Open Territory RC I saw you standing in the middle of the thunder and lightning || Joining?

[Drizzlepaw]

POSEIDON
I KNOW YOU'RE FEELING LIKE
YOU JUST CAN'T WIN, BUT YOU'RE TRYING

.

Sonja had started packing. Poseidon knew this day would come eventually and already a few twolegs have left the campsite. Already a few kittypets have left alongside them too.

Poseidon knew this day would come, yet he wasn't not sure he wanted it to. He had made friends here, he had discovered a life he didn't even know was possible until now - a life full of adventures and thrill and.. and freedom. What awaited him back home? Sonja leaving again, forgetting about him? Empty, lonely days stuck inside their house with nothing to do but laze around or chase shadows? Poseidon wasn't sure he could return to that kind of life anymore. Not after meeting Thunderpaw, not after she showed him what it was like to be truly alive.

Would Sonja even notice he was gone? Would she even care? She had brought him with her on this trip, yet she had not paid him much attention, besides giving him food when the sun has already set. Perhaps, he thought, he deserved better than this. Perhaps he deserved to be surrounded by ones who cared for him, who appreciated him - even if he was too round to keep up with them as they walked. Perhaps, in time, he would learn to be like them.

And if they were to turn him away, despite what Thunderpaw had told him, he would walk away. He would come back. Sonja wasn't leaving just yet, not tonight at least. Or perhaps he would become a loner, though he wasn't sure just how capable he could be on his own - his paws were too soft, his frame too round, his pelt too fluffy.

Poseidon shook his head. He didn't need to figure out how to be a loner just yet - he hasn't been rejected by the clans yet. Should he say goodbye? He pondered for a moment, then decided; he couldn't. If he stopped now, if he stayed a while longer, it would be that much harder to leave, yet he knew he was making the right decision. Okay, maybe not knew, but he believed so at least. Hoped. On steady paws, or at least as steady as they could be right now, he walked out of the campground, not looking back. He knew the location of RiverClan's camp, but he didn't want to just march right in, not without an invitation... and so he just wandered in the general direction of the camp, hoping to meet a friendly enough patrol.

The breeze ruffled his coat and with it brought the scents of the cats - wet fur and flowers and fish meat. And that unmistakable smell of dandelions and thyme - "Thunderpaw?" Poseidon raised his tail high in greeting. "I.. I want to take you up on that offer..."


OOC: @Thunderpaw but no need to wait

 

[Thunderstorm Thunderstorm]

———————————————— A drag path, etched in the surface. ✦

She had found herself more willing to join patrols in the last few nights, but Thunderpaw still found herself distracted. But so it turned out, befriending someone new who didn't see her only as her grief made everything just that little bit more bearable.

Raising her nose to track a nearby bird, her fluffy tail bristling as she tried to find where it was flying, something else caught her attention. Kittypet scent in the air, her expression sinking a little at the dawning realisation. She had noticed the two-legged families beginning to pack up.

Not all had left, but some of the kittypets were gone, and she never had the chance to say goodbye. In some quiet fear, she didn't know if she wanted to. Too many times had she lost cats without getting to say what she needed to, but what was there to say? She didn't want to let any of them go.

Bitterness clung to her tongue as that telltale torbie pelt came into view, Thunderpaw's stomach turning at the sight of him. Was this goodbye? Was his twoleg taking him back to wherever their nest is, leaving Poseidon in a home he felt unloved in? Oh, Starclan, it made her nauseous.

But, she faultered as their gazes met, Poseidon's tail raising a smile crossed purr's maw, the words he spoke making the cinnamon molly take pause. "Wait? Wait really." She spoke in an air of disbelief, like the rug would be pulled under her paws, but the smile that reached his eyes made her chest swell in joy. "You really want to stay? With us??" Thunderpaw paid little mind to the patrol, padding towards her friend as her tail swayed behind her, eyes sparkling as a smile stretched across her own maw.

