[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]'Whoever gets the drunkest wins a prize.' What an odd way to look out on life.
Although Steadfast would not be partaking in the so-called 'competition', free whiskey was free whiskey. It usually took him a bit to find anything on RiverClan's territory. Was this a blessing in disguise? Possibly. The cream-and-white tabby slowly made his way over, eyes diverting form Warcry and Cian before grabbing and shot and downing it.
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]A plethora of ideas had been bestowed upon Steadfast recently. He was not sure from where in the world they had come, but he figured he'd at least share one of the ones on the top of his mind.
"Hey, Athena?" He called out shyly for the leader. It was unlike him to be this way, but he was not sure how she would accept this idea. After all, it was kind of... controversial, if you could even call it that. "Erm... I've got an idea. 'M not sure how you're going to take it, but I figured I'd throw it out there anyways.
"As I'm sure you know... we have a lot of active children around our clan. Obviously, some are deserving of promotions. But is it really smart to do such a thing...? Riverguards are supposed to be the main task-and-fighting force of our clan. However, children are small. They have no knowledge of fighting. Quietriot, not to call you out, but... weren't you only six or seven months old when you were promoted to riverguard? Obviously, you've grown into a fine young apprentice since, but... my point still stands.
"I'm not saying to eliminate children from being promoted at all. Instead, why don't we give out a title, though? Or make them an honorary RiverClan member? I'm not sure, but... I don't want to see any RiverClan kits getting hurt."
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Steadfast continued to follow behind the large group going to the library. Although he was having issues with his politeness lately, he felt as though it would be rude just to pass him up. He had to admit that having that many in one group kinda slowed everything down around them, though...
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]A bright flash of pink caught his eye, and although he did not turn around immediately, curiosity got the best of Steadfast and he turned around to face Honeysuckle. He also noticed that another feline had showed themselves... and he did not know the name of said feline. Well, shit. Whatever - he'd cross that bridge when he got there. "Honeysuckle, why don't you have a bonfire?" The next part would be forced out of his mouth. "If you need a cat with fire elementals... I guess I can help."
Then he turned to the siamese apprentice. Still didn't know the name. Oh well... he could just say 'you'. "Why don't you host a Q&A?" The cream-and-white tabby started, peering to look at the cat. He was undeniably... chubby. "Let others ask questions, and you can answer them. Let them know about you."
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Oh boy. How many RiverClanners were there? Steadfast was sure he'd ran through the list of tasks he had. He'd have to start pulling ideas from his head... and more than likely, they'd be random. An observing gaze was cast over Olympia. She seemed hyper. Perhaps the riverguard would be able to eliminate some of that energy. "Sure. Hold a race throughout RiverClan territory if you'd like."
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Since there were now no tasks to give, Steadfast turned his attention back to Honeysuckle. A look of relief crossed over his face; although he did have the power to control fire, he did not like to use it whatsoever. He was somewhat traditional in that matter.
"Thank you. I expect to be in attendance." The cream-and-white tabby said after the pink feline. The color that Honeysuckle was painted kind of... threw him off balance. After all, it was not normal to see any animal of that color. Steadfast knew of the pelt color manipulation power, though, and wondered if Honeysuckle had used it on themselves.
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Still reeling from the death of his best friend, Steadfast had been hidden in his room for a few days now. He came out to do anything that Athena requested of him, or any higher-up for that matter, but other than that had been concealed within his room. Nobody came to knock on his door and ask if he was okay. It normally would have made the cream-and-white tabby happy, but it made him realize how unwanted he was. How Skippingstones was probably the only RiverClanner who actually enjoyed having his company.
He was always distant at first. It was implanted within him from the day he was born. Steadfast was not skittish by any means, but he never really liked to talk with his clanmates. Rather, never was able to. He tried his hardest to open up and be friendly like the rest of the RiverClan population, but he never could do it. Something was always holding him back.
When he received his mentor, everything changed. He was forced to open up. If he could have, Steadfast would have overpowered his shitty mentor and slit the old tom's throat. Well, maybe not literally... his mentor was awesome. Nonetheless, Steadfast was still unable to open up to him. He wanted to know why it wasn't possible for him. Why the curse was bestowed upon him and not an anti-clanner.
