Closed Thread Frozen Over

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright moved at an easy pace behind Goosesong, her paws light. The Gorge was a striking sight, a jagged wound in the landscape where the river had carved its way through over countless seasons.

She had never been particularly fond of gorges herself. The sheer drop for one...it all set her nerves on edge. But she wasn’t about to let that show, especially not when Goosesong was leading the patrol. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable just… thoughtful.

At his words, she flicked an ear, glancing at him with a small, understanding smile. "Th-there’s nothing wrong with silence. Sometimes it’s nice to just… b-be out here, away from everything for a bit."

Her gaze swept over the landscape as they walked, searching for anything amiss. The border seemed untouched - no unfamiliar scents, no sign of intruders. Still, she remained alert. Even on a routine patrol, RiverClan’s safety came first.

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong took in Cottonbright's words with an alert ear, still focusing on anything that could be considered out of the ordinary for the current weather. Although nothing seemed outwardly out of the norm, Goosesong seemed to remain as alert and vigilant as his patrol partner. "Nothing is ever truly silent" he remarked softly as his large paws made indents within the snow.

His aqua eyes focused quickly on the river ahead of them, still frozen, and no clear sign of thaw. Goosesong narrowed his eyes "No thaw yet" he reported, moving steadily towards the riverbank, though still being extremely cautious, as one mis-step could mean... could mean utter disaster, Goosesong couldn't lose another friend to the river.

"But I'd still be careful, you don't know how thin the ice is" he added, his ears falling sideward as if he regretted what he had said, she obviously would know such a thing, Coldgaze had reiterated that point when announcing the patrol between the two warriors and Goosesong was just retelling his point, but perhaps with slightly more urgency.

Goosesong lingered on the river for a moment, it wasn't this spot specifically, but this streamline is what swept Reedpaw away. With a sigh, he shook away the everlasting grief for now, it was certainly not the time for any of that, and he certainly wasn't as upset as he was when chatting to Cottonbright in the warrior's hollow a few days ago. "After we finish on this patrol, it should be reported that there was little to no signs of thaw. Since no other patrol was sent to the river" he suggested, he just wished he had more to say to Cottonbright, but when he tried, his mind just simply seemed to... drain of anything worth saying. Oh well, something would come up everntually.

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright watched as Goosesong moved toward the riverbank, her own paws halting a few steps behind. He was right - silence was never truly silent. The river, though frozen, still whispered beneath the ice, and the wind carried distant murmurs through the trees.

She followed his gaze to the ice, her ears flicking at his warning. ""I-I know..." The mostly white she-cat reassured gently. There was no irritation in her voice. His caution was understandable. Even with the cold clamping its hold over the land, the river was unpredictable. She wouldn’t risk it for anything.

Her lime eyes lingered on Goosesong for a moment longer, catching the tension in his stance, the way his ears tilted slightly downward. She didn’t pry. She knew grief had a way of creeping up when least expected, curling around the heart like frost on a leaf.

"We should report it when we return. The river’s still d-dangerous, and every cat needs to know that. At least for now, it looks stable. B-but it’ll change before we know it." She gave a slight pauce to assess him before she mewed a quick. "How has training b-been?"

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong appreciated Cottonbright's reassuring tone, the lack of irritation was a cool breeze in the middle of a heat wave, something that he wished to hurry up and come along really. But nature and StarClan has plans that he would not be able to dream of knowing, but he was sure something would show up to reveal his own purpose eventually, even if it were to just remain a warrior for his whole life.

"Exactly, that's why it isn't safe enough to cross, especially for larger warriors like the both of us" Goosesong explained in his normal flat tone, but there was a flash of concern for his only friend in his eyes, something that he quickly hid away with a wayward glance back at the frozen river.

Goosesong had decided that the river and the memories that it fosters shouldn't be something that Goosesong dwells on for now, so he steadied his stance for a moment and stood back over beside Cottonbright. She asked how the training was going again, he wondered what the two might have to talk about when their apprentices become warriors in the next few moons, but he shrugged at the thought. He knew that they would find some way to keep each other company.

