Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖

Cottonbright had not meant to stay here this long...only, the patch of heather was too comfortable. At first she'd only meant to sit for a few moments and gather her thoughts but that had already been some time ago based on how the sun was traveling from above her head.

Skykit and Galekit would be leaving the nursery soon....She couldn't believe that she had already mentored two kits. Two! It felt like only yesterday Lilyriver's litter been tiny white scraps and now they were already preparing to become apprentices.

And Bloomfire's kits wouldn't be far behind. RiverClan was growing... That alone should make her happy but she couldn't help but think that the Clan would need new queens and future warriors.

It wasn't a responsibility she had ever truly considered for herself before. Cottonbright had always found purpose elsewhere...Yet lately the thought kept returning. Maybe it was due to the warren being so full of life...Maybe because Alderfly was gone. Every time her thoughts wandered down that path they eventually came across the same face... Goosesong.

She buried her face beneath one paw.

Mouse-brain.

Her heart fluttered nervously against her ribs. True they were friends and had been spending more time together, but would she be asking too much? She'd come here to ponder but she was pondering herself into a badger hole.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle moved through marsh with his nose low, weaving between reed beds as he followed a morning scent that didn't come from any Clan...His ears remained pinned forward, every sense fixed on the path ahead.

The trail had appeared near one of the less traveled stretches of border. At first he'd assumed it was another wanderer passing through. Then he'd found it again towards the edge of ShadowClan territory.

Duskmantle stopped at the border facing the kittypet-dens. For several heartbeats he simply stood there, staring across the border and lifted his head to take another breath. It would have been wiser to report it and bring a patrol if needed.

None of those options satisfied him and the smoky tom stepped closer to the border line.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
✧ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ♖ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ✧

Duskmantle returned to camp with a duckling hanging limp from his jaws, marsh water still clinging to the downy feathers. It wasn't the largest catch he'd ever made, but prey was prey. He'd been heading straight for the fresh-kill pile when Emberdust intercepted him. The conversation had been brief and instead of depositing it anamously like he may have preferred he was somehow convinced that bringing it to the nursery would be a good idea.

The duckling swung lightly from his jaws as he peered into the den. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped closer to the entrance. Emberdusts' reasoning had been ridiculous like always, but he didn't recall formally introducing himself to the newest member of the Clan. A foundling...like he was. Maybe that was part of the reason why he was holding back.

The smoky tom lowered the duckling onto the ground and it lay there looking considerably less impressive now that it wasn't dangling dramatically from his jaws. "Glowkit?"

Without passion you don’t have energy, without energy you have nothing.

･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ

Running, running was all Berrypaw knew how to do in the moment, he had become breathless, tight chested but he knew it was mostly from the speed of which he was running, he had made peace with the fact Cedarpaw was leaving before she had left, last night. But the clan needed to look for her in the wrong place, so the truth couldn't be known. Especially now that they had lost Aspenberry as well, they can't think that she is dead too.

When the camp came into view, Berrypaw nearly tumbled into it, the light pawed apprentice now seemed back to his clumsy, kit-like self as he nearly fell forward when he skidded to a halt at the camp entrance. He glanced around the camp, wondering if all these cats were even paying attention to him. But as some eyes met his fumbling form, he knew that he was being paid attention to he tried to catch his breath fruitlessly.

"Twolegs stole Cedarpaw!" He wailed, fur bristled and tail fluffled like a bottlebrush and lashing wildly in a panic, a feigned panic, but a convincing panic none-the-less.

Roly poly, topsy turvey, bumble paws

❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ 𓆣 ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖

Beetlekit sat near the fresh-kill pile with a scrap of fish between his paws, looking thoroughly unconvinced by the entire experience. The meal hadn't been bad, but it just wasn't milk. The verdict was still in debate within the little tom-kit.

With a small huff Beetlekit sat back on his haunches. The pile was much larger up close than he'd imagined from the nursery... It was all a bit overwhelming so he blinked away from it and swiped a glance around camp. And that was when he noticed it...a tail!

