PICK YOUR SPOT & TAKE A SHOT ❀༉ RACCOONSTRIPE

[Meadowfur]

The patrol moves steadily along the RiverClan border, the scent of damp earth and fresh water mingling in the air as Meadowfur keeps pace beside Raccoonstripe. It's a quiet afternoon, the only sounds coming from the distant rush of the river and the occasional rustle of undergrowth as they walk. The leaf-bare chill has finally faded, and though the air still carries a crispness, there's warmth to it now—a promise of warmer days to come.

But Meadowfur isn't focused on the changing seasons. Her paws move automatically, refreshing scent markers when needed, but her thoughts churn elsewhere. She casts a sideways glance at Raccoonstripe, her kin and a lead warrior of ThunderClan. He's been in this position for seasons now, respected, trusted—exactly what she wants for herself.

She exhales sharply, then finally speaks. "Hey," she begins, voice steady, but firm. "How do you stand out?" She doesn't wait for him to question what she means before continuing. "I mean—how did you? When you were a newer warrior?" Her tail flicks behind her as she steps over a fallen branch. "I don't just want to be another set of claws in the Clan. I want to be someone worth trusting, someone cats look to." She pauses, then admits, "But I don't know how to do that yet."

Her green eyes are focused on the path ahead, but her ears are angled toward him, waiting for his response. She knows there's no simple answer—no easy trick to earn the kind of respect he has. That's why she's asking him. Her uncle doesn't coddle, it's one of the things she respects about him. He tells things as they are. The patrol carries on, but her mind lingers on the question. Other warriors her age are already mentoring apprentices, leading patrols, making a name for themselves. She doesn't just want to be useful—she wants to be a name recognized at gatherings like him. But how does she get there?

( ❀༉ ) there's love in the lightning ₊˚༉‧₊˚

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  MEADOWFUR THUNDERCLAN WARRIOR ; SHE / HER
  LIGHTSTRIKE X MOONWHISPER SISTER TO SCARLETDUST & MOTTLEDMOON ; MENTORED BY PALEFIRE
  

  A large fluffy red tabby with a white chest, stomach, tail, muzzle and stripe running along her back. Her eyes are a deep, forest, green and in her pelt one can usually find flowers woven

  ✦ easy in battle + no formal training
  

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

RACCOONSTRIPE

HE / HIM ◆ THUNDERCLAN LEAD WARRIOR

He is quieter, noticeably, after the hawk had nearly taken Twilightpaw's life. It is a subtle change—it is one he himself does not externally recognize, in fact. But the RiverClan border had even days prior brought a lit fire to gasoline-veins, and the prospect of another battle would have raised his spirits high. He has none of that today; the other cats chatter amongst themselves, but he is lost somewhere within, single-eyed brown gaze trailing over the babbling river.

Raccoonstripe is almost startled when Meadowfur addresses him, though he does his best not to show it. She looks at him with earnest green eyes before she asks him how she's meant to stand out amongst her peers. He flicks the ear closest to her—the shredded one—and snorts through his nose. "For starters, try falling into fewer rivers." He flicks his tail to take the sting from his words, though; after a heartbeat, he turns to her, one good eye facing her and taking her in.

To look at, she's more Lightstrike—and in disposition, too, she is her father. Meadowfur has little of her mother's stoicism, her frost. She is a brand of fire, spirited and, clearly, at least a touch ambitious. For a moment, she is a different niece peppering him with questions, gray-furred and golden-eyed and aspiring to greatness in her Clan. Wolfwind… does your spirit run with this girl now? He considers her question for a heartbeat before responding in earnest. "Courage will get you far. Always volunteer for battle patrols. Never let a single cat think you are a coward, scared of her own shadow."

He thinks of the cats on Flamestar's council now—Roaringsun, who has certainly proven his bravery, and Nightbird. "Loyalty, though, will get you farther." He considers Meadowfur before tipping his gaze back across the river. It is a meaningless gesture, until it isn't. "Stormywing muddied her loyalties. No matter what any cat says to defend her, her mistake has cost us a warrior now, and who knows how many later?" There's nothing volatile in his tone. He knows nothing of Meadowfur's secret heart. "Put your Clan first, always, and no cat could forget you when the time comes to honor our best warriors."

Raccoonstripe allows himself a faint, distant smile. "And maybe learn when to say what… but your parents were never great at that, either." Some would argue that he never had been either, but Raccoonstripe would protest that assumption… he puts a great deal of thought into the caustic things he says.

ooc:

—

accordion

Raccoonstripe is a lead warrior of ThunderClan. He has thick, silken black tabby fur interrupted by a stark white chin, chest, and belly. One ear is ripped to shreds; the paired eye is missing and scarred over. The other eye blazes golden-brown in direct sunlight. Two near-vertical scars slash across a milky chest. One forepaw is ivory; the rest are dark.

Gray Wolf x Howlingstar / sibling to Hollow Tree, Little Wolf, Cobwebtail, Lily Pad, Graystorm, Jackdawflight, and Berryheart / mate to Nightbird / father to Bayingpaw, Twilightpaw, Tigerpaw, Stormpaw, and Berrypaw
mentored by none / previously mentored Wildheart, Moonwhisper, Scarletdust / mentoring Stormpaw
51 moons old as of 03/05/2025

penned by Marquette

 

[Meadowfur]

She snorted at his first answer, her whiskers twitching in reluctant amusement. "Fewer rivers, huh?" she muttered under her breath, giving him a sideways glance. His tail flick softened the jab, but she knew he'd said it intentionally. Still, it pulled a ghost of a smile from her. He wasn't wrong—it was a memory she hadn't forgotten, not even for a heartbeat.