"Stormpaw is well, but admittedly, I'm unsure of what I could teach her tomorrow, if you'd have any ideas or helpful lesson plans I am always open to listen"

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright’s whiskers twitched at his words, sensing the flicker of concern before he quickly masked it. It was a small thing, but she noticed.

At the mention of Stormpaw, her ears perked. "She’s a fast learner." She mused, thinking of the young she-cat. "B-but I know what you mean. Sometimes it's hard to decide w-what to focus on next."

Her tail curled around her paws as she considered his request, then uncurled. "Maybe a b-battle exercise? Not just sparring, but something more... tactical?" She tilted her head. She hoped she woudln't be stepping on any toes. "Like t-teaching her how to fight in different terrains. We have the water advantage, but if she gets caught on land, she should know how to a-adapt."

Cottonbright glanced at him gauging his reaction. "Or if she's struggling with something, we c-could run through that? W-what do you think she needs most right now?"

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong nodded along with Cottonbright's suggestion, would he take it into account, of course he would, but he questioned if he would actually do so when he said he would, whatever happens shall happen, he thought to himself before he chose his response carefully. "Fast learners are an issue on occasion, it means you may eventually run out of tactics to teach them while others are still learning." He explained honestly, twitching the tip of his tail, while he appreciated when Stormpaw got the hang of tasks right away, he tried to make it seem less of a burden to finish things quickly.

"Although, quick learning exudes quicker thinking, that's precious in our lifestyle" Goosesong added, twitching his tail. Both sides of his opinion seemed fair in his mind, but he wondered if Cottonbright had any further opinions on the matter. Though, he didn't feel like his curiosity would get him anywhere practical, not at the moment anyway. "You're right, I'll keep it in mind"

Goosesong's words came flat and firm as per usual for the muscular, silver warrior in most circumstances. "I've been trying to pinpoint specific struggles, while she doesn't excel in everything, what cat does?" he stated, turning his aqua gaze towards the mostly white warrior, his gaze resting on her for a moment. "And what of Sturgeonpaw? Has his training been going well?"

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright listened attentively, dipping her head slightly in acknowledgment. While she was quietly contemplating their conversation she found herself agreeing. Sometimes it was good to sit with a skill, develop and build confidence in a technique before moving on.

Her whiskers twitched at his remark about no cat excelling in everything. "Every warrior has strengths and weaknesses...Me. You. E-Even Boldstar." She hesitated for a heartbeat. There was no teasing in her tone - just frank honesty. A small part of her unfurled as she admitted this truth, shedding a bit of uncertainty as she shared these moments with her clanmate.

At the mention of Sturgeonpaw, her ears flicked. "Oh - he’s doing well! He’s enthusiastic, which is nice. But he's a little too eager. He rushes ahead w-without thinking sometimes." She flashed him a small, sheepish smile. "I'm t-trying to get him to slow down and be more aware of his surroundings."

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong listened intently as Cottonbright shared the status of her apprentice, it was a pity that they couldn't bring their apprentices along for their patrol, but that didn't seem to bother Goosesong as much as it might for some other cat. With a flick of his ear after Cottonbright had finished speaking, Goosesong gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Enthusiasm is good, recklessness is not, it will get a cat in more trouble than any warrior would experience, but eagerness can't exactly be trained out of a cat" Goosesong explained, flicking his tail with a noticeable spark of recognition in his gaze, how Cottonbright had explained Sturgeonpaw in this instance reminded him oddly of Reedpaw. Great StarClan why was the thought of the dark grey she-cat lingering so much in his mind when it had been moons since her death. Perhaps Goosesong just felt so much guilt for her death, that's more than likely the case.

