SORRY TO BE HEAVY ✧ lost apprentice

[BLAZESTAR]

Blazestar had sent for Orangeblossom and Robinpaw as soon as he’d risen from his nest. The sun is still pale, caressing their pelts with gentle golden fingers, though the wind is scented with heat and the salt and tang of the river. It’ll be a scorching hot day, and he wants to have this discussion with the RiverClan leader before it’s unbearable. He ensured everyone—including the cat he’s taken to calling his pseudo-apprentice—had a meal and time for a brisk wash before they’d departed for the riverbank.

He can hear the steady slap of water against the pebbly shore before they set eyes on the water. “Don’t be nervous,” he encourages Robinpaw. He knows she fears judgment from her Clanmates, her leader—but he had told her true. Should the River King reject her now that she had the taint of kittypet about her neck, he would welcome her into his own Clan. However, he could not slight Cicadastar by doing so before bringing the lost apprentice before him… he had the right to decide her fate. Blazestar would not have thanked another Clan leader for accepting a lost apprentice of his into his Clan without notifying him… and this girl was no refugee, hunted by Sootstar’s dogs.

The first cat they see across the water will draw Blazestar’s greeting. “Good morning! I need to speak to Cicadastar immediately, please. Could you bring him to the border?” He sits, gesturing for his deputy and the other SkyClanners to follow suit.

✧ INFO.

• RIVERCLAN: @CICADASTAR @robinpaw.
  SKYCLAN: @orangeblossom @bobbie @eveningpaw
  no need to wait, though please don't double post before antlers has a chance to reply!
• 
  — blaise . blazestar
  — he/him ; leader of skyclan
  — pansexual ; divorced ; single
  — longhaired flame point Ragdoll with blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Mercibun

​

 

[salmonshade]

She's leading Ratpaw along Skyclans border, pointing out various spots that the white coated apprentice could use as landmarks in her head. Just as she is about to make a point, someone calls from across the border. Good morning! Salmon's head snaps to, already dreading the border patrol small talk that would ensue. It is the worst part about neighboring other clans- Oh. She recognizes two of the cats. Blazestar and his deputy Orangeblossom, they're not exactly easy to miss. "Thats Blazestar, and thats Orangeblossom. We saw them at the gathering." she informs Ratpaw, but Blazestars words cause her to flick an ear. What business does he have with their leader? She does not recognize the other adult she-cat, or the smaller one.

It's not her business, anyways. Nor was it Ratpaws. The less stress, the better. But the apprentice he has looks suspiciously like... "Yes. We can, give us a few." she clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, a half awkward bow of her head sent to Blazestar as she turns, her tone as warm as she could make it without it sounding fake. Not my business, repeated like a mantra because the less she knew the better. As much disdain as she holds against them for the lack of help at Sunningrocks, she's able to muster up her own version of hospitality as she shoves the angry emotions deeper in her mind. She never was the one for anything soft, after all. Her eyes settle on Ratpaw for just a moment, something squeezes in her chest. "We're going to fetch Cicadastar, okay? Don't leave my side." she gently warns. These other cats are not close to her, but Ratpaw is, and Salmon doesn't make much of an effort to hide the flash of uncertainty that rushes through a tight-lipped expression. She's not sure what Skyclan wants with Riverclan, but she flicks her tail for Ratpaw to follow and soon shes disappearing to go fetch their black and white leader.

₊˚.༄ info

• @Ratpaw ,, grabbing @CICADASTAR w her apprentice
• 
  -> salmon ,, salmonshade
  -> cis female ,, she/her ,, 30 months
  -> warrior of riverclan ,, former marsh grouper
  -> fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with low white and blue eyes
  -> “speech, ff91a4” ,, thoughts
  -> lesbian ,, single
  -> smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  -> image by @wrendoings [ disc ]
  

​

 

[CICADASTAR]

the world seems brighter in days just past ; a blight on too pale eyes, something like fire rioting behind thin eyelids. when salmonshade finds him, he is standing amidst camp ; patrols mill, searching for houndstride, buckgait, and now.. robinpaw. foxes, twolegs, danger and loss — all had plagued them in seasons recent, and his desperate call to refrain from solo patrols had gone purposefully ignored. not only had he lost yet another, but he’d failed his clanmates. failed snakeblink’s plea for help from him, failed to prevent another ghost from washing up along their shores. his ears twitch back with each crash of wave against the pebbled shore.. a headache, he thinks. a lasting headache, too sensitive to light to keep blinding eyes fixed on the gleaming river surface. shadows flit underneath, waver and shake beneath his half - squinted gaze. his paw does not flit out to catch before he is interrupted, drawn attention to the dappled woman who says —

blazestar. at the border, with robinpaw.

