private SEA, SWALLOW ME | hazecloud

[salmonshade]

Cats file in to camp and the air is alight with a confused and frustrated buzz. There is no doubt that the cats here watched the moon blot out, and the cats here would also be confused on why the gathering ended early. When they return, cats begin popping up despite it being well in to the night. She huffs, rolling her eyes and easily deflecting someone that would have come up with a glare.

She has no time to sit here and talk to others unworthy of her time. Salmonshade does not merrily converse with her clanmates, instead brushing past (and quite frankly, not caring if she bumps in to others and it's more like limping, with the bruised shoulder) to go to the willow den where she knows Hazecloud would be. Perhaps her emotions get the better of her when she seeks the queen out. Perhaps her frustration has reached a peak, bubbled over its container, or maybe she just craves to sit besides someone she likes for a while.

When she reaches the nest shared by her leader and Hazecloud, she hesitates before speaking, but is reminded by her mind to keep her voice down. "Hazecloud, can we talk? Outside, preferably?" tonight... Outside, her and Hazecloud- she scrunches her nose. Theres nothing more that she wants than to curl besides someone (what the hell are you thinking about, sal, you shy away from touch all the time!) and rant about the attacks Riverclan and Shadowclan endured, about her boiling frustrations, about Windclanners thinking they're so high and mighty- "Starclan intervened at the Gathering. Shadowclan lashed out." she throws it in as if it were more of an incentive.

𝙼𝙰𝚈𝙱𝙴 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝙸𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 ଳ⋆｡˚ 𝙼𝙰𝚈𝙱𝙴 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚁

• @hazecloud
• 
  ❥ salmon ,, salmonshade
  ❥ cis female ,, she/her ,, 40 months
  ❥ warrior of riverclan
  ❥ fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with white, blue eyes
  ❥ "speech, fd9367" ,, thoughts
  ❥ lesbian ,, single
  ❥ smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  ❥ chibi by pin ,, penned by chuff

​

 

[hazecloud]

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The sound of rustling reeds felt too soon for a full night. Iciclefang had left from their den to greet them, however Hazecloud's legs felt no desire to move after she had just fallen into a comfortable rest. Her kittens had fallen into a deep sleep like clockwork, putting up little protest and she hoped this premature return did not wake them.

A face she did not anticipate to enter the nursery this late makes an appearance. There is a pause, which the queen took to wordlessly prompt Salmonshade to go on.

Can we talk? She asked. Outside, preferably? And now Salmonshade's gaze felt like ice wrapped around her tongue. The she-cat had a bad habit of sharing poor news beyond her own paws. What else had happened?

"Yes, one moment." Her voice is more breathy than she intended, already grieving whatever she may share. The queen rose slowly and flexed the muscles in her paws before joining at the mollys side to leave.

Foxtail appeared uncomfortable at the forefront of her returning Clanmates. Lichenstar wore the same expression of exhaustion that dressed her every evening of a Gathering, it seemed leadership did not change that. However, many of their faces did not match what she would expect from a calm night. Maybe an eye-roll of annoyance on account of an unruly warrior but these were far more... dramatic. Pebblepaw and Shellpaw share their witness with the other apprentices, but their words are intangible under the cricketsong and murmurs.

They both pass the crowd without pause and Hazecloud is led into the familiar scene of glowing moonlight over the water. A stone, cool from the rivers spray is a relief from the summer heat as she hopped over to sit down. A good distance away, she turned to Salmonshade now.

"No one looks very happy over there. Did they lash out at RiverClan? For what reason?" No one appeared injured, at least from the brief glance she gave.

✿ ———— I'll be your regular mama ✿ ————— And I'll put that gun away

•  
• 
  
  
  Hazecloud
  —⊰⋅ Queen of RiverClan
  —⊰⋅ She/Her
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ LH blue smoke with green eyes.
  

​

 

[salmonshade]

Salmonshades tail lashes behind her in anger, not at Hazecloud, but at the sun-scorched leader that had stood on top of the rock, flung insults to Lichenstar. She nods once Hazecloud speaks, and then they move to a quieter place, brush past the returning patrol. Chatter is already going on but its tuned out like birdsong. They settle. You can sit closer, she dips her head with pinned ears, making an effort not to seem awkward as she, herself, scoots closer to Hazecloud.

