Claimed for stats week of 2/21/22
Nati — 02/08/2022
River
The coyote was gone and they were on their way back to the clan so why was her heart still pounding so hard? Robin had called her family. Riversong had lost her biological family in the dog attack, but she still had her clan, they were her family... Weren't they? But what was her clan now anyway? She hadn't been born into Lightening Clan, they had taken her and the remnants of Rock Clan in after the attack but was it really her clan? Several of her old warriors even moved into the recently formed RiverClan.
Of course she was grateful to LighteningClan for the hospitality shown to her but was it really where she belonged? As the two young she-cats limped through the forest, Riverpaw was certain of only one thing; she belonged next to Robin. The pale calico had called her family and Riverpaw finally realized they were. Robin had declared her love and proved it time and time again. But what had Riverpaw done for her? Besides put her in danger and nearly get them both killed just so she could have a proper name?
Riverpaw walked in silence, to focused on keeping her balance and weight off her front paw. Every few steps she would give a small grunt of pain but she trudged on, determined to make it back. As they neared the camp, Rivepaw asked Robin to come get checked out by their medicine cat, promising that her clan would be grateful for keeping her alive and wouldn't attack her.
Whether or not Robin had stayed, Riverpaw never knew because it was at that moment her vision blurred and blackened and she collapsed on the ground.
It was several moons later when River sniffed out Robin in the woods. Her wounds had scabbed over and were healing nicely, though there would always be a scar. Overall, River looked healthy as she pranced along the ground to the tree she was certain Robin was occupying. She flexed the muscles in her shoulder, making sure she could handle the strain, before jumping onto the trunk of the tree. With a bit of strain, she climbed her way to her friend.
"Ah. Found you." She said triumphantly. With a light purr, she shuffled on the branch to nuzzle the pale calico. Ignoring any protests or questions from her friend she gave her a lick before looking Robin in her mismatched eyes. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get away but, I'm here now. Robin, I want you to know that I love you too. I have from the first time we met and I've decided to stay with you. You belong here in the branches but you also belong with me, so, I'm now a loner." Embarrassed, River looked away.
"I realized, as the leader of LighteningClan was about to give me my warrior name that.. well, I didn't want it." Looking to Robin she took a deep breath. "You should be the one to give me my warrior name. You are the bravest, most loyal, quick thinking, intelligent, and most beautiful cat I've ever met. I will follow you anywhere Robin, you are my leader now. You have my claws and you have my heart. I will never put you in harms way like that ever again. From now on, I'm going to protect you, feed you, and care for you in every way I know how."
Finally finished with her speech, she released the last bit of air from her lungs in a sigh. There it was done. It had already been made official back on the clan's land but now Robin had been made aware of the decision River had made. Robin was stuck with her now, they were going to be together forever.
Robin
It had been so many moons since Robin had seen Riverpaw back to her camp. Despite her companion's assurance that she would be healed up and treated equally, Robin had scampered from the camp the moment Riverpaw had closed her eyes. She'd yowled for help, for the medicine cat, though she didn't know their name and sprang up a tree and was out of sight in moments, praying to... whoever might be out there, that Riverpaw's wounds would heal and that she would be able to see Robin again.
She had to take some time herself, after the encounter with the coyote. She became more slender as she stopped trying to hunt in place for having her paws heal. She needed to be able to crouch firmly on a tree branch without going over the other side. The battle with the mangy beast had left her paws sore and the pads torn. So she'd waited it out and half a moon later, she was able to hunt for herself again.
Robin never stopped crossing near her meeting place with Riverpaw. She'd linger a little while in the trees, leaving her scent behind, but after a moon or two, she stopped visiting. Had they been able to find Riverpaw in time? She should've stayed to make sure everything was okay. No, no... Riverpaw was surely just in camp, resting. Or maybe her mentor was keeping a closer eye on her - Robin certainly would have. Or... maybe Riverpaw decided that she didn't want to be Robin's friend or family or anything at all.
Riverpaw had stayed so quiet on their walk back to her camp - maybe Robin had overstepped and it turned out that Riverpaw was never going to come to their meeting place again. It was with a heavy heart that Robin stopped frequenting their meeting place and started to stray further north of the LightningClan camp, into a thicker area of trees. It was among the trees where she felt secluded and safe, but she also had begun to feel very, very alone.
