Open Camp I LOVE YOU DO, I LOVE YOU NOT / portrait

[foamkit]

Foamkit sits where the freckled border of the tree meets the sun. Although there have been crisper days, the light that bears down is still flat, too soft and uncomfortable. The star is firmly overhead and it makes the places where it breaks the leaf-cover glow. In the shade, his pale eyes stare at the ground, dirt where grass couldn't grow, a sharp kitten claw guided by a tiny wrist circling through the dust.

It is hard to focus on much, but he can do this just fine. His tail thumps behind him rhythmically, not hiccuping. The usually bubbly lift of his head is rounded, shoulders blocking whatever he was doing.

A frown deepens his face as he leans back. The artwork is crude, sloppy circles and lines. It isn't even comprehensible enough to be a child's drawing. It doesn't have to be.

His eyes press against his eyelids as he closes them, concentrating enough to make his head ache. But Foamkit is trying to go too far back. He is trying to recall something that happened and someone who was gone before his sight was not gluey and tacked shut.

 

[Russetfall]

FALLING FOR THE PROMISE OF THE

EMPTINESS MACHINE

.

Russetfall was not sure when she began making rounds to check on the nursery, just that it had become a part of her morning routine at this point. Perhaps it was after Adder's exile...yes, that must be it... She would not admit it aloud even if claws were at her throat but the younger molly found herself....concerned for his mate in the aftermath. Such an impossibly large litter, and a father who due to his own actions was unable to be there to raise them. It made her usual frown deepen.

She spies one of the kits before she has even made it to the nursery proper- drawing in the sand with a claw. The Life Guard steps closer to inspect his handiwork, casting a shadow over both kit and artwork as she leans forward. "Drawing today, Foamkit?" Russetfall squints, trying to make out just who or what the mess of lines could possibly be. "Who is that, Wave?"

She finally hazards a guess, green eyes carefully watching him for a reaction. Maybe it wasn't a cat at all. Maybe he was trying to draw a tree or just making random shapes.

22 moons

◆

Life Guard of Riverclan

◆

she/her

◆

tags

it's been decided how we lose

RUSSETFALL

— Life Guard of Riverclan
— She/Her
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— A Green-eyed Chocolate Mackerel Tabby With Low White
#8a2c55

ooc:

 

[Frostmoth]

Frostmoth, like Russetfall, has begun to make a habit of popping in and out of the nursery whenever he thinks to do so. Though he wouldn't describe it as being part of his routine or duties, he still finds himself there more frequently than he used to. It was more out of concern for the caretakers- a care for Wavesong and Willowburn, and the other queens taking up residence as they raise kits- than an interest in the kits themselves. Some of them have grown so much now that they bundle out of the nursery and race around camp.

Frostmoth is carrying a freshly caught sunfish to the nursery, already thinking of how he would apologize to Wavesong for not bringing her a scallop. And again, like Russetfall, he spots Foamkit just outside the nursery. He seems focused on something that Frostmoth cannot see, his shoulders squared and back bent over his work. Russetfall steps closer before Frostmoth can approach, further obscuring his line of sight. The deputy brushes past the pair to deliver his catch to the nursery, but when he pops back out he sees that they are still there.

His curiosity gets the better of him. He approaches silently. Frostmoth cranes his neck to catch sight of the kit's handiwork. There in the dirt, there is a scribble that he cannot make out. He furrows his brow, but does not ask what it is. He simply waits for a reply to Russetfall's question.

OH, MY GOD ★ MAKE ME IN YOUR IMAGE

• "SPEECH"
• ★ FROST — he/him, riverclan deputy, 21 moons
  — penned by carat, feel free to ping or dm for plots!
  — longhair black and white bicolor with blue eyes
  — peaceful powerplay ok! all interactions ok!
  
• penned by carat!

 

[foamkit]

Foamkit notices the shadow that falls over him before he realizes it is Russetfall herself. The glowing flecks of light breaking through the canopy become silent and purple, wriggling in anticipation. Quiet.

His ears heat as the question reaches them. He can't tell how well his portrait has translated to anyone but him, but it must be close enough to warrant questions. The boy's foot shuffles, scuffing dust over part of it, half on accident and half to break the illusion. He has the urge to cry, but he manages to stifle it before tears ever glisten.

"Ah- no!"

Foamkit exclaims too hastily. The sight of Frostmoth's wintery eyes and quirked brow over Russetfall's shoulder makes his voice raise louder than it should, tipped with panic.

His chest whirs for a few long moments, before it settles like dust in his ribs. He isn't sure why he is acting this way.

"I mean, ya! It's a drawing!"

