Graystripe in Riverclan

_{The tabby warrior lifted his eyes skywards as he watched the clear sky stretching over his head. Today would be a beautiful day.
Thank you Silverstream, Graysrtipe greeted his deceased mate. For such a beautiful weather. I'll make sure that our kits grow up into fine warriors. You'll be proud of them and so will I.
Graystripe heaved himself up. The sun was high in the sky, soon, he'll have to go out on patrol. Leopardfur always made sure to keep the tom busy. But the tabby warrior didn't mind, aslong as he could be with his kits, everything would be fine to him.
"I wonder if they're hungry," he murmured, shifting his gaze towards the nursery. Both queens were still sleeping and it was a bit disappointing. Graystripe wanted to see his kits before going on patrol..
"Well... a little hello wouldn't hurt," he wondered out loud as he padded to the nursery. His bright amber eyes darted as he plunged into the darkness. It was sunhigh now, but the entrance of the nursery was pitch black. Could they still be sleeping? Well, there's only one way to find out.
"Uh, good morning," meowed the tabby, slipping clumsily inside the nursery. Mud stained his pads and caused him to slither against a black silhouette. Blue eyes reflected the harsh light that penetrated inside the den, it was Mosspelt, one of the queens that was expecting kits. She was also nurturing his.
"Were you sleeping?" asked the tom, keeping a paw on the she-cat for balance.
"Was..." she replied flatly.
"Sorry," Graystripe gritted his teeth with embarassement. But it was too late for that, she was awake now. "I just wanted to see.. uhm, if they were alright and maybe say a little hello before I go on patrol.."
The queen rolled the tip of her tail upwards, revealing two small figures underneath it. Graystripe's eyes lit up instantly.
"They're sleeping... like you can see," she murmured.
"Oh, right! Well... uhm," Graystripe whiskers twitched uneasily. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come? "I'll... come back later then."
"Yes, later. Hush now," whispered Mosspelt, "Mistyfoot is still sleeping."
"R-right!" Graystripe nodded sharply.
Mosspelt's gaze softened as she watched the tom struggle to exit the nursery. It had rain the other day, leaving the ground muddy and slippery. But she admired the tom's tenacity. She could understand why Silverstream had fallen in love with him. Graystripe cared deeply for his kits, even if it meant leaving his old clan behind, just be with them.}

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Like you can see, there's a small story behind this picture. And I must say, I couldn't be more proud of it! It took me several hours to complete, but the results were worth it in the end. I'm very honored to display this picture in my gallery.


SPEEDPAINT CAN BE FOUND HERE -- [[ [link] ]]


Like the title says, this scene is when Graystripe decides to join Riverclan. He joins so his kits can grow up in his deceased mate's clan and to prevent a conflict between Riverclan and Thunderclan. Erin never revealed in details how Graystripe was behaving there. That's probably why there's no much picture of Graystripe in Riverclan.
But I remember when Fireheart was speaking to the deputy of Riverclan, Leopardfur. She told him that Graystripe was managing life in Riverclan and that he bothered Mosspelt a lot with his kits. That made me laugh xD I could imagine Graystripe going in the nursery at any hour of the day just to see his kits and answer their needs.
In the end, I decided to illustrate my thoughts.

Som this is Graystripe nagging Mosspelt like usual.
HAHA! Mosspelt has a "what now?" face xDDDD


About the picture:


This scene take time at sunhigh, thats why Graystripe's butt is so glowy <3

I wasn't sure what a Riverclan's den looked like. So I made some research and learned that the nursery was:
Next to a shallow part of the river. There are feathers woven into the branches of the roof and along the edges are sparkling rocks and shells from the river.

But since the den was soo dark, I decided to not add any shells or rocks int the den's wall. Same thing with the feathers. RiverClan nests are made of sticks. But that seemed weird to me, so I decided to search for different dens in google. Dens made of fur, made of grass, made of dirt, anything! And I came to this conclusion: [link]
I used this picture for inspiration. I'm very pleased with the results. It might not be as exact as Erin explains, but I think it works for me. Thats how I imagine Riverclan's nursery to be!


In the corner of the picture, you can see something bluish.. something fuzzy. Well, that's Mistyfoot. I remember that Mistyfoot was also a queen, both her and Mosspelt. So, I HAD to add her in.. even if it meant showing only her butt xD

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Well, I think that's all.
Enjoy guys~

I'm allowing critics so I can get better. Feel free to criticize and point out my mistakes.

Artwork © Ellie
Warriors © Erin Hunter
Made in Photoshop Cs4