The sun was lowering in the sky, turning the trees golden and the foliage above cast dapples along the branches and below. A light breeze drifted in the air and if Robin closed her eyes, she could almost hear Riverpaw's voice next to her. She felt the wind shift the branch under her paws and she opened her eyes and turned her head only to see that she'd been imagining so fervently that Riverpaw's image had appeared before her. Only... she was not the bleeding, guilted ghost that Robin would see in her nightmares, but a healthy, grown she-cat. Her wounds were healing and her eyes were bright. It was only when Riverpaw licked her that Robin realized that this was no imagining of hers in front of her, but the true and proper cat.
"Riv-" But her mew was silenced as Riverpaw spoke. Riverpaw... loved her? She was going to stay with her - as a loner? Her shock must've shown on her face, her muzzle open and slack-jawed, for Riverpaw looked away. Robin struggled to compose herself as Riverpaw continued. Her fur warmed from the compliments showered upon her and... at the dawning realization of what Riverpaw - no, River, was it? - had told her.
"I... Oh..." She blinked a few fast times, her heart beat rising. "Riverp-River, I mean. This is a big decision. You've - You look like you've made it and that's so wonderful, but you're- You're a Clan cat, River. You believe in StarClan and have a great life of a warrior ahead of you. I can't give you a warrior name, not like you want."
Robin looked at River, searching her eyes for any shred of doubt in the grey speckled she-cat's gaze, but found none at all. She was silent for a moment and then she turned her gaze to the forest. A breeze ruffled through her fur as the sun started to decline through the trees. A surge of something went through her, the beginning of an idea and she turned her gaze back to River, a determination alit in her multi-hued eyes.
"I can't give you a warrior name, yet, River, but I'm going to. If you really trust me to be not just your mate, but your leader then... why, maybe others will feel the same - er, not the mate bit. I don't want anyone but you. But, maybe we can find other loners, or Clan cats who feel uncertain about their own paths or... gosh, we could even see about the kittypets - I know there's at least one out in the forest! We... We could make our own Clan. One right here in the branches! We could start a Clan and expand it and be a proper family." She mewed excitedly, the idea flaring in her mind. "You'll need to help me, though. I don't know much about Clan life and there's the matter of finding a proper territory, but... with you at my side, my mate and my second in command, River, I believe we can do it. No... I know we can do it." She leaned over to River, nuzzling her head into the cat's chest and letting out a rumbling purr. "You n' me, together always. Let's make a Clan that's got every other cat shaking in their pelts." She chuckled.
River
The coyote was gone and they were on their way back to the clan so why was her heart still pounding so hard? Robin had called her family. Riversong had lost her biological family in the dog attack, but she still had her clan, they were her family... Weren't they? But what was her clan now anyway? She hadn't been born into Lightening Clan, they had taken her and the remnants of Rock Clan in after the attack but was it really her clan? Several of her old warriors even moved into the recently formed RiverClan.
Of course she was grateful to LighteningClan for the hospitality shown to her but was it really where she belonged? As the two young she-cats limped through the forest, Riverpaw was certain of only one thing; she belonged next to Robin. The pale calico had called her family and Riverpaw finally realized they were. Robin had declared her love and proved it time and time again. But what had Riverpaw done for her? Besides put her in danger and nearly get them both killed just so she could have a proper name?
Riverpaw walked in silence, to focused on keeping her balance and weight off her front paw. Every few steps she would give a small grunt of pain but she trudged on, determined to make it back. As they neared the camp, Rivepaw asked Robin to come get checked out by their medicine cat, promising that her clan would be grateful for keeping her alive and wouldn't attack her.
Whether or not Robin had stayed, Riverpaw never knew because it was at that moment her vision blurred and blackened and she collapsed on the ground.
It was several moons later when River sniffed out Robin in the woods. Her wounds had scabbed over and were healing nicely, though there would always be a scar. Overall, River looked healthy as she pranced along the ground to the tree she was certain Robin was occupying. She flexed the muscles in her shoulder, making sure she could handle the strain, before jumping onto the trunk of the tree. With a bit of strain, she climbed her way to her friend.
"Ah. Found you." She said triumphantly. With a light purr, she shuffled on the branch to nuzzle the pale calico. Ignoring any protests or questions from her friend she gave her a lick before looking Robin in her mismatched eyes. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get away but, I'm here now. Robin, I want you to know that I love you too. I have from the first time we met and I've decided to stay with you. You belong here in the branches but you also belong with me, so, I'm now a loner." Embarrassed, River looked away.
