>> once upon a river || Rise 1228 & 1229 tryout

[liightning]

Username: liightning
Partner: ☁Lady Raincloud☁
Cat Name: Otterpaw
Age: 6 moons
Clan: DeltaClan
Rank: apprentice

Memory and Gift: once upon a river...

Username: ☁Lady Raincloud☁
Partner: liightning
Cat Name: Salmonpaw
Age: 6 moons
Clan: NocturneClan
Rank: apprentice

Memory and Gift: Once Upon a River

“Snow’s on the way.”

Otterkit leaped to her paws at her mother’s words. “Snow, like last time?” she chirped.

“Yes,” their father, Reedstripe, confirmed with a nod, sitting down beside the kits in a way that sheltered them from the sharp, biting wind. He gave his kits a playful nudge. “You’re not winning the ice race this time!”

“Yes, we will!” Salmonkit insisted, tottering over to stand beside his sister. The tips of his ears just skimmed her shoulders. Born sickly and weak, the little tom made up for his lack of physical strength through personality and determination. His golden eyes glowed with excitement and he bounced on his paws, stretching higher each time so he was as tall as his sister.

Otterkit agreed enthusiastically, kneading her paws on the ground. “We’ll be even harder to beat this time,” she warned, eyes wide. “You won’t have a chance! See, Salmonkit and I have been practicing!”

The little tortoiseshell turned to her rosetted littermate. “Come on, let’s show them!”

The two kits took off, bounding back to the nursery as quickly as they could. Otterkit, with her long legs and wide paws, easily pulled ahead. Salmonkit hurried on after, doing his best to keep up, panting from the effort. Every so often Otterkit would dramatically slow down and pretend to catch her breath, letting little Salmonkit pass, before continuing.

“They’re quite fast,” Reedstripe purred, watching the kits with amusement as they barreled into the nursery. There was no reply from his mate, and he turned to her, eyes narrowed against the wind. “Starberry?”

“Hmmm?” Starberry glanced at him, seemingly startled from gazing dreamily at the pale sky.

“I said they’re quite fast,” Reedstripe repeated, frowning a bit. Had she been zoning out this entire time?

“Certainly,” she agreed, smiling, before glancing at the sky again. “Snow’s on the way,” she repeated.

“Yes, we know,” Reedstripe sighed, doing his best to stamp down the frustration bubbling up in him.

Starberry kept her eyes trained on the pale sky. She was still except for the twitching of her whiskers. Finally she meowed, “Doesn’t seem like there will be too much snow.”

“If the river freezes, we can bring Otterkit and Salmonkit down there and go skating again,” he suggested, hoping the mention of their kits would get her attention.

She was silent. Only the anxious twitching of her tail gave her away. Reedstripe stepped closer, giving her a gentle but firm prod on the shoulder. She was often distracted, all right, but she seemed nervous. “Starberry? Did you hear me? What’s wrong?”

Starberry finally tore her gaze from the clouded sky and glanced at her paws. “I… I’m going to have to leave soon,” she sighed after a moment. “A patrol from NocturneClan should be arriving in a few sunrises at most.” She shifted her paws. “My Clan needs me.”

“What? You’re going to leave?” Reedstripe echoed in bewilderment, at first stunned by her confession. Then, the flames sparked once again in his heart, licking higher, clawing hungrily. He felt his throat tighten with anger that he couldn’t keep out of his voice. “You’re going to leave me, leave our kits?”

“I’ve spent too long here. I’m sorry, Reedstripe. I love you and our kits dearly, but… but it’s time I returned to NocturneClan.” She picked at the frozen ground anxiously. “I won’t be alone,” she continued, voice suddenly hushed so Reedstripe had to strain to hear her over the wind. “I’ll have one of the kits with me.”

“One of the kits?” Reedstripe burst out. “What do you mean one of the kits? You’re not going to separate them, are you?” His paws trembled and he dug his claws into the ground, both in agitation and to stop his legs from shaking. “You can’t do that!”

“I must,” Starberry replied firmly. Her eyes were shadowed with sadness, and for a moment, the flame dwindled as sympathy took over. Reedstripe knew this must have been a huge decision for her.

