[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beau

Honeythistle didn't appear to be deeply asleep when Dovecoo turned to look at him. She hadn't noticed the chirping bird or Honeythistle's return to consciousness, as she'd still been asleep when the bird had made its noise. Now, the tom was back in a light sleep, which Dovecoo supposed was the only type of sleep he ever had. He looked only slightly different when he was sleeping, since his ears were still perked as always. However, his face held a calm expression that Honeythistle rarely wore in his waking hours. Dovecoo would even describe him as cute while he was sleeping, though she knew he wouldn't like it. The thought made her giggle quietly and she smiled as she flicked her bright blue eyes from his little nose to the fur and whiskers that were flattened on the side of his face where he was sleeping. It was little moments like this that made her love him. She gave him a quick, good morning lick and pulled back to watch as his eyes fluttered open. "Morning, Honey." She whispered softly, to not disturb any sleeping queens or kits. Dovecoo pulled away somewhat disappointedly as Honeythistle got up. She had hoped he would stay for a bit. But, his stretching and grooming of his chest fur, which Dovecoo didn't recognize as a sign of embarrassment, suggested that he would be leaving soon. She gave an affirmative murmur to his question and asked in a sleepy, calm voice, "Where are you off to so early?" Yawning, the molly rolled onto her back and stretched her legs into the air before flopping back onto her side and getting into a sitting position, facing Honeythistle.

“I actually didn’t mean to sleep in here at all.” Honeythistle rumbled, a coarse purr forming in his throat. “I have to admit, I did a pretty darn good job on this nest. It’s so comfortable! I’m almost envious of you, Dove.” The silver tom chuckled as he kneaded the nest softly with his paws to straighten out the disheveled side that he curled up on. “And, the fact that you were practically pinning down here, so it was impossible to leave.” He purred once more. It was an exaggeration, obviously, as he could had left if he wanted to. He never minded sharing nests with his mates. Plus, if he had left, Dovecoo would probably feel displeased at such, or maybe forget that he was her company at all during Moon high. Once he was satisfied at placing the nest back in place, Honeythistle watched as Dovecoo stretched, answering his question, so he nodded in turn. Honeythistle knew he couldn’t stay in the nursery all day. He didn’t want to invade the queens’ personal time, so he stood on his paws to step out Sovecoo’s nest. He supposed that he would get some errands done. Like the fact that he still needed to handle Crimsonblaze’s situation. He still haven’t found a suitable queen for his son. Or, he could go on a patrol, but then that would mean he would have to interact with Halfgaze. Honeythistle found that the Molly who got the acquisition of deputy was a depressing thing. Honeythistle didn’t even view her as a clan mate, let alone a deputy. He thought best to avoid her or some verbal abuse would be out in the open when it shouldn’t be. Hunting? Hm, that didn’t sound too bad. He could do with cracking his bones. Honeythistle finally turned to Dovecoo, lightly shrugging his shoulders. “Just regular business.” His answer was vague because that’s all she needed to know in his opinion. “I’ll see you by the end of the day,” he hoped. He still needed to spend time with Pearlstream liked he promised. Before he could become too stressed when it came to family affairs, Honeythistle’s eyes roamed around the nursery. It was no harm in having a hunting buddy. And, who could best fit the deal than one of his queens? He felt that since he spent the night, and the practically the entire day with Dovecoo, he didn’t want his other queens believing that he was neglecting them. When his eyes trained on Rosenose for a moment, he teasingly flicked his tail towards Dovecoo, “Don’t miss me too much, Dove.”