RiverClan my father before me 𓆟. ° .• — Thistle

[Adderfang]

More he thought about it, the more confused he was about the way the number of kits had multiplied in his absence. Adder always kept an eye on the shipyard's kits, and he was certain he hadn't noticed a few of them before.

So, he asked around just to make sure he wasn't losing his mind. Turned out, Thistle wasn't a new addition to their group. A while after the kit first showed up, Downy saw her trying to fish—wet—shivering—not a guardian in sight. In the chaos of everything going on, he hadn't noticed the little scrap till he came back from the scouting trip.

Adder had enough going on, what with Pike's big reveal, and there was already one cat in their family with a habit of taking in every stray she saw. He wouldn't be the one to take on another burden. Still, he couldn't turn a blind eye to a kit that needed help. At the very least he figured he could give Thistle some pointers so she wouldn't starve.

That morning he waited around camp. When he caught sight of her black and white pelt, he jumped down from his rocky perch. "Thistle!" He beckoned but closed the distance on his own. "Want to come hunting with me today? I need a helper." That wasn't true, but Wave told him he needed to work on his tact. Though if his coarse way of speaking didn't scare her off, his face might.

___________________ There wasn't a wrong or a right he could choose 𓆟 He did what he had to do ________________

• "speech" - thoughts
  

• 

• Adderfang he/him & riverclan
  𓆟 Chocolate ticked tabby w/ amber eyes. Peppered with scars. Deep gash across the right side of his face exposing one canine slightly. Missing left ear.
  𓆟 Deep gravelly voice that might unsettle others.
  𓆟 Would and will kill a man.
  𓆟 Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted. For other powerplays, DM.
  𓆟 Fur smells faintly of river reeds and damp earth.
  
  
  penned by Scarlet​

 

[thistle's iconthistle]

Thistle stumbled through the camp, tail dragging on the ground and her pelt soaked from her recently failed fishing attempts down by the shore. She'd not yet realized that fish weren't the only source of food in this place and was intent on mastering the skill before it became an embarrassment. Adder's summons near put her fur in even more spikes than it was already disarrayed into, and she also nearly jumped out of her skin at his sudden appearance at the corner of her vision. "Wh-what? Yeah, yeah sure, I guess." She agreed with him out of instinct, ears flattening against her head. She looked towards the entrance of their ramshackle camp. "Where are we going?" She asked.

 

[Adderfang]

He recoiled at the kit's reaction, noting the way her pelt bristled, and her ears flattened against her skull. He was used to cats being tense around him, but maybe he'd startled her too. Likely started the thing half to death popping out like he did. Adder knew he wasn't the prettiest tom to look at either. Only molly who had ever looked at him twice was Wave, and even then, he'd be the first to say she was more than he deserved.

"Didn't mean to, uh—" He gave the kit some space, clearing his throat. "Thought we'd start with some fishing by the river, but…"

His eyes drifted over her, watching the way droplets clung to her tangled fur, making puddles at her paws. A soft scowl rested on his face, but not because he was upset she'd already been.

"You shouldn't stay wet like that. Could get sick," He said gruffly. "Always dry off first, especially when it's this cold." Course, he wasn't her father. He wouldn't overstep where he wasn't needed, but after what happened to his mother, it wasn't something he took lightly. She'd fallen ill in such a way—left damp and exposed to the cold for too long. Adder wouldn't let that happen to anyone he knew, as long as they heeded his warning.

Turning, he flicked his tail, signaling for her to follow. He lumbered toward the entrance, giving them time to talk before rushing off. "I'll let you pick today," He glanced down at her, "River or meadow?"

