Stuck on the Straight and Sparrow

[Ziera]

// @Jayvines - hope this works! Let me know if you'd like me to edit anything <3

Mudskip stirred at the first hums of birdsong. Damn. He’d always been a light sleeper, and once awake, the damage was irreversible. “Oh, must you?” Apparently so. Mud’s small body—the outline of which was hidden under tufts of brown and cream fur—stretched to the mossy rims of his nest, easing him into consciousness. But not all the way.

Sluggish and uncoordinated, Mudskip managed to abandon the comfort of his bedding, but not so he might grace the clearing with his presence oh no, no no. Instead? The tom did something nostalgic. He stumbled into Sparrowflight’s nest. It was impossible to tell if said nest was occupied through bleary lenses, but Mudskip felt something warm under him when he tumbled in a heap. Hopefully it was..the right one. Else this would be difficult to explain.

Now that he thought about it, her presence was surprising. A miracle Sparrow hadn’t already risen to do, erm, whatever she did nowadays—catch the early worm.

...Or was it the early bird who caught a regular worm?

Point was his ridiculously motivated friend had always been, quite frankly, ridiculously motivated; not just compared to him (a low bar), but compared to most. He understood why - sort of. She’d been a kittypet, yada yada, wanted to prove herself, but as far as Mudskip was concerned? Sparrow accomplished a couple lifetimes worth of proving herself already. Her resume was stunning, and bonus points, she wasn't a jerk about it!

“Cinderstar would like…to inform you that…you have the day off." Mudskip's teasing voice was thick with sleep. “So don’t even think about jostling me.” Sparrowflight could afford sleeping in just this once to be squished by hang out with her old pal…right?

[Jayvines]

~ Sparrowflight ~

**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**********
Cold, salty water surrounded her.

It was almost... peaceful in a way; watching her tail pushed to-and-fro with the waves and the small creatures of the deep as they swam by. But something was wrong... She couldn't help but feel like she had forgotten something... The cold embrace of the liquid surrounding her was starting to be displaced by a warm burning sensation in her chest.

Oh, that was quite nice after all the cold. Yes... Warm was good, but what was she forgetting?...

Gradually that warmth continued to grow hotter and hotter, uncomfortably so, and Sparrowflight attempted to stretch out her chest to try and dissipate the feeling... But she couldn't move.

Panic.

As her attempts to force even a single nose twitch failed again and again, Sparrowflight suddenly remembered what she had forgotten. What the burning in her chest had been trying to do.

She needed to breath. SHE NEEDED TO BREATH!

**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**********

With a gasping breath Sparrowflight startled awake to the solid weight of another cat flopping overtop of her and the gentle tittering of New-leaf birdsong. Drats... she had overslept. Attempting to force her breathing back into a semi-normal rate, she only caught a few words of Mudskip's apparent "forced day-off" for her.

Stars above, he hadn't changed a bit had he.

"Mudskif," she grumbled, muzzle stuck underneath the tom's pelt as he lounged on top of her. "I gotta do stuf. Don'efen know wat a day off is, an'only Sundus' can mak me do'em."

A half-hearted attempt at wiggling out from under him was made, but a dull ache from the side of her chest where Shimmerbird had walloped her had Sparrowflight pausing to let the pain settle. Heaving a sigh into the tom's brown and cream fur, her mind was shunted back to their apprentice days and the shenanigans those moons held... Well then, if Mudskip wanted to be nostalgic instead of letting her get her day started, she could be nostalgic.

Squeezing one of her front legs out from underneath him, Sparrowflight pulled her muzzle out of Mudskip's fur just enough to thoroughly lick her paw before shoving it (gently) into his ear. Enjoy wet ear while you're trying to snooze mister skipper.

[ @Ziera Shenanigans have begun XD ]

[Ziera]

// @Jayvines

Oblivious about any dreams she might be having, Mudskip attributed Sparrow's gasping to the surprise of another feline using her as a pillow. He ignored her grumbling about Sundust authority, opting instead to mutter through his sleepy haze: "You're not soft enough." If any cat had the audacity to complain in this context, it was Mudskip. "Did you know...productivity gives you..muscles? Makes you a lousy..cuddler. Eugh." To Sparrow's credit, he wasn't giving her a fair shot. What he did wouldn't qualify as the sweet, adorable cuddling that might occur between friends or family; Mudskip lounged atop her like a lizard might on a warm stone.

