The rook and the recluse [P]

[Fritter]

"The recluse."
CATFISH CHIRP
He/Him - Warrior - Shadowclan
Mind Reader | Agatha kitty | Heightened perception (hearing)

CatfishChirp was slumped down in a corner of the camp- it was a particularly pleasant day, perfect for a chance to catch some extra prey or perhaps even.. start a conversation. As it stood there were no specific feline’s lingering in the clearing he wanted to or had any impulse to start a conversation with. Tail waving lightly he rose to his paws and found his focus fall upon a particular enforcer. If he could recall there was quite some fuss made over how an enforcer stepped down rather than was replaced.. or something along those lines. He wasn’t there so it was hard to know the exact details. Was it too late to say congratulations as a conversation starter? And, more importantly, did he really want to speak with an.. enforcer. He didn’t find those higher in the ranks as cats who sat around to chat.

Moving over, CatfishChirp promptly cleared his throat. If that didn’t get RookFire’s attention he offered a careful “Excuse me..” Now that he’d actually gone and started conversation somewhat Catfish stirred thinking on what to actually say. Perhaps some light chitchat with no goal would be enough to satisfy the horrible need to speak to another living breathing feline. Socialising.. was not the easiest thing to do on a whim! Although he found himself stuck in more chance encounters lately it wasn’t enjoyable to make up conversation topics on the spot. But once again here he was starting a conversation he would end up running his mouth in anyway. He picked his words MUCH more carefully than usual, meaning he was twice as slow to speak.

“RookFire… Correct?” surely he’d at least got their name right, despite the spaced apart speaking he was generally well-collected in demeanour which was good, “Quite.. nice weather… I think. Probably… good for.. hunting. Not like i intend to go hunting but…” Catfish blanked seemingly lost in thought. Such thoughts being he needed a new thing to speak about outside of this train wreck weather talk. Fast. Gossip infront of an enforcer sounded foolish, although he usually had worse self-control on spreading rumours so he supposed it was a pat-on-the back moment for himself. “An enforcer for long?” that sounded like a much better topic. Catfish indulged in menial gossip more than he did actual factual information so he had the tendency to miss out on what was actually happening in the clan.

[Please ignore how messy this is uhm.. i was trying to get this actually done before i forgot ]

@alec

[alec]

ROOKFIRE
[ he/him | shadowclan enforcer | purrks ]
⤷ᯓ★ˎˊ˗ mid 20s | large & lean ˗ ★
~ the eclipse ~

✧˖ °. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁‧₊˚ ☾. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁˖°✧

the warrior that approached rookfire on this fine day was not one he recognised easily, not even really by sight. either they were new or had been doing their best to blend into the crowd. his careful 'excuse me' put rook in good spirits though, almost used to apprentices just coming up to him and rudely asking for training. if he werent such a nice cat there would be more than one little rat of an apprentice limping from the amount of work he'd have them do. but alas, he was involved in a conversation now,.. probaly.

"yep, thats me.. ah catfish..chirp right?" he replied willingly, ignoring the seconds the other had seemingly pondered his words. yada yada small talk about the weather, as if he cared. uhhhh boringgg. pointing out how good the weather was for hunting and then backpeddaling in saying he didnt intend to go hunting was quite the choice but alas he didnt really care much. most warriors were pretty lazy.

still, rookfire chuckled at the question, 'an enforcer for long' oh they had no idea. "could say that i guess" despite that overall dismissive reply, the enforcer only pondered telling catfishwhisker more for a couple of heartbeats. he didnt really like to dive into anything involving shadowclans apperant distrust of him, he didnt even know why, but bragging with his past was something he did allow himself to indulge in every once in a while.

"ah theoretically ive only been an enforcer again since last moon but the first time was in early greenleaf last season cycle until early leaffall. was a medic until leafbare after" he explained, only recognising that a warrior should probably be aware of that. if the other tom were an apprentice he may understand but they were a full warrior, in no way young enough to not remember him as a medicine cat last leafbare.

"bit odd ya dont remember huh?" silver eyes had narrowed and his voice taken a couple of metaphorical steps back out of the almost lighthearted tone he had wandered into at some point.

[ @Fritter ]

[Fritter]

Originally Posted by alec

ROOKFIRE
[ he/him | shadowclan enforcer | purrks ]
⤷ᯓ★ˎˊ˗ mid 20s | large & lean ˗ ★
~ the eclipse ~

✧˖ °. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁‧₊˚ ☾. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁˖°✧

the warrior that approached rookfire on this fine day was not one he recognised easily, not even really by sight. either they were new or had been doing their best to blend into the crowd. his careful 'excuse me' put rook in good spirits though, almost used to apprentices just coming up to him and rudely asking for training. if he werent such a nice cat there would be more than one little rat of an apprentice limping from the amount of work he'd have them do. but alas, he was involved in a conversation now,.. probaly.

