Sunningrocks Territory A HEART FULL OF LOVE . ݁₊ ⊹ lavenderpaw

[ASTERPAW]

x

He had nearly died to the river and that bird of prey but someone had pulled him out from the depths of the cooling waters, he woke with a cough, and sputter as water spills from his jaws but what never left his memory was the slate-gray pelt that shone underneath the sun's gentle light. How it appeared silver from a quick glimpse and it made him truly believe that he had died only to join Starclan. The presence of his clanmates reassured him that hadn't been the case and even as he stayed within the medicine den so that they made sure that he didn't fall ill, he couldn't stop thinking about them or rather her, and how she seemed to haunt his mind.

The chocolate tabby couldn't stop thinking about soft curls and a sleek pelt built for swimming unlike his own, a sniffle or two leaving him, and his paws shuffled unable to stop the way that they troubled nor the way his heart seemed to flutter within his chest. Asterpaw felt as if he were ill but he allowed his mind to wander and think about the kind molly during his training or whenever he found himself to be alone with his own thoughts. The son of Juniperstar and Sablestar finds that he isn't able to sleep within the nest for much longer as he shifts through the small collection of insect wings that he had, he carefully tucks a pair of monarch butterfly wings into his chest, and carefully made his way out of the apprentice den.

His amber gaze flicking in the direction of his mother's den knowing that she must be sound asleep with Serpentberry at her side and his ears lay flat against his skull, the tabby tom doesn't hesitate to creep out from camp when he sees the opportunity. He has never been out of camp by himself and he feels as if his heart is going to explode from how loudly it beats within his chest, Asterpaw swallows trying to ignore the way that anxiety seems to gnaw at his skin until he finds himself drawing closer to the spot where he had seen her from across the river. His eyes turning to blink at Sunningrocks remembering how sunlight had cast over it and shone on her silver pelt, Asterpaw closes the distance between the water and himself despite the way it makes him want to turn back.

"L-Lavenderpaw?" Asterpaw calls out with a small frown and he can't help but wince knowing that she isn't foolish enough to sneak out of camp like him, he should just head home and he's prepared to do so until the scent of Riverclan tickles his nose.

IN FIVE YEARS TIME WE MIGHT NOT SPEAK

ASTERPAW

THUNDERCLAN APPRENTICE
TRANS MASC x HE/HIM/THEY/THEM​

x

"speech", thoughts, attacking
a runty, longhaired chocolate tabby with clay toned eyes and low white. a sickly apprentice with small patches of fevercoat left over in his pelt, kitten fuzz, and fat that clings to him but is fading away to give way to a taller/more lanky build
sickly child of juniperstar and sablestar; littermate of dreampaw and magpiepaw

asterpaw's an introverted apprentice that keeps to himself for the most part unless family's involved, he usually keeps his head low and eyes averted so he doesn't make direct eye contact. once, he actually gets to know someone is he more open towards them and can prove to be a devoted friend. once he's comfortable around other individuals, he tends to speak a lot more and sometimes over shares about himself without realizing it. he hates that he was born sickly but despite it, he tries to overcome it and pushes himself harder than any of the apprentices

 

[lavenderpaw]

She sits by the camp's slow-flowing stream in near silence, gaze tilted skywards. For once, clouds do not overwhelm the stars, and she can see so clearly how they glitter. Lavenderpaw doesn't often romanticize... well, anything - she's a molly of reality, preferring hard truths over hazy wonders. Yet when she stares to the blanket of the night, there is that glimmer of a thought... Are you seeing it, too? Do his trees obscure the sky so horribly, that they do not see the same moon, the same stars? Or does he know the right spots to look upwards, and does he wonder if she sees it all the same?

It's odd, repetitive even - how she continuously runs into the dark pelted tom. It's as if the stars stitch them together in every situation. On border patrols, in false-gatherings or half-parties. That day by the river - oh, that day by the river. Frostmoth had ushered her away so quickly, the only solace she has today that the ThunderClan boy survived is that no forest-made patrol came bearing down on her camp, demanding blood for a drowned corpse. Still, she thinks about it. She thinks about him, and how despite being waterlogged, snot-nosed, coughing and heaving - how disastrously beautiful he appeared. Cowardly, fearful, near death... yet he looked at her as if she was an angel, and that glimmer in his eyes never left her.

She haunts him like a phantom, plaguing his every move, squeezing his heart with every step. And he does the same unknowingly. He breathes from across the river, full of life, full of warmth, and Lavenderpaw feels a perpetual peace with the world because of it.

There's a tap. Her gaze falls to the water that laps at her paws, and right there, right there, is a peace of seaglass. It's unlike any other. Blues and greens and browns, she's used to - but this weathered stone is orange. Translucent, and shiny when washed with water. She'd akin it to amber. Or, even better - his eyes. Perhaps not perfect - this seaglass is undoubtedly more ochre than umber - but it's a sign. A sign. She doesn't check to see if anyone is watching. Her careful nature is dismantled the second she collects the seaglass between her teeth and leaps across the thinnest stretch of the river. If someone calls for her, chases after her, she doesn't listen. Instead, she presses forth, racing to the river, to the border, and hopeful that a sign has brought him here, too.

