UNDER THE ICE — spooky story

[PANTHERPELT]

"AM I YOUR DREAM GIRL?"​

Usually Pantherpelt makes herself scarce at nighttime, slinking back to the twolegplace just before the sun sets so her sis doesn’t worry too much about her safety. But she’s decided to forget about her sis for a night, because the twolegs are all setting out bright lantern-lit squashes on their porches and loud decorations in their front lawns, and Panther understands that it’s getting to be the spooky time of year again. Which means that it’s time for what a stray cat had once called a campfire story. A scary story that sometimes even teaches a lesson.

She takes a deep breath, then drags herself up the trunk, maneuvering carefully from the trunk to the lowest-hanging branch. Long claws stick into the bark, anchoring her solidly to prevent her from falling. "SkyClanners, big an’ itsy-small, gather ‘round if ye wanna hear a story." Amber eyes alight with anticipation and excitement, the warrior settles to balance on the edge of their perch, leaning out across the cats below them.

Their narrowed eyes trail across the clanmates below, then they clear their throat. "Now, there’s a lake smack dab in the middle'f the forest, 'n' it freezes flat solid in the cold days. Cuttin’ 'cross it can take a day 'r two off the trip from one side’a the woods to the other, but nobody ever crosses it." A toothy grin crosses their face, and they shoot a pointed look to one of the children in the audience. Of everyone, the apprentices are likely the only ones who will believe it. But at least, come wintertime, perhaps a tale that will deter them from attempting to cross frozen-over bodies of water.

They toss their head, sending their wild curled fur shifting in the breeze. "Why, ye ask? Well, that’s real simple, y’know? Lemme tell ye all 'bout the time yer dear ol' Panther made her way 'cross that lake in the dead o' winter."
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[TWITCHBOLT]

What was it he counted as- big or itsy-small? He was big in the sense that he had grown out of his tiny kit-body, instead now struck with more proportional limbs and extremeties- but that hardly made him big. He wasn't big, stunted and short as his stature stood, but was he itsy-small or just short?

Pointless spiralling in response to a question never posed- attention soon snapped away from his thoughts, settling upon the daylight warrior who had made the call, their clipping tones setting the scene of the tale they were about to tell. Olivine eyes examined her wide-set for a moment, dancing with the light of apprehension- a huge lake, run with frost, that took days to cross? It was a mystical thought, terrifying as it was fantastical. Ringlets tossed back in an exaggerated movement, yellow eyes flaring wide as they rove the crowd, settling upon him. They had... they had crossed it? A place where nobody dared place their paws, Pantherpelt had?

"Why would you do that!?" Blurted and scarred with incredulous shriek, Twitchpaw's voice rang out before he could think to hold his tongue. Knowing how dangerous it was, so much so that no one before you had ever dared? It was stupid, horrifying!​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[Sharpeye]

☁ Sharpeye normally wouldn't settle in to listen to stories, but he wouldn't deny that his interest was somewhat peaked on this occasion. Well, not only that but he guessed he should really supervise poor Twitchpaw and ensure that Pantherpelt didn't wreck the apprentice's mind anymore than it was. The tom plodded over on heavy paws before seating himself near to Twitchpaw, something he immediately regretted when the apprentice's voice hit his ears. The warrior readjusted his position and gave himself a little more room away from the other as a way to spare his hearing. Right, now he could give the she-cat his full attention. "Seems like a risky journey route." He murmured quietly to himself.
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[FIGFEATHER]

Figpaw had heard tales of large bodies of water "freezing over", creating ice, a substance Figpaw knew existed, but didn't have much of an idea on what it really was. Cat's had told her it was cold to the touch and slippery, like snow but solid and tough... Even with the descriptors it was still difficult for her to wrap her head around it.

Which is why Pantherpelt's tale is so much more interesting, Figpaw loves learning about things unknown and foreign to her. Sitting down nearby Twitchpaw and Sharpeye she stares wide-eyed at the warrior, grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah! Why would you do that? Wasn't it cold on your paws?" Wouldn't it have been easier to walk around? Less risky?

