hello hello hello! sorry for late chapter school is killing me. have been writing a bit, me and some forum friends are working on a collab project called 'shimmerwind's rise'!
review replies (which i wrote out and then conveniently backed out of the ffnet window oops)
wyldclaw: thank you! and yeah, i hope so too.
somestormleaf: sooo many f words. thank u for your lovely review!
mintflight0245: MINTLION and thank u!
dragonbreathjr: SORRY I AM SORRY BUT TY
darkcrystal666: thank you for all of your reviews! i'm just going to answer a few questions ect ect lol
frostpaw is aro/ace!, goldpaw is very gay, have no idea what rustpaw is, yesss the cuddle allowance, and yes they are both very obviously gay for eachother lmao
wow... there's only one more chapter for rustgold to happen in... i wonder if this may not happen
Rushstorm had left camp early. He liked the company of his friends, and his mate - when he could get him - but today, he just needed to be alone. Alone, with the company of the birds chirping in the trees, and the faint trickling of the stream, as it flowed, and joined up with the river.
He headed to the Windclan border, walking along the tiny piece of land, his paws soaked by water from the lake. It lapped over them, and he sighed contentedly, closing his eyes briefly.
He couldn't rest for long. He had a job to do.
Traditionally, in Riverclan, the deputy, leader and medicine cat all presented a newly paired couple with flowers. He wasn't quite sure yet what flowers he'd pick up - Fishclaw had sorted him out the ones he'd given to Beebounce - but he was sure he'd work it out.
He sat down in the long, lush reeds that framed the side of the lake, breathing the subtle scent of the watermint, and the lilies. He glanced over at the lilies, debating if they'd fit Fishclaw and Frogtoe's aesthetic. Eventually, he decided to go for it, snipping the stem of the white lilies delicately with his teeth. Furrowing his brow, he looked around some more, trying to find more flowers to fill out his gift.
Some violets would be nice, he thought. He picked them up, placing them carefully on top of the lilies. A few bright pink roses - he was careful with these, not wanting the thorns to scrape his paws - were added to the pile. He framed the collection of flowers with some fronds of ferns, admiring his handiwork with a pleased smile.
"Whatcha got there?" A voice called, and Rushstorm jumped. Thankfully, it was just Honeywisp, smirking at him from the other side of the border.
He dipped his head to her in greeting, not coming any closer. (He hadn't attended the last gathering, but apparently tensions were still high between Riverclan and Windclan.) "Honeywisp." He said, stepping out of the way from his flowers.
"What have you got there?" Honeywisp asked, her paws brushing the border lines.
Rushstorm shrugged. "Some friends of mine are getting paired. I'm doing my duty." He explained. "Plus, Fishclaw will claw me if I don't get her nice flowers."
Honeywisp's eyes widened. "Ah, Fishclaw and…?" She asked.
"Frogtoe." Rushstorm said, smiling. "They don't like to wait around."
"Awww, pass on my love." Honeywisp purred, reflecting back his smile. "Talking of love, where's that Beebounce of yours? I thought you two were joined at the hip."
Rushstorm blushed slightly. "Back at camp." He murmured. "Helping Frogtoe with her flowers, she's completely freaking out…" He sighed.
Honeywisp raised an eyebrow. "You didn't deny the 'your' thing." She pointed out.
Rushstorm nodded shakily. "There'd be no reason to." He responded.
Honeywisp grinned. "I'm so happy for you. I take full responsibility, by the way." She teased, and Rushstorm rolled his eyes. She really didn't need to know who was actually responsible for him and Beebounce's relationship.
"Whatever you say." Rushstorm replied, sitting down.
Honeywisp hummed quietly, before looking back up. "I saw Thornfall at the gathering, by the way." She said. Rushstorm flicked his ears back.
"And?" He asked, curious.
"He spoke to Hawkstar. Apparently he doesn't want anything to do with either of you." She murmured, and Rushstorm flinched. Even if he knew that that was what his father's viewpoint would probably be, it still hurt to hear it. "I'm sorry."
Rushstorm shook out his pelt, and attempted to put on a brave face. "I don't need him, anyway." He said stiffly.
"Where even were you last moon, anyways?" Honeywisp asked, clearly trying to change the subject. It worked, because Rushstorm flushed, and glanced at his paws.
"Busy." He replied shortly, and Honeywisp giggled.
"Busy with your Bee-boy?" She joked, and Rushstorm cringed.
"Please don't call him that." He groaned, and Honeywisp snorted.
She stood up. "I won't." She said, turning around, and walking away from him. "I'll see you at the next gathering, unless you're 'busy' again." She called over her shoulder cheekily.
Rushstorm just sighed, and collected up his flowers, taking them in his jaws. He walked slowly back to camp, not quite sure how… stable Fishclaw and Frogtoe would be when he arrived.
Thankfully, they seemed to be relatively chilled. Fishclaw had taken herself off to go over her message to Frogtoe with her sister, Heronflutter, and Frogtoe was off by the river, presumably getting a moment of peace. Petalpaw told Rushstorm all of this in a jumbled mess, and promptly started asking for battle training.
By the time he'd got out of talking to his over-attentive apprentice, Beebounce had emerged back from his own training - he'd taken Rustpaw out with Goldpaw and Frostpaw, to go over some basic hunting techniques for Goldpaw.
"Hey, love." Rushstorm said softly, dropping his flowers, and padding forward to brush against his mate. Beebounce smiled, and purred, nestling his face into the crook of Rushstorm's neck.
