RiverClan Clearing

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by Frosty

@SpringtrapFNAF


"Morningkit!wait up " came an almost inaudible giggle following a small cream tabby kit as she raced to the center of the camp . The kit looked up at her previously mute adoptive mother , eyes sparkling with excitement . " but Echostorm" she falsely whined, knowing better than actually complain.

The truth was, she was going to be an apprentice soon and was a little too excited. And a little restless . Morningkit looked up at her caretaker and smiled a bright, yet and innocent smile . But anyone that knew the small kit also knew she was anything but innocent . the two she cats sat down together before Echostorm spoke . " I need to go grab some prey. Please be good and don't get in trouble while I'm gone for a few moments " she whispered before licking "her " kits head and padding off, leaving a beaming Morningkit behind

Tallstep walked out of the warriors den, seeing the kit. He walked over to her, planting a friendly smile on his face. "Hi kit. What are you up too?" wondered the Riverclan Warrior. He licked his chest fur a few times before going to the fresh kill pile. He picked out a fish and sat down.

I wonder what she's doing out of the nursery. Wait! Duh! She's old enough to be out in the camp! Geez Tallstep you get weirder everyday!

The tom took a bite out of his prey, staring at the kit. "You want to share or do you want to get your own. I honestly never finish my food." He meowed, trying his best to be polite to Morningkit.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by SpringtrapFNAF

Tallstep walked out of the warriors den, seeing the kit. He walked over to her, planting a friendly smile on his face. "Hi kit. What are you up too?" wondered the Riverclan Warrior. He licked his chest fur a few times before going to the fresh kill pile. He picked out a fish and sat down.

I wonder what she's doing out of the nursery. Wait! Duh! She's old enough to be out in the camp! Geez Tallstep you get weirder everyday!

The tom took a bite out of his prey, staring at the kit. "You want to share or do you want to get your own. I honestly never finish my food." He meowed, trying his best to be polite to Morningkit.

Morningkit smiled up at the newcomer , flicking her ear in a greeting. "Oh, I was playing with my " caretaker " as she calls herself . but now she went to get prey and she is always searching for the smallest piece, so it takes forever " the young molly rambled to answer his first question , giggling at the thought of Echostorm looking at each fish and making a decision .

Once she shook herself from her thoughts she looked up carefully at the tom. " hmm, well, I am a but hungry , but I don't want to take your fish, even if you never finish . Echostorm always says you need to finish your food because a warrior needs to be strong and take advantage of whats given to them. " she meowed , glancing down at the fish and wondering.

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by Frosty

Morningkit smiled up at the newcomer , flicking her ear in a greeting. "Oh, I was playing with my " caretaker " as she calls herself . but now she went to get prey and she is always searching for the smallest piece, so it takes forever " the young molly rambled to answer his first question , giggling at the thought of Echostorm looking at each fish and making a decision .

Once she shook herself from her thoughts she looked up carefully at the tom. " hmm, well, I am a but hungry , but I don't want to take your fish, even if you never finish . Echostorm always says you need to finish your food because a warrior needs to be strong and take advantage of whats given to them. " she meowed , glancing down at the fish and wondering.

Tallstep dipped his head and began eating his fish with a tilt of his head. He was always having trouble with his teeth. One side his teeth is a little crooked, which makes it harder for him to eat. "It's whatever you want kit. I'm Tallstep by the way." he meowed, after swallowing his food. He took another bite, swallowing after he was done chewing.

I wonder where her actual mother is. Hmm. Let's not ask. It could be personal and you don't need to be getting in this kit's personal life, especially since you just met her.

The Riverclan tom finished his prey and began to lick the fish remains off his paws. He brushed his tongue through his chest fur. "Are you almost an Apprentice? You look a bit big." wondered Tallstep.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by SpringtrapFNAF

Tallstep dipped his head and began eating his fish with a tilt of his head. He was always having trouble with his teeth. One side his teeth is a little crooked, which makes it harder for him to eat. "It's whatever you want kit. I'm Tallstep by the way." he meowed, after swallowing his food. He took another bite, swallowing after he was done chewing.

