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Post by tor on Mar 31, 2024 13:23:05 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/wK7htP1/kestrel~png Kestrelthorn scowled at the harsh rays of sunlight bouncing off the surface of the river. This late in the season, the river was only partially frozen over, beginning to thaw from the pawful of warmer days they'd experienced recently. Thus, with less ice over it, he didn't understand how it could create such damn glare. It made it impossible to take advantage of the fresh, flowing water. Instead, Kestrelthorn crouched a few tail-lengths from the bank, waiting for one of the thick clouds over head to blot out the sun and grant him relief. Crouched like this, he could almost ignore the mud caked onto his fur, especially around his stomach and paws. He hadn't meant to tumble into a mud puddle - he hadn't even thought he'd find any, given the lack of recent rain. What he hadn't considered was that as the earth thawed, the water trapped in the dirt soaked everything, creating mud without rain's assistance. Awful. Now he was filthy, and he couldn't even access the river. "This is stupid," he grumbled to himself, and whatever trees would listen. He could just close his eyes and hope for the best, but even if he was at a calm part of the river, Kestrelthorn knew better than to tread into the water without sight. He refused to mimic Foxflight's mistake from earlier in the season and end up injured in the water. No, he would just wait- Aha! As the cloud moved overhead, blocking the sun, Kestrelthorn had a clear line of sight to the river. ...and to the other cat standing across from it. MistClan. He didn't know the tom's name. "What do you want?" He called out in an angry tone, stepping closer to the river as if to make a threat, when really all he wanted was to bathe. |
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storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on Apr 29, 2024 12:37:21 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/hyijZjH~jpg A yawn loud enough to make the snow fly under his breath came from Mudbranch as he padded to the river. Normally, he would be asleep at this point, but insomnia was still keeping him awake, despite the number of poppy seeds that he begged Lotusfire to give him. A measly two seeds wouldn't do the trick, so he just decided to stretch his legs a bit to see if that would help. But first, his mouth was so dry that the river water sounded delectable.
As the pointed tom continued his way to the rivers edge, he couldn't help but think about the interaction (or lack their of) with the white cat at the plain's edge. A ghost, he was convinced, after some gentle teasing from his siblings. But, they seemed so real to him...
Mudbranch's thought process was interrupted by both the edge of the water at his claws and the shouting voice in front of him. Mindlessly, his foggy brain made him have to refocus his vision to see the calico tom that stood across the way. And, boy, did he seem angry. Were RidgeClan cats always so angry? Sheesh.
Still, the larger tom, even as a smaller RidgeClan cat, caught the tom off guard. "M-Me?! Oh, nothing! Nothing..." he frantically mewed, while his eyes looked in every direction other than viewing the cat across the river. "Sorry to interrupt on your... business, I was just getting a drink of water. And, ya know, the river is so much calmer here. Don't want to risk falling in." Mudbranch sighed with the last part, not wanting to imagine how cold the water is right now.
"I don't think either of us would benefit from fighting in the river," Mudbranch muttered, as he saw the tom agitated and standing as if he was to spring in the water to attack. "We'd turn into icicles before we could lay a claw on each other, don't ya think?" Defusing situations was his specialty, but being so sleepyheaded made it hard for him to think of anything other than slumber. |
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Post by tor on May 28, 2024 14:21:57 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/wK7htP1/kestrel~png The frantic, nervous response from the MistClan cat immediately soothed any part of Kestrelthorn that worried he had a fight on his paws. Whoever this tom was, he wasn't a threat. Not if he stammered like that. Did MistClan really raise their warriors to be so nervous? What if this warrior needed to protect the border, would he be able to do it? "I don't think either of us would benefit from fighting in the river." Well, yeah. Duh. "We'd turn into icicles before we could lay a claw on each other, don't ya think?"Hm. Kestrelthorn kept his ears flat as he studied the MistClan warrior a little more. Almost contracting his nerves, there was something... off about him. Dazed. Groggy, even. It reminded Kestrelthorn of when Owlheart took poppy seed for pain. He frowned, filled with unwanted concern that maybe this warrior was injured or something, and was walking around the river after sedating himself. The idiot would fall into the river like that. "I'm not gonna fight you," he said, deciding to take the risk and step into the river. It was freezing, but Kestrelthorn refused to flinch when he was being watched. He just wanted to be clean. "Are you drugged or something? You sound like you're sleepwalking. I don't care if you're thirsty, don't get any closer. Sit down." He glanced around, relieved to catch sight of a curve rock not too far from the MistClan warrior. "Let me get across. I'll put water in that rock for you." |
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storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on Jun 8, 2024 13:58:08 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/hyijZjH~jpg The distance was too far for the calico tom to see him take a sigh of relief, as he carefully observed the cat on the other side of the chilling water. Now the cat was walking into the river, obvious that the dirt and mud was the reason he was here. It was obvious, as well, that he had hoped to be alone, and Mudbranch was honestly going to bid his farewell to the other cat. There was still plenty to do, especially since sleeping the day away was not an option.
