RiverClan Camp

Seeing Moonbreeze collapse after hearing the news about her son caused Iceflood to feel even more sorry for the grieving queen. He couldn't really imagine how she must have felt. Sure, all of his family was missing by now, but with the exception of his mother, he still had hope that they might be alive somewhere. Moonbreeze, however, knew the brutal truth. She knew that neither Forsakensoul or Pantherpup would ever come back. Iceflood couldn't hold back a frown. He wished that he knew the right words to say in this moment, but his mind was blank. The only thing he could think of saying was 'I'm sorry,' but he must have said that at least five times already. Eventually Moonbreeze stood up and thanked him, and Iceflood gave a small nod.

The warrior exited the elders' den soon afterwards and took a seat toward the sides of the camp. His eyes trailed toward the fresh-kill pile, but he didn't feel like eating now. He was still feeling quite stressed out over having to break the news to Moonbreeze. Besides, the pile was getting a bit low. He didn't want to take prey for himself when there were so many pups to feed. He had been about to debate whether or not he should head down to the river to get in some fishing when he heard Stormblade's voice. "Sure." The warrior got up to his paws and headed over to where Stormblade and the newcomer were. He realized that even though he'd been the one who brought the older dog into camp, he still didn't know his name. Iceflood guessed that he could figure out it soon enough, whenever Stormblade addressed the other dog by name. He padded after the other two when they left for the lake and slowed down when he neared the water. He was glad for a chance to get to go fishing; it was, perhaps, one of the things he liked most in life.

How utterly dull, the medicine wolf had done nothing interesting with his advice, well that wasn't his problem their leader would be killed by Eclipsestar and he'd take over running Riverclan and soon the other clans. It was time for the clans to suck up, change some of their code and move on with the times before they died out, a teasing tingle ran through him making his form become faintly more visible for a few sparse moments before he was hidden once again. Something had changed, something was wrong, all the more fun for him, his singular goal was to change one part of the medicine wolf code, the rest could burn. Watching as the old dog lied about his ability to hunt a cheeky sparkle slipped into his mismatched eyes, one was green the other blue, now this would be funny should he wait and help the dog or seal his fate? Quite undecided he drifted after the two dogs and singluar white wolf that had gone on a fishing patrol, it was a good idea to live on an island he decided, there was always fresh prey available although that meant you were likely to be flooded but less likely to be invaded. Happily invisible he hovered near by waiting patiently for the old blind dog to wander into the water in an attempt to fish, still undecided if he'd help or hinder the old beast.

Grizzly gulped nervously at Stormblade's words. He sensed the dog knew he had made a partial lie. For in the snow he couldn't scent anything, it was always cool air he could smell. He lowered his ears upon reaching the water and hearing the water rushing by gently. He turned his head towards where Stormblade was by chance, a pleading look in his eyes. He didn't want to do this, he had nothing to prove. Well, maybe he did have something to prove but why did is have to be that he could hunt? "W-w-why must I hunt with aching joints?" he asked the Irish Wolfhound skeptically before he sighed and closed his eyes. All he smelt was fish, fish, and more fish. He couldn't detect where the fish were and he could hear no splashing for his ears were being a bit temperamental with him today. He couldn't tell the difference between a fish splashing and the sound of the water currently. He frowned a bit and whimpered, his tail wagging once to show he was nervous. Fear-scent surrounded him and all four of his massive paws went into the shallow water.

Okay Grizzly, you can do this. Just focus and breathe. Just remember what you did when you were young, you used to chase fish all the time! he thought to himself for the old dog needed some encouragement from time to time. He whined and then sniffed around the water's surface and then charged forward into the water. But sadly half-way deeper he slipped on one of the rocks below the water's surface and fell onto his stomach. He knew all the fish had retreated by now and he had just failed miserably. "This is ridiculous, I demand why you are making an old dog hunt." he said to Stormblade as he lifted his now soaking wet body out of the water.

Ripplesplash was laying in the camp by herself. The brown-eyed fae was bored and didn't know what to do at the moment. She considered going hunting with Iceflood though she wasn't really in the hunting mood at the moment. She sighed and laid her head on her paws as she watched life in camp unfold and unravel. She wished she could have pups of her own, as long as they didn't end up like Bubblepup. The poor pup was grounded thanks to Moonbreeze and she was glad for that because she would've done the same thing if Moonbreeze hadn't beat her to it.