He shook his head. “Take one of the kits? I can’t let you separate them.” He blinked at her with wide eyes pleadingly. “You don’t have to leave. You can stay here, with me, with us.” He flicked his tail towards the nursery.

Starberry turned her gaze back to the sky, face lit up by the light. “My Clan needs me,” she repeated again, almost to reassure herself. Reedstripe shook his head again and padded off to the fresh-kill pile, shoulders sagging, selecting a trout before dragging it off to the side. Starberry padded off, heading for Wrenstar’s den.

Little did they know that hidden in the reeds just behind the bickering mates were little Otterkit and Salmonkit, both quivering with mixed cold and shock.

“Momma’s going to leave?” Salmonkit finally squeaked, trembling so hard he looked like he would be knocked off his paws. “And-and she’s going to t-take one of us with her?”

Otterkit pressed herself into Salmonkit’s shivering flank until he stilled. “It’s okay,” she tried to reassure him, voice low and soothing, despite not feeling very calm herself. “Warriors argue all the time. It’ll be fine in the morning, you’ll see.” She nudged her brother back towards the nursery. “Time to go back.”

The two kits crept back to the nursery, leaving the river and silent camp behind them, just as the first snowflakes began to fall.

[clouds-move-on]

“Are mommy and daddy still fighting?” Salmonkit squeaked.
Otterkit turned her back to the nursery entrance where Starberry had just stalked off, frowning. “I don’t know,” she admitted with a shrug, hoping her nonchalant attitude could reassure Salmonkit.
Salmonkit sighed and stuck his muzzle under his paw. “I hope they can still take us into the marsh,” he whimpered. “I hope we can play in the snow and skate on the ice.”
Otterkit remained quiet, staring outside the nursery. She stood up, making Salmonkit cast her a questioning look, as she poked her head outside the nursery.
When she turned back, a sly grin was plastered across her face.
"... Otterkit?"
"We could go skating and stuff, if we hurry." She said happily, stalking back over to the smaller bundle of orange as she explained. "Salmonkit... if they are still fighting, they might forget about going to the marsh... So I'm thinking we can go, just the two of us."
Salmonkit perked his ears and sat up slightly, but then, with a slight tilt to his head, he muttered. "Yeah... we could, but isn't the camp guarded? We're not allowed to leave without mommy or daddy's permission and someone watching us, so-"
"No one's guarding the camp!" Otterkit cajoled, already up on her paws again. In a lower voice she added. "Come on... I just looked, everyone's preoccupied, the camp isn't guarded. We can sneak out and sneak back in, no one will see!"
She added in an even lower tone, her face falling slightly as she did so. "... And if they do separate us... don't you wanna go on one more adventure? You love adventures..."
Salmonkit jumped to his paws, not wasting him to agreeing. In fact, he marched on ahead of her, heading at a quick trot for the entrance. "Let's do this thing then!" He called back, before bounding forwards.

The two managed to get out unseen. They made their way out into the forest, wading through the chilled marsh best they could. Salmonkit was beginning to regret this- his paws were freezing- but looking towards Otterkit's bright eyes, he couldn't admit his trepidation. His heart dropped into his stomach. Would they really have to be separated?

As they walked, he thought of stories his mother told him of her home clan. NocturneClan. It helped him ignore how his paws were growing colder and colder.
She'd told him they loved adventure, just like she did; just like he did. Salmonkit could spend hours listening to the things her clan knew and did. Otterkit would listen too, sometimes, but she preferred to play with the others if the story got too long; Salmonkit didn't really have any friends besides his kin. It was realizing this that made Salmonkit stop in his tracks.
He'd be the one leaving, probably. Otterkit wouldn't want to come, even if both could go.
"Hey, Salmonkit, you ok? It's only a bit farther... I think." Otterkit mewed, taking a few paces back. They'd crawled up a rockier slope, where the marsh was drier and their paws could warm up what little they could.
"Oh! Yeah, I'm good." Salmonkit said hurriedly, pushing past her as she watched him with concern. He didn't like to see the concern ion her eyes- he could handle himself. He was able to push on, freezing paws, troubled thoughts and all. He wasn't about to admit weakness to her.

