camp Rain Puddles | playing in rain

[Stagkit]

REACHING FOR THE SUN​

---

There was water falling from the sky and it was cold! Stagkit had been playing with a bit of cat fur he had snagged from a grooming SkyClan tom when the first droplets began to fall from grey skies. It had struck him on the head, startling the little bi-color kitten. It took him several moments to recognize what had happened. Rain had begun to fall, and while he had seen it before, this was the first time he had really been out and about in it. The wind was chilly and the water was cold, and soon enough it was falling hard enough to soak his fur. Stagkit shivered as he shook out his coat with an agitated mewl. He had been trying to play and now he was soaked! Worst of all, now he'd have to be bored. Deersong would surely want him back in the nursery during the storm, after all. That meant less playtime! Well... maybe she wouldn't notice?

Stagkit can't find his clump of discarded fur that he had been playing with, so he settles for splashing his tiny paws through the puddles instead, ignoring his chattering teeth.​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

The rain, the rain- even with no thunder present it was a beautiful sight, a veil covering the forest. Despite how it flattened his matted fur, diminishing his size to even less than its already unimpressive stature, Twitchpaw could never resist facing the rain with a seldom-seen smile shakily scribed upon his sunken features. Forward did he march, to a puddle-floored part of camp; for a few long moments he regarded Stagkit with an expression mildly incredulous, unsure what to make of interacting with someone so much younger than him. It was... some slap in the face to be reminded that he was a child no longer.

Water sprayed out, splashed beneath the feet of the playful kit- and humour found its home upon Twitchpaw's expression once again. A smile quavered at the corners of his maw, and- hesitant of being too violent- the snow-collared tom reached a paw forward and sent a small spindrift conquering its way toward Stagkit. Only a few droplets... it shouldn't hurt or shock and he hoped it wouldn't, for maybe he finally had someone else to appreciate this sort of weather with. ​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[BEARPAW]

"NOBODY TEACHES YOU TO WALK WITH OPEN HANDS"​

Rain is far from Bearpaw's favorite weather, coming in only behind harsh storms, and as the first drops began to splatter against her pelt her dismay only grows. It's not like rain is avoidable, not any more than the sun rising every morning, but every time the clouds spill their tears she's reminded of that day, when she and her family were parted in the midst of a raging storm. Over the moons it's grown easier - she no longer jumps at every little drop of rain - but her skin still prickles when the weather turns dismal. This is the first time it's rained and she's not been in camp since joining Skyclan, and as it begins to pick up closer and closer to a downpour Bearpaw turns heel to return back to her safe haven. Sure, she was supposed to be out hunting, but it's not like she was really going to catch anything, rain or no rain, and the way her fur is growing waterlogged makes her exceedingly uncomfortable. It won't be like last time, she tells herself; after all, she's not going to get lost when she's still deep within Skyclan, but even still the thought doesn't exactly quell her anxieties.

Finally, after what seems like far too long, she's breaking through the ferns, and just setting eyes on camp helps her to feel slightly less on edge. Bearpaw feels almost silly now, glancing around camp - it wasn't like it was even a full-blown storm, just some rain. Nothing that should make her feel this worked up, especially not since she's surrounded by so many other capable cats, and yet she can't help the feelings of unease. Continuing further into camp, she starts to make a beeline towards the apprentice's den, dead-set on waiting out the rain there, but before she can make it too far Bearpaw catches sight of first Stagkit and then Twitchpaw. They both seem to be having fun with the puddles left from the rain, and just the sight of the two of them enjoying the weather puts her at ease - after all, if they're not wary of the weather, then surely she shouldn't be either. Hesitating only a moment longer, she alters her course to draw closer, greeting the pair with a wave of her rather damp tail. "Looks like you guys are having fun with all this rain," she observes, shaking droplets off of her whiskers. Maybe their enjoyment would be infectious; she could at least stick around for a little longer before retreating to the safety of the apprentice's den to try and find out.​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[ThistleBack]

Oil and grime flecked and slicked a pelt of ebony, where it clashed with white rippled like tugged reeds and thorns spinning like a top. He stalked from the damp cold ferns that sway and the droplets that patter of pinecones mask the perfectly placed rhythm of his paws. Reflective eyes traced the edges of camp until he spots a scrap of black and white. His eyes so big and round they smother the length of his small muzzle. Any normal cat would simply drown on their oohs and ahhs with how adorable the little imp was as he toyed with a tuft of fur.

large ears for such a tiny head, the warrior rotates his jaws idly.

This is, what he supposed his wife meant when she said vibing. Being able to stand in place and observe. The nettles of the pine he stood under obviously taking the brunt of the downpour, for the splashing droplets that fell upon Stagkit plastered his fur and made him smaller. He’s tempted to raise his voice, to vocally guide the kit back into the warm dry den. He pauses, teeth a whisker apart before closing together.