As Lunapup ate her meal, her thoughts started to drift off. What was the world like outside of camp? She had heard stories of RiverClan's territory and the lands that lied beyond, but she had never seen them before with her own eyes. Would it be overwhelming when she finally did get to leave camp, or would it be exciting? She wished that she could just have a quick look. Surely if she was careful enough, no one would notice her sneaking out of the clearing? It seemed like a good enough idea, but Lunapup still was somewhat hesitant. She didn't like getting in trouble and if she got caught, consequences would be inevitable. She supposed that she'd just have to be content with the stories of the outside for the moment. The pup focused back on her meal, soon finishing off the trout. What should I do now? It appeared that Oceanpup was helping Twistedfoot and Eaglepup looked like he was thinking, and she didn't want to bother either of them. She didn't know where Pantherpup was. I'm sure that he'd be up for a game of moss ball. Now if only she could find him.

Twistedfoot gave a small nod when Moonbreeze stated that she'd take the thyme. She hoped that the herbs would help, but really, this was probably a pain that would only heal with time. The medicine wolf was about to speak to Oceanpup when Graystar walked up, apparently with something important to tell Moonbreeze. The leader's presence reminded her that she needed to inform Graystar of what Owlscreech had told her. It was vital that Graystar hear about the potential danger RiverClan, and the forest, could face. "Graystar, I need to speak to you. Whenever you finish, stop by at my den." Her tone was somber, and hopefully the leader would be able to discern the gravity of the situation. Next, Twistedfoot turned to Oceanpup. She hadn't failed to notice the pup look up at her shortly after she heard Owlscreech's voice. While the look could purely be coincidental, or perhaps Oceanpup had noticed Twistedfoot's concern, it was important to see if the pup had heard any information too. "May I speak with you about something? We can talk back at my den," Twistedfoot said, before making her way across the clearing and entering the familiar den she called her own. She took a seat and glanced over at Oceanpup. "I need to know... did you, perhaps, 'hear' someone speaking to you earlier? Maybe a sort of rough-sounding voice? The voice of a wolf whom you couldn't see?" Could Owlscreech have been referring to Oceanpup when he said that she needed an apprentice? She had shown quite an interest in herbs, after all.

Ripplesplash yawned a bit in boredom and was about to stand up and go for a nap when she felt something small grasp her tail. She turned around to spot Eaglepup, who had both his paws that were too big for his tiny body, on her tail. She was about to scold him but the wagging of his tail made her stop and think. At the young one's question, she tilted her head to the side. I really don't have anything to do right now and nobody is watching surely. If Lunapup and Eaglepup are bored and I'm bored playing might actually be a fun activity for the two of us. Hey, maybe if Graystar saw us playing together maybe she'd let me mentor one of them! she thought happily to herself. Once the pup released her tail she sat up, towering over him with her massive body. "Hmmmmm, I don't know, have you two been good?" she asked them curiously. She wouldn't play with them if one of them hadn't been good.

Bubblepup hadn't expected at all to be put in time out and she wasn't at all expecting to be stuck in the nursery until dinner time, which meant she would have no lunch. At Moonbreeze's words, she lowered her gray ears sadly and sighed deeply. Her eyes then widened as the queen said that she'd discuss that with Graystar about her apprentice ceremony. She squeaked in fear at that. She didn't want to wait to be an apprentice after everyone else. She wanted to be an apprentice as soon as everyone else was. She imagined how embarrassing it would be for her to see her brother's ceremony before her own. She looked around the nursery and then towards the exit of it. She couldn't risk going back outside so she just sat down and started crying sadly. She was on timeout and she didn't understand why.

It appeared that Moonbreeze had the time to speak now, so Graystar continued on with what she had to say. "I'm working on getting everything in order for the upcoming ceremonies, but there's a certain position that's still open. I wanted to know if you would like to be RiverClan's deputy." She paused briefly. "You're really a skilled warrior, and quite diplomatic, so I would be honored to have you as my deputy. Of course, there's no pressure. If you'd prefer not to have the position at this time, I'd certainly understand." A deputy had many duties and responsibilities, and the leader was aware that not everyone would want the role.

Shortly afterwards, she spotted Stormblade returning. The hunting patrol hadn't been gone very long so Stormblade's return didn't seem like a good sign. Sure enough, the Irish wolfhound did not come bearing good news. "So I see." She sighed. She truly wanted Grizzly to be able to stay in the Clan, but with the shortage of warriors, she knew that they wouldn't be in a position to care for both him and the rest of RiverClan. "Thank you for informing me." She would have to tell Grizzly of her decision when he returned. Hopefully the old dog wouldn't feel too upset. Until then, she turned to Moonbreeze, waiting to see if she would accept the position.