and don’t be afraid, the golden leader would tell her before his arrival — and perhaps he was right, in regards to the kittypet king himself. but cicadastar parts the cattail viperous, a long, slim shadow with ears angled back against an already sloping skull. he parts the cattail like a whipping storm, rolling clouds of smoke and stark, electric eyes ; rigid posture, rigid curls, bristled with irritation along the juts of his risen shoulders, " blazestar. " a breath of bitten air, gusted from between a cage of gritted teeth. it is genuine, despite the way anger writhes beneath his bicolored coat, swirls about the dark pits of slitted pupils. cicadastar strides forward, resists the urge to wince against the sudden blaze of sun cast sideways across his face, ” so sorry about this, i know you must be.. terribly occupied. “ i apologize for my runaway apprentices, missing from her nest in the dead of night towards twolegplace. how embarrassing.

sickness. it could cling to her pelt now, but robinpaw was a riverclan cat. a riverclan cat, presumed gone presumed dead, as houndstride, as buckgait. as ashpaw had been. his gaze shifts towards the apprentice, the child at his side — uninjured, healthy despite the sudden disappearance. she smells not of fox, of twoleg or fear. she smells of distant kittypet dust and herb, a poignant elderberry scent he remembers vaguely beneath blizzard snow and windclan’s reek. had she been missing? or had she run away, had she tried to leave? had she? his teeth grit, ” robinpaw, i pray to the stars you’ve a good reason for this. “

COLD & CRUEL LIKE WINDS ON THE SEA  ╱ INFORMATION ✟

• i.
  
• ★ ⋆ CICADASTAR −−−− FOUNDING LEADER OF RIVERCLAN. HOMOSEXUAL, MATED TO SMOKETHROAT. FIFTY MOONS, FATHER TO STARLIGHTKIT, CICADAKIT && BEEKIT. PENNED BY ANTLERS −−−−− ⁺₊✧
  
  
  he / him. tall, elegantly curled smoke tortoiseshell chimera with intense salt blue eyes. his structure sings a feral sort of hymnal, presenting an almost dangerous sort of beauty veiling what monstrosities lie beneath the ivory of his skull. jutting jawline and a squared chin, sunken cheeks drawing a shadow beneath high, sharp cheekbones with tall, angular ears settling high atop the flatter slope of his cranium. he is beautiful ; lucifer in the eyes of an envious god. for all his looks, his expression is lax, void — corpse - eyed and hollow until spoken to, sparking the undead to life. he is tall, lean, cut - glass pretty ; he smiles with too - many teeth, blackened frostbite pulling back his maw to bear canines setn beneath curling whiskers, pantomime skeletal. a predatory gracefulness from the lines that press the image of exhaustion beneath ice water hues to the slow, sure gait in which he walks, nameless strength poorly concealed within the hard lines of his physique. descending from a heritage of overtyped oriental shorthairs, cicadastar stands unnaturally tall amongst his peers, always holding himself with a tragic sort of grace ; poised, prim, and uncannily aware of how he appears.
  
  ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── smells like wet moss and meadowland thunderstorms.
  ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── notoriously paranoid and closed off, cicadastar will tend to lie, assume, and jump to conclusions whenever it suits him. any 'suspicious' ic actions he witnesses or hears about will have a strong effect, and will have ic consequences! if you're unsure of an interactions outcome, please feel free to send a dm!
  
  no character opinions represent my own.​
  
  
• " speech "​
  
  
  

​

 

[robinheart]

She is obedient in her rising and preparation for the journey to RiverClan, though shame and nerves dampen her appetite and make it difficult for her to focus on a thorough cleaning. She is presentable enough though - multicolored pelt shining with health and plush fur groomed down enough to try and hide most of the crimson collar fastened around her neck. As uncomfortable as the collar proved to be, it began to feel more and more like a millstone around her neck with each step towards RiverClan's border. Her heart beats fast within the confines of her ribcage. It thrums like hummingbird wings and the apprentice can only wonder if Blazestar and the others can hear the rhythmic pounding emanating from her chest.

