"You have to give him a chance!" "Fine." "This'll be so much fun!"
Treetiger had hinted to her clanmate about meeting a friend, but she didn't exactly tell him when or how. The only thing she mentioned was he was back at camp, but not where in the camp. Little did the younger apprentice know, it was going to be when he put himself to bed that night. "Oooh, I'm so excited. So excited indeed, sir!" The Bengal would purr, sprawling out on her stomach and rolling onto her side as she addressed her mentor. Thrush was her longest running friend and she did just about anything to please him. If bringing cats to his attention was one of those things, she did it. Nothing he did was wrong! Never! "I just know he won't let you down!" She didn't expect an answer from him, no. He rarely answered to her shenanigans.
The chocolate calico sat patiently, waiting for the shift in energy that signaled a newcomer. Treetiger seemed delighted by this one and while she rolled around on the ground, Thrush took to a more stoic stance. Sure, he was glad she was comfortable enough to be a little silly around him, but sometimes it got to be too much. Like right now. "Manners, Treetiger. You don't greet new friends by rolling around in the dirt, right?" the calico would grumble, shooting an icy glare in her direction. That was when the shift in the energy around them occurred. "It appears he's here."
Treetiger nearly flinched at the tone in her friend's voice, but nodded with understanding. She sat up, wrapping her tail around her paws neatly and staring at Thrush, begging for approval. Surely, he would approve! Then, the announcement of Rosepaw arriving piqued her interest. The Bengal felt the excitement bubbled up in her chest and she glanced around eagerly, searching for him.
Thrush stood up, his tail in the air behind him as he glanced around. It was a friendly gesture, a greeting in most cats. The stoic appearance disappeared, a more friendly one taking over. It wasn't until Rosepaw came into view that his soothing false persona really came out. "Greetings. You must be Treetiger's friend."
Rosepaw
Header by @/Oliver / Male / 6 Moons / ThunderClan /Bisexual
Chocolate-brown and russet tabby Tom with fluffy fur and bright amber eyes, thin scars on his legs and a large scar shaved across the bottom half of his face that exposes several teeth. Because of a previous update on the scar, the header is mildly inaccurate. ^^
“Sure, I’ve got half a face, but you’ve got yourself half a brain, so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine, ey?”
~ Rosepaw, 27/100
✽❀✽
The russet and brown apprentice stepped in through the entrance to the apprentices den, amber gaze brushing his paws as dully, he glowered downward at them. Rosepaw had never been one to be seen cheering and smiling away merrily in general, let alone in the evenings, and today was obviously no exception. The young apprentice stumbled to a halt once he had fully entered the crowded den of his rowdy, sweaty denmates, wrinkling his nose as the scent of the outside, the trees, the leaves, and the summer air, was instantly replaced by the smell of not-so-fresh, well-trained apprentices. As he stood, his bright gaze flickered around the den, landing on each of the young cats who happened to lie closest to his viewpoint. The sun had already fallen, and behind him, the moon sat beaming down from the night sky, illuminating the russet fur that prickled out from his pelt until it flowed neon red. Grumpiness drenched Rosepaw’s expression, and exhaustion hung in his eyes, but nonetheless, he certainly had enough energy to mutter to himself quietly and unhappily, just as he always did. It was nearly impossible to make him tired enough to the point he did not even want to talk to himself, and such a scene had not occurred yet. Rosepaw’s stare proceeded to gloss over his denmates, the majority of which had already fallen asleep, thoughts beginning to whirl around in his mind. Well, they ain’t the best smellin’, but I s’pose that just goes to show that they’ve been trainin’ properly, ‘ey? But this thought was quick to be interrupted by another. At his next thought, disappointment wasted away whatever hope in his clanmates… more specifically his denmates… he still had at this patcicular moment. But then again, if I can keep myself clean and smellin’ like leaves n’ flowers n’ things, then… why can’t they?! All you’ve gotta do is roll around in some flowers, and boom, ya’ smell lovely. ‘Course, avoid rose bushes, ‘cause unless you’ve got fur of steel stone like me, you’ll easily get poked… whatever. They don’t HAVE to smell bad.., they’re just too lazy to smell GOOD. There. Satisfied with this thought, Rosepaw sighed a long, soft sigh, before finally breaking his gaze away from his clanmates, allowing it to drift over and land on his own nest. With judgement and denmate-criticism out of the way, it was time to go to sleep.