"yep, thats me.. ah catfish..chirp right?" he replied willingly, ignoring the seconds the other had seemingly pondered his words. yada yada small talk about the weather, as if he cared. uhhhh boringgg. pointing out how good the weather was for hunting and then backpeddaling in saying he didnt intend to go hunting was quite the choice but alas he didnt really care much. most warriors were pretty lazy.

still, rookfire chuckled at the question, 'an enforcer for long' oh they had no idea. "could say that i guess" despite that overall dismissive reply, the enforcer only pondered telling catfishwhisker more for a couple of heartbeats. he didnt really like to dive into anything involving shadowclans apperant distrust of him, he didnt even know why, but bragging with his past was something he did allow himself to indulge in every once in a while.

"ah theoretically ive only been an enforcer again since last moon but the first time was in early greenleaf last season cycle until early leaffall. was a medic until leafbare after" he explained, only recognising that a warrior should probably be aware of that. if the other tom were an apprentice he may understand but they were a full warrior, in no way young enough to not remember him as a medicine cat last leafbare.

"bit odd ya dont remember huh?" silver eyes had narrowed and his voice taken a couple of metaphorical steps back out of the almost lighthearted tone he had wandered into at some point.

[ @Fritter ]

"The recluse."
CATFISH CHIRP
He/Him - Warrior - Shadowclan
Mind Reader | Agatha kitty | Heightened perception (hearing)

CatfishChirp’s ears twitched as he was recognised- sort of. Had his name been brought up somewhere before.. or..? He hadn’t spoken to Rook before from what he recalled so it must be something else. The conversation was more of Catfish’s input than the others at first but the enforcer question seemed to be a paw-step in the right direction. He listened to the followup- about how Rook was an enforcer before then a ‘medic’.. as in medicine cat? He didn’t intend to seem more interested than he already was in conversation after that but anycat with knowledge or skills he could acquire was someone he wanted to talk to. Of course that wasnt to say he hadn’t been disinterested but since this was the main cat (or more only cat) to talk to right now in terms of whether or not they’ll enjoy conversation.. just overall medical knowledge intrigued him. Back to being an enforcer after being someone working in such a position of both importance to the clan and others did confuse him slightly. But questioning the decision would be rude, very rude.

“From enforcer.. to medic… to enforcer?” he paraphrased, tail flicking as he tried to keep himself composed. More in trying to not ask the questions that he should keep his maw shut for(from the questioning of his lack of know how on rook’s various roles) but also in any ‘did you hear about.. ‘s slipping out. In terms of why he didn’t know about this he could answer honestly and say that he was too busy listening to falsities and eavesdropping to bother with who was in what position of power, but he was certain only a cat who wanted both ears knicked and a free exile from the clan would do so. Although he could think of better ways to word it. Unfortunately his speaking ceased to speed up from its usual pace, mind lingering on each word and shifting on what to say next. “I don’t.. keep.. track of … many cats.. in the clan.. when so many….come and go.” A careful response, although he spoke it with a seemingly genuine tone. Although he didn’t think on it earlier recalling it did seem like the comment on how it was odd he didn’t remember did seem much less friendly than previous words.

Looping back to the previous topic would secure the ‘friendly’ tone back- surely. He meticulousy picked out the way he moved, keeping himself well collected or however it would be seen as. He wouldn’t be caught dead lazily yawning or seeming too relaxed. He was still speaking with someone ranked higher than him whether or not they were in the same clan. “How is.. being an enforcer.. anyhow? I.. don’t imagine it’s.. easy.” he added a curious head-tilt although it was brief. If the conversation went well, Catfish hadn’t considered to what end he was going to keep idling here and chittering about any topic he could muster.

[im sick well typing this so feel free to let me know if anything here doesn’t make sense!!]

[alec]

ROOKFIRE
[ he/him | shadowclan enforcer | purrks ]
⤷ᯓ★ˎˊ˗ mid 20s | large & lean ˗ ★
~ the “devil” ~

✧˖ °. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁‧₊˚ ☾. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁˖°✧

rookfire nodded simply, confirming that yes he had gone from enforcer to medic back to enforcer. what catfishchirp didnt need to know was the brief period between medicine cat and enforcer he had spent as a warrior, waiting for the challenge. it had taken far too long for his taste.

'how is being an enforcer?'
"dont know any different." he shrugged, "perhaps thats what happens when youre taken straight out of apprenticehood to join the enforcers" the enforcer added helpfully, tone as casual as he could allow. rook liked to pretend he wasnt one to brag. if catfishchirp wasnt aware he had been a medicine cat, there was no doubt that he wouldnt be aware he had graduated from apprentice straight to enforcer almost an entire season cycle ago now. rook did like to think about it when he felt particularly bad about being demoted from medicine cat apprentice, even if that didnt happen often.

perhaps dawnstar, mistlewhisker and hawkbite were particularly hard on him because of that. expecting him to somehow go beyond what any other enforcer did simply because dawnstar had bestowed that responsibility on his straight up. or maybe they just didnt like him. definitely the option he'd prefer to ignore. but alas, there was little he could do apart from trying to raise his overall social standing. if enough cats spoke positively of him, maybe they couldnt help but be swayed sooner or later.

