Skip Stones in the Shade {Tagged}

[Carotius]

OOC: Aheh. ^^;; And nah, not a problem at all! Looks like Kestrelflight's gonna have a friend after this!

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This tom had no idea whatsoever why the dark ginger cat wasn't as vexed as any other cat about being pushed into a body of water against their will. They were SunsetClan, yes, they swam and didn't mind water too much. but even so, they didn't ALWAYS liked to get their fur wet, especially if it was needless. Or maybe that was just a select few of the Clan cats... Whatever it was, Kestrelflight was yanked from his thoughts as something cold and sodden pressed up against his pelt, turning his own dry coat wet with stream water.

"Great, now I'm wet too!" he purred as Applestream leaned onto him heavily, his scent almost masked by the liquid. "You want a swim? Sure!"

With a playful howl, Kestrelflight relaxed his entire body, letting both toms tumble down the bank and into the stream as gravity did its work by pulling Applestream's weight downwards with his. The Bengal was the first to break the serenity of the surface by splashing into, letting the water soak up to his shoulders, though the rest of his him was already soaked from the after-splash. Greenleaf's heat ebbed away from his skin as the stream cooled it, and, for a moment forgetting his Clanmate was actually there, he imagined every day being like this.

No quarrels. No disputes. Just calm, peaceful resting with a swim in the stream and the ocean.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Applestream felt himself falling into the water as Kestrelflight fell, weight resting on the other tom suddenly pulling Applestream to one side due to the lack of support. He hit the water smiling, welcoming the cool water of the stream. It was here that he felt most at home, with the water tugging at his fur. He pushed up from the bottom, powerful legs keeping him afloat in the shallow stream. He laughed and swam around the other tom. Using his tail, he splashed water at the Bengal tom, to make sure that he was thoroughly wet.

"We're not going to be able to catch any fish after this," he said with a smile. It would take at least an hour or two before the fish came back after sucha great disturbance by the warriors. but, Applestream was okay with that. Sunsetclan was full to the brim with voles and frogs and fish, and everyone in the camp was happily fed. No one would be starving anytime soon. He closed his eyes to fully soak in the pleasant contrast of the heat on his back and the cool of the water tugging his belly fur. HIs tail went lax and he let it be push by the current. This was the life.

Applestream was so glad he was part of the clan that he was. What other clan could do this? Certainly not Midnightlcan or Leafclan; they spent too much time under the shade of the forest. And it was a great doubt that Whisperclan and Talonclan had the same luxuries as them. Maybe Stormclan cats swam for fun, but maybe not, since most of the Sunsetclan cats he knew didn't always want to swim like he did. but, suit themselves. More water for him. At least Kestrelflight seemed to be enjoying the stream.

[Carotius]

Don't make me pin you onto the streambed... Kestrelflight thought mischievously great waves of water crashed over him, his whole body now soaked with cool liquid to the bone. He enjoyed the feeling, of the reprieve from the hot sun and the need to be serious in his duties. He tired of putting up a solemn front for the sake of SunsetClan's pride - he loved to play, to enjoy the wonders of life! but the constant rivalries amongst the Clans were making it difficult to sit down and always enjoy StarClan's gift to them.

Kestrelflight watched as Applestream closed his brilliant yellow eyes, the smile on his face the one indication of how much he was enjoying their little dip in the stream. The dark ginger tom had relaxed his tail, letting it sway on its own, at the will of the soft current. How many cats took time and effort to slow down and drink in the serenity like this? Not many. So few. Every other cat called them daydreamers, lazy furballs, anything degrading of their hardworking statuses. When in truth, most of these "active" hunters and fighters really were just goofballs who wanted the easy life.

The Bengal lapped up some of the cold, sweet water, feeling icy droplets dribbling down his fur and whiskers. "If I may ask... Did you get your name from this stream? Did our leader find apples bobbing in the stream on the day you were made a warrior?"

The cheek of this older tom....

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Carotius

Applestream opened his eyes to cut the tom a sideways glance and crooked smile. With a purring bubble of a laugh in the back of his throat, he said, "No, not quite, but you're not too far off from the truth." The ginger tom closed his eyes for a short moment, soaking in the warm as well as considering his next words carefully. It wasn't often that he talked about his past, though he was very open about it to anyone he asked. However, Kestrelflight hadn't asked. Would it be considered annoying to share something that had not been asked for? With a mental shrug, the warrior forged o with his words.

