[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Arié

Ravenvine nodded gently. He was feeling drowsy again and knew that it was due to the exercise that they had done today, more than they had done in their past moon. But he couldn't allow himself to fall asleep, and then he got an idea. Standing full up he mused, "You remember I used to build shelters... I'll see if I can make one. But without brambles, I am not risking your eyes this time around." He walked forward and sensed that the pine tree's root were all over the place, a place that would shelter them against the wind - which was the most important thing for a nest. He pawed the place before calling Tuftbreeze over gently, "Tufty. This seems like a good place." He walked around making sure that there was enough space for them to curl up cozily and then started scooping out the dirt. He didn't care to build more on the shelter but rather focus on the nest and he turned his head looking at Tuftbreeze with his right eye. "Can you find something soft to line the nest with? Or you can come over here if you wanna sleep on rough dirt," he meowed lightly. He then went back to his work in scooping out dirt to make the dip for them to curl up in.

Tuftbreeze smiled; their last nest-building night in the territory was a fond memory of hers. Even though the rogue incident happened the next morning, the two events seemed like a lifetime apart to her - meaning she thankfully didn't associate shelter building with the anxiety-inducing rogue attack. "Of course I remember! I was so impressed when you first told me, you know. Not everyone in the clan's a good builder." She stood and approached the place that Ravenvine had pointed out, looking over the area and giving a firm nod. "I'll see if there's moss nearby - and don't worry, I've just checked for any spiders here. You shouldn't have any issues while I'm gone." As she spoke, she gently pawed a tiny spider, causing it to run the opposite direction. Satisfied that she'd ensured the area's 'safety' for Raven, the molly walked off on her search for moss. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she should've eaten earlier when she had the chance, and decided it'd be a good opportunity to catch the two of them some food as well. A quick scent of the area brought a blackbird to Tuftbreeze's attention. Perfect! They'd be able to use the feathers as part of their nest as well. Falling into a hunter's crouch, she reveled in being able to hunt once more. This, along with patrolling, had been all Tuft spent her days on before Raven. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed hunting until now, when the opportunity to do so fell into her paws. Soon enough, Tuftbreeze was headed back towards the spot Ravenvine had decided to set up shelter, bird between her teeth and a small bit of moss clamped to her chest using her chin. She had to walk funny to make sure she wouldn't drop any of their moss, and quickly let it all fall once she reached the dug out spot for their nest. "I found food!" Her exclamation was muffed by the bird, and she dropped that, too, licking her lips. "Blackbird - figured we'd need food, and the feathers would be nice and soft for our nest too." She looked down at the prey, pride swelling in her chest - she still had her hunting skills, even after a moon without practicing - before she took a good look at the shelter. "How're things coming along on your end?"

Originally Posted by Cindercloud777

I'm so sorry!! I've been on vacation with my family and I haven't been on to see any notifs. </3 ))

Duskwing had coincidentally found a small pebble near her paws, sliding it over towards him. She cleared her throat and sat up as tall as she could. "And here's your award for your grand accomplishment." She burst into a fit of snickering and giggling at the tiny rock. Some award. There was something about this that had her in such good spirits. Was it him? Surely it wasn't. Duskwing never got along with others, it's just how she always has been. The environment they were in must have been it. "Oh, the horror! I'd be completely useless at that point. No sight or hearing!" She mocked a look of terror at the joke. While the idea of it actually was scary, she was in too good of a mood to think negatively of the joke.

"I find it so hard to imagine myself with kits of my own. I'm not entirely sure if I want them or not, but.. It's an amusing thought." The she-cat purred in amusement. "I think I'm mostly put off by the idea of having them at such a young age." She looked him over with a slight smile, gently nudging his side. "Did I embarrass you?" Duskwing teased as Sunmist looked down at his paws. She wasn't sure what it was, but he appeared almost adorable at that very moment. 'Almost.' She mentally reminded herself.

She fell silent as he spoke of his littermate, looking away to avoid staring and causing any possible discomfort. "I'm.. Really sorry to hear that." Her voice was low and soft-spoken. She didn't dare imagine the pain she would feel if she lost her brother completely. Duskwing hesitantly went to gently rest her tail on his shoulder in a comforting manner. She looked at him shortly after he looked her way, seemingly not taking any offense to his advice. In fact, she appreciated it even if they didn't know eachother that well. Pain flickered in her eye as he finished speaking, but nodded her head in thanks. "I.. I'll make sure to talk to him later. That really did help." She murmured, along with a hard-to-hear 'Thank you.'

