ShadowClan Warriors' Den

[Ziera]

// @Arie

“No plans yet,” Sparkpaw admitted, but her tone left no confusion; she was obviously looking forward to any such plans they might make together. Talonstone was in for a terrible surprise. Hey so uh, I met your girlfriend. And we're plotting your downfall. This Doetuft was fantastic—she really should compliment her mentor's taste in partners. Next time Talonstone snapped at her being late to training, maybe Spark would bring it up, just to throw him off balance. There were so many delightful ways she could break the news of this terrifying alliance to him. But, for now, Spark turned her attention fully onto the blind she-cat.

Because Doe was revealing why she and Talonstone weren’t actually mates yet. The answer was… not surprising, unfortunately. Talon did seem the type to want to take things slow for no discernable reason. Just to make things difficult, maybe, because Spark predicted they would end up together. In fact, she was almost completely sure of it [yes, even though Spark found out about this relationship less than an hour ago.]

Sparkpaw noticed how Doetuft seemed tickled by the thing about sharing nests; her teasing that followed made Spark roll her eyes, but good-naturedly. “No—of course not,” she mewed, only slightly defensive. Mostly enjoying the pushback. “Cats are free to platonically share nests. In your case, however, I’m paying attention to context.” Context, yes. Hmmm. Sparkpaw’s eyes brightened in the way they usually did when she got to show off her observational prowess. The creamy Bengal she-cat started tracing a path around Doetuft’s nest, needing some outlet for her excited, restless energy.

“For instance. The way that you talked about him isn’t like two platonic warriors, two friends. You could barely stop smiling! It’s also the stuff you say about him—all the stuff you noticed. And oh, another thing. You’ve known him longer, but I think it’s safe to say Talon’s not the ‘spend five minutes together, now we’re best friends’ sort? Getting close to him probably takes time cause StarClan, he’s picky. Therefore I’m pretty sure sharing nests with Talonstone is a much bigger deal.”

Satisfied with herself—maybe a bit too much—Sparkpaw settled her paws into the earth once more and stayed still. She grinned wider than a fox. The mate thing would drop… for now. Spark already had full-fledged plans to continue this investigation when next she graced Talonstone with her presence. And wait, huh? Doetuft’s question had Sparkpaw snorting in amusement. “Besides when he bosses me around? It’s pretty much been me who talks his ears off…but I’m sure you guessed that. That’s okay, though. Talonstone speaks a lot without using his voice. It’s almost like having an actual conversation.”

The younger she-cat tilted her head to one side, expression warm and curious. Her brows pulled together. “But hey- there's something I haven't figured out yet. Can I ask you a question? How did Talonstone manage to snag you? I mean—he’s him. Did StarClan give him extra luck?”

[Arie]

