blink twice, you'll miss the highlights (mossflower)

[chill]

tidestar

tidestar had always been a serious cat- if anything, it was one of her most defining characteristics. there were times that the leader had even caught murmurs of it amongst new apprentices, sometimes out of fear of her determined, ever present frown and other times out of curiosity as to whether she would be a particularly harsh judge of talent and character or not. she'd never been particularly keen on worrying what others thought of her, though, she supposed, there was probably a certain point after which it would be more prudent to be admired than feared. while she'd no intent to change the way she moved about her day to day actions, now that the russet she-cat was leader, she found herself investing a bit of thought, a bit of planning, into her image (inside, outside, appearance both). because of this, tidestar had made the decision to deliberately set aside time away from her leadership duties. not dismissing them, no, for there was no job the leader was not prepared to do on a second's notice was it needed of her. but it was far too easy for the she-cat to completely immerse herself in her role, let it become her, completely take over. think of nothing but strategizing and planning and how to make the next move while still analyzing the last move. speak to no one but the higher ranks and her senior warriors, forget the concept of leisure. tidestar was the leader of riverclan, yes, but she was also just... tidestar (repeatedly, some tried to remind her).
so perhaps what the she-cat needed was not another meeting in her den, another patrol to once more check for traps in their territory, briefings with warriors on the newest defense strategies should (when) the two-legs come back. perhaps what she needed, here and there, was just a casual conversation with a friend. it was something she didn't have many of, if you excluded those close to her solely for what felt like business purposes. so today tidestar had invited mossflower to go hunting with her along the river, for a friendly chat, an exchange of opinions, something more low-key than she was used to. since becoming leader she'd already had chances to gather her senior warriors, her advisors, those she knew best that could help the clan succeed. she, technically, could have included mossflower in those meetings, based purely on age and rank in the clan, but something had told tidestar that the warrior belonged elsewhere (softer). her thoughts were just as valid, her opinions just as wise, but she wasn't as hardened as those tidestar kept around her, those always ready to make the hardest decisions, the biggest sacrifices, tell the harshest truths. but this particular warrior, well... she was still something quite valuable. such a stark contrast to tidestar, if there was any cat in the clan who could soften her edges while still still remaining keen, it was quite possible it was mossflower (what odd circumstances to be in).
and so she stood, punctual as always (good example as leader or for punctuality's sake?) as morning slowly became daylight. the two-legs had slowly made their departure once more, and though tidestar couldn't say how long it would be until they came back, for now at least she felt comfortable enough for the clan to be out hunting throughout the territory in broad daylight. the river took a particular turn away from where she stood, and over many moons the bank had slowly begun to drift away, leaving a shallow pool of rippling water. tidebreak let herself indulge in a rare smile as she stepped into the water, the coolness of it enveloping her creamy gray toes. soon mossflower would be here, but for now, everything was quiet (she could pretend).

Minteh Freshness

[Minteh Freshness]

Mossflower


Oh, ho, oh! She was just so excited! Tidestar had invited her to go to the river and have a friendly chat. That was something Mossflower absolutely loved to do!

For the most part the higher ups left her alone. She had her daily chores that she’d done since she was a brand new apprentice; feed the queens and elders, check everyone’s bedding and bring newer fresher stuff in to replace any of the old stuff, play with the kits for a bit so the Queens could rest, check the Elders over for ticks while listening to their stories, check the dens to make sure they were secure from drafts and enemies, though drafts weren’t too bad this time of year. The breezes were sometimes nice to have during the heat of the day! She did most of that in the mornings once everyone was up, she didn’t like to wake anyone up too early as they needed their hard earned rest! But watching the kits and keeping everyone fed and happy was an all day thing.

And, even with being a senior warrior now, Mossflower was still hopeless when it came to hunting, tracking, or checking borders. She chatted too much too loudly, she couldn’t keep her attention on any one thing for too long, and so on and so forth, but comments like that didn’t bother her none. She kept herself busy with the things that were just as important!

