- Nov 1, 2023
- 67
- 9
- 8
*+:｡.｡ //This became a lot longer than I expected I'm so sorry! Only important thing is the very last paragraph <3
Staying up through the night wasn't difficult for the insomniac.
After the meeting, after all the congratulations, after the quiet finally fell upon himself and Bubbleburst, Asphodelrain took his position at the clan's entrance and sat. Tail curled carefully around his paws, he sat. With his chin held high and his ears perked for any potential threats, he sat. With his heart hammering against his chest, excited for what warriorhood would bring him, he sat.
There was nothing much else to do besides sit. Maybe perhaps think.
So he thought.
He thought about the reason behind this new tradition - the fools who'd let wolves ravage their camp. He thought about a similar threat that had come before in Riverclan's land - wave after wave of ferocious loners hungry for honorable clan blood.
He thought about what it meant to have honorable blood. About who did, and who didn't. He shuffled in his seat, then, as he recalled how he treated many of Riverclan's for Ripple colony cats. The burned bridges he wasn't sure how he'd go about fixing. You'd think becoming a fully-fledged adult by name, you'd have all the answers, huh? But he didn't, and he doubted he would tomorrow or the day after that.
Panic pulled at the edges of his heart then. The idea of not being liked - not being respected - made his mouth dry. Of course, he wanted to earn that respect but...he hadn't realized how much easier it was to lose it. He sighed, then quickly snapped his jaws shut, wondering if that little noise broke the tradition. Glancing nervously at Bubbleburst, he wondered if she'd tell. Instead, the panic in him eased slightly as he simply watched his vigil companion. Her tabby fur practically glowed beneath the moon's light, swirling and twisting like the river's playful current. He wonders how an outgoing cat like her manages to stay so still. If she was bored. What she was currently thinking about.
Suddenly, he wondered if they were friends.
Quickly, he snaps his eyes away, ear tips growing red at the thought. Ear tips growing cold as he knew, clearly, the answer.
He'd thought this night would be different. Although he hadn't gone through his apprenticeship with the expectation to make loads of friends, he at least thought he'd have made some. Instead, he found himself sitting in calm quiet beside a girl he'd practically grown up with and...couldn't say he knew anything about. He wondered if Claythorn and Otterbite had enjoyed their vigil together. He wondered if Wavepaw and Valepaw would enjoy theirs.
He wondered...what had he done wrong?
Lifting his gaze towards the moon, he feels his teeth grit a little harder together. It felt so unbelievably silly to let his thoughts wander this way, but he had plenty of time, didn't he? To think through this night, and to fix his mistakes for however long it took in the morning. Things would work out, so long as he follows Lichenstar's lead and keeps an eye on his opinions things...things would get better.
But right now? Right now, they weren't.
Right now, beneath the brightly glowing moon, he just felt small.
He had failed to fix his fear of swimming. Failed to earn his name early. He failed at earning respect and making a name for himself that wasn't muddied by his foolish mistakes and...he failed to make friends. His eyes widen, a horrible pain lancing through his chest when he notices heavy rain clouds beginning to obscure the moon. He watches, bit by bit, as his glowing companion is hidden from view, swallowing up its gentle light until he's left in stormy grey darkness. In the corner of his eye, he briefly looks for Bubbleburst, before dropping the attempt.
Ear tips burning, he childishly thinks then about how...lonely he is.
No friends, no siblings, not even a mentor, and...
A freezing vice digs deep into his stomach, forcing a painful lump to slam into his throat.
Mom and Dad aren't coming home.
He squeezes his eyes shut as hard as he can, knowing for sure that if he lets out the noise pounding against the inside of his teeth he'll surely break the tradition.
It hits him then, finally, childishly, that they're not coming back. He'd thought, in some wordless, dreamy way, that they would before he reached his dozenth moon. That they'd be the loudest to shout his new name. More than getting his warrior name early, he wanted his mom to kiss him on the forehead. More than being the most respected cat in Riverclan, he wanted his dad to tell him he was proud of him. More than making friends, he wanted his parents to hug him one more time. More than anything, he wanted to them.
The young warrior startles out of his thoughts when a droplet smacks against his cheek. I can't be the first idiot to cry during their vigil! he thinks in dismay, but looking up, he finds instead that the clouds have begun to give way. A gentle rain falls upon Riverclan's camp, then. Thin droplets thicken the air but feel more like a spray than a shower. A drizzle, soft but still dancing. He wonders, then, what inspired Lichenstar to name him -Rain. He wonders if she's still mad at him. If any chance for him to earn her respect is truly as lost as he thinks it is.
Flicking his ears, Asphodelpaw squints through the soft shower, letting the water cool his uncomfortably hot cheeks. Maybe, it could even ease the pesky lump in his throat? Without further thought, Asphodelpaw cranes back his neck and opens his mouth, sticking out his tongue to catch the minuscule droplets as they fall.
Behind the storm, the sun would begin to rise. Unbeknownst to the tom, he'd run out of time to think - but that was okay. He'd over-thought anyway. So instead, the new warrior enjoyed the taste of rain as a new morning was born.
Asphodelrain, new warrior of Riverclan, would be found in the morning proudly guarding his camp entrance with his tongue out!
Staying up through the night wasn't difficult for the insomniac.