"We can rest if your tired." Otterkit called after him. She had quickly caught up; she didn't look as bothered as he did by the cold. She questioned in her mind what was going through his head- her brother had always been weaker,, and, although as he got older he hid it, more sensitive. But Salmonkit simply gave her a small smile and said. "Nah, come on, let's get going before someone sees us!"

[liightning]

The two kits hurried on, paws skittering on the rocky slope.

After a while of wandering around, even Otterkit was tired. She glanced back at Salmonkit with concern in her eyes, watching as he struggled to keep up, paws dragging on the pebbly shore. A spark of pride ignited in her; she knew he was exhausted, likely more than she was, and yet he was still struggling valiantly on. A sudden thought that she'd been shying away from all day popped into her mind - If we had to leave each other, he'd do just fine on his own - before she shoved it away with a shake of her head. Certainly they wouldn't be separated, especially not this close to apprenticeship. Although... Salmonkit is supposed to be held back a moon, she recalled uneasily.

"Why'd you stop?" Salmonkit panted, halting beside Otterkit. He wrapped his tail around his paws in an attempt to hide their trembling from cold and exhaustion. Otterkit felt another sharp jab of pain in her chest. If we're going to be separated, I shouldn't be pushing him to prove himself. Not in our last few days together.

"Let's take a break," Otterkit suggested, glancing around.

"You better not be stopping for me. I've got enough energy to run from camp to the lake and back." Salmonkit lifted his muzzle defiantly, determination sparking in his eyes.

"No, no, certainly not. It's me who's tired," she admitted. "And... I don't know where the river is."

"Then let's just go back to camp," Salmonkit sighed. This wasn't as fun as he'd thought. His paws were frozen and numb, and the wind had chilled him to the bone.

"Um..." Otterkit paused for a moment, glancing around them. Panic, like a trapped bird, fluttered in her chest. "I-I don't know where that is, either."

"Oh. You mean we're lost?"

"Not exactly. I just don't know where we are."

"Yeah, that's what lost means."

Otterkit picked at the ground anxiously, doing her best to keep her calm. The sky above was gray with clouds, and the wind seemed to grow stronger every moment. Hadn't Starberry warned that snow was on the way?

"Let's just find somewhere to rest for now. Somewhere safe and warm," Otterkit decided. She scanned the rock. "There, that looks like a cave!" She scampered off towards a wide crack in the rock.

Salmonkit limped after her, whiskers twitching anxiously as he wondered if he was imagining the cold prick of snow on his back.

[clouds-move-on]

The two kits entered the cave, their eyes letting out a faint glow as it caught the last traces of light from outside. Salmonkit gasped in awe as he stared around the dark space, watching as it vanished into blackness ahead of them.

"This is a good shelter." Salmonkit said with a nod, taking in a long sniff. It smelled of dirt and wet; he couldn't catch any traces of other animals. That was good; he might not have recognized every animal's scent, but they would have to avoid any if they did, in case it was a predator.

Otterkit nodded and strode forwards, her whiskers twitching as she took in the scents of the cave as well. It was dark, but their keen eyes were already adjusted enough that Salmonkit hurried a bit ahead of her. "Let's explore!"

"Be careful! There could be some twisting paths, we need to stick together." Otterkit stated. She sounded excited though; despite the slightly scolding tone her eyes shone with as much excitement as his did.

They headed onward into the tunnel. It widened as it went, but no divide came in their path. It soon opened up into a small cavern; small enough that a larger animal would have to crouch, but big enough for at least an adult warrior or three could take shelter with enough room for their heads.

"It's like a secret hideaway, like in mom's stories." Salmonkit said with triumph, digging through a collecting of colorful rocks that seemed to be littered throughout the tunnel and cave. "And look! Treasure!"

