what we live for ~ seeing the ocean

[Flamewhisker]

Little Wolf's death still hung heavy in the air. What little spark that had been in Flamewhisker's eyes had left, not likely to return any time soon. She had volunteered to take on some of her fallen clanmate's load of Lungwort, and she was glad to have an excuse to not be able to talk. There was nothing more for her to say...she had failed. She had failed Howlingstar, she had failed Thunderclan, Hailstorm and Little Wolf. Of course, she was relieved that Cherrypaw was alright...she simply wished for any other outcome but death.

The red tabby was hanging towards the back of the leading cats, her gaze trailing downwards at the snow. Her eyelids were heavy from lack of sleep, but she kept herself awake by repeating the same words over and over in her head. We have to get home...we have to get these herbs to our clanmates. Suddenly, she was stopped in her tracks as she accidentally ran into the cat ahead of her. "Sorry." she muttered, her ears flicking backwards momentarily. Mouse brain She knew better than to walk without looking, especially out here in the unknown.

Flamewhisker let out a sigh, and lifted her gaze. The snowy wastelands still surrounded them, but it didn't hold the same magic that it had once before. Now all she could see was death...and something shimmering in the distance? Her eyes narrowed curiously, and she slowly came to a stop. "Do you guys see that?" she said, not talking to anyone in particular. A snow dipped paw lifted, and pointed in the direction where far away was the biggest body of water that she had ever seen. "I've never seen so much water." The sun was hovering quite a ways above it, but it seemed like if it went down any further, it would be eaten by the water. It was beautiful...Little Wolf should be here to see this. ​

★ born to find that great unknown

• ​
• 
  FLAMEWHISKER of THUNDERCLAN
  LH red tabby with low white (masks black tabby, carries dilute, solid)
  — Lead Warrior of Thunderclan ; currently mentoring Acornpaw
  — she/her ; mated with Flycatcher
  — mother to Stormpaw & Falconpaw
  — 25 moons ; ages on the 20th
  — Smells like dirt, old leaves, tree sap, faint hint of flowers
  — will start a fight, will finish fights, will kill (case depending)
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — penned by Icey ! ; link to tags
  — link to toyhouse
  — funny guy art by waluigipinball​

 

[FIGFEATHER]

Figfeather’s jaw drops.
Her fur bristles with unease at the sight of the massive body of water, though they were still plenty far from it she cannot help but fear it. Could you blame her? River’s, let alone waters this big, were not seen as a friend by anyone but perhaps RiverClan. The irrational fear of being thrown into the middle of it and having to desperately swim all the way back to shore frightens her to the core.

It’s clear however, that some present find beauty in the scene. Figfeather wishes she could see it, ”It’s like- a giant puddle of doom.” She knowingly exaggerates, even displaying a sheepish smile. ”The sight is enough to give me nightmares- honestly.” Figfeather can’t resist confessing, surely others felt similar?​

♡ INFO BATTLE

• 
  » Figfeather
  » SkyClan Warrior
  » She/her . AMAB
  » A red tabby she-cat with a mangled leg.
  » ”Speech”․ thoughts ․ attack
  
• 
  » A foe in battle whose ability to strategize can shift tides.
  » Excels in strategizing and pre-planning her battles.
  » Fights defensively and aid her clan to victory.
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

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[FERNGILL]

Fernpaw's RiverClan heritage was easy to spot on him, though some of the fish-scale sheen and water-conditioned gloss that typically glimmered across his sunset-striped pelt had faded over the moon of their travail. Steadfast, still, did Fernpaw hold his brightness- and good genetics did him a favour there. It would never be a secret what Clan he hailed from, but as Flamewhisker called his gaze to the shimmering expanse of blue, a mirror of water stretching as vastly as the sky did, Fernpaw could not help but let his jaw drop, too.

His expression did not hold the same horror as Figfeather's did- and as she admitted that it scared her, Fernpaw glanced to her with a certain level of childish disbelief. He thought it was beautiful- that much was very clear in his expression. Maybe if he'd heard it out of another Riverclanner's mouth it would have shocked him more, but- when he remembered Figfeather wasn't a Clanmate, despite how much she was beginning to feel like one, he understood a little more.

"I s'pose I'd feel the same if I saw a tree that big," he said, a sweet honesty about his tone. He really meant it, though- that'd be a terrifying sight. What if it fell on you?​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[Mouseflight]

Had he been told that on this journey he would grow to care for cats from other clans, Mouseflight would never have believed it - in fact he likely would have been insulted by it - and if he had been told that not only would he climb a mountain and see a giant body of water, he would be able to see that body of water while on top of the mountain, he would have thought them delusional. Here he was though, silent as the group moved forward and mourned a "clanmate" at the same time, the words from Flamewhisker causing him to stop and look in the direction she was pointing. Eyes widened at the sight of it, and Mouse looked over towards those that had already stopped, listening as they spoke.

At Figfeather's comment of it being a puddle of doom, he could only slowly nod his head. "It looks like it could eat the mountain." He'd comment after a moment, awed tone clear in his voice as he looked back towards the water. "How big do you think the fish are in there?" He'd' seen how big the fish could get in the river that bordered WindClan with the deeper waters having bigger fish. Could there be fish bigger than the clans in there?

