Company, Anyone? [Open]

[~XxSnakethxX~]

Snowflower lay in her den, about as lazy as a pregnant queen could be. Her paws itched to be outside, somewhere, doing something for her Clan. Alas, that was not meant to be. She heavily shifted to her paws and slipped out of her den. The pregnant she-cat sat down a few tail-lengths from the nursery , fluffy tail flicking about in a bored fashion. It was tiring to not be able to continue her warrior duties, but she did want the best possible start for her kits.

"I guess it isn't all bad.." she sighed, disappearing back into the nursery.

It wasn't all bad, either. It lifted her spirits to feel her kits inside of her, moving around. She began to clean herself, licked her paw first to clean her face and ears. As she rubbed her front paw across her paw, she thought she saw movement outside of the den. Dismissing it when she couldn't catch anything, she went back to cleaning herself.

She was just about finished cleaning her face when she flopped into the soft, fresh moss. It was tiring to do anything, even wash. Was she really becoming this lazy as to not have the energy to even clean herself properly? This was not on her to-do list. Sitting back up, she forced herself to continue cleaning until she was completely washed.

Contented with what she had done, she curled into hre nest, longing for company.

[Mama Oak]

furzepaw, the sloth
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
A N D x A T x O N C E x I x K N E W ,
I x W A S x N O T x S I G N I F I C A N T .

Stupid. It was stupid.

Furzepaw snorted as he slowly waddled to the fresh-kill pile, picking out the closest piece with a stifled sigh. His afternoon nap had been disturbed by his mentor, or more specifically, a rigourous and unkind prodding to the ribs. The reprimanding words were familiar. Lazy. Useless. A blight upon SkyClan’s name. Pathetic. Disgraceful. A sad excuse for an apprentice. He’d heard them all before, but he had not yet grown immune to their sting. His mentor could always combine all of them in a way that cut deep.

Furzepaw’s mouth watered, the tantalizing scent of snowshoe hare flooding his senses. Clamped between his teeth, the large piece of prey was not only tempting and teasing, but also a punishment. Apparently sleeping the morning away on a full-stomach without hunting or patrolling was completely unacceptable, though the overweight tom could hardly see the problem — he’d gone hunting the day before and managed to catch two mice! Sure, he had eaten one on the way back to camp, but it wasn’t like he was the only apprentice in SkyClan, for StarClan’s sake!

Retributing his ”careless disregard of apprentice duties”, he’d been sentenced to feed the queens and clean out their bedding. And as attractive as the notion was — of slinking into the to the safety of shadow and devouring the rabbit for himself — he knew he was already in quite enough trouble. Perhaps after he delivered the prey to the nursery though, he could enjoy another small nap before changing the bedding. Just for short while. What did it matter anyway, if the nests were cleaned now or later, so long as the task was eventually done?

The bulky tom flicked an ear as he stepped into the nursery. The warm, comforting scent of milk joined the aroma of freshkill and brought him immediate ease. It was an enveloping smell that brought back memories of an easy kithood, where he could curl up against his littermates for as long as he wanted with no harsh consequences. ”Hello, Snowflower,” Furzepaw mewed softly after letting the hare slip from his jaws and to the ground before her comfortable-looking nest. His voice was defeated and only a step removed from resounding with a pathetic whine; he made minimal effort to suppress the self-pity from his tone. ”Fancy some rabbit?” His ears swiveled forward expectantly and he shifted upon his paws as he lowered his haunches into a sitting position.

If she wasn’t hungry he, of course, would find no trouble in taking the plump and juicy hare off her paws. It was the very least he could do; a sacrifice he was willing to make.

// Let me know if this is okay, Snakey!

[Deleted]

Gorsehawk

((Mind if I join in? ^_^))

A warm breeze whistled through the thick fur of a basking tom who had managed to seize a lovely perch of stones just at the edge of the SkyClan camp. There he lie, silently monitoring his clan and taking full advantage of the pleasant weather. It was exceedingly rare for the climate in the SkyClan terrain to present itself as enjoyable, so the young tom was exploiting such a blessing. The silent warrior was still as a statue. It was almost as if he had merged himself with the stones he was sprawled upon.

The camp was rather quiet. As the clan deputy, the large tom had already dispatched the morning and had even organized the evening patrols. It was important to the young deputy to have his clan on a strict schedule, always planning ahead. He could never be too prepared; after all, the brown and white tabby, only of 18 moons, was awfully young to be appointed clan deputy. It was his priority to prove to his clanmates that he was destined to serve as their deputy, and he'd make sure that every one of their approvals would be accounted for.

