[Deleted]

but all the stars that separate
disappear now when i'm dreaming of your face

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Hunting, patrolling, training... That's all her life consisted of these past few days. Especially the patrolling part. After Sandstar's death, the patrols along NightClan's border had increased in size and frequency, leaving Rippletail torn between the three duties her current status as warrior and mentor required of her. She wasn't sure where Gullpaw was -- taking care of the elders, maybe? Either way, Razorstar had told her to take Russethawk on a hunting patrol and he would join them later. The thought of hunting with Razorstar again had her slightly on edge, seeing as the last time they hunted together she bared her soul to the deputy she had never had casual conversation with.

This time would be different, but she still decided to go to the river and fish. When did she not want to fish? Scanning the camp briefly for the warrior named as her partner, blue eyes found the red tom and met his gaze as she padded up.

"Ruseethawk, Razorstar wants us to go on a hunting patrol. He said he'd join us later." She waited for him to follow her, thinking back on how little she knew of the warrior just one moon younger than her. Peeling back the layers of time, her memories of the tom didn't include anything traumatic. He never teased her or bullied her, and perhaps once or twice he even defended her? Rippletail didn't really remember anything, as most memories of her kithood and apprenticehood had been repressed into a deep, dark hole in her mind, never to see the light of day again.

A lot of her memories were not pleasant ones, sadly, but recent moons had changed those. She finally felt like she belonged in the Clan, and now with Speckledleaf as a best friend, a casual relationship of some type with her leader, and even a friend in another Clan, Rippletail felt like StarClan had decided to repay her for the moons of torment. Maybe this patrol would add another cat to the very short list of felines she called "friend".

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

rippletail;; warrior ;; rainclan

Fawn Insidious ;; tag
352 ;; wordcount
she's gaining friends wheee! ;; notes
3 Doors Down - Here Without You [edited] ;; lyrics

[Fawn]

Russethawk
Tom || 24 Moons || RainClan || Warrior
Really Really Excited.

"What? -- Oh sure, lead the way Rippletail!" Russethawk was in an unusually good mood, his emerald eyes burning with a friendly fire that wasn't at all uncharacteristic for him, but he couldn't quite wipe the grin off his face. The reason behind the cheshire cat smile and the bounce in the young warrior's step was a brief conversation with his cousin, Roselight, and the particular, wonderful piece of information he'd happened to overhear while trying to find her. Razorstar's going to be a father. Razorstar. His Razorfang. That ice-blooded, lethal young warrior who had first been assigned his mentor all those moons ago, was going to have kits. And now the fish would start flying, and create Clans in the clouds high up above them. Russethawk's whiskers twitched, a sure sign of laughter being suppressed; Razorstar, a father. Great StarClan. It was unthinkable. Yet was he truly surprised? He had always been supportive of his mentor and his cousin's relationship, but for whatever the reason, he had not fathomed the perfectly reasonable eventuality that was them starting a family of their own.

Uncle Salmonfur was going to be very displeased, but that was just a tough bit of a fish, wasn't it? Russethawk bounded through a clump of reeds, shaking any excess leafy detritus from his pelt when he landed, grinning as he glanced over at the shy, introverted Rippletail. He did not know very much about her, just that they had been kits and apprentices around the same time, but that didn't make her any more or less than a friend in Russethawk's mind. He was friends with every RainClan cat, if he could help it; they were all his family. Bursting at the seams with such a wonderful, unbelievable secret, Russethawk cast a quick, mischievous glance over his shoulder in the direction of camp as they walked towards the river, making sure the coast was clear of their sharp-toothed, ever-listening leader.

"Can you keep a secret?" Whispered Russethawk, the sparkle in his eyes like water droplets glistening in the sunlight. "You're never gonna believe it, but it's completely true - cross my heart."

[Deleted]

"Can you keep a secret?"

Rippletail snorted. What kind of cat wanted to give her a secret? Secrets were traditonally gifted to  a cat whom you called friend, not merely acquaintance. Currently, she knew of only one cat who called her friend -- Speckledleaf -- and even then  two cats were so close they didn't exactly have secrets of their own. Thus, when Russethawk proposed sharing a secret with her, it provoked two responses.

First, she felt wary. Russethawk had not been exactly friendly to her when they were kits and apprentices. Cordial, yes. He had even said something to defend her once or twice, but if her memory served her well, it was only on occasions where not interfering would have been painful. (But then again, she had basically repressed the torments of her younger moons, so only StarClan knew the exact details.) But, even as she felt wary, another emotion made its way into her consciousness.

Happiness. Perhaps now, as a warrior who had left her apprenticeship behind, Rippletail could be a cat who was deemed acceptable by her actions and not by those who parented her. Fatherless, siblingless, more recently motherless thanks to greencough, she was now her own independent self who didn't need any other cat to create a definition of Rippletail.