"I wasn't actually born in the clan, so my mother didn't give me the name of Applekit. When I was found in the woods and taken in, it was my mentor who thought I looked like the apples the Twolegs eat. And when I became a warrior, Ratstar claimed -stream came from my ability to swim. but, I think my mentor just told her how much I never leave the water here. And Appleocean didn't have quite as nice a ring to it," he smirked, throwing a smile over his shoulder at the older warrior. "What about you? Do you actually fly?"

After he spoke it, it really hit Applestream how much he truly loved the water and how thankful he was to end up in the life he had. He ought to start thanking Starclan daily that the patrol who found the tom wasn't Leafclan or Talonclan. How truly awful it would ahve been for him as a swimming cat in the mountains or trees. He drank from the cool stream and relished the feeling of pebbles sliding smoothly under his paws. It was odd to think there were cats he knew that didn't enjoy this nearly as much as he did, and even weirder still to think there were cats who never had the pleasure of swimming in a cool creek on a hot and humid greenleaf day. He glanced over at Kestrelflight. Indeed, Starclan had blessed him and his clanmates with the ability of swimming and loving it. And how lucky I am to have friends to enjoy these days with, he thought.

[Carotius]

OOC: Sorry! Muse for Kestrelflight in particular was sapped because of project. XD

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"Appleocean? Great StarClan, that would have been a name for your oversized hide!" the spotted tom laughed, lashing a paw forward to soak his Clanmate even further with another cascade of brilliant water.

Kestrelflight enjoyed this very much; to splash in pools, rivers, streams and the likes, playing the day away with the echoes of laughter filling his ears and swelling his heart with great contentment. Bonus points if he did it with his Clanmates, who loved to loosen up when they had their fur touched by the soothing ripples of it; here he was with one such cat, whose dark ginger coat went into an even darker shade in its sodden state. And yet, the smile that graced said tom's muzzle was only bright, nothing less.

"Oh, I wish I could fly, just to see the vast lands our territory is rumoured to be... I wouldn't exchange it for the water, though!" he purred, lowering himself so that the stream was at his shoulder level. "I was given my warrior name as such to honour my fast and nimble paws, though I had a small wish it'd had something to do with swimming instead. Heh, at least I can stay away from the water longer than you."

With the quickest of winks, Kestrelflight launched himself forward, sheathed paws outstretched, teeth bared in a playful snarl, ready to pounce and roll in the stream with Applestream. Clanborn or not, this dark ginger tom was worth any SunsetClanners' time. The Bengal himself looked a little less threatening, what with his fur plastered to his muscular frame, making him look like an oversized kit who just fell into the Tadpole Pools.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

ooc; it's okay. c: I think we can close up this thread soon and make another after Apple has his run in with Varuin.
ic;

Applestream smiled, even as the wave of water Kestrelflight had created crashed over his head. Gently and with a slight giggle, he shook his head to get rid of the water on his whiskers and ears. It was safe to say that the tom was fully drenched, almost to the bone. but, this was the way he liked it. Greenleaf sun beating down on him, water dragging along the length of his tail, and smooth pebbles beneath his paws. What made it even better was to have someone there to joke and play with him as well. It was fun to be with another tom who enjoyed the water, who even said he wouldn't fly if he had to give up the water.

He chuckled at the toms joke, getting out a small comment of "Kestrelocean," between his wheezing breaths before the Bengal launched himself at the ginger tom. Applestream let out a playful shriek as he felt Kestrelflight's paws connect with his chest, sending them rolling in the water. His back hit the pebbly bank and returned the playful snarl given to him. There faces were close, or at least felt close to the ginger tom. For a short moment, Applestream felt the strong urge to lean up and lick at the other tom's face. He quickly brushed off that feeling and returned to the play fight after that brief flash of emotion that had surprised him. With his back paws, Applestream aimed to push the other tom off of him. If he succeeded, he would leap at the Bengal's back to return his attack.

"We're going to drown ourselves if we're not careful," he laughed.

[Carotius]

Tags: εℓιzαвεтн.
OOC: Kestrel has a buddy and a crush now~! XD And I think Kestrelflight is bigger than Applestream.

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"We're going to drown ourselves if we're not careful."

"With our swimming capabilities in a not-too-deep stream? Eh, I'll take my chances!" Kestrelflight winked, splashing his Clanmate's face with a mighty sweep of his tail.

He had no care in the world about the hot greenleaf sun anymore. Not at all. All that ran through the Bengal's mind was how much he was enjoying his time with this dark ginger tom, who shared his hobbies in swimming and basking in nature's glory. Sure, he'd done it on his own many times over, but this...this... The spotted tom, quite ignoring Applestream's hindpaws pressing hard into soft belly in a bid to throw him off, gazed deep into the amber oculars that stood apart from the dark ginger tabby fur. Something felt different.