They reach territory oh so familiar to the young apprentice - a land she had been born into and was foolish enough to be taken from. Blazestar instructs them to take a seat and Robinpaw obeys, swallowing hard as he gifts her words of encouragement before calling out to a passerby. 'Don't be nervous' was easier said than done. Robinpaw's gaze flicks towards the RiverClanners beckoned by the golden leader - Salmonshade and Ratpaw - before darting back down to her paws. She listens to the short interaction between them and nervously curls her claws in and out of the pebbly ground as she prepares to face Cicadastar in mere minutes.

No amount of preparation could have helped as soon as she saw Cicadastar approach, his sleek frame parting the curtained cattails, his body language stony like a predator laying in wait for the perfect moment to strike. Robinpaw straightens her back and wills her ears not to fall flat against her skull and her whiskers not to tremble. A shiver rolls slow like molasses down her spine as Cicadastar first acknowledges Blazestar before turning slitted pupils towards herself. She notices the tenseness of his jaw, the way his teeth must be gritted at the very thoughts crossing his mind, and Robinpaw's gaze falters for a moment. "I -," she swallows as a ball of anxiety threatens to constrict her airways, "I broke your law by sneaking out at night to try and do some training. I wasn't paying close enough attention and got caught in a twoleg trap," this much she is certain the bicolored leader knows. However it felt reasonable enough to start from the beginning. "The twolegs made me their kittypet and I-I had been with them until I made my escape yesterday," the tortoiseshell continues, lifting her chin just a little higher so that the red of her collar could be better seen - proof that the twolegs had tried to claim her as theirs. "I didn't know where to go. I didn't think RiverClan would accept me after I broke the rules and was made into a kittypet. I... I didn't want to come back and be rejected. So I went to SkyClan seeking a fresh start and asked to join their ranks." From there her words trail off, citrine eyes flooded with shame for what she had done to be taken from RiverClan and fear for what was to come. Admitting she chose to go to SkyClan over trying to return to RiverClan wasn't going to quell Cicadastar's tumultuous thoughts, or at least that is what she can only assume, and Robinpaw allows her nervousness to fully wash over her despite Blazestar's previous encouragements.

 

[Moonbeam]

SkyClan's border was not one that she enjoyed much. Ratpaw had no personal gripes about any of the cats that were in the clan - none so far had slighted her, and she didn't know if they had slighted RiverClan - but it was boring, and there were kittypets over there with their collars with bells on them that scared away fish and their smell of twolegs. So when the call from across the border was heard, Ratpaw's head snapped up and she couldn't help but lash her tail slightly in annoyance - she was trying to learn and now there were cats on the border wanting to chat? It slowed as Salmonshade explained who it was, and Ratpaw watched as Salmonshade dipped her head, quietly - and very awkwardly - doing the same before turning around and following close to her mentor, ready to get Cicadastar and whomever else the leader would want by his side.



She quickly followed back as soon as Cicadastar head out, eyes flashing between her leader and the cats at the border, watching as Robinpaw was addressed and as she spoke. A small inaudible gasp came from the apprentice as the other before them spoke, breaking Cicadastar's law was something that Ratpaw couldn't think of - especially when it came to the twoleg place. It was the first thing she had learned, so how had Robinpaw not also learned this and kept it close? She had been caught for her disobedience and turned into a kittypet, and afterwards she'd not gone home once escaping but to another clan - one that wasn't her family or friends. Small huff would be the only thing that was heard from the young apprentice at last, the most noise she usually made on these trips to the borders, opting instead to listen to her mentor and learn the rules so that she could properly follow them - something Robinpaw would have been better for doing.

ᓚᘏᗢ …... . . . . ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

• [ooc] all ic opinions ~
• ratpaw is a four moon old apprentice of RiverClan. Her mentor is Salmonshade. She is an all white cat with rounded ears and orange eyes. She is currently a weak swimmer, weak hunter, and a weak fighter. She is loyal to RiverClan, is bisexual and is currently NOT looking for a relationship. She is OPEN to plots and private threads, but CLOSED for injuries. PEACEFUL POWERPLAY IS ALLOWED.
• a reference image should go here (I do not have one teehee)

​

 

