Open Territory it's gonna change + FIRST FISHING EXPEDITION

[STORMSWIRL]

There was a distinct lack of rushing waves here in this new land. Instead of splashing on a rocky and sandy shore, there was a gentle bubbling of water over rocks. Instead of the briny scent that permeated the air at the docks, Storm smelled only wet moss and mud. It was all very exciting, yes, but she felt homesick. In order to quell that nagging heartache, she had pulled her brother from their new camp and any others who would want to follow. She meandered the shore of the river and gazed into the clear, cool water. She had seen small fish swimming against its current and even some little crustaceans poked their claws from under small rocks waiting for something to happen by.

"Well, I think this is as good as any place to start looking for fish! Can't be much different that the sea, right?" She mused to no one in particular. The hefty she-cat waded into the riverbed, water pulling at her belly fur and threatening to pull her downstream. Luckily her muscles were used to the constant push and pull of the ocean, so this felt similar to just a kit trying to get her attention. She gazed down into the clear blue waters that raced between her legs and felt transfixed on the pebbles that shifted beneath her paws. Small aquatic plants billowed in the current and made the pebbles slightly slippery. Storm waded against the current, but stopped suddenly as a larger fish-shaped object moved downstream toward her. "Oh!" She exclaimed, readying herself for the fish's arrival.

It was too fast, it raced by and skirted around her waiting paws. With a cry, Storm felt her paws slip from under her on the slick rocks and her head went under the current. Instinctively, she closed her eyes against the expected stinging salt water, but when none of the usual stinging happened, Storm opened her eyes to see the clear and rushing world below the water. It was beautiful. Sunlight trickled under the water and lit up the beautifully gray pebbles to show off the spectrum of colors they actually possessed. Storm - without much thought - opened her mouth to gasp, shocked herself at the water entering her lungs and shot from the water, spluttering. "I didn't get it," she admitted through coughs. Embarrassment made her pelt hot, pushing away the cold wet from the river water.

The tabby she-cat slunk ashore, shook water droplets out of her pelt, and sat down to begin grooming out her long fur. It was going to take a while, so she was surely not going to be taking any food back to their new camp.

keep on moving till i die ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

• ooc: mentioning @Frost but anyone is welcome to have tagged along! <3 Feel free to roll a d20 in your channel on discord (or wherever you like to roll) to see if your character caught something!
  evens: you caught something!
  odds: :/ nothing so sorry
  
  storm rolled a 3 :(
  

• 

  ☁︎ STORM
  ☁︎ SHIPYARD CAT (future riverclanner)
  ☁︎ 16 moons, ages every 15th of the month
  ☁︎ open to peaceful interactions
  ☁︎ "SPEECH"
  ☁︎ penned by muddly

• toyhouse
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[Fishgaze]

Fishgaze followed the cats. He was never one to fish himself, but, in truth, he wanted to show himself useful to the cats somehow. He followed them in silence, unsure of how to talk to the other cats, and, well, he sure was a bit awkward himself.

He dipped his toes in the water, quickly taking his paw out of the water: too cold for his liking. He blushed, looking around, hoping no one had seen him do it. He sighed, he couldn't show weakness. Not that anyone was expecting this of him, he just wanted to look, well, cool to other cats.

Fishgaze entered the water, trying not to shiver. Damn cold water... He tried to concentrate on the fishes. There were some, and catching one didn't seem that difficult. He focused on a small fish, swimming in his direction. He leaped to try to catch it.

However, he slipped on the pebbles, going underwater and entirely missing the fish, who kept swimming unbothered. Fishgaze went down, a small scream leaving his mouth: "Aaaah!". Water entered his mouth and he swam up and coughed water.

He quickly left the river, almost slipping again in his way out. Dripping water, he shivered out of the river.

"Way to go, Fishgaze," he muttered to himself, shaking his head and shivering again.

 

[Hydrangeabloom]

———————————— I can remember the feeling of being small. ✦

Hydrangea breathed the unfamiliar air; all he could remember was that bitter but familiar taste of the ocean that clung to each breath. He missed it, something he couldn't bear to admit, but that pang of longing already weighed heavy on his chest. Instead, he followed some other cats to the river to fish and take his mind off it. It's not like he was the best at fishing compared to the other cats from the shipyard, but he tried his damnest, especially when he had to help feed Hyacinth... His motivator, as always, was bringing something good back for his little sister, and he hoped even more to grab something extra big and juicy, so he and Wisteria could have full bellies, too.

