border SAILOR, TAKE WARNING [riverclan patrol]

[iciclefang]

"Be mindful as we pass WindClan's border, now," she murmurs to Pinepaw. The two tortoiseshells take the lead, nearly a mirror of one another, save for the younger's stockier build, bush-like fur, and glimmering golden eyes. Iciclefang takes a few moments to admire the strength in her daughter's stride, the muscles rippling beneath her pelt — she will rarely say it, but she is proud of how far her apprentice has come in the past few moons she's been under her tutelage.

She twists, fixing the rest of her patrol with a calm blue-eyed look. "They aren't likely to give us trouble, with so many of their cats sick. But I will never put it past them." She had been present, after all, the first time Weaselclaw had assaulted Smokestar over the rabbit he'd chased over the bridge. No matter the leader of either of their Clans, no matter the season, no matter the tempered personalities at each Clans' helm, Iciclefang will never trust a patrol on this border to go smoothly.

"In fact, if you —" She pauses, her ears beginning to flatten against the back of her skull. "Wait. Halt." Her paws have dipped into errant water, water that has risen too-high. The bridge she'd caught the rabbit on before Weaselclaw had attacked her mentor — it's been consumed by the water.

"Well." Something uneasy stirs in her belly, though her expression remains neutral, her voice cracking with dry humor: "I guess none of us will be crossing that."

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: @Pinepaw ⭒, @swirldance ✶, @CLOUDPAW, @willowroot, @Echopaw~
  [the patrol gets cut short when they see the water levels have risen, nearly swallowing the bridge]
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 28 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Pinepaw ; previously mentored Cicadaflight
  — riverclan lead warrior. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.
  
  

​

 

[downyfur]

The tunnels seem to be more fragile since Gravepaw's death. The dampness of the walls and ceilings don't escape them, but they're not sure why they're so wet until their aboveground patrol reaches the twoleg bridge. Tall, black-tipped ears fold back at the sight. "It's so high..." she murmurs, casting a glance back at the rest of the patrol. "Wonder how that's affecting them?" she speculates out of the opposing patrol's earshot, though not without sending another look towards them.

The warriors of the patrol are inscrutable, but perhaps they glean a shred of uncertainty in one of their apprentice's faces. "Maybe it isn't a bad thing for them," she says quietly, bitterness slipping into her low tones. "If the river is high, does that mean there's more fish?" They adopt a neutral, contemplative expression instead of the creased-over one they feel pushing at their skin. Maybe the only thing preventing them from catching more fish is that the river can only hold so many fish.

Maybe... Downyfur stares at the bridge now. Depending on how high it is over the bridge... they'd be able to attack us more easily. Most WindClan warriors struggled to spar in mud; they can't imagine how an actual skirmish would go, with all that cold, heavy water tugging at their paws, while the RiverClanners fought like fish with teeth and paws. If they invaded... if we had to run... There would only be the Thunderpath to ford across, or the narrow, known path to Fourtrees to cram into. WindClan hasn't run since their kithood, but the fact that they've done it at all before makes it a possibility now.

The young warrior hides their face in a clump of reeds, dragging their cheek across with slow sureness. WindClan has little to fear under the Lichenstar-controlled forces of RiverClan. Rattleheart's death and the like had been individual actors, acting too fast to be sanctioned by the blue-faced ruler even if she would want otherwise. Still, the mere presence of fish-eaters makes her stomach tighten.​

 

[FEATHERSPINE]

Tension that had thrived between RiverClan and WindClan when he had been smaller did not swell anymore as the river did... but Featherspine would not forget it was a Riverclanner who killed his mentor. Whenever they crossed near the border, wandered near the gorge, he could think of nothing more but Bluepool- that she'd barelled over, and how it would have taken many moments for her to meet with death. Haunted memory kept snowy paws cautious, then- though Featherspine kept up quite a good, haughty facade of treading with purpose.

A horned ear flicked toward the noise, Downyfur's voice- he narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, not too inclined for chatter when the roaring water froze his blood like this... but they won her over with a bitter twinge to their tone. Instead of striking at her viper-quick, Featherspine pondered for a few moment, scrutinising the faces of the RiverClan patrol.

"They don't look too p-p-pleased with it." he observed, watching their cautious step, the way a clan so notorious for loving water seemed not to want to wander near it now. There was something amusing about it... ironic, awful luck. "You would think they'd b-be quick to drown themselves in it if b-brought a b-buh-bounty. Maybe they only p-puh-p-pretend to like fish." It would not be surprising ... to force themselves into something unpleasant, just to seem unique and superior to the other Clans, doing something none of the rest of them would.​

✦ penned by pin​

 

[PINKSHINE]

" Oh wow! " she gapes a tthe sight of the rising waters. Truly— she hadn't really noticed the difference until Downyfur pointed it out... She'd looked toward the border and absently thought, does it look different today? But had figured she was just misremembering, or something... In her defense, she knew this place underground better than she did above it. She remembers one of her earliest lessons with Scorchstreak, scraping through this weird thing called clay... like dirt, but even grosser, and evern more between your claws. " How long has it been like that for? "

Pinkshine sees what Featherspine means. At least, in the flattening of a tortie RiverClanner's ears, she does. They kind of looked the same, she realizes. Though the RiverClanner had this glossy quality to her coat that Pinkshine was sort of jealous of. " She's totally a fish-eater! " Pinkshine says. Unlike her patrol-mates, she makes no real attempt to keep the conversation to herself. In fact, her tail points very loudly to the cat across the border. " Look how pretty her fur is! " It's almost tempting, to creep toward the rising waters and try to grab one... not.

Her nose wrinkles in exaggerated disgust, though her smile stays, of course. " I get why they'd pretend, though. The world's prettiest coat wouldn't make me eat a fish... " She's suddenly so super glad her friend Shellpaw had given her vole, and not some slimy, wriggling thing that day... She wouldn't have been able to say no, but she definitely wouldn't have eaten it either, and that would've made her friend super sad, she bets... " I'm pretty close to it already, anyways, " she mews, and she flashes an expectant grin to her mate and her sister both.​