camp I WON'T HOLD BACK — first prey

[iciclefang]

There's a bustling world sequestered in the nursery; it is a biome of its own. Warm, sheltered, and muzzy with soft darkness, kits slumber, stir from their sleep, and spring into action. A lean tortoiseshell queen watches with half-lidded blue eyes, peering out into camp and waiting for the pale tabby pelt of a certain apprentice. "Shellpaw's coming, little ones," Iciclefang murmurs to Algaekit and Redkit, whose eyes are round and tinted water-blue, whose mouths open in little pink circles. They walk, now, fuzzy and stiff-legged, and the queen is reminded stiffly of the way her own kits had looked when they'd been so small.

Their mother is injured, gravely—Iciclefang mourns for Robinheart, who will not get to cherish this milestone with her children. She flicks an appreciative ear as Shellpaw nears, a slender silver fish pouring from either side of her jaws. "Thank you," she murmurs, taking the prey gingerly, carefully. "Alright, Algaekit, Redkit, come closer. This is your first bite of fish... this is what RiverClan warriors eat. Are you ready for your first bite?" Despite herself, she can't help the softness that tugs at her lips.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: tagging @shellpaw @ALGAEKIT @Redkit but no need to wait <3
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 24 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Cicadapaw ; previously mentored n/a
  — riverclan lead warrior & queen. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.
  
  

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[shellpaw]

the barbel is large, large enough that she toddles a bit on the way back, it's long and tendril - like whiskers drifting low at her ivory - fluffed chest. camp is bustling — the dogs presence still remains, engraved in smatterings of flattened reed and cattail, the puddle of blood she swears the water had yet to wash away. shellpaw had done nothing when claythorn and petalnose had jumped into action, thorn short claws too soft, rabbit quick heart too feint to stand up to a threat when it came. she’d wondered since that day what riverpaw would have done — strong and proud and ready for anything. she thanks her lucky stars that pebblepaw had been out of camp, loathe as she was to accept his recent misgivings.

the barbel was little apology for robinheart’s shattered hind limb, even littler for how it prevented her from being here today with her children as they gather excitedly at iciclefang’s paws, but she hoped it would give the little ones better impression of her than her cowardice entailed. adrenaline runs higher than guilt for now as she enters — hot on lichenstar's heel her tail is high, higher still should she see her mother somewhere outside the nursery, hoping to catch hazecloud’s warm gaze. i caught this myself, she thinks, woozy with joy still despite the lines of teeth marks pressed preemptively into her catch’s sleek back. there was still time to perfect that killing bite.

” hiii, babies. “ she coos, phantom song the moment she deposits her catch pointedly at iciclefang’s feet. queens, kits and elders first, her mother has said — shellpaw puffs her chest fur proudly, albeit a little awkward looking with her bony stature. iciclefang addresses the children and she listens with ears tipped forward, reveling in being part of such an occasion — even if their mother weren’t here to witness it herself. this is what warriors eat, the mottled lead says, and shellpaw nods her head quick enough to make her nose run damp, ” did, did you guys know that we.. um, we’re the only clan in the whoole forest who eat fish? theyre special — a gift from the river itself. eating them will.. help you grow up to be strong swimmers and, and better riverclan warriors..! “ at least, that’s what she’s always heard.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 ° 𓇼 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒

• i.
  
  
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  SHELLPAW 𓆉 SHE / HER. SEVEN MOONS OLD, APPRENTICE OF RIVERCLAN, MENTORED BY LICHENTAIL ; SMELLS LIKE SALT & RIVER BLOOMS. HAZECLOUD xx LICHENTAIL, NIECE TO SMOKESTAR. PENNED BY ANTLERS ----------------- ° ❀ ⋆
  frail alabaster molly with lilac striping and watery amber eyes.
  
  she is pallid ; platinum splotched with ribbons of dovey lilac curls, wisped ends like memories of a distant shore and plush enough to conceal the juts of malnutrition beneath. tufted elderdown fur conceals a body worn fragile by tumultuous youth, too thin in some places and round with baby fat in others. her face is short - muzzled, framed half mast by eyes coined rheumy, rosen amber. the anemic cold pink - purple at tender paws and nose tell a lifetime of sickness, further made obvious by the feathering weakness in half - whispered tones.
  

  CHRONICALLY ILL ; prone to wheezing, nose at a constant drip from longterm illness - induced nasal polyps. not contagious.

  
  

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[ALGAEKIT]

Algaekit, in her woolen naivete, still worried for his mother. He didn't know how to help... or how to feel helplessness. He still yearned for his mother's warm belly, with her pulsating heartbeat settling her into her dreams, though he hadn't the verses to express it.