___________________ There wasn't a wrong or a right he could choose 𓆟 He did what he had to do ________________

• "speech" - thoughts
  

• 

• Adderfang he/him & riverclan
  𓆟 Chocolate ticked tabby w/ amber eyes. Peppered with scars. Deep gash across the right side of his face exposing one canine slightly. Missing left ear.
  𓆟 Deep gravelly voice that might unsettle others.
  𓆟 Would and will kill a man.
  𓆟 Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted. For other powerplays, DM.
  𓆟 Fur smells faintly of river reeds and damp earth.
  
  
  penned by Scarlet​

 

[thistle's iconthistle]

Thistle nodded at the apology, if a bit warily. What reason did this tom have to be nice to her? To offer her anything? She didn't quite understand it and she wouldn't understand it for a long, long time. She noted the scowl that cross the males face, flicked her ears back. Quickly righted them. She really needed to get a freaking grip. Not everyone was out to get her. Hell, most cats in the camp didn't even know she existed. Her tail flicked behind her when he advised her to dry off right after swimming, especially in the cold months of leaf-bare.

The black and white molly nodded before licking her chest, once again trying to straighten those pesky freaking spikes that made her look like a bat straight out of hell.

She wouldn't think for but a few seconds on which way she wanted to hunt, and responded: "Meadow. I'm tired of the stupid fish." She let out a small cough before following him to the camp entrance. "Is there some kinda trick to huntin'?" She'd query, eyes darting side to side, takin' everything in.

THEY WERE AN OPEN BOOK ☆ BUT SHE WAS ILLITERATE

• "speech"
  

• 

• THISTLE she/her, riverclan, seven moons.
  ☆ a lh solid black she-cat with high white and yellow eyes and unruly fur / broad shouldered and heavy weight
  ☆ mentored by ?
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / always tag @hellybear
  ☆ penned by hellybear ↛ hellycinth on discord, feel free to dm for plots / click for toyhou.se

 

[Adderfang]

She was a skittish one. Adder felt like he was treading on chicken bones, trying not to unnerve her. But it was pointless, he couldn't change how he looked or who he was. He could only hope that, in time, she'd get used to it.

"Okay. But if you ever want to learn how to fish proper, find me," He said gruffly, his heavy paws sloshing through the shallow water as he led them away from camp.

The meadow lay at the far edge of their territory, the same one they had crossed before. By now, he knew it well—could've walked there with his eyes shut if he wanted. But with a cat so small in tow, he kept his pace steady.

"Plenty of tactics to hunting. Depends on what you're after and where you are," He explained, casting a glance her way before looking ahead again. "Fish—you have to be quick. Rodents—you have to step carefully. And patient, but patience is needed for any prey." His tail swayed behind him, like a ribbon caught in a breeze. "Getting a feel for when to strike and when to wait is important too, but that will come later after you've hunted many times, and caught many different types of prey."

Adder still remembered his first hunting lesson. His father had taken him to a clearing, asked him which way the wind was blowin', and told him to listen. The woods were full of sounds, and he hadn't known where to focus first. The answer, of course, was everywhere. But the real skill he was trying to teach was learning to pick out prey sounds from all the rest.

What else was there to know about hunting? Too much to explain with words alone. "I will say, you won't learn much just by listening to me talk about it. There are a lot of things you learn as you do, and by doing it over and over." And by making mistakes. Lots of them. He learned that early, and some lessons were even painful. But that wasn't something he would tell her. Couldn't teach a kit to talk by telling them how they'd fall.

The trees thickened around them, their canopy weaving strange patterns of light against the forest floor. He hadn't explored this part of their land much yet—there was likely plenty to find here, and hunt. But the river had consumed his focus, mapping it, knowing where the currents were most dangerous.

Adder's paw steps slowed, before stopping completely. "Let's stop here for a second." Turning to Thistle, he gestures to the trees. "Listen and tell me what you hear."

___________________ There wasn't a wrong or a right he could choose 𓆟 He did what he had to do ________________

• "speech" - thoughts
  
  

• 

• Adderfang he/him & riverclan
  𓆟 Chocolate ticked tabby w/ amber eyes. Peppered with scars. Deep gash across the right side of his face exposing one canine slightly. Missing left ear.
  𓆟 Deep gravelly voice that might unsettle others.
  𓆟 Would and will kill a man.
  𓆟 Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted. For other powerplays, DM.
  𓆟 Fur smells faintly of river reeds and damp earth.
  
  
  penned by Scarlet​