"I'd recommend explaining how his eagerness and potential recklessness may impact himself and RiverClan, practice how calculated movements could earn more reward perhaps" he explained, he wasn't sure if Cottonbright was really looking for any suggestions, but he wanted to offer his words in case she was, if he didn't she might be left lost on what she could do. "He did well in that spar at the beginning of last moon" he praised, giving Cottonbright an approving nod "He will come a long way with you as his mentor"

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright listened carefully, nodding along as Goosesong spoke. His words made sense—recklessness could be dangerous, but trying to suppress enthusiasm entirely could snuff out a young cat’s spirit. "S-showing him how his actions affect the Clan might help. He c-cares a lot about proving himself and helping his family in particular."

Her ears twitched at the mention of the sparring match. A small rush of pride warmed her chest at his praise - not for herself, but for Sturgeonpaw. "He did, didn’t he?" She allowed herself a small smile. "T-thank you. I hope I can guide him well. Some days, I feel like I understand what he needs, and others... I w-wonder if I’m doing enough."

She glanced at Goosesong, tilting her head slightly. as her ears focused on something further up ahead. Prey maybe? It seemed small and she wanted to get a bit closer to find out as long as it was far enough away from the frozen river.

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong's ears pricked at the sudden change in focus within Cottonbright, he had been listening to her closely and carefully, but the larger silver tom seemed so enthralled in her words that he, uncharacteristicly, hadn't taken notice of what had caught her gaze. So before he even thought of giving a response, her glanced in the direction that her lime eyes gravitated.

His aqua eyes honed in on the small thing, but he was hardly at a distance to pinpoint exactly what it was. "You've spotted something Cottonbright?" he said, lowering the volume of his voice in case if was prey and it could have heard him, he didn't want the prey to be lost because of careless speaking. However, while he did target his words at Cottonbright, Goosesong's eyes were fixed on the strange object ahead.

Noticing her slightly restless paws, Goosesong glanced over at Cottonbright for a moment then nodded to himself, seemingly agreeing with his own thoughts. "We can investigate carefully, approach slowly and I will be behind you in case it isn't friendly" he whispered again to the mostly white warrior. Although he said he would sneak up behind her, he wondered if his silver body would give away his position over her near completely white pelt, so he crouched as low as he could, narrowing his eyes at the mysterious... prey perhaps? Whatever it was, they would soon find out.

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright barely flicked an ear in response, her attention sharpening on the reeds ahead. The way they rustled was too controlled for the wind - something was there. Her breath hitched as she carefully scented the air, picking up the faint, earthy musk of a water vole. A good catch for the weak start to new leaf.

She kept her voice low. "I think t-there is prey up ahead. A w-water vole..." She mewed a hair above the wind, her body instinctively lowering into a hunter’s crouch. "It’s in the reeds. I’ll circle to the left -c-cut off its escape route?"

Her muscles tensed as she moved with deliberate slowness, placing each paw with care to avoid crunching frosted grass. The vole was oblivious for now, nibbling on something in the undergrowth. If she timed it right, she could drive it toward Goosesong and together they could bring back some prey from their patrol.

She flicked her tail slightly, signaling for him to be ready. Then, with a sharp intake of breath, she lunged forward - her paws skimming the ground as she sent the vole scurrying straight into Goosesong’s path.

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

At Cottonbright's instruction, Goosesong gave a brief nod, moving to the other side of the reeds, blocking off the most obvious path of escape for the water vole in silence, keeping his paws light on the snowfall. The largly build warrior found his position and hardly moved and inch until the vole came scampering in escape towards him, letting out a squeak of terror.

Goosesong lifted a paw and pressed it down onto the vole to keep it still before launching his teeth at the rodent's throat, killing the prey in meer seconds. Goosesong lifted his head after releasing the limp body of the prey from his jaws. "Well planned, Cottonbright, perhaps our apprentices could learn a thing or two" he stated, a playful lilt breaking up his normally flat tone that he normally gave praise with. 

There was something about Cottonbright that clicked with Goosesong, something that felt oddly familiar, as if Cottonbright and himself had always been friends, but had just not spoken much to each other aside from recently, and if he was being true to himself, he didn't mind the feeling, not at all.

