scramble my head like an egg | RTA, lost catch

[salmonshade]

Everything went back to normal after the rogues. Well, not... Everything, she thinks briefly of her new scars, of their new leader- Of his kits, in the wake of their other fathers death, of responsibility, of little Carppaw being shredded to bits, of what could've been if she hadn't been fast enough to catch that rogue off guard. And what if, oh, what if the journey cats hadn't returned? They did, no use of thinking of what-ifs...

Salmon doesn't normally get lost in thought, especially not enough so to lose a fish. Today, however, is different. Her paw flashes out too late as a shadow catches her attention out of the corner of her eye, it dips just below the surface and away as her paw breaks the surface. Water droplets fly through the air but no fish is brought up.

Theres a frustrated hiss that leaves her and blue eyes flash for just a second, burning shame startling even herself. "Any luck?" she tries not to let her anger towards herself show in her voice as she turns to the nearest cat, her tail twitching just slightly. Stars, what was her problem today? She just hopes her clanmates have had better luck, especially on the cusp of leaf-bare. I need to start paying attention again...

₊˚.༄ info

• 
  -> salmon ,, salmonshade
  -> cis female ,, she/her ,, 32 months
  -> warrior of riverclan ,, former marsh grouper
  -> fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with white, blue eyes
  -> "speech, ff91a4" ,, thoughts
  -> lesbian ,, single
  -> smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  -> chibi by pin
  

​

 

[CARP-PAW]

Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Well, comparing Carppaw to the devil was really thick, and awfully wrong, but she was here. They had been fishing in silence. And silence always got Carppaw thinking of similar things- the death of an apprentice, that she woke face-to-face with. The death of Cicadastar. The... the look on Duck Call's face. Her eyes squinted gently. Unfortunately for Carppaw's brain, fishing often required silence and focus.

A shadow flickered across her vision, and her paw shot outwards. Needle-sharp claws dug into her prey and hauled it from the water. Perhaps for the first time in moons, Carppaw felt a smile on her face, a tiny cheer leave her mouth. Ears pricked as she heard Salmonshade's hiss, and her head whipped around. Perhaps it was silly of her to think of the worst- to think that a rogue had returned, to think that a giant predator had prowled from the water or reeds to claim their life.

Forcing her fur to lay flat, she blinked gently, vision dropping towards the fish she had caught. A healthy sized trout, but still smaller then the average. "Um, yeah. I think so, yeah." Her head slowly nodded, lifting back towards Salmonshade.

---

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ooc ⋆⋅☾⋅⋆ info ──┐‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

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• 

• CARP-PAW ✩ she/her, apprentice of riverclan, six moons
  ⭃ a shorthaired black smoke with blue eyes. her deep smoke colored mottled pelt making for good camouflage in the dark. white mottles her pelt here and there. born to riverclan, she lived peacefully until the rogue attack. sustaining a back injury, she's fallen quiet. loyal to her clan, wants only to make them stronger, but she's terrified of falling short again. the large scar across her back is obvious, and her once-curious nature is now timid.
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by you ↛ @dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[Moonbeam]

It was good, being out with a hunting patrol once more within their territory. It had been good getting back into the normalcy of clan-life instead of having to rely on the other clans for food, for shelter, for... everything. She knew that it was likely the other clans felt the same way, though she imagined ShadowClan was simply just glad that they were not babysitters any longer. She sat near her mentor and friend, eyes flickering over the water as she watched the fish swim by, waiting for the perfect time to strike. She was still learning patience - or trying to learn it - and though her paws itched to just slap at the water now she was holding herself back. That was, until she heard the sound of water splashing and a hiss and a fish flopping for a moment.

Worried about her own catch she brought a paw down, ears flattening as she realized nothing had been caught before she looked to Salmonshade and then to Carppaw, offering the two a small smile before she looked back down at the water. "I'm surprised the fish aren't swimming slower with how cold the water is." She mused to the two, trying to lighten the moon slightly. She knew that if she were to be in the water now she'd be swimming slower, the cold that would bite at her causing her paws to not want to move as much.

I WISH PLANT LIFE ꕥ WOULD GROW ALL AROUND ME

• 

• MOONPAW formerly Ratpaw || NPC x NPC || brother to Rowanpaw || apprentice to Salmonshade.
  -- She/Her || 7 moons old, ages every 17th
  -- smaller than average, small rounded ears. SH white masking cinnamon torbie with orange eyes.
  -- soft-spoken, often found humming, tries to comfort others by smiling

​

 

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
THREE MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

As usual, Nettlepaw had caught nothing. His front paws were soaked to the bone and he shivered beneath his damp coat. Even the thickness of his fur could not keep him warm with the chill of the river sapping every ounce of heat from his skin. Of course, the boy was irritated. He was nearly four months old, and he hadn't had a single successful catch. The worst part of it? His clan thinks he has. A part of him regrets bringing that crowfood into camp and claiming that he had caught it himself. Another part of him still relishes the praise he had received from his clan-mates, who would no longer look at him like a failure. It was a... complicated situation, to be sure.

But with that one little lie, came the heavy weight of expectation. Now that his clan thought Nettlepaw could fish, they expected him to do well on hunting patrols. This was one such situation, where he had accompanied a patrol knowing full well that he would catch nothing. At the very least, he wasn't the only one struggling. The splash of water, and the hiss of frustration, draws sightless eyes to Salmonshade. It seemed she had lost her fish, which would be good for Nettlepaw. If the hunting was bad for warriors today, then the rest of patrol would not judge Nettlepaw so harshly. At least, that's what he hopes. He hears Carp-paw hook a fish, and then twitches an ear toward Moonpaw in response to her comment.