However, the RidgeClanner continued to speak, accusing the tom of being "drugged". Mudbranch hadn't considered how his drowsiness and restlessness could have looked to someone that didn't know him, like the rest of his clanmates. Everyone was used to his sleepy nature, especially when his insomnia caused him to be unable to get rest. "Uh.... no. I mean, it might be the poppy seeds I had last night, where I wasn't able to sleep off the effects of it." The siamese-pointed tom flicked his ears back, as he wasn't used to having so many accusations thrown his way. "I have had a problem since I was a kit, I find it hard to sleep. Like, you might have a night where you can't sleep, but you eventually do. But for me, I can't sleep, like ever. Unless I take poppy seeds or just run myself to the point of exhaustion." Perhaps explaining his problems with sleep to the tom would make them understand. But if not, at least he tried.
As the tom suggested to place some water into a small rock near by for the tom, Mudbranch shook his head. "R-Really, that's not entirely necessary. I might be groggy, but I also know how to navigate my way around with this. It happens more than one would think." Being in the constant state of brain fog was something he was used to. It took time, but the weaver found his way around being able to somewhat function under the influence of the sedative herbs.
"But, thank you, I guess." Mudbranch, assuming that the hard-headed, hot-tempered cat might still pursue the stone for him to drink out of, blinked his eyes at the comment. But, if the tom managed to back off after seeing he was really fine, still a kudos might be appreciated. "Usually, I see that PrairieClan's tunnelers have that kind of mud on them, so what did you do for that to be caked on your fur?" Obviously, RidgeClan had no real purpose to have mud like that on them, unless any recent rain caused their pine forest to become muddy. But, perhaps there was some other explanation.
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Post by tor on Jun 14, 2024 8:56:23 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/wK7htP1/kestrel~png Admittedly, Kestrelthorn didn't listen to every word the MistClan warrior said. Maybe half of his excuses made sense to him. The cat couldn't sleep — so what? Insomnia was normal. Maybe not sleeping ever was a little weirder but... no, Kestrelthorn didn't think it was a good reason for this warrior to be wandering around, clearly still dragged down by the lingering poppy seeds in his system. Maybe he didn't need Kestrelthorn's help drinking water. Fine. But Kestrelthorn would stay here a little longer, just to make sure the other warrior left the vicinity of the river safely. "I'll back off," he said, failing to remove any of the gruffness from his voice. "But I'm keeping my eye on you." He had to. There was no universe where this exhausted warrior crossed the border to cause trouble, unless the sleepiness was an act, but still the code demanded Kestrelthorn stayed until the warrior was gone. The code. Pah. Why did he still care about that? Would the instinct to uphold it ever leave him?
"Usually, I see that PrairieClan's tunnelers have that kind of mud on them, so what did you do for that to be caked on your fur?"Kestrelthorn scrunched his face up in an unpleasant expression as he tried to convince himself that the MistClanner wasn't mocking him. "I fell," he said. "Into mud. Simple. I was being stupid." He was distracted, but he didn't need to share that with a stranger. "Does it suck not to sleep? My brother has a hard time sleeping, but he doesn't like to talk about it." Owlheart was different, though. Kestrelthorn was sure it was nightmares that plagued his brother, not sleeplessness. "Seems like it sucks." |
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storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on Jun 30, 2024 19:31:03 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/hyijZjH~jpg Even with the gruffness of the calico tom before him, it was nice to know that the RidgeClan cat was still there to keep an eye on him. It had been so long since the clans had moments like this, ever since before the war caused everyone to hate each other and stick to their borders. More than likely, it was more of an obligation for the other cat to be here right now, but Mudbranch enjoyed the company all the same.
