[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Robin-chan

[ Timeskip To Next Morning ]

Sproutwhisker’s head poked out through the entrance of the den, looking out into the spacious clearing that was bathed in a warm blanket of sunlight from the relaxing orange glow of the rising sun that now was beginning to show over the lush treeline that surrounded camp. The dark-furred male breathed in the calming scents of the morning, which included the fresh dew that misted the grass and the softened smell of pine that drifted through the forest from their neighboring clan, Shadowclan. A small smile crept onto his maw as he stepped out of the comforts of the den, making sure not to wake anyone, especially his beloved. Sproutwhisker glanced around at the other dens and little to no noise came from them, which was understandable, since it was only the crack of dawn. The only clan member that could be seen was the cat at watch for the previous night at the camp’s entrance. He decided not to disturb them and continue with his day.

The tom-cat gave a small sigh and looked up at the sky for a moment, thinking to himself for a silent moment and his tail gently swished back and forth behind him. He shook his head in a solemn, slow tone and continued on his way across the clearing, over to the freshkill pile. Sproutwhisker wondered what would be a good piece of prey to start off this peaceful day, his icy blue-hued gaze caught sight of several choices - from a few fish, to a squirrel and even a thrush within the pile. He decided to just take one of the smaller fish of the pile, wanting to leave the bigger pieces of prey to the ones who needed it, such as elders or queens heavy with kittens or even older warriors that worked even harder than he did. At times like these, the quiet warrior thought of Ripplewhisker, knowing how much of a father-figure he was to him. Sproutwhisker could’ve never made a home here if it wasn’t for him and he thanked him for that. Someday, he would grow old with his mate and then go up to Starclan, perhaps see his father once again. He could only hope that he was proud of him now. Noirepaw was very dear to him and he wondered if he was like Ripplewhisker to her like Ripplewhisker was to him - a fatherly figure that guided them through the toughest of times. He shook his head, knowing that it was foolish thinking.

He picked up the small silvery fish in his jaws and looked back over to the den where Noirepaw now rested, expecting to see her smiling, curious face, but no, she must’ve still been asleep. It was quite early and Sproutwhisker knew that, all those young apprentices needed their rest and he wasn’t one to snap at her to get up and train until her paws ached. He never saw the goodness in all of that harshness towards the youth and the tom-cat would never be that way towards anyone. The dark-furred warrior settled down in a warm patch of sunlight beside a tree, resting the limp piece of meat between his paws. Sproutwhisker’s ears twitched every now and then, listening to each sound that he could detect from within the forest behind him and even the camp before him. It was quiet for the most part, except for the occasional sound of a bird or yawn from the watch cat at the entrance. It was all so peaceful, but he also felt lonely. The tom-cat looked to the spot beside him that was currently bare.

“Don’t let those fish-brains get to you, Sprout.” Ripplewhisker purred, giving the small tom-cat a lick over the ears, “You’re doing a fine job getting used to clan life - I know you will.” The large, long-haired male looked down at him with gentle green-hued eyes and a loving smile on his maw. “You’ll be the best darned warrior they’ve ever seen!” The tom-cat exclaimed, “That’ll show them you aren’t just a kittypet, I certainly think you are so much more.” Sproutkit shifted his paws and looked down at the ground with a shy smile, “You really think so? I don’t know, they all look at me funny and say that I should go back where I came from..” His smile disappeared and Ripplewhisker gave a huff. “Nonsense, the lot of them! They should be happy, getting another cat to become a loyal warrior to fight and protect them. All these cats and their rudeness.. I’ll never understand them.” The larger tom-cat picked up the small kitten and placed him on his back. “Come on, you little mouse-brain. Let’s go to the one spot by the river and have some quality bonding time - that’ll make you forget about all their rubbish.” Sproutkit giggled and nodded, rubbing his face into Ripplewhisker’s thick head of fur, “You’re the mouse-brain, not me!” He exclaimed with a squeaking mew in his tone, which made the warrior chuckle as they walked off.