Figpaw listens, knowing Pantherpelt must have an explanation to all her inquiries.​

 

[GREENEYES]

He's too young still to know much about leaf-bare, just knows it's colder than what he's ever known. Water freezes into something called 'ice.' Rain still happens, but isn't really rain. Snow, rather - like his brother.

So, as Greenpaw settles into the crowd that gathers around Pantherpelt, her story doesn't come off as too spooky quite yet - rather, more intriguing: a piece of information about a season he has yet to experience. He tries to imagine it, a lake, frozen solid. How could that much water become solid? And why would Pantherpelt walk on it? Would RiverClan do the same to their river, once it's cold enough?

"Yeah! Weren't you cold?" he asks, head tilting to the side as his tail thumps on the ground. "Is it hard to walk on?" Maybe he'll try too?
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[watson]

wait around, i'll smile again​

---

Are all Skyclanners so incessantly chatty? Why back in his day, when a cat sat to tell a story then the other cats sat and listened! Or so, that's what he figures anyway. He'd been with his upwalker all his lift until now and really, he's getting all huffy over nothing. Maybe he should loosen up more. He swirls that thought around in his mind before scowling it away. As he moves closer, Watson is a bit surprised to see another cat with hair on the wild side too. Though his is less sultry, more like a lost tumbleweed. He rasps his tongue over his fur tips halfheartedly before flopping down in the wind strewn leaves on a yawn. Well, if everyone else is going to badger, he figures there's no real harm in tagging along. Besides, wild nature is a mystery to him as a house cat and he is honestly curious. "Solid? Is it all the way down- fish and all?" Now wouldn't that be humorous!​

 

[TALLULAHWING]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

Tallulahwing drew close to the group, eyes twinkling like tiny twin campfires of their own. Pantherpelt seemed to be telling a story, a spooky one, and the torbie makes a trilling noise in anticipation. The dark-pelted feline is terribly bizarre, meaning Lulu had high hopes for this story.

But she settles somewhere behind Figpaw and near Watson, whiskers twitching as cats pepper Pantherpelt with questions. Something about how the daylight warrior had once crossed over some frozen water. Tallulahwing calls out, "Darlin', ain't this s'posed to be spooky story time? What's scary about you walkin' on ice?" She mock-scowls. "I was hopin' a monster would come after ya or something." Truly, wouldn't that be something!

- ,,​

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[PANTHERPELT]

"AM I YOUR DREAM GIRL?"​

With a flick of an ear, the dark-furred warrior gives the crowd a once-over. They smile at of their favorite apprentices—Twitchpw, the anxious creature, is always a welcome sight. But Tallulahwing pipes up, and Panther scowls. "Ah, hush. I ain’t gotten ta the good part, lovey. An’ for the record, I got a thick coat’a fur, ye know, so it wasn’t all too chilly on me." They shuffle in place, twining their tail around their paws and settling into a dramatic tone.

"'Twas a quiet, cold day. Young Panther—me—was tryin' ta get 'cross the lake and home 'fore dark. The lake didn’t freeze all the way down, fish still swam ‘neath it." That surely answers their questions well enough, she thinks. It wasn’t a good idea to cross that lake in the first place. They’re glad that the apprentices seem to understand that, or at least think that it sounds like a terrible idea as well. "As I walked, though, somethin' felt off. Like that prickle in yer neck when ye feel like yer bein' watched. But I’s out on a lake, there wasn't nobody 'round." As they say it, Pantherpelt looks around the camp, and then back over their shoulder. Looks as though they’re searching for something.

"Then I heard it. The echoin' of steps. But me steps weren’t all that loud. And the sound def'nitely came after my steps. I stopped walkin', and they stopped 's well. Finally, I started runnin'. Didn’t even look behind meself, I jus' ran as fast 's I could. And then… I tripped. Fell flat on me face. But the pawsteps didn’t stop—they got faster, louder. They were runnin'. They were gettin' closer, too." She pauses for a moment, allowing the suspense to build as the silence stretches on.
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