In the heat and the snow and in the rain | riverclan patrol

MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

The rain had started falling in earnest as the patrol left camp, the faint mist of the morning turning into fat droplets and then a steady downpour that has Snakeblink feeling like he’s swimming on dry land. His ears keep flicking in an unconscious effort to get rid of the water constantly falling on them and dripping down his face.

He glares resentfully across the gorge, albeit Windclan is only tangentially responsible for this present state of affair. They certainly aren’t the ones making it rain, though he’s sure that they would if they could. But a part of him irrationally maintains that he wouldn’t need to be in this situation if the lot of them simply did not exist, and the twinge in his paw, reawakened by the miserable weather, doesn’t put him in a mood to be reasonable about his grudges today.

”Let’s make sure there’s not a single gap in our markers for the moor cats to slip through, hm?” He hums to his patrol. He’d urge them to be quick, but he’s already so wet that he hardly sees the point of it. Knowing his luck, this would only lead to one of them slipping off the slick rocks in their hurry and tumbling down the gorge. ”And keep an eye out for trouble.”

In an effort to distract himself from the shivers wracking his frame, he turns to Frogpaw and adds, ”You’d think the moors are nothing but rabbits and rabbit-chasers, but there are quite a few threats to watch out for — often coming from above. See if you can spot any from here.” The low-visibility weather isn’t ideal for this kind of exercise, but it’s better than staring across the gap in communal, sullen silence.

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely
  • ooc: @frogpaw @Redpath @Catfishpaw @MUDPELT @FERNPAW
    No need to wait for the riverclanners before replying!

  • Snakeblink • he / him. 40 ☾, riverclan warrior
    — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
    — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo


 
Meetings across the gorge have become one of Scorchstreak’s least favorite interactions with RiverClanners. Especially when she’s been sloshing around in a rain-wet tunnel all morning, coarse fur drying in strange, mud-slick spikes before plastering itself back down upon her back. "RiverClan," she speaks solemnly, golden gaze locking onto the cat who leads the patrol. Their approach from the other side of the gorge is not met with scrutiny; this seems like a regular patrol. The first cat is even speaking to the apprentices as though teaching a lesson about the moorland. Her guard is not down, though. This could be some sort of distraction, a ploy to pull valuable warriors away from their duties. She cannot let them lull her into a false sense of security.

Looking at the patrol once more, with every cat included, she’s a bit taken aback. These are the cats who may someday soon storm WindClan’s camp. None of them look particularly intimidating—the one who leads the way looks like he’d snap like a reed in the face of so much as a slight breeze. And the brown one, she remembers him being faced down by Snakepaw and Sparkpaw. He’s a broad, strong-looking tom, but he isn’t too threatening, either.

Besides, the river cats will never be a threat to WindClan on their own. They would need ShadowClan’s aid to mount any sort of meaningful attack on the heart of the moor, and ShadowClan manages to be even less intimidating a presence. "Not to worry, we won’t be miraculously leaping the gorge anytime soon." She truly fails to see why marking borders on either side of the massive chasm that cuts the land is necessary. But while the other clan is marking their side, she may as well get to work on WindClan’s. And the rain will just spread out whatever scent she lays now, so she needn’t be elegant about it, but still she is, because another clan is watching. She will not be sloppy about their borders now, of all times.
[ LIKE A RATTLESNAKE ]
 

Mintshade stifled a yawn in the faint drizzle, unbothered by it but more amused at the tunneleres disheveled state. She often wandered what it was like in those things but her limbs were far too long and spindly to make traversing them comfortable or easily. The image of her emerging from a tunnel legs first and clawing her way out would probably traumatize an entire generation of apprentices so perhaps it was best not to try. A glance was given back to the blue molly following along with her, making sure she hadn't lost her apprentice in the walk there. She was really bad at this mentoring thing really, kept forgetting she had one of the little shadows and constantly leaving her at camp. Eventually someone would scold her and remind her but she'd often forget again. She hadn't even wanted one and now she had to remember to bring her on border patrols?
RiverClan's border was useless to check anyways, a thought she shared with the usually more strict minded Scorchstreak as she wandered along after the patchwork molly and the rest of the patrol. If a RiverClanner managed the jump she'd be quite impressed!
"Ya ever tried, Scorchy? Bet we could get it with a proper running start!" She had not tried, though she would be lying if she said the temptation was not there. Mintshade's impulsive nature was not suicidal by any means but one had to wonder just how it'd feel to make such a leap and land it; how thrilling so long as you didn't come up short! It would be foolish to risk it all when life had so much to give, more thrills to find that didn't earn her a quick path to StarClan. "Gyeh heh heh, well, maybe not today! Ground is slick isn't it? No good for traction!"


[Ooc]
-Apprentice tag:
@Azaleapaw
 

The first time she had seen the gorge, it was a raging monster. It left it's mark on her mind, and even now, she stayed a safe distance from the edge. She stayed near Mintshade and peered over at the Riverclan cats across the border.

"It's nice that they think us strong enough to do so, though. Shows they know how strong and fast we are." She said.

She wondered briefly how the apprentice she fought was doing. She didn't care, but fighting him made her feel like she was being a bully and that felt weird. She'll have to pick another target next time, as she was sure there would be one.

She would set to work marking the border, all while keeping an eye on the river cats. She studied them, committing their faces to memory all for the purpose of picking a target when the time comes.


 
The taste of RiverClan scent on the air is always unpleasant, even with the gorge to separate the two Clans. Weaselclaw looks up from his marking, eyes locking with a tabby who leads his patrol below. He snorts with derisive laughter at Scorchstreak and Mintshade's comments. To Azaleapaw, he says, "They should know. They've had plenty of chances to see and feel what WindClan is capable of." He throws @sparkpaw. a glance. Even the WindClan apprentices had bested RiverClan's finest in battle.

The tabby otherwise keeps quiet, though his watchful blue eyes never leave the fishing cats below them. He searches for a familiar black pelt, wondering if the one-eyed tom has recovered from his injuries enough to patrol. Was he still wearing the WindClan sigil? He smiles to himself at the thought.

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]
 
you are the dancing queen

Catfishpaw was practically in love with the rain, so when Redpath informed her that they got to go on a patrol she was more than thrilled at the prospects. Honestly it hardly felt like a chore and more a excuse to have a walk, and she didn't feel a need to hide this idea. She pranced and bounced through the wet grass and made sure to stick her white paws in any mud she could find. Even vanity was forfeited for a good rain. It wasn't until she noticed the herd of moor cats that she ceased her antics. She could feel a little heat on her face as she toyed with the thought of judgmental eyes, so she tried to find comfort in her mentor with a weary smile.

She didn't like that the Windclan cats could just watch them messing around on their side of the raven, it seemed intrusive. In all honesty the shameless she-cat was finding out that she felt rather inferior to the other clans, especially Windclan and Thunderclan, It has been established in recent that Riverclan is rather unequipped for battles against either two, something that her pride was having a hard time digesting. So, the need to puff out her chest just a little bit while she walked along side Redpath felt like a necessity.


young and sweet
"speech"