romance special wrote:Beetlestar simply looked towards the ground, a halfhearted sigh resonating from inside her. It was bittersweet, like always. Considered an outsider in her own Clan, the leader no longer had personal relationships. Rhubarbwhistle was there, and so was Harrowbranch, but anyone involved in that.. that, was no longer to be talking to her outside of professional conversations. It really was tragic. "
Beetlestar." a voice jolted her up, and her saddened eyes tried to whiten as tear drops shakily rained on the ground. "
Were you cryin', Beetlestar?" Oakhollow's pawsteps grew louder as the solemn leader buried her face into her own flank. "
Please. I don't need your pity, Oakhollow. You don't even follow my orders. I don't want to talk to a defiant deputy." she shuddered, lashing back her inner rage. "
You disappoint me." the grayish tortoiseshell balled up again, sniffing wet streams of her own sobs. Hazelwish.. yes, she was going to be the medicine cat. She was going to be Slateslide's mate. If she wasn't going to be Slateslide's.. nobody else could have her. "
Please don't say it like ah fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down." "
You don't understand how much this hurts." "
That Hazelwish and I are together?" he said, concealing his southern speech. "
No, you dissonant fool." she hissed. "
I called upon Hazelwish specifically for this reason. She was supposed to.. you're better now?!" Oakhollow's eyes flashed in hurt. "
That she's supposed to be the medicine cat? Please, don't be ornery." And he left, a small cough still occassionally leaving him. But he was better.
"
..she was supposed to be Slateslide's..."
----
Sedgekit was pawing her sister, a meowing kitten ontop of another. The pile of kits grew higher and higher, until Eelkit finally bit the dust and sprawled off to the side in defeat. "
Ow, Hickorykit, you cheater!!" the tortoiseshell she-kit fumbled as she repositioned herself, swiping at her brother. The male sibling giggled, with calcified glory. "
Yeah, little sister." he teased, laughing as his younger sibling chased after him with a ball of moss clenched within her teeth. "
Cuhfu,yewchthr!" which was her gritted way of saying 'Come back, you cheater'. Then the goosechase began, while Sedgekit watched as her own brothers and sister tumble about. "
Agrh, seriously! Stop squirming, Hootkit!" meowed Hickorykit, who was ambushing his brother. "
I.. i.canthelpitimsorry!" he mumbled, padding off as his brother tried to grab him again and again. Sedgekit and Eelkit only laughed at the calamity occuring before them. "
Come on... be a good sport, b-brother." Hootkit's socially awkward tendences were all over the place, as he wasn't so shy but rather clummy and weak in the gut. "
Moss-ball!" screeched Eelkit, who was sick of the lack of action she was getting. "
C'mon, Sedgekit! Let's burn them to a honey-crisp!"
"
Okay, Eelkit." Sedgekit 'cries', waging war on her brothers. The kits charge into one another, bashing their skulls together and swiping. Although it looked like a joke to Hazelwish, who was calmly spectating, the kits thought the world of this skull-bashing redundancy. It was an euphemism for their youth, to say something at all about it. "
I'm throwin' the first pitch!" Eelkit shrieked, her eyes bleeding the unfathomable, yet docile aura. It was just about time that Hazelwish set her kits to sleep, when Oakhollow returned to the small den, no longer plauged with white-cough. "
Conversation didn't go well?" Hazelwish asked, her eyes glossy with tiresome bags. "
Wait. Don't tell me, Oakhollow. She told me I was destined for this role." Sarcastically, Hazelwish began to assume herself as Beetlestar. "
Destiny..!" Oakhollow snapped. "
Hazelwish- please." he sighed. "
Ah know, and I reckon she has her reasons. Just stop." He was ready to burst, like decaying mice on a summer day. Sedgekit turned around for a few seconds but shrouded herself back into the clutches of innocent youth. No time to have serious talks anymore.
