pafp IF I COULD FIND YOU NOW — stone hunting

[iciclefang]

“You’re sure this is the best place to find a…” Iciclefang’s voice slips into quiet; the tortoiseshell wades through the shallows of the river, her dry fur fluffed up around her limbs but her eyes trained on the cool waters surging around her paws, “…a nice rock?” She walks with aching slowness, her gaze trained on the water. Frigid white feet knock pebbles and send them spiraling through the water; none of them matter, for none of them had been adequate.

She lifts her head, blue gaze flicking first to Ferngill’s fiery pelt and then to Darkwhisker. These are the sorts of games her brothers had played—find the shiny rock, and then perhaps they’d made them communicate with one another somehow… she could not say. She and Steepsnout had been busy underwater brawling for their own amusements. She can almost hear the lilting tease of her sister’s roughened voice now—“Joining the boys, are ya?” She shivers—not because of the cold water, but because sometimes, sometimes, her sister seems so close it hurts. She suppresses the memory and asks again, “It’s—this is where you find… all of yours?” She waves a paw, as if to indicate the multitudes of shiny stones Ferngill and Darkwhisker must have sequestered somewhere.

[ please wait for either @FERNGILL or @DARKWHISKER ]

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[FERNGILL]

He'd always thought Iciclefang had found his hobby of collecting trinkets something close to obnoxious. The pile of stuff, moved to his nest in the warrior's den now, was a horde he was distinctly proud of, but was not a mark of honour. It was odd, now, to be asked for his help- his expertise, at Darkwhisker's side. Ferngill had cast his brother a knowing glance, a verdant gleam in his singular eye- something thoughtful glittered within, too. Part of him was curious to press his sister for what had changed her mind, but it was probably nicer just to help her out.

Especially when she was this serious about it. When wasn't she serious, though?

"Yeah- along the shoreline, too!" Excitement brimmed from Ferngill's voice, like the river itself swelling after a rainstorm. Tilting his head, he dipped so low that it almost appeared as if he was trying to listen to the water itself. "Sometimes the sun just catches one- you'll see it flash." He grinned, sight trained upon the shoreline for anything hidden beneath the frost. "Might be harder in this weather, though. Is it definitely a rock you want?" Shells, odd filed-down shards, feathers... there was all sorts in his hoard. ​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[valesight ➶]

⸙͎｡˚⋆ ⍋ ѧѦ ѧ⍋ ⸙͎｡˚⋆

This was a hobby he could get behind! Valepaw didn't mean to snoop or pry or otherwise be a menacing shadow behind the three warriors but... Iciclefang is someone to look up to- the frigid luminary, the chilly champion of her people. So when she wanders away with two... soft-boys... in tow... he wants to know why!

Appearing behind them with the stealth Ferngill had once praised in his kitten-times, the chimera looks down at the water before snapping his attention to the two chatting water-dwellers. He does not enjoy swimming... well, doesn't really know how to... maybe they could be a good example when they inevitably dive down there for a 'nice rock.' Darkwhisker hasn't offered any advice yet but he remembers a time when the dark-furred tom had been caught whispering to a particularly treasured stone. (He must be the expert).

"Why.... collect them," he asks, too-long teeth flashed in a curious, excited smile. Is it just a matter of aesthetics? For fun? Or was there some secret more interesting purpose that only big, adult cats knew about?​

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[bubbleburst]

"GOT A LITTLE CASH NOW SO THAT SKIRT IS DIOR"​

Bubblepaw only has a few practical skills. She's working on it- now that she has a mentor who can focus on teaching her and overcoming her weaknesses- but searching and tracking are among the handful of skills she does have. Perhaps it comes natural to the silver molly, or is maybe a byproduct of her incessant need to seek out pretty things to decorate with. Either way, she's sure that Iciclefang and Ferngill will be impressed by her abilities; or at least she hopes so.

Similar to Valepaw, she'd been curious about where the pair had been headed, but her following is delayed as the one-track-minded apprentice needed to finish weaving some reeds for den reinforcements. By the time she'd made it to join them, she only catches the end of Ferngill's words. "Along the shore is a great spot!" Bubblepaw confirms with an enthusiastic nod "Me and Starlightpaw always find them there. Sometimes you really have to look, but once you find one you'll be super impressed at how pretty they are!"

She flashes a bright smile at Valepaw's question. "To decorate with silly!" Bubblepaw gives him a crooked grin "Some people collect all the prettiest ones." She thinks of her own small but growing stash of pretty pebbles and riverstones, and tries to think of whether or not her collecting partner has a stash of similar size or not. "Oh, and some people like to give their prettiest pretty ones to their best friends and mates," Bubblepaw adds with an excited nod.