Everything changed when Skippingstones came along. She was bubbly and energetic, a far cry from what Steadfast was. He was not sure what it was about her, but... he was drawn to the mottled girl. In the beginning, he did not like her. A strong urge to be polite had been drilled into him from a young age, and when she called her sister Warbee - a nickname that the now-deputy did not appreciate - Steadfast called her out for it. Their next meeting had been by the river, when Skippingsotnes had interrupted a nice afternoon nap. That made him dislike her even more. However, she continued to drill into him, hungry for answers. The cream-and-white tabby gave in eventually, thinking that she would leave him alone if he told her everything there was to know about him. She didn't.
He was happy that she didn't.
The pair formed a strong bond from time spent together. They often went adventuring around the territory, searching for anything and everything interesting. One time, they even found a dead child... Skippy had named them Firstkit. Steadfast had never known why she felt compelled to name the child that. It was also when he was beginning to have feelings towards the mottled riverguard. Only a few days after, she'd come to him, telling him that she'd had a one-night stand with Sam... and that she was also pregnant. Even though he was angry at the other tom, he was happy that Skippingstones was able to come to him first and tell him that. He even offered to help raise her children, for God's sake.
"Skippy..." the cream-and-white tabby said quietly, looking up to the clouded night sky. He hoped she was enjoying herself up there among the rest of StarClan. Perhaps she had even met his parents. It was odd of Steadfast to be having any of these thoughts, though. He was not normally religious. However, he would change his views if it meant getting in contact with the deceased riverguard. "Skippingstones, I... I'm sorry I was not able to help you. I... I let you die. What kind of friend am I for letting that, of all things, happen?" He felt like bawling. Would he allow his clanmates the satisfaction of seeing such a stoney-faced guy cry, though? The answer was no.
Maybe he would try opening up to them a little bit, though. "Everyone... I... I gotta say something. And it's important. Probably half of you don't give a flying shit about me. That's fine, y'know? 'Cause everyone's got opinions. But I... think... this needs to be said." A deep breath concluded the sentence as he mentally prepared to tell his clanmates - and himself - how he truly felt about his best friend.
"Does everybody remember Skippingstones? I sure as hell hope you do. She was my best friend. A week or two ago, she... she passed away. She was tryin' to hold a meet-and-greet, but she was having trouble breathing. And... in the end, it turned out she was having a seizure. She was only five years old, and her life was taken so tragically from her... it just wasn't fair, y'know? When we first met, I didn't like her. At all. But we met in private after that, and I... we became friends. And after a while, she told me she liked me. I wasn't ready for that at all. Then we were captured by ShadowClan and tortured... and she had her kits and ran off without me. She said she'd come back. She did. But bad memories clouded my mind whenever I saw her, and I couldn't get near her at all without said memories surfacing. After she died, I think I realized somethin' important, though."
He told himself that Skippy would've liked this. She would've thought it to be cute and romantic. He wasn't going for that, but was... just letting emotions out. The cream-and-white tabby would have preferred to speak with somebody in private over it, but the only person who came to mind was Skippingstones. And, obviously, she was gone. So why not share his entire private life with RiverClan? Yeah, great job on his part.
"I loved her."
The words just spilled from his mouth. It was accidental, really. He'd been building himself up to say the three words, but they just slipped. His skin heated up under his fur as he bashfully looked towards the ground. And then self-revelation turned into strength. Since when the fuck did you care what any of your clanmates think about you? He ground his teeth together and forced his head back up to the sky, waiting.
Waiting for his best friend to return where she belonged. By his side.
// OKAY so this was supposed to be an ask-out thread for the deceased skippingstones but it kinda turned into a one-shot? feel free to reply though! don't need to match muse ;0; & crap, sorry for the rambling !!
smol edit - the important stuff is bolded~
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]He'd not been expecting a storm at all.
Futile attempts had been made to get over Skippingstones' death. Steadfast missed her immensely, but now figured that only time could heal his wounds. He'd been dragging himself through the forest, trying to have some sort of self-will to move about. He had no energy anymore. Nothing gave him a sense to live. Yet, he was still alive.
And as all living things do, he had to deal with non-circumstantial events. This included... heavy rainstorms.
It came from nowhere. All of it at once. But it certainly made the cream-and-white tabby wake up. He jumped to his feet as the rain began hitting the leaves above him. It quickly became harsh, with winds whipping around his body. Thankfully, an abandoned badger hole was found nearby, and he crawled into that to take shelter. Outside, the rain became heavier and heavier... until it was all he could hear.
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]The month of July seemed to bring a constant stream of rain. Summer had officially less than a month ago, but either way, didn't most showers occur during Spring? Steadfast thought it was called 'April Showers' - not 'July Showers' as the weather was currently proving.