However, any sense of confidence wained as the river water rushed past. He was used to the lapping of the waves, a gentle back and forth unless the weather was bitter and cruel. But this? He gulped hard, he wasn't exactly a big cat like Storm, she could weather the water with ease and he flinched watching Fish slip into the water but breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to escape. Hydrangea purred, trying to figure out how to go about it, the river acted nothing like the sea and he wasn't exactly big enough to dive head first into the water to scoop anything up. He perched at the water's edge, trying not to slip on rocks slick with water and moss, eyeing up the fish that seemed far more frantic now. He bit his tongue, both the other cats had disturbed the fish and he wasn't confident at all to be able to catch something, but he wanted to try.

Taking a breath and steadying himself, he eyed up a decently sized silvery fish, it wouldn't be enough for the three of them but at least Hyacinth would be fed if he caught it. Narrowing his eyes he darted a paw forward into the water and for a second he felt the thing writhe against his claws, for just a second he was able to get it to the surface before it slipped from his claws and darted away. Hydrangea couldn't help but let out a frustrated growl. "Fish guts." He spat, annoyed. Stepping away to clean his paws and nurse his ego, he grumbled out loud to the other cats. "Pesky fish are nothing like the ones back at the Shipyard..." Guilt gnawed at the smaller cat's chest. He needed to figure out these river fish, and fast; he refused to let Hyacinth go hungry.

————— Where does it go?

So fast and so slow? —————

• ooc - first hydrangea post and he misses the fish smh (rolled a 7)
• 
  Hydrangea
  ✦—Riverclan Warrior | 14 Moons
  ✦—He/Him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A white and blue-grey tabby with light blue eyes.
  #5f858e

 

[PIGEONPEARL]

During her time in the shipyard, Pigeon was a natural fisher, natural swimmer, and it made adjusting to newly made Clan life that much easier. When Storm started gathering cats to go out, she was more than happy to volunteer and get out of the camp. This is something new and exciting, something shes good at, something she can provide help with. As Storm leads them out, its hard not to be hyperaware of everything around her, of the bubbling river, of the birdsong, of the few bugs that still roamed around during leafbare. Once they finally arrive, Pigeon breaks off further downstream incase any of them miss- she could catch them before they escape.

A shadow near the shallows, and shes quick to be on it. A paw darts out only to... miss?!

Her frustration at this is palpable, bubbling rage in her chest as she springs towards it, curly fur immediately soaked and heavy as she thrashes with it in the deeper part of the shallows before it escapes straight through her claws. Cold, miserable and wet, she rises from her belly to her paws and shakes much like a dog, struggling to keep her breathing even with the rising annoyance. "Not used to cats!" Pigeon spits in frustration towards the fleeing fish, sharing Hydrangea's own anger for a few seconds before she draws back; the anger dissipates on her face like it was never there, melting in to something even. She returns to the riverbank, lapping at her chest fur to dry it quicker. "Too flighty." and it seems like no one on the patrol has had any luck, considering she doesn't see a single fish in anyones paws. That, in itself, is a little comforting, soothing the sting of her own failure.

[ rolled a 5 lol bozo cant fish !! ]

 

[Bayhowl]

Storm's invitation might have been for her brother primarily, but Bay had decided to join the quickly-gathering crowd on their little outing. He will always take the chance to dip himself in water; plus, anything is better than staying at camp to build nests and weave grass stalks. It's boring. He is much better suited for more natural things. No shelter can be made on an empty stomach after all. He will do a much better job by taking care of those basic needs.

The quick stream cares little for Bay's presence in it. Anyone smaller and less experienced may have trouble keeping balanced — even for him, it had taken a bit to get used to during the scouting travels. Those swift currents surprise him no longer.

His companions all make quite a show of failure; at this rate, they will all go back empty-pawed. Bay looks at them with thinly-veiled disapproval, but when his own turn comes to make up for those losses, he fumbles it. Hard. Submerging himself for a few seconds should wash off the embarrassment...

"They'll get used to us."

It's meant as a sharp retort, not towards Pigeon, but rather the fish that deem their hunters too easy to evade. Though... if prey's able to escape now despite not being used to such a startling amount of felines, what does that spell for the future?

"And we'll think of something to catch them off-guard."

Surely there are strategies that none of them had bothered to think about. As if on cue, his belly rumbles a protest, and Bay's paw wrapping around his soft underside isn't enough to silence it. Better do it fast, too.

Rolled a 7. </3

 

[Coyoteclaw]

———————————— 'Cause everything moves, everything pulses. ✦

Coyote watched the other cats try as they might and fumble aimlessly to catch the fish. What were they, kittens? How did they keep themselves fed at the Shipyard with such pitiful fishing skills? She scoffed audibly at Fish falling in the water, rolling her eyes as she padded up to the water herself. She had to give the other cats this, the water ran faster than the ocean. No methodical stalking of fish beneath the waves, these things could take cover under rapid water.