"The cold might be why we're having such low success. It's not making the fish slower it's... driving them deeper. Maybe." Nettlepaw suggests, though he has no idea if it's true or not, he's merely making an excuse for himself.
​

​

 

[hazecloud]

Fishing in the cold was far from what Hazecloud considered her best, suitable environment for success. The waters chill burned the pads beneath her paws. Enough to send a jolt up the muscles of her leg and have her bristling while she clenched her teeth.

Soon ice would encroach over the shore and it wouldn't just be her paws left frigid but her entire body as it bared the wintry breeze for food. For today she found small successes, and those had to count wherever they could. A chub and an easy minnow that an overeager apprentice was sure to ridicule her for, but as she glanced over to Salmonshade she felt a bit better about her meager rewards. Perhaps this would show her test of skill instead.

"We're also not the only things that eat fish here. We compete with loons, hawks, heron." Hazecloud sighed as she pawed her catches into an equally despairingly small pile from the rest of the patrol. "Hopefully we don't have to rely on luck today. Maybe we should move to another spot? I think all our splashing might've scared away the game here."​

 

[Bounceheart]

bounceheart ✧ she/her ✧ riverclan warrior (=˃ᆺ˂=)

Like the others, the river was calling her. It felt right to be here, scoring anything she could while they had the chance. Time felt to slow when leaf-bare was looming over. Days were shorter, and sleep became a thought in the back of her head. Three years, she had survived what they considered the cruelest season. It was harsh on their bellies and spirits. Last year, she had learned just how difficult it was to hunt for RiverClan during this. "They do go deeper.. for warmth." Common sense - the top froze over, so the bottom must be warmer. And usually, you would not see them until it was a bit warmer. "When it gets to be really cold, they hibernate, like the squirrels." Bounceheart had been trying to keep track of those squirrels lately. If only she could remember each tree they disappeared into.

Hazecloud's suggestion also brought a nod of her head. There were a few of them here now, and so she figured it was best if she go look.. somewhere else. The river wasn't looking too promising right now. No luck for her.​

 

[salmonshade]

Um, yeah. I think so, yeah. Blue eyes are drawn to the apprentice she had just been thinking about. As if she could help it, the scars displayed across Carppaws back draw her attention further. Guilt resides in her chest like an old friend and in the cold air she lets out a small sigh, squinting just slightly. "Impressive." comes her simple compliment, quiet as she returns back to stare at the water. Thoughts begin to run rampant.

Fortunately for her, conversation interrupts the thinking. And just as unfortunately for her, her hiss has brought company she wish she hadn't. She welcomes Moonpaws presence, as she always does- but she is not a social cat, and outside of a select few, she finds the idle conversations unpleasant. Nettlepaw, Hazecloud and Bounceheart, cats she barely knows- Nettle makes a comment about how the cold makes the fish slower, which Salmon would have just barely chuckled at if she were in any better of a mood. The cold is not an excuse for my failure. The water laps at the bank, her reflection stares back at her and she stares back at it.

She watches Hazecloud and the aforementioned warrior adds to the pile. She cannot help it as something ignites within her. The frustration burns more like a fire beneath her pelt and her teeth grind, concealed to every cat- these cats don't spend much time with her, but Moonpaw does and Salmon realizes with a start that her apprentice probably recognizes the way shes acting. A deep breath is drawn in and a small frown offsets any expression previously on her lips. Hazecloud confirms they don't just compete with the cold, Bounceheart explains to little Nettlepaw the specifics of leafbare. "Right. They go deeper, so we try harder. Its all we can do." like last leafbare, when their rivers froze over, when hunting was bad, when cats were going hungry, when- Stop it, Salmonshade. "Hazecloud is right. I'm moving." the invitation is barely spoken, but its there; if any cats want to come with her, they may. She rises to her paws to leave, flicking a gentle tail against Moonpaws side as a personal invite to follow.

₊˚.༄ info

• 
  -> salmon ,, salmonshade
  -> cis female ,, she/her ,, 32 months
  -> warrior of riverclan ,, former marsh grouper
  -> fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with white, blue eyes
  -> "speech, ff91a4" ,, thoughts
  -> lesbian ,, single
  -> smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  -> chibi by pin
  

​

 

[Moonbeam]

Head nod along with those that spoke around her about the fish going deeper in the cold and it caused understanding within the white feline. She knew that many RiverClanners fished while in the water, swimming and diving under, and she had been practicing that with Salmonshade for a while now though she had never been able to keep up with swimming, diving, and catching the fish from the very bottom where her paws scraped mud instead of pebbles and now she understood why that was so important.

She was about to step paws into the water, ready to try again at catching fish while swimming when the voices of those around her mentioned the noise likely not helping with catching fish, and as she turned towards Salmonshade to follow after her mentor she looked towards the water once more, eyes squinting as she tried to see the fish only to get the sunlight glinting across the water in her eyes.

I WISH PLANT LIFE ꕥ WOULD GROW ALL AROUND ME

• 

• MOONPAW formerly Ratpaw || NPC x NPC || brother to Rowanpaw || apprentice to Salmonshade.
  -- She/Her || 7 moons old, ages every 17th
  -- smaller than average, small rounded ears. SH white masking cinnamon torbie with orange eyes.
  -- soft-spoken, often found humming, tries to comfort others by smiling

​