[Abyss]

A mixture of feelings and sounds echoed in the hollow that Mistclan called camp, ranging from voices to snores to the booms of thunder that pounded through the sky above them. While most were grateful for the change in weather, as it had not too long previously been snow, there were also plenty who were not thrilled with the change. Lots of rain, lots of mud, and plenty of thunder and lightning. There had been plenty of times when the audible complaints about the weather in the distance would find Rustfeather’s ears. And while she could agree that the thunder and lightning were quite startling and, truthfully, sometimes scared her out of her pelt, the rain was a welcomed change for her.

She had always loved rain, even when she was younger. Back when, she had always associated rain with home, both for the bringing of water to swim through and splash in, and for the matching of the weather with her old clan’s namesake. In a way, she had almost viewed rain as a sort of binder, one that was both dangerous and homey at the same time. While she had heard and witnessed countless times when rain had caused more damage than it did good, she had also seen those beautiful days when the rain was just strong enough that it was peaceful. As a kit and as an Apprentice she would sit at the entrance of whatever den she occupied at the time and just watch the rain, allowing her little body a rest from its usual rambunctious and clumsy nature.

And those memories made their way back to her as she sat here doing the same thing. She sat at the edge of the mossy hollow entrance, peering up at the dark sky as large and heavy raindrops fell from the darkness. Though she knew it was technically day time, the dark clouds that lingered overhead casted enough shadow over the valley that it almost seemed as though night time was gonna last forever. For only a moment, she wondered what the valley would be like if the sun didn’t bring daylight and it actually was nighttime all of the time. At least all the old Nightclan cats would feel right at home. She chuckled quietly to herself.

A certain voice in the distance caught her attention, and she quickly turned. Her eyes found their way to the entrance of the Apprentice den, where a familiar gray tabby coat appeared from the dark. Even with the lack of light reaching into the hollow, she still was able to spot this particular feline clear as day. Memories shot through her mind. Some from her kithood, when she and her friends would bounce all over each other and lay themselves lazily over top of the younger kits. Some from her early Apprenticeship, when her and two of her best friends first made their little triangle of nests in the Apprentice den so they could all sleep side by side. In her later Apprentice days, when Rainclan experienced a bad sickness due to poisoned fish, and one of those same best friends had gotten sick. All of that…felt like so long ago. When…was the last time she had actually…spent time with Riverpaw? A pang of guilt shot through her chest. She had been so busy ever since the earthquake, and her health, both mentally and physically, had taken so many different turns…that she hadn’t even seen her friends much. So much of her time had been spent in the Medicine den that sometimes she felt glued to it. And now…

Her amber eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger or suspicion, but in worry. Would Riverpaw be mad at her that she hadn’t talked to him in so long? Did he even consider her a friend anymore? Even she thought that she wasn’t a great friend, so she would understand if he thought the same. Even still…..she watched silently as he came out of the den, presumably talking with somebody or going over to get some breakfast. She didn’t mean to stare, but a part of her couldn’t help it. Even though he was right there, he was close enough that she could shout for him, he felt…so far away. She almost…missed him.

“R-River…” Her mind spoke for her, even though it had been unintentional. Whether her voice had been loud enough for him to hear or not was yet to be determined, but she almost hoped that it had been, now that it was done. She needed to know. Did he even still like her anymore? Would he ignore her? For all she knew she was the last cat that he wanted to see. But she could be wrong. For a split second, a tiny voice in the back of her head told her that she sounded like a kit, wondering if her friend still liked her and if he hated her. She had a tendency of overthinking, so there was that little light of hope that lingered in her chest, one that felt like a little orb of warmth that she couldn’t explain.