The color caught his attention immediately. And it seemed so long... Both his ears perked and the stub of his tail twitched. No...No, Mama said not to bother older cats and Beetlekit was good! Probably the goodest cat in RiverClan, although he'd never boast.

Beetlekit frowned at himself, brows furrowing as the internal conflict surged. Maybe just one pounce wouldn't be trouble, right? There was a tail practically begging to be hunted and his hindquarters gave a little telling tremor as eh rose and clumsily toddled over to the tail.

Leaving his meal behind, he followed the tail...which happened to belong to the warrior, Mistydawn, and gave a little kitten pounce as his kitten jaws attempted to grapple it.

One day, I’ll fight beside the warriors. Not against them

·: *ೃ༄ ☁︎ .ೃ࿐:·

The white tom walked through rabbit's warren. He was getting increasingly bored. There wasn't much to do in his opinion he could play with Skykit, Galekit liked his sister, but even he wanted a bit more to do. The small tom sat not to far from the nursery trying to think of ideas on what he could do. He could sort rocks again Clamsneeze seemed to have fun with it, and they got pretty far with how many rocks they could organize before they had to go back to the nursery, though he was quite happy about that it was fun at the start scavenging to find the smallest pebbles though as it went on it got to where the two kits could hardly move the rock. Galekits face burned thinking about it, it felt so unfair and while the older tom had talked about it like a game it was like a game only Clamsneeze could enjoy.

The toms paws slowly pushed forward sliding down to his belly before his head came to rest on his paw, he could rest well again… no he took one to many naps he didn't want to wake up to everyone else asleep he would be even more bored with even his sister asleep. He could eat something? Or would that be a waste, the kittens mind struggled back and forth between if getting freshkill to eat would be wrong to get if he was just eating it because he was bored. It wasn't like he was going to eat a lot though, what he ate right now could be what he ate later when he was actually hungry, and if someone seen him getting freshkill now and seen him getting more later would they say something? Maybe.

The smaller tom stood up making his mind, he would get fresh kill now and not eat later. He walked his paws padding softly as he made his way slowing down to really think if he was hungry, just a bit he wasn't starving for it but what else could he do. The white cat's ears fell as his face scrunched, he could feel himself getting more irritated at what he could do to solve his boredom. He couldn't do it with food, and he would rather swallow a rock before he organized another batch of them. As he thought he pushed a small rock away, it being near him wasn't bettering his mood.

 

Sparkling silver-white bones shimmered against a black backdrop that still allowed the sight of their fur beneath it. The cloak was held at their chest by a cat skull-shaped clasp with long fangs and accented by their black collar decorated with little studs and shiny silver spikes. Their human had taken great joy in their earlier adorations of Morgan, before they finally, finally let the marbled tabby be.

 

And so now they were—quite serenely too—lounging on the warm stone pillow held by a statue of a human with bird wings sprouting from their back.

Real strength isn't just in fighting, it's knowing when to stand firm and when to lend a paw.

∘◦❁◦∘ 🐝 ∘◦❁◦∘

Beewhisker's paws slammed hard on the ground as they made it to the wide and open plateau. They weren't told to search for Cedarpaw yesterday, part of them thought Emberdawn knew what they were thinking. But when the search parties had left, so did Beewhisker, reckless, they were aware, but part of them didn't want to be in a camp without Cedarpaw in it, without Aspenberry in it, it almost hurt to much to glance in the direction of camp. So they had been out here, for the night. With hardly the energy to even chase a mouse.

Beewhisker knew that they had Berrypaw and Bayflower, but what would happen if they disappeared too? What sort of cruel game was StarClan playing on them. "This isn't funny StarClan!" They hissed at the sky, but no response came as their paws crumpled beneath them they weren't sure if it was from hunger or the weight of their loss, but they couldn't bring themself to rise back up from their crouched posture.

And so, there they stay, watching how the ground remained ever present, at least that was something that would be able to stay with them. Unchanging, never moving, only to accommodate for death. They wondered if StarClan had a play in their suffering, if Tawnyflight did, was Beewhisker becoming clan leader truly so important to Tawnyflight that she would orchestrate all this? It was silly to think about really... so instead, they remained still.