"It's just pebbles." Otterkit said with a laugh, padding closer to join her brother as they looked through the pretty things. She didn't really understand what treasure was, nor why the people in her mother's storie were so fixed on them. Salmonkit however seemed to. Seeing his interest in the pebbles made her happy enough that she, too, was beginning to understand the people in those stories.

"Look." Salmonkit pointed out, picking up in his jaws a smooth, orange pebble. He placed it aside.

"It's color kinda looks like my fur."

[liightning]

"You're right!" Otterkit agreed, awe creeping into her voice. The stone seemed to glow with its own light, a gorgeous deep amber the color of warm honey. Little golden flecks glimmered as Salmonkit turned it, admiring it in the pale light from outside.

"It's mine," Salmonkit murmured, half to himself. "I get to keep it."

Otterkit suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion and was too tired to give more than a little nod.

"Let's take a nap."

The two kits curled up beside the treasure, breathing slowing as sleep settled heavily upon them. Salmonkit kept the golden stone wrapped in his paws.


"Salmonkit! Salmonkit, wake up!" Otterkit's excited exclamation jolted the kit out of his dreams.

"Hmm?" he murmured, yawning, wincing a little from the hard stone that he'd slept on. Wait. Stone...? It took him a moment to recall the long walk through the marsh.

"It snowed overnight! Come on, you have to see!" The tortoiseshell was bouncing on her paws, fur bristling with excitement. She nudged Salmonkit to his paws. "Up, slowpoke, let's go!"

"Keep your fur on," Salmonkit snapped, grumpy from being woken up so suddenly, grumpy from the cold, grumpy from hunger, grumpy from going on a wild goose chase through the marsh and getting completely lost. Grudgingly, he followed his sister outside, shivering as he left the crevice in the rock that had sheltered them from wind.

"Here." Otterkit stopped at the mouth of the cave, paws crunching on the pale dusting of snow that evaded the rock overhead. The morning sun, a beautiful pale golden, sliced through the reeds. The world around was covered in a layer of brightly glittering snow that seemed to sparkle to its own rhythm. As Salmonkit stepped forward, entranced, the dusting of snow on the cave floor crunched gently under his paws, and he felt the cold but refreshing prick of ice. The air was fresh, the clean smell of snow that he remembered from the last snow, and his breath drifted in the air in little white clouds. As he inhaled, he felt the bite of cold and frost in his throat, drowsiness disappearing at once, enhancing his senses, clearing his mind.

“Beautiful,” Salmonkit finally breathed, voice barely louder than the whisper of wind whistling over the still winter morning, so hushed as if he were afraid that speaking would shatter the serene moment.

Otterkit nodded, her heterochromatic blue and green eyes wide with wonder. Salmonkit watched perfect pale wisps of clouds drift by in the endless clear blue sky, reminding him of the flickers of silver minnows under water. Faintly, he could hear birds twittering their usual morning songs, and the gentle trickling of water somewhere nearby where it had not yet frozen.

“We should head back soon.” Otterkit finally broke the silence with a sigh.

“Right,” Salmonkit agreed, a little disappointed that they had to leave. Of course, they could still see more of the snow on their way back home, but he would still miss the cave. It had, after all, been where he’d found the rock. Wait, the rock!

He spun around and tore back into the cave, paws skittering over the cool rock, until he found the little cavern they’d slept in. With a sigh of relief, he scooped up the stone once again, clutching it to his chest with a paw as he tottered back. Once outside, he picked it up in his jaws carefully but firmly.

“Ready?” Otterkit flicked her tail before setting off, picking her way carefully through the snow. Thankfully, it wasn’t too deep, and the kits were able to continue without much difficulty. Once in a while, they would sink into a particularly soft patch of snow and emerge, snow clinging to their whiskers, jaws open in laughs.

Salmonkit briefly considered asking Otterkit if she even knew where she was going before shaking his head. His sister seemed concentrated, stretching her neck to peer over hills of snow and tall bunches of reeds, ears pricked and nose twitching. His paws were beginning to get a bit numb from the cold and he wondered wearily how much longer it would be.