856 | ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 | EEEEEEEEE

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

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if i could begin to be
half of what you think of me
i could do about anything

RIVERPAW

he/him [attr="class","cp cp-drop"] mistclan [attr="class","cp cp-drop"] apprentice

[attr="class","rivertxt"]

[attr="class","rivertfl"]T

[attr="class","river-content"]he slow, steady dripping of water onto the moss echoed around this dimly lit, damp cavern where MistClan made their home. It was the heartbeat of their newborn Clan, the pulsing of its lifeblood and rhythm by which its cats lived its day to day. Or, night to night. It was strange, having a Clan so split between diurnal and nocturnal. Riverpaw dearly missed the rustle of the reeds and rushes that once bordered his home, now deep underneath the surface of the lake that gave MistClan its fish. His heart ached for the loss of his previous mentor and the many others who had lost their lives to the rising water. It was hard to think of this alien environment as his home. Still, he felt like a visitor here, a stranger taking shelter from the rain. He knew the former NightClan cats felt more at home here. It reminded them of their own underground dwelling which had also been lost to the floods. This particular cave had far more drainage than their last one, so the fears of this place flooding also were moot. It smelled peaty down here, like the marsh had opened up its dark maw to swallow him up into the shadows. It was anything but homely to him.

But home was about more than just your surroundings. Riverpaw was here not because it was the only member of the new Clans who had decided to adopt RainClan’s old diet of fish and incorporate NightClan’s watery prey like newts and frogs… but because there was a particular russet-furred molly who still felt like home to him. They had been in the nursery together, and each time he caught a whiff of her scent, now enlaid with the added scent of various herbs, he was brought back to simpler times when they would nestle together among the mosses and reeds. Listening to stories. When the worst things that could happen were nothing more than bad dreams and sad tales. And yet, here he was, having not spoken to her in so long it felt as though she had become a stranger to him, too. It hurt. But she was busy, she had a duty to her new Clan and new mentor. Shadowchaser was a lot more tolerable than the other former NightClanners, he was soft and rounded. A smooth pebble to their sharp, jagged stones. But even then, Riverpaw found himself disliking that he had been there to see Rustfeather getting her name, while he couldn’t be. The business of medicine cats was secretive, and no cat had ever bore witness to their ceremonies unless they too chose the path of a healer.

Either way, he wasn’t needed anymore. He felt too awkward to reach out or interrupt, even Poppyrain seemed so much more busy now that she had become a warrior ahead of him. His old friends had drifted away like twigs on the river, and it was fine. He was fine. Just fine. He was nearly a warrior now, he could stand on his own four paws. Right?

Right now, his nest was shoved up against the smooth stone wall because Wolfpaw took up half the den with his bulk. Grumpily, Riverpaw rose up out of his tiny nest, and shoved out into the main… hall? Cavern? He didn’t really know what to call it. His blue eyes glinted in the dark, still struggling to adjust to the perpetual murkiness that MistClan seemed to dwell in. He hoped he would get used to it. He made his way towards the fresh-kill pile, musing over the select items available. A few minnows, that was barely a snack. Maybe a perch? Eugh, a frog. He eyed the slimy amphibian dubiously. It would take him even longer to get used to marshy food than it would for him to get used to being below ground. He gently picked up a small, striped fish with red fins. Holding it loosely in his mouth, he turned to go find someone to eat it with.

“R-River…” So startled was he by the greeting, he dropped his fish and it landed with a plop at his feet. “R-Rustpaw!” He spluttered, uncharacteristic panic flashing in his eyes. He had mulled over what he would say to her so many times in his own head, but now all of that script tumbled out of his brain as he struggled to process the impromptu reunion. “I mean, Rustfeather…” He corrected awkwardly. It felt so odd that she had gotten her full name and he still had the juvenile little “paw” at the end of his. “Hey…” He shuffled his paws, looking down at his sad little fish. Its wide, staring eye bulged up at him. It was like a little effigy of his own flustered scare. “You... uh… Your name suits you.” He offered, an attempt at being friendly.

