pafp our mother should've just named you laika

[RAVENSONG]

He was everything and anything that a good RiverClan cat should not be.

Why, he wondered, as his dark paws sank into the muddy sand of the river banks, had his father insisted on bringing them here? He can just barely remember the scent and warmth of his mother's Twoleg den—it existed only in his dreams now, as that had been many moons ago. A collar around his neck was a small price to pay for a comfortable life.

That sort of desire was shunned here, and so Ravenpaw was forced to live a double life, mimicking his Clanmates through a wretched grin over that soft life. It was all he could really do. His brother had stolen the good looks and soft fur—while Ravenpaw had too large and crooked of a nose and ears too big for his own head. Young cats could be relentless. He maintained himself aloof and mean so as to not make himself look like a target.

But he simply could not understand the allure his adopted home had with water. Ravenpaw was staring blearily at his reflection. He was not just a dry paw—he feared the bottomless depths and raging tide. Even tame now, he could feel his heart race just by looking at it.

"Shellpaw..." He said softly. "I want to go back to camp. It's too cold."

_______________________
open after @shellpaw. post​

 

[shellpaw.]

"Don't be silly" he replied with a chirp, "You're not even in the water."

Quite contrary to his brother, Shellpaw matched the traits that every Riverclan cat strived for almost exactly. Namely, his love for the water. For whatever reason, Ravenpaw couldn't stand the thought of even dipping a paw into the river, while he would jump at any opportunity to swim no matter the season. Which had been the case today, as Shellpaw waded into a stream branching off of camp. A dense silken coat protected him from the icy waves as he lounged in the shallows, content to let the water run over his fur and around him. It was funny, really, how two brothers could be so different. Just as Ravenpaw couldn't tolerate anything wet, he couldn't tolerate going back to that confining twoleg nest at all. To be reliant on any creature, trapped inside all day? Shellpaw shuddered at the notion.

With a short hummed note, he glanced back at his brother, almost ready to return to the riverbank. A mischievous smile overtook his features, revealing his intentions seconds before he acted. A paw splashed down on the water's surface, sending droplets toward the other apprentice. He giggled afterward, despite how likely it was for Ravenpaw's reaction to be negative.​

 

[SMOKESTAR]

Anyone with eyes could tell Ravenpaw seemed to have an adversion to the water. It was almost comical how many cats in the clan seemed to detest getting wet or lacked the knowledge to keep their head above the surface when submerged, it made for poor hunting parties and eventually they'd lose the river to the frigid cold of leaf-bare so not taking advantage of it now was a crime in off itself. Really needed to get the apprentices warmed up to the idea of swimming, but now was not the best time. With the chill the water was probably even more unappealing but come newleaf he was going to start throwing children into the river to teach them to swim like he had been forced to learn; violently.
Padding forward the dark warrior gave the two a sharp look, sunset-colored eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he considered how best to approach what was a bunch of youngsters slacking off.
"If you intend to hunt then your splashing about is certainly not going to help you." Where were their mentors? He was going to claw their ears off for not keeping tabs on their apprentices.

​

 

[FINCHPAW]

---

If Finchpaw was going to follow anyone in Riverclan around, it was gonna be these two almost every time.

Even with Ravenpaw's rather open dislike of him, Finchpaw still tagged along behind the two brothers any time he could, but this could readily be attributed to Shellpaw's natural empathetic charisma.....or if you weren't one of the two tom's involved, Finchpaw's budding, smack every stair on the way down, crush on the black tabby. He and Smokethroat were comrades in that sense, though Finchpaw was stupidly unaware of his own feelings.

The tall apprentice's head comes snapping up from the water as his friend attempts to splash Ravenpaw, fish tail snapped between two of his teeth before the fin rips from the wriggling, smacks him on the mouth and disappears back into the river. At Smokethroat's words he nods, pointing at where his almost-catch had disappeared to with a pleading look on his face. He had almost had it, he swears.​

---

 

[iciclefang]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

She'd been tiny when her father had taken her and her littermates to learn the waters. Shallow puddles and pools from a decadent, rainy greenleaf, stagnant and safe, but two moon old kits had thrust their little limbs in and out of it until the surface churned like the river itself. She does not consider that not every cat was born in RiverClan, or even in the lands Cicadastar staked for his own -- it's outside the realm of possibility for her.

She follows at Smokethroat's heels, alongside Finchpaw, her gaze cool and appraising. "Scaring off the fish for the rest of us, I see," she says mildly. "Even someone who likes swimming doesn't fish like that!"

- ,,​

​

 

[RAVENSONG]

Ravenpaw's dark pelt fluffed out in indignation at his brother's careless reply. "Regardless," He responded as calmly as he could. "It's nearly leaf-bare."