As Rosepaw took a hesitant step towards his nest, carefully weaving through the apprentices den to avoid unintentionally squishing a small apprentice’s into a tiny puddle, the russet and brown tabby tom could not help but think back on this judgement of his. Of course he had no friends… he got angry with his clanmates for the simplest of things. Of course, there was Raggedear, but truly, as much as Rosepaw enjoyed the entertaining warrior’s company, he could not confirm that the fondness he felt for the older tom-cat was a mutual liking of any sort. Rosepaw hated to admit to this sort of fondness, so whenever anybody suddenly decided to ask him about possible friendships with other cats he either snapped at them for being unobservant and/or just completely wrong, or he crushed brushed it off as some, ‘Training Purposes’ or ‘Development Reasons’ relationship. For some reason, the idea of having a healthy social life made his anti-social, prickly self gag, in spite of the fact that internally, he had strong desires to get to know those who (a), inspired him, (b), he genuinely liked/appreciated, and/or (c), both. It was a sad, slow cycle. But there was no stopping it, so Rosepaw would continue to stand at the entrance to the apprentices den silently hating on his clanmates all by his lonely self. Admirably, it was his fault, but seeing as he saw absolutely nothing wrong with his mindset at the moment, he did not bother to fix it. He did not bother to change. He just didn’t want to. Stiffly, Rosepaw finally reached his nest after almost squashing some random tom-apprentice’s nose underneath his back left paw, and swearing to himself underneath his breath, he trampled onto his nest, fur bristling uo along his spine. Stupid den… ‘s always crowded, always sweaty, always real nasty and never properly cleaned… ugh… I outta make it a chore for myself to decorate this place with some flowers, make it a bit easier to breathe in thanks to a nice scent for once. Nasty, nasty, nasty! Then grumbling nonsense to himself, he gave his denmates one last look, and stiffly, he prepared to lie down for bed. Finally, after wandering around, seeing ghosts and getting his entire belief system demolished into bits and crumbs, having a battle training session,a den some others crazy things along the way that had happened in the past fifteen hours of his day, as the moon slipped up and into the sky, Rosepaw could sleep. Finally.
With striped russet paws, Rosepaw padded down the moss bedding that sat piled up before him, his eyebrows furrowing as he continued to think. Sure, I’ve got no friends. But I’ve also been trainin’ a bit more than some’a the apprentices I know, so… deal-deal, ‘eh? I’m sure I’ll be just fine. Anyway, I don’t need some loudmouth backin’ me uo everytime I do somethin’ fine… or not fine. If I’ve done somethin’ good, then great, I ain’t in need of some other voice to praise me an’ tell me that I did was good or admirable, I’d already know for myself. If I’ve done somethin’ bad, I ain’t in need’a any reassurance, ‘cause whatever I did, I deserve the emotional punishment’a doin’ it, uh-huh? ‘S literally just described in one, single word: Independence. Who needs friends? Nah, I ain’t in denial ‘r nothin’, I’m literally just logical. I’m just bein’ reasonable. Then you’ve got all’a those stupid clanmates thinkin’ that somethin’s wrong with me ‘r I’m a brat for not carin’ about the whole sociability thing, but… dang, they’ll all just… stupid. Like, ain’t that all there is to friendship? Naïvety? Quickly, he contradicted himself. He understood how that last thought had probably crossed some sort of line, so he went back to it. Nah, nah… I can’t say that. Friendship’s beneficial to some guys, just not me. I work better when I’m successful, n’ when I’m… alone, so… well, nah, not necessarily alone, just not havin’ to worry about sociability. Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than fine with workin’ with others, especially if I have some control in the situation that I’m in at the time, but in the end, I seriously hate havin’ to talk to someone just for the point’a chattin’. Like, where’s the appeal there! Idiots, brainless chatters, idiots… some of them, at least. As these thoughts crashed and burned in his head, Rosepaw fixed the moss to where it would not get all up and clumped in his fur over night, and he lowered himself into a sit, pausing on his nest to think some more. Then once his thought-train finally ended, he shrugged, releasing another long, bored and tired sigh, before collapsing onto the mossy bedding and lazily falling to rest. Catching himself, he allowed one more thought to pass through his head. If only a friend’a mine could benefit me in some way… but nah… I’m too anti-social. Always. Then staring up at the ceiling, with a small huff, Rosepaw began to notice black dots creeping into his vision. Well, there went the world. Losing his thoughts and feelings to sleep, Rosepaw closed his eyes, and waited for the interruption of dreams. Who knew, maybe he’d dream of the headless spirit tonight, maybe… maybe he’d see a spirit, just maybe…
