wc rebels PLAYING IN THE SAND [ moongazing / pafp ]

[rivewhisper]

—————————————————————⊰⋅ ☽ ⋅⊱—————————————————————​

In the dark, the chill was seeping into her bones, and Rivepaw wanted nothing more then to get up and move around. Her breath curled in the cool air in front of her, turning white- despite being nestled deep in hay where her ðir had set up his work. This was nothing like it had been when she was young- she had loved living in the medicine den, surrounded by the familiar scents of herbs. And she had waited for moons to be able to return there, finding sleeping with the rest of the apprentices among the stars... hard.

Never could she have imagined this. Parts of her wanted desperately to return to the warmth and surroundings of Windclan's medicine den, but parts of her wondered if it was bloodsoaked, like her stomach had been just a few weeks ago. Rivepaw's ears flattened, her heartrate raising to a cacophony. Sudden the hay prickled at her fur every which way, the wrong ways, and she needed to move. She needed... she needed the very thing she wanted to stay away from when she first became a moor runner's apprentice.

Her head turned, words quiet but carrying as she called for someone who was becoming ever-familiar in her waking hours- this hour would be one of them. "Red... Redpaw!" She whispered. When his head picked up and he approached, a partially relieved smile found her face, and she pushed to wobbling paws. Rivepaw hadn't had the opportunity to move all that much, but now that she was getting stronger, she was nearly able to be out and about again.

Pressed against Redpaw's side, Rivepaw slowly made her way towards the doors of the barn, where she had seen her clanmates slip in and out to the outdoors. Murmuring her soft thanks to Redpaw as they made it outside, a soft breath left her. Slowly, she sat down, vision lifting to the skies. Rivepaw was silently thankful Redpaw was here with her for more then just helping her outside- he was a small source of warmth, and she wasn't so cold in her nest anymore. Besides, the moon was lovely tonight, right?

"Thank you again. I.. needed to see the moon." Rivepaw murmured softly. "We would've been going to the Gathering around this time, right?" Rivepaw had almost lost all sense of time, thanks to her wound and being dizzy coming in and out of bouts of sleep and being unconscious. At the very least, Rivepaw knew- she knew that when the moon was full, it was the height of the month, it was time for the Gathering.

// please wait for @redpaw

"text"
thoughts​

 

[REDHEART]

Tonight draped the barn in a quiet hush, a rare respite from the usual clamor that echoed through their temporary dens. Redpaw, choosing to forego the outside world for the time being, remained vigilant within the barn's confines. His decision was not just a personal one; it was an earnest attempt to offer solace to those burdened by exhaustion and stress, especially to Rivepaw, whose well-being he closely monitored. Nestled in the shadows, his pointed ears twitched, attuned to the subtle sounds that permeated the barn. Sleep eluded him, a familiar companion on these nights when reflection and regret held sway. The events of the past days weighed heavily on him, and the mental 'what-ifs' and 'whys' echoed in the quiet recesses of his mind. Regret, that relentless emotion, gnawed at him, fueled by memories of being swung around like prey by a Twoleg kit. They grimaced at the mental images floating by from the recent event causing his tail to lash with dismay.

His thoughts wandered to the open moors, where the wind played freely in his lengthy pelt, and Venomstrike ran beside him. The recent memory now a distant whisper of better days, stoked the embers of longing within him. Now, confined to unfamiliar dens, he could only watch, fretful, as Rivepaw tossed and turned, her restlessness a reflection of the turmoil within. As she paused their attention was quickly roused forward. A soft voice disrupted his contemplation, and without a word, Redpaw padded over to Rivepaw's side. The sight of her scarred form tugged at his heart, and with gentle nudges and a readiness to provide support, he silently conveyed his desire to offer comfort. "There we go. Easy does it." He murmured, their pace unhurried as they moved toward the entrance. The night air, crisp and cool, greeted them as they stepped outside.

A quiet exchange unfolded between them, Rivepaw expressing gratitude, and Redpaw offering reassurance. "Of course, I wouldn't want you falling on my watch." They replied, a soft warmth underlying the words, though his eyes betrayed a deeper concern. Gatherings in his limited experience always brought on arguments, shouting, and tension thicker than ice. As they settled, Rivepaw's gaze turned to the heavens, and Redpaw followed suit. Bright green eyes, tinged with delight, scanned the star-studded canvas. Purring softly to himself, he concurred with her observation about the Gathering. Then, in a moment of vulnerability, words slipped from his maw, expressing a sentiment he hadn't fully intended. "Yeah, we'd all be on the way to Fourtrees by now. Though I like getting to share the moonlight with just you for a change." His admission hung in the air, and embarrassment gripped him. Motionless, he awaited her response, hoping the genuine sentiment hadn't disrupted the delicate atmosphere they'd found beneath the moonlit sky.​

 

[SCORCHSTREAK]

༄༄ Darkness falls, but Scorchstreak does not sleep. Keeping watch, even when it is not her turn to do so, has become a regular occurrence. Not every night, now that she knows that Rattleheart won’t fail to notice each time she moves from her nest—and Sunstride is right, she’s more useful to the clan when she’s well-rested. Since she’s been getting better sleep, no longer are her paws clumsy and her steps loud. Now, she slinks from shadow to shadow with ease, silent pawsteps carrying her into the night air where she spots Redpaw and Rivepaw. The tunneler settles not too far from them, far enough away to keep a clear distance between them, but close enough to intervene should anything go wrong.