[eveningsun]

it was an odd situation. skyclan was no stranger to joiners, only in rare cases were they born in another clan. even rarer that they made an effort to return them. eveningpaw couldn't imagine accepting that you would never see your clanmates or family any longer, only to become free and turn tail for another clan.

eveningpaw sits near orangeblossom's side, eyes flicking to cicadastar and then robinpaw who began a retelling of the events she had formerly told skyclan. it made her sad to believe that riverclan would reject one of their own solely for a collar around her neck, especially when this one was so young. idly, she waited for the riverclan leader's judgement, silently hoping he would allow the tortie to return to her friends and family.​

 

[FERNGILL]

Close behind the rest of the patrol, his mentor in tow, Fernpaw's gaze flitted between the SkyClan patrol, each face making him stand up a little straighter. The brown-and-white cat he didn't recognise as well, but Orangeblossom and Blazestar both in one place made him a lot more conscious of his posture, already-poised and now pushed to the extreme. He held himself with so much conscious grace that it almost seemed as if he was preening, when in reality he was only trying to look smart and measured. And friendly, of course.

Friendliness came a little easier to him when he saw Robinpaw. At first it was a breezing breath of relief, a gale that rushed through him- and then a bright smile made its home on his features, as warm and aglow as a hearth. His healthy eye curved with his smile, silent and reassuring. It was good that she was home, good that another effort to keep hope for a missing Clanmate had resulted well.​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[DOEBLAZE]

✿—— she's lucky to have had time for a piece of prey and a quick neatening of her fur, something bobbie's grateful for as they draw ever closer to the river's edge. she's more or less capable of handling herself within skyclan's territory—though she sticks close to blazestar (to learn, of course)—but the other clans are still a foreign concept to her, a muddled mix during the gathering's crush of multicolored pelts. the heat is already beating down on her back, soft with early light for now, though it'll no doubt grow to a scorching pitch by the time the sun hangs highest in the sky. blazestar greets the first riverclanner they see, a dainty she-cat with pretty, dappled fur, and gestures for their small patrol to take a seat. she heeds him, wishing she had a longer tail to curl over her paws for security.

soft green eyes watch as the riverclan leader sweeps to the border like a mottled phantom, a tall figure cut in sharp angles—sharing nothing with skyclan's golden leader except size, the near-mythical cicadastar is a rigid statue of black-and-white. she's heard tales of the ghost that rules the rivers, of course, trickling their way into camp, but she'd caught only the barest glimpse of his imposing figure perched on the gathering rock. up close he isn't softened, a relative storm of curls and jutting shoulders, gritted teeth and sharply bitten words. her thin spine curves straighter as he speaks to blazestar, pale gaze regarding him with carefully concealed wariness as she watches the delicate process of diplomacy. it's not surprising, then, when he demands an explanation from robinpaw.

the ginger-chested apprentice, to her credit, offers her words with a seeming honesty, explaining that she'd broken a law to train and been caught in a twoleg trap. displeasure lodges itself against her teeth—every day the wretched contraptions seemed to ooze deeper into the forest's heart, beyond even their own borders, trapping and killing. her own twoleg had been kindly, but forest life is bloodier than that, and their strange weapons have taught her a lesson in mangled bodies and missing apprentices. bobbie regards the whole situation warily, wondering how the mottled leader might handle the news that his apprentice had retreated to the clan many cats regarded as the laughingstock of the forest, an idea that makes her force her fur flat. it's all the tabby can do not to lift a white-freckled paw to her own thin red collar with its gilded buckle, the marker which many cats seemed to hang their opinions of her on.

a few more riverclanners have gathered alongside their leader, unfamiliar cats with shiny pelts and sleek sides. a white-pelted apprentice seems unsurprisingly huffy about the whole endeavour—bobbie can't exactly say she blames her. still, it's pleasant to see that eveningpaw, flanking orangeblossom, appears to be able to keep her own composure more satisfactorily, nothing less than one might expect from the ginger-and-white she-cat's apprentice. another riverclanner, though she can't quite tell if this one is a warrior or an apprentice, accompanies them in a poised silence and a smile, despite the tension that (at least to bobbie) seems to hang in the air. his careful posture makes bobbie straighten her own back a little, anxiety cold in her veins as she awaits cicadastar's reply.