She wiggled. He frowned. It wouldn't be difficult to dislodge him, as Mudskip was small enough that a faint breeze might send him sprawling, but Sparrow didn't try very hard. For a second he dared to hope !! Did she give in? Would she stay? Had he convinced her that -

"eEEEHG!"

When he felt something unexpectedly damp slip into his ear, Mudskip scrambled off faster than Snakeheart denied poison claw allegations. He was too preoccupied rounding on the backstabber to be properly embarrassed about waking every warrior in the den. "Sparrowflight, you fiend, I swear to StarClan I won't forget how you betrayed our friendship today. Honestly, what are you, three moons old? The- you did - you are revolting!"

After the initial shock passed (and more than a few shudders), Mudskip had to admit...it was...funny. He tried so hard not to smile his lips twitched in protest. It was completely accidental when he sighed--exhaustion settling once again and stirring the more affectionate side of him--and murmured- "I miss your ridiculous face. Scoot over...stick around, just this once?"

[Jayvines]

~ Sparrowflight ~

Green eyes sparkled with mirth as Mudskip scrambled off her with a yowl of indignation. His following words of betrayal and disgust seemed to only heighten that look of amusement on her face, and as much as she tried to stop herself, his twitching whiskers as he fought back a smile of his own finally managed to make Sparrowflight crack.

A half contained snort escaped her muzzle before she quickly dissolved into a chuckling mess. Stars, she hadn't done something like that for MOONS, and Mudskip's reaction was utterly perfect. Attempting to mostly stem her laughter as Mudskip finally spoke up again, Sparrowflight skootched over to make enough room in her nest for her friend.

"I miss your face too Mudskip," she managed to purr out between her sporadic chuckles. "I suppose after giving you a wet ear you deserve some compensation, but I'm not staying in my nest past sunhigh. Not even if I have to wear you on my back as I exit the den."

Settling back into the moss with a sigh, Sparrowflight stretched out her torso slightly before her friend settled in. It couldn't hurt to have one slow start... She could make up for it tomorrow and do some extra things around camp. She was... Oh stars above, it felt weird to think of herself as deputy. The title still felt heavy on her shoulders, but perhaps that was a good thing. It could motivate her to do all she could for her clan to live up to their expectations.

"Do you really think I'll be able to do well as Thunderclan's deputy?..." she quietly mumbled to her friend. "I can't help but feel like I'm lacking in some ways. Everything happened so fast... And maybe if Cindersky--well Cinderstar now--had taken some more time, she'd have chosen someone... well, someone more experienced?"

[ @Ziera ]

[Ziera]

// @Jayvines

As harrowing as that experience had been, Mudskip’s indignance diminished at the sound of Sparrowflight’s laughter. A rare sound these days. (Didn’t change how he was offended by her audacity though.) Solely for the sake of keeping up appearances, he scoffed at Sparrow before easing himself into the warmth of her mossy nest, even cuddling up against her side—if she’d allow it.

…Perhaps she was soft enough after all.

A tired smile pulled his lips back at hearing Sparrowflight’s terms. “You certainly do owe me,” he agreed readily. “And I would make an excellent accessory, thank you very much. The clan would go green with envy! M’not sure you deserve to wear me on your back.”

That waiting silence settled into the nest with them, and Mudskip recognized it as the calm before a question. He was just about to ask what was on Sparrow’s mind before she offered it up free of charge, and…ah yes. Mud was about as surprised as he'd be if someone said ThunderClan caught fire again.

He got the feeling it was time for a sincere answer. Dismissing the sarcastic retorts that came to mind, the small tom wriggled closer, chasing the heat. “Of course I do.” Mudskip’s tone left no room for questioning it. First, he offered his real reasoning: “You’ve done more for ThunderClan in the last several moons than some leaders accomplished their entire nine lives. Clanmates think so, too, I took a poll! Not to mention Cindy chose you." He tried to gently bop Sparrow's nose (or what he thought was her nose). "Were you at the clan meeting where she changed her mind? Huh, baffling, me either. I...trust her judgement; perhaps you should consider doing the same.” Mudskip huffed, the sound muffled by fur. “And. No offense, but you always feel like you’re lacking in some ways. I wish you’d stop being an idiot and recognize that you’re brilliant.”