-- @Redtalon --

She was unable to help the small bubble of laughter that left her once again. “You… may not… have a plan… But I do have… one idea. We shall… think it out… later if you’re… still willing to go… ahead with it.” It would be fun, to a lot of extents and Doetuft found herself actually looking forward to causing a bit of chaos. And she was one who usually preferred to know where things where and what would happen and who did not do well with the unpredictable… and neither did Snowflake. He didn’t like things changing too often and sudden and it was what had prompted the prank in the first place. Not that he didn’t know about it, it’d been a plan for her to do to him since their apprentice times, but she’d never really gotten around to it. And she did suspect… that he may have become too distracted by the current situation to be fully able to remember that he had in fact dared her to successfully do said prank. It was something she would have to share the details of with Sparkpaw, eventually. But Doetuft liked the apprentice’s spirit and that was something she thought of few apprentices… not like she’d encountered a lot of them in truth. Despite herself just… barely being out of a long apprentice training, she never really spoke with other apprentices or connected with them, well Snowflake was the one exception to that but he didn’t count because he wasn’t going to talk to her in the first place when she’d originally met him. Flickering her ears though as she waited for Sparkpaw’s interesting response to her question – about nest sharing which she still couldn’t help but find comical – she tapped her tail gently on the corner of the nest that was now a mess collection of twigs [ and not sticks because twigs were clearly superior and it was something she needed to get into Frosty’s head, eventually] and moss, it needed to have something softer in it… another thing to eventually do. Because she knew such menial things were something that someone who was invested in sleeping better would have to do. Frosty? As he’d shown during their time as refugees he was apparently perfectly fine just sleeping on the ground and not moving at all… and that was his own fault. So, she would do it… later. And then Sparkpaw began… replying and Doetuft couldn’t help the smile that lit up on her face, this young she-cat was far smarter than she’d originally let on, and her observation skills, when it came to expressions, shine in the eyes, the tone of the voice… slowly the tabby molly was beginning to understand why Talonstone liked this young cat so much that he’d even actually taught her something. Because despite this observation being such a Talonstone thing to do, she knew it had to first come from the apprentice’s own need and want for knowledge and that was why, despite the stupidity of their conversation – because it was largely stupid to a certain extent – that Doetuft didn’t bother shutting it down. At least not yet, she wanted to see how far Sparkpaw as going to take it and in what direction the young she was going to go. And she went in a direction Doetuft herself hadn’t been expecting. Deciding to throw the youngster for a loop though – something she’d never actually enjoyed before but she liked to hear Sparkpaw work out these interesting comments – she murmured slowly, “As a blind…cat… my power… lies in… observation. I need to… notice things others… might not feel the…. Need to… notice.” And then at the smiling, the smile that Sparkpaw had just pointed out lit up on her face… because she did enjoy discussing the white tom’s interesting pattern of thought, it amused her and now she had someone who actually would be willing to speak and discuss these things with her and who had… albeit a different relationship, a similar view of the stone faced quiet intelligent tom. “Wait… I thought he was… ‘I am… spending time… in your… presence… therefore… I like you,’ kind of… cat.” What she’d said had obviously been different from Sparkpaw’s but… it was still correct and once again she couldn’t help the small giggle of laughter from escaping from her maw. “Sharing… nests was… just a simple… matter of… convinence… when it did… happen but… to him… it was a big… deal. If you’ve… not noticed… he is not the biggest fan… of physical contact at… all.” Nope… he wasn’t and it was only through multiple ‘accidents’ that Doetuft had managed to squeeze herself into the white tom’s comfort zone and was now allowed to pretty much do whatever she wanted with and around him. At least he didn’t shred her for using him as a pillow, that was always a blessing. But… then came the question she in truth had been waiting for and she shook her head once again, amusement riding through the blind cat’s head. But before she answered she moved a bit, shifted in the nest and gestured with her tail. “I know… you’re… restless. I heard… your pawsteps… com in here… he won’t… mind. And if he… do… then its… his problem… to deal with.” Not waiting to see if Sparkpaw questioned her comment at all she addressed the funnily stated question. “I highly… doubt the stars… blessed him… and if they did… he wouldn’t… have accepted it. He believes… he’s cursed… somehow. But that… is for him… to share… and not I. Nevertheless… I do not… know. I think… we were both… wrecks when… we first met. Utter… wrecks. I… met him on… my first day in Shadowclan. If… you did not know… I was previously… from Thunderclan. Both of us… were unstable…emotionally. And… we still are to some… extents. Things… went… from bad to… worse… and we…. Its like… that one really good friend you’ve… got. Who cherishes you, but… refuses to see that its… more than just… friendship? I just… think we grew… together. Healed… broken parts of each other…. And without realizing it… the healing…. Reached the emotional and relationships stage… that both had been… destroyed for both of us.” And that was all she would say for now. She didn’t mind the prying, rather enjoyed in truth to be able and challenged to think about her and Snowflake’s relationship but sometimes it did get a bit… challenging to avoid certain topics. But nonetheless she enjoyed this and let out a satisfied smile.

[Ziera]

// @Arie

Doetuft’s laughter was infectious. Warmth blossomed in Spark’s chest as the older she-cat’s playful side revealed itself; it felt like sunlight on her cream-colored pelt, even though it was too early in the morning for sun. Doe already had a plan! And because she seemed intelligent and, of course, knew Talonstone longer, this plan would no doubt be a great one. Sparkpaw grinned, committed before she knew what was expected of her: “Yes! I’d be a very willing participant in my mentor’s downfall. You can count on me! I’m a fantastic partner in crime, you know.”

Spark’s ears perked, as sign of interest. Doetuft liked observation, too? Now that was a lucky thing. It made sense that Talonstone would choose a mate—er, future mate—who had a brain. Spark was already catching on to Doe’s intellect. But it was still fascinating on a new level, the idea of blindness intersecting with observation, a contradiction Sparkpaw found herself enamored by.

