𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍 (closed)

[Rae'tia]

♣Tigerpaw⏵The Coyote
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◄16m｜Female｜River Guard｜Bisexual｜tagged; River Guards ►

indentationWith trembling paws the color-point she-cat took a small tentative step forward. A mixture of emotions surged through her, making her blood rush in her ears. Taking a shuddering breath the odd-eyed feline turned her gaze to her fellow River Guards and felt the fur along her spine rise as she came back to her senses. "What in the name of the river just happened?" she rasped out, her mouth felt dry. Snapping her jaw closed as Copperpaw called out the she-cat swallowed a few times in an attempt to gain back some moisture. Her claws dug into the ground underneath her paws and her gaze flickered between her companions. Shaking her head, she turned her gaze toward the river watching as the water rush. It was strangely calming for her, and in time she let out a soft breath.

indentation Giving her jaw a lick and turning her attention back to her fellow River Guards. "Are we going to tell them what happened or..." She asked trailing off. Her gaze flickered between Emberpaw and Mumblepaw for a few moments before mentally dismissing them. While they were the two oldest of the River Guards, they were also less likely to take charge in this situation as far as she could tell. She was honestly unsure of where the others stood, they were wild cards. Though she didn't mind that much, she could roll with the flow if she needed to.

[skywalker,]

★（ ＭＵＭＢＬＥＰＡＷ！ ）
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[ male ] [ seventeen moons ] [ bicurious ] [ no crush ] [ river guard ] [ tagged with the river guards ]

⇨ His eyes were still widened with shock, unmoved even by the time the starry warrior had vanished, and all that remained to remind him of her presence was the roaring of the water flooding in from the rains. Blood roared in his ears, and when he finally snapped out of it, he realized his mouth had been wide open. He probably looked like he was attempting to catch flies. He shook his head, and took a step back from the water, but his rear end promptly gave out underneath him and he sat in the dirt, which was quickly turning into a muddy alternative.

He hadn't even realized his legs had been shaking, only holding him up because he hadn't been in the present moment. He felt his shoulders shaking as well, and he closed his eyes, dipping his head down to his chest and releasing a huge shudder that rocked his entire body. His tongue weighed in his maw like lead, and he felt that if he attempted to speak he'd choke on his words. He was jolted out of his thoughts by yelling and talking, and was immediately reminded that he was in the presence of his fellow river guards. Surely the others had seen what he had? He wasn't going mad, was he? No, he decided, he could remember all of the others names being called upon by the star touched molly.

Her words rung faintly in his ears, and he shook his head, attempting to steel himself in front of the others. He raised his eyes towards the river once again, then turned his attention towards the other river guards. Copperpaw had yowled out the river had come, as was tradition, even though their sleepy clanmates below have probably already heard the crashing and roaring of the newly filled river. Then Tigerpaw spoke, and he noticed she was just as disheveled as him. He glanced around at the others, and noticed that they were all in the same boat. When Tigerpaw asked if they should tell the others, Mumblepaw suddenly felt a strong pull in his chest.

"N-No" He called out immediately, not knowing where the courage to speak up suddenly came from. He seemed surprised with himself. He raised his voice a little more so the others could hear him over the screams of the river beside them, "I don't think we s-should. The Starclan cat.. She was talking to us, and us alone. I think we should just keep it to ourselves for now, j-just until we find out what exactly is going on" He licked his lips, his paws shuffling in the dirt. He didn't feel as shaky anymore, so he pulled himself to his paws. He was soaked to the bone, but he welcomed the cold rain after many days of unbearable sun. He padded towards Copperpaw and Tigerpaw and looked down into the camp, his ears flattening slightly. What was going to happen to them? What did this mean? His head was swimming with questions, and he didn't know if he'd get any anwers, anytime soon.