Turning her paws towards the river as she pondered a response, the white tabby finally replied to her partner. "Sure, Russethawk! I can't wait to be amazed!"

posted via mobile so posting templates are not a thing

[Fawn]

Russethawk
Tom || 24 Moons || RainClan || Warrior
Really Really Excited.

It took almost all of Russethawk's will power to stand still and patiently await her response; when it finally came, the green-eyed warrior sported a broad grin. "My cousin Roselight - I just spoke to her - she's expecting kits!" The glow in Russethawk's gaze seemed to ask You know what this means, right? Just in case the aforementioned words hadn't been enough for the pieces to be put together. "You can't tell anyone yet though, Roselight'll skin me alive if she knows I told you, and she'll want to tell Razorstar herself." The sensation of warmth crept up through his paws and into his chest, warming his skin beneath his ruddy fur, a physical reaction to the delight that was pumping through his veins right now. He would never deny his cousin the right to tell Razorstar herself this extremely important news; to be perfectly clear, he had no idea what their leader's reaction was going to be, and a part of him strongly wished he could be there when the truth finally came into the light, but he had to be realistic here. Roselight wasn't going to announce it to the whole Clan, now was she?

As if expecting their bi-colored leader to step from the shadows and interrupt their seemingly conspiratorial whispering, Russethawk cast another glance over his shoulder, and this time to the surrounding area, half-wishing Razorstar would hurry up and get here and yet also knowing he'd suffer through this border patrol with a secret he had to keep. In his furtive glancing, the glittering reflections from the water's edge and the sunlight warming up his pelt caught his attention, so he relaxed for a moment, letting the good tidings for the Clan wash over him like a newleaf rain. This is the best news I've gotten since the flood. It would be tough not spilling the truth the second his previous mentor and friend padded over, but Russethawk was already steeling himself to endure this long, long patrol as best he could.

Besides, at least now someone else knows the truth besides Roselight and me. Sharing a wink with Rippletail, he thought he heard the rustling of fronds nearby and he held his breath, gazing nonchalantly in the direction of the noise. Speak of the devil...

[Insidious]

R A Z O R S T A R
- - - - - -

Having been too otherwise occupied to immediately join Russethawk and Rippletail in their patrol, the leader had instead left them under the distinct impression that he would track them down as soon as he had a chance to escape the camp. Roselight had insisted that the pair have a moment of privacy at some point this evening, and although his curiousity was threatening to bubble over the surface at any given time, he knew that there’d be no means of convincing the pretty she-cat to tell him whatever was on her mind any sooner, should he choose to try his luck at finding her before nightfall’s arrival. He certainly hoped that nothing was wrong, but he reasoned with himself that Roselight wouldn’t dare keep anything to herself for such a prolonged period of time if the matter that they were to be discussing was of extreme importance.

Needless to say that becoming a father wasn’t something he’d consider an extreme importance, but, then again, perhaps it was a good thing that he was being kept in the shadows for the time being.

The hazelnut-faced tomcat stalked through the familiar territory of RainClan, his large body rattling a few leaves along the shrubs. It took a few minutes for him to finally locate his two companions for the afternoon, but as soon as he found them, he made haste in joining them in the clearing, completely oblivious to the topic of conversation they had previously been engaged in. He dipped his head as a means of respectful greeting to the two warriors, nearing Russethawk’s flank and delivering a light nudge to the ruddy brown tomcat’s shoulder. He had been on the verge of saying something along the line of: I haven’t missed too much, have I? But the expressions upon the two felines faces, lips tight and eyes unnaturally nonchalant, had the leader feeling skeptical. Were they hiding something from him?

“All right,” Razorstar moved away from Russethawk’s side, taking a position between the two cats so that he could keep a careful eye on both of them. “Spit it out.” Eyes fixated first upon Rippletail, scrutinizing her cautiously, before turning towards Russethawk. “I’ve never seen the pair of you looking quite so … distracted. Either there’s something you aren’t telling me, or I’m just wrongfully placing suspicion.” His jaw clenched and his gray-green eyes narrowed, being one of his numerous tactics at appearing more intimidating than he felt in the moment. “Am I wrongfully placing suspicion?”

- - - - - -

Tags: Fawn , @lacihparg
Word Count: 443.

[Deleted]

but all the farts that separate
disappear now when i'm dreaming of your face

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Rippletail froze as Razorstar's scent flooded her nose, but taking a cue from Russethawk's behavior, she relaxed herself and stopped to greet her leader. Before she could get a word out, Razorstar spoke, and his suspicions washed over her. Cheeks burning, she did her best to hide her discomfort.