Her first attempt was blasé, she wasn't going to put full might into her first attempt in new waters, if anything swiping from the edge of the river first was smart. It avoided being caught unawares by the water and swept up like other bumbling cats. As she expected, the silvery little thing slipped easily from her grasp, even with her sharpened claws she kept well maintained. Pawing at the fish like this would be no help, they didn't have that dexterity for it unless they dug clean into the flesh or caught under the gill flaps, instead she had another idea.

Standing up from where they were, she walked a short length up the river; she'd noticed a shallower section of the river, not exactly a paddling pool but not entirely dangerous for her to enter. One paw after another, maybe unwisely, Coyote padded into the water. It rushed against her, cool but soothing. Leafbare didn't have its teeth sunk into everything like before, and while the water wasn't pleasant or warm, it was better than it would have been a moon ago. She feigned confidence with shoulders held wide and feet planted into the bed. While the fish scattered for the moment, the key was to wait. Rushing and panicking weren't going to get them anywhere. The water began to numb her limbs, but to prove a point, she remained, feeling eyes on her like a lunatic. Was she so foolish if she were to prove her own point? With a flash of fangs and plunging her head in the water, she pulled up a decently sized thing, flopping aimlessly in her mouth, desperate to dislodge itself from the fate already befell it.

Coyote laughed behind the flailing thing, padding out of the river, masking the shivering from the cold that threatened to claw at her bones. Maybe it wouldn't be the best long-term solution to fishing, but with so many cats relying on them all to find food, it would be a small sacrifice. Dropping the thing on the ground and placing a heavy paw on it so it couldn't wriggle away, she shook her head off the residue water before grinning at the patrol. "Ain't much but 'least we won't be coming back empty-pawed!"

— So many angles, so many lines,

So many ways to see the sunrise. —

• ooc - coyoteclaw is a very determined cat so i rolled a couple times and got a 15 and 6, so fail and success!! these guys are so bad at river fishing /lh
• 
  Coyoteclaw
  ✦—Riverclan Warrior | 17 Moons
  ✦—She/Her
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A chocolate/cinnamon chimera with low white, and amber eyes.
  #8E4C1A

 

[willowburn]

(⏾) settling her slender form next to storm's tabby frame, willowburn shifts her weight on her paws, carefully wading through the pebbled shallows. the water riffles against her soft black fur, carrying its length along with the currant, pulling gently at smoky stripes and patches. the feline is used to this late leaf-bare chill - she welcomes it as her paws sparkle with frost. a yelp from her companion causes the femme to glance up, only for storm to vanish beneath the rippling water. the girl is a steady and reliable fisher, and willowburn trusts she'll find her way out of the water, but still worry pulls at her gut. she refuses to lose a close companion this soon into their new lives.

the younger cat explodes from the water with coughs, water raining down her tabby pelt in rivulets. "too bad," willow comments, sympathetic as her friend retreats to shore. fishgaze attempts, as do hydrangea, bay, and pigeon. yikes, the smoke thinks to herself, brow furrowing as each of her clanmates come up empty pawed. we might be in more trouble than i thought.

as they fix their green gaze back on the crystalline waters, a cry of triumph comes from coyote. willowburn raises their tail in celebration, though does not take their eyes from the stream. a shadow dances beneath their paws and they dive, claws silver in the water. flashing forward, powerful kicks thrust the feline towards their target: a good sized trout, swimming lazily past. they snag it with a claw, causing crimson to leak into the water, a tiny cloud of blood filtering out into the wider river. pulling the fish to them, willowburn exits the river, the trout flopping in their maw until they bite hard, breaking its neck.

"make that double," she flicks her tail towards coyote. "good find! care to try again, everyone? perhaps we should move upstream. we might've scared most of the prey off by now." whiskers twitch, showing the feline is not upset by this. "i bet each of you'll be catching fish after fish before the day is over."

WITH THE ECHOING HYMN ⏾ OF MY FELLOW PASSERINE

• // babygirl rolled an 8 lets gooo " #87874b"
• 
• WILLOWBURN
  ⏾ SHE / THEY. RIVERCLAN WARRIOR. 30 MOONS. PENNED BY LAVS.
  
  
  a lithe black smoke feline with ghost striping and leaf green eyes. long smoky fur dashed through with grey and white adorns her frame, sliced across by darker stripes that frame her face and legs. eyes like sage, brilliantly green, gaze with an intelligent look. she is scarred across the bridge of her angular nose.