Rosepaw’s eyes fluttered open when he awoke again, his vision too blurry to even be useful just yet. But as far as he could tell from this blurry, Shirley, swirly world of his that he had woken up to, there was no morning. There was no early-day light creeping into the den, there were no apprentices in the den, there were… well, speaking of den, there was no apprentices den anymore. And yet… this did not feel like any sort of dream Rosepaw had ever experienced, it felt far, far too real. And yet he had not woken up in his own home. Where in the name of the stars was he? He blinked away the blur, gaze flashing as sounds and shapes processed in his mind, his teeth barring. He could hear a familiar voice mentioning the arrival of somebody, as an unidentified voice spoke the words, ‘It appears he’s here.’ Well, then, for their information, yes, He was most definitely here, and not only was He here, He was confused. Rosepaw blinked until he spotted an eerily familiar brown Bengal figure nodding, and feeling his heart suddenly jump and jolt, he stepped one leg back to prepare to shoot forward or even run if the time said so. A small growl began to rumble in Rosepaw’s throat, and discomfort flooded through his veins. This was not ThunderClan territory… and coke to think of it, this was not any territory that Rosepaw was familiar with. Had he been taken? Had he been moved in his sleep? No- no, he was an incredibly sensitive sleeper, and if slightly abnormally loud breathing could wake him up each night, then anything could, really. This was a dream of some sort, that he could confirm. But the thought of it sent a shiver down Rosepaw’s spine, and feeling unusually nauseous, he whipped his head around towards Treetiger. “What- how? YOU SAI-” He shut up the very moment he caught sight of the other voice, his voice drowning away into a small, cut stammer. As Treetiger wrapped her tails around her paws neatly and stared at Thrush, waiting, Rosepaw abandoned her for a moment, turning his attention to the cat who was standing with them. They were a brown calico of some sort, and Rosepaw did not recognize their pelt in the least. The calico stranger stood up and greeted Rosepaw casually by raising his tail, and at the sight of that, Rosepaw’s fur fell slightly flatter than before. Oh… so I s’pose he ain’t gonna do any harm, ‘cause- nah- No, nothing was for sure. The russet and brown apprentice’s fur bristled right back up, and his bright amber eyes fell into a narrow, cold glare as he waited. This stranger appeared friendly, but being himself, Rosepaw made a point to stay on edge. Then suddenly, they spoke. They greeted Rosepaw formally, the the young apprentice felt his brow pinch. It was an oddly casual greeting for somebody of unfamiliarity, but the tabby tom kept his mouth shut. He made sure to hold his tongue while the stranger spoke. The calico continued, quickly stating the main detail of all of this and telling Rosepaw that he must be Treetiger’s friend. Rosepaw’s eyes shot open wide.
Finally, he began to understand what all was going on. Firstly, this was the friend that Treetiger had suggested they go and meet earlier. Rosepaw was pretty sure that she had mentioned that this friend of hers could be found somewhere within ThunderClan’s camp… and within ThunderClan’s camp, Rosepaw slept away most of his nights. This had to be a dream… he had closed his eyes and drifted away, and the moment he had opened them, he was no longer in the apprentices den. Now that the young apprentice thought deeper on the matter for a moment or two, he was almost absolutely certain that this was a dream, just a… unusually real feeling one. Despite the fact that this dream did not carry the average dream’s vagueness and loopy, unclear, and dreamily stranger atmosphere, Rosepaw was pretty sure that he was asleep as could be. Secondly… that meant some things that made the suddenly troubled apprentice deeply uneasy, some confirmations that he had found himself debating and getting worked up over all day long. This, this mysteriously unexpected calico stranger, was a spirit. Another spirit, at that. Rosepaw could feel his heart rate slowly begin to pick up, pounding faster and faster as he blinked, stared, and blinked some more, repeating the process until his thoughts picked back up. This simply confirmed the existence of the afterlife and/or spirits… rumor has it that they can creep their way into the dreams of cats. And not only had Treetiger told him that she had a friend that they could meet, because everything lined up perfectly. Rosepaw realized that spirits existed just this recent morning, this was obviously a dream, and yet it still felt ominously real, and Treetiger had told him that their interaction with her ‘friend’ could take place somewhere within ThunderClan’s camp. Even… if it took place in his sleep. It was a weird idea to accept, but finally, Rosepaw did, and then he moved on. This was how things were, but he was not going to leave this interaction here. No, he had some things to say, some comments to make… but more importantly, some… questions to ask.