"You don't have any rocks, Valepaw?" Bubblepaw asks as she wades into the water behind Ferngill and Iciclefang, but her attention is quickly drawn away from her fellow apprentice and to the lead warrior who seems to be taking this search very seriously. "What sort of rock are you looking for Iciclefang?"
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✦ ★ ✦​

 

[iciclefang]

Ferngill confirms, his green eye twinkling as brightly as his voice. “Is it definitely a rock you want?” He’s likely thinking of his overstuffed nest, of the piles of feathers, shells, and other bits of refuse he’d taken to bed with him since he was a clumsy, big-pawed kitten. Iciclefang casts him a glance, wading closer to the shoreline and away from the frigid river water. “It’s a stone I need, yes. Something… something unique,” she mutters, half to herself. Her frosted gaze catches on something, something the sun tilts onto just right… but when she approaches it, she finds it utterly unremarkable. Too-smooth, too-perfect. She frowns and bats it away absently, turning to Valepaw and Bubblepaw.

Valepaw asks why a cat would collect stones, and Iciclefang gives him a small shrug. “I wouldn’t, personally,” she responds, giving the friendlier pair of Ferngill and Bubblepaw a tight-lipped smirk. “But I certainly could use some help in finding…” She sighs, batting another one that does not suit her needs away from her.

“What sort of rock are you looking for, Iciclefang?” The silvery-pelted she-cat wades closer, her voice brimming with curiosity. The lead warrior’s tail surfaces from the water, sending tiny droplets flying. “I’m not sure. Something that catches the eye…” She frowns, thinking. “Or… no… something… something…”

Something shifts underpaw, and she pauses. It’s smooth, rounded on the edges and flat on top, and there’s something—something engraved into the surface, she can feel the grooves with her paw pad. She gives her Clanmates a conspiratorial look, then dives beneath the water. The cold is blinding, but she finds it easily enough and emerges with it clutched between her teeth, triumphant. There’s a tiny “X” scored across the surface of the rock, as though a cat’s claws had shredded flesh and fur to mark a warrior’s chest with a scar. “’Is one!” The color is gray, dull, and the shape is utterly unremarkable—but the “X”… she couldn’t have found a better sign if StarClan themselves had sent her one.

, ”​

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[FERNGILL]

She insisted upon a stone; Ferngill gave a good-humoured nod of acknowledgement. Something unique, right... well, that'd be difficult. Everything was unique in some way- that was often the problem he had. Everything weaseled its way into being kept with tiny, tiny differences, little unique beauties that sat on the skin of everything.

Following apprentices piped up, Valepaw having much the same opinion as he thought Iciclefang had always held- that it was a pointless activity. That it was frivolous. And maybe it was, but... sometimes useless things could also bring sundrops of joy. Nodding softly, he emphasised Bubblepaw's words, letting free a laugh at Iciclefang's. "It's not for everyone!" A simple conclusion to make, accompanied with a guileless shrug, rippling from his smile.

The thrash of the water caught his attention- as Iciclefang surfaced, Ferngill was already weaving his way over to her, eye wide with interest. The strength with which she'd leapt- it must be an impressive stone! But when he looked upon it... well, it was as grey as a rainy day, roughly-shaped, hardly pristine. It took him a moment to figure out what had made it so unique- but, an eye that so often looked for stones stumbled upon its 'birthmark' rather quickly. "Oh, I've never seen anything like that before..." Ferngill exclaimed, an obvious statement. "Great find! You should start your own collection," he joked, knowing she'd probably find the concept stupid.

Which begged the question of why she even wanted it in the first place...​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[valesight ➶]

⸙͎｡˚⋆ ⍋ ѧѦ ѧ⍋ ⸙͎｡˚⋆

His rapt attention did not waver from the autumn dappled molly as a cautious side-long glance supplies an uninteresting reply. She wouldn't? So then why was she? His head quirks to a side, large ears all but flopping over in careful contemplation. This must be a logical trick... a test requesting his foremost brainpower to solve. A riddle! Heroes were given those often, right?

I wouldn't... personally.

"So.... a gift," he deposits helpfully, saucer-eyes round with pride to have solved her trickery wordplay. If it wasn't for her enjoyment, then for someone else it must be!! Flashing Ferngill a surreptitious glance, the orange-sky tom seemed equally enamored with his sister's particular motivation. Bubblepaw had mentioned that she did this a lot with Starlightpaw, which led him to believe it must be for a peer of hers. "For the lone star?" (He is careful to use a nickname, rather than the leader's real moniker).

That seemed the most logical conclusion... he'd just promoted her after all! Didn't you say thanks for stuff like that?​

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