"'S just…"

Foamkit feels smaller than ever. He knows Russetfall, just barely, by her consideration of his mother and the frequency she pokes her head into the nursery. But without Wavesong there, or any of his siblings, she is towering. His thoughtful features fall, a subconscious frown straining his jaw.

"Uhm, you're a life guard?"

he guesses, shuffling his feet.

 

[Salmonkit Salmonkit]

—————————————— All I wanted was to be seen, and to see. ✦

Salmonkit watched with a bemused expression as Foamkit tried to converse with the council. A smile tugged at his lips until it fell. He could tell his brother was unsettled, the way his gaze fluttered between his art and the pressing eyes of the adults. While the chimaera wasn't one to enjoy the attention brought to him, evidently, so Foam was even less equipped to deal with it for the moment.

With a jolt of urgency, the kitten darted out of the nursery. "Oh, Foamkit, are ya' drawing?" A purr rumbled at the back of his throat as Salmonkit bumped his head affectionately against his brother. He sat at the side of the white pelted kitten.

Looking down with a smile, having heard the distress in Foam's voice with Russetfall's comment, he made his own. "Oooo, can you draw me next?" He made no assumption who it was, but looking to his brother, the faltered expression and the faintest sight of tears, made his stomach turn a little.

His priority was his siblings, as it always would be. The kitten sat firmly at the side of his brother, but finally looked up at the warriors, realising now he also would have to talk with them. "Oh, hello Russetfall, Frostmoth." The kitten still purred, but looked up at them expectantly.

Salmonkit knew the lifeguard didn't intend to say something mean, but it'd be like calling a warrior's salmon a minnow. He wouldn't talk for Russetfall, even if he knew the answer; she deserved a chance to amend her words, something Galepaw had told him once before. But above all else, something seemed amiss with Foamkit, and he couldn't settle either until he could figure out what, or why.

————— Is it magical thinking,

or is it magical realism? —————

• 
  Salmonkit
  ✦—Riverclan kitten | 2 moons
  ✦—He/him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A tiny black x chocolate broken mackrel tabby chimaera with bright, too knowing eyes.
  #4B7CE4

 

[Russetfall]

FALLING FOR THE PROMISE OF THE

EMPTINESS MACHINE

.

Russetfall does not expect the clamor with which the kit goes to cover his own drawing, stepping back slightly in surprise at the young tom's raised voice. Perhaps she had startled him? She wasn't sure. She wasn't good at dealing with kits. Was this normal? She certainly didn't recall acting like this at his age. Then again she did not have the same childhood.

His sibling pushes past her and Russetfall steps to the side to give him more room to walk by with a nod of acknowledgement. "I'm sure Foamkit would make a good drawing of you, Salmonkit." She tries to be encouraging, briefly looking a deer caught in a monster's gaze as the life guard glances to Frostmoth, but the words come out awkward and stilted. Foreign on her tongue.

Foamkit asks a question that's a much easier thing to talk about. Even if moons ago she had been reluctant to accept it. The life guard nods, smiling faintly. "That's right, that's why I check on you and your mother and siblings every so often. To make sure you all have everything you need." There's a pause. An awkwardness in the air as she takes in the two siblings posture. "Is something wrong, Foamkit..?"

22 moons

◆

Life Guard of Riverclan

◆

she/her

◆

tags

it's been decided how we lose

RUSSETFALL

— Life Guard of Riverclan
— She/Her
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— A Green-eyed Chocolate Mackerel Tabby With Low White
#8a2c55

ooc:

 

[Shellkit Shellkit]

A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singin'
Funny when you're dead, how people start listenin'

.

Shellkit watched her brother, a certain sadness etched across her face, before finally pressing herself close. She knew he could not feel her, could not see her, could not hear her. To the kits who had barely even glimpsed her in life, she was nothing but a memory. Yet maybe… maybe they remembered her warmth, the echo of her soft mews, the gentle curl of her purring. She could remember their presence.... She remembered also the sad face of Jinglemoon as Willowleaf carried her away into the night, into the stars...

A delicate purr rolled from her as she nuzzled him, almost as if the air itself could carry it. " It's okay, Foam… " she whispered softly, knowing her voice would reach only herself. " It's okay to miss people. " Her words were warm, comforting, the kind of gentle reassurance only a lost kit could give. Then, her gaze flicked to her other brother, dashing toward them with a certain protectiveness, and a fleeting smile curled upon Shellkit's little muzzle.

Ah… how she longed to be part of their world, to tumble and play, to be touched and seen. But for now, she lingered as she always would, just close enough to watch, to care, to love, and to quietly whisper her presence to the wind.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

2 MOONS

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RIVERCLANNER

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SONG

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