“I bet cats underestimate you,” Spark mewed, because she couldn’t help throwing out her own perspective, no matter what the topic. “That’s…a pretty great advantage, if it’s your power. What kind of things do you see?” Being blind, Doetuft must have a really unique perspective on ‘observation.’ Did she pay attention to voice inflection—word choice, or scents? What other way might she use this ability, if not with her eyes? The notion intrigued Sparkpaw a great deal; she found herself wanting to learn.

When Doetuft giggled once more, it was after the ‘therefore I like you’ comment, and Spark scoffed through a smile. “I’m pretty sure with a lot of cats, it won’t matter how long you force them to hang out with Talonstone. He still won’t like them. But…” Sparkpaw realized Doetuft had a point. Maybe it was the one she was trying to make originally. If Talon willingly spent time with a cat, then yeah, it meant he liked them, and that made sense too. “Yeah—I guess you’re right. That is kind of like, Talon code for ‘I like you.’”

No matter what Doe said, though, Spark wasn’t buying the ‘sharing nests for convenience’ thing. Doe wouldn’t need to see her to know this. The creamy she-cat’s smirk was pretty much audible. “He’s definitely not a fan of physical contact, yeah, I noticed that one. So why in StarClan’s name would he find sharing a nest convenient? Unless….” She waggled her cat brows. “…unless he really liked the cat he shared nests with. So yeah, you’re right, it sounds like it was a big deal.” She was teasing now—unabashedly, without shame, teasing Doetuft like she might have done with an older sister, maybe. If Spark had any littermates in the first place.

The apprentice's smirk disappeared when she was taken off guard by Doetuft’s invitation into the nest. Into Talonstone’s nest. Spark gawked a little, maw hanging open as she processed two things; she might have been a tiny bit reluctant, but Doe really wasn’t scared of Talonstone at all. She was so confident about it, so effortless, that Spark was both shocked and impressed enough to laugh. Oh, you better be keeping her, was all the Bengal she-cat thought as she stepped into the nest beside Doe, hoping Talonstone received her mental message. Moss and twigs made up the bedding. It was a on the rough side, but Spark was enjoying the moment too much to be bothered by it, signature fox-like smile curling over her lips after her surprise melted away. Doetuft continued without missing a beat when Spark got comfortable.

A thousand follow-up questions flooded Sparkpaw’s mind. Talon thought he was cursed? What the stars did that mean? And why were they both wrecks when they first met—unstable emotionally? If it was possible, Spark’s face might have turned paler, her eyes flaming with blue-tinted curiosity. Doetuft was ThunderClan before. A lot of what Doe said Spark didn’t understand: the stuff about healing each other, not acknowledging more than friendship, parts of them being destroyed… but she did understand changing clans. She was surprised, but the revelation didn’t make her see Doetuft as less. Not at all. If anything, Sparkpaw was more annoyed at herself for not guessing it.

“Oak and leaves,” She said abruptly, mind whizzing with the new information. “Talonstone said! On our first day of training. Oak lines the ThunderClan border. So that’s why it's still in your scent.” In a moment of vast indecision, having far too many responses to choose from and too little understanding of the surrounding context, Sparkpaw went with her gut. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too—uh, direct. “I don’t really get it. You healed together… so something bad happened? I can’t really relate, I guess. Why would healing make him not wanna… you know, acknowledge that you’re more than friends?”

[Arie]

-- @Redtalon --

This could go wrong on so many levels but honestly, what was life when it didn’t go a tad bit wrong? Doetuft’s own life had not been the most enjoyable, certainly not when things went wrong but sometimes you just said to put up with it and that was what poor poor Snowflake would have to do with Spark and herself now on a team plotting his downfall. She was more than ready, and Snowflake was most certainly not prepared for what this alliance of outspoken words could do to him. To be frank, Doetuft wasn’t either but that was the fun of it.

“Oh… it seems so… already. Did you know… he is actually… terrified of… frogs?” Just a teeny bit of info, releasing a teeny bit of her plan for the future. She knew Frosty would so very heavily dislike the fact that she’d given Sparkpaw this information but it was one of the more… well known things about the white warrior that Doetuft felt comfortable giving out the extremely secretive information of one of the things that absolutely terrified a warrior that did not seem to be faced by anything… but frogs – and mollies for that sake, considering how… malleable he was to both her and Spark’s influence. Who knew all the white warrior needed to be cut down was sweet words and compliments? Not Doetuft for sure.