NO LOVE, HOWEVER BRIEF (✿) 𝑰𝑺 𝑾𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑫

• ooc: ——
  
• nothing here, have a nice day :-)
• 
  — bobbie
  — she/her ; warrior of skyclan ; 40 ☾s
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — chibi by its_oliverr
  — penned by dejavu
  

​

 

[hazecloud]

It wasn't too long ago news of Robinpaw's capture had been spread across the Clan. Foolishly after Buckgait, and even countless others before her, had found themselves in the claws of the twoleg contraptions that plagued the area.

It had been thoroughly assumed she would not return. Rarely had anyone ever come back, and Ashpaw's disappearance had been enough time for her to be grieved for. She glanced toward the River King as he greeted Blazestar, unaware she had been holding her breath.

"Oh, Robinpaw..." Her tone is sad disappointment, a soft muttering under her breath. Choosing to run off the SkyClan after all of that? Hazecloud couldn't see this going well at all, paired with Robinpaw's ancestry in the kittypet Clan. Would this be taken as proof that Apricotbloom's kittypet roots had led Robinpaw this way? Would she be outright banished from RiverClan for her abandonment?

The misty molly would remain hopeful Cicadastar still had room for mercy. ​

 

[CICADASTAR]

more warriors approach, muttering and cooing at the runaway as if she had not done it to herself — as if she had not gone against his word after buckgait’s disappearance, after houndstride’s assumed death, after ashpaw’s torment at the hands of cruel twolegs. he listens, and the molly admits to disobeying orders, to getting caught by twolegs and made into a pet. his warriors mill about, glance towards him in wait and his teeth grit. she rambles, speaks of a life in a twoleg nest — just as many of his warriors had, once upon a time. of course he didn’t want a kittypet in his ranks, but this was a riverclan apprentice ; a week of twoleg intervention did not change that. to run to skyclan, to join their ranks.. had she wanted to be a kittypet? his disbelief radiates in bristled shoulders and slitted eyes, saying not a word until — ” to train? what sort of training, at moonhigh with your mentor asleep in their nest? “ he knew well she would struggle to fish in the shadows, and combat would be difficult to train alone. they were no shadowclanner, the night held nothing for them but danger and dark waters. after a moment, however, the leader lets her finish — lets a beat pass, before his mighty tail gives a wide, simple lash.

" you directly disobeyed my orders. not only do you not stay in camp, but you venture out alone, in the dead of night, and despite all those we’ve lost — “ his jaw tightens, “despite everyone we’ve lost, you leave us to believe you dead while you galavant about in skyclan, and why? " a bark of a laugh, humorless, tired. of everything he could be doing at the moment, here he was — shouting at a runaway apprentice. each word makes his head throb in pain, but his lips curl back regardless, ” because you think i would not allow you back? absolute foxdung! “ not for a moment did he believe it, and if it were true, color him gobsmacked. only moons ago he’d welcomed ashpaw back after hed mourned her, gone at the paws of greedy twolegs ; she had returned, joined their ranks just as before, ” you could have been killed out by yourself — you could have been tufts of bloody fur by the time we woke. yet, you escape and stand here to announce disrespect to our ally’s council right beneath their noses, on assumptions? for some baseless fear of rejection? “ his hypocrisy was blatant, but his medic had been kittypet born. his own warriors had been kittypets at one time, or hailing from the pine colony. to think he would banish her for being captured? foolish!

his tail lashes again, jerking his hindquarters aside with it, low simmering anger rising with his voice — a pity this happens before blazestar, the heavy - eyed molly at his side, their deputy. he’d never been able to wait until they return, not since windclan had ventured to their border in apology, ” robinpaw, you are an apprentice! you do not get to make decisions for me, nor are you to abandon your home. you are not a windclanner, you will not tuck your tail and run from where you rightfully belong. “ the last is said with a bite, harsh and vitriolic ; they were not running from a foxfaced, bloodthirsty mutt. he pivots his head to look at the dappled molly who’d retrieved him, sharply, ears flicking back to pin against his skull, ” salmonshade, bring robinpaw home. i want her on tick duty until all she can smell is mouse bile, i want her in the elders den until she needs a nest there herself. “

she’d be lucky to have her warrior name before he joints ache with age. his head pounds and, briefly, he closes his eyes against the pain of it — but there was no time to rest. to the kittypet king, who’d graciously taken their apprentice back to the riverside, he fixes his gaze. to the molly, who sits and watches with a tired curiosity, his head dips, ” thank you for returning her, despite how it may sound it is.. a great relief to have her home. i hope it wasn’t much trouble for either of you. “ a small, agitated smile cast towards orangeblossom, true and genuine regardless of the weariness in each line of his face.