It was the cautious smile that seemed to flicker in life on Twitchpaw’s face. Thistleback couldn’t recall ever seeing the young man, even remotely close to happy. Though still tremoring, the warrior settled himself into a sit and let it prosper. Bearpaw’s hulking form appears next, returning from her travels and drawn to the warming scene within the cold world. Perhaps a few moments longer-

Whatever this was. It felt fragile, very fragile. Thistleback knew his callused paws would crack the surface. He didn’t want that, he wanted Bearpaw to feel more at home. He wanted his orphan to have happy memories, he wanted Twitchpaw to keep that smile just a little longer.

This is where, Thistleback can be. Watching over them, like a gargoyle perhaps- a guardian, a nightlight as Stagkit would say.

​

OOC INFO REF

• —
  
  
• 
  
  
  ✧ T H I S T L E B A C K
  thirty-three moons
  — warrior of Skyclan
  — taken by
  Deersong 9.29.22
  — mentoring quillpaw
  — very muscular piebald black and white tom with spiky fur and cold silver-grey eyes. ･ﾟ✧​
• 
  
  

​

 

[Stagkit]

REACHING FOR THE SUN​

---

He doesn't expect anyone to join in, but Twitchpaw does and Stagkit whirls to face him with a broad grin. The apprentice had sent a few droplets flying toward the youth, and Stagkit responds in kind, sweeping his paw across the wet ground to send a small spray of the rain toward his newfound playmate. The more he seemed to exercise, the easier it was to ignore the chill in the air, or the mist that was forming across the muddy ground. Dark skies loomed overhead, and the young kit's amber eyes glowed with mischief.

Bearpaw draws Stagkit's focus, and he peers up at her with that same gleeful expression. Did she want to splash to? She'd might as well, there was plenty of rain to go around! Of course, the looming shadow of Thistleback is present in the background, but he remains where he is, observing the scene, so Stagkit keeps his attention upon Bearpaw for now as he speaks, "Play splash?" The bi-color youth questions, bouncing in place where he stood within the falling rain.​

 

[MUSHROOMPAW]

---

---

The rain feels like its dragging her down into the ground with how heavy its making her pelt, but Stagkit looks so happy to be bouncing around in it that she can't bring herself to go back inside. Instead, she takes a seat next to Thistleback, who seems to be content observing. Though she's not usually one to make the first move in a conversation due to her slight shyness, Mushroomkit notices the look in his eyes with a slight pang. Its bittersweet, realizing what it is.

Its the love of a father, something that seeps into your skin like a sun warmed stone.

She knew that warmth well from her own father, as well as Morningbird. The tiny molly gently taps on the warrior's leg so he can be a little shorter for her before softly saying, "Its almost like all three of them are yours." in that smug, teasing tone that makes it all too obvious what side of the family she got it from. ​

---

---

ALL I CAN DO IS DREAM ─

─ FOR I AM SO, SO TIRED.

 

[BEARPAW]

"NOBODY TEACHES YOU TO WALK WITH OPEN HANDS"​

Stagkit's expectant gaze is upturned, a simple question asked of her, and Bearpaw can't help but to smile back down at him. Rain soaks her fur, it's starting to grow ever colder, but there's just something in her that can't deny the small kit, especially considering she had been the one to stop in the first place to observe. "Sure, I'll play splash too," she confirms, slowly a lifting a paw only to plop it back down into a gathering puddle beneath her. Once more, in earnest this time, she skims her paw across the surface of the puddle, sending a small spray Stagkit's way. It's not quite how she intended to spend the day, but as Bearpaw begins to move around a bit, paws plunking into the water in order to help entertain Stagkit, she finds it's just as good as anything else she might have been doing. Watching the kit's happy splashes, she even finds that she's no longer quite so worried about the downpour growing into something worse; something about his carefree nature inspires a little spark within her, reminding her of being a kit herself.

As she's splashing alongside Stagkit, out of the corner of her eye she notices Thistleback watching, and then Mushroomkit joining him. She has to admit, Thistleback is still intimidating, though not nearly as much as when she had first met him, waiting on Skyclan's border for someone else to show up. It's perhaps a good sort of intimidating, she decides; not so much that he's unapproachable, but matching his intensity. Mushroomkit, she doesn't know too well - she had been the one to tell Bearpaw something about the medicine cat collecting bones, and the apprentice is pretty sure she had a bit of an accident outside of camp recently, but aside from that she doesn't know too much about her. She doesn't seem especially eager to join them, considering she had chosen to sit with Thistleback inside, but seeing how much fun Stagkit is having, Bearpaw feels obligated to at least check, in hopes that the other kitten might enjoy herself, too. "Do either of you want to play splash with us?" she calls softly in their direction, raising a sodden paw in greeting. The image of Thistleback splashing around with the rest of them is a silly one, and she can much easily see Mushroomkit accepting the offer. Who knows, though, perhaps they both might join, and they'd end up recruiting the entire clan for this impromptu game.​

✦ ★ ✦​