❀（ ＳＰＲＩＮＧＦＲＯＳＴ！ ）
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[ female ] [ forty-one moons ] [ bisexual ] [ no crush ] [ medicine cat ] [ tagged with nobody, mentions Evernight ]

⇨ The night had been silent for a long while, and the only sounds coming from the medicine cats den were soft puffs of air as the cats inside slept. Springfrost laid curled in her soft nest, her nose tucked under her tail as she snoozed. Usually, she'd be sprawled out, and half of her body would be on the floor beside her nest, but tonight was different. It was the roaring of the approaching flood that had awoken her, the noise invading her eardrums and making her head lift from it's resting state. A soft smile graced her face, and her sightless eyes closed to enjoy the sound of the oncoming water. She had always imagined what it must look like; her clanmates described it to her as frantic, like a flock of birds trying to escape from a coyotes jaws, with white foam bubbling on top of brown hued water as it crashed around in the riverbed of the canyon they called home. Then when it calmed, she would go dip her paws into the cool water, feeling the texture as it swirled and surged around her paw gracefully.

She broke out of her daydreaming and lifted herself into a sitting position, licking a few flyaway strands of fur on her chest. She angled her ears towards the exit of her sleeping corner, following the sound of the roaring water. She had memorized pretty well where everything in the medicine den was; she had of course called this place home since she was a young apprentice, however sometimes she still used little noises to help her navigate the somewhat tight space. She slipped from her nest and made sure not to disturb Evernight as she made her way to the exit, her nose watching as she smelt and heard the fresh falling rain. Once she was just outside the entrance to the medicine den, she turned her head upwards, feeling the rain pattering down on her face. A smile broke her muzzle, and a deep sigh left her chest. She retreated a few steps, sitting down and listening to the pattering of the rain and the rushing of the current.

She heard a yowl, and angled her ears towards where the sound came from. Probably the river guards, finally finished with their post of awaiting the rains and the river. Springfrost beamed, proud of those young cats. They deserved the rest they were about to receive, and the names they would be given. Springfrost moved her head back to the front, and closed her eyes once more, enjoying the tranquility before the bustle of her other clan mates began.

[Animals65]

Creamflower wakes up after hearing yowling coming from the camp entrance, yawning. Getting up from her nest, she stretches and walks out of the warriors' den and into the clearing to see what the commotion was about. Upon seeing the river guards, she smiles, feeling proud of the six young cats for doing their job correctly.

[Laetificat]

Pinyonplight - Tags: Wanderstar
Pinyonplight jolted awake as the downpour hit, fur spiking in anxiety at the noise. It was just rain though, and with the rain signified the return of the river, and a yowl formally announced its arrival. He frowned as he tried looking outside of camp before giving up and stepping closer to the cave entrance. Pinyonplight jolted back in fear. The river was right there. There was only a thin strip between the canyon wall and the raging river and if it rose any higher- He turned and bolted towards the twoleg metal that made up Wanderstar’s den. “Wanderstar?” Pinyonplight called anxiously, looking behind him as if the river would gobble him up in an instant. “Wanderstar, the river is nearly to camp. Should we move the warriors and apprentices further into the cave?”

Dunedrop - Tags: Acaciaridge, Springfrost
Like other clanmates, the rain and rushing river woke her and she jumped out of her nest, a grin brimming of her muzzle. “Ah yea, it’s raining!” she announced loudly, pouncing on Acaciaridge. “Wake up sleepyhead! Let’s go see the river!” Without waiting for a response, she raced to the entrance of the joint medicine cat-elder den and saw Springfrost sitting nearby. “Isn’t this so exciting? Those six deserve that ceremony they’re going to receive. It hasn’t been an easy dry season after all.”

Longfang - Tags: Open
He slept, paws twitching as he dreamed of swimming in the cool and refreshing river with his clanmates among him.

Scorpionbite - Tags: Miragekit
The pounding rain outside of the clan’s camp slowly roused Scorpionbite from her dreams and she looked up, shaking her head to clear the sleep from her brain. “Mm, the river is back,” she rasped to herself, tail flicking as a yowl sounded through the rain. Undoubtedly Copperpaw, a rather outstanding apprentice if not for her disregard for the warrior code. Perhaps once the river calmed down, she would take Miragekit to see it. As if reminded of her, she bent forward and gave the silver kit at her side a gentle lick on the head.