​

 

[Wavesong]

Wavesong watched the others in silence, her ear flicking once. They would need time to adjust to this new fishing ground. She wasn't sure how well she would fare herself, this was unfamiliar territory for her too. But she refused to let the fear of failure hold her back. If she didn't succeed the first time, she would try again… and again… and again. However many times it took to feed her children. To feed her Clan. Stormswirl, Fishgaze, Hydrangeabloom, Pigeonpearl, and Bayhowl had all come up empty. But Coyoteclaw and Willowburn had managed to catch something. It was possible.

Taking a deep breath, she flashed the group a lopsided grin. " Aye, these pesky fish think they know the lot o' us, huh? Think they can just swim outta our reach? They're in fer a surprise. " She winked before settling herself at the river's edge, her light blue eyes narrowing as she studied the water. Waiting… waiting… waiting… THERE! With a fluid motion, she leaped in, her body gliding through the water. Her teeth found their mark almost instantly, and relief flooded her as she surfaced with her catch. Kicking toward the shore, she let out a satisfied hum before dropping the fish onto the ground.

" We jus' gotta keep at it! If one way don' work, ye try another. An' sometimes, y'know, ye just get unlucky an' catch nothin'. No shame in that, long as ye keep tryin'. " She gave the others an encouraging look before nodding solemnly at Willowburn's suggestion to search for more fish upstream.

" I think ye all did amazin'. Don't be too downtrodden 'bout not gettin' a first catch, aye? "

___________________ We sail the seas of life and believe, ☆ The tides will lead us home ___________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• WAVE she/her, RiverClanner, thirty-three moons.
  ☆ a black and white lh cat with light blue eyes
  ☆ mentored by who / mentoring no one
  ☆ whichever relations / want listed
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by lion ↛ lionheartedphoenix on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

ooc: girl rolled an 18

 

[SHARKPAW]

I WONT LET THIS BREAK US

​

---

OOC– Rolled a 4 for successful catch, and an additional 1d10 to determine performance (he rolled a 10, show off).

---

Sharkpaw, for all his confidence, still felt the sting of loss that had come with leaving the Shipyard. While the young tom hadn't lived there as long as many of the other had– some even being born along the rocky shoreline– it had been the only thing Shark had after losing his parents the way he had. Choosing to leave that behind had, in a way, felt like stepping out into the world alone again.

But i'm not alone.

Aqua eyes glanced around him at the cats, the same ones who'd made the great journey with him. It would have been easy for the attitude stricken kit to be left behind, loud but antisocial, and orphan with nobody keeping proper tabs on him. He could have fallen through the cracks without a whisper of his name being passed from the lips of any of them.

But Rose, Torrent, Willow and more had all come around to insist he go along– to make sure he wasn't left behind.

But Sharkpaw wasn't yet mature enough to admit that he was wrong, or that he'd wanted to go with them all. Instead, he buried his fickleness beneath excuses to save his pride from being wounded, tell himself he'd left the shipyard not because he needed them, but because they needed [/i]him[/i].

It made it easier to put on that confident smirk and larger-than-life personality, to carry on like he was completely unbothered and in his element no matter where he was.

He couldn't let himself look stupid in front of anyone. Had to be the best.

As they came to the waters edge, so very different from the waters he'd only just started learning to hunt, Shark took a moment to observe his clanmates as they went about trying to fish a meal out. While the apprentice had a habit of acting quickly and decisively, he wasn't nearly as reckless as others pegged him for. Sure, he took big risks to get big rewards, but he didn't take them recklessly. He was smarter than that– paid attention and learned fast.

Which was exactly what he was doing now.

Most of his clanmates came up empty pawed, but a few of them– they were making their kills. Coyote waded into the shallows while Willow dove in headfirst, and Sharkpaw felt a wave of ambition overcome him, that same desire to prove himself that he'd felt during the journey.

He made his way out onto a rock a few tailengths from the shore, balancing on it in a crouch and staring down into the clear, watery depths below. It'd been a long time since he'd felt so eager to do well, a familiar pressure he'd never once bent to. In fact, he almost liked it– eyes on him, the praise of a job well done, solid proof that he was good.

