIGH WHITE MARKINGS WITH CREAM COLORED SPOTS AND SPECKLES ON THEM

 

[smogstar]

Fatigue marks his facial characteristics upon returning to camp. The dawn patrol had done little to shake off the previous night's slumber, a sign that the mackerel tabby probably required more sleep overall. While out with his clanmates he kept mostly to himself, outright ignoring any passing comments made in his way and instead groggily taking in the territory's flora. Part of him wonders if his perpetual cynicism can be blamed on his self-enforced sleep deprivation, or if it's simply a proclivity he had developed over time. Regardless of the cause, he is in a mood more rotten than usual.

That changes, briefly, when Halfshade makes a mad dash for a puddle. His pursed brows heave upwards as the torbie dirties her elegant fur. He's half shocked to see the typically prim she-cat engaging in such messy behaviour, and half pleased to see her in a delightful mood. Such innocent fun was almost scandalous coming from a ShadowClan cat like herself - but surely enough others quickly joined in on the amusement, turning it into a mud-slinging contest.

Flickerfire is the first to attack, choosing the bi-coloured queen as her target. Immediately afterwards, Chilledgaze bulldozes both of their apprentices into the muck. Then, Shimmerpaw enters the fray, causing a rainstorm of dirt to shower over the two she-cats. Although it's a shame to see Halfy's merrymaking rained on in such an uncouth fashion, this was now admittedly the type of fun that Smogmaw can enjoy.

And he already has his sights set on a target.

If the deputy enjoyed punching down so much, surely they wouldn't mind a little bit of punching up. The mackerel tabby inhales, charging up so to speak, before barrelling in the direction of Chilledgaze's hide. Aiming to shove the black-pelted feline face first into the puddle, he would try to barge into them with his shoulder at full speed. Should he miss his mark, however, he'll come crashing down into the watery pool in a disastrous spectacle.​

 

[SHINEPAW]

What on earth was going on?. Jetburn had just left the warriors den after a nap when he had come across this sight. Full grown warriors playing in a puddle alongside one of their queens and apprentices. For the heck of it, even their deputy had decided to mature down to a kit. At first he was highly bemused by this behavior thinking warriors should act better then this. However on his way over there to scold them stopt when he realised how fun his clanmates actually was having. It had been a long time since he had seen anyone in the shadowclan enjoy themselves this much like this ones did at the moment. A lot had been happening since the split, many who had lost dear ones in the great battle. Did he really have the right to ruin this moment?. Jetburn decided to let it slide not wanting to be the one who took a silly moment like this away from them if this was what they all needed right now. To return back to thier old roots to just act like a kit without any responsibilities or concern for the world.

With a heavy sigh, the warrior took a seat a bit away not personally wanting to join in. He would keep an eye on all of them as they played, an unnoticed smile tugging at the seniors lips. He wondered if his kids would have played in that puddle as well. Anything he would have done to get to see them play in that puddle right now. Just to get to see thier faces one more time....and his beloved mate.


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[FORESTSHADE]

Forestpaw had been intent on heading straight to the apprentice's den and curling up in her nice cool nest. She craved sleep, as always. And after a long morning of training, she thinks she deserves it! She is marching alongside her mentor, knowing exactly what direction to head in to reach the bramble bush. They are passing a group of older cats, their scents muddied by the splashing water but she is able to pick out Flickerfire's voice. A smirk rests on her muzzle; old cats can be funny. Suddenly, she feels a harsh force upon her shoulder and she herself flies into the puddle, a yowl of surprise escaping her. The blind molly sputters about for a moment, righting herself after a few heartbeats before she glares wildly in the direction she thinks Chilledgaze is in. "Oh, you're gonna get it." Justice comes sooner than she can bring it. Her mentor is now beside her in the puddle, shoved by a cat she can't smell through the muddy water surrounding her. "Ha!" Serves him right!​

 

[Halfshade]

She does not intend to indulge in her nonsense for very long, nor does she expect to be joined in her filthy forray, but in seconds the puddle has garnered itself quite a bit more attention than expected and Halfshade finds herself laughing ever more loudly upon the barrage of cats taking part of the messy foolishness before sputtering in alarm when her open mouth is promptly filled with a splash of mud and dirty water; the torbie queen coughs but does not loose her amusement and retaliates to Flickerfire's attack with a stumbling pounce to try and send them both awash in the waves of grime.
"Am I now? So good to know this was all it took!"
Chilledgaze is bullying their apprentices to the side, a rare display of playfulness from the usually harried deputy that she welcomes the sight of it, Shimmerpaw arrives with a spring to douse herself and the spotted embers of the lead warrior in a baptism of debris and she slaps a paw back at him to return the favor with a shining white smile.
It is uncharastically funny to see Smogmaw join the fun, but she has the inkling it is less for the enjoyment and more for the sport of the hunt given his target was their highest authority figure present.
"Thanks the stars it is not quite so cold yet as to make this regrettable!"
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[✧ Siltcloud.]

MY IGNORANCE HAS STRUCK AGAIN​

siltpaw | 06 months | female | she/her | physically easy | mentally easy | attack in bold #ddadaf​

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Not quite quick enough to dodge a speck of mud that slaps against her muzzle, silt wrinkles her nose and quickly cleans of the offending dirt. While she'd never think of herself as pretty, with her dust hued pelt that always seems dull and never lies flat, she's certainly hygienic. She's careful to clean the mud from her pelt and paws and even cleans between her toes every single day - so watching her clanmates get excited to do the exact opposite is strange. She stays only a moment, observing from the corner of her eyes as she pretends to peer at her paws, bewildered by the easy going smiles and laughter - and then she's slipping away into the safety of camp, as far away from this mess as she can mange.