[Rae'tia]

♣Tigerpaw⏵The Coyote
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◄16m｜Female｜River Guard｜Bisexual｜tagged; River Guard ►

indentationShe was pleasantly surprised when Mumblepaw spoke up, the she-cat did love being proven wrong, if only for the sake of arguing. In truth, she agreed with him, for the most part at least. Tigerpaw was thinking that they should tell someone, and she knew just who to consider. "Maybe, but it's not like we have experience figuring out what Starclan is trying to tell us. I doubt that some random Starclan cat would come down to tell us what's going on once they figure it out what this darkness is." She retorted, before glancing at her fellow river guards and adding. "Maybe we could confer with Springfrost, she is more adept at dealing with Starclan's cryptic messages. Or Evernight if y'all think someone closer to our age would be better." or talk to Wanderstar, either way, it's not like it makes much of a difference. She mused silently. It's likely that Starclan will send one of them some sort of cryptic sign or message once things have been figured out. So they'll eventually find out anyway, one way or another.
indentation Feeling a bit morose because of her line of thought, the she-cat turned to Copperpaw. "So, Copperpaw, hear anything interesting with that jackrabbit hearing of yours?" She asked playfully, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.

♠Darknettle⏵The Prickly Pear
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◄50m｜Male｜Warrior｜Androsexual｜tagged; Open ►

indentationDarknettle had been one of the few still awake when the rains had filled the river, as the dark tom had offered to help guard the camp that night. It wasn't an odd occurrence, the tom was more nocturnal than some of his other clan-mates. In fact, it had become even more frequently occurring after his own apprentice Emberpaw took his post upon the River Perch as a River Guard. Of course, it didn't help matters that his daughter in everything but blood was also standing up on that river perch. While he did his best to pretend otherwise, he was concerned for both Emberpaw and Tigerpaw. Darknettle was hard on both apprentices and expected a lot out of them, and while he hated the thought of not being able to train with them anymore, he was delighted that they'd be getting their warrior names. As Copperpaw called down, practically screeching about the river filling, the tom huffed and stood. "Not much longer now." He mewed softly under his breath.
indentation Glancing towards Wanderstar's den, then tom mulled over what he'd asked of his leader only a few moons ago. After a long talk with Tigerpaw, the tom had gone to Wanderstar with a request for Tigerpaw's warrior name. He had asked that Tigerpaw be named after one of his siblings; Dawnkit and Dusk-kit, in an attempt to strengthen family bonds. Not that anyone knew - as far as Darknettle could tell - that he and Tigerpaw were related, after all the tom had just told the clan that a weak queen had asked him to take in her last surviving kit. It wasn't a lie exactly, he just hadn't admitted that the queen had been his sister. Shaking his head, the tom turned his gaze towards the perch, wishing that he could make out more than a few shadowed figures in the darkness.

♦Arian⏵The Flowering Bud
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◄32m｜Female｜Loner｜Heterosexual｜tagged; open ►

indentationArian had originally taken shelter under a small lone bush, but then the rain had started to poor and she would not stand to let her coat get messier than it already was. Curling her tail the Silverly she-cat sat just inside the mouth of a small cave, looking ever deeper. The darkness made her remember her mother - aunt had told her once. "... If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." At the time the young she-cat had horrid nightmares for moons after that, terrified that something in the darkness was going to come and steal her away. However, now it just gave her comfort, and while she'd never admitted it, a strange sense of peace too. It reminded her that if there was someone or something watching her, that she at the very least would gain something to watch over her or end her misery. Because despite her love of stringing toms along, gaining a defender, and a good supply of food for a short amount of time, it was a thankless and lonely way of life.
indentation Nevertheless, come morning light, Arian would move on and find a new tom to target. Hopefully, this time she'd be able to keep her "catch" longer than a moon, but she wasn't expecting something so wonderful. At most, she'd be able to keep the next for half a moon or so, unless she decided she wanted to invest in the tom. Long-term, the thought made her shiver as the she-cat curled up on the hard ground. Long-term was what Ruby called her time with Baron and Bates. The brightly colored she-cat had settled down with the two toms and had kits with them. It was something that she never planned on doing.

[rookfern]

───
𝙵𝙴𝙴𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶: tense; irate───𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽: river perch
───𝚃𝙰𝙶𝚂: river guards

⚕ 𝙲𝙾𝙿𝙿𝙴𝚁𝙿𝙰𝚆, she-cat; 14 moons; zenithclan river guard
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──────"as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn"


"Mumblepaw is right," Copperpaw agreed, "There has to be a reason StarClan came to us and not Springfrost or Wanderstar." She watched the river surge beneath the stone they stood on, the blood still rushing in her ears. She flinched back as Tigerpaw's voice was suddenly booming next to her, and she scowled at the she-cat.

