Closed Thread Currents and waves

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 was making her usual rounds along the RiverClan border when she noticed a dark figure just ahead - a WindClan warrior, close enough that it made her fur prickle with unease. Her lime-green eyes narrowed slightly as she realized the warrior was technically on RiverClan territory, even if only by a pawstep or two. That fact alone sent a nervous flutter through her chest, but she knew she couldn’t just ignore it.

With a deep breath, she cautiously padded closer, her paws feeling heavier with every step. As she approached, she noticed the warrior seemed lost in thought, which only added to her apprehension.

“Um, excuse me.” Cottonbright called out, her voice slightly wavering as she tried to muster the courage to speak. “I-I don’t mean to interrupt, but you’re, um... you’re on RiverClan territory.” Her ears flicked back nervously, and she cast a quick glance down at the borderline, as if to confirm the situation herself. “I... I’m sure it’s just an accident, but, uh, you might want to step back? Just, you know... to avoid any misunderstandings.”

She paused, noticing the faraway look in the warrior’s eyes. The thought that something might be troubling him tugged at her, overriding some of her nervousness. “I-I don’t mean to pry.” She added quickly, her voice softening. “But... is everything alright? You seem... deep in thought. I’m Cottonbright, from RiverClan.”

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 the Windclan warrior carefully stepped back over the border, her tension easing just a little. She hadn’t wanted to cause any trouble, and thankfully, it seemed the other cat understood that. But when the warrior spoke, her ears perked up, catching the hint of something deeper in their words. Not everything is alright.

“O-Oh.” She stammered, her lime-green eyes widening slightly as she processed what Bayflower had said. “I-I’m sorry to hear that... that things aren’t going well for you.” Cottonbright hesitated, her tail-tip flicking nervously as she considered what to say next. She wasn’t great at these kinds of conversations, but she didn’t want to leave the warrior feeling unheard.

“Swimming?” She repeated, her head tilting slightly in surprise. Of all the things she expected to hear, that hadn’t been one of them. “I-I suppose it’s, um, useful... if you’re a Riverclan cat, that is.” Her words were tentative, unsure if she should be encouraging this line of thinking. After all, swimming was a RiverClan skill, something that set them apart. But then again, there was no harm in talking about it, right?

“Well, it’s not something that can be self-taught easily.” Cottonbright continued, her voice gaining a bit of confidence as she focused on the topic. “It takes a lot of practice, and patience. The water can be... tricky, especially if you’re not used to it.”

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 at Bayflower’s question, a bit taken aback by the genuine curiosity in his gaze. It wasn’t often that cats from other clans showed interest in Riverclan skills (or her for that matter!). Her tail twitched nervously, but she found herself relaxing slightly as she thought back to her own experiences.

“W-Well, it took a while.” She admitted, her voice soft as she recalled the early days of her training. “From a kit, splashing in puddles to when I was an apprentice. I was... a little scared of the water at first. It’s, um, different from anything else, you know? The way it moves, the way it feels. But with time, I got used to it.”

She paused, her lime-green eyes meeting Bayflower’s for a moment. “I-It’s not just about knowing how to swim It’s about understanding the water, the currents, and how to use them to your advantage. That’s why it takes practice. But once you get the hang of it, it’s... well, it’s kind of like second nature.”

Cottonbright hesitated, unsure if she should go on. She wasn’t used to talking about herself, especially not with a cat from another clan. She sat on her paws to keep them from shuffling under his attention. "Must be hard having such an interest. I-I can't imagine there would be many good fishing spots in Windclan. How dreadful..."

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 felt a flicker of warmth at Bayflower’s words. His curiosity and the way he seemed genuinely interested in her stories made her feel a bit more relaxed. She wasn’t used to this - talking so freely with a cat from another clan - but it was... nice. His casual, almost playful manner was infectious, and she found herself relaxing more than she had expected.

When he asked for her name, Cottonbright blinked, realizing he must not have heard him from introducing herself from before. “O-Oh, sorry!” She stammered, feeling a bit embarrassed for him, but mostly for her. She spoke a bit louder. “I’m Cottonbright. A-and it’s nice to meet you, Bayflower.”

She offered a small, shy smile, her tail flicking behind her as she spoke. “I-I guess it’s not every day that we get to talk like this. It’s... kind of nice.” She admitted, her voice softening. “I mean, usually, we’re all so focused on our clans, on the borders, that we don’t get a chance to just... talk.”

Cottonbright glanced down at her unusually small paws for her large body, her thoughts briefly drifting back to her clanmates. She knew she should be cautious, but something about this moment felt different, like a brief escape from the usual worries and responsibilities. She looked back at Bayflower, her lime-green eyes curious. “D-Do you often think about what it’s like in other clans? Or is it just... swimming that caught your interest?” Genuinely curious about what had drawn him to this conversation.

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 ears grew warm at Bayflower’s compliment, her fur fluffing up slightly in embarrassment. “Th-thank you.” Came her tentative coo, trying to hide her flustered state with a small, shy smile. She wasn’t used to receiving such praise, especially from a cat outside of her clan. His words about being a ‘bright ball of sunshine’ made her feel a warmth she wasn’t quite sure how to handle.

As Bayflower spoke about the importance of balance between clans and borders, Cottonbright nodded slowly. “Y-Yeah, I suppose you’re right. We spend so much time thinking about what separates us that we forget... we’re all cats, after all” Her lime-green eyes met his, and for a moment, she felt a strange sense of understanding. It was true - borders were important, but sometimes they felt like they created more distance than necessary.

