whitesand
The greenleaf sun scorched down on all the territories, and soon enough, Whitesand found himself looking for respite in the swamp. The long, mossy trees and boggy land offered relief from the gruelling heat - especially for a long-furred tom like himself. With a sigh, the shadowclan warrior skillfully avoided areas of the swamp that would suck him in, deep below the surface, trapped in mud. It brought memories of apprentice-hood, long days spent learning how to navigate the territories and skills that no other clan would know. Although Whitesand could happily look back on those days, there always was a nagging feeling that pulled him towards his relationship with his mother, Ravenfrost, who had been distant due to her grief. He couldn't blame her, but it certainly hurt.
Shaking the thought out of his head, the light brown and cream tom continued, catching the scent of a frog. If I'm going to be out here, I might as well be useful. Stalking skillfully through the swamp, Whitesand caught sight of his prey and prepared to pounce. Suddenly, the frog bounced away, startled by movement. The warrior quickly turned to the sound, ready to confront a trespasser, "Show yourself." He spoke, evenly yet firmly.
Littlewoods
The kind-hearted medicine cat of Windclan
"Oh, well, thank you! It would be helpful to have some other paws to bring back these herbs." The medicine cat seemed entirely oblivious to any kind of weirdness or gesture that could be inferred from the tom's insistence on staying with him. After all, he was a medicine cat, and lived by a different code. One that was naturally far more friendly and open to other clans and accepting assistance. "I'm sure Desertstar would be far happier if I returned in one piece!" The tom laughed, standing up and gesturing to his pile of herbs on the floor.
"If you wouldn't mind carrying those for now, I can wash myself off in the water far easier on the way back to Windclan territory." He hummed cheerfully, already starting to pad away with his tail upright and alert. Despite having been stuck in mud not long ago, the little tom-cat was in as chipper of a mood as ever.
The cream tom held back a chuckle at Littlewood's words, not wanting to offend the windclanner. "Moors and grass, huh?" He murmured, trying not to hide his discomfort at the thought. Without the pines and marshes, I couldn't imagine how different that would feel. However, the shadowclanner couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.
As Whitesand pulled Littlewoods out, he sat patiently in front of the smaller tom, a mix of amusement and concern painted on his face. If it had been a clanmate, Whitesand wouldn't hesitate to help groom the mud out, but this was a cat from a different clan - even if Littlewoods was a medicine cat - the gesture would come across much differently.
Still, the tom wanted to offer help, and some of him didn't want to leave Littlewoods yet. "I can stay and help... If you like." He paused, uncertainly, "You must be exhausted - do you want me to come with you back to camp as well?"
Littlewoods
The kind-hearted medicine cat of Windclan
"Hahaha, well, us in Windclan are far more suited for moors and grass." Despite the sticky situation, he didn't worry for his safety when Whitesand offered him help, even when he bounded away to try and get something to pull him out with. Grabbing onto the stick as instructed with his claws that he at first struggled to pull from the mud, Littlewoods slowly felt the suction beginning to give way and soon he was pulled free, almost toppling over once he was finally clear of the mud. Shaking out his pelt a little, he realised very quickly that he'd need to wash off as soon as possible.
"It does blend in with my fur, doesn't it?" Littlewoods chuckled, looking down to see his brown-furred leg was caked in mud that wasn't super differently coloured to his actual pelt. Looking up, he finally focused again on the horsetail, and began biting off a couple of stalks. "At least I didn't squash this on the way out." He half-purrs, wincing a little at the bitter-tasting stalks.
He swept his huge fluffy tail around to gather the stalks closer together and despite the mud dragging it down, he made quick work of bundling the horsetail into a small enough chunk to carry. "I should probably wash off pretty soon, otherwise by the time I get back to camp, this horsetail will be soaked!"
whitesand
Whitesand curled his lips in fury, prepared to attack the trespasser until he heard an uncertain, familiar voice. Taking a step further, the brown and cream tom recognized Littlewoods, the windclan medicine cat. Letting himself relax, Whitesand let out a snort of amusement at the medicine cats predicament, "kits in Shadowclan are taught to be careful around mud," he mused, curling his tail, "but I guess they don't do that in Windclan." The tom let out a chuckle, beginning to approach carefully.
As the shadowclan warrior stepped closer, he suddenly felt butterflies in his belly looking at the windclan medicine cat. Whitesand had only ever seen him at gatherings before, peering over the heads of others from a distance. But now, Littlewoods was right in front of him, trapped in mud, and not only brought feelings of amusement but feelings of attraction as well. Whitesand hesitated for a moment, before remembering the dire situation Littlewoods was in, and bounced away, "Wait one moment, I promise I'll be back."
Going as quick as he could, Whitesand rushed to grab the biggest stick he could find, gripping it around his jaws before rushing back to the muddy medicine cat. Reaching over the mud with the stick, Whitesand loudly mumbled through the wood in his teeth, "Grab on!" Waiting for the medicine cat to follow his instructions, the shadowclanner pulled with all his might to drag Littlewoods out of the sinking mud. After an agonizing couple of minutes, the windclan cat was finally pulled out of the mud, and Whitesand was left panting heavily at the effort, before looking Littlewoods up and down, "The mud is a good look on you."
Littlewoods
The kind-hearted medicine cat of Windclan
Whilst to the cats of Shadowclan, the mud was a relief in the warm sun, the way it sucked around Littlewoods' paws was nothing short of a nightmare. Used to running moors and climbing rocky terrain in moments of desperation, Windclan's medicine cat was... very clearly struggling. His paws flailed uselessly every time they sank below the surface of the boggy ground and he strained somewhat, wobbling like a kit as he made a few pawsteps forward. He wasn't embarrassed about being caught in Shadowclan territory- after all, he was allowed to be here, but he was embarrassed about his current predicament. A clump of horsetail dangled loosely just out of reach, and the medicine cat's brow knit together in frustration as he pulled against the drag of the marsh to try and reach it. Then, he hears pawsteps and his eyes widen. Oh, thank Starclan, his saviour arrives!
"Oh- um, hello! I could... use a paw, here..." Littlewoods pulls against the marsh again, wincing as his paws and tail refuse to budge any more. "I was trying to reach those clumps of horsetail, but it seems I may have underestimated how muddy it is..."