"i guess hmm i like the additional responsibilities, you can hardly feel helpless when youre required to keep the clan in check you know? theres nocat forcing me to stay an enforcer anyway, it was my choice to challenge owlthroat" rookfire cocked his head, watching catfishchirp for a reaction. it wasnt unusual to have kits or apprentice ask how being an enforcer or even just warrior was, but a fully grown warrior? in his mind, there must be a deeper reason. rookfire did not know the concept of small talk very intimately.

"d'you want to challenge anyone?"

[ @Fritter ]

[Fritter]

Originally Posted by alec

ROOKFIRE
[ he/him | shadowclan enforcer | purrks ]
⤷ᯓ★ˎˊ˗ mid 20s | large & lean ˗ ★
~ the “devil” ~

✧˖ °. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁‧₊˚ ☾. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁˖°✧

rookfire nodded simply, confirming that yes he had gone from enforcer to medic back to enforcer. what catfishchirp didnt need to know was the brief period between medicine cat and enforcer he had spent as a warrior, waiting for the challenge. it had taken far too long for his taste.

'how is being an enforcer?'
"dont know any different." he shrugged, "perhaps thats what happens when youre taken straight out of apprenticehood to join the enforcers" the enforcer added helpfully, tone as casual as he could allow. rook liked to pretend he wasnt one to brag. if catfishchirp wasnt aware he had been a medicine cat, there was no doubt that he wouldnt be aware he had graduated from apprentice straight to enforcer almost an entire season cycle ago now. rook did like to think about it when he felt particularly bad about being demoted from medicine cat apprentice, even if that didnt happen often.

perhaps dawnstar, mistlewhisker and hawkbite were particularly hard on him because of that. expecting him to somehow go beyond what any other enforcer did simply because dawnstar had bestowed that responsibility on his straight up. or maybe they just didnt like him. definitely the option he'd prefer to ignore. but alas, there was little he could do apart from trying to raise his overall social standing. if enough cats spoke positively of him, maybe they couldnt help but be swayed sooner or later.

"i guess hmm i like the additional responsibilities, you can hardly feel helpless when youre required to keep the clan in check you know? theres nocat forcing me to stay an enforcer anyway, it was my choice to challenge owlthroat" rookfire cocked his head, watching catfishchirp for a reaction. it wasnt unusual to have kits or apprentice ask how being an enforcer or even just warrior was, but a fully grown warrior? in his mind, there must be a deeper reason. rookfire did not know the concept of small talk very intimately.

"d'you want to challenge anyone?"

[ @Fritter ]

"The recluse."
CATFISH CHIRP
He/Him - Warrior - Shadowclan
Mind Reader | Agatha kitty | Heightened perception (hearing)

Catfish Chirp blinked as he listened to the Enforcer speak.. his attention dwindling as he struggled to keep his interest in the conversation once more. It wasn't unlike him to start a conversation and then immediately want to end it, but he never did. So. Instead he offered polite nods and kept his ears perked to show he was listening even if he didn't visibly seem like it. He struggled to imagine what it might be like to be immediately thrown into such a role- he hadn't had any role outside of the typical pathway a ShadowClan cat would go through. Kit, apprentice, finish training then become a warrior. Nonetheless the idea of gaining a high ranking role at such an early age was... interesting. There must be something of HUGE significance about Rook Fire if they were being trusted with such responsibilities. He hesitated a moment before speaking, but the silence filled itself when RookFire continued on, a surprising amount to say on the topic. It was definitely the perfect call, what cat didn't want to go on about themself?

Catfish was unfortunately not well-versed on liking additional responsibilities. If anything, he strived for quite the opposite. He wasn't a lazy cat just incredibly.. demotivated. He offered additional polite nods until he was asked something, 'd'you want to challenge anyone?' it caught him slightly off guard not like that sort of question wasn't expected. It was all about challenges nowadays.. or at least that's what he'd heard. He would have responded with a very short and quick 'no' which was of course, the truth, but he didn't feel like that would continue the conversation. A boring answer really. Instead he rolled his jaw slightly and began to speak, well'st he couldn't spill out any information he could absolutely do a bit of harmless lying. Not like it would be easy to notice, his spaced out way of speaking made it MUCH easier to seem genuine when there was more time to think between words. "I'm not.... as eager as.. others to.. challenging for...the role. " He started, his speaking still at a snails pace still, unfortunately. It took much slightly more thinking over what he was going to say after all, especially when he was lying through his teeth. He couldn't give two hoots about the enforcer role but no one wanted to hear him just go 'no', what a conversation that would be. "But.. It does.. interest me." It did occur to him that if he talks about wanting to challenge somecat, it might lead to believing that the conversation was motivated by that. And he'd rather clarfiy that now. "Not that.. it's why.. I started the conversation."

His prior disinterest in continuing the conversation had made a quick turn back to a want to hear a response, it was much harder to take part in the conversation than it was to listen to someone else speak for long periods of time.

[Was trying to get the motivation to do this reply so sorry if it's Low effort!! ]