"I realized, as the leader of LighteningClan was about to give me my warrior name that.. well, I didn't want it." Looking to Robin she took a deep breath. "You should be the one to give me my warrior name. You are the bravest, most loyal, quick thinking, intelligent, and most beautiful cat I've ever met. I will follow you anywhere Robin, you are my leader now. You have my claws and you have my heart. I will never put you in harms way like that ever again. From now on, I'm going to protect you, feed you, and care for you in every way I know how."
Finally finished with her speech, she released the last bit of air from her lungs in a sigh. There it was done. It had already been made official back on the clan's land but now Robin had been made aware of the decision River had made. Robin was stuck with her now, they were going to be together forever.
Robin
It had been so many moons since Robin had seen Riverpaw back to her camp. Despite her companion's assurance that she would be healed up and treated equally, Robin had scampered from the camp the moment Riverpaw had closed her eyes. She'd yowled for help, for the medicine cat, though she didn't know their name and sprang up a tree and was out of sight in moments, praying to... whoever might be out there, that Riverpaw's wounds would heal and that she would be able to see Robin again.
She had to take some time herself, after the encounter with the coyote. She became more slender as she stopped trying to hunt in place for having her paws heal. She needed to be able to crouch firmly on a tree branch without going over the other side. The battle with the mangy beast had left her paws sore and the pads torn. So she'd waited it out and half a moon later, she was able to hunt for herself again.
Robin never stopped crossing near her meeting place with Riverpaw. She'd linger a little while in the trees, leaving her scent behind, but after a moon or two, she stopped visiting. Had they been able to find Riverpaw in time? She should've stayed to make sure everything was okay. No, no... Riverpaw was surely just in camp, resting. Or maybe her mentor was keeping a closer eye on her - Robin certainly would have. Or... maybe Riverpaw decided that she didn't want to be Robin's friend or family or anything at all.
Riverpaw had stayed so quiet on their walk back to her camp - maybe Robin had overstepped and it turned out that Riverpaw was never going to come to their meeting place again. It was with a heavy heart that Robin stopped frequenting their meeting place and started to stray further north of the LightningClan camp, into a thicker area of trees. It was among the trees where she felt secluded and safe, but she also had begun to feel very, very alone.
The sun was lowering in the sky, turning the trees golden and the foliage above cast dapples along the branches and below. A light breeze drifted in the air and if Robin closed her eyes, she could almost hear Riverpaw's voice next to her. She felt the wind shift the branch under her paws and she opened her eyes and turned her head only to see that she'd been imagining so fervently that Riverpaw's image had appeared before her. Only... she was not the bleeding, guilted ghost that Robin would see in her nightmares, but a healthy, grown she-cat. Her wounds were healing and her eyes were bright. It was only when Riverpaw licked her that Robin realized that this was no imagining of hers in front of her, but the true and proper cat.
"Riv-" But her mew was silenced as Riverpaw spoke. Riverpaw... loved her? She was going to stay with her - as a loner? Her shock must've shown on her face, her muzzle open and slack-jawed, for Riverpaw looked away. Robin struggled to compose herself as Riverpaw continued. Her fur warmed from the compliments showered upon her and... at the dawning realization of what Riverpaw - no, River, was it? - had told her.
"I... Oh..." She blinked a few fast times, her heart beat rising. "Riverp-River, I mean. This is a big decision. You've - You look like you've made it and that's so wonderful, but you're- You're a Clan cat, River. You believe in StarClan and have a great life of a warrior ahead of you. I can't give you a warrior name, not like you want."
Robin looked at River, searching her eyes for any shred of doubt in the grey speckled she-cat's gaze, but found none at all. She was silent for a moment and then she turned her gaze to the forest. A breeze ruffled through her fur as the sun started to decline through the trees. A surge of something went through her, the beginning of an idea and she turned her gaze back to River, a determination alit in her multi-hued eyes.
"I can't give you a warrior name, yet, River, but I'm going to. If you really trust me to be not just your mate, but your leader then... why, maybe others will feel the same - er, not the mate bit. I don't want anyone but you. But, maybe we can find other loners, or Clan cats who feel uncertain about their own paths or... gosh, we could even see about the kittypets - I know there's at least one out in the forest! We... We could make our own Clan. One right here in the branches! We could start a Clan and expand it and be a proper family." She mewed excitedly, the idea flaring in her mind. "You'll need to help me, though. I don't know much about Clan life and there's the matter of finding a proper territory, but... with you at my side, my mate and my second in command, River, I believe we can do it. No... I know we can do it." She leaned over to River, nuzzling her head into the cat's chest and letting out a rumbling purr. "You n' me, together always. Let's make a Clan that's got every other cat shaking in their pelts." She chuckled.