private TO THE BLADE | lichentail

[salmonshade]

It's been a while since they've talked, well- not really, Salmon has exchanged words with Lichentail since both of them were released, but never a conversation... Never more than a few sentences. The urge to just talk has grown stronger day by day and it confuses her,

It's not like her to go out and seek company on purpose... But Lichentail, Snakeblink, they are her... Friends. She thinks. They're her friends, and she shouldn't be afraid of talking to them, right? Right? Despite all of this, preparing herself to seek out the aforementioned cat drove her mad with anxiety, so much so that her approach is absolutely terrible.

Salmon weaves through camp, searching for a familiar blue point. Once she spots her, its on, paws driving her right to Lichentail. She stops, awkwardly, before she opens her mouth. "Lichentail. Hunt? I mean-" mouse-dung, she sounds like an idiot. "Would you be free to go on a hunt with me? If you are busy... Perhaps another time?" because asking for a walk sounded... too... Casual? Or maybe, too heavy. As if she had something dire to tell Lichen, but she didn't- she just.. craved company. Something she has never had happen. Salmon waits with baited breath, anxiety swirling in her stomach because she knows this sounds weird coming from her. Hopefully Lichentail felt well enough to leave camp today, as well, something that hadn't even graced her thoughts... After all, Lichen had been practically shredded, and despite being released from the medicine den, Salmon wouldn't blame them for not wanting to go out.

₊˚.༄ info

• @lichentail
• 
  ❥ salmon ,, salmonshade
  ❥ cis female ,, she/her ,, 37 months
  ❥ warrior of riverclan ,, former marsh grouper
  ❥ fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with white, blue eyes
  ❥ "speech, ff91a4" ,, thoughts
  ❥ lesbian ,, single
  ❥ smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  ❥ chibi by pin

​

 

[lichenstar]

✦　˚ 　✧ ˚　.˚　✦ 　✦

CLAIM THE BURIAL I SEEK IN DREAMS FLOWING RIVER CEMETARY ✧

• Several months had changed the shape of her priorities... they are carved in careful sections, some overlapping in awkward ways that conflict in tangential lines. It had started with a blooming swirl of affection and relief, a crashing, rushing tide of tearful joy and intoxicating love... had dappled lines around its edges where fevered panic had fragmented with bouts of eager excitement. The lines drew thicker where responsibilities became stacked, heaviest... the mantle of deputy and foolish mother all the same.
  
  It is luck then, that the canyon of time has moved with fewer sharp curves than previous to this moment- if the worst it had been was a few scores of sharpened knives dragged across her throat, she'd pay that price again for the calm that washed in gentle waves over them now.
  
  Perhaps it was Hazecloud's influence that she felt it more sincerely now... like a pebble slid into a space it had always been destined to settle into at the bed of the river. Nestled comfortably with clan-mates on all sides to bolster her. Friendship did not feel quite so foreign, though they are not suddenly easier to form; not when death loomed so hungrily in every shadow. Hearing her name felt less and less like a call for execution, less like a burden... So when Salmonshade breathes it in typical, awkward fashion, she turns with a tired smile to greet her.
  
  "Good morning," is said in gravelly tones akin to rocks grinding gently under-paw and she only barely manages to refrain from a purred laugh as the caramel-cream molly stumbles to properly ask for her assistance. The lynx point bows her head in a silent 'yes', brushing past her with the tiniest touch of her tail against tensed shoulders-
  
  "I've got... plenty of time..."
  
  It is new-leaf... worries seem much further away now.
• about
  speech hex code ✧ #6368A5
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[salmonshade]

Blue eyes search, a little more prying than she means to until Lichen dips her head. Her breath hitches in her chest and she doesn't know why, nearly blanking when Lichen just brushes her tail against her shoulder. Her gaze follows, watches every step as if the tiniest thing could indicate any other answer. Nothing happens. Lichentail just says she has plenty of time and sets off, and Salmonshade is quick to hurry after, following behind much like she would a patrol.