But as Sparkpaw entered the nest, Doetuft waited to answer the other questions the apprentice had thrown her way and instead focused on making herself comfortable within the circle of twigs – not sticks, at this point she only made the difference to annoy her partner – and moss. It was slowly growing more and more comfortable – and larger cause Frosty took up more and more space - although now with a new partner Doetuft would maybe begin trading info on how to trade with SparkpawS for feathers for their nest. It seemed… reasonable enough. And surely Sparkpaw would be able to be convinced by such an idea and the temptations to know more about her mentor who was an incredibly hard rock to break.

Nevertheless, back to the underestimation question, Doetuft shook her head, once again a smile breaking upon her face, “I do not… think others… underestimate… me… considering I have… earned the name… of a warrior in the… right way. But… I think I do… surprise them… as they do not… know what to… expect. Each blind… cat has… their own magnified… senses. Where one… may have better hearing…. Another might have a better… nose. It depends on… what their focus… is on… or have been… on.” Doetuft had always listened, always paid attention to anything and everything at the same time. Tried her best to know things simply by listening to the sounds… it had also brought her peace and a feeling of solace to know what things sounded like and it was one of her most preserved skills… and how she got around in the normal life and world.

Without her… not magnified, but without her sensitiveness in her ears she doubted she would be any good at life… would’ve probably been gobbled up by a predator long before she’d even gotten around to settling where she wanted to be. “I do… not see… in the way…you think of sight. I will… never be able to see… expressions… or wounds… or anything like that. But… I can with my ears… differentiate between the shuffling… of a squirrel… compared to… a mouse. Or the wing…beat of… a blackbird… compared to a sparrow. Each sound… is unique and it… it is through that… I see the world. Such… as your voice… has… different tones… and it bounces… giving me a sense… of where things are. I can… hear the bouncing of… the echo which… shows me where… I am. Thank you… for asking though.”

It was so rare in truth that she got to voice her view on how the world looked, it wasn’t something she did often with Snowflake, as they both preferred not speaking over what could be classified as meaningless talk about nothing and just rambles. And well… to some extent that was what it was but Doetuft nevertheless enjoyed it. And she hoped that Sparkpaw had enjoyed the new way that the world could possibly be seen in.

“Unless?” At Sparkpaw’s statement in regard to the nest sharing, Doetuft once again doubled over in laughter. It was too amusing, and she couldn’t keep it contained… nope not at all. That would have to be another time where she just… didn’t laugh but today was not that day. “You might… want the… context. Because… that might show you… that yes… it was a matter… of convenience. It was… after the battle… with Windclan… and we’d both just… gotten our warrior names. He… was lying on the ground… asleep. I was… in a nest… to rest the wounds. So. I simply… dragged him into the nest… hence a matter of convenience.” She knew it probably wouldn’t sway Sparkpaw’s statement and belief but hey, she’d tried to save both of their faces so wherever Frosty was he better appreciate that fact. “He… was actually… not the one… who admitted first… it was… the day after that… we had a talk. He… seemed so terrified.” And Doetuft was unable to help the bout of laughter that escaped her at that comment… because both of them had been in a rightfully horrible mood – or rather she had, Frosty had just been half asleep and tired and sleep deprived – but it was the truth. They’d both been terrified in that circumstance, but it was more fun to make her poor ‘more-than-friend-but-not-mate’ out to be the one who’d was the scared one. Despite it being both of them.

“Enjoying… the fact that… we’re just revealing… all the secrets this… morning, are we?” Doetuft mumbled somewhat to the apprentice a smile once again playing on the tabby molly’s lips. It was nice to just have a day where it was laughter and fun… not dreary sullen moody. And it was a blessing within it, goodness how lucky Frosty had been to get Sparkpaw as an apprentice… Doetuft was just stuck with now one-eyed Buzzard… who was adorable in his own way but also quite the stubborn idiot. Reminded her somewhat of Frosty’s friend.