"Hello, Razorstar," she mewed. "We were just debating the best place along the river to go fishing." She glanced over at Russethawk, giving him a silent cue. The excuse came flowing out of her now, seemingly more natural. "There's this spot down by a clump of reeds that provides natural cover for us so the fish aren't scared away, but Russethawk disagreed with me." She glared at Russethawk, certain that she knew her river best.

Fishing was her thing, after all. Hopefully that was a reasonable enough reason for them to hide their true meaning. If Razorstar thought they were fighting, then they'd have a reason to act suspicious -- it wasn't good for Clanmates to fight, and of course they'd want to hide that from their leader.

Her tail twitched nervously, but she hoped that it could be interpreted as irritation. She forced the hair on the back of her neck to rise up slightly and shot another glare at Russethawk. The red warrior had better add his own version of this story, otherwise Rippletail would have been left in a current without a way out.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

rippletail;; warrior ;; rainclan

fawn: russethawk | insi: razorstar ;; tag
239 ;; wordcount
she's turning into a not so innocent cat~ ;; notes
3 Doors Down - Here Without You [edited] ;; lyrics

[Fawn]

Russethawk
Tom || 24 Moons || RainClan || Warrior
Really Really Excited.

...and he shall appear. For once, Rippletail had come up with a believable white lie faster than Russethawk had ever been able to - perhaps he was just too honest by nature, and Razorstar too well respected for him to lie right to his face like this - so he was grateful for the quick bit of play-acting sent his way. "I keep telling her the reeds get in the way," mewed the ruddy tom, emerald eyes catching his co-conspirator's for a heartbeat before he looked into the cool, suspicious stare of a cat they all knew very well. "But I guess she's right. Fishing's more her thing than mine."

Good thinking, Rippletail. It was easy to fall into his usual mannerisms, easy because he knew how special the secret he was dying to spill actually was; stretching until every muscle popped and yawned against the bones, his pelt ruffled by the warm newleaf breeze, Russethawk straightened up. "Ready? We can't waste the day." Where had Razorstar been prior to this? Had he run into Roselight? Had she looked at him with nervousness? Excitement? Russethawk wished he knew. The pink-furred warrioress to whom Razorstar had given his heart too hadn't let on too much when he'd found out, apart from a prideful sensation that quickly turned to furtiveness when she thought he might spoil the whole thing.

Alright. So maybe it wasn't so easy. Russethawk was having difficulty containing his smile. His paws itched with the urge to step up alongside the she-cat accompanying them on the patrol and revel in the secret with the only other cat he'd told, but Russethawk wisely kept his place. He didn't know how much paranoia their cunning, no-nonsense leader possessed, but he wasn't in any particular hurry to find out. You are going to lose your fur when she finally tells you, Razorstar. Just you wait.

Oh how he wished he could be there to see that.

[Insidious]

R A Z O R S T A R
- - - - - -

His eyes flickered, curious, uncertain, between the two warriors, a battle raging beneath his calm, collected mask in his best attempt at deciphering whether or not the story they were feeding to him was believable. Of course, he wanted nothing more than to be able to trust his Clanmates; to believe without hesitation that they would never lie to him without good reason. He decided, then, that he would put aside his desperate urges to question them further, and simply give trusting a chance. Rippletail, after all, was a respectable warrior that he didn’t think capable of being dishonest in the face of her Clan leader - he hadn’t completely been able to put aside what of her he perceived as shy and secluded. And Russethawk was among the select few of his Clan that, as deputy, he had always held close to his heart. It made it a lot easier to pretend that there was nothing suspicious about the way that they were acting.

Sharing a final glance with either cat, communicating how much he did want to buy their story, he sighed, shoulders pulling forward in relaxation. “I trust that your fishing skills are beyond adequate, Rippletail. I would like to give this spot that you have found a try.” He neglected to take Russethawk’s worries into consideration, positioning himself in such a manner as to respectfully follower the timid she-cat’s lead. Lifting his black head, ears rotating to catch the nearby sounds, he gestured for her to begin leading the pair - Russethawk and him - whenever convenient.

Razorstar hadn’t intentionally been trying to trap the two of them in their lie. When he had chosen to believe them against his better judgement, he had sincerely wished to show Rippletail that he had faith in her skills as a hunter, and that he was interested to learn about the places she often traveled to in the hopes of best feeding her Clan. Now, it was entirely up to her. Hopefully this place she had spoken of hadn’t completely been conjured up in the seconds flat that he had appeared, otherwise she’d be leading them straight into a rather … destructive conversation, for Razorstar simply could not sympathize with the untruthful.

Even when it was for the best of intentions.

- - - - - -

Tags: Fawn , @lacihparg
Word Count: 400.