“Wait! Look, the river!” Otterkit suddenly stopped, pointing with a paw, quivering with excitement. “I know where we are!”
“The river? You mean the one mom and dad promised to bring us?” Salmonkit frowned.

“I think! If it is, that means I know the way back home! Remember momma’s stories? NocturneClan usually travels around the lake and follows the main river-”

“-up the delta and to the camp!” Salmonkit finished, grinning, hope filling his chest with warmth. This was a phrase they had commonly heard in their parents’ stories, and it was one of his favorites. He loved the idea of the delta, where the main river branched off into dozens of smaller streams, just like a tree’s branches. He’d never been, but surely he’d see it someday. Perhaps when he was an apprentice… or maybe within the next few sunrises, if he was going to leave with NocturneClan.

Otterkit’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Since we should be really close to the camp, why not have some fun?” She started down the slope, tail waving in excitement. “We can finally skate!”





“Skate?” Salmonkit called anxiously as he followed. “Shouldn’t we wait for mom and dad? They did promise to bring us.”

“They’re probably too busy, remember? This was the whole point of the adventure! No way are we missing this!” She stopped at the bank, and Salmonkit hurried to her side, staring down at the ice. An identical face blinked back at him, amber eyes framed with golden fur.

“This looks strong enough!” Otterkit declared, tapping the ice with her paw. “Let’s do some skating!”

“Uh, are you sure-” Salmonkit broke off with a yelp as Otterkit nudged him onto the ice. He gasped in shock as the biting cold of the ice stung his underbelly, and he struggled to his paws, instinctively unsheathing his claws to right himself as he’d done the last time they skated. Otterkit was already sliding around, somewhat graceful, and he followed her lead, warming up with some simple spinning.

“Okay, ready?” Otterkit squeaked, fur bushed from both cold and excitement. The two kits lined up on the edge of the river. “Last one to that big brown pebble is a minnow! Go!” Otterkit and Salmonkit pushed themselves off, paws sliding on the glassy surface, both laughing with glee.

They finished at nearly the same times, so close that neither could tell who won. They settled on a tie, and the kits padded onto solid ground, both out of breath but laughing.

“Wait a second. Look at this, Salmonkit!” Otterkit took the ‘big brown pebble’ they’d used as a finish line marker in two paws, turning it in the light. Salmonkit trotted closer, taking his first good look at something they’d both assumed was just a boring rock.

“It’s a snail shell!” Salmonkit finally exclaimed, eyes wide with awe. The smooth spirals on the shell reminded him of Otterkit’s tortoiseshell pelt.

Otterkit seemed to think the same thing, and she hugged to her chest. “Perfect! Now we both have something we found on this adventure.” She blinked at Salmonkit’s amber rock. “Now, we should probably get back soon.”

The kits followed the river back to the camp. Otterkit cried out in relief when she spotted the little island camp ahead. They pushed through the reeds into camp, both relieved to be back home but worried at how much trouble they’d be in.

[clouds-move-on]

As soon as the two walked in they were met with many paws, fur and cats talking. A group of cats were gathered- mostly of DeltaClan, but a few newcomers that Otterkit and Salmonkit vaguely recognized as Starberry's clanmates.

"Hey guys! The kits have made themselves known!" Came a slightly rough voice as Salmonkit suddenly felt himself hoisted in the air by a chubby, ginger furred tomcat that had a similar scent to his mother. Looking aside, Salmonkit noticed Otterkit was pick up by the scruff as well, letting out a slightly mew of protest as Briarrose picked her up as well.

There was another wave of talk down the line of cats, and Wrenstar, followed by Starberry and Reedstripe, came rushing through, the line of cats making way for them as the trio examined the kits over.

Starberry and Reedstripe nuzzled and covered their two kits with licks, before Reedstripe swatted both gently on the head. "What were you two thinking!"
"We were so worried!" Starberry added, eyes wide with leftover terror.
Wrenstar touched her head to the kits, mumbling a. "Thank goodness your safe." As she did so. Salmonkit cast Otterkit a nervous, ashamed look, while Otterkit has a fixed, uneasy frown on their face. They hadn't thought it through; yet still, they didn't exactly regret it. For one, there seemed to be no tension leftover in their parents manners towards each other- and somehow they, too, felt a ease sweep over them. Perhaps it was the way Starberry's eyes held a more attentive, loving look than they'd had before; maybe Reedstripe's gentle flick of his tail towards his mate, his eyes shining with relief and contentment.
It would be clear a few minutes later that all parties had reached an understanding.

