Hope Blooms

[Ziera]

// @sid - no need to match length! Just served as an intro post for Mudskip's character<3

Oh dear. Several seasons in a row had been analogous to a dense, soupy fog over the fortunes of ThunderClan, obscuring any clear path forward. Mudskip noticed the drain in his clanmates’ faces; they suffered each day stuffed with tedium, tragedy striking repeatedly till their optimism eroded. It was no way to live.

That all changed when Cindersky announced their victory at Firefly Cove. A beam of sunlight broke through the sea of grey at last, returning the spark to so many cats’ eyes, something far more valuable than a stretch of land. Hope revived. And now! With the river-shadow receded and physical battles taken care of, the time had finally come where Mudskip could be of use.

He wasn’t some beef-witted, bulky warrior meant to take down enemies, nor was Mudskip the most talented hunter—strenuous activities were best left to those with stamina—but there were other ways to serve one’s clan! Ways that Mudskip believed to be his true talent. While morale picked up following the win, that didn’t mean it would stay. Someone should patiently tend to the embers...encourage the flame to catch. Don’t worry, he’d thought, allow me to take up the burden.

Mudskip began with a gloomy-looking apprentice; teenagers were his toughest crowd, so might as well get some practice. He approached, smiled, then dropped delicate plants on the earth between them.

“Would you mind holding one of these?” Mudskip made his voice softer than its usual volume. He nudged the stem of a flower with his nose, a playful, shy gleam in his eyes (in case Sagepaw looked).

He got the idea to bring flowers back after brushing his fluffy pelt against them that morning (for the scent, of course.) Why not take a few? They were pretty, smelled good, and Mudskip imagined any object with those two qualities automatically made an excellent gift. (To his knowledge these flowers had no medicinal properties…but that was fine.)

[furrensic]

@Ziera //

➵ [ sagepaw | they/he/she ]

would he dare step outside of the apprentices den today? would he show his face and actually socialize with his..clan? (every now and then, especially of late, the word felt very odd. like it was wrong. but this was his clan, right? he'd lived here for moons.)

peering outside of the den, sagepaw sighed. they wondered if this was it. just..sitting..in a den until they felt good enough to come out - watching their clanmates move on, become warriors, become apprentices, and so on, while he just..stayed. would she ever even become a warrior? or get a full name at the least, even if that meant becoming an elder or something? you'll probably be the last to get a full name, just like you were the last to become an apprentice. maybe you should actually do something.

crowberry definitely wouldn't like their brain if she could hear it. hopefully I don't see her again, he thought with a small sniff before exiting the den and entering the dreaded clearing. only moments into stepping out into the sunshine, a wild mudskip approached her! and he had..flowers? (a smile, too!) they suddenly felt very uncomfortable. did the tom want her to hold this for a bit so he could look for someone else?? was she being mistaken for another cat? maybe he was just being nice since they (most likely) looked so moody. wow, they felt oddly seen - if the flower was actually for them.

"oh.." sagepaw began, unsure of what exactly to say. "i mean, yeah, i can hold it. but uh..why, exactly..??" he wondered, bending down to pick up one of the flowers from the ground.

[Ziera]

// @sid - Sagepaw has my whole heart

He was quite pleased Sagepaw accepted the gift (even if they questioned it). Mudskip leaned closer to them, his smile turning a mite conspiratorial, hoping to ease their discomfort while not appearing to notice it.

“For one, I don’t want to be alone if any droning warrior-weasels give me grief for picking flowers that uh—" might as well admit what Sagepaw was smart enough to deduce—"would be as useful to Sundust as a wet nose.” The elder one sighed, gaze turning somber and straying to the middle-distance, as if he contemplated a profound, philosophical mystery. “Some are too thick to grasp that there are several kinds of medicine, and pretty things can be one such kind for the soul.”

Mudskip winked at the kid, his own covert way of assuring the gift was safe to accept, meant for them. “But to answer your question honestly, I don't know. You just looked like you could use one.” Or two. In fact! Mudskip bent, chest fur grazing the dirt as he scooped up one of the extra flowers. This one’s petals were a sky blue. It would look brilliant tucked behind Sagepaw’s ear—bring out their eyes and everything, maybe make them forget whatever had been weighing on them. At least...for a time. Mudskip gestured with a creamy paw. “Mind if I…?” His mew travelled through a mouthful of stem. He quickly added: “Only if you want to, that is!”

[furrensic]

@Ziera //

➵ [ sagepaw | they/he/she ]

warrior-weasels? okay, that was a bit funny. even if sagepaw would never say it herself. "medicine for the soul," she repeated in a murmur, offering mudskip a questioning look. well, the flower was pretty and smelled good, so they couldn't turn it down. besides, they couldn't remember the last time they'd picked up a flower after they left the meadow to join the clan.

"oh." so he had looked gloomy. well, i know what to work on now. I don't want everyone to think I'm...emo or something. not that being emo was a bad thing, but they didn't want to be known as the local grinch. hopefully, mudskip would hand out flowers from time to time whether they looked happy or not — they were beginning to appreciate the small gesture.

the tabby watched the tom scoop up another flower - a sky blue one. was he really going to give them another one?? (she made a small mental note: mudskip, possibly one of their first actual friends?) "oh, uh..yeah? i dont..mind." they replied quietly, a bit sheepishly. a tiny smile appeared soon after, an actual one.

[Ziera]

// @sid - lmk if you want me to change anything, assumed it was fine for Mud to successfully place the flower <3

Their confusion at ‘medicine for the soul’ prodded Mudskip to talk around the flower again. “Yes, erm, you know.” Hmm. He allowed a layer of bravado to fall away (don’t worry, there were plenty more), considering how to explain.

“That is to say, stuff that make you happy, or perhaps less sad. Well I say those things are equally important as those that make you, uh, physically competent or…what some here might deem more 'useful'. We feed ourselves, fight battles, and heal wounds, but rarely do we stop and consider our non-tangible needs—let alone wants! Therefore. Flowers make me happy, damn it, so flowers I’ll have.” That got more spirited than he intended, so Mudskip decided to switch gears. “What about you? Any medicines for your soul in particular?” What made Sagepaw happy? His innocuous question held an unspoken promise of nonjudgement, but a levity, too. No pressure existed to answer.

Mudskip glowed at the picture of the apprentice's smile. It changed their whole face! He was thankful they appeared to be content with this, perhaps even comfortable?? More so than they started, at least. A gentle mmph served as his acknowledgement. Seconds later—thank stars Sagepaw wasn’t much taller than Mudskip, or else this part would’ve been a pain in the ass—the blue violet sat sweet upon their head, nuzzled against one ear.

The tom leaned back with an appraising look. He'd been right about it bringing out their eyes. It wasn't long before Mudskip was nodding approval, grinning. “Do you feel brilliant? Because you look it,” the warrior declared, clearly satisfied. And then, because StarClan hated him, it hit. Oh dear. Mudskip felt the insatiable itch in the back of his nose, barely managing to jerk away from Sagepaw before – oof! He sneezed in a sort of 'squeak', the sound higher pitched than he would like to admit.