"I can hear you, though I'm not sure that counts as interesting," she said scathingly. Even against the chill of the rain, her pelt burned a little; maybe the tongue-lashing wasn't necessary -- Tigerpaw certainly didn't deserve her wrath, but she couldn't exactly go storm StarClan to demand answers. Copperpaw twitched her whiskers, rainwater dripping off of her still-present scowl. "Come on, we should probably get out of this rain before we get washed away."

With a flick of her tail, she started to pick her way off of the river perch. The going was slow, as mud soaked between her toes with each step and threatened to slide off, with her atop it, right into the river gorge below. She didn't breathe easily until she was clear of the treacherous rock and safely on the solid ground of the canyon lip. She turned to watch her fellow river guards do the same.

───
𝙵𝙴𝙴𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶: sleepy; calm───𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽: leader's den; camp
───𝚃𝙰𝙶𝚂: pinyonplight

☾ 𝚆𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁, they/them; 53 moons; zenithclan leader
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──────"make these messes matter, make this chaos count"


Wanderstar awoke from a strange dream of desert dunes and moths to their deputy's anxious meow. They gave a small noise to indicate that they had heard Pinyonplight and uncoiled themself from their nest. They were in no particular rush; in truth, they had only half-processed Pinyonplight's words, but more were trickling in as they stretched. Finally, with a yawn, they pulled themself free of their nest's warm grasp. "Move the warriors..." they mumbled before they realized what the deputy was asking.

Giving a reassuring rumble of laughter, Wanderstar laid their tail over Pinyonplight's shoulders. They stepped past the tom and down onto the cool sandstone ground of the camp. "No need, my friend. You know this, it does this every year. Comes close, yeah, but never reaches us." Dawn was clearly still a ways off, judging by the darkness that permeated the camp. A few of their clanmates were stirring, though, awoken not by Pinyonplight but by the roaring of the river.

"Let us go greet our newest warriors!" they called over their shoulder to Pinyonplight with a cheery wave of their tail. "They should be returning soon." Moisture was beginning to fill the air the closer Wanderstar got to the river. The normally bone-dry river bank was sodden and silty, and they left little indentations of their paws where they walked. They sat themselves in the muddy silt and watched the rushing waves cap with white foam as they tore past the mouth of the camp's little grotto.

───
𝙵𝙴𝙴𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶: content───𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽: warrior's den
───𝚃𝙰𝙶𝚂: open

🏶 𝙱𝚄𝙲𝙺𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚁𝙽, tom; 39 moons; zenithclan warrior
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──────"you can sing for me but don't you sing the blues"


(he's still dead asleep lmao; give him a tag if you want to interact)

[Laetificat]

Pinyonplight - Tags: Wanderstar
He fretted for a second, paws dancing on the sandstone floor of the cave as he debated what to say. Finally, he took a deep breath and smiled nervously at Wanderstar. They were right of course - not once in his life had the river gone into camp, and even the elders could recall few stories of it doing so. He followed after Wanderstar and nodded in agreement. “Right, let’s greet them. I’m sure Mumblepaw will make a fine warrior. They all will,” Pinyonplight said, shaking out his thin fur as it quickly gained a light dusting of moisture from the air. He sat beside Wanderstar, though a tiny bit further back from the river just in case. Who knew if a rogue surge would happen? Hopefully none of the river guards got hurt.

[ColonelHamster]

ＦＯＸＬＥＡＰ

╔═════════════════════════╗
♚ gender: male ♚ age: 44 moons ♚ clan: zenithclan
♚ rank: warrior ♚ location: camp ♚ tags: Dunedrop, Springfrost
╚═════════════════════════╝

Like most of the clan, the tom had been sleeping when the sounds of the coming storm reached his ears. His eyes opened slowly as he awoke. Foxleap hadn’t been in a deep sleep, otherwise he would’ve slept right through it. The tom shifted in his nest as the rain grew louder in the early hours. His moth open in a quite yawn. His vision was still rather blurry from sleep as he glanced around at his fellow warriors. He could very easily drift back into a deep sleep if he allowed himself. After a few moments passed, a deep purr rumbled through him as the sound of rain grew in strength. Foxleap wasn’t one to particularly like getting wet, but there was always something about this first storm. Part of him wanted to spring out of his nest like a kit and run out in the midst of it. To feel the mud between his paws, to be completely soaked by the rain and watch the as the river filled. Thank Starclan the storm had came another year.