COLD & CRUEL LIKE WINDS ON THE SEA  ╱ INFORMATION ✟

• i.
  
• ★ ⋆ CICADASTAR −−−− FOUNDING LEADER OF RIVERCLAN. HOMOSEXUAL, MATED TO SMOKETHROAT. FIFTY MOONS, FATHER TO STARLIGHTKIT, CICADAKIT && BEEKIT. PENNED BY ANTLERS −−−−− ⁺₊✧
  
  
  he / him. tall, elegantly curled smoke tortoiseshell chimera with intense salt blue eyes. his structure sings a feral sort of hymnal, presenting an almost dangerous sort of beauty veiling what monstrosities lie beneath the ivory of his skull. jutting jawline and a squared chin, sunken cheeks drawing a shadow beneath high, sharp cheekbones with tall, angular ears settling high atop the flatter slope of his cranium. he is beautiful ; lucifer in the eyes of an envious god. for all his looks, his expression is lax, void — corpse - eyed and hollow until spoken to, sparking the undead to life. he is tall, lean, cut - glass pretty ; he smiles with too - many teeth, blackened frostbite pulling back his maw to bear canines setn beneath curling whiskers, pantomime skeletal. a predatory gracefulness from the lines that press the image of exhaustion beneath ice water hues to the slow, sure gait in which he walks, nameless strength poorly concealed within the hard lines of his physique. descending from a heritage of overtyped oriental shorthairs, cicadastar stands unnaturally tall amongst his peers, always holding himself with a tragic sort of grace ; poised, prim, and uncannily aware of how he appears.
  
  ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── smells like wet moss and meadowland thunderstorms.
  ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── notoriously paranoid and closed off, cicadastar will tend to lie, assume, and jump to conclusions whenever it suits him. any 'suspicious' ic actions he witnesses or hears about will have a strong effect, and will have ic consequences! if you're unsure of an interactions outcome, please feel free to send a dm!
  
  no character opinions represent my own.​
  
  
• " speech "​
  
  
  

​

 

[BLAZESTAR]

Blazestar remains solemn through Robinpaw’s stilted explanation, and Cicadastar seems to tense with every word she speaks. The RiverClan leader’s ire is biting, but the Ragdoll puts himself in his paws. Imagine, he thinks, if Brightpaw had attempted to join ThunderClan or RiverClan instead of returning home out of fear she’d be punished. Suddenly, Robinpaw looks very young to him—and he sighs, his ears flicking as Cicadastar doles out her punishment and her verdict. Return home, and put on apprentice duties until her paws fall off. Despite the situation, a smile quivers on his muzzle. Had he not done something similar for Brightpaw?

“No harm done, Cicadastar.” He rises, giving Robinpaw a gentle nudge. “We’ve had troubles of our own with wayward apprentices… they will learn.” He dips his head to the RiverClan leader and turns to leave. “Come, let’s return to our own camp. Robinpaw is in good paws.”

✧ INFO.

• out!
• 
  — blaise . blazestar
  — he/him ; leader of skyclan
  — pansexual ; divorced ; single
  — longhaired flame point Ragdoll with blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Mercibun

​

 

[Orangestar]

ORANGEBLOSSOM — tags​

Orangeblossom stands beside Eveningpaw, still and quiet in the morning air as they're met by RiverClanners - at first a warrior, who Orangeblossom recognises but cannot name, and two younger cats in tow; but then the river-king makes his appearance and Orangeblossom's posture becomes rigid. She's always had a careful opinion of Cicadastar. This tom, coiled taught as his curly-fur as he lashes out like a snake, had been Rain's demise. The catalyst for the Clans, in her mind, for better or for worse. His position as RiverClan's leader has driven him to vitriol in a way that reminds her keenly of Dawnglare. She can only hope he keeps his wits better than their medicine cat does.

She decides not to think about it too hard. He's looking at her, after all, and she blinks brown eyes at him in slight, silent surprise.

"Not at all." She confirms in chorus with Blazestar, dipping her head towards Cicadastar in reply. She's genuine, as well, but slightly wary at the shadowed leader's sharp turn back into civility. "She behaved quite well."