“Oak and leaves… that was why… you told me I smelled… of oak.” The realization came to Doetuft’s head then and she once again shook her head from the ridiculousness of their current predicament. Seemed Frosty had been reluctant to share things to Sparkpaw and here she was ruining all his hard work by giving Sparkpaw all the answers to all her questions… and she didn’t feel bad. Okay just a teeny bit… nope not really. She did not feel bad about it. “And yes… I was born… and raised… in Thunderclan. Trained… under the former leader… and deputy Flintspirit – who you… may have seen… here in Shadowclan… he left the clan… sooner after I did – and… then I left for the clan… of shadows… where I trained as Beastspark’s… apprentice while he was still… deputy and that was when… I met our… favourite stubborn… icicle.” Icicle was a word that fit Frosty so well… but it didn’t exactly work as a nickname. “Bad… things happen to everyone… Sparkpaw. Sadly… Talonstone… Frosty… Snowflake, and I… have experienced more… than we should… at the paws of… ones we should not suffer… at. But… his story is his own… to tell, not mine.”

[Ziera]

// @Arie

Terrified of—what? Sparkpaw nearly choked on her own surprise. Of all the things she expected Doetuft to say, that wasn’t even on the list of possibilities. Just…no way. “You’re telling me that Talonstone—mister broody warrior guy who doesn’t flinch in the face of danger—his weakness is FROGS!?”

Laughter bubbled out of Sparkpaw before she could stop it. The Bengal she-cat could see it now! A jumpy, slimy frog hiding in the crook of his twiggy nest, then Talon’s one-sided expression morphing into a second, much more horrified one. That would be amazing. Stars, her abs were getting a workout from all this ridiculous laughing. “Oh, we’re so putting one in his nest. I have to confirm if this is true or not,” Spark said, resolute. Sorry, mentor mine. Doetuft and I will take you down and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Sparkpaw sobered when Doe began explaining how she processed. Spark’s fluffy ears flicked toward the blind warrior as she listened carefully, intrigued by what was said. It truly was amazing, how Doe could 'see' things in such a different way than Spark, and yet they both existed in the same world. Both received the same sensory information; they just came up with different conclusions and relied on different strengths. It was all a fun discovery for Spark, whose sharp mind soaked up new knowledge like a fluffy pelt soaked up water. She wanted to know how Doetuft saw their world. Sparkpaw wanted to feast on as many different perspectives as she could.

The way Doe described her heightened sense of hearing—it filled Spark’s imagination with splashes of color. The apprentice imagined just what it might be like to differentiate the beat of a sparrow’s wings from a blackbird’s, smiling dream-like by the end. “That’s amazing,” Spark blurted without thinking. She didn’t plan the compliment, which was... rare. Usually everything Sparkpaw said was planned in some way or another. “What do you notice about me? If Talonstone walked into the den, how would you tell us apart from just the sound? Would his pawsteps be heavier than mine since he’s massive?” If every sound was unique, Sparkpaw wanted to know the nuances of hers.

Doetuft’s laughter made the apprentice smile with both corners of her mouth. The sound was still so contagious, showering Spark with light and warmth. Why was it so funny, though, to say what she did about ‘convenience?’ Sparkpaw listened to Doe’s story but didn’t catch on to any good defense, so she snorted.

“Nope. Still don’t believe it. If he wasn’t absolutely smitten with you, there’s no way he’d let you drag him into your nest—‘convenience’ my arse.’” Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief just waiting to be released in a tidal wave. “I’m sure he was terrified! I mean, it’s clear he doesn’t understand emotions, and around you… well I’m sure he feels a lot.” She did like that story, though. It was just such an accurate depiction of her mentor that Sparkpaw could feel the sincerity of it. Er. Sincerity in everything but the convenience part, of course.

With that, Sparkpaw tried to make herself a little more—ah, comfortable in the nest, grunting when a particularly sharp twig poked her back. Ow. “You guys really need some feathers or something… maybe softer moss? Stars, how do you sleep in this thing?”

Maybe it was rude to critique the nest of her mentor, the nest Doetuft just invited her into. The blind warrior's comment about spilling secrets made Spark forget about the discomfort quick enough. Instead, the she-cat grinned, her voice coy when she said: “Oh yes we’re enjoying this very much, thank you. I’ve had more fun with you in ten minutes than I’ve had with Talonstone my entire apprenticeship, in fact.”