An old Zenithclan tale come to mind as the tom began to stir. His purr began to mimic the tune the elder had in his retelling. “Constant as the stars above, the storms are sure to come.” Foxleap spoke softly as he started to stretch. The tom grinned as he looked out, trying to once again resist the urge to rush out like a small kit. Foxleap started to make his way to the the edges of the overhang, still humming the old melody as he picked his way through the other warriors. “In these drying lands, among the blistering sands, the storms will come.” Foxleap stopped just out of the rain. His gaze lifted up to the sky, watching as the raindrops fell.

A few drops landed on his muzzle, his tail tip twitched as the cool droplet made contact. His purr grew in strength Foxleap would have been content to watch them for a while longer, but the sounding yowl reached his ears through the rain. Foxleap's grin broke into a wide smile. The hard part was over, now the real fun would began. A new set of young warriors joining the ranks. Next year, his appetence would follow in their steps. It would be an exciting time, to watch your own appetence complete the river guard tradition.

Hearing an old familer voice, Foxleap turned his head spotting the elder, Dunedrop just coming up to the medicine cat, Springfrost. Foxleap gaze lingered on the beautiful chocolate point molly, watching how she took in the rain. A flutter in his chest rose, wishing... Foxleap's ears folded flat on his head, berating himself for the thoughts. He needed to just let it go. He decided to go over and say hello. Dunedrop was always entertaining during the storm, or anytime really. Elder she may be, but that didn't stop her from fun, or doing as she pleased. Foxleap had alwyas liked that about her. Good morning! How are you two beautiful mollies on this fine stormy day?" Foxleap greeted with a warm purr, being mindful to keep his voice down. Foxleap dipped his head to Dunedrop, giving her a smirk. "I thought you'd already have the kits out in the rain by now Dunedrop." The tom joked before stepping over to Springfrost. Foxleap come up to her side, and brushed his tail against her so she'd know where he was.

[tealfeather]

acaciaridge { camp. dunedrop, springfrost, foxleap. }
>> ey/em. elder. ninety-seven moons.
>> brown tabby with gold eyes.

Blinking open tired eyes one after another, Acaciaridge slowly gets to eir feet after Dunedrop leaves following her usual wake-up call. The fact that the river has returned is intriguing; Acacia's ears twitch in interest at the mention, but it would be obvious enough anyway, with the rush of water surrounding the camp that wasn't there when the elders settled down for the night. Unlike Dunedrop, who somehow always finds the energy to bound out of the den the moment she wakes up like a kit, Acaciaridge takes eir time and makes sure to groom a little to wake up before trailing behind eir mate.

When ey reaches the little huddle of cats Dunedrop has amassed - to be expected - ey sits down nearby and lets a gentle purr take over eir voice. The river is always soothing to em, and ey watches it as ey speaks. "I'm happy to see the river again. And certainly not for lack of effort, Foxleap," ey adds, eir gaze flicking over to Dunedrop fondly.

[phayraoh]

𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 [ evər - nīt ] — 17 moons
𝖬𝖤𝖣𝖨𝖢𝖨𝖭𝖤 𝖢𝖠𝖳. a sleek, elegant black molly with deep green eyes flecked with gold
location: camp | tags: open

When the young molly woke, it wasn't in surprise of the guttural roar surging within the canyon walls. The elders liked to say that all ZenithClan cats could sense coming storms deep within their bones, that this power was what allowed them to lay claim to the unforgiving sands of the desert. For Evernight, well, she reckoned one could probably get a good prediction if one had any sense of observation whatsoever; still, it never ceased to amaze her when the storms came trampling down from the heavens, both giving and taking life in their rushing fury.

Excitement tingled in her paws as her ears twitched to pick up the sound of her clanmates rousing from their sleep. For many, it was an early rise, and the young she-cat could still pick out a few warriors of Silverpelt glimmering just outside the reaches of dawn's outstretched claws. A near-palpable mood of anticipation and anxiety hung in the air: no doubt, the Clan was eager to greet the returning River Guard whilst the foaming water of the swollen river hissed and lapped at them like a rabid coyote.