As Blazestar calls for SkyClan to leave, the white-and-ginger she-cat hesitates for a moment. Her attention roves over Robinpaw's features as if she's about to give voice to some thought, but ultimately she decides against it. With a final nod to their brief visitor, SkyClan's deputy turns tail and steps back into the sparse undergrowth of SkyClan land proper.

​

 

[salmonshade]

When she returns, it is to follow after her leader, her tail flicking back and forth. Cicadastar asks the question and Robinpaw answers. Each word the other speaks has her fur bristling, anger building like a wildfire within her heart. Ratpaw huffs from besides her. Salmon drapes her tail over her, but makes no move to correct her. She shares her apprentices disbelief, frustration, Ratpaw had every right to be upset with the other. Cicadastar lays in to the girl and Salmon could find no sympathy, not like what she could do for Lichentail. Her eyes just slightly narrow, shifting her weight. Her eyes wander back to the doe-pelted woman that she gave near no attention to prior to getting Cicadastar. She'd be beautiful, she was beautiful- if it wasn't for the kittypet mark that brightly hung around her neck, red. She tunes back in to the leaders verbal lashing.

And then he turns his head on her. She remains steadfast, bracing herself- "Of course, Cicadastar." comes a dip of her head as he asks her to bring the wayward apprentice back to camp.

"Robinpaw, to me. Now. We're leaving." her tone is curt, but it is not laced with anything else albeit being stern. Robinpaw would hopefully know better now than to disrespect her superiors, whether its in rank or age. She keeps her burning frustration under wraps, deep inside her chest. A glance over tells her that Ratpaw is infinitely more behaved, Salmon rudely finds herself glad she had not gotten Robinpaw. She can only imagine the embarrassment her mentor would feel when they find out. Her lip just slightly curls, her ears setting backwards. How foolish, to directly disobey Cicadastar, her mentor, make a fool out of Riverclan. She dips her head to the Skyclan patrol out of respect, and once Robin reaches her side, she flicks her tail for Rat to follow, and she'd be off.

₊˚.༄ info

• // back in and then back out, taking ratpaw & robinpaw with her | ic opinions of course <3
• 
  -> salmon ,, salmonshade
  -> cis female ,, she/her ,, 30 months
  -> warrior of riverclan ,, former marsh grouper
  -> fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with low white and blue eyes
  -> “speech, ff91a4” ,, thoughts
  -> lesbian ,, single
  -> smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  -> image by @wrendoings [ disc ]
  

​

 

[robinheart]

Robinpaw wishes the ground would open and swallow her whole so that she could escape the disapproving and piteous gazes cast her way from both sides - she wishes she could turn invisible to escape Cicadastar's anger and disapproval. She knows her leader to have a venomous bite; sharp words that penetrate her skin over and over again as he speaks. His questions are valid and his anger equally so. The ginger chested apprentice had made unwarranted assumptions and placed herself in jeopardy by disobeying his laws. Shame burns like lava in her belly as she whispers, "I'm sorry Cicadastar." Robinpaw knows not what else to say, only to apologize and to whisper a couple more times her apologies to her leader, her shoulders hunching with each second and ears laid flat against her head. She regrets sneaking out in the middle of the night. She regrets getting caught in a twoleg trap. She regrets assuming Cicadastar would not allow her back. She regrets that her actions had worried her clanmates. And she regrets bringing SkyClan into this as they had only shown her absolute kindness and now Cicadastar must apologize on her behalf for the trouble she caused.

Her punishment is received with an understanding nod and Robinpaw shakily rises to her paws to step over the border back into her rightful home. She lingers a moment as Blazestar gives her a gentle nudge and she offers the flame point ragdoll a watery smile. "Thank you for your hospitality, Blazestar," she says softly, biting back tears of guilt over dragging the SkyClan leader and deputy into this ordeal, even if they claimed there was no harm done. It still feels shameful to allow her fears to get the best of her and to be punished harshly by her leader in front of others. Part of the apprentice wished Cicadastar had turned her away so that she would face a lesser punishment from a warmer leader - but that would be a cowardly thing to wish and she immediately pushes the thought from her mind. RiverClan is where she needed to be, not SkyClan.

Robinpaw fully enters RiverClan's territory and trudges to Salmonshade's side, citrine eyes downcast as she heeds the warrior's instruction. Returning to camp will not be pleasant but Robinpaw knows she must obey and try and make up for her wrongdoings.