I wonder where her actual mother is. Hmm. Let's not ask. It could be personal and you don't need to be getting in this kit's personal life, especially since you just met her.

The Riverclan tom finished his prey and began to lick the fish remains off his paws. He brushed his tongue through his chest fur. "Are you almost an Apprentice? You look a bit big." wondered Tallstep.

The little cats eyes sparkled . " pleasure to meet you Tallstep ! My name is Morningkit. " she purred quietly , holding her head proudly at the name she was given when adopted two moons ago . it was a reminder to her to always try and do what's best for not only herself ,but others as well

To the soon to be apprentice this tom was being rather kind , and she didn't even know her ! It made Morningkit smile inside , just to know that some cats showed kindness no matter what, even to ones they didn't even know

" oh, yes , I am almost an apprentice. Any day now and I'll be taking on the name paw . I can't wait! I really hope I get a good mentor " she meowed , light blue orbs widening with excitement .

Suddenly the kitten jumped with a soft yelp of fear when she felt a soft touch to her shoulder. She spun around and was surprised to see an amused Echostorm. " hello there " came her extremely soft voice as she dipped her head to Tallstep

[AnayaDusksong]

Moonface and Swiftstrike sunned themselves in the clearing, the brother and sister thoroughly enjoying the greenleaf sun together. Well, Swiftstrike was enjoying the sun. Moonface panted, her thick fur caging her in with the heat of the sun. "Hey, Swiftstrike," she finally said after suffering for what seemed like half the day, "How about we go for a swim? Or at least somewhere shadier? I'm boiling in this heat!"

Swiftstrike looked at her, smirking, his pale green eyes glinting with mischief. "Why ever would we do that? You can deal with a little heat, can't you?"

Moonface growled and swatted at him. "Come on, Swiftstrike. Quit being a mousebrain!"

The young white tom stretched as he stood. A little perturbed, he replied, "You're the mousebrain, Moon! When I asked you to come relax in the sun with me, I didn't mean you had to stay all day! Go for a swim yourself, I suppose. I'd like to stay here awhile longer."

"Fine, fine. See you later then, Swifty. And you better not lay around all day, or else I'll have to bite off the lazy hind-end of yours!" With that, Moonface leapt to her paws and trotted out of Camp, Swiftstrike watching her leave annoyedly.

[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.

[oats]

@woly
Honeycomb padded back into the clearing as they usually did, eyes blank, unsatisfied with life as they always were now. A thin, sallow-looking pike hung from their jaws; it was the only thing they'd had the motivation to catch, but they thought it was an apt metaphor for how life was going for them right now. They were, quite frankly, disgusted with their own behaviour and just... ethics and morals and everything in their life right now, but they would do the same thing anyways.
There was no point of change; everything would be the same. They'd wake up, hunt until they either went home with their sparse catch or passed out: if they didn't, do that, they would sleep, sleep and sleep some more. Dropping their pathetic-looking fish and curling up tightly, they sat in a ball and laid their head on the ground, staring into the distance as if there was something of interest there.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Constellation

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.

“I should get more sleep and stop making Noirepaw get up this early..” Sproutwhisker murmured, giving a slight yawn and stretching out his paws in front of him. He still had hints of tiredness deep within his expression and if that apprentice of his didn’t awake soon, then he would fall asleep right where he now laid. The last thing he wanted to do, however, was go against his word and still be asleep when she awakes for her next lesson. The black-furred male supposed that he kept himself up too much with his own thought of the past and his beloved father that he missed so dearly. If he was here, the muscular male would be chuckling at his tiredness and tell him to go dunk his head in the river. “That’ll wake you right up!” Sproutwhisker said, mimicking the grey-furred maine coon, “Or would you rather I threw you in the river myself?” The warrior huffed and shook his head ever so lightly, looking up at the trees as a morning breeze swept through them.