----
Smokekite licked his paw, pawing at the stars. RippleClan's expedition was working, and soon enough, the cats of RippleClan would be able to go back to the island. It was quite boring here next to the fox dens, but the kits of Hazelwish and Oakhollow would soon come of age. Just four mour moons. The elder was quite alone in the abandoned badger den, but that was the nearest one avalible. Besides, Beetlestar, the kits, and poor ol' Oakhollow (and himself) were the only cats with a den. And Beetlestar used to share that pitiful rabbit hole with Slateslide and Oakhollow moons ago. One cat could barely squeeze in there, and her den was actually farther from camp than his'. Pertelswoop, Harrowbranch, Slateslide, Rhubarbwhistle and pretty-soon Oakhollow would be out there in the elements until the settlement was fixed. Ah, if only winter would end quickly. It was almost over, and spring was creeping silently behind their tails. It was just a matter of time until spring came again.
Closing his baggy eyes, Smokekite adjusted his position. His dreams drifted off into Star.. Clan, seeing the free beings of the afterlife dash beyond the clouds. Watching the old warriors of MistClan was nice. It brought back memories of his youth.. expedition.. free will. Now he was an elder, but he could at least be with his son before he died of old age. Ha, not like Smokekite was going to die for another hundred moons! He was fruitful with energy, he still was. Darkness enveloped him as he snuggled along the sides of the den, the black dirt slowly molding to fit his shape. As the StarClan cat's dissolved, the memories of past events began to unfurl in front of him. It was nice, seeing his own life flash before him. All those things coming back again. The youngun' stages.. the tragic accident that rid of him of his front teeth. The gaping holes in his mouth still hurt, sometimes. When his name was just '
The loner of the barren-lands, Soot? Soot, the great adventurer. "
Father?" Slateslide's sudden burst shook the elder awake, and he wasn't happy. His grouchy tone came out immediately, but his words were prematurely inturrpted.
"
F- dad, I need to discuss something with you. Did you mention earlier that the river we reside on has magical properties, and this is why RippleClan is beginning to form? Why cats suddenly appear, telling us StarClan has sent them a dream?" Slateslide seemed more or less disinterested in Smokekite himself, but the topic on paw.
Smokekite did remember hearing something about the mystical river downstream once, but passed it off as an immature rumor. Back in his day, rumors were badly told and half-heard. It was pretty obvious, to him, back then, that the magical wonderland lake was just wishful thinking spread around to create unified happiness within the rogue/loner community. So he agreed. "
Tho thon, what do you mean, exactly?" Smokekite asked. "
There must be more." He simply said, trying to keep his silent persona on. "
Ah, the dreamth. Quite peculiar, aren't they? I have to thay that thothe dreamth are.. wait, what did you dream when you were allured here?" "
A single droplet of water, on a lake." A single drop of water, pouncing on a lake. "
... how many rippleth did you thee?" he asked, saliva involuntarily splattering his son. "
What??" Slateslide asked, as if baffled he was so keen on such miniscule details.
"
Ith there a full moon up yet?!" the elder asked, even more frantically.
----
Sweat, sweat, trembling legs, beating heart, the ba-bump the continues within her heart is immeasurable in tempos. Her heart feels warmth; the sweet honey-coat of young love. When she was a kittypet, she had never felt this way before, and now, she was certain that she was in love with Harrowbranch. Pertelswoop knew some cats would insist her love was just a stronger form of friendship, but now she was certain. She was, really. Harrowbranch was spending more time with her gradually, wasn't he; therefore he must of had interest in her if he was voluntarily spending time with her. "
Harrowbranch! I.. I.. I.." she felt something drop out of her. Whether it was her stomach or heart, it just felt like she couldn't move anymore. The bigger tom looked behind him, his emerald eyes glittering as the sun reflected off them. "
I was thinking.. I was going to ask you earlier, but Harrowbranch, I've adored you since I first saw your face. Harrowbranch-" "
What is it, Pertelswoop?" his eyes were more or less a void, a murky swamp-type deal. It wasn't focused nor was it blearing with happiness, but this restless unease that was happening. "
I like you, Harrowbranch..." she meowed, her voice in a regatto as she ended her sentence. The tom's eyes widened. "
Really?" he asked, confused on the shy she-cat's sudden confession. Worriedly, Pertelswoop began to run away, quickly. She ran away as a fast as she could. That wasn't a request to be his mate, but it was simply an endearing confession of her feelings! So there's still time if he says no.