—————— As evidence

I left there on purpose. ——————

• 
  Thunderpaw
  ✦—Riverclan apprentice | 12 moons
  ✦—She/Her
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A stocky cinnamon sealpoint molly with long curled ears and cold blue eyes.
  #C08969

 

[Drizzlepaw]

POSEIDON

.

As Thunderpaw's dappled face came into view, Poseidon breathed a sigh of relief, his paws already feeling a little lighter.

You really want to stay? With us?

Poseidon wasn't sure if she was happy or shocked or both at the news, but purr hoped she felt just as excited as he would soon. "If you'll have me..." the young tom smiled sheepishly at the apprentice, not paying attention to her companions. No one could outshine a storm anyway. "I would... I would like to learn to be wild and free like you. To hunt and patrol and... and care for one another. To love." At that last part, purr averted purrs gaze, though only for a moment.

He meant what he was saying after all - to be given a chance to live with the wildcats, to be one of them, it felt like a dream. He knew, of course, it would not be easy nor perfect, but he was ready. Ready to shed his old life behind and emerge as a new cat alongside the wildcats. He hoped they would say yes and welcome him. He would train diligently, he would focus and listen to all the lesson he needed to. If only they were to give him a chance now.

 

[PIKESTAR PIKESTAR]

"First your brother, and now you too, Thunderpaw."

The silver leader emerges from a nearby minniebush. It would almost seem as if the pair were in trouble with how stern his words came out, but the mischievous smirk on his face was enough for them to know they weren't in any real trouble. He knows Poseidon. After all, he and Aurora had brought three kittens to the clan. In all their time being in RiverClan territory (not by choice necessarily), the campground kittypet's never extended violence towards their way. In fact, he's heard many of his clanmates having positive experiences with them. Sometimes, some of his clanmates would return with things from the campground. He was simply happy that there wasn't any trouble. At least, with the campground kittypets. And from what he could see, some of them had already left. In truth, he felt a little saddened by their disappearance.

Can't let myself get distracted. Let's focus, Pike. With a little stretch of his limbs and a yawn, he looked at Poseidon. Then to Thunderpaw. It amused him greatly to witness the torbie be so sheepish. He couldn't help but smirk.

"You know.... You're asking the wrong cat to join RiverClan. Honestly, everybody keeps bringing cats to me without telling me first, it's a little mean. Getting someone else's hopes up, 'cause I could always say no." It's true. While Pikestar hasn't turned anyone away yet, he has the option to. The reason why he hasn't is because it would either be too troublesome to let the cats run free (Dark and Umber) or because it didn't sit right with him to let expecting cats or kits to fend for themselves during Leafbare.

It's then that he properly inspects the young cat. They would be either a young warrior or an older apprentice. With possible age in mind, he must note that the clan doesn't need Poseidon to join them. They already have so many mouths to feed. The young cat had a home already. One that possibly provided more security for him. However, he wanted to throw it all away. As for why?

He turns his attention to Thunderpaw with narrowed eyes. She influenced Poseidon. There was no doubt about it, considering how friendly the pair were. He can't help but sigh. "You've put me in a tough position Thunderpaw. Our clan already has too many mouths to feed this Leafbare. Just wanting isn't enough. It would be better for him to stay with his twolegs."

The silence that surrounds them is suffocating. However, Pikestar returns his attention to Poseidon. They look crushed suffice to say. The horrid feeling that Thunderpaw is bore the same expression tugged at his heart. You didn't make her a warrior the same moon as her brother. You already hurt her. Do you really want to hurt her more? He shakes his head. Even if the decision may cost the clan in some ways, his decision is clear.

He closes the distance between him and Poseidon, putting a silver paw on the young torbie's shoulders. He offers a warm smile, "You've won me over. Welcome to RiverClan. Things are gonna get difficult from here on out, butttttt, you'll have Thunderpaw to help you and ton of other cats too. They'll show you what you need to know." For extra reassurance that they were allowed to stay, Pikestar pats their shoulder a couple of times. Hopefully Froststorm would not have his head for welcoming another cat to the clan. At the very least, Poseidon could immediately take part in training or patrols with some guidance of other more experienced members.