Oak and leaves… yeah. When Doetuft repeated it, Spark was delighted to see that it lead to the sharing of more background. The apprentice couldn’t deny that Doe’s cross-clan background was interesting, if only because it was a novelty to her, and Spark just wanted to know more. Born and raised…. Huh? Beastspark Sparkpaw knew, but her nose wrinkled when trying to put a face to Flintspirit’s name. At least Until Doetuft said ‘our favorite stubborn icicle,’ followed by ‘frosty' and 'snowflake,’ names which could only refer to one cat considering their limited pool of mutual friends.

...Talonstone. Had. A nickname. Him!? Oh, sweet stars, could today get any better? It was almost too much to handle. “Why do you call him icicle? Or Frosty, or snowflake!? Is it just about his icy exterior? Or how his face is ‘frozen’ into one expression most the time?”

Sparkpaw’s wide smile faltered a little when Doetuft’s last words hit her. Bad things happen to everyone, the warrior said. But… did they? Bad things didn’t really happen to Spark, but according to Doe, they happened to Talonstone and to herself. New questions replaced old ones. Spark’s mind raced, formulating thoughts and filling in the blanks with any potential or likely answers, but she didn’t get too far. It didn’t matter that Doetuft wouldn’t say anything about Talonstone’s past; Sparkpaw had time enough to uncover those secrets herself. Right now, she cared about Doe’s story to tell, the blind warrior’s own experiences. “What happened to you? What do you mean, suffered? Is… is that why you left ThunderClan, then?”

[Arie]

-- @Redtalon --

Sparkpaw’s surprise was golden, and Doetuft couldn’t help but just, laugh at the shock and surprise and smiled at the young cat. “Yes.. wherever you… believe it or… not is up… to you… but he did… tell me… that is most… certainly not… fond of frogs… and that they do… scare him.” Poor Frosty, here she was revealing all his secrets to his apprentice and did she feel any guilt? Nope, not really. “Frogs… according to him… is a massive danger… and they’re extremely… dangerous because… he said… and I quote…’they’re… unpredictable.’ I don’t… know how he got… that fear… but it doesn’t mean… I won’t use it against him.” And have fun while doing so. And having fun was exactly what she was doing right here in Sparkpaw’s company and the blind molly was going to be forever appreciative of being woken up by this little idiotic overexcited young cat.

And then, the laughter set Doetuft’s own off again and the tabby proceeded to fall into a small bout of giggles, just free, bubbling giggles that there was no way she could prevent from happening but that just burst out from her throat and maw. This was fun, this was enjoyable as well and blinking her blind eyes she tried her best to rein in the excitement that wanted to escape and bubble out. “Oh… we are… I’m totally on… board for sacrificing… a goodnight’s… sleep to listen and experience his… reaction to it. And I’ll take… the blame, because… he should remember…. I promised him – back when… we were apprentices – that… I would do this. So I’ll take… any blame… will probably also be… the one laughing the worst.” Was it bad that she was volunteering to take the eventual wrath of Frosty herself? Probably but Doetuft knew how her ‘more-than-friend-but-not-mate’ would take to such surprises better than Sparkpaw herself.

Continuing on, Sparkpaw once again questioned her ability to observe… or not her ability to do it but rather how she did it and it made… it made Doetuft feel quite glad that at least someone was interested in how she viewed the world, and how she did things different than others. “It is… indeed amazing… to its own extent.” And that was the honest truth. It wasn’t making up for sight, it wasn’t like she’d developed any new senses and how her other senses became superpowers, but rather they just adapted along with her and she adapted along with them, practicing and furthering her ability to differentiate between sounds. “You… you speak… very loud. Very… high pitched. And then… you cannot sit still… you keep shifting… or moving something… be it… shifting your weight… lifting a paw... to move… or the constant flick of your… tail. And… yes… his pawsteps… would be heavier and deeper… more deeper sounding… than yours. Where yours… is light and… has a faster pattern… his will be heavier… slower and… more… calculated.” Everything Talonstone did was calculated, Doetuft couldn’t put that past the white tom. He did nothing without knowing what it would lead to. Except when it came to mollies, Doetuft knew that it was the one thing that unnerved the tom because he didn’t know how to react and handle himself. And it still amused her.