Redpaw speaks to Rivepaw, and oh, it seems that Scorchstreak has stepped right into the middle of something soft—something vulnerable. Golden eyes widen for a heartbeat, and then her face settles back into a mask of calm. Surely announcing her presence will make the situation awkward, and so the calico doesn’t let either of them spill anything more mushy. She clears her throat, tail flicking restlessly. Leaving now would be remarkably odd, and besides, she’s here in the first place to keep an eye on the two. "Just pretend that I’m not here," she murmurs, tail curling to rest around her paws.

Her gaze shifts to focus on the moon, the only solid sign of just how much time has passed since they’d all come here to the horseplace. This will make two gatherings, now, that the other clans have seen no sign of half of the clan. Do any of them care? Do any of them already know of WindClan’s fate? Will any of them step in to help—and does Scorchstreak even want another clan to intervene? No, she thinks, she’d hate to owe Sootstar’s destruction to a nameless RiverClan warrior. This is their fight, and theirs alone. They will have their home back someday, even if they will watch from the barn as the moon goes through another full cycle of phases, and another, and another.​

​

 

[RATTLEHEART]

The moon was hung carefully up in the sky, soft light pouring down over all of them with a silent and solemn reminder of the passing of time - and their ancestors resting high above. Rattleheart couldn't help but gaze up at the moon with some level of contempt, ears pinned back at the realization that they - the true Windclan - were missing yet another gathering thanks to Sootstar's actions. Though he had his doubts about the bloodthirsty dictator and her loyalists attending gatherings without all of them. She'd never want to admit that her numbers had dwindled down so severely, nor face the wrath of the other clans that knew her reckless actions could only lead to suffering for them all. After all, she had sent Sunstride in her place when it had come time to face up to her mistakes in the past, and now she didn't have anyone else to conveniently take the fall.

The tunneler could only hope that the rest of the clans weren't suffering too, forced to deal with a potentially angered Starclan over the civil war that was raging on the moors. He figured that the stars had to understand, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was putting too much faith in them, and perhaps it wouldn't be long until dark clouds came to cover the moon shining high above.

Such thoughts made his stomach churn unpleasantly, slipping silently from the nest that he had taken to occupying alongside Venomstrike. He was careful not to rouse his mate, not wanting to bother him with the worries and anxiety that held him in an iron grip for the night. Instead he ventured out, not entirely caught off guard by the presence of other familiar faces nearby. Plenty of them couldn't sleep consistently these days, although Scorchstreak being out did momentarily make his face fall. He desperately wanted his sister to rest, a soft sigh leaving him as he slipped over to her side, pressing against her in a wordless greeting. Though his gaze lingered on Rivepaw and Redpaw, an odd new anxiety settling within him.

Deep down, he knew that Redpaw wasn't technically his kit. Though he certainly watched and fussed over the apprentice as if he were his mother, there was no familial relation between them, and he had no right to agonize over who he may or may not have been friends with - or had crushes on. Not that Rivepaw would have been a bad choice if that was what was going on, she was a dedicated apprentice and Rattleheart certainly respected her parents. It was just the acknowledgement that Redpaw was growing and that he wouldn't be able to protect him forever that caused a knot in his chest, instead of in his stomach. "You know... I'm sure the two of you will have the chance to attend a gathering together once everything is right again." It's all he can think of to offer, pressing closer into Scorchstreak's pelt as if his sister might magically intuit his worries.
​

[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[rivewhisper]

—————————————————————⊰⋅ ☽ ⋅⊱—————————————————————​

Silent gratitude seemed to settle between them- Rivepaw got protected, and a friend, so how could she complain? She had found she needed to grow quiet, thanks to the... delicate events that had happened. She smiled quietly in response to him, before the purr was settled against her side. Ears twitched, icy blue shifting towards Redpaw just as he had a soft admittance. Her face warmed, ears relaxing gently. Before she got a chance to respond, her vision shifted to something in the dark.

She couldn't identify Scorchstreak at first- her nose smelled hay and horse, and not much else. Ears flattened against her skull, fur slowly standing on end. Words lifted in the air, and Rivepaw felt... embarrassed. A tick.. angry? She felt invaded upon. Her vision dropped to her side, where Redpaw's toes were near hers. A soft mumble left her, words for only Redpaw, despite the fact she couldn't say it while looking at him anymore. "I like it too. It's quiet. Nice." Rivepaw said softly.

Rattleheart approached to, so Rivepaw picks her head up, trying to square her shoulders- deep breath, Rivepaw. You got this. She dipped her head to both warriors in proper greeting, but she didn't move from where her flank brushed at Redpaw's. It was just... she had no excused. Rivepaw enjoyed the contact, despite how confusing it felt in her head. "Gatherings are stressful, are they not?" She asked in response to Rattleheart.

"text"
thoughts​