She launches in to her spiel. "Windclan deflected everything, played the victim. They accused us, accused Lichenstar." in all honesty, shes not sure whats worse or which stings worse. I should have chucked that stupid tom over the gorge. I should have been faster. "Sunstar said... That whatever kindness Riverclan showed them... Died at Lichenstars leadership- as if! As if we, as a clan- had- had a choice! They took it and- and threw it right back in to our faces!" Salmonshades pelt bristles wildly. Yes, Windclan was on fire, yes, if they had not evacuated or helped them they probably would have burned. But now, with foresight... Perhaps they should have let them. Ferngills haunted expression, lighting in her mind like a flicker of light, stokes a rage that has been brewing since she had been slammed in to the ground, shoulder on fire. That warrior was going to kill Claythorn. What then, Sunstar? What if a Riverclan warrior had died within their own territory from your paws? "They stole from not just us, but Shadowclan too. Sunstar claimed not to know, but that his 'warriors did what they needed to do.'"

She bites her lip so hard it draws blood. The fog over her mind dissipates for just a second during that sudden pain, rational thinking slipping through. What are you doing? Windclan will never change. There is no point in being mad and trying to change it. She needs to keep her voice down. Others are trying to sleep. This is stupid. Why is she so mad, even? Its all over, now.

"Chilledstar slapped Sunstar. Apparently one of Shadowclans warriors lost an eye, I can only assume during Windclans scuffle. One of their lead warriors c-" she almost laughs, especially as she remembers the horrified faces that rippled through the crowd, and then the laugh stifles. She'd have someones head before her if claws were drawn against Moonbeam. "They clawed Wolfsong. He talks nothing but madness, as usual." its spit out in a low-rumbling growl.

All semblance of composure is all out of the window now, beyond upset at the events just earlier. She moves, and this movement comes natural to her despite the fact she had never done so before: she tries to press close to Hazecloud, something keening ripping from her throat. What a disaster, this all was. She feels angry, upset, and wants nothing more than to sink in to her friends side.

What am I doing? Something screams. You're doing what you'd like to do, and theres nothing wrong with that. Right... Wanting to be close is not a crime. She exhales, deflating in to the earth below, a pathetic sight. "Windclan never changed. The only thing it changed was the cat in charge."

𝙼𝙰𝚈𝙱𝙴 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝙸𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 ଳ⋆｡˚ 𝙼𝙰𝚈𝙱𝙴 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚁

• 
  ❥ salmon ,, salmonshade
  ❥ cis female ,, she/her ,, 40 months
  ❥ warrior of riverclan
  ❥ fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with white, blue eyes
  ❥ "speech, fd9367" ,, thoughts
  ❥ lesbian ,, single
  ❥ smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  ❥ chibi by pin ,, penned by chuff

​

 

[hazecloud]

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Salmonshade settled closer and with natural ease, perhaps out of poor habit, her tail wove itself around the other molly's. She made no pause as she leapt into the details of it all, drawing a gasp from Hazecloud in her own surprise. After they committed such an obvious crime, they would point to her mate as the cause of their troubles? After Lichenstar had been so willing to uphold Smokestar's truce even postmortem?

"The gall..." She murmured, quiet enough to not interrupt. She can feel the prickling rise of tortie fur against foggy grey in their proximity together, and Hazecloud can only think to slowly nod and thud their intertwined tails to remind her she is listening. That she is there, and not alone. Hazecloud could only care to agree, unable to even imagine the delusion Sunstar capable of to turn the fault of his Clan onto the victims they made. The only thing they were victim of was their own arrogance!

"They all sound mad." Poor treatment at the end of both borders. Were they asking for war when they claimed to be starving? Did they imagine that would be enough to take pity and stand down?

"Ugh, returning to the warriors can't happen soon enough! I'd like to tell them where they can shove their paws and tails. Have their ancestors rolling across the stars." She cannot imagine Moonbeam in the place of Wolfsong, she couldn't imagine herself committing such an act either. But their medicine cat knew better than to throw stones.

Hazecloud rest her paw over Salmonshade's shoulder pull her head under the queens chin. "There's something deeply wrong, those moors. Sootstar may never truly shake her paws from them." Sunstar may have taken pride in claiming to have felled the madqueen, going border to border to announce his success, but mediocrity would not satisfy in replace of tyranny.

"We have to trust Lichenstar will do right in keeping RiverClan safe. She never trusted the moorlands, not even in Smokestar's moments of pity. She must have foreseen they would be thankless." Because she held her bitterness for it until the end, Hazecloud had no doubt she would let it go to waste. But she was surprised Salmonshade of all cats had expressed such distress when their skirmish was won.

"Is it just WindClan that has you feeling so strongly? Does something else trouble you?"

✿ ———— I'll be your regular mama ✿ ————— And I'll put that gun away

•  
• 
  
  
  Hazecloud
  —⊰⋅ Queen of RiverClan
  —⊰⋅ She/Her
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ LH blue smoke with green eyes.
  

​