The young warrior’s ears dropped and a smile returned to his muzzle, but it showed the evidence of pain and loss in his expression. He missed him so much these days and it hurt him at times like these, but he shook his head. Sproutwhisker refused to look like a big softie like this clan saw him as once. Ripplewhisker believed in him and he knew the big tom-cat would be proud of where he was today, seeing him train Noirepaw. The tom-cat knew that he’d make some remark about her being like him at such a young age and such, like he always did. He let out a breath of air and laid there for a moment with his eyes closed before opening them, leaning down and taking a small bite of the fish between his paws. The taste was fresh and good, like always and it comforted him for a second or two, reminding him of fonder memories as he awaited the return of his curious, loving apprentice that he had. He had something special planned for today.

Noirepaw shifted her body as she laid in her nest. She knew the sun was beginning to rise, and if she allowed it to hit her eyes, she would be cranky. So, she turned around, twitching her nose in the process. Her paws with tucked under her, and her body curled into a ball. The position was awkward. One of complexity, but it was comfortable to the feline. She enjoyed sleeping like this where no one would bother her. Especially the sun that wished to awake her up. Yet, she knew that she had training today, but what’s wrong with a couple more moments of sleep? Sleep was a pleasurable thing. Noirepaw, herself wasn’t very open to being a morning cat. She liked to wake up when her body was ready to cooperate. She just hoped Sproutwhisker would understand as to why she hadn’t got up very early.

However, that didn’t seep into her mind. Her light snores were the only sound she could hear, and her body rose up and down in a content manner. She was in an dreamless sleep, but her mind was running as if she were awake. It was weird how that worked. When she wanted to sleep, but her thoughts kept unfolding around her. She didn’t know what brought on the weird feeling, but it kept her at bay as she slept. The thoughts weren’t bad...that bad, at least. They helped her, they formed her. It was hard for her to explain how they worked, but as she was sleeping, her mind entered into a state of longing. One that made her see her desperation for the future. Yesterday had been the time of her life. She had caught her first kill. She had been on her first hunt. Late last night, she debated whether she should go back out and feel that feelings again, but Sproutwhisker invaded her thoughts. Get some rest. It sounded like he was watching her every movement, and knew exactly what she wanted to do. Now, Noirepaw wasn’t much for the rebellious nature. If she were being rebellious, she preferred to call it fun. It was nothing wrong with having fun. Desperately, she wanted to go back out while the other cats were sleeping, but forced herself to stay in her nest. The other sleeping apprentices had lulled her into a dream state of her own.

As the couple moments passed, Noirepaw flickered her yellow hues opened, and she let out a small yawn. The sun was surely rising, almost appearing sunhigh to her, but she loved when the sun was beginning to rise, and the colors would appear that pretty light blue hue, tangled with the colors of yellow and orange--or, had she been the only one to see those charming colors? The small she cat stepped out her nest, sitting down in front of it to wipe sleep out her eyes. She lingered there for a few moments, her thoughts finally emptying themselves out as she calmly gazed around at the den. Some of the apprentices were still sleeping, and in no time would be awaken by their mentors. Noirepaw was actually quite surprised that Sproutwhisker had not showed up to awaken her.

Was he still asleep? Noirepaw flicked her ears, bringing up a paw to give it an aimless lick, before she lowered her body into a tender stretch. Each limb was stretched to its finest when it came to the black feline. She had to do everything elegantly, always believing that she was. After that was finished, she fluffed her black pelt and bounded out the den, a yawn escaping her once more. The sun’s light was blinding her, and made her cringe for a moment. Sleep was definitely still prodding at her. Her yellow eyes looked across the clearing, hoping to see a familiar face. She had hoped Sproutwhisker wasn’t still sleeping. He was an early bird, wasn’t he?

‘’Of course, he is.’’ Noirepaw smirked, her eyes landing on the familiar black pelt of the tom’s. She bounded over to him, a bright smile appearing on her face. ‘’See? I woke up early! Without your help!’’ She beamed at him, her eyes shining brightly. ‘’Aren’t you proud of me?’’ She began hopping around him in a bouncy manner. She was quite the upbeat cat, at first shy and mellow when first meeting her, but Sproutwhisker was good to her. He seemed to understand her, and so she showed her true colors. ‘’What are we doing today?’’ She stopped, sitting down abruptly in front of him as her tail thumped anxiously behind her.