A movement in the distance distracted him from his scheduling and he shifted his brilliant amber gaze towards the center of the camp. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the heavy frame of Furzepaw, making his way to the fresh-kill pile. A frown formed across the Deputy's maw as he observed the plump apprentice. He sent a silent prayer that the young cat was performing his duties as he was told previously this morning.

Not moving an inch, the proud tom followed the stout feline's movements as he ambled into the nursery, dragging a hare that was nearly half his size. Once the apprentice vanished into the nursery, Gorsehawk got to his paws. Letting out an audible yawn, he stretched his long legs out. He might as well pay Snowflower a visit. It wasn't often SkyClan had queens and very soon, new lives would enter the world. Not only that, the deputy wanted to ensure that the wayward apprentice was going to complete his duties.

Leaping down from his perch, the large tom strolled across the clearing and paused at the nursery entrance. He called a friendly greeting before pushing his way into the warm den.

"Greetings Snowflower," he meowed in a polite voice before shifting his amber gaze on the other feline. "Furzepaw," He greeted the apprentice with a nod.

[~XxSnakethxX~]

((Sorry I was gone for so long!))

When Furzepaw entered, Snowflower gave him a greeting similar to his own. "Hi, Furzepaw! I'd love some rabbit. Do you want to share?" Snowflower knew of the mistreatment Furzepaw recieved and felt sorry for the little apprentice. The little tyke shouldn't have to face bullying like that. Sure, the apprentice was a little plump, but as long as he worked hard it would be fine, right? She took a bite of the hare, and stopped to speak. Then the deputy, Gorsehawk, entered. "Good morning, Gorsehawk." The white feline heaved herself into a sitting position, her plump belly smelling warmly of milk. Flicking one ear in a friendly fashion, she stretched forward to lick the apprentice. She tended to like the young cats, and the apprentices were an obvious target for her motherly nature. She smoothed down his fur and mewed warmly, "It's nice of the both of you to come see me. Cats don't normally come into the nursery and it gets lonely."

[Mama Oak]

furzepaw, the sloth
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
A N D x A T x O N C E x I x K N E W ,
I x W A S x N O T x S I G N I F I C A N T .

At the notion of sharing, Furzepaw’s mood visibly lightened. Whiskers twitching, with a hint of excitement flickering in his pale eyes, the heavy tom shifted his weight forward eagerly, bowing his head in a delighted nod. He tried to appear calm but his tail lashed against the moss with obvious glee, the end flicking to-and-fro. Surely his mentor wouldn’t be upset with him for accepting the queen’s offer... it was only polite after all. Besides, confined to camp with her massive belly, Snowflower was likely in need of some momentary companionship. The way he saw it, the shared meal was only an opportunity to make actual use of himself. He was hounded mercilessly for his shortcomings, mostly by his denmates — reminded constantly how pathetic his hunting, his fighting, and even his poor attempts at tracking were. He was frequently told he was good at nothing, good for nothing.

And he had come to find truth in those harsh words and cruel jabs. Accepted them. Now he heard what the other apprentices were thinking without them having to say anything at all. They no longer had to speak, because he invented the insults for them. Their perspectives had become his own and — at the young age of nine moons — he had given up; stopped trying completely. He couldn’t embarrass himself in training if he didn’t show up. When he was ”supposed to be hunting” and ”feeding the clan”, he had taken to slinking away to some overlooked shadow and sleeping. There, away from the demands and away from the silent taunts, he would surrender to the safe haven that was his unconsciousness, where he couldn’t disappoint anyone.

But, perhaps, his presence could be somewhat useful now. For just for a moment, maybe, he could be with this kind queen... and his thereness, for only that moment, would bring something to her day. Above everything, she was pleasant and warm. Her words were kind, not degrading; her tone inviting and nurturing, unlike the hurtful whispers and cries he had grown accustom to.

Warmth was just beginning to tendril through Furzepaw’s chest, and his maw parted to mew his gratitude, when Snowflower’s gaze flickered to the entrance and the next words that fell from her mouth — a simple greeting — struck a devastating blow to his rising mood. His heart and stomach sunk simultaneously, his body suddenly cold as he turned (far too quickly to hide his bewilderment) to face Gorsehawk. One of the many cats he wished he could always avoid.

