THROUGH THE COLD 〘 WATCHING 〙ˊˎ﹤

[SUNSTAR]

Despite the dangers that lingered below, the gorge has become a strange comfort for Sunstride. The roaring of it reminds him of home, he might say– or perhaps it is simply loud enough to clear the thoughts from his head. Little else does. There are those who are capable of it, but he finds himself....drawn to this place instead. Whether it is to save his dear friend the inconvenience of his presence, or some love of agonizing solitude written in his very bones, it is here that he rests his wearied mind and body. His paws have made an indent to the mud from where he stood. Usually there was nothing here. A distant RiverClan patrol, or a bird's flight across the depths, each rarer than the moments of peace. It was something that he had grown to take advantage of.

And it has changed. He sits at this same edge before the water, a safe distance back, and he watches as the faces of their bordering clan come and go. Specks, colored and vibrant and far enough that he does not know their names. There have been more of them as of late, trekking in and out of their little woodland. Whatever they do there, he cannot say. There is one pair that seems to find themselves on this border more often than not. An energetic youth, their paws taking a hop-skip-leap after their mentor's purposeful stride. A bright, gleaming pelt, and a tail happily curled. In a way that he cannot find a reason for, Sunstride's heart begins to ache. His own tail ticks quietly behind him. How strange it is, to see them as more than enemies on a battlefield. A familiar feeling, but one he has never learned to enjoy.

﹥ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〙ˊˎ﹤

• ooc: —
• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, uses he - him. thirty-four moons old. warrior of windclan and former rogue.
  —— cautious of clan life, but an apt learner. encourages close bonds between clanmates.
  —— loyalty uncertain, cares for those surrounding him. undoubtedly closest to wolfsong.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red at its base and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.
• "speech"

​

 

[Azaleafrost]

The gorge was a loud, scary beast. The way it roared with it's rapids and rocks jutting from the water like teeth ready to catch an unfortunate victim. She was never one to approach anyone first, but Sunstride seemed to lack the stick up his butt that most others had.

So she approached, preferring to stay a little further away from the gorge than he did, and because she wasn't sure he would appreciate her near him anyway.

"Do you think the gorge will ever calm down?" She asked. All she knew was this leafbare, and the blizzard that had happened had caused the river to swell when it melted, which turned the gorge into this vicious beast.

Was it always like this, or did it calm down? She was only 3 moons, she didn't know. She hardly knew the warmth of the sun.
​

 

[LAMBCURL.]

With the nature of his work, the gorge was not a place he saw often. When the excuse presented itself– it was not an offer he would turn down. When your world had so far only been flat land, indoors or out, would it not surprise you to see a drop so stark? Sudden fissure in the earth, full of churning waters. More, now than ever, they raged. It almost made the threat of a drop more inviting, higher waves to cushion a fall, though, it would be anything but. Any moor cat would surely drown. And yet, they all sit by, nonetheless.

"It was not like this before," he mews. Maybe the apprentice knew that. He wasn't sure how old she was. By the time she'd been free from camp's confines, perhaps the snowmelt had already started. Subtly, he glances to Sunstride. Perhaps he had his own theories, and anything, he would be happy to hear. The waters can't be angry forever, he thinks, but perhaps he is wrong. He is no stranger to wrongness, but he would always does his best.

And there are fogged shapes past the crevice. River cats, their neighbors. Lambcurl acknowledged them as little more than that. He wonders what it is like over there. Not like he would ever leave the comforting watch of the stars, but it was a thought, though fleeting. Sunstride too, seemed to mull it over in his head. If not that, then something else. He could not read thoughts, and he would not pry.

He wonders if even the river cats could swim in these waters. "Do they like it here?"​

 

[SUNSTAR]

He looks first to Azaleapaw, one brow arched in quiet contemplation, but it is Lambcurl's words that first break the question's surface. He nods along to it, a vague and distant haze to his eyes as he turns between them and the water both. "Once the melt has faded from its mind, it will be calmer again– but you should not trust the edge, just in case." With a wry smile, he nods to an edge that begins to crumble, a clump of it clinging only to the dry roots of moorland grass. "The time may come to force us closer, but for now, few dare come as close as we. For good reason." Though the waters have chased worries of his duties from his mind, Sunstride cannot say that he is entirely absent of them now, with this interruption. Then again, it is not life as one of Sootstar's most trusted warriors that has him eager to protect this young life. He moves to an angle as if he might intercept her, should she dare walk a little closer.

