( ☾ ) "lichenstar," the smooth tone of the silky molly rings softly in the evening gloom. a faded, dark gray sky silhouettes a tall figure against it, smoke, ghost striped fur ruffling gently in a cool wind. "a word?" she requests. autumn chill creeps in the air, wilting the once-green willow leaves, engorging the river that now threatens to flood its muddy banks. willowroot stands just outside the shaded hollow lichenstar and hazecloud call home, having approached her exhausted looking leader with a kind gaze and a peace offering of a small salmon.
"for you," she sets the fish down, nudging it towards the star-blessed molly. around her, warriors share tongues and settle down for the night, apprentices are ushered by their mentors into sleep, and kittens squeal and squirm inside the nursery. even as the day's end brings a familiar peace to riverclan's camp, willowroot cannot help the unease she feels. perching herself beside her leader, the smoke tabby tips her head, verdant gaze pooling with thought.
"those kits," she begins, and breathes, thinking of the bundles at claythorn's belly, gray and brown and white hued, reminiscent of their faded mother. "gladefrost's kits. is it fair to ask claythorn to raise them?" eyebrows shift, a look of worry rather than anger. "or robinheart? the girl is almost out of the nursery, and early next moon, claythorn will surely be itching to be free, too." the warrior worries her lip, suddenly unsure.
a breath, one she's sure lichenstar resents. she can hear the unspoken urge - get to the point. "i would raise them, if you'd have me." it comes out not in a rush, as she'd imagined it, but in a slow, calculated way. "they need some… sense of normalcy. some cat they can come to and rely on. robinheart is too buried in her grief to do it alone. i want to help her, to help gladefrost."
because none of us could help her in life, is the unspoken part. the former-lead blinks at her leader, awaiting judgment. a sire of the kittens has not come forth to claim them, and gladefrost's family are gone to the stars with her. her children should not need to be raised alone.
"for you," she sets the fish down, nudging it towards the star-blessed molly. around her, warriors share tongues and settle down for the night, apprentices are ushered by their mentors into sleep, and kittens squeal and squirm inside the nursery. even as the day's end brings a familiar peace to riverclan's camp, willowroot cannot help the unease she feels. perching herself beside her leader, the smoke tabby tips her head, verdant gaze pooling with thought.
"those kits," she begins, and breathes, thinking of the bundles at claythorn's belly, gray and brown and white hued, reminiscent of their faded mother. "gladefrost's kits. is it fair to ask claythorn to raise them?" eyebrows shift, a look of worry rather than anger. "or robinheart? the girl is almost out of the nursery, and early next moon, claythorn will surely be itching to be free, too." the warrior worries her lip, suddenly unsure.
a breath, one she's sure lichenstar resents. she can hear the unspoken urge - get to the point. "i would raise them, if you'd have me." it comes out not in a rush, as she'd imagined it, but in a slow, calculated way. "they need some… sense of normalcy. some cat they can come to and rely on. robinheart is too buried in her grief to do it alone. i want to help her, to help gladefrost."
because none of us could help her in life, is the unspoken part. the former-lead blinks at her leader, awaiting judgment. a sire of the kittens has not come forth to claim them, and gladefrost's family are gone to the stars with her. her children should not need to be raised alone.
- // @lichenstar set before the flood, the day after the kits were brought home! "#91A26C"
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WILLOWROOT ☾ SHE / THEY, WARRIOR OF RIVERCLAN. 46 MOONS. MENTORING ECHOPAW. 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.
