-- keep your feet on the ground { dawn }

[→ ottersplash]

ottersplash

It had been a long day. The she-cat that slunk through the undergrowth was weighed down with exhaustion. She had already done two patrols, helped the apprentices with their duty, (part of the unfortunate job of a younger warrior), and delivered fresh kill to all of the cats who needed it. Her paws felt as if they were simultaneously on fire and made of stone. Her pelt felt ragged and hot, despite the odd short-hair for her breed, and she was about two degrees away from panting. The sun was beginning to leave it's position in the sky, but it wasn't quite sun-down yet. The silver tabby slid through the trees, until she passed into the thin layer that separated the barren of the border and VertigoClan territory. The prey was oddly silent for the time of night, but Ottersplash figured there was a dusk patrol bound to be heading out shortly. Stopping for just a moment to catch her breath, the she-cat padded into the open of the border, careful not to cross it.


Parting her maw to scent for nearby clanmates or enemies, when the coast was clear, she sighed and flopped down, thankful to be out of the hot, humid forest. On most days, the forest offered cool, comfortable shade and relief, but today, the heat seemed trapped beneath the leaves. Luckily, the temperature would be dropping when the sun went down, and it wasn't far off. Ottersplash mused briefly over the fact that she should return to camp for some much needed rest, but something about trekking all the way back when she had just arrived seemed pointless. Sprawling out on her side, the she-cat clumsily pricked her ears to stay alert for signs of a TempestClan cat. She was clearly on her side of the border, but TempestClan cats had always been a bit... fussy.

[icetalon ★]

icetalon stalked through the forest, albeit less aggressively than usual, due to his aching muscles and drooping tail. the heat had really done him in, and the long, boiling day had left him cross and unwilling to return to camp. he didn't want to wind up snapping at his sister, silvertide, or one of the senior warriors. besides, the fen was cooler, and he didn't find the mud slinging to his paws and forelegs uncomfortable. it actually felt really nice, and he was half-wondering if he should just cake himself in the cool stuff. it would be hell to get off later, but he figured if he soaked in one of the pools near the camp, it'd crack and flake off. 

padding along, he started to slow down as how tired he was really hit him. he hadn't sought out the border because he wanted a fight; he hadn't even meant to come to the border, and when the familiar clearing of land came into sight he stopped short and blinked in surprise. i've been out here longer than i'd estimated... taken aback as he was he simply looked across the clearing for a while, before swinging around tiredly to make his way deeper into the fen. something brighter than the grass on the other side of the border stopped him though and icetalon paused, trying to figure out just what it was. 

a growl rumbled in the white and brown warrior's throat as he made his way over to the border and the thing which he saw was another cat. "who's there? you'd better not..." he trailed off as he caught sight of the grey, brown, and silver cat. his icy blue eyes narrowed. "oh, you're cute." once he got to the border's edge he stopped and sat down tiredly, getting a good look at the unusual she-cat now and raising his brow at her. she was still flopped over, clearly giving him the upper hand, so he didn't really feel threatened at all. 

[→ ottersplash]

ottersplash

if StarClan had any mercy, they would shove the sun in a box and let the forest rest for a while. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the clan cats were doomed to suffer in the heat for a while longer. The only silver lining to be found the plentiful prey. Ottersplash swiveled her ears as she heard pawsteps somewhere in the forest, but they disappeared, and she figured they had been on the way away from her. Slowly, she licked her paw, and smoothed down the fur on her head. She felt sticky and disgusting, but that didn't mean she had to look like it. Just as she was about to doze off until nightfall, the grey warrior heard the pawsteps from before suddenly a lot closer, and she jumped to her feet. Her eyes slowly focused in on the white and patched cat that slid through the trees, her brain not catching up with her eyes and her nose. She recognized the scent, and she knew the cat from somewhere, but for some reason, his name escaped her mind.



"Oh, you're cute." Ottersplash froze, the warmth of embarrassment and flattery flooding through her pelt. She had to swallow to push down a grin, her senses suddenly awake. Icetalon. Suddenly, his name hit her, and she took a small step toward the border. "If you really want to know," She said, referring to his first question. "I was just trying to catch some much-needed down time." Flirting was never her forte, but suddenly, she felt the urge to add, "You're welcome to join me if you'd like." With that, she waved her tail and sat down, continuing to groom herself as before, pretending to be disinterested in the tom.

[icetalon ★]

icetalon smirked as the she-cat jumped up, half-pleased that she had seen cause to show such a reaction to his prowling up to her. he wasn't exactly a huge warrior, no where near as massive as some of the vertigoclan toms he'd seen, but he liked to think that he was formidable. "much needed, eh? what do they do over there in that clan of yours? work the warriors night and day?" he supposed it wasn't much different than what went on in tempestclan, but hey, he was curious, and now was as good a time to find out as any. besides, maybe the pretty young she-cat would let some important information slip too. he doubted she would know anything though, new to being a warrior as she was. he guessed it had been a season or two, but she wasn't exactly clan deputy; he would have recognized heatherjaw in an instant. 

he watched with interest at her feigned disinterest, the smirk on his face growing familiar with his features as his icy blue eyes swept over the border. he wondered if her invitation was a trap. did she honestly expect him to just settle right down with a vertigoclan warrior? "what's your name?" he asked, looking again at her. "i feel we've met before. you like to snooze by the border a lot?" his voice had a bit of a teasing note hidden beneath his seriousness, a warmth that lightened a question that could have seemed accusatory in another light. the way she ignored him made it hard to suppress a grin; but he hadn't yet met a she-cat this young that couldn't be won over with a few pretty words from his pretty mouth. besides, she was cute. 

[→ ottersplash]

ottersplash

The time that passed in waiting for the tom's reply felt like moons. She stared at his face, trying to ingrain his features into her memory. She knew she had seen the tom places, perhaps at a Gathering or a border patrol once. But for some odd reason, his name was escaping her mind. Feeling a bit mousebrained, the she-cat knew she couldn't feign knowledge she didn't have. "Much needed, eh? What do they do over there in that clan of yours? Work the warriors night and day?" The she-cat shrugged, her eyes glowing. "Maybe I'll tell you, maybe I won't." She paused, glancing over her shoulder not-so-casually in a horrid attempt to be suave. "But I hardly know you. Perhaps you ought to tell me something about yourself." She looked back to him, her gaze connecting, a challenge hinting in her eyes. "Information for information?" 

As the tom continued speaking, Ottersplash sat up slowly, giving her pads a few licks before smoothing down her face fur. It was so dry and dusty, despite the muggy air, that it was almost impossible for the she-cat to maintain a pristine pelt like she was used to. "My name is Ottersplash." She said, blinking. "And I wasn't snoozing, thank you very much. It's a lot cooler out of the trees." She said, her voice tinted with teasing. She hoped she hadn't come off too harshly. She tilted her head and looked at the tom quizzically, trying her bets to look innocent. "I'd invite you to come and see what I mean, but you seem too much of a good boy to do that."