camp your eyes were lovely ⸙ prompt ⸙ as you danced

[valesight ➶]

⸙͎｡˚⋆ ⍋ ѧѦ ѧ⍋ ⸙͎｡˚⋆

The curtains raise as sunlight filters its last rays through what will be the willow-wrapped auditorium- the stage for where this orchestra will start its play, a gloaming melody to say good-night to another day. He presides over it as nothing more than an observer bound in thorny-vined tabby stripes and cream-kissed points. Every deep breath he swallows down to center himself to the sound is one marked by struggled hitches alike sharp violin shrieks- a marker of his mistake for all to hear. At least in moments of the quiet swell of the cricket song he can pretend nothing is wrong.... the clan moves about like dancers of a carefully rehearsed ballet, bowing to one another with meals between their teeth, gliding tongues across pelts in delicate show of devotion.

It is meticulous in its routine, kept in time with the metronome of the dripping stream. He thinks he hears the shuffling of a pale molly backstage (amongst the herbs, sorting through them, probably trying to solve for how best to manage whatever inevitable pains come next) but doesn't look, instead, admiring the sudden sprinkling of fireflies among the tall, distant grasses. How peaceful then.... how deceitful this opera of twilight was.

Honey-touched eyes never falter from their fixation as he whispers at whatever cat might be nearest- "Do you hear it...? The song....? What's out there singing like that?"

The crickets are singing at nice once more, other insects are buzzing as well and fireflies begin to drift through the night.

​

 

[SWIFTFIRE]

I'VE LEARNED LOVE IS LIKE A BRICK — Though Swiftfire thought there were plenty of disadvantages to being stuck in camp for the time being, she could admit that there were certain advantages to her situation as well. As restless as relaxation had a tendency to make her, she at least got the chance to rest muscles that she had been wearing down over moons. Let her body soak up every idle moment that it could in a healing effort to make sure she was prepared for her kits to arrive. That same relaxation also gave her the chance to just take everything in, instead of slipping through life without a care for her surroundings - except for when they were dangerous. It hadn't taken long for her to notice that each night brought with it a symphony in camp, further bolstered by the growing warmth of newleaf. The queen enjoyed listening to it, even if she found herself wishing she could venture out of camp and chase after the fireflies herself.

Valepaw's voice finally broke her from her internal monologuing, green gaze flicking over to the apprentice with a calm smile. "I think it may be the crickets. They're the funniest little bugs..." Swiftfire trailed off momentarily, her expression distant as she imagined one of the strange looking creatures right at her paws. She very nearly reached out to swipe at it before she could continue. "I've seen them a few times before. They love rubbing their odd looking legs together... or their wings. I'm not sure how they make that noise, but they do it all the time if they can." Although, the chimera did have to wonder what the purpose of it was. They made that shrill noise all the time, but what was it meant to convey? A warning? A celebration? Something else?

YOU CAN BUILD A HOUSE ✿ OR SINK A DEAD BODY

• 
  ✧ shorthaired blue and red tabby chimera molly with green eyes
  ✧ 41 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✧ bisexual; secretly mated to hush
  ✧ daughter of lilou and germaine
  ✧ formerly of the ripple colony; loyal to riverclan
  ✧ easy to befriend; desperate to improve the former colonists' reputation
  ✧ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[Hawkcloud]

The hushed, gentle conversation of her Clanmates is nearly overtaken by the song of the crickets within the reeds — but Hawkcloud's curiosity serves enough for her to pick up their words over the chittering of the insects. The she-cat bounces her way over to the pair, the energetic spring in her step a sharp contrast to Valepaw's quiet focus and Swiftfire's relaxed introspection as they gaze at their twilight-dipped surroundings. The early evening ambience warrants the young warrior's excitement, though, she thinks. The quiet of leaf-bare had been nearly stifling for the energetic Hawkcloud, and the arrival of warmer nights filled the sunset-furred tabby with even stronger enthusiasm than she'd harbored for the past few moons.

"They sound so nice, don't they?" she adds merrily to the conversation, so brightly and sudden in volume that the crickets and frogs in the surrounding creek cease their tune briefly in alarm, before gradually resuming their songs after a few moments. Hawkcloud doesn't seem to notice, continuing to muse aloud happily. "Makes you wonder where they go during the day." Hawkcloud has caught sight of the melodic insects a few times before, too, but only either in the evening or when the sun is slipping behind the horizon. Either way, she's glad to hear them again, heralding the arrival of a warm newleaf, and even more glad to see the bright light of fireflies flickering through the darkness. "Look!" she cries joyfully at the sight of them, reaching up and pawing at the air in the hopes of catching one.​

 

[Mosspool]

𓆝 . ° ✦ Cricket song welcomed Mosspool back to camp. It had been too early for her to hear their melody when she had left, but now the sun had lain low on the horizon. With each step her legs strained with the familiar ache of a hard days work, and she found satisfaction in the feeling. Though she found yet more satisfaction in the three pieces of prey she dropped in the fresh kill pile. Newleaf had made prey plentiful which made her routine hunting patrols all the more enjoyable. She turned, intending to head straight to bed, but paused as she heard her clanmates voices.