Another pause, another question -- Mudskip's this time. "..is it...odd to know that someday, you'll be leader of ThunderClan?"

[Jayvines]

~ Sparrowflight ~

Returning her friend's snuggles with a soft sigh, Sparrowflight allowed her eyes to wander up to the roof of the warrior's den as Mudskip gave a... surprisingly sincere answer. She had expected more of his more standard sarcastic remarks, but to hear him state his confidence in her... Well it was both a relief and an extra weight added to her shoulders. What if he was wrong?...

Thankfully, his gentle (yet slightly haphazard) bop to the side of her muzzle cracked another grin across her face and she shifted slightly closer to her childhood friend as he continued mumbling into her fur. Mudskip certainly did have a point in regards to trusting Cinderstar's judgement. To question her worthiness for this position meant questioning the judgement of the molly who had appointed her, and Sparrowflight certainly didn't want to do that...

A sudden flush of embarrassed heat spread across her fur at the unexpected compliment. Jaws opened and closed a few times as she attempted to respond to the sudden declaration of her apparent 'brilliance'.

"Well you-- I mean, I'm not really... Oh stars above..."

A huff of embarrassment escaped her muzzle and she quickly decided the only real way to communicate her thanks without her mouth short-circuiting would be a hug. One paw flipped up over Mudskip's back and she pulled him close into a brief squeeze before relaxing into comfortable silence once again.

Perhaps everything would turn out alright with this appointment... Green eyes closed as she listened to the gentle tittering of birds outside of camp, muscles relaxing into her nest. While this interruption to her usually strict schedule wasn't expected, Sparrowflight found herself surprisingly grateful for the interruption. Mudskip was a real furball sometimes but honestly this was quite thoughtfu---

A half-choking wheeze forced it's way out of her chest as Mudskip dropped that absolute BOMB of a question onto her. Coughing a few times to clear away the saliva she had accidentally choked on, Sparrowflight cleared her throat before even attempting to answer that.

"I-I mean I hadn't ACTUALLY thought about that. You know Cinderstar is strong and healthy, and-and who KNOWS what will happen in the next few moons. I certainly don't," she managed to stammer out, desperately trying to figure out her own answer to that question. Darn Mudskip and his surprisingly deep, reality-altering questions. "I suppose if--and this is really quite unlikely to happen anytime soon you know--if Cinderstar ever stepped down or, stars forbid, something happened I would have to take on the role. I... I don't think I'm ready now, but... yes, it is EXTREMELY odd to think about.

[ @Ziera ]

[Ziera]

// @Jayvines

That’s it, she gets the tilt. Mudskip’s signature move. He often dipped his head to show affectionate pity, a silent, less offensive ‘oh honey’ sort of thing, and Sparrow’s inability to handle a compliment triggered it. How in StarClan’s name could she remain oblivious to her own worth? Only Sparrow. Unfortunately, being snuggled so close together, this head tilt felt like an awkward sort of…lean. Moss caressed his cheek and made it itch. He was about to comment, when— oh!

Mudskip got swallowed up by light-colored fur. Pitter - pattering of Sparrowflight’s heart filled his ears in the otherwise silent warrior’s den. Did—did she just hug him? His brain caught up after it was over, the phantom pressure on his back offering corroboration. Mud softened into a mushy puddle, purring contentedly.

And then she had to ruin it by hacking out her lungs (he was being dramatic). Mud’s whiskers twitched, amusement twinkling in those baby blue eyes as he listened to the frenzied backpedaling. “StarClan, you act as if I said something mutinous, scandalous, or both! Take a breath!” His tone wasn’t serious. One languid stretch later, Mudskip added more. “Heavens. Nothing will happen to Cindy. She’ll go off, acquire herself several more lives, meet a dazzling lady friend who she’ll tell me all about, and lead ThunderClan into brighter days—all with you by her side.” Since he was warm and being adequately cuddled, and Sparrow sounded more uneasy than usual, Mudskip decided to be loose with his affirmations. “We’re lucky to have you. Both of you. I’ll not stand for your nonsense! You know I'm deathly allergic to self-doubt, Sparr.” As if Mudskip planned it, a sneeze tickled its way up his nose. It came out in a tiny puff of sound. Mud scoffed, wiping his muzzle with a paw. “See? Look what you’ve done.”