Lamb does not have quite the same unease, he thinks. Though the tom is difficult to read, an uncomfortable enigma amidst a pawful of slightly less uncomfortable enigmas, he can assume that much from the ease with which he speaks. There is no trouble to his words. "They must, to walk so close. There are more of them now than I have seen before. Perhaps the gorge holds something they need, in these trying times." What they might find near this deadly age, he cannot say. Sunstride's fleeting gaze invites their own theories as well.

﹥ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〙ˊˎ﹤

• ooc: —
• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, uses he - him. thirty-four moons old. warrior of windclan and former rogue.
  —— cautious of clan life, but an apt learner. encourages close bonds between clanmates.
  —— loyalty uncertain, cares for those surrounding him. undoubtedly closest to wolfsong.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red at its base and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.
• "speech"

​

 

[icebreath]

TAGS — Icepaw generally takes care to avoid their borders; unfamiliar danger lurks around every tree and shrub, atop every thunderpath, or beneath every cliff in this case. Even if she could swim, there'd be no hope for her if she slipped and fell into the river's raging depths. She's grateful that her line of work generally keeps her away from the moorland's outskirts, save for the occasional border patrol she's selected for during particularly desperate situations. Though the tunnels present their own dangers, at least they know the terrain, exactly what might be down there, and how to handle it. The neighboring clans, on the other hand, are a mystery. They prefer keeping it that way, especially after their somewhat troubling conversation with Snailpaw. 'They're like us,' he'd remarked. Icepaw had swiftly brushed past the subject. Like Sunstride, it's a feeling she doesn't like entertaining. Empathy. Not toward enemies, anyway. They don't deserve it, would never afford it to WindClan in turn.

Despite everything, curiosity grips her when she pops her head out of a burrow to get her bearings and catches sight of the small gathering. She simply watches them for a moment as she debates going back to her navigation practice, but Sunstride's comment further piques her interest. Exhaling sharply through their nose, they duck back down to tell their tunneling companions they'll be back soon and just want to check something before slinking out onto the grass, squinting against the bright sunlight. "Like what?" she asks as if Sunstride might have some kind of answer, far more interested in the gorge's mysteries than RiverClan's well-being. It's a difficult question, one she can't fathom a solution to, but she's always placed a lot of trust in her superiors' knowledge. Especially Sunstride, such a worldly tom. After a moment, she offers a dip of her head to the warriors, remembering herself. Though Azaleapaw is afforded a glance, it's one of detached cordiality rather than anything friendly.
​

 

[Firefang]

The roaring of the gorge was the reminder of just how close death could be; it's a pawstep away and would swallow her up before she had the chance to get to higher ground all it took was one slip. Like it or not she'd have to live with it and try to avoid it exactly what she does with the gorge and the turbulent waters that swathe in it's depths; she fears it like any sane cat would. Yet still found herself walking near it's edge time and time again. Such was the life of a Windclanner, there would never be a moon she wouldn't experience the hardships of the wild, she'd known it even before Wisteriapaw had passed or the slaughter of Sunsetbreeze in the rage of battle. It didn't mean she wanted to face her end but she can't say she's afraid of it, naively she still doubts her own paws are capable of slipping but regardless the roaring waters of the river Styx have yet to call for her.

She'd been out hunting with some other clanmates before splitting off to favor her chances alone only to still find nothing, she comes here for a respite and not unlike Sunstride to watch the frost soaked territory they shared the gorge with. Seeing those fish eating fat little smelly otters disguised as cats always made her feel better about herself, least she didn't have to choke on the taste of scales to survive. She hadn't gotten lucky enough to find anyone to waste her time insulting, instead she finds a small gathering around Sunstride composed of two freaks and Icepaw. It's them that brings her over, tail twitching a harsh glare settling on Azaleapaw as she comes to a stop besides Icepaw. With Sunstride here it wasn't a smart idea to snap anything too obvious at the kittypet, she doesn't know if he's as soft on her as his pale furred companion but she doesn't risk earning the lead warriors ire. It wasn't worth it and well, her ears had caught something interesting he'd caught wind of.

More of them then he's used to seeing. She doubts they'd truly grown bigger as a clan so it must mean instead of having more to send out on patrols to their least useful border they must be scouring over here for a reason. She cannot comprehend what exactly much like Icepaw. She shrugs saying what has always been apparent to her ❝I mean can't rationalize the insanity of cats who think swimmin' is enjoyable❞ she chuckles stealing a brief glance at Icepaw as if to see if they'd find her funny as well.​

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