Involuntarily, Furzepaw’s large, white ears swiveled back and plastered against his skull. He dropped himself lower to the ground and tried to keep his eyes from widening. When the deputy addressed him, the white apprentice straightened and wrapped his tail partially around himself, dipping his head in acknowledgment. The amber gaze he couldn’t meet, but was saved from doing so as Snowflower drew her tongue over his head. Turning back to the queen, he managed a convincing smile, even though his insides were beginning to knot. He couldn’t well share the rabbit with Snowflower now, he knew, with Gorsehawk watching.

Only moments ago his purr would have been hearty and full, radiating with warmth and appreciation, but the rumbling sound that came from his chest at the queen’s words was quieter. Laced with his audible discomfort. Swallowing to finish recomposing himself, he blinked at the queen and tried far too hard to sound dutiful as he spoke. ”Always a pleasure to visit, Snowflower. How’s your, uhm... bedding? Is now a good time to change the moss?”

// Ack, sorry this came out so weak and weird! xD

[Deleted]

Gorsehawk

Gorsehawk flashed the pretty white queen a kind smile. Though he was slightly irked at his apprentice's lack of dignity as of recently, he also knew that the kindness of a queen could do him some good.

The young tom took a few moments to ponder over the two felines. If Gorsehawk could somehow possess this she-cat's mannerism towards Furzepaw, then perhaps then he could get through to the young tom.

But alas, such notions were improbable and impossible. He'd leave it to Snowflower to lighten the adolescent's spirits.

"I expect Furzepaw is treating you well this morning?" He inquired lightly, not missing the obvious disconcertment of his apprentice. The poor lump of fur was behaving as if Gorsehawk had floated into the den as a head detached from its body.

However, the startled Furzepaw gathered his composer in time to return his greeting with a nod. The brown and white tabby snorted with amusement. It was foolishness; Downright foolishness for the young feline to behave this way upon the arrival of his mentor. Then the tom's face grew solemn and his amber eyes darkened. He had to admit that this reaction, though humorous, was quite mortifying. With the young cat's outward nervousness around his mentor, any member of SkyClan would think that he abused the poor kit!

The young deputy knew that the young tom was being far too dutiful. Gorsehawk was insightful enough to know that the lazy apprentice had not come here to simply change the she-cat's bedding... well at least not without getting a share of her meal.

Dismay caused his fur to bristle ever so slightly. If the apprentice kept gaining weight, he would not make much of a hunter or fighter for that matter. He was already moons behind his denmates when it came to training, and to top it off, he was as clumsy as a newborn. Not only did it render him useless physically, it was unhealthy for the young cat to accumulate so much mass. Soon the tom would have to put the glutton on a strict diet if he was to make use of him.

"Come now Furzepaw," He meowed. His eyes were closed as he passed a paw over his ears to smooth a patch of ruffled fur. "No need to act so formal," He told him as he opened one amber eye to gaze upon his pupil."You may carry on about your business as if I wasn't here."

He then turned his attention to the fluffy white she-cat. "So. It's been quite some time since you moved to the nursery," He meowed. "How long until we'll have some new SkyClaners scampering around our rather vacant camp?" Gorsehawk was very fond of kits. He hoped to soon have his own one day, but he feared he'd never be able to balance such a schedule nor find a mate who'd actually grow attached to him.

[~XxSnakethxX~]

Snowflower purred. "Yes, it'd be lovely if you could change the bedding. Here, let me help gather it up." She began to paw it into piles are she listened to Gorsehawk. He was talking to Furzepaw. It was chilly today, and a gust of wind blew into the den, causing her to shiver just a bit. It'd been a cold day when her mother had been killed, too. Her warm, friendly eyes slightly dulled before brightening back up. A snowy white ear flicked at she heard Gorsehawk's question which was directed at her. She loved to have cats question her about her kits. It made her feel like she was contributing to the Clan by doing so. "One more moon, Gorsehawk, and then my kits will be here." She finished pawing her own moss into a pile and began to work on another. Growing tired, the white queen forced herself to finish the pile she was working on. "So, Gorsehawk, when will the patrols be going out? Perhaps Furzepaw could go on a border patrol once he's done in here. I think fresh air would do him some good. All young cats need fresh air," she mewed, finishing up the pile. The plump queen's tail curled around her paws.