When he calls, she hears him. His voice isn't steady, but the tremor reroutes her heart entirely. The beats are doubled, stumbling over themselves. She stops in the brush just before the river's edge, eyes widening as she takes the moment to try and calm herself. Yet, before she can catch her breath and be the cool and collected molly she often presents as... her paws are impatient. Reeds part and the blue molly shows herself in the glimmering moonlight, looking across the river at Asterpaw in all of his glory. And - by the stars - he's alone. The undergrowth doesn't rattle behind him, and a quick taste of the air tells her that he hadn't brought anyone with him.

"Asterpaw..." she breathes out his name around the seaglass. In the darkness of the night, she can't quite see the gift he brought. However, unabashedly, she strides closer to the river's edge. "I'm... going to go over to your side," she warns him. Better that than to have him try crossing the rapids again. Her nerves jitter as she takes the dryer path, stepping on the surfaced stones across the river, painstakingly slow. She can manage the current, she's sure, but she will not risk dropping this seaglass. Eventually she draws close enough that she steps down into the water, wading out from ankle deep shallows. She waits still by the shore, unsure if she's welcome further in. This... this is already testing boundaries. The seaglass is placed gently on dry sand.

"I didn't think..." at all. She picked up her sign and ran. Her wind-swept pelt is a sign of as much. Her ears twist back and forth, as if listening constantly for eavesdroppers, "You're - well..." for once, Lavenderpaw is at a loss for words. She doesn't know what to say. There is, perhaps, too much to say at all. Finally, she breathes, "I'm glad to see you."

 

[ASTERPAW]

x

It's as if the wind had blown his gentle call to her and she stands at the other side of the river, he can feel his heart within his throat as if he had swallowed a frog, and he almost forgets to breathe altogether as he finds himself staring at her once more like he had when he opened his eyes after she saved him. He's speechless as she seems to utter his name around something held gently within her jaws and he wishes that he could meet her halfway, to stand upon the stones like her, and to be brave yet his paws are frozen against the pebble covered shore. Lavenderpaw says that she'll go over to him to which he nods quietly in response and he can hear his heart thundering within his ears, both of his ears angling forward as he watches her cross the stones, and it almost felt like a lifetime before she joins him on his side of the border.

She remains in the water with the river lapping at her limbs and he watches her set the prize once secured in her jaws be placed onto the ground, he realizes that its a piece of seaglass, and it seems to shine like amber underneath the moonlight. A treasure brought from the depths of which tried to end his life and yet, he can only feel the way that his face seems to grow warm at the thought of that piece of seaglass being for him. No, no... maybe he's overthinking it and it was a gift for someone else... someone more worthy of Lavenderpaw's time and presence. He feels as if he were some selfish, greedy weed that drinks up the warm rays of Lavenderpaw's light and it makes him wonder what she sees in him that he can't quite see.

She speaks and its like music to his ears, Asterpaw blinking his eyes rather bashfully with his ears pressing flat against his skull with a shy chuckle slipping from his jaws "I-I... I didn't really think either." He admits truthfully so that the both of them could feel a little bit silly together and her just existing as this ethereal being to him, it renders him speechless. Lavenderpaw breathes out the words that she's glad to see him, his head feels lightheaded in that moment as if he could pass out that second, and he can't help the warm smile that crosses his face as he looks at her "M-me too..."

Something about the way that Lavenderpaw looks to him causes his heart to soar and makes him feel as light as a feather, she doesn't look at him like filth like some of his denmates do, and she doesn't sneer in his direction nor sends irritated glares his way. She stares at him like there's so much more to him and a small part of him wishes to be that for her but he dares not utter that despite the countless times that they've run into one another. It makes him wish that there wasn't a river splitting their territories from each other, that borders didn't exist and there was no need for bloodshed, and everything would be perfect... If only he had been born in Riverclan rather than Thunderclan, a family split between their clans, and hated from either side.

He felt as if he were some jagged puzzle piece being shoved into the wrong place repeatedly until he fit and even then... none of it ever felt right. And here, he finds himself drinking in the moonlight and sharing the same air as Lavenderpaw that he almost forgets the wings that he had tucked into the ivory fur near his chest. "I... I buh-brought you these." Asterpaw confesses at last with a timid smile and he would've placed them on the ground too if he knew these frail wings wouldn't shatter, so, he stares at Lavenderpaw for a heartbeat longer, "Here, uh, let me..."

The chocolate tabby draws closer trying to ignore the water as he focuses onto Lavenderpaw and if she draws close enough, Asterpaw delicately removes the wings one by wing from his chest and carefully places them behind the ears of the other apprentice. He steps back not liking that the river had lapped at his own limbs and shakes them off momentarily only to stare at the molly now adorned with a pair of butterfly wings. "You're... beau-beautiful." The words slipping out and he snaps his jaws shut in embarassment that he had uttered such a thing but it isn't a lie... out of all the clans, Riverclan seemed to be the most gorgeous.