⋆｡°✩ threw my voice into the dark

•  
• 
  ⋆ mousekit - mousepaw - mouseflight
  ⋆ ftm - he/him - 11 moons
  ⋆ bisexual - open to relationship
  ⋆ tunneler of windclan
  ⋆ attack - speech - thought
  ⋆ penned by tikki

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[iciclefang]

◇────────────【☆】★【☆】────────────◇​

XXXXXThe mood is somber now, after Little Wolf’s death and burial. Iciclefang feels strange to leave the warrior’s grave—it feels almost like abandonment, even if she wasn’t one of her Clanmates—but they must return with the lungwort before the Clans suffer anymore. Her own father and sister’s lives are at stake, and it’s with this determination she follows behind Flamewhisker, Mouseflight, Figfeather and Fernpaw.

XXXXXThe procession slows. The ThunderClan lead warrior turns her ginger and white head, green gaze alight with awe. Sun gleams from the surface of water so wide and immense she’s almost dazzled. It’s no river—it seems to go on forever, and the faint tang of salt bathes her tongue when she parts her jaws.

XXXXXThe reception is middling. Figfeather’s fur is on end, admitting the ocean gives her a sense of dread. Iciclefang looks with dry amusement toward Mouseflight, though the awe in her blue eyes is plain for anyone to see. “Must be enormous, to live in such a big pool of water,” she agrees mildly. She steps beside the pale tortoiseshell, surveying the endless water with a keen expression. “Do you think the same kinds of fish live in that water as in our rivers?” Her question is faintly directed in Fernpaw’s direction, though spoken aloud for anyone to answer.

─────────​

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[smogstar]

Taking a contemplative lens to this journey gives insight on a couple of concepts that Smogmaw hadn't thoroughly pondered before.

One. It is possible for clan cats to shed their allegiances when they are no longer relevant, especially when in pursuit of a common goal. The division and fanaticism intrinsic to the clan framework has all but ceased to exist in the days since leaving Fourtrees; save for trivial instances of prejudice, of course. Smogmaw has watched his companions share tongues, sleep in one another's company, fend off wildlife threats together, and mourn together. He does not doubt for a second that old hatreds shall renew when they've re-assimilated into their respective groups. But, during this fleeting passage, there is peace, and it is a relieving peace.

Two. War, inter-clan squabbles, political theatrics—Smogmaw has come to understand how small and insignificant these familiar hardships truly are in the grander scheme of things. There's an entire world out here. A world foreign to all of them, for it lies beyond the territorial lines they've lived all their lives within, yet a world they are a part of nonetheless. This world, this broader plane of being, is ignorant to their wars, inter-clan squabbles, and political theatrics. And this world hosts sights and villas alien to their frames of reference: cave systems, cliff faces, mountains, and-

And water. Water unending.

Flamewhisker heralds this revelation in an awe-touched tone of voice. Languid footfalls bring him a fox-length away from the ThunderClan warrior, and, planting his rump in the frigid blanket, he emulates her astoundment. Never has he seen so much water, either. It goes on for as far as the eye can see, stretching into the horizon and infinity. It swallows the shoreline, then recedes, before encroaching on the land once more. Vast. Rhythmic. Water. What a tale this will make for the family.

An ear flicks at Figfeather's cowardice. How timid one must be to greet the unknown with fear and not due appreciation. Less acknowledgement is granted towards the remarks about fish. If such hollow thoughts even occupied his mind, they were sequestered far from the forefront. "Look," he beckons, "look at it. This is the end of all that we know." His neck spans the breadth of this body of water in search of any way around it. There is none. "If there's land on the other side, we will never know what it looks like, how it feels under our paws. It could look and feel completely different, if it even exists. It's... humbling."

The complete and utter astonishment he feels helps him evade an existential crisis of sorts.​

 

[STORMFEATHER]

"Does the world end in water?" Stormpaw wondered as she moved closer to her flame-coated mother. Since the death of Little Wolf, she has gravitated closer to her than ever now. Perhaps an eagle would scoop her up and some other warrior would have to make the choice. She does not think her life is as meaningful as any other cat's—she struggles with hunting and plenty other apprentices show promise in those areas. Stormpaw bites her tongue and remains silent as she listens to the other cats make remarks and comments on what this could mean.

For Stormpaw, this means the end. There is nothing beyond it. She breathes a tiny sigh of relief. The journey had made her hyper aware of how much land the earth spanned. She had thought it would go on forever, but if there is a end, there is some sort of relief in that.

​

 

[hazecloud]

The horizon drowned in murky grey-blue hues. Hazecloud kept her pile of lungwort neatly tucked between her paws, protective, as she took in the sight of endless rippling currents. Fluffy clouds cast over flaming rays and she thought back to the last time she had watched the sun set with Fernpaw. How it lit his coat in its warmth. Up here the suns light feels dull in comparison now, hardly any heat to share.

Regardless of the chilling cold, though, the sight was beautiful beyond words. An idyllic little world out there.