The pup looked up when she felt someone nudge her shoulder, soon noticing that her brother had come over. She wagged her tail happily, glad that Eaglepup hadn't been busy after all. "Sure! That sounds like a great idea!" She pelted off towards where Ripplesplash was and looked up at her expectantly. At the warrior's question, she quickly nodded. "Of course!" she yipped. While it was true that she'd gotten into trouble several times in the past, she hadn't done anything wrong recently, at least to her knowledge. "What will we play?" She bounced about from paw to paw, impatiently waiting for Ripplesplash's response.

Iceflood glanced at Grizzly as the dog prepared to fish. Grizzly's expression was understandably one of worry. The white warrior was rather unsure just how well the dog would fare. Fishing was complicated enough when one could see. He couldn't imagine how much harder it would be to fish without sight. Unfortunately, Grizzly had ended up scaring off the fish and returned to the shore empty-pawed. Iceflood remained silent throughout Stormblade and Grizzly's conversation. He could see both of their viewpoints; on the one paw, it wasn't fair to ask an old dog to hunt. But Stormblade was right in that becoming an elder was something one had to earn. Stormblade left soon afterwards, so Iceflood figured that it was probably time for them to head back too. "Sorry," he told Grizzly, knowing that it was unlikely he'd be able to join the Clan now. "I'll lead you back to the camp," he added. As soon as Grizzly was ready he took the familiar trail back to the camp, pointing out any stones as they came across them. He quickly came up to the camp entrance and stepped into the clearing. He decided that he'd go hunting later, perhaps on the other side of the lake.

Glacierpath ran back into camp, skidding to a halt. The poor warrior was drenched in water and still dripping from it. He collapsed onto his belly upon reaching camp and then panted while he was there. Luckily whatever ThunderClan scent that had been on him before had been washed away with the fishy smell of the lake his camp rests in the middle of. He panted and then looked around. Everything looked normal but he. He wondered if he should just keep it a secret about him meeting a ThunderClan wolf or just have StarClan know about it and he. He decided it would be best to keep it a secret, though he wasn't aware his pelt still smelled a bit of ThunderClan wolves.

Grizzly's ears lowered and tears threatened to show up from his clouded-over brown eyes. He whimpered at Stormblade's words and felt ashamed. He was about to protest against Stormblade's words but the dog had already left. "I-" he cut off as Stormblade returned to camp. His paws were still ankle deep in the water as she rose onto his paws and he tucked his dripping tail between his legs. He heard Iceflood telling him he'd lead him back to the camp. [b]"I don't understand........they treated me with welcomed hearts moments before and now they're shaming me for being blind and old. It's not like I chose to become blind, it just happened. Yes I lied but I don't want to be stuck alone during winter with no sight and no ability to hunt for myself. I'd starve to death. As for Two-legplace, the Two-legs might feed me but then if I'm captured I'll be taken to the pound for I have no collar. I'll be put down, put to eternal sleep. I do not wish to die so soon, plus I could get hit by a monster." he explained sadly to the white warrior as he slowly followed him back to camp. All he could feel was fear for the unknown, fear that this Clan wasn't the best one for him, nor were the Clan-mates any friendlier.

His tail still tucked, he began the seemingly endless walk back to camp, avoiding each rock Iceflood mentioned to him. He was scared, scared of what would happen once he is basically put into exile by the Clan for the whole winter. Of course he could always stay on the confines of their territory, however, he probably wouldn't be able to hunt for himself once the snow sets in.

Ripplesplash was about to answer Lunapup but she gasped at the sight of her brother coming into camp all wet. He had swam? Well, he had to in order to leave camp, but he swam! Delighted a bit with this news, thinking her brother finally liked to get wet, she stood up and padded over to him, stepping completely over Lunapup. "Forgive me young-ones, but I'll be back." she told them before she padded over to her brother. "Glacierpath, what happened? Did you finally learn how to swim or are you actually impersonating a squirrel that got dragged through the swamps tail first?" she asked him teasingly. As she noticed him shivering she immediately got to work grooming her brother's fur, who was slightly smaller than herself. He was a medium-sized wolf and she was a large wolf, even though both of them were the same age her brother still needed to grow up a bit. She licked his fur flat against him and then curled around him to help him get warmed up. "Brother, you are soaking wet! What happened?! Did someone help you swim or did you swim yourself?" she asked. After he whispered in her ear saying he swam himself she gave him tender licks to the muzzle in happiness and then stepped away from him as her brother shook himself off.

Her attention to her brother now, she remember Lunapup and Eaglepup. "D-do you want to help me teach Lunapup and Eaglepup how to crouch?" she asked him quietly.