[attr="class","rivtag"]tagged Abyss

[attr="class","rivnotes"]words 814

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[Abyss]

Rustfeather was never known for having a mind that was calm. The only time when she found her head clear of any manner of thoughts was in her sleep, and even then, more often times than not, nightmares plagued her then too. She could never get a break, as her thoughts were often darker than she let on when around Shadowchaser or anyone else. But, out of all things that did run through her mind, there were multiple that brought a considerable amount of joy to her. All of the ceremonies she had been a part of and witnessed. Memories of her mother and sister. Memories of being a kit, and an Apprentice. Memories of her friends. And…memories of Riverpaw.

A part of her wondered…did he ever think about her, too? Did he ever dream of reaching out, of spending time with her again like they used to? She hadn’t ever really thought about it before, but…she knew that she did. She missed the old days, when most of her day was spent running, or tripping, with Poppykit and Riverkit by her sides. Or the nights in the Apprentice den when a nightmare would wake her in the middle of the night, and to calm her nerves and ease her back into sleep, she would just crawl over into Poppykit’s nest and would pull Riverkit into it too.

But now…it felt like she couldn’t do that anymore. Would it be odd? If she got up in the middle of the night and joined either of her friends in their nests? Sure, Newtstripe was almost always sleeping in the Medicine Den with Shadowchaser in his nest, but that was different. Another cat choosing to sleep in the Medicine Den was one thing, but a Medicine Cat choosing to sleep in the Warriors den, or even the Apprentice den? That would stand out far more.

Setting her own thoughts aside, Rustfeather hadn’t thought that her voice would be heard, that she had whispered rather than called out. But, right after her voice escaped her, she saw Riverpaw suddenly turn towards her with wide eyes, her own eyes widening back. She watched as the fish he had been holding in that moment fell from his maw as he stuttered out a greeting, and she couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. He had called her the wrong name, too. He had always been such a goofball.

“Hi.” She offered a smile, though she felt a tad awkward. She got what she wanted. She was finally interacting with her friend again. But what was she supposed to say? ‘Hey, have you missed me? We’ve been in the same general area for the last 7 moons and yet we haven’t talked. Anything new?’ Yeah, she had gotten better with her people-skills as she grew up, but what did anyone say in this situation?

Thankfully he spoke first, and she felt the skin beneath her cheek-fur grow warmer. Amber eyes glanced to the ground, her small paws shuffling a little bit. “Oh…yeah…thank you. It…has a nice ring to it. Though I haven’t actually asked Shadowchaser why he chose -feather, yet. I’ll have to do that later.” She chuckled a little bit, lifting her gaze back to meet his blue-green.

“Makes me wonder what Warrior name you will get. I know with full certainty that you will become one soon. If you ask me, you should’ve been made one moons ago. They are just being lazy, “ she let out a huff, and though her voice wasn’t harsh or critical, it did sound genuine. She really did believe that he should have already been made a Warrior. Even without getting to spend much time with him, she knew Riverpaw, and she knew what he was capable of. If any cat were way passed the point of deserving recognition, it was him.

She tilted her head, eyes shifting back towards the rain that poured outside the cavern. “Hmm…..River…..stone, for how strong and determined you are. Maybe…..Riverwhisker, since I know you are good at sensing things. Or….oooo, Riverripple, for the double rr sound, ” a laugh fell from her maw. She always found names like that to sound so satisfying, like the doubled-up sounds made a name sound so much smoother.

As her laugh came to an end, though, a thoughtful look crossed her face. She sat silent for a few moments, considering. When she lifted her eyes again, she did meet his, but her voice was quieter and her face was just slightly downturned away.

“No…I think…..Riverheart….because…you are kind…and sweet…and you care so much for others…you’ve always been that way, ever since we were little. You’ve always been…warm…and…comforting…” She turned away, eyes back to the ground. She was being serious in the thought, and she did mean what she said. But they were just talking about names. Names were just a casual topic, one that you could have fun with, like Riverripple for the double rr. And she hadn’t felt odd bringing up the other ideas and their meanings. But this one…she felt almost flustered, like she had unintentionally added more meaning to it than she had meant to. Or maybe she did mean to. This was what happened when you didn’t talk to someone you cared about for a long time.

889 | ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 | Notes