"What's going on mama? Is NocturneClan here to take you away?" Otterkit asked cautiously. It had already been a half hour since they'd returned; it took awhile for things to calm down.
"Well..." Reedstripe muttered, looking to Starberry a bit cautiously.
"Yes. But I'll come visit when I next can." Starberry replied softly, casting her eyes down to her paws.
There was a long pause, before Salmonkit said.
"... I'll come with you."
Reedstripe, Starberry and Otterkit shot him a look, all waiting for him to say more. Starberry opened her mouth and began to say. "You don't Have to g-"
"I-I do have to go." Salmonkit interrupted, a slight stutter creeping into his voice. He ruffled his fur slightly and sat up straighter. Otterkit almost thought he looked as tall as she did, now. A slightly sad thought dwelled in her mind; perhaps he really didn't need her anymore. Not like he had before, anyways.
"I want to go! I want to see the world!" Salmonkit added excitingly, letting his paw sweep over the stone he'd found. He gently nudged it thoughtfully as he added. "We had fun today... I know we worried you, but I think it made up realize that this... c-change can be good."
He looked to Otterkit for a moment, holding her gaze as if looking fo her support. At first she stared back in a numb silence- she'd have to let go of her little brother, forever. Things wouldn't be the same after this; perhaps, though, that was a good thing.
She smiled- Salmonkit understood all in that smile.
"I'll stay with dad." Otterkit added confidently, looking up towards Reedstripe with a warm smile. "I want to be a DeltaClan warrior! I can't imagine being anywhere else... but I do understand mom and Salmonkit have a different destiny."

They remained there for about a day, rising with the sun as it slipped over the chilled horizon. The NocturneClan patrol, consisting of five warriors, including Starberry and Salmonkit, gathered to leave, Otterkit, Reedstripe, Buzzardflight and Pretelflight making up the rest of the party. They chatted, laughed and sang as they walked, making the longish journey to the border that would take the NocturneClan cats homeward.

Salmonkit carried his stone, and Otterkit her shell. They exchanged pleased looks as they ran after the older cats, stopping occasionally to play and roll in the snow, placing their prized objects aside as they laughed.

Finally the cats reached the lakeside, the one Starberry always mentioned in her stories as NocturneClan's route. Salmonkit and Otterkit took one last look towards the ice, envisioning themselves sliding across it as they used to. Then they turned away, leaving behind what they once were.

"Wait!"
Salmonkit turned, his eyes questioning as Otterkit chased after him. They'd already said their goodbyes; was she having second thoughts? It troubled him for a minute as she finally caught up, for once out of breath even more than he was. This was because she was running on three legs awkwardly, clutching her snail shell to her chest to shout.
"What?" Salmonkit asked curiously.
Otterkit held up the shell in her mouth triumphantly, before placing it at his feet.
"... I want you to have it." Otterkit said.
"But-"
"You said last light it reminded you of me! Take it as a piece of home." Otterkit said, nuzzling him and smiling.
Salmonkit let out a small purr, before looking down at his own possession he had placed beside him. His gaze softening, he gave the stone a ndge.
"You take this one. We'll trade- this one looks like me, remember?"
"I know; whenever we look at them we can remember our day skating, too!"
"The day before everything changed forever..." Salmonkit added wistfully, his eyes watering slightly as he looked into his sister's eyes for the last time that fateful day.

Salmonpaw and Otterpaw do not regret their decisions. Salmonpaw gained his name as an apprentice honorarily during the journey, learning quickly about the basics of survival and travel as they went. Otterpaw gained hers a few days later, already thinking ahead to the day her kin would return from across the ice. She'd have so much to tell Salmonkit, she thought, about her training, her mentor, and DeltaClan.