SPINNING OUT WAITING FOR YOU — frozen river

[DEWCLOUD]

“ Wait for me! “

White paws bound forward across a fresh blanket of snow as the silver tom moves to catch up with the rest of his group. Someone somewhere trusts him enough to join in on a patrol along the river’s edge today, which is more than they have as of late. It doesn’t mean to say the cats he’s among do, though, as he finds himself straggling behind the group more often than not.

Dewcloud still moves to catch up through the snow’s fall, still aims to be a part of this patrol — to make good impressions, which is something the tom truly needs to do, these days.

“ Wait for — “ the tom aims another call toward the group, but it is cut off by a sharp yelp in surprise. A paw missteps in his effort, finding the frozen river’s edge hidden under trackless snow. It slips from beneath him, casting his form to the side. An ungraceful twist fails in sending him back toward land, and the storm cloud’s spin ends in the center of the river’s depths instead, limbs sprawled beneath him.

Hunkered down, the wide-eyed tom scrambles to stand, only for paws to slip once more, a cracking noise ringing him. He’s stuck. Dewcloud can swim, sort of, but never has he dealt with this — with ice beneath his feet, hardly waiting to break away.

Lazuline eyes dart upward, searching the river bank for the patrol he’d sought to catch up with only moments before. Surely they hadn’t left him behind, right? Though the thought of there being an audience to his blunder makes his pelt hot with embarrassment, he thinks he can see some forms through falling snow.

“ Help..? “ he calls out with a sheepish smile spread across his face. ​

✦ ABOUT

• // PROMPT: A brisk walk turns disastrous when Dewcloud's paw slips and they go tumbling across the ice, sliding to the center. Are they able to get back to land? Is it worth trying to stand when the ice may crack with the slightest weight?
• 

  DEW ‣ DEWCLOUD
  ── Warrior of RiverClan
  
  ── ??? x ???
  ── AMAB; He/Him
  ── A gray tabby and white tom with blue eyes.
  ── Mentored by the Ripple Colony
  ── "Speech"; Attack​

​

 

[otterbite]

Keeping one's paws moving helped with the cold, he was told. The slower the speed the slower the blood moved until eventually the body stopped completely and the cold would quickly swoop its claim. That's what happened to Reedbite, at least. Otterpaw wouldn't let himself freeze, he would be stronger, better, than the frozen scape and see new-leaf.

The morning was especially nippy, his paw pads burned every time they met the frostbitten soil as they padded down the frozen bank. In an effort to keep the chill away he kept his ears flat and head down, hoping the wind wouldn't get worse further in the day. He hardly heard Dewcloud over his own head, focused on keeping up with the heels ahead of him.

A few come to a sudden stop and Otterpaw's snout almost clashed into the patrol lead, catching himself at the last second.

"Looks like he's stuck out there." Someone said, answering the bitter question on his tongue. He whipped around to see Dewcloud struggling to stand upright on the ice. How did he get all the way out there?

"Well who's going to help him?" The apprentice sneered, opting out of making it his problem.​

RIVERCLAN APPRENTICE ✦ BLUE-BLACK CHIMERA ✦ 9 MOONS ✦ TAGS​

 

[Bounceheart]

✧ ✧ (=˃ᆺ˂=) Let it be known energy was their namesake, so it only made sense for them to pick up pace with the rest of the patrol. Territory flew by in a blur of white-on-brown. Bounceheart was quick on their paws and kept speed until uneasiness washed over them. Realization of where they were flooded in with familiar trees and scents and they stopped before the river's edge.

She looks back, expecting to be slammed into but instead catching another white blur fly by - white and grey, and definitely a cat.

They glance to Dewcloud, then Otterpaw and back. If that apprentice didn't hurry up and do someone some good - no matter. She knows hopping onto the ice to save him will do no good.
"You have to crawl back, if you stand the ice will break." They motion to the slim cracks already forming around him from the impact.
Instead of standing around and nervously waiting for him to fall in, she searches the ground for a stick. White paws plunge into the snow. Twigs are tossed aside until she ducks her head under and emerges with what once was a branch. Now, it is a bit broken, but will suffice. She will use it to pull him in if the ice gives. They turn back to see what Dewcloud has done for his situation.​

 

[Redpath]

Ice was a pain. why did it have to be so slippery? Who gave it the right? Redpath didn't know, and so she cursed an unknown entity. She makes sure to tread carefully along the snow, keeping in mind where the ice started. Her paws were freezing by now and she just wanted this patrol to be over with so she could go home and tuck them under her to warm them up. She raises her head and pricks her ears as she hears Dewcloud calling for the patrol to wait and by the time she looks behind her, he's slipping across the ice.

Oh dear.

"Dewcloud! You have to be more careful around the ice!" She calls to him, though not angrily. She scolds him in a worrying way as Bounceheart comes back with a branch. She waits to see what Dewcloud will choose to do, but she crouches in preparation to rescue him if the worst comes to pass.

"And step lightly!" She tacks on to Bounceheart's advice.​

 

[DEWCLOUD]

In all honesty, Dewcloud is surprised when others stop for him. After everything that’s happened as of late surrounding the Ripple Colony’s cats, he’d partially expected otherwise — to be stuck upon the ice, left to figure out his own way back home. The overcast tom looks ashore at the patrol mates that have stopped for him, eyes wide, ears flattened against his head.

He’ll have to crawl, one says. “ Crawl? “ His eyes dart to the ice in front of him, assessing the distance he’ll have to push himself forward. His gaze shifts back to the cats ahead of him. The new arrival of a stick between Bounceheart’s teeth fuels his unease further. “ Are you sure? “

Redpath tells him he has to be more careful, and a sharp huff of air escapes his maw. Would this have happened, if the patrol hadn’t left him behind? He doesn’t think so. Still, Redpath tells him to step lightly, and Dewcloud nods his head. He’ll have to move forward at some point, have to get off this ice before it decides to take care of the problem itself.

Carefully, he moves a paw out from under his crouched form, placing it on the ice in front of him. He tests its strength, braces for it to crack beneath the pressure of his step. When it doesn’t, he puts another forward, and then another. Slowly but surely, the tom finds confidence in his crawl and picks up the pace of it. Soon he’ll be back to shore and —

Crack!

The ice fractures beneath his paw’s weight, a frosted foot submerging into the water. Lazuline eyes grow wide at the noise and he shifts his weight to pull his paw upwards. A foolish move, for the cracking noise only continues until crystalized water shatters beneath him and he is pulled into the river’s chill. “ The stick! “ he shouts in alarm, gasping at the shock of cold to his system. “ Give me the stick! ”

It doesn’t matter that he could probably swim the rest of the way back, that he's so close to land already. He wants that stick, wants to get back on shore now. ​

✦ ABOUT

• 

  DEW ‣ DEWCLOUD
  ── Warrior of RiverClan
  
  ── ??? x ???
  ── AMAB; He/Him
  ── A gray tabby and white tom with blue eyes.
  ── Mentored by the Ripple Colony
  ── "Speech"; Attack​

​