"Right. I figured near the bridge would be a good place, with Windclans leader being replaced..." they'd be less of a threat and more like a nuisance, at this point. She reckons its too early in Sunstars reign to figure out if he's just as pushy, just as tyrannical as the one he succeeded... Though what does she know, Salmonshade doesn't pay much attention to outer clan politics. Except for Sunningrocks.

That, she knows for a fact, will be Riverclans once more. One day, at least...

"... How are the kittens fairing?" there is a long pause before she speaks, her nose just barely scrunching. She has not forgotten the fact that Lichentail had assigned her nursery duty, but she does not speak much of it besides a simple, "They are quite the pawful..." its a small quip and she flicks the tip of her tail when she remembers what Twinklekit had said. The nerve... Her breath didn't stink, in fact, Salmon takes much better care of herself than most of the warriors...

She feels the squeezing anxiety in her chest ease just a little bit as the breeze rustles past the pair. The sun is still shining, I am not dead... It was not that hard to ask, but it is still a concept she grapples to understand. Perhaps one day it will click.

"How are you fairing?" she asks, suddenly, expectantly. She realizes her mistake quite quickly. "How are you... feeling?" she rephrases, her voice softer now. She leaves it open ended. If Lichen chose not to respond, she would not push it.

₊˚.༄ info

• 
  ❥ salmon ,, salmonshade
  ❥ cis female ,, she/her ,, 37 months
  ❥ warrior of riverclan ,, former marsh grouper
  ❥ fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with white, blue eyes
  ❥ "speech, ff91a4" ,, thoughts
  ❥ lesbian ,, single
  ❥ smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  ❥ chibi by pin

​

 

[lichenstar]

✦　˚ 　✧ ˚　.˚　✦ 　✦

CLAIM THE BURIAL I SEEK IN DREAMS FLOWING RIVER CEMETARY ✧

• WindClan's border isn't one she particularly favors... a tattered ear seems to twitch in agreement, a reminder of a ghostly pale pelt slinking from the dark to steal it like a trophy. But... it'd also been that bridge where she'd proven to Cicadastar her merit as a lead warrior, had started her path towards the present with blood-soaked paws. If she could just get the sticky sensation to get off.. if they could feel clean again... Salmonshade mentions Sunstar, in a sort of roundabout way and the deputy nods. "I'm hopeful... he'll do better," she says carefully, though there is a healthy amount of skepticism there. He'd been willing to make excuses on her behalf... fear was not a strong enough excuse for that.
  
  The ambient pace they take through the territory is pleasant.. she can enjoy the feeling of the new-leaf sun on her back, listen to the shuffling of the reeds as they sway in gentle breezes. Can take pleasure in the quiet company of a dandelion-dusted friend. Her gaze slides tiredly towards the other she-cat, an amusement dancing in salt-water blues as the conversation trails towards her children. This was an unfortunate, often discussion... maybe parenthood meant losing your identity to the title of mother a little. "They can be... but they're happy. Healthy... It's all I can ask for," she responds, curling a bent tail over her back like a flag of her joy.
  
  The air is stifling with the amount of pollen that flutters by, enough so that it makes her wheeze to draw in the dust-clouded breeze. It tickles.. almost burns, and she lets out a small, uncomfortable cough to clear the sensation. The question is abrupt, but not unfounded and she assumes the first time, it's meant to inquire if she has a cold- "Just... spring-time," she explains simply, trying to dismiss the concern before it is rephrased. Before it makes more sense what the actual inquiry is.
  
  "I'm... tired," the admission tastes like guilt, to shove that knowledge onto someone else when she could just grin and bear it. "Praying that... there is no more grief... for awhile." She couldn't say everyone who had died had been a close friend but their absences are still so painfully noticeable. She cannot call for them to do patrols... Cannot smell them in passing when wandering through the warrior's den towards its center. "Are you... feeling better? About Moonpaw... about everything?"
• about
  speech hex code ✧ #6368A5
  ooc notes ✦
  tagging ✶
  penned by tieirlys
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[salmonshade]

"He better." she quips, tail flicking. "He does not have much wiggle room to mess up." especially when all of the clans in the forest have their eyes on Windclan, staring, waiting to see how they turn out. And Stars forbid if he's just Sootstar the Second...

