border Sunken Solace // Border Bath

[Nereus]

Nereus yawned and looked around, lethargically recovering from existing in the early morning. He looked down and realized he had woken in a space between two houses. It was bright outside and the sun seemed to be up, so he walked out of the shade of the roofs and found shiny spot to get his bearings for a second. Staring ahead, the large cat would listen to the sound of the wind as he watched what small bit of the forest he could see through the space between two other houses.

The forest around the Twolegplace hadn't quite been his concern as a kittypet. Nereus had heard tales of the wildcats that lived in the forest and took them in mind, not quite spooked by the idea as some others he had spoken to in the prior 22 moons. It was probably pretty reasonable to eke out a living in the forest should one know how to hunt and find a place to sleep. Anyway, though it was interesting to hypothesize how he would handle being wild, he had his own life far from such a situation and ceased any further worrying about it for the moment.

Now that he was on his own it occured to him that he was totally free to go on by and look for the mysterious clan cats. The idea of being able to prove or disprove such a mystery appealed to him and he suddenly felt a rather potent boredom come over him. Standing up and shaking out from his spot on the concrete in order to wake himself up, he grimaced. Keenly missing the heat afforded by the stone but figuring he now had something better to do than bask, Nereus trekked out just beyond the twolegplace and only stopped walking when he reached the foot of the forest.

The scene, suffice to say it, was not exactly surprising. He hadn't expected a bunch of wild cats to be generous as to their location. A nicer surprise a bit further forward, however, was the sound of running water. He hadn't realized there was a river so close to the twolegplace! He hadn't smelled any other cats in the area so despite his knowledge that all wildcats were rumored to keep territory like many mean loners purportedly did, he hopped into the river and gasped a bit before starting to try and float, the cold of the water a shock that sharpened his vision and sobered him from the last vestiges of sleep.

Noticing bubbles in the river a little ways away and swimming over to the side to get a better view of the surface of the water, Nereus figured out something interesting, a bit saddening, and unnerving. There were fish in this river, which meant it was potentially a source of food. It also reminded him of his former owner, which was not exactly someone he felt would be helpful to remember as of right now, so he pushed those thoughts to the side like all the others. Finally, Nereus focused on the most important part of it all: Once again, you idiot, cats live in the forest.

he simply hoped it wasn't too late to leave as he swam back to shore, perhaps a liiiiittle less quietly than he could have.

 

[MIDNIGHTASH]

જ➶ Finally able to return to camp was a stress release. No longer did she have tense shoulders and feel like she needed to look over her shoulder. After all the clan had been displaced which technically if known could have been a weakness. But what fool clan would attention to cross floodwaters away. The molly is still slightly unnerved by some of the comments that were said after she had decided to take Splashdance as her mate. The word mate buzzes in her head but she pushes it aside, glancing to her counterpart as they tread near the water's edge. The water had receded quite a bit and she looks to the other warrior then. "We should at least be able to gather enough fish to start a good sized pile now." Though her tone slowly changes as she heads all the commotion and she looks @splashdance then. A pause in her steps as her ears pull forward in sudden alertness. With a carefulness she continues forward.

The flame stained woman emerges from the reeds and ragged grasses to spot the stranger, swimming noisyily toward the shoreline. Narrowed and venomous ambers lock on them and she flicks her tail. Brushing it against Splashdance before she fully leaves cover of the reeds. "Who are you and what are you doing in our river?" Her voice is a snap, sharp and aggressive. She has little want to be nice to someone who is a stranger here. They don't belong as far as she is concerned and with the recent rogue attack the woman is not taking any chances.​

 

[CRAGPAW]

// mentor tag @FERNGILL

Cragpaw pads along the riverbank, the familiar scents of water and damp stone filling his senses as he keeps an eye out for prey. His mentor is just ahead, probably keeping his attention on the river that's louder than usual today, still swollen from recent rains.

Suddenly, his ears prick at the sound of splashing, far too noisy to be a fish. He glances at Ferngill, deciding to stay close to him in case there's danger. The young tom follows him through the reeds until they both spot the source of the disturbance. A large tom, soaked from head to tail, was swimming - no, more like flailing - toward the riverbank. He reeked of Twolegplace, and Cragpaw's fur bristles. Kittypet. But what was a kittypet doing so deep in RiverClan territory?

Before the apprentice can open his mouth to ask, a sharp voice cuts through the air. Midnightash and Splashdance emerge from the undergrowth, the former's amber eyes blazing with fury as she confronts the stranger. Who are you and what are you doing in our river? She'd snapped, and Cragpaw notes the angry lashing of her tail. He stays a pace behind Ferngill, his mismatched eyes wide as he takes in the scene. He'd never seen a kittypet before - well, besides those camper cats - and certainly has never seen one swimming in their river. His paws itch to leap forward, to help chase this trespasser out, but he knows better than to act without his mentor's command. Still, he can't help but step forward, his gaze fixed on the intruder.