He was currently denned up near the river, under a large clearing that a few tree trunks created. He now almost wished that StarClan had given him water elementals instead of fire elementals so he could stop this dastardly rain from destroying the river and its stead supply of fish. He sat contemplating this as he shivered under the trees.
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]"Everybody! Look at what I caught today!"
The cream-and-white tabby shouted the few words as he bounded into camp, a sparrow held between his jaws. He was ecstatic that he caught a bird, which was a skill he probably would benefit from working on. Grinning he would set down the bird on the freshkill pile and wait for others to approach him. This would be so fun!
// goddamn, i hate writing him in an opposite personality xD good luck!
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]"Oh, come on you guys!" Steadfast said in the nicest voice he could, eyes flickering back and forth between Cassius and Ivylee. "We're all friends in RiverClan! We're the happiest, nicest clan around! Come on, we have to go make new friends!" He screamed in joy as he walked behind Cassius, attempting to push to dog's butt forward.
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Steadfast frowned at everybody's bickering. Why couldn't they all just be friends? "Guys, come on... everybody loves RiverClan! It's okay, let's just hug it out!" The riverguard said as he attempted to lunge forward and wrap his arms around Waverly's neck, face snuggling into her fur.
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Steadfast had zoned out after he spoke his last words to Honeysuckle. He'd stay there once he had arrived, along with two other RiverClanners, and stared blankly at them. However, the cream-and-white tabby had managed to snap himself out of it within a matter of minutes. Underneath his fur, his skin began to heat up. How could he let something to silly happen to him?
"Asterpaw," he began quickly, trying to divert attention. "Why don't you host a game of capture the flag? Two-way would be easiest. Just divide people into teams when they get there, and you can be the referee, unless somebody else rather would." The riverguard was surprised that he'd been able to pull more of a complex task from out of nowhere. Capture the flag seemed like fun, too. Maybe Steadfast would play himself. "Also mention that no powers are involved."
Minnowscales was up next. He didn't want to be stereotypical and give her a medicine-related task, but there was really nothing left on the poor guy's mind. It wasn't like he could ask her to lead a border patrol; of course, he was sure she was capable of it, but if there were rogues on the border and they attacked her, wouldn't he be to blame? "I'm really sorry Minnowscales. I'm sure you'd like a break from medicine for your task, but... I really can't think of anything else. I'm out of options. So, would you like to just have an herb training session? Just the simplest herbs. In case one of our allies or clanmates gets injured in battle, and you can't heal them right away."
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Another great loss for RiverClan was the current deputy.
It was not a death. RiverClan had experienced quite a few of those this month - Skippingstones, for example, had been a shocking death to him and the rest of the clan. Haise had also been murdered as well, though Steadfast hadn't been at the scene of the crime to look at the ex-head riverguard's body. All of the death they were experiencing was extremely unfortunate. And now there was this.
"Thank you for your service, Warblerwing," the cream-and-white tabby replied solemnly as he slid over next to Tadashi. He knew that she was in her fifth year of life, but that was... very young for a cat. Only a third or fourth of their life had been completed. Yet, she still felt the need to retire and go to the elder's den. Although Steadfast did not agree with her (if she was able to move about, then why wouldn't she just step down to warrior?), but would not question her motives.
// seconding what everybody else said - good luck deer!
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]The original foreign smell made his nose hurt. The smell that Gordon brought with her - ShadowClan smell - made his fur bristle as he stalked over with unsheathed claws. His eyes were like daggers and they shot towards the assassin. Couldn't the anti-clan fuck off for once?
"Leave. Now." The cream-and-white tabby said, trying his best to refrain himself from attacking. Could ShadowClan not understand that RiverClan was trying to be at peace with them? Why would they want their own members hurt? "Before anything gets bad. Please. Just go."
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Rainkissed and Doghouse. Long ago, he had been given a life within RiverClan: what he believed to be the best thing to ever happen to him, even as a child. His parents had dubbed him 'Lostkit', a name that he would eventually disown. He never had liked it; however, once he heard some of his elder clanmates refer to their higher-ups as 'steadfast', he went with that as a name. It suited him. Near his eleventh month of apprenticeship, he'd finally changed his name to what it had been for the past two years. With all of these problems clouding his mind, he needed it changed. Not again, not to a different name - but changed back.