Though they had been singing even as she stepped into camp, she had not deigned to notice them until Valepaw mentioned them. Another of Starclan's small wonders. "They do." Mosspool agreed with Hawkcloud, allowing herself a ghost of a smile. Though it faded with a furrowing of her brow as Hawkcloud went chasing after fireflies. She thought they were pretty too, but a bit more decorum was required of warriors in her opinion.

✧ ° . ✶ . ° ✧​

ooc Information

• ooc: —
• 

  MOSSPOOL — SHE/HER･ 12 MOONS ･ WARRIOR & RIVERCLAN ･ PENNED BY @empyrean !

  Longhair black tabby with deep green eyes. Mosspaw is a very tall molly, standing a head above most cats her age. She has a slim, willowy physique with subtle musculature built up from a lifetime of constant training that lends itself well to swimming and running. Long, thick brown fur falls over her form with tabby patterning across it. Her eyes are a vibrant green, and shine with a bright intelligence and confidence.

 

[EVENINGPAW]

"Crickets?" comes Eveningkit's voice from amongst the reeds, and after a beat, her white-gray fur emerges into the open, too. Her tail is erect and her face suggests she's been hunting for something — not fish, much to her own dismay, but she can't fault them for avoiding the stream that protects their camp, full of eager mouths —, not at all looking like a kitten whose energy has been so spent that she should be getting ready for a good night's rest.

She slithers into the space between warriors and apprentice like she belongs in their line. "So they're making all this noise?" Tufted-head swivels around like an owl, looking back to the more experienced cats for answers. They keep agreeing about the crickets sounding nice, but all she can think of is how repetitive it gets after a while. Evidently she is solitary with that opinion.

Swiftfire's comment stops her from complaining. Her little front paws shoot out from underneath her, and she rubs them together in hopes of... well, what? Maybe she will sprout wings and become a cricket. Not even Hawkcloud's discovery and jump into action manages to break her out of her thightly-gripped focus, but the tip of her tail twitches with the need to go.

---​

SIP THE GOSSIP ✦ DRINK TIL YOU CHOKE

• 
• EVENINGKIT ✦ RIVERCLAN KIT
  ────── SHE/HER ✦ PENNED BY KARMEN ✦ 04/15
  ────── LICHENTAIL X HAZECLOUD
•  

​

 

[BEEFANG]

I HEARD, I HEARD ACROSS THE MOONLIT SEA — The sound of cricket song and the sight of fireflies make the bicolored apprentice relax completely, she thinks of more simple times as a mere kit that had tried to pounce to catch one. The night where her and Cicadapaw had curled around each other watching the glowing bugs hover above them, it leaves a bitter taste in her mouth and she glances away to avoid the eyes of those currently gathered. After a quick and quiet sniff, Beepaw straightens her posture listening to Swiftfire explain how the crickets made their noise only to see Eveningkit from the corner of her eye trying to do the same. It's enough to make a snort of amusement escape her and her eyes turn up to look at the fireflies that flew closest to her "I remember seeing these when I was a lot younger." A faint smile present on her maw and she reaches out carefully with a snowy capped paw tempted to catch one between her paws like Willowroot had all those moons ago.

A part of her tempted to play just as she had when she was a mere kitten but her smile falters and her paw settles back down onto earth close to her body. "You should try catching one," Bee motions to the glowing bugs and curls her feathery tail over her paws acting as if she had never attempted to catch one herself.

THE OLD VOICE WARNING ME ✦ BEWARE THE DAUGHTER OF THE SEA

• 

• 
  ✦ shorthaired black smoke molly w/low white and mismatched eyes
  ✦ oftentimes comes off as untrusting of those around her, closed off, and not the easiest to engage in conversation with, she's not easy to befriend. all her opinions are IC only.
  ✦ 10 moons old; ages the 10th every month
  ✦ sexuality unknown; currently interested in no one
  ✦ currently being mentored by smokestar
  ✦ firstborn daughter of cicadastar and smokestar
  ✦ sister of cicadapaw and cricketpaw
  ✦ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✦ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[salmonshade]

The song of crickets is one that Salmon had long since tuned out, and even longer since she had stopped to listen to them. Shes finally returning for the night, her paws ache and so does her back from what felt like an endless day. It'd gone by slow which is unusual for her days, and Stars she just wants to go lay down already.

The gathering of cats interrupt her walk to the warrior den, curiosity is stronger than the pull to her nest and thus the tall molly settles in to the crowd. Everyones talking about the crickets, about the fireflies that dot the camp. Hawkcloud wonders out loud where they go during the day, Salmon can only assume that they just don't notice them in the light. Or perhaps they're night-dwelling creatures only? Hm... It's an interesting question. She tunes the crickets out once more, trying to enjoy the time and not inevitably get annoyed with the repetitive song.

"Maybe if you rub your paws together faster, you can make that noise too." bemused eyes turn to Eveningkit who is seemingly trying to repeat the description that Swiftfire had given. Beepaw suggests trying to catch them, the fireflies that dot the scene, and Salmon only briefly sits to see how this will play out.

