THE WORLD OUTSIDE — intro

[TIDEFROST]

Tide showed up here by chance.

Though he would never grow tired of living on the docks, the black smoke did find curiosity on what was beyond them. So, Tide did what he knew how to do best: follow the water.

He'd been following the stream for a while, when the smell of other felines crossed his path. Though he'd come across a loner or two in his travels, this smell was stronger than just one or two cats. No, it seemed as though many cats lived around these parts.

And stars, was Tide surprised to find family living among them! Caraway was here! Though, they went by Willowroot now - an odd scramble of a name that Tide didn't understand at first, but quickly learned that was just how cats around here - in RiverClan, as he was very quickly informed this was RiverClan territory he'd stumbled upon - liked to name themselves. Something about it being an honor to the stars? Something like that?

Tide wasn't sure, but he didn't mind one bit - he'd been reunited with family! Willowroot was here, and sure enough, so were others!

With the reunion came his own joining into RiverClan's ranks. Though, his admission into the clan came with sacrifices. If he were to live here, he had to remove his collar - a light blue ribbon of a collar that his former twolegs had gifted him, the last piece he had of them. Though it was sad, Tide knew his time with them and the showboat was over, that his home was with RiverClan now.

But, Tide thinks he's settling in quite well.

He lays along the riverbed, frost-blue eyes taking in the sight of the camp's territory as he eats his meal. The territory is beautiful, and Tide is so very glad he stayed, that he stumbled across RiverClan's home. He can see why Willowroot lived here, why Coast had arrived too.

The tom hears pawsteps nearing him and looks up, eyes brightening at the feline who's decided to come near him.

"Oh, hello!" he greets them with a bright, chipper tone. He sits up so he can face them properly - how rude of him to keep his back facing them, after all! "Care to share a meal?" He nudges the fish towards them, hoping they'll accept his offer.
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[LILYBLOOM.]

Lilybloom is behind on the life of her clan playing out around her. By her own admittance, she has been too focused on her duties as a new warrior, and what that entailed. It's still a bit of an adjustment for her, even after these past few weeks being a part of an official clan, still used to the informal titles that Rain's group had once used.

When the tortoiseshell sits next to Tide, she doesn't intend on speaking at first, though she greets the Tom cordially enough when she walks past him to sit down close by. So when Tide's bright, chipper tone calls out to her she is mildly surprised, but doesn't outright ignore him. "Hello," She returns his greeting, before adjusting her position so she can talk to him better. When he nudges the fish toward her, offering her the chance to share his meal, she hesitated briefly before deciding to join him. At any rate, it would save her searching for her own meal at least. It's a tasty fish and meal is made more enjoyable by the lovely view of the riverbed in front of them. "You're Willowroot's sibling aren't you?" Lilybloom asks after a moment, deciding to get to know the tom a little better whilst she was here.​

 

[Harry Styles]

【CLEARSIGHT】
riverclan warrior. 32 moons. tags

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The silver-blue tom brings his own catch back to camp, but drops it on the pile rather than settling down with it. A measure that'll matter more come leaf-bare, when there's less to go around, but these last few days...

It's been rough on all involved. The twolegs and their dens, their camp, their massive boxes; their little silver traps sprung all around the forest. Too many cats have had calls too close, have come home injured and shell-shocked. So Clearsight would rather make certain the pile stays stocked; one less thing for his clanmates to worry about.

"Mind if I join you two?" he asks when he catches sight of Lily and Tide. "I'm not too hungry--" a half-truth; he's too anxious to eat, anyway "--but I could use the company."

Should they oblige, he'll settle nearby, resting tired white-capped paws and drinking in the sunshine.

Tide has eased into clan life surprisingly well for a cat who arrived with a ribbon on his neck-- but then he's just as water-bound as his siblings, so maybe Clearsight should have expected that. That little group has a fascinating set of histories, and he won't lie, it's been fun to see them flesh out the clan's ranks with their quirks and their maritime pasts.

"How has Clan life been treating you?" he'll add to Lilybloom's inquiry. "Different than you're used to, I'm sure, but you seem to like it here."

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---

𝄞 — A DREAMER, A SOLDIER

 

[TIDEFROST]

It is Lillybloom that he passes the trout to - a tortoiseshell he doesn't know all too well, but, stars, does he know anyone all too well in this new home of his? Outside of his siblings, of course.

Speaking of them, the molly asks about Willowroot. His eyes light up over the mention of his sibling and he nods his head.

"Oh, yes! I'm Willowroot's brother. There's many of us. Coast is our sibling, too!" He scans the camp for any sign of the two - any sign of any other sibling that might have popped up in RiverClan - before looking back at Lillybloom. "You have many siblings too, don't you? Younger ones?" He recalls seeing the crop of kits around camp, at least.

And then Clearsight appears, asking to join in, but not wanting to share the meal.

"Well, if you decide you want a bite, feel free," he tells the warrior, motioning towards the fish with another nod of his head. The tom asks about how he's doing here and Tide takes a moment to think, to look around the camp once more before answering with a hum.

"I like it here," he tells him, inky tail wrapping around his paws. "It's not the sea, but it's close enough. Besides, it's nice to see my siblings again. It's been..." Tide pauses to think. How long has it been, since Willowroot caught their first mouse, since Coast caught theirs? They were gone before he caught his first, he knows that much.