He looked down at his reflection for a moment before hearing Shellpaw's movements change. Ravenpaw slowly lifted his head, just in time to see his brother's smile crawl mischievously from one side of his maw to the other. "No..." He said slowly, but it was too late. Ice-cold water pierced his fur in the form of tiny droplets, but he hissed and jumped up, back arched. "You—" He grumbled, ready to fling his paw at his brother in a swat, but stopping just as Smokethroat's disapproving voice cut into his thoughts.

Ravenpaw turned to the lead warrior, refusing the instinctive urge to bow his head. The turbulent relationship with his current mentor was not doing well for him. "I don't think my brother was going to hunt." He mewed drily, casting a glance at the black tabby wading in the river. "We're working on... er, water tolerance." He stood up and licked down a riverwater patch on his shoulder.

Finchpaw is silent, but when Ravenpaw lifts his head to squint at Smokethroat again, he noticed the tabby. "Sorry," He muttered. "If I had known you were there, I would have moved." He did not seem too happy about apologizing.

"Hmpf." He murmured, large ears flattening against his head at Iciclepaw's gaze. "I guess I'm behind." He shot a pointed glance down at Shellpaw.​

 

[Harry Styles]

A S H P A W.

Ashpaw's close behind Smokethroat and Iciclepaw. Smokethroat's gruff attitude never frightened Ashpaw before, back when she was little Ashkit, starry-eyed at his spots. Now the presence of her mentor's best friend is one that radiates safety—this is the man who killed Spiderfall, and who'd keep RiverClan safe at any cost. Strong and battle-hardened and kind. Ash thinks him kind, anyway.

Sometimes those amber eyes send her careening into memories—painful ones—but Smokethroat himself is kind.

She pads along in step with Iciclepaw, walking maybe just a little too close to the pair, but she hangs back a bit when Iciclepaw approaches the three waterlogged apprentices. Two brothers, different as night and day, and little tagalong Finchpaw. (Ashpaw can relate. She is also a tagalong right now.)

They're reprimanded for the... the strange attempt at fishing. Oh. "Water tolerance," apparently. It looked more like playing to Ashpaw.

(Ravenpaw looks... he looks weirdly scared of Smokethroat? A familiar fear. Ashpaw knows that look, that tell-yourself-not-to-flinch look. Her heart kicks up a notch. Is Ravenpaw... okay?)

Iciclepaw's comment is... amusing, and not wrong, but she's worried about Ravenpaw now and she feels kind of bad. "Icy, be nice," she whispers. Then, a little louder, she adds, "It... it looks like fun."

It's definitely no fishing technique. But sometimes you gotta have fun, right? Even if it means splashing around a lot? Apprenticing can't be all training.

Like Shellpaw, she loves the water; like Iciclepaw, she's never really known any different, so the question she asks next is genuine. "What do you mean, water... tolerance?"
​

—— " i found gold in the wreckage "

✦ ooc ✦ character information ✦ recent events

• ooc text goes here
• - 6 month old orange tabby with green eyes
  - apprenticed to lead warrior willowroot
  - happy-go-lucky, mischievous, hardworking
  - very friendly, but defensive of riverclan!
  - "speech"
• - disclosed being physically and psychologically abused by Spiderfall, who was exiled & who then killed her best friend
  - spent a couple months depressed
  - returned to ic/ooc activify

 

[DARKWHISKER]

the river has been intertwined so closely to darkpaw's life from the moment he took his first stumbling steps outside of the nursery; from playing in puddles, to wading in the shallows with the encouragement of his parents, to fearlessly diving after fish lingering near the riverbed.

darkpaw, with his rose-tinted vision and inherent river-born skills, couldn't understand how anyone could deviate from their namesake to remain on land. like ravenpaw, who on this particular day is standing on the sidelines with a scowl while shellpaw splashes about. ashpaw's right; it does look like fun, no matter what the grumpy smokethroat or uptight iciclepaw say! not everything has to be a chore. they're allowed to have fun without an end goal of hauling back fish. "c'mon, guys, lighten up! don't be such a bummer," darkpaw trills, voice muffled by the pebble he carries.

he sets his pebble at the paws of his sister, grinning in her direction. "icicle, watch my pebble please!" without waiting to see if iciclepaw would accept the task, darkpaw dives into the river alongside shellpaw, making a noise somewhere between a chortle and a gasp as the cool water bites at his skin. water tolerance, ravenpaw calls this game. darkpaw sends the older apprentice a funny look. "well then, surely it'd be better if you got wet, too!" now wearing a mischievous smile which mirrors that of shellpaw's, the young tom rears up and brings his front legs down onto the water's surface at full force, hoping to shower those still on the shore with the chilly droplets.

whether successful or not, darkpaw has already erupted into giggles, launching himself further into the water to avoid any potential backlash for his actions.​