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

Cottonbright straightened, her tail giving a pleased flick as she watched Goosesong dispatch the vole with practiced ease. A clean catch. It was always satisfying when a hunt went exactly as planned, and even more so when working alongside a skilled warrior.

She met his gaze, warmth flickering in her lime-green eyes at his unexpected praise. "T-thank you..." She murmured, her ears twitching slightly in quiet pleasure. A compliment from Goosesong wasn’t something to take lightly.

At his mention of their apprentices, she let out a soft chuckle. "You b-bet!" She tilted her head slightly, glancing at the vole now resting in the snow. Her gaze lifted back to Goosesong, studying him for a brief moment. There was something steady about him - something that, despite his usual stoic nature, made him easy to be around. It was strange to think they had only truly started talking recently when it felt so natural now.

With a small, content sigh, she added, "W-we should hunt together more often. It’s… nice."

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong’s aquamarine eyes focused calmly on Cottonbright for a moment, the stoicism in his gaze seemed almost invisible under the admiration that sparked in his gaze. The large warrior nudged the prey towards Cottonbright and lifted his body once more "Stormpaw and Sturgeonpaw still have a ways to go though, I’ll still have to take you up on a training session with the both of them" he twitched the tip of his tail and his eyes glanced back in the direction of the camp.

"Absolutely" Goosesong agreed to the two going on more hunts together, though the patrols assigned by Coldgaze could speak otherwise but that did not mean that the two warriors could go on a hunting expedition of their own, as long as they did not over-hunt when new-leaf was in swing then the two would not have anything to bother them. And Goosesong seemed to feel at ease with Cottonbright, as if all of his current worries washed away, even for a moment, oh what a good friend she was.

Goosesong’s eyes glanced back into the direction of camp "we’ve patrolled along the gorge’s edge as ordered, so, is it back to camp then?" Goosesong asked, he did still want to speak with Cottonbright, but he didn’t want the freshly caught prey to get cold under the snow, so the conflict held itself in the pit of Goosesong’s belly, whatever Cottonbright chose would be so.

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright blinked in surprise at the warmth in Goosesong’s gaze, a flicker of something softer beneath his usual composed demeanor. She lowered her head slightly, nudging the vole closer with her nose as she considered his words with an almost embarassed chuckle.

"I’d l-like that..." Came the she-cat admittance, a bit more sure. "A session with both of them could be g-good for us too. Or at least, they’ll k-keep us on our paws."

She followed his gaze toward camp, her ears flicking in thought. She didn’t mind heading back - the vole was fresh, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste. But something about this moment, this quiet camaraderie, made her hesitate.

"Yeah, let's go..."She said after a pause, though not without a glance toward Goosesong. She didn't want the warmth of fresh kill to disappear in the new leaf chill, not when an elder could appreciate it. Hunting was one thing, but she found she didn’t mind just talking with him either.

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong nodded at Cottonbright's agreeance to return to camp, the two would never really be apart when they were in the same clan, they would always have time to talk if either had approached one another too, and if Cottonbright had approached him, then he wouldn't mind it at all.

"We can always find time to talk if you'd like to talk more" Goosesong replied to Cottonbright, sensing a change in her mood and assuming it would have been from the fact it was wiser for them to return to the camp, they had all the time in the world to talk to one another, but for now, Goosesong simply relished in Cottonbright's company, drinking in her scent for a moment before turning to face her.

His eyes had returned to their normal stoically neutral expression, but there was still, deep down, a bit of warmth that Goosesong couldn't bring himself to shake away. Cottonbright is his one and only friend and he no matter how short their friendship was, he wouldn't trade it for anything. "And besides, I think Coldgaze and Boldstar would appreciate knowing the state of the river" 

Goosesong didn't really say much more after that aside from moving his pawsteps a few bounds ahead of Cottonbright, flicking his tail in invitation as he walked in the direction of RiverClan camp.