An interested expression crept upon her face as he spoke of his first gathering. "Oh? Please tell more!" She mrrowed with laughter, "I would love to know more about this mess of a gathering."

(No worries! Hope you've been having fun on vacation )

Sunmist looked down at his paws where the pebble had landed, his ears perked up attentively. His whiskers twitched in amusement, but he still managed to pull an awe-struck tone. "It's beautiful." Glancing up at the molly, a grin spread across his maw at the sight of her laughing. He felt oddly proud, managing to get Duskwing - a cat known for being moody - to giggle. He tilted his head, nodding a bit in agreement to what she said. "Hey, at least you'd have all the apprentices at your beck and call." He chuckled, shaking his head as he did so and wondering what was wrong with him. A cat going deaf and blind was a horrible scenario, how was he able to joke about such a thing? He didn't have the slightest clue, but here they were, laughing at the possibility. At least the tom didn't think she'd actually be going deaf and blind.

The tabby eyed Duskwing, trying to imagine what she would be like with kits of her own. Despite her moody reputation, he imagined she'd be a fairly good mother. She was proving to be exceptionally friendly and enjoyable to be around to him, after all, so why couldn't she be pleasant with kits too? He didn't comment, though, instead opting to voice his own stance. "I know I want some for sure, just... it's a bit of a weird situation. I want them, but I'm not even feeling romantically towards any molly right now, you know? Like, sure, I've got plenty of mollies I hang out with, but they're all either friends or just hunting buddies." He gave a brief frown. "Everyone's expecting me to have kits, though, and soon. I'm almost thirty moons old now, and pretty much everyone I've grown up with has already paired off and are starting families. So I've been asked about kits pretty frequently nowadays, actually. It's starting to get embarrassing." He gave a short laugh despite the situation. He glanced away, only to have his attention drawn back to the molly by a nudge to his side. "I'm not good with receiving compliments. It's not everyday I get one, either," Sunmist explained, trying to push all his embarrassment back, but his ears still flitted backwards, giving him away.

When the molly looked away, Sunmist did as well. "Thank you," he murmured. Feeling her tail, he turned to face Duskwing, giving an appreciative smile when she turned his way. He was visibly relieved to notice she hadn't taken any offense to his words. "Glad it did," he answered, giving the molly a smile.

His expression quickly changed to barely contained amusement. Alright, alright, fine. But if you breathe a word of what I'm about to tell you to anyone - and I mean anyone - you can consider yourself crowfood." He tried his best to appear threatening, but tied in with his barely restrained laughter, Sunmist wouldn't have even looked intimidating to a kit in that moment. The tom sat up, taking a breath in preparation for his retelling. "So, I must've just turned 7 moons, right? Back then, I was nothing like how I am now. Starclan, I was the most arrogant, loud-mouthed apprentice in the den. I don't know how my denmates put up with me." He gave a short shake of the head and breathed a laugh. "Anyways, I'm trying to show off to the apprentices from one of the other clans. Riverclan I think. And one of the she-cats there wasn't digging it at all. She dared me to take a swim - said if I was as much of a big shot as I was acting, then I'd be able to do it. I should've said no." The tom's whiskers twitched. "But of course I didn't. Now, I'd never had any experience swimming in my life, so I was scared out of my mind. But my reputation was on the line, so I had to do it. Back then, Sunpaw was a tom who wouldn't back down from anything. So I dove in head first, no hesitation." He gave a pause and let quiet fall for a moment before finishing. "In the end, I had to be saved... you can imagine how satisfied that molly was when she dragged me out. Her mentor praised her for her actions... while I was getting the biggest telling-off in my life." While it was an incredibly embarrassing story - one that Sunpaw demanded no one speak of - Sunmist's unrestrained laughter made it clear that he didn't dwell on it anymore. He'd changed a lot since then, and to him the past was the past. He was more than happy to laugh about how much of a mouse-brain he'd been in his younger days.