After the meeting, after all the congratulations, after the quiet finally fell upon himself and Bubbleburst, Asphodelrain took his position at the clan's entrance and sat. Tail curled carefully around his paws, he sat. With his chin held high and his ears perked for any potential threats, he sat. With his heart hammering against his chest, excited for what warriorhood would bring him, he sat.
There was nothing much else to do besides sit. Maybe perhaps think.
So he thought.
He thought about the reason behind this new tradition - the fools who'd let wolves ravage their camp. He thought about a similar threat that had come before in Riverclan's land - wave after wave of ferocious loners hungry for honorable clan blood.
He thought about what it meant to have honorable blood. About who did, and who didn't. He shuffled in his seat, then, as he recalled how he treated many of Riverclan's for Ripple colony cats. The burned bridges he wasn't sure how he'd go about fixing. You'd think becoming a fully-fledged adult by name, you'd have all the answers, huh? But he didn't, and he doubted he would tomorrow or the day after that.
Panic pulled at the edges of his heart then. The idea of not being liked - not being respected - made his mouth dry. Of course, he wanted to earn that respect but...he hadn't realized how much easier it was to lose it. He sighed, then quickly snapped his jaws shut, wondering if that little noise broke the tradition. Glancing nervously at Bubbleburst, he wondered if she'd tell. Instead, the panic in him eased slightly as he simply watched his vigil companion. Her tabby fur practically glowed beneath the moon's light, swirling and twisting like the river's playful current. He wonders how an outgoing cat like her manages to stay so still. If she was bored. What she was currently thinking about.
Suddenly, he wondered if they were friends.
Quickly, he snaps his eyes away, ear tips growing red at the thought. Ear tips growing cold as he knew, clearly, the answer.
He'd thought this night would be different. Although he hadn't gone through his apprenticeship with the expectation to make loads of friends, he at least thought he'd have made some. Instead, he found himself sitting in calm quiet beside a girl he'd practically grown up with and...couldn't say he knew anything about. He wondered if Claythorn and Otterbite had enjoyed their vigil together. He wondered if Wavepaw and Valepaw would enjoy theirs.
He wondered...what had he done wrong?
Lifting his gaze towards the moon, he feels his teeth grit a little harder together. It felt so unbelievably silly to let his thoughts wander this way, but he had plenty of time, didn't he? To think through this night, and to fix his mistakes for however long it took in the morning. Things would work out, so long as he follows Lichenstar's lead and keeps an eye on his opinions things...things would get better.
But right now? Right now, they weren't.
Right now, beneath the brightly glowing moon, he just felt small.
He had failed to fix his fear of swimming. Failed to earn his name early. He failed at earning respect and making a name for himself that wasn't muddied by his foolish mistakes and...he failed to make friends. His eyes widen, a horrible pain lancing through his chest when he notices heavy rain clouds beginning to obscure the moon. He watches, bit by bit, as his glowing companion is hidden from view, swallowing up its gentle light until he's left in stormy grey darkness. In the corner of his eye, he briefly looks for Bubbleburst, before dropping the attempt.
Ear tips burning, he childishly thinks then about how...lonely he is.
No friends, no siblings, not even a mentor, and...
A freezing vice digs deep into his stomach, forcing a painful lump to slam into his throat.
Mom and Dad aren't coming home.
He squeezes his eyes shut as hard as he can, knowing for sure that if he lets out the noise pounding against the inside of his teeth he'll surely break the tradition.
It hits him then, finally, childishly, that they're not coming back. He'd thought, in some wordless, dreamy way, that they would before he reached his dozenth moon. That they'd be the loudest to shout his new name. More than getting his warrior name early, he wanted his mom to kiss him on the forehead. More than being the most respected cat in Riverclan, he wanted his dad to tell him he was proud of him. More than making friends, he wanted his parents to hug him one more time. More than anything, he wanted to them.
The young warrior startles out of his thoughts when a droplet smacks against his cheek. I can't be the first idiot to cry during their vigil! he thinks in dismay, but looking up, he finds instead that the clouds have begun to give way. A gentle rain falls upon Riverclan's camp, then. Thin droplets thicken the air but feel more like a spray than a shower. A drizzle, soft but still dancing. He wonders, then, what inspired Lichenstar to name him -Rain. He wonders if she's still mad at him. If any chance for him to earn her respect is truly as lost as he thinks it is.
Flicking his ears, Asphodelpaw squints through the soft shower, letting the water cool his uncomfortably hot cheeks. Maybe, it could even ease the pesky lump in his throat? Without further thought, Asphodelpaw cranes back his neck and opens his mouth, sticking out his tongue to catch the minuscule droplets as they fall.
Behind the storm, the sun would begin to rise. Unbeknownst to the tom, he'd run out of time to think - but that was okay. He'd over-thought anyway. So instead, the new warrior enjoyed the taste of rain as a new morning was born.
Asphodelrain, new warrior of Riverclan, would be found in the morning proudly guarding his camp entrance with his tongue out!
-
//also have any of you guys ever experienced like, a rain drizzle that's like, a misting? Like, it's a thick downpour but the rain is so light and airy that you see it more than you feel it? It's one of the best rains man 10/10
-
GENERAL:
☆ Asphodelrain
☆ DMAB— He/Him — Unsure
☆ 12 moons — Ages 1 moon every month real-time
☆ Mentored by Crashingtide
☆ Riverclan — Warrior
COMBAT:
☆ Physically hard | mentally medium
☆ Attack in bold #9fc3fc
injuries: None currently
