water under the bridge // moss & ripple

[[:ripples:]]

♥ Ripplestream of riverclan

HER PAWS TINGLED as they touched the cold stones, her mind swirling with the events of the gathering. ThunderClan’s desire for Sunningrocks was not out of a need for prey, she was sure as she looked down at the slab beneath her paws, which had little hope of harboring more than a few skinny water voles. No, ThunderClan was making a power grab. Heatherstar’s conspicuous absence was bad enough; but to have Saltstar make such a clear move on their land- it made her fur prickle. She supposed that she was here to show whoever was watching that RiverClan was not going down without a fight, though she might not have been able to articulate it if asked. Perhaps she was just trying to show herself that she was still strong.

SHE HAD AVOIDED THE RIVER for the most part before she left, first because of the uncomfortable interaction she’d had with Riskflight and her cronies during her pregnancy and later because of Nightheron. Her interactions with it had been few and far between, and they had been colored by a sort of horrified reverence. When she returned from the journey, it all seemed to come rushing back to her- the terrible respect and fear and conflict. Her children had been conceived to the comforting sound of the river, but now all she could feel when she heard the waters lapping as a sort of distant regret that she would never have that back. She had managed to get back into fishing and swimming well enough, for it was natural and to be back in her own river felt better than the strange ocean that she had come to know while they had been away. But it was not the same, could never be the same. The river was no longer innocent. She had to make up with it, yes, but she could never trust it again, not the way she had before.

SHE STARED WITH A SCOWL into the ThunderClan forest beyond the border, as if challenging someone to come forward and try to take the rocks from under her, the cool wind tugging at her silver fur, her eyes like dark water.

words ♥ 364
muse ♥ good
other ♥ Minteh Freshness, for Mossflower, I figure she can find her here? Set in fall--ish because this is actually supposed to be right after the gathering.

i like to keep my issues drawn,
it's always darkest before the dawn

saved by [:ripples:] at request of Minteh Freshness on august 14, 2019

[Minteh Freshness]

Mossflower
Mossflower lazily swam upstream. The river was a bit chilly because of it being Leaf-fall and all, but the water didn’t soak her through. She was of Riverclan after all. All the fish they ate allowed for a coat of natural oils to cover their fur, letting them stay dry for the most part, as well as being able to slice a path through the river easily. Even though she was going upstream, she moved as one with the river. Or perhaps the river moved as one with her? It didn’t matter. They were one, and she purred happily. The sun warmed her back and head where they poked out above the surface.

As she neared Sunningrocks, her purring got louder. The rocks would feel so nice and warm after being in the chilly water. The slabs of stone were always unusually warm, even in Leaf-bare. It was like they soaked up warmth from the sun during Greenleaf and just kept it forever! Smiling, Mossflower shifted her direction towards the warmest part of Riverclan’s territory.

She pulled herself up onto the bank with ease and shook her short fur. Water droplets sprung from her to land on the rocks all around. Giggling, she pranced around after seeing that she was leaving paw prints of water everywhere she stepped. But after a few moments, the warmth of the stones and the warmth of her own body dried her paws until she no long made prints. She thought about dipping her paws back in the water to continue making more, but the rustling of leaves in the wind captured her attention. The Riverclan warrior lifted her muddy yellow eyes.

Leaf-fall had turned the leaves of the deciduous trees into all sorts of colors. Some were still clinging to their lively green color, stubborn against the turn in weather. Others had conceded and were slowly dying off. But what a wonderful sight those dead leaves made! Vibrant yellows, dull oranges, and warm reds coated the many trees that grew on Thunderclan’s border, and a couple on her own territory. Many leaves had fallen off already, floating into the river to drift away, or swept up into messy piles by the wind, but more still clung to the branches up above. Did Thunderclan cats climb trees to be closer to the vibrant colors? Or had they just eaten so many squirrels they were becoming like them? What a wonder it would be to climb a tree and see the world from a bird’s view.