Salmon glances over as Lichen talks about the kittens. She finds, in amusement, the other curling her tail over her back. "Thats good." she murmurs gently. Salmon doesn't have much to add to this topic... I think, if I ever have one... She scrunches her nose at the thought, but she lets it go on. I'd want to name one... Swankit. Oh, no, maybe the kittens are growing on her?! Impossible...

Salmon has never wanted to be a mother and she would not start now.

I'm tired, Lichen says. I bet, is left unsaid as Salmon hums an acknowledgement. "Yeah... One can only assume," she looks back. "How much you've gone through. I don't blame you." Salmon does not know the extent of it, there are struggles everyone keeps under wraps. Lichen moves on. "Right. No loss will make green-leaf go by smoother." she agrees with a click of her tongue against the roof of her mouth, chocolate ear flicking in idle thought.

Are you feeling better, about Moonpaw, about everything- "I'm fine." its curt and cut straight despite the familiar sting that settles in her chest at the very mention of that name. Perhaps if she says it enough she'll convince herself, too. "I'm just... happy. Happy that shes happy. That she found her... calling." she still thinks of it as a punishment from Starclan, Moonpaw seems happier now, anyways. A long breath leaves her nose as she feels pressure begin to build in her head.

Briefly she wonders if she'll be getting another apprentice in the next few moons. Riverclan has a bit too many kittens, now, after all... Perhaps i'll fail this one, too? Briefly does she frown, and then its gone like a dandelion in the wind.

"The river is warm, and the fishing has been well. I think thats all we can ask for." she draws back, desperate to change the topic. "And hopefully no drama in the coming moons..."

₊˚.༄ info

• 
  ❥ salmon ,, salmonshade
  ❥ cis female ,, she/her ,, 37 months
  ❥ warrior of riverclan ,, former marsh grouper
  ❥ fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with white, blue eyes
  ❥ "speech, ff91a4" ,, thoughts
  ❥ lesbian ,, single
  ❥ smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  ❥ chibi by pin

​

 

[lichenstar]

✦　˚ 　✧ ˚　.˚　✦ 　✦

CLAIM THE BURIAL I SEEK IN DREAMS FLOWING RIVER CEMETARY ✧

• Her lack of patience is a mirror reflection of their own... Sunstar's leash is terribly short and it is bound carefully in barbs- she hopes they dig at his neck at any ginger step he takes out of place, reminds him that the seat he has taken is stained with blood. But there are far more pleasant things to talk over... and for all her awkwardness, there is a newfound fondness maybe, in half-lidded ocean-spray eyes.
  
  It seemed that the suggestion to put her on nursery duty wasn't unforgivable... Even if she'd heard it retold later that Horizonkit had not been particularly friendly to their visitor. "Hopefully the boy didn't... cause you too much trouble," she offers, hoping it enough of an implied apology for his rude commentary.
  
  Kits seldom had filters for their words. Not that their mother was any better.
  
  Moonpaw is a beacon, a string that ties the two of them together in some weird way. She can still remember Salmonshade practically shaking with anxiety, asking after how to care for her... how to train her and keep her safe. How to be a mentor that did things the right way. The loss of that responsibility was a stroke of fate but one that clearly bothered the sunset molly. At least with time it had come to sting less. "You can take some credit... for that... her good will."
  