"Seasons. It's been seasons." he finally says, "But, what about you lot? How do you like it here?" Surely they must like the home they've been settled into for far longer than he has, but, it doesn't hurt to ask, to spring up conversation about the rivered land they call home.
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[SMOGBREATH]

It's not often that he forces himself to interact with others. He has insecurity issues about his appearance but also its a struggle for him to be comfortable. Yet as soon as he notices some faces he recognizes the chocolate tom finds the courage to make his way over quietly. It is a trout that is being shared within the small group and though he is not hungry himself he feels obligated to at least take a bit. Maybe in a little while. He pauses as he looks for a place to settle and he finds one, shifting to lay down and curling his tail neatly against his body. The conversation has already begun and he perks his ears up, trying to keep the good side of his face visible. "Riverclan is definitely happy to have you here." He finds himself muttering gently as he moves amber eyes to look at the trout.

After a moment he has a thought but he also knows he should be respectful and answer the question first. "It's a good home and very safe I think. I'm happy I was able to be taken in honestly." He doesn't know if it was out of pity or not that he was allowed but he will take what he can get. "You...spoke about the sea. I don't know really what that means or is so can you explain? Only if you really have the time." He is curious about the sea and whatever it could be.

---

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[CLAYFUR]

Clayfur doesn’t often observe without speaking, without throwing himself headfirst into conversations like a kit seeing a pile of fallen leaves for the first time. But he’s caught up in his own head, fighting tangled thoughts that are trying to unravel and—he’s tired, to put it simply.

He’s barely got the energy to sit up, to drag himself from his nest and resign himself to a day of clanmate-watching from a couple fox-lengths away. Lilybloom seems to be getting along with a dark-furred tom, and it brings a smile to his face. Good for her, making friends with other warriors. He’s so proud of her in every situation, and especially when he sees her forming connections to others within RiverClan.

Clearsight is another RiverClanner who he keeps a close eye on—for strictly friendly purposes, he says to himself. And Smogbreath is interesting for entirely different reasons, one’s that center mostly around the mysterious air about him. Clay’s paws itch, like they’re preparing to march his body straight over to the group of cats, but surprisingly, he resists the urge. He doesn’t have anything to say right now, doesn’t know if he has the energy to engage in small talk with anyone before Clayfur has had a power nap.

They’re talking about the sea soon enough, though, thanks to Smogbreath’s question, and the umber-hued tabby finally perks up. Curiosity piqued, he trudges over to take a seat nearby. "Isn’t the sea just a big lake?" He chimes in, recalling Willowroot mentioning the sea a couple times before. He’d never given it much thought past his own interpretation, though, so he’s interested in hearing the other warrior’s description.
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[ WHAT'S MY AGE AGAIN? ]​

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[LILYBLOOM.]

It's not long until two becomes five, as more cats come over to join Lilybloom and Tide in their meal. And despite the sudden arrivals they are all welcomed warmly to sit with them.

In response to her earlier question, Tide confirms he is Willowroot's brother, and not the only one of his siblings either. When he asks after her own siblings she nods her head, an amused grin taking hold briefly. Even if he hadn't have known they were her siblings it would have been hard to miss the younger of Mudpelt and Icesparkle's children romping around the camp. Her ears prick with interest when he mentions that he likes it here and references the sea when he elaborates on his opinions a bit more. Lilybloom has heard stories about the sea before - mostly exaggerated tall tales from what she can gather - but the thought of such open and seemingly endless waters fills her with intrigue, and perhaps a little bit of dread too.

"I've always been fond of the water, so living here has been a good choice for me," Lilybloom mewed in response when Tide asks what they all think of their shared riverside home. "Before any of the clans properly existed we used to live in the forest surrounded by pine trees. Don't get me wrong, it was nice in the forest but there were far too many trees for my liking. And far too many cats who liked to climb them."

After her answer she goes quiet, waiting to see how he might respond to Smogbreath and Clayfur's questions about his home, eagerly waiting to lap up any information he might give them.​

 

[TIDEFROST]

The crowd before him soon doubles in size, and Tide is delighted - an audience! Oh, how nice it is to have one of those again!

One of his new audience members asks about the sea, and just what exactly the sea is. At first, the black smoke is shocked by Smogbreath's question - how could someone not know what the sea is?

But then he remembers how far the sea is from the river, how far he'd travelled before arriving here. And then, Lillybloom's words remind him that many of RiverClan's cats came from more forested areas. The very forests Tide could see in the distance, if he squinted.

"The sea is like..." he hums, thinking just of how to describe his first home, "Like a really big river that you can't see the sides of. There's just, water for ages. The twolegs, they build big, floating nests to get across it, so they don't have to swim, and it still takes 'em ages to get far in them." He thinks back to days - maybe even quarter moons? - in a row on water, how long it would be between his times on the docks.

Clayfur chimes in with his own description, and, yes! Tide likes that one better. He eagerly nods his head to the tom's words. "Or, a big lake! That makes more sense!"
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[CLAYFUR]

Lilybloom mentions her love of the water, and Clay’s brown nose wrinkles just a bit. He’s glad that his beloved niece enjoys the river territory, but he could have gone his entire life without ever being drenched in river water. It’s pretty gross, for one, and he can’t swim well enough to withstand its sometimes-unpredictable currents. But then Tide is speaking again, weaving the image of endless water, and the brown and white warrior resists a visible shudder.

But also… Nests? Birds’ nests don’t seem very sturdy, and he’d be surprised if they were able to hold the weight of even one twoleg. Much less across a lake as expansive as the sea. "How do the twolegs keep the water out of their nests?" He asks. The image of a twoleg in a giant, sinking nest flits through his mind, and he wards off an amused huff of breath.
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[ WHAT'S MY AGE AGAIN? ]​

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