{open} the sun has come again to hold you

[liza]

» mothstar

the river moved swiftly still, white frothy edges forming as the current rushed on. the stepping stones that normally created an easy crossing were submerged far below the dangerous water, and it had swelled far beyond the banks which normally kept it caged in. mothstar scowled down at it from a tree nearby, eyes narrowed bitterly. oh, sure, it was normal newleaf procedure in riverclan and she was well used to it, but it was tiring and such an inconvenience. not only did the camp have to be relocated for safety's sake, but when the current was especially rough it became dangerous to fish. with a sigh that was much too dramatic, the riverclan leader carefully made her way back to solid ground and pricked the air. a lark sang nearby, and with swift stealth, mothstar stalked and managed to pounce just before it was airbourne.

she buried the prey to retrieve it later, choosing to spend a little time on her own. "been a while since i just went for a walk," she muttered to herself, slipping through the reeds. mothstar spent plenty of time hunting and patrolling, but she rarely found the time to rest except on the rare still, quiet day. indeed, there was very little going on other than the murmuring of the river, rustling of the reeds, and various chirps and whistles of birds. mothstar's whiskers twitched contentedly, momentarily forgetting the annoyance of the swelled river. after all, she finally had a bit of peace and tranquility.

[chill ♦♪]

the beginning of newleaf had always been one of minkstep's favorite times of year. she was well aware that many of her clanmates found the season to be quite the nuisance, the rising river causing her clan to go out of their way even more than usual. the brown tabby, however, couldn't help but see the beauty in it. with the overflow came the promise of new life, the water coaxing plants from the earth, drawing prey from their winter's sleep with the lure of thirst. it had brought minkstep out here on her solitary walk, her paws following the damp track of the riverbank as the morning drew onward. she'd had little luck with hunting, but then again, she hadn't really been trying that hard. she'd mostly come out here for the scenery, to get a look at the river she'd been looking forward to seeing come back to life. it was nice to get some time to herself, and she might as well take advantage of it before she'd have to get back and help with all the tasks that came with temporarily relocating camp. smiling contentedly, minkstep slipped through a patch of reeds, following the faint rustle of life ahead of her. i may as well bring back something to show for my time out here, she thought to herself, slowing her pace as she moved forward. as she reached the edge of her patch of reeds, she instinctively began to lower into a hunter's crouch, then started suddenly. "mothstar?" in her surprise, minkstep's back paw slipped into a puddle, nearly causing her to fall on her face. she hadn't expected to find her leader out here, wandering around like her. looking at the ground, the brown she-cat shuffled her paws awkwardly, mumbling under her breath.

[liza]

» mothstar

mothstar paused to pick a nettle or something of that sort off of her paw, but instead found herself leaping and twisting and bristling at a sudden sound behind her. however, rather than finding an enemy to strike at, mothstar found herself looking down at a fallen minkstep. she promptly composed herself, though her eyes remained narrowed and her tail lashed against the reeds. "minkstep!" she said, a hint of a growl in her throat. "try not to stumble around like a kit, a moment later and i'd have clawed your ears off! well, get up off the floor, i won't strike at ya this time." she shook her head to clear her exasperation away, though the tip of her tail still twitched as if she had more to nag the warrior about.

there goes my relaxation time, i suppose. the leader turned around to continue her stroll, jerking her head to the side as if she were asking minkstep to follow. she walkes in silence for a bit, almost acting as if minkstep had never tumbled to her feet at all. However, she broke the silence abruptly, saying, "i s'pose we're gunna be staying in our temporary camp a while, eh? i'd wanted to be out before the next gathering but that doesn't seem too likely." she laughed dryly, angling her head slightly back to glimpse at minkstep. she wasn't one for meaningless conversation for the sake of blabbing it up, but she figured it never hurt. after all, if she was going to share her stroll with a clanmate, she may as well spark some actual interaction in there.