  "Mmm... hopefully the worst of it... is fish too big to carry." Out of habit (too much time spent with friends) she brushes white against white in a touch of friendly affection, realizing her mistake a moment too late to pull sharply away. "Ever caught a rabbit before," the question is abrupt in a very pathetic attempt to pull attention away from the physical folly. But with WindClan's border not that far ahead, it seems a safe enough conversation to jump headfirst into.
• about
  speech hex code ✧ #6368A5
  ooc notes ✦
  tagging ✶
  penned by tieirlys
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[salmonshade]

"Not... too much." she hums back, a low chuckle reverberating in her chest. Horizonkit certainly was... standoffish, but Salmonshade didn't have too much problems with him. Truthfully, it was Twinklekit, as much as a good kit she was, that had caused her an issue. Stinky breath... Whatever! It's not like she obsessively groomed herself each morning and night. Words nearly slip past her teeth, something she'd regret, and she bites down on them hard. She wouldn't offer to watch them again, but perhaps she would not protest too hard if Lichentail specifically assigned her to help Hazecloud again, and only her... Stars, she swears she couldn't handle any more than those kits. Whatever apology Lichentail laid out had already been forgiven. She could never hold a grudge against them.

Lichen says she could take some credit, at least- "Guess so," she puffs out a small sigh, and then chuckles once more when they hope the worst problem they have is too big of fish. "I'm sure we'll be reeling in-" oh?

Lichentail brushes against her and it cuts off her sentence halfway. At first Salmon reciprocates back, brushing her pelt right back, and then only does she realize what had happened. Her breath hitches and she has to compose herself not to just stop in her tracks, her paws just slightly stumbling beneath her as she walks. Wide-eyed does she look at the other, too quick does her heart pick up pace, does heat gather in to her cheeks. She's never so much as brushed against another, she'd brush her tail against Moonpaw to instruct her, but never... Her throat feels dry. Everything feels weird.

It's weird now. It's weird now, Salmon is sure she made it weird. Anxiety settles in the pit of her stomach, but it was nice. The closeness was nice and Salmon despises the fact that she thinks this.

Lichentail offers a quick distraction, but shes not fully recovered; she bites nonetheless. "Rabbit?" she echoes, staring at Lichen as if the other had two heads. "Rabbit, no, no... Tried to. Always too fast for me, I was better in the water." she swallows hard, praying that her too fast beating heart stills here soon. If she were good at catching rabbits, perhaps she would have followed Sootstar to the moors instead of Cicadastar. "My mother could, but I never could before they disappeared in to... wherever they go." and its true, her mother was much faster on her paws. "And you?"

Perhaps her life would have been ten times different, and with her loyal to a fault nature, she would not have doubted she would have fought for the mad queen.

𝙼𝙰𝚈𝙱𝙴 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝙸𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 ଳ⋆｡˚ 𝙼𝙰𝚈𝙱𝙴 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚁

• 
  ❥ salmon ,, salmonshade
  ❥ cis female ,, she/her ,, 38 months
  ❥ warrior of riverclan ,, mentoring riverpaw
  ❥ fluffy & dainty chocolate tortie smoke with white, blue eyes
  ❥ "speech, fd9367" ,, thoughts
  ❥ lesbian ,, single
  ❥ smells like warm flowers & freshly cut grass
  ❥ chibi by pin ,, penned by chuff

​

 

[lichenstar]

✦　˚ 　✧ ˚　.˚　✦ 　✦

CLAIM THE BURIAL I SEEK IN DREAMS FLOWING RIVER CEMETARY ✧

• Not too much... That would have to be good enough. Her son had a penchant for being a little tactless in his interactions with others, especially those that didn't often visit the nursery. Maybe he wasn't too different from his mother then... always wary of those who hadn't really earned their spot close to her chest... Hmm... Lichentail couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd change his mind about being her son the same way she had a long time ago. It's an amusing parallel to consider but.. ultimately inconsequential.
  
  Salmonshade seems to freeze halfway through her statement, drawing the deputy's brows to a concerned pinch as she turns to look back. "Hmm?" A harmless exchange of touch, one she is so used to it hardly registers as a moment of contact at all... and then the sunset molly blinks and continues to stammer a response to her question.
  
  She hasn't heard many stories about the other she-cat's mother and Lichentail is sore to say she doesn't have many positive ones of her own to really share. Offering a nod of acknowledgement, she glances towards the WindClan border with a level of fondness for times long since passed. "It's been awhile... since I caught one last... but they're very lean.. Not too different from... birds really."
  
  A soft sigh- "Next time... I catch one... we should share it."
• about
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