The wind blew again gently, rippling through her brown tabby and white fur. The movement of silver fur brought her attention to the she-cat before her. Mossflower brightened at the sight of her friend and she bounced over to the other warrior. You’d never guess that Mossflower was the older one of the two, not with her kit-like personality. ”Ripplesstream! What are you doing here? Not that you can’t be here of course, I was just wondering what brought you here. Was it for a nice warm nap? Or to watch the colorful leaves? Or are you on patrol? Though you’d probably be with others if you were on patrol. Is anyone else here with you then? Or just you? Well, not just you anymore, I’m here too! Hahaha!” She giggled, trotting around in her excitement.

”Oh!” She stopped suddenly, whipping around to turn to face her pretty friend straight-on, eyes wide. ”I forgot to thank you for what you did at the gathering! So, thank you! For helping me get Umberpaw back to the our clanmates! I really appreciated it! I wanted to tell you right then and there but I had to focus on Umberpaw. And then we haven’t seen much of one another since then so I completely forgot! But I remembered now, and wow-ee, what a night that was right? Shadowclan was looking better than they had been, so that’s good for them. But anyway, yeah, I wanted to tell you how much that meant to me! Thank you.” Her excited words and tone, softened at the end, and she closed her eyes in a soft, joyful smile.

Words || 692
Ooc || So. Much. Energy xD Other than her thanking Ripplesstream, I forgot what else exactly we were gonna have happen, other than them get closer together lol
Tagged || [:ripples:]

[[:ripples:]]

♥ Ripplestream of riverclan

SHE BROODED AT THE DARK FOREST before her until she was interrupted by the bright joyful voice of another cat behind her- before she could so much as turn the large shape of Mossflower had bounced over to her, her long fur a-fluff in the autumn breeze. Ripplestream was startled at first, wondering if something was happening, but quickly settled once she saw the look on Mossflower’s face. Nothing could be wrong if she looked so happy- though after examining this for a moment the silver she-cat thought to herself briefly that the tawny she-cat could probably deliver even bad news with a smile. She started to open her mouth in greeting but found herself interrupted by a pressured stream of words that even the most determined of cats would have had a difficult time inserting themselves into. She tried on several occasions to answer one of the questions that Mossflower asked but the she-cat so quickly flowed into another that she just had to stop and wait for her to finish; but then she seemed to pivot the conversation completely, distracted by something else in her own mind. By the end of it Ripplestream found herself trying to balance all of the separate questions in her mind so that she could answer them, and utterly failing.

WHEN MOSSFLOWER FINALLY FINISHED and shut her eyes with a smile, Ripplestream felt a smile play across her lips as well. She wasn’t even sure why she was smiling, really- perhaps she was just happy that Mossflower seemed so excited to see her and was so grateful to her for doing such a small thing. All warriors worked hard for their clan, but it was nice to have someone else point out that they appreciated something that you did. She didn’t try to answer every question, but felt she managed to get to the salient points at the very least. “I guess I just came to get away for a minute. And you’re welcome- it’s no problem, really. We’ve all got to do what we can to make sure we keep each other safe, and he’s just a youngster- it would be wrong to make him bear the weight of his words.” She thought to herself about this. Umberpaw had been dealt with, though Ripplestream was not sure how effective the efforts had really been. He had been careless, but not malicious in his intent, and it was hard to make him do anything more than apologize for his actions. She wondered if Mossflower had talked to him about it.

“ANYWAY, IT’S ALL OUT NOW, so there’s no use worrying about how we could have stopped it. Maybe it’s better that it isn’t a secret. Maybe everyone should know what the Dark Forest cats told us.” She was, perhaps, trying to convince herself more than anyone else with these words. She worried about StarClan, about her mother and daughter and mate all there, and whether they would still be there when she went to join them. The idea that they might be gone terrified her, for she was so lonely here that she longed for their company often and imagining meeting them again was a great comfort to her. But what if they all disappeared before she had the chance to share tongues with them once more? She never spoke of these worries, but they prickled in her pelt more often than not, and she felt a gnawing anxiety that she would never get to see them again.

words ♥ 585
muse ♥ good
other ♥ Minteh Freshness, maybe Mossflower like, asks about her feelings and she actually talks to her? I feel like Ripplestream has a lot of feelings but she never talks about them. Maybe that is how they get closer.

i like to keep my issues drawn,
it's always darkest before the dawn

saved by [:ripples:] at request of Minteh Freshness on may 10, 2020

[Minteh Freshness]