"My name..." He started as he sat down, staring down at the bones of a fish. "Is Steadfast. It is not my given name." The three-year-old placed his right forepaw over the skeleton and pressed down on it, crushing it. A part of the spine became lodged in his bad, but he simply brought it up and plucked it out. His golden eyes locked onto where blood began to swell out of his pad. Mm. Oh well. Let it get infected, see how many shits he gave.
It seemed as though he had been pouring his heart and soul into RiverClan these days. The cream-and-white tabby was sure they didn't appreciate his burden becoming theirs. He chewed the innards of his mouth, contemplating telling his clanmates what all of these ongoing changes. Deciding against doing so, he would simply state what he needed to: "Refer to me as Lostnight."
// i really had no idea how to write this? haha but yeah, he is going by lostnight now - i'm not sure if this will be temporary or permanent, but he's trying to deal with his problems in his own way!
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]"Two of us could go to create a distraction..."
The newly-renamed Lostnight would say as he walked over, eyes downcast. He had his own qualms with ShadowClan, but now was not the time to be thinking of those. Waverly would obviously be the main cause. And now he had even more of a reason to hate the shadow-shits. Biting down upon his lower lip, the cream-and-white tabby would continue. "Like... we could act stupid. Kinda play along with whatever they have to say... maybe even change our body or pelt color to sneak in."
// fck ninja'ed
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]The tomcat would cast a stoney expression towards Amberheart as he turned to face the female. He did not know her name either and mentally punched himself for it. Although he was not too social, he still knew the names of most of his clanmates, usually due to them introducing themselves at joinings or meet-and-greets. Why he still attended them, Lostnight did not know...
Ah, fuck. Now he'd completely gotten off task. "Sure," he drawled, beginning to chew the inside of his lip. These weekly tasks were beginning to die down; this would perhaps be the last one. "Uh... why don't you take others exploring through the territory? Maybe show them the graveyard as well."
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]Fortunately for Hazelstep, he was not a 'giant purple lion'; he took on the form of a cream-and-white tabby. Unfortunately for her, Lostnight was able to breathe fire. Again, fortunately, he never showcased the said talent.
He approached the border, fur rising slightly on his back as a foreign scent came through his nose. He had let his guard down recently when dealing with loners, though nearly all of RiverClan paid for this. Radioactiveplague, the current leader of ShadowClan, had transformed himself into a large elk creature and had come undercover to try and take a 'vacation' within RiverClan. Lostnight couldn't believe it had nearly happened. Thanks to Athena's watchful eye, they were once again able to ward of their most prevalent enemy.
He now stopped in front of what he presumed to be a joiner. After all, it was the reason many animals came to RiverClan. Keeping his distance, the three-year-old riverguard would ask, "Name and business?"
// ninja'ed
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px;][justify][size=9pt]No more had Lostnight been relaxing by the river. His days of doing this were long over. After he had shared his private location with Skippingstones, and after she had died, he felt odd going to his favorite location in RiverClan and spending any time there. On top of that, he also became weary of going anywhere too close to River Chell. It was almost as if going anywhere near it would make tears spring to his stoney golden eyes...
Now, though, he had been on a solo border patrol through the territory. He'd often been lost in his own thoughts these days. Luckily for him, he often daydreamed about doing more for his birthplace - not of his fallen best friend. He thought of clanmates like Tadashi and Radiumveins, who went and pitched great ideas to Athena. And sometimes, how he wished he could be more like them. It was not necessarily his fault that he'd grown up the way he had. Rainkissed and Doghouse had drilled him with the courtesy of being polite to others, but that was not the only thing in which they'd instilled. They sometimes criticized how he acted towards others, which eventually lead to his anti-social demeanor. He didn't want to be criticized by his clanmates.
And then, he was ripped from his thoughts.
The sound was what initially attracted the cream-and-white tabby. The sound of a struggle within the river was not one he heard often, though it had a very distinctive sound. As he neared the edge, he saw small gray-and-white paws flail about on the surface. He took no time to dive into the roaring water and rush after the child. They were innocent and nobody of that age deserved to die, even if they were located in an enemy clan. As Lostnight reached Willowkit, he nipped onto the back of her neck and pulled her out of the water, panting heavily. Water had filled his nostrils and throat, but he would be... alright. His main concern was the girl now.
"Are you alright?" He asked breathlessly towards the WindClanner. "What is your name? Where are you from? I should bring you back to your home and let your family know that you are okay."
// sorry this is a day late to what I originally said ;-; I've been traveling all day, aha