Yet… at the snort, she pulled her face up in a frown that was soon released in a small bit of laughter. “Believe… what you want…. Sparkpaw… we both know… Frosty won’t… be happy any which… way.” Because that was the truth, no matter what case, no matter what argument Sparkpaw was going to put forth, the white tom was not going to be happy at any type of interrogation, and just the thought of that within itself was amusing enough to make Doetuft let out a small smile. “I think… he understands them… but I don’t think he… knows how to… react in regard to… them. They confuse him and make him… double think and he’s… not used to that. Not used… to doubting himself.” All of this that Doetuft was speaking of was simply from her own observation as she spent more and more time in his company but he was the one who should really be spoken to when discussing these subject that concerned him and not her.

“I don’t… sleep in it.” Well… she did. To some extent. But the majority of the nest was usually taken up by white fur and she just… slept curled up using him as her blanket and pillow because it was simply that much nicer and comforting. Because why sleep on the ground when you had a free white tail that was totally not occupied trying to keep itself warm, to use for herself. “Well… you know…. Frosty’s is… giant. And he takes… up the space. So he… becomes the nest.” It felt kind of awkward to admit but Doetuft played it off by just rolling her eyes after she'd spoken. “If you do… want to offer some… feathers and moss… for it though… I would not say no.” Nope, any gifts to make it more comfortable would always be welcome, or at least that was Doetuft’s thought. “Hey. Don’t be that… mean to your… mentor. I am sure… he tries his… best. Despite his best… might not be that… good… and he fails most… of the time.” Yep. He was simply unable to understand many social queues but hey, so was she.

The silence that followed though was slightly unnerving, but she did wait and just let Sparkpaw process all of it. It was a lot to process and she understood but the question that followed was not what she was prepared to answer, and she once again let out a thrill of laughter. The nicknames. Of course, Sparkpaw would question it. “I call… him that… because when… I first met him… he was called Frostpaw… - he first received… the prefix Talon… when became… a warrior – and he… was worse than he… is now. He would… not say… a single word… and most often… refused to acknowledge… your preference. And… at times he did act… exactly like… a Snowflake. Hence… the nicknames were… born.” And it was still how she referred to him. Talonstone was an alright name but to her, the white tom would always be Frostpaw, Frosty, Snowflake… the cat she’d grown to care for in her apprentice times.

Uh oh. Sparkpaw had no idea of what power the question she asked had on Doetuft, and the tabby molly closed her eyes as she tried to process everything. Tried to do her best and tried to just breathe I slowly. One way or another she was going to have to explain it and she would rather get it over with fast and brief right now than wait and drag it out. That would only call for more pain and suffering and would not just have it done. “My mother… was not very… loving when I was… young. My sister… died when we… 3 moons old. Not more… than that. And I was neglected… from then on… blamed for her… death. My parents… proceeded to die on… the thunderpath when… I’d just become… an apprentice.” No need to share the details about Sagefeather having attended to get Doetuft killed on it, Sparkpaw probably wouldn’t be able to understand that, neither the fact that Sagefeather was still haunting Doetuft in her dreams and even the living world. “I left… Thunderclan though… because of the stupidity and… ignorance and… lack of awareness of the… previous leader. She cared… so little for one’s… abilities that she… wanted to make one… a warrior early… just so she could say… she’d gained a new… warrior.” Doetuft never knew what happened with Duskstar, but… she felt determined to maybe one day find out.

[vampy]

@Eve

Duskfern walked into the den, pretty satisfied. There was a smile on her face. She sat down beside Mistheart. ”Hey, Mistheart!” It was unusual for Duskfern to be this happy. She was usually just.. grumpy, angry, or sarcastic and carefree.

[Little Timmy]

@Minty

Mistheart would look up at Duskfern ”Oh! Hey Duskfern! You seem surprisingly happy today? Did anything happen?” Mistheart asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

[vampy]

Originally Posted by Eve

@Minty

Mistheart would look up at Duskfern ”Oh! Hey Duskfern! You seem surprisingly happy today? Did anything happen?” Mistheart asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

Sitting down, she mewed, ”Nah. It’s nothing..” She had an embarrassed yet happy look on her face. “Anyways, what’s up with you?”

[Little Timmy]

Originally Posted by Minty

Sitting down, she mewed, ”Nah. It’s nothing..” She had an embarrassed yet happy look on her face. “Anyways, what’s up with you?”

”Ok then.” she said with a confused yet kinda annoyed tone (idk) ”Well, not much has happened with me.. BUT I DID LEARN SOMETHING! that you probably already know.” she said exited yet sad tone of voice