The dark-furred warrior’s ears perked up at the sound of rustling that came from within the apprentice’s den that was not that far away from where he was, making him immediately wonder if Noirepaw was finally awake and eager to start the day. Of course, he was never the harsh mentor to storm into the den and snap at their apprentice to get their haunches up and ready to go. No, Sproutwhisker knows to be caring and gentle with the youth of the clans, they were training, learning to become a strong, proud warrior. Harshness such as explained before was for selfish, disrespectful cats, but not cats like Noirepaw, who were happy to learn and know more about the forest that they were born in. It was certainly fascinating when he first learned the clan ways and all that followed with it.

His icy blue-hued eyes flickered shut more a moment as he uttered a content sigh that quietly escaped him as he laid there on the edge of the clearing. The partially eaten prey still resting between his paws, but he had means for it later, so the male didn’t bother with it for the moment. Then, without warning, the sound of pawsteps bounding towards him made the tom-cat awaken from his dazing off to meet eyes with the energetic apprentice that he cared for so dearly. A tired-sounding chuckle sounded from him as she exclaimed how she awake all on her own. “Of course, I’m proud. Although, I’m not surprised.” Sproutwhisker murmured, lazily heaving himself into a sitting position with his eyes sliding shut for a few seconds as he spoke, “You are mature, Noirepaw, responsible too. I knew that I didn’t need to be a strict mentor with you and wake you like some mentors do with their apprentices.” His tone was gentle and warming to the ears as he smiled down at the black-furred female as she bounded around him like a mischievous kitten. “I wish Starclan would grant me the energy of the youth once more..” He chuckled and shook his head, “But what am I saying - I’m only thirty moons.”

Her abrupt question made the mentor open his eyes to see Noirepaw park her haunches right before him, looking at the tom-cat with curious, energetic expression in her gaze and it made him smile with delight at her, knowing that she enjoyed this time with him. “Today, I have something special planned for us.” He said, heaving himself to his paws and turning away from her with a satisfied smile, “Come along before we waste anymore of the relaxing morning hours.” The male certainly didn’t give any details or hints to what they were doing, but after all, he wanted each experience with them together to be an adventure in itself. Sproutwhisker shook his fur, a bit of dust shifting from the tom’s fur as he strode across the clearing, waving his tail in the air to signal her to follow him.

[graves]

Originally Posted by pupy

@woly
Honeycomb padded back into the clearing as they usually did, eyes blank, unsatisfied with life as they always were now. A thin, sallow-looking pike hung from their jaws; it was the only thing they'd had the motivation to catch, but they thought it was an apt metaphor for how life was going for them right now. They were, quite frankly, disgusted with their own behaviour and just... ethics and morals and everything in their life right now, but they would do the same thing anyways.
There was no point of change; everything would be the same. They'd wake up, hunt until they either went home with their sparse catch or passed out: if they didn't, do that, they would sleep, sleep and sleep some more. Dropping their pathetic-looking fish and curling up tightly, they sat in a ball and laid their head on the ground, staring into the distance as if there was something of interest there.

Wolfdancer waited to pad into the clearing for a moment after watching Honeycomb enter. She wished things were different. She wished they could share a nest again, to feel close again instead of sleeping alone at nights. Instead they slept across the whole den from eachother, and it hurt. It had been awhile since they last talked, and Wolf looked majorly different. Her fur wasnt as thick or fluffy anymore, instead it hung closer to her body from how much weight she was losing. She looked about the weight of a normal warrior now, which with her breeed, a mainecoon, was frankly concerning. Scars littered her body now, shreds of fur seems to be ripped out and replaced with large scabbed gashes the littered her sides like stripes. Working in the Darkforest with Moonstrike was tough, every time she walked her body ached. All she wanted to do was sleep, but she knew if she sleeped she would be faced with Moonstrike again. So instead Wolfdancer busied herself with merciless training, often training until she passed out in the territory alone. Her nest was empty most nights, only really going in the warriors den if she needed something. She had been trying to avoid Honeycomb right now. Wolfdancer didnt deserve their presence. Walking into the clearing she held no prey, nothing. Instead tired golden eyes that used to be bright and full of energy, her eyes became slitted once seeing the familiar ginger enby. Looking away immediately, she sat on the opposite end of the clearing; a more shady spot in the clearing. Now that it was greenleaf her thick fur had been nothing but a nuisance for over heating. She laid down--more like slumped down, resting her head on one of her scarred arms. She tried to keep her eyes open, but she had simply been awake for too long. She knew she would be greeted with Moonstrike again, to be greeted with the Darkforest in endless torment. Its what she deserved after all; some cats werent meant to be loved.