"You shouldn't be here, kittypet!" He calls, his voice betraying his nervousness at seeing real action. It's thrilling. The tom doesn't look particularly dangerous, though - just lost, confused, and out of place. But that doesn't matter. They have to protect their borders! Cragpaw's claws unsheathe, digging into the soft ground as he waits for Ferngill to make the next move. Whatever happens, he's ready.
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[splashdance]

Her tail slips down Midnightash's side as the two take their short walk alongside the river, her gaze focused on the receding waterline as it laps at their paws. Her mate (an odd, stabbing word,) prattles on about the ease of fishing now that the flood waters are almost gone. A stockpile of sorts will be made. It is a brief thought of Splashdance's, first as she wonders if the waters here will freeze like they did in the marsh. Second it is the mere fact that RiverClan cats are able to stockpile at all, whilst all she could remember of ShadowClan was apparent ribs and deep set, sunken eyes.

She dismisses the thoughts when she hears splashing, following her mate (stab) quickly down the way.

They find the intruder trying their best to tred water, and not far from them, Ferngill and his apprentice. Midnightash lights sparks off of her tongue as she challenges the stranger, and Cragpaw, though young, shouts too. Splashdance narrows her eyes but stands stationed at the shoreline, a sentry of broad shouldered defense should the housepet decide he would prefer scrapping to swimming. She yields to her mate (an imperceptible cringe) and the lead warrior that joins them but holds her gaze to the tom nonetheless.
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[Nereus]

Nereus sighed as his ears registered another cat. Nobody in his view, though, which meant they were likely from the other side of the river. Momentarily ignoring the molly's sharp words in favor of getting to the shore, he would reach the riverbank and lug his three foot long body all the way out and back on to dry land. Now utterly inundated with water, Nereus could not help but imagine he made for quite the funny sight. However, dignity was far less prevalent in the front of his mind than getting the chance to speak to an urban legend survival.

"I am Nereus. New to the loner life, surely, but getting along…" The chime of his voice darkened a little as he appeared to contemplate something. "…Fine. As for what, that answer's similarly brief. I was looking for the mythical wildcats and heard a river. Water is fun for me, so I decided to do a little swimming," He explained in a slightly gruffer tone of voice. "Mission accomplished, which is nice I suppose. You do not seem in the mood to chat, though."

This sentence had no snark behind it, for such an observation was just that: An observation. Quickly though, it became clear that the situation was not one that favored him, for the other wildcats quickly approaching were not exactly subtle about their approach. In fact, the pragmatic Maine Coon suspected that may have been the point. "More of you? That's interesting. I'll reiterate, for those new to the conversation, that I don't mean any trouble. In fact, this is just kind of exciting, as insane as that sounds."

His gaze turned to the shouting Cragpaw and his eyes narrowed, decidedly unimpressed by the smaller cat's attempt at intimidation. "Your bravery is admirable but not quite necessary. Your voice also shakes, though, which is unique. Are you some kind of almost-wildcat?" A long time ago his owner had told him about some society that had a system that treated people differently based on their status. That sort of bias seemed essentially human, though, so that was likely not the case here.

Satisfied he had explained himself, he turned back to the bigger cats. "What exactly are you? How does your whole…system work?"

 

[CRAGPAW]

Cragpaw watches with growing frustration as the enormous tom, Nereus, lumbers out of the river, water streaming off his long fur. The nerve of this kittypet - this loner - trespassing and then casually explaining himself as if it was all some kind of game. The apprentice's fur bristles, and his tail flicks in annoyance when the stranger dismisses his warning, even calling out his shaking voice. He bristles more as the tom turns back to the warriors curiously, completely brushing his challenge off with a cool indifference. "Almost wildcat?" He mutters under his breath, feeling the sting of Nereus's words. His claws knead the soft ground again, the urge to defend his pride rising. He steps forward more boldly now, straightening his posture despite the tremble that betrays his inexperience.

"You're in our territory," He says louder, ignoring the way his paws still shake slightly. "It doesn't matter if you mean trouble or not. This isn't Twolegplace where you can wander wherever you want." His eyes narrow and his head lowers, trying to mimic the intimidating stance he's seen Ferngill and Iciclefang use in past patrols. "We're RiverClan, and we don't take kindly to trespassers."

His gaze flicks to his uncle, silently hoping for some backup, but he doesn't want to look like he's relying on his mentor to solve this. He has to prove himself. "Unless you're ready to fight every cat here, I suggest you turn around and go back to wherever you belong." He bares his teeth, his growl rising in his throat as his tail lashes behind him.
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