Evernight spotted her mentor among a group of other cats, none of which she particularly felt in the mood to speak with at the moment. The black molly picked her way to the edge of the river, closing her eyes and tilting her chin upwards. The river had such a different life to it than the rains, its winds buffeting her fur and carrying the scent of earth and mud. The spray misted her face, adding a fine silvery sheen to her fur that was quickly swept away by the pounding drops of rain. She was comforted by the river's timely arrival despite this being her first time witnessing it. Perhaps a connection to this event really was in their blood.

Once she had her fill of the rapids, Evernight padded to where to Guard would be returning to camp from their post. She was eager to see how they had fared and felt a slight tinge of jealousy in knowing she wouldn't get to partake in their sacred ritual -- but, then again, she walked a path only shared by one other cat in the Clan. Settling herself beneath a scant overhang obscured by the shadows, the molly curled her tail neatly over her paws and trained her eyes upon the trail where her fellow young Clanmates would be coming down.

𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎 [ ˈēɡəl-ˈerē ] — 30 moons
𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖱𝖨𝖮𝖱. a dusty gray-brown bengal molly with pale yellow eyes
location: camp | tags: -

-- sleeping --

𝚡𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚍𝚞𝚗𝚎 [ ˈzerik - d(y)o͞on ] — 44 moons
𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖱𝖨𝖮𝖱. a blue-eyed, dark brown classic tabby tom with a white underbelly and paws
location: near camp | tags: -

It was a cruel twist, the way the coming of the storm instilled a sense of relief in a cat who knew firsthand the horrors it could bring. Xericdune had been on edge the past few days, his heartbeat ascending to a steady pound each time he had looked to the horizon and seen the dark clouds gathering there. The winds had followed, and perhaps those were worse, because with them came the scent of rain that washed away the dust that had settled on the memories of his guard. Usually he would hole up somewhere and ride out the storm, his eyes screwed shut and his face buried deep in his paws as he tried to ignore the rain and the wind and the dampness of his pelt and the walls of his chosen hideout closing in, in, in.

But this time, hiding was not an option. This time, Xericdune needed to see his son, Mumblepaw, and congratulate him on completing his guard. He needed to be there to make sure his kit was safe from the storm's anger. Xericdune had made sure to be close to the camp in the days before the rains came, lessening the amount of time he would have to be out in the rain. He'd managed to catch a hawk the day prior, and now had it draped over his back as he made his way to the ZenithClan camp. The brown tom wasn't quite sure if he would be able to muster up enough clarity to actually enter the canyon. The mere thought of being there was enough to make his throat tighten up. Mostly, it was the way the river echoed off the walls, loud and pounding in his ears -- and the way the spray spat in his face.

No, no. He could send a message in to some cat to let Mumblepaw know he was waiting outside. Maybe he would even see Firespent. That, too, caused a trickle of anxiety to thread its way through his stomach. Today was certainly not a day of peace, and Xericdune longed to feel the scorch of the sun on his fur once more. Having trekked through the night, the tom was sure he'd arrived in time for the ceremony. He left the hawk at his usual depository and began the ascent up to where he could overlook the camp from atop the canyon -- there, he would be able to watch his son become a warrior of ZenithClan.

The tom found shelter beneath a sage that was close enough to the edge for him to be able to stay (somewhat) dry whilst viewing the camp down below. He certainly had no issue with the height, and knew the dizzy, sick feeling he had in his stomach was from the thought of being down there, far from the sky and open sands. He couldn't quite make out which cats were up yet, but it was clear that the River Guard hadn't yet returned. Sighing, Xericdune peeled his gaze away from the depths and instead stared across it, trying to keep his mind off of that day.

It was nearly impossible, though, when the storm demanded so much attention -- when he couldn't drown out the memory in the blazing heat or the screes of the circling hawks. The blue skies were tarnished in grey clouds and all around him was the pounding of water. He dared not close his eyes, afraid that if he did, he would open them to find he was still wedged in that dark crevice with the river thundering around him, cold and hurt and so, so afraid.

𝚖𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚠 [ ˈmīkə - pô ] — 8 moons
𝖠𝖯𝖯𝖱𝖤𝖭𝖳𝖨𝖢𝖤. a tan-gray lynx point tom with sky-blue eyes
location: - | tags: -

-- sleeping --