Curious in spite of himself, Kestrelflight leaned forward, his nose twitching as he sniffed through the other tom's damp ginger fur. Through the mask of scent that was given by the stream water, he caught Applestream's unique scent...and it did smell of apples, ones that the Bengal had been lucky enough to find while on one of his beach walks. Why do I have a temptation to lick his cheek...? Something was pleasing about the scent, and Kestrelflight was beginning to feel a bit restless from it.

Purring, he pressed his nose lightly into Applestream's cheek. It was brief, for he immediately let himself be thrown off by the ginger tom's hindpaws and into the space of liquid next to him, laughter escaping his muzzle. The spotted warrior didn't even try to escape his Clanmate's batting...

He was too busy remembering the feel of soft fur against his nose.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Tags; Carotius
ooc; I can't wait to RP them after his fight with Varuin! It'll be so cute!
ic;

Applestream didn't put much thought into the purring touch pressed to his cheek by his clan mate. Well, he did put a lot of thought into it, but more so to convince himself as to why it was very casual and trivial than into the deeper meaning behind it. Clan mates casually touched each other all the time, especially friends. Whether it was the tip of a tail comforting on someone's shoulder or a nose being pressed into a flank, cats were constantly touching just to bond. And Kestrelflight was a friend, right? So it wasn't weird to be touched by the tom, especially after all the wrestling they had just done in the river. Nose touching and cheek touching were all just normal parts of clan life.

Kestrelflight had been thrown off of him and Applestream leaped up, ready to jump back on the tom, already patting him to show his spirit was still there. He stopped shortly though, starting to see a lack of interest from the other tom. He was probably tired or something, Applestream thought with a shrug. Gracefully, he leaped out of the smooth flowing water onto the bank, feet warmed instantly by the sun baked pebbles. Shaking his fur free of water, he said, "We should probably get back to camp before we're missed. And maybe we could catch some more prey on the way back."

A breeze swept through, carrying the scent of an oncoming chill in the weather. Leaf-fall wasn't far off now and Applestream purred with pleasure at the thought. The water would be getting colder, but the Twolegs would be leaving his beach and he would be able to safely roam the banks without fear of their screeching kits. He looked back at the Bengal tom, a glint in his eye, "I bet I could beat you there."

[Carotius]

OOC: Me too! Well, I think we can close this thread :3

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Fun time seemed to have ended, for the dark ginger tabby had pulled away from Kestrelflight and was now shaking his pelt dry of water, scattering brilliant silver droplets everywhere around him. "We should probably get back to camp before we're missed. And maybe we could catch some more prey on the way back."

The brown tom rolled onto his belly and stood on his four legs, feeling the sudden rush of water that streamed down his fur to drip back into the stream, with frequent drip draps that was oddly pleasing to the ear. It had been a soothing afternoon quite evidently, what with the delightful catch and the much sought-after swim in the cooling waters, all of it...all of it with the company of a friend. I feel much better with Applestream here. Kestrelflight padded onto the bank, shaking off as much water as he could from his fur. We'll play out here again soon. Surely.

"I bet I could beat you there," Applestream's teasing mew was accompanied with a playful glint of the eye.

Carrying the two fish they had caught earlier, his whiskers twitching in amusement, Kestrelflight crouched, ready to run. "Says you? Never!"

OOC: End it off with a sweet ending, Eliz~! XD

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

ooc; oh yes, these precious babes.
ic;

Quickly, Applestream snatched up the two fish the cats had caught earlier. He crouched beside the Bengal tom, looking at him with excitement in his eyes. Without warning, the ginger tom burst away, hind legs launching him from the bank and into the woods. He knew fairly well that Kestrelflight would most likely outrun him- he didn't get his name for no reason- but the race wasn't a live or die situation. Wind whipped through his damp fur as he raced through the woods towards camp.

Applestream loved this. He loved the greenleaf sun. He loved friends. He loved just playing around and not having a care in the world. He sent a small prayer to Starclan, thanking them for the relative peace between the clans and that they had sent Kestrelflight his way. The Bengal tom was nothing short of a kindred soul, looking to play and talk with clan mates. His paw pads prickled with some sort of feeling that he couldn't identify nor cared to identify. All he cared for was having fun with this tom and basking in the greenleaf sun. Hopefully, Kestrelflight wouldn't mind eating with him when they returned to camp.

ooc; Fin!