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 Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2019 11:11 pm
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Foxcry had very few friends within the Clan. Barkfang, who had been her mentor and taught her well beyond what she would've learned from any other warrior. Fadingsky, who she had become "friends" with initially to show others she was fitting in, only to grow fond of him in actuality not long after they'd been made warriors together.
She never really needed to talk to anyone else, so long as she had those two. If she didn't have one, she typically had the other. She didn't understand how some of her Clan mates could have swarms of friends, talking to many cats at once. She would never show it if she could help it, but the idea alone made her... twitchy. Anxious, even.
So, she chose to observe them from afar. She could gain just as much insight about a cat from watching them as she would from talking to them, she'd convinced herself. And through her observations, she'd spotted another cat who she believed may have had a similar inclination. He was a younger warrior by the name of Minnowflash. He had a silly stump of a tail and a tendency towards nervousness. She never saw him look happy when he was surrounded by cats. Come to think of it, she wasn't certain if she'd ever seen him look happy at all.
She wasn't sure what prompted her to approach him one day. Maybe it was a deep longing, denied for too long, for a kindred spirit. At any rate, one morning, she found her white and orange paws taking her right up to him, looking him in the eyes and bristling with nervous energy. She was smaller than most cats, a symptom of being sick young, Stonebelly had told her, but she made sure that she was made to feel bigger than other cats in her perceived confidence.
So, once she got so close to Minnowflash that she could be was nearly nose to nose with him, she puffed out her chest and said in a bold tone.
"Hey."
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Posted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 8:39 am
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Minnowflash was busy minding his own business, trying to smooth down his wild randomly fluffy fur spots, simply enjoying the sun and the quiet. How such a timid and quiet tom came from such a loud and crazy family as Rivermist, Longclaw and Pikesplash was probably beyond any cat's understanding. Or at least anyone who bothered to notice. Which, honestly, Minnowflash was rather grateful when they didn't.
Living in a clan, one would think that one would grow up being ok in a large 'family' but that wasn't the case for Minnowflash either. Large groups made him on edge and he really didn't know why. Perhaps lack of confidence or perhaps Pikesplash had just stolen all his since she seemed to exude it and then some. He had been thinking about what she had told him the other day, that he needed to open up, make more friends, talk to the ladies when a nose about pressed into his.
Blinking, he looked up, almost going cross eyed, at an orange and white face in his, very confidently and boldly declaring a "Hey". Swallowing hard, Minnowflash wanted to back up but found himself frozen on the spot. He stammered a moment, his fur slightly re frazzled. "I....h-hi...!" he gulped again, realizing Foxcry was quite literally, in his face.
His cheeks felt hot and he was sure his whiskers were quivering slightly. An internal screaming was going on that not only was she so close to him, she was talking to him.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 11:59 am
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Foxcry flicked her ears, processing the information carefully before she gave a short nod.
"I think I believe you." She concluded. She didn't thank other cats, didn't smile much and she couldn't recall which social cues like shoulder nudging or nose touching were appropriate in which situations. That was a part of her training that she hadn't received. Maybe that was normal. Maybe other cats automatically knew the subtle art of being friendly. She, however, did not.
So, when she moved in to give him an amiable nudge on the shoulder, she didn't think about how hard she was going to nudge him. What should've been a playful bump came out as a proper shove and she watched, wide-eyed as what transpired wasn't at all what she meant to have happened. She took a few steps back, trying to come up with the right words. She didn't apologize. She didn't know how. She flattened her ears and started walking back towards the river.
"I'm sure you're an excellent fisher. You might be better than me, for all we know." She mewed. Was that a compliment? Did it make up for the shove? Oh, ForestClan, lead her paws in this strange endeavor she found herself on, she was messing everything up! Fadingsky never made her feel so uneasy!
"And... as for the water... It's cold. And it's wet. I don't see why anyone would want to willingly stick their paws into it, when they could be racing up a tree or some such after a squirrel." Maybe if she just ignored what she'd done, it would go away. That's how these things worked, right?
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:07 pm
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Minnowflash smiled when she said she believed him. It felt like a giant weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. He had partially opened his mouth to take in a huge refreshing breath and let out the nerves when suddenly he was shoulder checked and set flat to the ground.
He landed sideways, eyes wide in shock, one front and one back leg stuck stiff in the air until they slowly lowered like a balloon deflating except without the noise. An awkward yet confused smile spread across his face as he let out a breathless laugh. "Aa...haa... Foxcry... you are very strong." he heaved, pulling himself to his paws and shaking out his fur. With another leap he caught back up to her, falling into place at her side.
"That really makes me happy... you saying that I'm an excellent fisher." he laughed softly again. "I'm sure you'd be just as great though. It just takes a bit of practice." he added as an after thought, tilting his head to her comment about not liking water. She wasn't the first to mention that, but it made sense. He had always thought himself and his mother out of the ordinary for being true fisher-cats. Heck, he could name several other cats in Riverclan that didn't like being in the water. His father Longclaw, Foxfur..... ok well maybe he only really knew two because he didn't branch out much. Still.
"I understand that. It took me a while to get used to it...but maybe because I did it so much as a paw that I just got used to it."he said then paused again, glancing sideways at her with a thoughtful expression. "Do....would you like to learn? I mean... I can show you some things I learned, if your interested." he asked, feeling his cheeks flush again.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:34 pm
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Foxcry had been pleased when Minnowflash had reflected on her strength. He didn't seem hurt, so surely he didn't mind it too much? Still... should she suggest he see Stonebelly when they returned to camp? She wasn't sure. She would watch him, she decided. If he showed any signs of a limp or some such, she was confident she could drag him back to camp and see that he was properly treated.