----
"
Smokekite-," Rhubarbwhistle's helpess plea was muffled by the elder's rushing.
"
Gather. Up. In. The. Riverbed!" Smokekite's eyes rolled back into his head, frantically flailing his limbs as he pushed the she-cat near the shore. "
You're gonna drown me, Smokekite," the pretty hunter meowed again, trying to affirm her opinion. "
No time!"
"
What's this, Slateslide?" Harrowbranch asked, looking at the older tom. "
Some off-shoot idea from my father." he was less than pleased in his tone. After shuffling his choices around in his mind, Slateslide ultimately set aside his grievances and potiential problems, he approached his deadbeat dad. "
..." Simply, staring at him. That was usually the best tactic he had in his bucket. Like when he was his dad for once? Fourty-three moons ago? The elder looked back, and seemed engaged. Then he got bored. Not unusual. He was a player, truly. In all aspects, he always needed new stimuli, new things to look at. It wouldn't be a huge shock if Smokekite had hundreds of half-siblings for Slateslide to meet. That would be a ray of sunshine in his storm. "
We must do it!" Smokekite announced, and all the cats of the Clan simply looked at him in disbelief or plain annoyance.
At least Pertelswoop seemed engaged. Or nervous. "
Go on, Smokekite." Hazelwish meowed, breaking some tensionin two. She didn't look displeased with his dispositions just yet, but soon enough, the elder would be considered senile. Just wait til you hear what he has to say.. "
I certainly do have hopes that this isn't about swimming to the island." he looked at her kittens; those frail kittens, and turned back, her glare burning into ebony cinder. "
C'mon. He's just an old..." Oakhollow stopped before he would get too cocky. It feels great to not be sick after being plauged of unspeakable horrors since ten moons ago. He was sick for almost a full four seasons! No, he was sick for five seasons. Horrible! "
So, I don't understand the poin', but could you help us out by tellin' us what's up...?" Oakhollow had this similar 'what, and why' attitude that most other cats shared. "
It's about the destiny of our Clan." Beetlestar reassured him.
"
So.." Pertelswoop seemed lightly aggravated, which was definitely unlike herself. "
Smokekite, please explain." the young molly fidgeted in the presence of her long-term crush, but wasn't affirmed that she would be intimidated. "
It'th not that twofold!" the outraged tom scolded her. "
Touch your notheth to the pool, to see your rippleth dethiny unfold!" he screeched, shoving poor Rhubarbwhistle's nose onto the riverside. A large ripple formed on the surface of the water, and the entirety of the river ached with terror. Then it glowed. Hootkit began screaming in joy, and Hazelwish tried desperately to keep his mouth shut. "
Hello? What's this light." More of a statement than a question, for it had been rhetorical. It was just a light shining off the circular river. On the bird's eye view, the island looked like an eclipsed moon. "
This is strange," Rhubarbwhistle finally broke free of his grasp, and backed off. As her nose left the water, the light of the river also faded.
"
Thee!?" Smokekite bellowed, and beckoned another cat to touch their nose to the pool. "
Actually, no, Smokekite." Beetlestar didn't look as cheerful as she was, moments ago. "
We don't know what this means. StarClan must give us a dream to prove what their worth is. What if it's nothing but a natural phenomenon?" Other cats generally started a slow nod.
Sedgekit's jaw dropped for the first time, and her eyes were half-on Rhubarbwhistle and partcially on Beetlestar. "
What even was that?" "
Ma, I'm scared.. what was that light?"
Eelkit was the only one who was mildly amused. She came running towards Rhubarbwhistle, in glee. "
Boy, that was a spectacle!" she jumped up and down, giggling madly. "
Wow!"
----
Oakhollow and Pertelswoop go on a border patrol. Beetlestar, Slateslide and Harrowbranch go on a hunting patrol. Beetlestar asks StarClan for anyone- perhaps an apprentice, in the Moonpool. Smokekite looks after the kits while Hazelwish 'goes to fetch herbs'.
{ooc/ i really want this
kitty. like really. or this
kitty. or this
one.}
meet Derp my cat snek
