a cloud's new friend|P

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- - - >Cloudpaw`[Male He/Him - 9 moons old]`

Cloudpaw was in the apprentice's den. It was still weird, waking up each day without his sister there. He himself had seen Featherpaw leave. It hurt him dearly, knowing he might only see his sister at Gatherings or, he hopedd not, war. He missed the days he and Featherpaw would play together. Now all he wanted to do was simply, cry, train and cry some more. Why did his family have to be so…messed up and ruined. If only he could go back to that moment, he could perhaps change her mind? He didn't notice the other apprentice pad over to him.

@Sleek

[Sleek]

SOFTPAW

Softpaw was sitting in the apprentice's den, lonely as ever but glad her big brother wasn't watching her like he always did. He was so insecure about her safety, and used to sleep outside the den at night until she got so annoyed she kicked him out. Luckily, he seemed to be preoccupied with something...or someone recently, but Softpaw was glad for the excuse, it gave her time for fresh air and to clear her head. Speaking of clearing heads, it seemed there was an apprentice, Cloudpaw, she believed, who seemed in need of such a thing. Deciding to finally speak to an apprentice, the pacifist approached the lost-looking apprentice, attempting to nudge the tom gently to get his attention. "Hey there," she meowed, licking her fangs, "I'm Softpaw. I don't know if you know me, though you probably do, but I was wondering if you want to talk...about anything. You seem preoccupied. Plus, this gives me an excuse to get to know an apprentice," she mumbled, half hoping he didn't hear that.

@christmassharkie

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- - - >Cloudpaw`[Male - He/Him - 9 moons old - @Sleek]`< - - -

Cloudpaw lifted his head when he saw Softpaw pad over to him in the corner of his eye. When she nudged him, he smiled a bit as he lifted his head to gaze at the other apprentice. "Sure, we can talk, I suppose." he meowed, adjusting his position, pawing at the ground.

[Sleek]

SOFTPAW

Softpaw swallowed nervously as the apprentice conceded to her offer. Usually, she wasn't bold enough to prop up conversations, but she felt confident today. And the cat accepting to converse without a second thought was definitely a boost of self-esteem.

Swallowing her worries, she smiled nicely and began, "Would you like to talk about whatever is bothering you?" She had a look of encouragement on her face, trying to show that no matter what the tom said, she wouldn't judge, instead, she'd be there for him.

@christmassharkie

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- - - >Cloudpaw`[Male - He/Him - 9 Moons Old - @Sleek]`< - - -

Normally, Cloudpaw wouldn't just start talking about his messed up family, but he had been bottling it deep down within him too long. He pondered on whether or not to tell Softpaw, before he decided on letting out a sigh. "The thing that's bothering me is my family drama. My sister left for ThunderClan after me and her found out about our father's fling. I was too torn to go anywhere, so I stayed behind…you really don't want to know how much it hurs," he meowed, sadly.

[Sleek]

SOFTPAW

Softpaw nodded, showing that she had heard and acknowledged his strained words. The genuine sorrow in his voice proved to her that she had found someone who truly needed help. She took a slight moment's hesitation to gather her thoughts before speaking, "I know you are struggling right now. But you are not alone. I am here for you, to give you comfort, to give you someone to vent to. And I know part of your pain. My parents abandoned me and my brother, forcing us to come and be a part of this clan, since we could not look after ourselves. It's a good thing, too," she said, recalling the time she had first arrived in the nursery. "However, I had never grown close to them and my brother has never left me. Quite the opposite," she said, almost laughing out loud, before realizing where she was. Choking it down, she looked somber again as she looked to the young tom. "Just remember, things will get better from here. I will be here for you." With that, she finally shut up and let him speak, if he chose to.

@christmassharkie

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- - - >Cloudpaw`[Male - He/Him - 9 Moons Old - @Sleek]`< - - -

Cloudpaw listened to Softpaw, intently. Hee felt his whiskers twitching slightly, and he let out a happy sigh. Softpaw was, well…soft. Okay, that joke wasn't funny, but the fact she's trying to comfort me actually is helping…even though I usually push away other cats these days… he thought, before opening his mouth, before shutting it. This went on for a while, until his voice would work. "Thank you, Softpaw." he meowed, carefully. "That means a lot," he added, nodding brightly. "I'll be here for you too, in any case when you want to chat."

[Sleek]

SOFTPAW

Softpaw watched carefully to see Cloudpaw's reaction, wondrous as to see if her words had worked. Surprisingly enough, she had no clue. His reaction was...curious. She swallowed her chuckles down at the funny behavior, instead focusing on what he actually said. "I'm glad, and extremely surprised that what I said actually helped. Thank you for your offer, I'm certain that I will take you up on it sometime in the future," she warned jokingly. Then she paused, not knowing what else to say. Was there even anything else to say?

@christmassharkie

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- - - >Cloudpaw`[Male - He/Him - 9 Moons Old - @Sleek]`< - - -

Silence filled around the clearing for a while, before he spoke. "Usually, I just cast any cat aside, and so far, the only cat that got through to me in three moons." he admitted, flicking his tail. He let out a chuckle as she gave him that waarning joke. "Feel free to, I'm all ears whenever." he meowed, before the silence returned.

[Sleek]

SOFTPAW

Softpaw sat anxiously, flicking her tail from side. She tried desperately to still it. No such luck. Sighing, she redirected her jittery attention to Cloudpaw, trying to hide her brainless tail behind her. What a racket it was making. She hated the silence, but she had no idea what to say. "Well, it was nice to meet you. I hope to see you around sometime," she said, wrapping up the conversation. Her tail was flicking faster now, and she forced a smile to hide it. Then, she dipped her head and raced outside. She needed to do something, she had been sitting still for far too long.

@christmassharkie