"I think I prefer our little river." Little, only in contrast to this. It was hard to imagine just exactly what could lurk in those waters, how much different, how much bigger they could be with all that space. Surely bigger than a cat, no doubt! "Smogmaw could be right. At the other side there could be even more forests and mountains, twoleg nests and monsters. We... simply won't know." A sobering thing to accept.​

 

[Orangestar]

𝐵𝑈𝑇 𝑇𝑂 𝐴 𝑊𝑂𝑀𝐴𝑁, 𝐵𝑌 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷 ✧ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐋𝐋 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀

• 
  
  — orangeblossom | tags
  — she/her ; deputy of skyclan, mentoring eveningpaw.
  — scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes.
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — chibi by waluigipinball
  — penned by mercibun. @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots.
  
  

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"And it's not our problem." Orangeblossom adds promptly to Hazecloud's musing, her ears twitching backwards dismissively. She doesn't want to think too hard about it, really; and Smogmaw would be turning a stone he might regret should he make them so so. Orangeblossom does not share in Figfeather's distaste, but she does share with the young warrior some uneasiness about the sight. Still, she finds herself wishing she could share this view with more than a pawful of her Clanmates.

She has memory, somewhere, of a cat who had crossed the sun-drown place; called it something odd, likened it to a storm under their very paws. But a moon from SkyClan and the stories of her Clanmates, she has trouble recalling who exactly. Had it been Johnnyflame? Lacking a proper answer, Orangeblossom's eyes are far away as she gazes out over the endless water. From this far away, there are moments where it looks completely still, a swathe of blue several shades darker than the sky. Silently, she commits the view to memory; should they make it back to the Clans, this would make for an impressively tall tale.​

 

[FIGFEATHER]

Fernpaw’s look of disbelief lightly amuses her, though she cannot understand why one would be afraid of a large tree. ”That’s completely different, a tree can’t kill you.” She states, matter-of-factly. She doesn’t realize what exactly she’s claimed until a vision of Snowpath’s death whirls in her mind, she blinks it away though she’s inadvertantly spooked herself further. ”I mean- they can but-“ Drowning just seemed like a worse way to go out, she can’t imagine what it’d be like to sink underneath the surface to never emerge.

Chatter about what takes place beyond the sundrown place sparks, Figfeather can’t help but agree with her deputy. Whatever was on the other side was none of their concern and the marmalde tabby was disinterested in finding out. ”I’m going to keep going.” She informs the crowd as she pushes past them, having enough about this talk of death and ‘what ifs’. ​

♡ INFO BATTLE

• 
  » Figfeather
  » SkyClan Warrior
  » She/her . AMAB
  » A red tabby she-cat with a mangled leg.
  » ”Speech”․ thoughts ․ attack
  
• 
  » A foe in battle whose ability to strategize can shift tides.
  » Excels in strategizing and pre-planning her battles.
  » Fights defensively and aid her clan to victory.
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

​

​

 

[GREENEYES]

Whatever surroundings they’ve found themselves amidst casts a shine to his peripherals, one that goes unnoticed until strides slow to a stop ahead. Greeneyes looks up at the sound of Flamewhisker’s voice, viridescent eyes following an upraised paw toward unfamiliar waterscapes.

The sun sinks toward a body of water larger than he’s ever seen before - a puddle amplified, a river coiled into one indiscernible shape - and paints both it and the sky with setting hues and glimmering sparks against the water’s refracting surface. He cannot see an end to it, no riverbank on the other side, no broken bridge between here and the other side for the RiverClan cats to mend. Only water and sky move forward, until they join in the center of his vision.

“It’s kind of pretty,” he says, though the image of its enormity comes off as unsettling, the tom taking a step back, as if stepping any closer toward the edge of their pathway might see him falling into watered depths, despite how far they stand from it. “You know, in a scary sort of way.”

Smogmaw’s words sit with Greeneyes as he takes in the sight - a world unknown may lay on the other side of this place. A different land, who wouldn’t know that he stands here thinking about it. He can’t help but wonder if other cats make their home there, if other clans make camp in invisible forests.

Figfeather’s words break him out of his thoughts, a conversation mostly missed, but the tail-end leaves his fur bristling, replacing images of a PuddleClan at peace with that of his brother, struggling beneath the beginnings of a new nursery as he takes his last breath. A tree can’t kill you, she says as if it were truth, though she quickly takes it back. Greeneyes winces at her words, a sharp exhale of cold, billowing breath following as he watches his sister push past the crowd.

Perhaps he should follow too, though he wishes to take in the view for longer - to commit it to memory so he can share it with those back home.

✦ ABOUT

• 
  

  
  
  GREENKIT ‣ GREENPAW ‣ GREENEYES, Warrior of SkyClan
  — Daisyflight x Raven Ramble
  — AMAB; He/Him
  — A red tabby and white tom with bright green eyes.
  — Mentored by Sheepcurl; Currently mentoring Falconpaw
  — "Speech"; Attack
  
  ✦･ﾟ: * — Among SkyClan's first born, Greeneyes is a bright tom with an affinity for the world around him. Despite always seeking to be kind to others, the warrior believes he's cursed - a belief brought on by rhetoric that green is a deadly color.

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