When he went onto saying that she'd made him happy, she felt a small bubble of warmth in her chest. She looked away, smiling to herself. It was rare that she got such good feedback and it was putting her at more at ease. Not enough to relax her completely, because relaxing was weakness and she wasn't a weak cat, but... This wasn't a bad feeling, either.
"I tried to learn, but I couldn't get the hang of it." She admitted with a bitter sigh. "And every time I try to get my paw in the water it's just so cold." She shivered at the thought of it. "Unless you can make the water warmer and the fish slower and in this weather I'm not sure such a thing is possible... then I'm not sure you'd have much luck with teaching me, but..." She frowned, trying to find the right words. "I... am not displeased that you offered." She replied and offered him the smallest suggestion of a smile.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:49 pm
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He let out a laugh at her, he really couldn't help it, and he didn't mean anything bad by it. She was such a strong, confident and inspiring cat yet it almost felt like she didn't quite know how to act with another cat...... not that he did either. So it was relate-able and he was starting to feel better in his own paws around her.
He had to frown though. He certainly didn't have any powers to make water warmer, if he could he would, even for himself. "That's probably the hardest part to get used too. It really does go away after a while....but yeah... you have to summon all your patience and then some it seems like." he laughed a bit, his short tail flicking.
As the river came into view he bounded towards it excitedly, stopping at its edge and peering down into the waters reflective surface, glancing at his own reflection. He was at peace at the water's edge, confidence flowing into him as if the river itself was lending it to him. Gently he stuck one paw into the water, than the other, followed by his back two paws. He stopped when all four paws were well covered by water before turning back and smiling at her. "I bet your wrong and that you'd be very very good at it. But thats totally ok to admit its not your thing. Every cat has something they are good and and something they aren't." he smiled, turning back towards the waters, eyes carefully scanning for fish.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:22 pm
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Foxcry's ears flattened when he laughed and a low growl started in her throat. Closing her eyes, she took a deep, slow breath. She wasn't going to make any friends if she snapped at them every time she felt... less than ideal. She lashed her tail twice, opened her eyes and the growling stopped.
"It's not very nice to laugh at other cats." She grumbled, following him to the river. She watched as he got into the water, but she stayed rooted on the shore. She watched him closely, her eyes drifting over his stance and how he seemed much more at ease here than he ever did in the Clans. She tilted her head to one side in consideration.
"You're better looking when you're relaxed. Your shoulders don't bunch up as much." She took him with a thoughtful tone. "I don't know much about attractiveness, but... you're not awful looking." She mewed to him and then started to move along the shore. "I'm going to see if there aren't any mice or frogs or whatnot, looking to take a drink from the river. You fish, I'll hunt. Sound good?" She suggested to him, giving him a sideways look.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 3:27 pm
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His ears fell back a moment and his smile softened. "I'm sorry Foxcry, it wasn't my intention to hurt you. I laughed because....you were making me feel happy." he said as his whiskers twitched. It was the easiest way to describe how he had been thinking. He was less on edge now and more relaxed... or at least until she had mentioned that he wasn't awful looking.
His eyes went wide and he scarcely heard what she had said, instead gave a nod of agreement before plunging his face first into the cold waters, eyes squinted shut. He stayed there for several moments, too embarrassed to pull his head back out of the water. He only opened his eyes when he felt something pluck at his whiskers as has he moved a few little fish darted off.
Finally coming back up for a breath, he crouched down and waded forward, belly now in the water. He stayed still for as long as it took the waters to calm and the fish to return. Even after that he stayed still, waiting until one dared to get close enough to test nibble at his toes did he slap the water with his other paw, scooping the fish right into his mouth. It wasn't a large fish by any means, but it would be enough to feed another warrior.
Looking around for Foxcry, he held up the catch and smiled around the scales. "Owne dowmn!"
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 8:15 pm
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Foxcry had moved further down river, hunting along the shore. She spent had caught the scent of a water vole among some of the plantation around the shore and dropped into a hunting crouch. There wasn't a lot of cover provided. She'd always felt more comfortable underneath trees. She couldn't say why, because she was so young when she'd been brought into RiverClan.
She felt an unusual twinge in her gut as though she were missing some vital piece of information. She had wondered from time to time about her birth mother and how she lived, prior to meeting her vixen mother. So caught up in her own thoughts, when she jumped she nearly missed the vole. Paws flashing out to scramble after it, when she leaped again, she jumped directly onto it, nearly squishing it flat. She sighed, but a kill was a kill.
She picked it up and turned to pad back to Minnowflash. She twitched her ears by way of greeting and nodded at the sight of the fish.
"Meef too." She said around the vole, before she put it down. "Shall we hunt for a while longer, see what we can find?" She asked. It was better to live in the present, than try to dig up the past. And in the present, she had decent company and a Clan to feed.
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 11:27 pm
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Foxcry's whiskers twitched with pleasure. She wasn't used to so many compliments. She liked them. What could she do to receive more of them? She wondered. Maybe she'd have to hunt more... That was certainly doable. She'd already caught this, after all.
"Yes, we should continue." She agreed, digging a small hole to bury her prey. She was going to move on, perhaps upstream this time, when Minnowflash spoke to her again. She turned her head to face him and wasn't sure how to respond. Then, after some time, she begrudgingly moved into the water to stand beside him, though not nearly as elegantly as he had.
Tossing out her paws and shaking the water off of them every time she took a step in, she eventually made her way to stand beside Minnowflash. She shivered and instinctively moved to lean against the tom, who possessed the thicker pelt. She didn't say thank you's, but... hopefully this was enough to get across that she shared a similar sentiment.
"Alright... Teach me how to fish." She mewed. "Preferably before I freeze to death."
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