Ocean-blue eyes widened as he gazed upon the shimmering fish in all of its glory, silvery scales with purls of light marking where each lie, and with whiskers disconcertingly catlike. Shellpaw practically dragged along the fish, and Algae wondered how Riverclan could even catch such a fish if it were bigger than them. She blinked as it was set down, glancing to Redkit, then to Shellpaw, then to Iciclefang. "Where... Where mama?" Lilting voice fluttered from the rosied mouth of the kitten, as he stared downwards at the miniature mirrors that seemed to reflect onto him, with mercury hues beaming in sunlight. Rounded muzzle twitched as she leaned in to sniff at the barbel, with the tantalizing scent of prey only sending rumbles through her little stomach. "'M hungry. Wanna be strong wah-ree-ahr." He took some time to truly sound the word out, those syllables often tossed around between her kin. It must be important if it bore repetition. Immediately, she began to gnaw at the fish's scales, trying with all her might to pry it open. It was to no avail, for her pinprick teeth were much too small to even cut through the argent. It tasted good though, and that was reason enough to keep trying.​

 

[turtlepaw]

—————————————————【 riverclan | apprentice | she/her 】————————————————

【◈】Kithood felt like it was ages ago. Compared to other apprentice, it was really. Turtlepaw had a short kithood, and some days she envied the current kits of the clan who got to enjoy their last bits of childhood. Most days, though, she was grateful that she had started her apprenticeship so early. Turtlepaw had learned a lot in this time and had grown up a lot as well.

When she looked at the current batch of kits, she felt so removed from them. They had different jokes, new ways to play games, and they seemed to grow at an amazing rate. Is this what everyone saw when she was growing? A foreign creature slowly shaping into a cat? How strange. How very strange.

Turtlepaw watched in glee as Shellpaw brought Robinheart's litter a barbel. What a good first fish! She can barely remember her first. Was it a trout? Or was it a carp? Doesn't matter - she had plenty of new fish to replace that memory.

The tabby bounded up in excitement and purred in excitement. "You guys are so lucky! Barbel is such a yummy fish! Any Shellpaw's right! If you keep eating fish you'll be as big as me someday!" She didn't realize how much bigger she was than them until she mentioned they would have to grow. In fact, when had she gotten so big? She was almost as tall as Iciclefang now, and she knew she had more growing to do yet.

[penned by muddly].

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[willowroot]

( ☾ ) willowroot is more present than ever with robinheart injured. the horror of the attack is not lost on the former queen, and she visits her friend daily, promises to look after her kittens quick on her tongue. watching iciclefang softly directing algaekit and redkit, remembering the ambitious and clever apprentice she once was under smokestar. how lovely to see how well the dappled woman has grown. the smoke tabby sits not far away, giving shellpaw room to place her fish at the kittens' paws and proudly present it. "fantastic first catch, shellpaw," willowroot compliments, blinking kindly at the lilac girl. a great barbel, bigger than the kits and probably enough food to feed two more queens and their litters. it's impressive indeed, and with lichenstar mentoring the girl, she's sure to catch many more.

leaning forward, willowroot swipes a lick across algaekit's head, smoothing a forever stuck up bit of fur. "your mama is talking to moonbeam right now, but she really wants you to try this fish. it's very yummy, you know." she snuffles redkit's head as well, purring softly before settling with her tail tucked over her paws. grand-kits, she could call them (robinheart's mentor, brookstorm's mother's sister), but willowroot hardly cares how she's related to them, only that she is. "what do you think about it, redkit? does it look tasty?"

THE ECHOING HYMN ☾ OF MY FELLOW PASSERINE

• // "#91A26C"
  
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  WILLOWROOT ☾ SHE / THEY, WARRIOR OF RIVERCLAN. MENTORING MIDNIGHTPAW. PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  a long-haired black smoke oriental with sage-green eyes. smoky long fur coats the length of willowroot's lithe body, cut through with dark ghost stripes. friendly sage green eyes that narrow in an almond shape, and her muzzle and limbs are thin and long due to her oriental heritage.
  
  
  
  

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[Redkit]

He hadn't seen his mother or Rivuletkit in a day or two. Where had they gone, he didn't know? His curled ears twitch as he watches as eventually Iciclefang, Shellpaw, and more had entered the nursery. He sits tense yet defensively near Algaekit and a faint bristling of his fiery sun-toned coat. The only face that seemed remotely familiar and was a relief to see was Willowroot, and slightly Iciclefang while the rest were vague memories in his large yet small body. The tom-kit watches as Algaekit makes the first move on the barbel and for once, the large tom isn't making the first move.

He had been the first to explore out the nursery and make other firsts for the children of Robinheart and Brookstorm, but he didn't understand everything going on. Redkit wanted his mom and sister back more than testing the fish, and he feels a rasp of a tongue across head from the black smoke. “Erhmm...” Redkit mumbles as he stares at the fish at Willowroot's question before he looks around them for the familiar angelic figure of his mother. “... want ma.” The young boy would grumble sadly before giving Algaekit a big headbutt to the shoulder, seeking comfort in his little sibling.

The eyes are on the two of them practically saying to eat the fish and it makes him feel uncomfortable to have so many eyes on him. His pair of curled ears flatten as he watches as Algaekit still attempts to bite into the fish, simply gnawing at the scales. A salmon colored nose leans forward and he cautiously sniffs it before taking as large of a bite her could, his ears pinned back as he tries to eat the fish. Tiny teeth find it hard to pierce the fish so he just aggressively shakes his head (and body) with a lot of force making him seem as a dog aggressively playing with a toy instead eating it.
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