Cottonbright’s gaze flicked to the sky as well at the mention of Starclan. She wondered what her own mother, Lilyripple, might think of her talking so freely with a WindClan warrior. Cottonbright swallowed the lump forming in her throat, pushing the thoughts away with the worthy distraction Bayflower brought up next.

“Climbing?” She echoed, her curiosity piqued. “I-I love climbing around the roots of the Twinwillow. But up high? Getting to see the world from a different angle?” Cottonbright’s voice was more animated now, her own daydreams mingling with Bayflower’s. The idea of living a thousand moons and learning everything there was to know made her smile - a wistful, almost childlike expression.

“I-I think if we lived that long, we’d run out of things to learn.” She mewed with a soft laugh. “But... maybe that’s what makes life interesting. The fact that we can’t know everything, and there’s always something new to discover.” She hesitated, her gaze drifting to the horizon as she settled herself as a loaf on her side of Riverclan territory, stilling the anxious twitch of her tail. “Good thing we have stories to tell! Y-You can learn so much from them, even if you can’t experience everything yourself.”

Her lime-green eyes returned to Bayflower, a hint of curiosity shining in them. She wanted to voice why he seemed so interested in other clans. Ask if Windclan was enough for him, but that seemed far too forward of her.

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 fur fluffed up again at Bayflower’s continued compliments, but this time, she managed a small, genuine smile. It was nice, in a way, to be seen and appreciated, even if it made her quite a bit bashful.

She listened as Bayflower spoke about the idea of exploring beyond the clans, the thought of endless territory making her eyes widen slightly. “A thousand Thunderpaths?” She tried to wrap her mind around the idea. The world beyond their borders was something she had never really considered, her life so focused on the daily routine of clan duties. The concept was both exciting and daunting. “I suppose… there’s a lot out there we don’t know about. But it’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? A life beyond the clans.”

When Bayflower asked if she had any stories to share, Cottonbright hesitated, her tail-tip flicking thoughtfully. “Stories? Well… I don’t know if I have much...” She paused, thinking back to the tales her mother used to tell her as a kit. “Maybe Rippletail and the great flood? M-My mother told me this one when I was young..."

Surely Bayflower wouldn't be interested in kit stories, but he had inquired first, right? Cottonbright began softly, testing the strength of her voice as she tried to mimic the composure Lilyripple might have done to mixed success. “Rippletail was a brave warrior who lived many seasons ago. One new-leaf, the river swelled with the melting snow, and it threatened to flood the camp. Rippletail, seeing the danger, didn’t hesitate to act. He led a patrol of the strongest swimmers to divert the water, creating new channels to save the camp. It was dangerous, risky... and in the end, Rippletail was swept away by the current. But his bravery saved Riverclan, so I've been told...”

Cottonbright’s voice softened as she finished the story, staring bashfully at the Windclan warrior as her shoulder shrugged with sheepish chagrin. "I-It's probably not true, though... Just a kit story."

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 heart warmed at Bayflower’s evident interest in her story, their shining eyes making her feel more at ease. Despite her own apprentice, she wasn't really used to other listening to her and it filled her with a sense of quiet pride.

“Yes.” The start white she-cat agreed. “I-I suppose you’re right. Rippletail believed in what he was doing, and that’s what made it possible.” Cottonbright’s gaze softened as she thought of her mother again, the lessons she had tried to pass down to her.

She fell quiet for a moment, the peaceful silence between them comfortable and calming. Cottonbright wasn’t sure where this conversation would lead, but for the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of connection with someone outside her own clan.

It was a rare and precious feeling, one she didn’t want to let go of too quickly. “Do you think you’ll ever try?” She shifted her large bulk, her cumbersome physique only adding to the image of her anxiety. “To explore the world... To see if there’s more out there… more than just the clans?”

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 lime-green eyes softened at Bayflower’s honesty. There was something admirable in their desire to explore the world beyond the clans, even if it wasn’t a journey they were ready to take just yet. The idea of leaving everything behind to venture into the unknown made her feel a mix of curiosity and fear - both emotions she suspected Bayflower understood well.

“That’s understandable. It’s a big world out there, and going alone… that would be daunting, even for the bravest cats.” Cottonbright paused, her tail wrapping around her paws as she considered their words. “B-but you don’t have to rush into it. Like you said, your clan needs you now, and that’s important. When the time is right, and if you find the right company… I-I think you’ll know.”

She offered a small, encouraging smile, the warmth of her earlier embarrassment now replaced with a quiet admiration for the WindClan warrior. Cottonbright’s gaze drifted to the horizon, where the sky met the land, endless and full of possibilities. “I hope that when you do go, you’ll find what you’re looking for.” It was then the large white she-cat rose to her paws, steadily arching her back and dipping forward as she stretched, deliciously manuvering smooth muscle.

Her eyes returned to Bayflower, a flicker of something akin to hope in their depths. “And if you ever need someone to talk to again, or if you find yourself back at the border… I’d be happy to listen. But... I-I should probably go now.” 

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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As Bayflower stood and stretched, Cottonbright mirrored their movements, her own muscles rippling under her white fur. The idea of seeing the world beyond the borders wasn’t something she had considered much before, but talking to Bayflower made it seem less like a distant dream and more like a real possibility, even if it wasn’t a path she was likely to walk herself.

“I-I hope so too” A soft purr rumbled in her chest, the warmth in her voice genuine. “I’ve enjoyed our conversation, Bayflower. It’s not often we get to talk like this, and... I-I’m glad we did.” Cottonbright dipped her head slightly, a gesture of respect and camaraderie. “Take care, Bayflower.”

With that, she turned to leave, her steps light but measured as she moved back toward her own territory. The conversation had left her feeling both more grounded and more curious, a balance she hadn’t expected to find today.