[oats]

Originally Posted by woly

Wolfdancer waited to pad into the clearing for a moment after watching Honeycomb enter. She wished things were different. She wished they could share a nest again, to feel close again instead of sleeping alone at nights. Instead they slept across the whole den from eachother, and it hurt. It had been awhile since they last talked, and Wolf looked majorly different. Her fur wasnt as thick or fluffy anymore, instead it hung closer to her body from how much weight she was losing. She looked about the weight of a normal warrior now, which with her breeed, a mainecoon, was frankly concerning. Scars littered her body now, shreds of fur seems to be ripped out and replaced with large scabbed gashes the littered her sides like stripes. Working in the Darkforest with Moonstrike was tough, every time she walked her body ached. All she wanted to do was sleep, but she knew if she sleeped she would be faced with Moonstrike again. So instead Wolfdancer busied herself with merciless training, often training until she passed out in the territory alone. Her nest was empty most nights, only really going in the warriors den if she needed something. She had been trying to avoid Honeycomb right now. Wolfdancer didnt deserve their presence. Walking into the clearing she held no prey, nothing. Instead tired golden eyes that used to be bright and full of energy, her eyes became slitted once seeing the familiar ginger enby. Looking away immediately, she sat on the opposite end of the clearing; a more shady spot in the clearing. Now that it was greenleaf her thick fur had been nothing but a nuisance for over heating. She laid down--more like slumped down, resting her head on one of her scarred arms. She tried to keep her eyes open, but she had simply been awake for too long. She knew she would be greeted with Moonstrike again, to be greeted with the Darkforest in endless torment. Its what she deserved after all; some cats werent meant to be loved.

Oh.
There she was. Honeycomb raised a lip, exposing one of their fangs as they made what could only be described as a pained noise, taking in the sight of Wolfdancer’s current state; she was doing, quite frankly, horribly. Their ear flicked briefly, but they allowed themself no more. You’d think she was dying with the amount of fur she’d lost, the scars crisscrossing her flesh as if they’d hadn’t been an accident. There had been no patrols lately, and all relations with other clans seemed… peaceful. There had been no reason as to why they were there, and they looked too deliberate. Way too neatly placed, as if she had either been fighting for hours on end, or pinned down and given each one in a process that would have been extremely torturous had it actually occurred.
The splotched enby twitched, eyes trained on a particular part of her pelt that looked like it had been shown no mercy at all; they could not imagine the pain she must’ve gone through, that she was going through right now. Her gait was pathetic, and that was saying something coming from them, a cat who could barely keep their weight up while swimming, as if they wanted to drown or be swept away. For a moment, their gazes met, and once more, Honeycomb’s ear twitched; they shuffled, tucking their tail in-between their legs as if to say that they were not a threat, asserting their submission. Starclan, they muttered inwardly. What a mess. They knew things were difficult, and it was probably insensitive for them to think like that, but could she not think about what was wrong with her for a moment? She had kits to care for; herself to care for. Battles could be won in the long-term, but if she died, her brood would be heartbroken. Who was to say no deaths would follow her own, either? Honeycomb had nothing to lose.
It wasn’t clear what was happening, but they did not like it one bit. They didn’t like the idea of being ignored for too long, for her to practically be sleeping on her feet, for her to be alone. The words they’d spoke in that clearing still left a bitter, acrid taste in their mouth, and Honey found themself thinking they would never find anything to be sweet again. They picked themself up, hesitant like a kitten taking their first steps, and picked their way around the clearing, treading the path Wolfdancer had taken to the shade. They approached her slowly, stopping about a foxlength away from her, head down, eyes glued to their camp’s floor. What would they say now?