IN FIVE YEARS TIME WE MIGHT NOT SPEAK

ASTERPAW

THUNDERCLAN APPRENTICE
TRANS MASC x HE/HIM/THEY/THEM​

x

"speech", thoughts, attacking
a runty, longhaired chocolate tabby with clay toned eyes and low white. a sickly apprentice with small patches of fevercoat left over in his pelt, kitten fuzz, and fat that clings to him but is fading away to give way to a taller/more lanky build
sickly child of juniperstar and sablestar; littermate of dreampaw and magpiepaw

asterpaw's an introverted apprentice that keeps to himself for the most part unless family's involved, he usually keeps his head low and eyes averted so he doesn't make direct eye contact. once, he actually gets to know someone is he more open towards them and can prove to be a devoted friend. once he's comfortable around other individuals, he tends to speak a lot more and sometimes over shares about himself without realizing it. he hates that he was born sickly but despite it, he tries to overcome it and pushes himself harder than any of the apprentices

 

[lavenderpaw]

She cannot claim to know what goes on in his head. In truth, Lavenderpaw does not know much about the other apprentice at all. His allegiance could be a complete assumption, for all she knows - his name an entire lie. Everything about him could be a purposeful misstep from the truth and yet she willingly falls for the trap. If Juncopaw or Rosemarypaw were in her position, she would be furious - she would jab a paw in their business and point out every aching flaw. Yet when she looks at him, the only ache she can discern is the one in her heart, asking her why she hasn't drawn closer yet.

He laughs, something dry and lackluster, but not empty. Asterpaw's mannerisms tell her everything his hoarse, raspy voice cannot convey. His nerves must rattle like hers. This encounter is a surprise to the both of them, undoubtedly so - she wonders how long he waited for her. If this is the first night or one of several. The string pulled taut on her heart hadn't tugged until tonight, but in truth that doesn't bring much solace. If they're to meet again... -

Again. She plans the future as if this moment isn't ongoing. She says, "I'm glad to see you." He returns with a smile and a bashful, "Me too." Again, because what is this encounter outside of mutual yearning? This escape from their individual worlds to deviate from the norm? Perhaps it's fleeting, maybe in a few moons this will fade (she hopes it doesn't.) But for now - ( again! ) - she happily enjoys this night with her own uncertain, softened smile.

She isn't sure what to say next, but luckily, he fills the air. He pulls two wings from his chest fur and announces that he's brought her something. The stone by her paws - a sight he noticed but she hadn't caught the recognition - suddenly feels too sharp at the edges and too dull to pass off compared to the wings he procured. Lavenderpaw has half a mind to shove the seaglass back into the water and act as if it never existed, and perhaps marvel at his gift alone for the rest of the night. But - with big but gentle paws, he insists on placing the wings by her ears himself. She tilts her head down, her cheek grazing the soft fur if his chest while he worked. She can feel the rapid thrumming of his heart just as much as the labored breathing in his lungs. She remains as still as possible unwilling to ruin his art (as much as shs is unwilling to move from this partial embrace.) He tugs away first, and she notices that it is because the water kissing his ankles. She withholds a grimace or a pout, simply fixing her posture in response.

What he says causes her cheeks and ears to burn more than they've already had. She almost mutters out something more embarrassing - "If you think I'm pretty, you should see my sister!" - And, perhaps there's truth to that at a distance. While rarely the vain sort, it's this moment where Lavenderpaw recognizes her minor jealousies in Juncopaw. Her sister had been born with more visual interest - points and patterns where the moonlit girl remains slate. But Asterpaw, stranger he is and as strange as he was, thinks she's beautiful. Her heart beats ever faster as she struggles with any words at all, eventually landing on a quiet, "Thank you..." Her paws remain ground bound, as much as she wants to reach up and feel the wings. Her gaze falls to the tide by her ankles, the moonlight affording her enough of a reflection to see the wings shadows. Her tail twitches in quiet delight before she recalls her seaglass.

"It's a good thing... I brought you this, then," she says. The stone is lonely, however, and she suddenly regrets how quickly she's acted. The blue furred molly pulls her smile into a thin line of disappointment, twisting around to look by the shore line. "Wait - wait, it's missing something..." Embarrassment is now what burns her ears. This happenstance encounter with a coincidence gift, and Lavenderpaw still finds a means to be dissatisfied. She reaches for a few tall reed stems nearby and makes quick work of them, creating something of a tiny net and nestling the seaglass within it. The reeds naturally form a final, far larger loop with how she's tangled them, so he can hang it on his neck or tail, or wrap around his paw a few times... Or not at all.

Lavenderpaw presents her modified gift with a quiet, "That's better. They're easier to wear when they're woven up like this." The girl feels more natural, more in her element as she explains her processes. Even then, her tail taps the ground with her jitters. She balances on her hindlegs, quietly offering the inquiry of, "May I...?" Should he kneel over for her, the molly would loop the necklace over his head, nesting it in the thick fur of his neck. She takes a few moments adjusting the weave more more, before resting a paw against the other's chest for a moment too long. She pulls her arm back and tries to distract with a question, "So... what do you think?"