Mossflower
As Ripplestream answered her questions the best she could, Mossflower noticed the other she-cat become quiet and sad. And not only that, but there was a bit of anxiousness in the way the silver she-cat held herself. Mossflower didn’t like to be sad and she didn’t like others to be sad either. She’d only been really sad once herself, when her mentor had been killed by rogues. That sadness she had stacked away to the farthest and deepest recesses of her heart, and any unhappy feelings she felt got thrown there too. And, in her younger days she would have tried to make Ripplestream happy almost instantly, bubbling about happy things and memories and stuff planned for the day.

And she almost started now. But, somewhere along the way, perhaps it had been a queen consoling a kit, Mossflower had seen that sometimes it was better for one to talk about things, to get the sadness out, and after that you would feel better. Perhaps, maybe this was one of those times. The tabby tuxedo sat, tamped down the energy that was always brewing inside of her, and looked at the sparkling river as it flowed past, different colored leaves swirling on its currents. It helped calm her, and she turned a soft smile onto her companion. Comforting others was just another side to the maternal instincts she seemed to have been born with.

”How are you doing with the news of Starclan disappearing? I’ve been lucky to not have lost any family other than my mentor. Are you worried about any of your family in Starclan?”

Words || 266
Ooc || Sorry, I know it's so short. But I figured this side of her doesn't talk as much, especially if she's going to be trying to get Ripplestream to open up to her.
Tagged || [:ripples:]

[[:ripples:]]

♥ Ripplestream of riverclan

HER EYES SNAPPED TO HER FEET like a reflex at Mossflower's question. She had attended meetings, had discussions, and made plans regarding StarClan's plight, had helped with dealing with the fallout of what had occurred at the gathering, and had been involved in the coordination of and response to what the other clans saw as RiverClan keeping secrets from them, fairly or unfairly. She had lived and breathed the problems of the clan and the forest for what seemed like most of her life now, after being sent (or really, after falling over herself to volunteer) for the journey to oceanside. She thought of little else. She spoke to her father about it, but the old tom knew better than to pry into her emotions. She spoke to Daisychase, but the two of them were still more distant than the average mother and son, in spite of their best efforts. Perhaps it was surprise that cracked her open. In spite of her intimate involvement in the issue, no other cat had really asked her how she was doing.

THE WATER WELLED IN HER EYES, and, to her horror, could not be blinked away. Her soft socked paws became blurry as she concentrated on regaining her composure. She had done this before, felt the emotions welling up inside of her- she had become skilled at pushing them back, she thought, especially following her episode after Nightheron's death. Avoid. Avoid. Conceal the feelings. Don't let them out, or they might destroy you. Push them down. Don't let it show. She took a deep, shaky breath, and looked away from Mossflower, towards the river, in hopes of hiding the glistening in her eyes.

"I'M FINE." She lied.

♥ Minteh Freshness, I'm down with short. Short is good!

honey i'll come get my things
but i can't let go

[Minteh Freshness]

Mossflower
After asking her questions, Mossflower’s companion looked away, down at her paws. The brown tabby felt her head tilt, and her smile fade slightly as she observed Ripplesstream. The other she-cat had gotten quiet, not just verbally but almost like the air surrounding the silver queen had gone silent. It was a feeling that itched at Mossflower’s short fur, making her feel as though she needed to break the silence, bubbling sounds coming from not just the river. Again, though, she held herself back. Was she finally learning wisdom of when to be quiet?

No, she just knew the other she-cat needed a moment.

She watched as tears filled her clanmate’s eyes, a strange tightness slowly gripping her chest. Just like any other negative feeling, Mossflower pushed the emotion away. Ripplestream looked away, towards the river as if to hide the emotions on her face, but it was too late, for the brown tabby and white feline had seen them clear as day.

”I’m fine.”

Mossflower’s head moved backwards slightly, takenaback. Then, she leaned towards her friend, a soft look on her face. ”No you’re not.” She spoke quietly, gently rubbing shoulders with the silver tabby. ”What’s wrong Ripplestream?”

Words || 195
Ooc || ---
Tagged || [:ripples:]