His paw shot out into the water, smoothly hooking a splake and yanking it up toward his waiting jaws. They clamped down on the struggling fish, securing it properly, and then he was turning back toward the shoreline with a triumphant puff to his chest.
​

---

shipyard cat - male - 6 months blue ticked tomcat with high white and aqua eyes​

​

 

[Frostmoth]

Hunting has been slim pickings for many months. Since he and Storm had been ousted from their places as shipcats, the pair have had sorry luck in bringing up anything. The same can be said for any of the cats who once found themselves in the shipyard, too. They'd begun to have to stick themselves into hunting 'parties' with lookouts and buffers just in case someone got drawn out to sea or overpowered by the crashing waves. And to make matters worse, there weren't even good catches to be had on the beach either. The crabs were too small and the minnows were spoiled by the time any of them got to them. Here, at least, they have a more bountiful source to hunt from. And he is sure that there will be more that they find the more they are able to scout the full scope of RiverClan's new territory.

Alhough the gentle, bubbling brook of the river is more promising (Frost's stomach growls at the thought alone), fish are still difficult prey. As is punctuated by the hit-or-miss type of hunting going on between his clanmates right now. Frost moves slowly along the shoreline, and he swears he isn't laughing when Storm not only fumbles a catch- one that had been so close to the surface no less- but also inhales a mouthful of water. He stifles the sound with a paw pressed to his muzzle and quickly redirects his attention. Storm will kill him in front of all of their new clanmates without a second thought if she catches him laughing at her. He is sure of it. "You'll get it next time," he assures her as she hacks up riverwater "These fish are a bit quicker than what we're used to."

Frost turns back to the water. There, beneath the surface, he can see little shadows of various sizes darting about. They have likely been brought out by the newcoming warmth of an impending newleaf season. He tries not to get too ahead of himself. Several of the others around them try their paw at fishing as well, to no avail for many of them. Frost watches the shadows for a long moment before deciding on one. He decides not to get too ambitious, and leans forward over the river in a way that does not cast his shadow onto the water. He postures himself, tenses, and then darts forward with force. Frost's head and neck are only submerged for a short moment before he draws back with a fish wriggling between his jaws. It's a decent size- enough to feed himself and his sister at least- and once he's dispatched it he places it on the shore.

"Not too bad," he assures his clanmates who weren't as successful on their first try "They're plentiful right now. We should keep trying so we can keep everyone fed before newleaf arrives."

OH, MY GOD ★ MAKE ME IN YOUR IMAGE

• rolled a 10 :3c "SPEECH"
• ★ FROST — he/him, riverclan deputy, 17 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!

 

[Hydrangeabloom]

———————————— I can remember the feeling of being small. ✦

Hydra watched the other cats, some goading about their catches, others speaking kindly to those who missed. His heart ached a little. He was never an adept fisher or hunter; try as he might, he struggled to catch prey. His form and build were smaller than his same-aged peers, prioritising feeding his kin over himself. The idea of going home empty-pawed was something that tore his heart apart. Hydra couldn't bear to feel useless.

So, instead of moping, he walked again to the water's edge. Staring down to the cool rushing water. It really was nothing like the ocean, the water on his paws was fresh, no salt clung to fur or bittering his tongue. He couldn't act as if everything was the same. Nothing was the same, not anymore. So maybe he should start acting like it. Clear his mind and give himself that chance. Blue eyes reflected in that water, trying to focus on the fish swimming past. Patience was needed; the fish were frantic with so many paws plunging into the water.

He wanted to wait and observe the fish longer, but from the corner of his eye, something bigger began to bolt down the river, dark with some trailing lengths from its face. Nothing he'd ever seen before. Hydrangea swallowed hard and took a shot in the dark, lunging forward, face and shoulders plunging into the water, cold water sending a shiver through his whole being. The creature was heavier than he thought, smaller than him, but fought like hell. With paws dipped slightly into the water, Hydra managed to drag himself backwards and with a grunt, dragged the fish from the water.

It floundered aimlessly, Hydra was just as quick to plunge claws into the things throat, blood tingeing his light grey paws a crimson. Water dripped from his pelt, and a wheezing breath turned into a laugh of surprise. The young tom looked to the rest of the cats with a surprised grin, even if he looked like a drowned mouse with fur clinging to his form. Hydrangea shook his head, droplets of water flinging every way, as he couldn't seem to let the smile slip from his face. He never was a great fisher, but maybe luck was on his side for once.

Latching teeth around the tail of the thing, he picked it up and away from the river with the rest of the patrol's catches. He sat there in awe but also still wheezing a little from the sudden rush of cold water; he could take a minute before returning to fishing with his clanmates,

————— Where does it go?

So fast and so slow? —————

• ooc - HE UNFUMBLED AND ROLLED A NAT 20 !!! catfish time :3 (not an insanely sized one, hydras still scrawny but it was big enough to take him out DFGHJK)
• 
  Hydrangea
  ✦—Riverclan Warrior | 14 Moons
  ✦—He/Him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A white and blue-grey tabby with light blue eyes.
  #5f858e