It is... a beautiful night, really. Shes glad newleaf brings good things.

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

 

[valesight ➶]

⸙͎｡˚⋆ ⍋ ѧѦ ѧ⍋ ⸙͎｡˚⋆

The crickets...

The players that sit at straight-spined attention at the edges of their seats, waiting for the bow of the sun-conductor's light to initiate the start of song. They are followed soon by the pirouettes of little golden dancers, who spin and twirl in a choreography he doesn't understand the rhythm of. Do the fireflies enjoy the music too? Is that why they wait until the hum of resin-drawn strings to light their hearts with passionate movement?

His clan-mates cluster around him as idle watchers of the performance, murmuring their critiques and drawing inspiration from the moment of reverie they often overlook. There is a somberness to some of them that foretells a sorrowful prologue to this season... a history obscured from him through sheer timing of his birth and inevitable joining. It is interrupted by a suggestion towards catching them, which bitters his face with a twisted frown.

He can't. It is a chapter of the story he must only read and not experience. His shoulder aches as if a reminder of his loss of freedom and he becomes agonizingly jealous of Eveningkit's blissful ignorance. She is free to play as she pleases... gets to spend so much extra time coddled in the safety of camp. A right that had been denied to him. Could it have saved him? Or did it spare him?

"I'm sure your haggish mother would love it," he mutters under his breath, already familiar with the horrifying, toothy grin of Hazecloud and her suffocating idea of love. The witch. Name thief... it's no small wonder she took her time picking them out. So she could use them as often and as comfortable as she wanted. Eugh.

"Can you eat the crickets then," he ventures to ask shortly after, turning towards Swiftfire as a source of greater wisdom than the other warriors present. She hadn't been stuck in this territory most of her life... she'd seen broader horizons. Right? "For a snack..." That seems like a waste of energy but... maybe a good method for practice for apprentices his age who struggle with hunting.​

​

 

[Graypaw]

Graykit wants nothing more than to crawl into his nest and call it a day. But Eveningkit was up, and he likes Eveningkit so when she had asked for his help in trying to catch a fish he had quickly agreed. They sat by the river waiting and waiting but sadly nothing came along and he is about to suggest they go to bed and try again tomorrow when suddenly she is moving towards a group of older cats. He wants to chase after her and beg her to not, to ask her "please can we just go to bed" but then would she stop wanting to hang out with him? He absolutely does not want that so instead he opts to say nothing and follow quietly, though his legs protests with every step and when they finally stop, a massive yawn parts his jaws wide and makes his eyes water.

He does not possess the confidence that his friend does to go right up to the adults and the apprentices and join them like he was one of them, but he does draw close enough that he can hear and be heard. The crickets chirping was a new sound to his ears, but he's not certain if he has ever been out in camp this late in his life. Man, he really wants his nest... "Do they ever stop?" he asks with a huff. The others seemed to like it but Graykit thought it was a little much. Did they do this all night? Did they ever get tired? Swiftfire says its from rubbing their legs together and he looks down at his own paws. He cant imagine doing such a thing for any longer than a few seconds.

His mossy-stone colored eyes flicker upwards when Beepaw speaks, suggesting that Eveningkit should try to catch one and he says nothing but inwardly, he hopes that Eveningkit declines, for the sake of his limbs that beg for rest if nothing else. And then Valepaw is saying something under his breath, muttering in that way that sometimes he himself did when he was saying something he didn't want the adults to hear. "That sounds dumb. If you're hungry why don't you just eat something from the fresh-kill pile?" That's what he did when he was hungry, after all. He had never had to catch anything in his life (yet) so why create extra work for yourself when you didn't have to.

( ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ) I can feel you leaving

• 
  
  
• 
  GRAYKIT RIVERCLAN KITTEN ; HE / HIM
  LILYBLOOM X LAKEMOON BROTHER TO SNOWKIT
  

  A plush coated kitten with a pelt marbled in varying shades of gray and white. He has dull green eyes and a tall stature. Most of his personality can be described as carefree though some also say that unmotivated is a more than apt term. His trust and love is easily won through praise but he will do little work to receive it.

  ✶ easy in battle + no formal training
  

 

[EVENINGPAW]

She half-heartedly listens to those around her still, right up until Valepaw's voice cuts through the thick of it. It's nothing crazy by any means, adolescent and shrill and cracking at the very edges, but it gets on Eveningkit's nerves just by principle. Nobody pays attention to it other than her. It's only her who hears the mean tone, and for a moment she thinks it's just the two of them in this world.

"What?" Her own voice comes out strong from within her chest and throat, definitely very scary and intimidating. Little paws stomp and stomp across the ground as she goes to approach him, sure to create dips in the soil that will forever mark it. It'll always remember.

Just like how she swears to always remember Valepaw's words, even if she's not too sure what it means. He certainly didn't mean it as a compliment. "What'd you call her?" There's no time to wait for a proper answer. Ideas are already bouncing off of the inside of Eveningkit's head, desperate for a quick and witty comeback. "I'll... I'll find you the biggest cricket to put into your mouth!!"
​