As the mud continued to wash from the calico's paws and pelt, he listened still with a yawn coming from his mouth. Carefully licking his paw and tracing it along his cheek, he wanted to question about the tom's supposed fall. "It's not stupid to accidentally fall. It's just that, an accident." Mudbranch thought of the many mistakes and accidents that had happened throughout his time in the clan, but never would have thought of them as stupid. Seemed that this cat was a lot more pessimistic than he originally thought.
There seemed to be a bit of genuine curiosity about his own sleeping habits. "I guess it does. I tend to work during the night while all my clanmates are asleep. And when my clanmates are awake, I'm usually in a dark corner of camp trying to sleep." It made it difficult to be with Cicadaspot and Hawthorntail sometimes, but they had found a system that worked for them to be with each other to share tongues throughout the days. "But, it's just what I've come to know and love. I like weaving by myself while hearing the crickets and frogs sing. Being able to warm myself in the sun while I sleep. There's something to always make the bad good."
But, there was something seeming to catch the tom. "Why? Do you have the same problem?" The brown-pointed tom flicked his ears, while resting his paw back on the ground, careful to not make any movements to make the tom suddenly want to bound into action. |
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Post by tor on Jul 10, 2024 12:19:17 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/wK7htP1/kestrel~png "An accident," Kestrelthorn repeated after the other warrior, not seeking to form a full response, but rather incredulous at how easily the MistClan cat dismissed the way he insulted himself. Sure. Maybe was an accident. Falling usually was. But Kestrelthorn disagreed — an accident was allowed to be stupid. Besides, didn't this cat know when someone was just trying to be dismissive? Kestrelthorn didn't want to talk about his fall. He wanted to be called an idiot. It was better than accepting that the stress of his situation was starting to get to him. ...it was, though. It was getting to him. And he had to do something about it soon. But that wasn't a conversation for now. Not with this stranger. Hell, not with anyone but his family. Owlheart and Laurelfern and Honeythorn. Maybe, just maybe, he would talk about it with Fisherfrost. Even that made his pelt prickle in doubt. "I like weaving by myself while hearing the crickets and frogs sing. Being able to warm myself in the sun while I sleep. There's something to always make the bad good."The words, poetic to the point of causing a foreign ache in his chest, made Kestrelthorn pause. "Is there?" He asked, less accusatory than he thought the words would come out. There was no way this cat really believed that. "I think sometimes bad things are just bad." Like the war. Like Ripplepaw dying. Like Owlheart's injury. "But... I guess you make the not sleeping sound kind of nice.""Why? Do you have the same problem?"He shook his pelt out, looking to relieve his tension, but having the extra benefit of dislodging the last of the mud. "No. Like I said, my brother doesn't sleep right." Except, Kestrelthorn was sure it was nightmares that kept Owlheart from sleeping. "I sleep fine. He just can't sleep. Day or night. Where's the good in that?" |
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storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on Oct 18, 2024 9:13:29 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/hyijZjH~jpg "An accident," the words repeated back to him as the calico still stood in front of him like a statue, as if he was having a hard time believing the words. Were RidgeClan cats really like this? It seemed from any interaction that he had previously with them, they were all striving for a perfection that wasn't there. Mudbranch had heard the rumors of Dawnclaw being a deserter of the clan, but the reason wasn't clear. Was he running from something he couldn't achieve? Or did the war really have that much of an impact on RidgeClan as much as it did for the rest of the valley? Goosefire was the same way, despite his brooding and unapproachable nature.
The tom refuted his argument about good things coming from the bad, and he didn't realize how true it was until the tom said it. "Ah, I guess you got me there, calico," he began to lick his paws to hide the blush of embarrassment on his cheeks. "I guess in my situation, I just try to make everything seem better." He would always admit, it did get lonely being the only one up at night. Perhaps that was bad. But Mudbranch seemed to always find a loophole to make to better. At least he was alone during that time. Something he took for granted when Lakedapple was alive.
"I'm sorry about your brother," he mewed just barely audible over the water. "Usually, when cats can't sleep, I try to suggest poppy seeds. But, it seems like your brother is in the same predicament as me... they just don't work." The taste of different herb concoctions that the medicine cat would give him when he was a kit still seemed to linger in his mouth, considering it seemed like he ate more herbs than prey when they were trying to figure out what was wrong with him. "Maybe he could be like me and work during the night." And maybe then, Mudbranch would have a friend of the night. |
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