Rushstorm pulled away regretfully, and nudged Beebounce. "You look tired." He commented.
"Tired of Goldpaw and Rustpaw's bullshit." Beebounce replied, and Rushstorm raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, was it that bad today?" He asked, and Beebounce nodded furiously.
The tan tabby sat down, his gaze scanning over the flowers for a heart-beat. "Those are nice." He said, distracted, before looking back up at Rushstorm. "And yes. It's so obvious. Me and Duckspark literally have a bet on how long it'll take before they get together."
Rushstorm nestled beside him, licking him in a comforting fashion on the forehead. "What's your bet on?" He asked.
Beebounce shrugged. "Another moon. Any more than that, and we'll get to the point where Goldpaw declares his love in front of the gathering." He huffed. "Though, Rustpaw will still find a way to see that as platonic."
Rushstorm chuckled, about to reply, but before he could, a grinning Fishclaw emerged from the warrior's den, her one blue eye gleaming. "It's time!" She called, and Rosestar peaked out from the leader's den.
"Where's Frogtoe?" She asked, and Rustpaw, from where he'd been about to enter the medicine cat's den, turned around.
"I'll go get her." He said. No sooner than he'd said that, Goldpaw all but launched out of the den after Rustpaw, almost stumbling over.
"I'll go with him!" He exclaimed, bumping into Rustpaw, and walking out of camp. Rushstorm exchanged a glance with Beebounce, smiling.
He rested his head on top of his mate's lightly. "Yeah, I see what you mean. Youch."
"Can you two stop flirting for one moment?" Fishclaw said, almost accusingly.
"Nope." Rushstorm replied at the same time as Beebounce did, which managed to tease a smile out of Fishclaw.
Fishclaw groaned. "You two are insufferable." She said, and Rushstorm nodded.
"So, are you ready?" He asked, glancing around, trying to spot Heronflutter.
She looked from side to side, and sat down, paws shifting with nervousness. "I… yeah, I think so." She mumbled, which made Rushstorm concerned. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that Fishclaw was worried. And… Fishclaw didn't get worried. She got over confident, and sure of herself, and so damn cocky he feared for her life every time she went on a border patrol.
"You'll be okay." Beebounce said firmly, and Rushstorm blinked soppily, filled with gratitude. "She'll love you whatever you say."
Fishclaw managed to smile again. "Let's hope."
Suddenly, Rustpaw and Goldpaw reentered camp, with an anxious-looking Frogtoe in tow. Fishclaw's gaze bounced around, and she looked like she was about to just up and leave. Rushstorm tensed, ready to drag her to the centre of camp if need be, but the grey she-cat took a deep breath, and stepped forward, inclining her head to Frogtoe.
"My dear…" She purred softly. "You look wonderful."
Rushstorm did have to agree. She'd wreathed her head in pretty flowers, tucked behind her ears. As he watched, the stockily-built brown she-cat pulled a daisy from behind her ear, as if in a trance, and gently placed it in the same position on Fishclaw's head.
Fishclaw just smiled at her, a faint, joyful smile that made Rushstorm grin. They'd be okay. This clan would be okay.
The ceremony went by in the blur. The two she-cats exchanged their vows in front of the whole clan, their voices little more than whispers by the time they were done. Rushstorm zoned out, if he was being completely honest. The emotions on show were just so raw, that he felt like he wasn't supposed to be there.
He'd given the happy pair his flowers, Beebounce by his side, and promptly retreated to join in with the celebrations of the clan. Beebounce trotted beside him, something in his grey eyes that Rushstorm wanted to ask about.
"What's up?" He asked curiously, once they'd gotten away from the main hustle and bustle of the clan. Fishclaw and Frogtoe were currently sparring in the centre of camp - a tradition, apparently, Rushstorm wasn't aware of this - with quite the crowd forming around them.
(Rustpaw and Goldpaw had disappeared away to the den that they shared a while ago. Honestly.)
Beebounce swallowed so loudly that Rushstorm heard him. "You… I… do you want us to have one of those?" He asked, and Rushstorm stared at him, a blush rising on his ear-tips.
"I mean… we can't have kits." He said, in little more than a whisper. "So… I guess this will be the other option in… showing our union."
Beebounce nodded. "And… and I want to show you off, you know? Show the clan how much you mean to me." The tan tabby murmured, nudging his mate in the side.
"Yeah… I want to do the same." Rushstorm whispered. "Also… Bee, if we want kits… Fishclaw said she'd… have them. For us."
Beebounce blinked at him. "Frogtoe said the same thing." He replied, his eyes lighting up. "And… yeah, I do. I want kits." He smiled. "And… I'm guessing you… do you as well?"
Rushstorm nodded, somewhat stiffly. "I do. I think. I mean, not for a bit." He grinned, and gestured around the camp with his tail. "We've got our whole lives ahead of us. There's no rush."
As he said it, he thought about just how true his statement was. They did have their entire lives set before them, ready for them to fill out. To make memories. To just… live, and love.
Beebounce pressed into him, closing his eyes lightly. "We do." He agreed, and that was that. They were ready to move on, take life one step at a time. To do things the way they wanted, to see the beauty in every moment.
And Rushstorm could hardly believe his luck in the tom he got to do that with.
alrighty okay so if i don't ever end up writing anything else about these characters -
in like 6 moons time, frogtoe has rushstorm's kits (cuz she's like... a tiny little bit related to beebounce, so that'd be odd), there's just one kit, named sandkit. she's a spunky little firecracker, and her warrior name is sandfeather.