Her eyes flicked briefly to the water's edge, the same river that had swallowed her as an apprentice, cold and unforgiving. She remembered the panic—the current dragging at her limbs, the sharp edge of fear curling in her chest. And then, him. Cragpaw. A RiverClan apprentice with too much eyes like the sun and the sky hauling her out like it was nothing. She blinked hard and turned her gaze away, pushing the memory down before it could linger too long. That was moons ago. It didn't mean anything now. It couldn't.

Raccoonstripe's next words brought her back to the present, and she straightened slightly, listening more carefully. Courage. Loyalty. She could do that. She already was doing that, wasn't she? Her paws ached from patrols, her claws dulled from training. She'd bled for her Clan. But still, some days, it didn't feel like enough.

At the mention of Stormywing, her ears flicked uncomfortably. He spoke like everything was black and white. Right or wrong. Loyal or disloyal. Maybe that's why so many cats respected him. He never wavered. But Meadowfur wasn't sure it was always that simple. Still, she nodded. "I'm not afraid of a fight," she said finally, a quiet certainty in her tone. "And I'd never turn my back on ThunderClan. You don't have to worry about that."

She looked at him again, something almost wry tugging at her mouth. "Saying the right thing at the right time, though… yeah. That might take some work." A low chuckle escaped her, dry and self-deprecating. "But I suppose that runs in the family."

There was a pause as they walked, and then she added more quietly, more thoughtfully, "Thanks." She didn't say it often, especially not to him. But she meant it. His words weren't soft, but they were honest—and honesty was something she respected, even when it stung. Still, as her eyes drifted once more toward the river, she wondered—if being a good warrior meant shutting out all the things that complicated loyalty, all the messy things that pulled at your heart—was she strong enough to do it?

She hoped so. But part of her wasn't so sure. She does know one thing though, she doesn't want the only thing she's known for to be falling into the damned river.

( ❀༉ ) there's love in the lightning ₊˚༉‧₊˚

• 
  
  
• 
  MEADOWFUR THUNDERCLAN WARRIOR ; SHE / HER
  LIGHTSTRIKE X MOONWHISPER SISTER TO SCARLETDUST & MOTTLEDMOON ; MENTORED BY PALEFIRE
  

  A large fluffy red tabby with a white chest, stomach, tail, muzzle and stripe running along her back. Her eyes are a deep, forest, green and in her pelt one can usually find flowers woven

  ✦ easy in battle + no formal training
  

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

RACCOONSTRIPE

HE / HIM ◆ THUNDERCLAN LEAD WARRIOR

To his amusement, Meadowfur doesn't bristle at the mention of her river mishap. He widens his grin, showing every ivory fang in the process. It's not as though I can talk too much. He'd nearly met his own end that way—one-eyed and sinking, red ribbons of blood lacing the thick black water pummeling his body—and, like her, he will never forget the terrible sensation, the lack of control. Still, he manages to push the thought away for the duration of their talk—he had escaped with his life, after all, and so had his great-niece, thank the stars.

The younger girl pauses, seeming to contemplate his advice. "I'm not afraid of a fight," she mews, and Raccoonstripe nods. "No. You don't have an ounce of coward's blood in you." He had trained Moonwhisper himself, after all, and she had been a formidable warrior until her untimely end—and Nightbird had been responsible for the brawny, tough-hearted tom Lightstrike had become.

Meadowfur thanks him for his advice, her ensuing silence thoughtful. Raccoonstripe wonders what she's thinking—is it their kin she thinks of, the weighted burden of their shared legacy? She is descended from Howlingstar, just like his own children—but there is that unknown element, a gift from Little Wolf, the kittypet SkyClan blood salting her veins. It hadn't hindered her mother, and it hadn't stopped Burnstorm from becoming a fierce warrior in his own right. Time will only tell if you and your sisters can escape it.

"There are many cats in ThunderClan who are brave and loyal who have never served on their leader's council," he mews after a few heartbeats. "There is a lot to be said for a warrior who stands out on her own." His whiskers twitch. "Not because she's loudmouthed or clumsy, but because of… well. Whatever your strengths end up being." Some of the teasing is strained from his voice as he regards her again.

ooc:

—

accordion

Raccoonstripe is a lead warrior of ThunderClan. He has thick, silken black tabby fur interrupted by a stark white chin, chest, and belly. One ear is ripped to shreds; the paired eye is missing and scarred over. The other eye blazes golden-brown in direct sunlight. Two near-vertical scars slash across a milky chest. One forepaw is ivory; the rest are dark.

Gray Wolf x Howlingstar / sibling to Hollow Tree, Little Wolf, Cobwebtail, Lily Pad, Graystorm, Jackdawflight, and Berryheart / mate to Nightbird / father to Bayingpaw, Twilightpaw, Tigerpaw, Stormpaw, and Berrypaw
mentored by none / previously mentored Wildheart, Moonwhisper, Scarletdust / mentoring Stormpaw
51 moons old as of 03/05/2025

penned by Marquette