[Luna16]

 

Originally Posted by iliri

Sootpaw
short-furred, dark, charcoal-gray tabby tom with white markings, and sharp amber-copper eyes.
purrks: prison escape - tier 1
he/him | shc apprentice | 16 moons

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Sootpaw’s ears twitched at the soft shuffle of movement from within the nursery, his sharp copper gaze darting toward the side as a small, hesitant figure emerged. The first thing he noticed was how tiny she was—her fur ruffled from laying in her nest, her steps cautious yet curious as she padded toward him. Deerkit, if he remembered correctly. One of the youngest in the nursery. His tail flicked behind him, brushing lightly against the frost-covered ground as he watched her approach, her wide, uncertain eyes fixed on the blackbird at his white paws. When she spoke, her voice was so quiet he almost missed it, the faint stammer threading through her words catching his attention more than the request itself. For a moment, Sootpaw just stared at her, his expression unreadable. The frost-bitten air between them hung heavy with silence as he processed her words, his sharp gaze flicking between her and the blackbird. Then, slowly, one corner of his mouth quivered upward—not quite a smile, more of a dry smirk, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re worried about me?” he asked, his tone low and edged with sarcasm, though not unkind. He let out a short, quiet huff, shaking his head as if the very idea was absurd. “You’re supposed to be the one eating, Deerkit. That’s kind of the point of me dragging this thing all the way over here.” He crouched down then, his forepaw reaching out to nudge the blackbird a little closer to her, its glossy feathers ruffling faintly under his touch. “Take as much as you want,” he said, his voice firm but not harsh. “That’s what it’s here for. I don’t need any of it.”

He could feel her hesitation even without looking directly at her—the way her small paws shuffled against the frosty ground, her wide eyes flickering between him and the bird like she wasn’t sure she deserved it. It reminded him, unpleasantly, of himself at her age, though he quickly shoved the thought aside. “You’re not going to eat the whole thing anyway,” he added after a moment, his tone turning dry again as he sat back on his haunches, his tail curling loosely around his paws. “Not with that tiny stomach of yours. So don’t worry about it.” His copper eyes narrowed slightly, studying her with that sharp, calculating look he always seemed to wear—like he was trying to figure her out without actually saying as much.

@Luna16

Deerkit blinked up at the apprentice again with her wide, brown eyes, then nodded. Okay...i-if you're sure." She mewed, still feeling a little guilty. But she was hungry. Her siblings were missing, and she hadn't seen much of her mother lately either. Deerkit bowed her head gratefully before taking big, hungry bites from the bird's chest and wing. Sootpaw was right, she couldn't eat much. She was still young, and given leaf-bare's...well...leaf-bare-ness, coupled with Tigerleaf not being around that much, she wasn't used to eating much anyway. So after only a few bites, Deerkit toppled backward, full.

"Th-Thank you!" She purred gratefully with a bright smile on her tiny maw. "I don't remember the last time I was this full!" She purred. Now the little kit let out a yawn, having eaten her fill she suddenly felt like she could sleep for moons.