Tidestar had told her this morning on when and where to meet, while Mossflower was busy doing her early morning chores (are they really chores if you enjoy them though?). The brown tabby tuxedo had become so excited she almost kept forgetting what exactly she was doing at any given minute. Finally a Queen scooched her away from their den, telling her they were fine and she had better hurry up for that meeting she had been happily chirping about all morning.

Quickly saying her good-byes to the ones around her, even throwing exuberant hellos at the warriors and apprentices in the clan’s camp as she went, ignoring the fact that there were fewer than normal, that there were no longer cats there that should have been. And after she left the camp, it took her a moment to realize she was going in the opposite direction of where she needed to be. Oops! Quickly, she scurried back around and skipped her way over to the river. Soon she spotted the short grey and golden-red of the she-cat she was looking for.

”Tidestar! Hellooooo! Good morning! Or afternoon? Noon? Anyway, how are you?! Oh! The water looks so inviting! So cool and refreshing on a hot day like today will surely be!” The tabby purred, her voice sweet yet boisterous, scaring away nearby birds as she made her way to her clan leader. Mossflower splashed into he water next to the other she-cat and brushed her pelt against hers, bumping shoulders in a friendly greeting she reserved for everyone. She let out a blissful sigh, a grin nearly splitting her face in two as she turned her muddy yellow gaze to meet Tidestar’s golden ones.

Words || 522
Ooc || I always have to reread bios in order to get back into my character's mindsets xD
Tagged || chill

[chill]

tidestar

the quiet and calm was momentary, fleeting, before tidestar felt the splash of cool water on her pelt accompanied by mossflower barreling into the river beside her. ”tidestar! hellooooo! good morning! or afternoon? noon? anyway, how are you?! oh! the water looks so inviting! so cool and refreshing on a hot day like today will surely be!” the tabby's nonstop flow of words overwhelmed the leader, and she stiffened in surprise as she felt a pelt brushing against hers. it wasn't that she was particularly discomforted by the action, per se (or, well...). it was more that she wasn't used to feeling any form of physical affection; most cats found her cold, intimidating. even if they respected the clan leader, it wasn't exactly like there were cats lined up to share tongues with her. this had been a funny thought of hers ever since she moved into the leader's den, that perhaps it was meant to be that she finally slept alone (odd but lucky she didn't mind).
knowing that mossflower had likely startled all the prey within their immediate vicinity, tidestar felt the need to pivot from her original plan. hunting had, unfortunately, been a buffer she intended to use to maintain a small amount of separation between her and the she-cat beside her. there was nothing wrong with the warrior (by most technical accounts) but her personality was, by tidestar's standards, a bit too much to handle when running unchecked. she hoped that by the end of this encounter she would be able to say differently, soften herself a bit more, generally act, well... friendlier (warmer? better?). she'd spent far too long focused solely on the business of leading riverclan, mingling with warriors in only an official and strategic capacity, forgoing friendships for the sake of her own selfishness. what was it like to simply mingle among others in a sense of familiarity? (joy? ha!) the leader was acutely aware that of riverclan's senior warriors, mossflower was much more attuned to this skill than the planning and strategy her inner circle provided her, and for that, she was just as valuable in her own way.
"mossflower! hello." tidestar willed her dusty maw to tug itself into a smile, though she could admit that the she-cat next to her did genuinely draw her to the verge of laughter at times. it was that feeling she must tap into now. "i'm doing well, thank you." as well as she could be, given the circumstances that no cat could ever have predicted, yet were still having to deal with (so it goes). "i figured we make the most of this time of safety. we can never be sure how long it will last, and for that i must cherish each moment with my clanmates." that was good enough, right? respectful, kind, as friendly as could be under the inevitable layer of 'business comes first' that surrounded tidestar (never no nonsense, more full of nonsense). it was a start, and from here, she would learn. for riverclan, she would learn.

Minteh Freshness