It too, him a moment to find his voice, but once he finally did, he started off decently strong. He spoke with a raised voice, lifting his head to properly catch the calico stranger’s attention unless he had lost it during his thinking-time for some reason. Suspicion shining in his eyes, he glared at the probably-spirit, beginning to speak with his tone cold. “Treetiger’s… friend… more of an acquaintance, I’d tell ya’, but… yeah. Sure… and you’re… uh… call me crazy, stupid, whatever if I’m wrong, but… a spirit.” Shifting his paws slightly, but keeping his gaze locked on the stranger, Rosepaw continued. “Uh-huh. Not sure why, but Treetiger here told me that we could talk to ya’ together, so… here… I am, I guess? I dunno what ya’ want… but if you’re tryin’ to give me some queen-lecture ‘bout friendship, like ya’ll stupid StarClan slops probably do, then uh… I ain’t hearin’ in. If I’m here, I expect to be here for somethin’ actually worth my time.. worth my sleep, anyway, if this is how that works… I honestly dunno, didn’t believe in any’a this afterlife crap ‘till this mornin’ so… heck, do what ya’ want, I don’t care. But… Treetiger,” Thej with a grunt and a softer expression, Rosepaw turned to the older she-cat, raising an eyebrow and feeling his fur flatten just a little as he faced somebody more familiar, more recognizable and trustworthy. “I trust ya’… for the most part. N’ part’a that’s me trustin’ ya’ to bring me here with actually good reasonin’… n’ not just for some dumb chitchat with a literal spirit from the freakin’ stars. But… to start off, uh… yeah. Name’s Rosepaw, and uh… you… are?” Finally, the young tom-cat fell silent, his whiskers twitching a little bit as he waited out the older cat’s response. Awkwardly and quietly, he stood still, gazing at the brown calico stranger’s direction until somebody else spoke/made a move that caught his attention.
She wasn't really sure what to expect, but the bitter attitude wasn't it. Maybe surprised, excited, scared? Never bitter, though. Was that why Rosepaw got the name Rose. He was certainly prickly like a rose! Oh, and the way he objected to being her friend?? Ouch! Treetiger physically flinched at the suggestion of being a mere acquaintance. Her teeth gritted, biting back a retort. A simple tail flick from Thrush was all it took for Treetiger to sit back, obey. She relaxed, letting a small smile play on her face again and her positive attitude returning for her comeback. "I'll become a friend of yours, just you watch," the Bengal chirped, determination brewing in her gaze.
Friendship was what she thrived off of. Without any type of connection to someone, Treetiger would lose her mind... further. Thrush had been her rock, Stormfly too. Sure, they were dead, but they were constants in her spiraling world of insanity. Her inner voice was always dancing around in her brain too, making sure she was never truly alone. Spiderthroat seemed to be her only constant in the waking world, which she didn't mind, but she craved this from someone else too. Perhaps Rosepaw would be her newest obsession friend. Perhaps. She'd just have to ensure this meeting went just as well.
The knowledge that this apprentice trusted her sparked a fire she didn't realize she had within her. Treetiger's grin became genuine, warming even. Her tail tip twitched with unspoken thoughts and plans starting to brew. "Of course I wouldn't bring ya here for dumb reasons! A silly one for that, yep. I saw ya earlier. You were shaken' up quite a bit there, so Thrush here is gonna show ya there's nothin' to be worried 'bout. They can be trustworthy, y'know. They can even train ya, just like he did for me." A simple flick of his tail and Treetiger shut her trap again. Still, a smile played on her face and still, she looked eagerly between Thrush and Rosepaw.
Enough was enough, Thrush flicked his tail a time or two during Treetiger's ramble to shut her up. Sometimes she needed a reminder that this was his domain and no one elses. A menacing signal that only she understood, but outwardly he was friendly to Rosepaw. During his time in the living, Thrush played this double persona well. He'd gotten away with a lot during Evil Era times, creating wars and chaos where he saw fit. Being taken under the wing of Gorsefeather and Singenight during their dark reigns. He'd even gained the trust of outsiders that acted as his assassins when he called for it. So, it took a feline close to him to really read his body language. Treetiger understood that well. Good.
An approving glance over his shoulder at the she-cat was enough to bring a new light to her gaze. He fed on that. Thrush turned to look at Rosepaw again, then addressed their scenery. "Is this place suiting for you? It's a dream y'know. We can adjust things out you'd like," the calico spoke. His tail waved again, and the scenery shifted a little, rose bushes popped up around them, even giving off a pleasant smell. Unfortunately, he wasn't StarClan so the bushes earned dark, nearly black, flowers. The thorns were larger than those in the living world, but this could all be chalked up to a dream. A simple dream thing. The other flowers around them adorned dark petals as well, but each were different. Hopefully, Rosepaw wouldn't catch on that this wasn't a StarClan thing. Once someone found out this was a Dark Forest dream, they typically didn't come back, so Thrush had to earn his trust first. He was already well aware of that.
"As Treetiger said, I can offer you some training. Your talk of friendship is a little bit of nonsense to me. Why is that a concern for you? Do people often critique your interclan relationships?" This was something Thrush could work with considering his apprentice right now thrived off it. This was something he could manipulate with, a weakness, a flaw in their mindset. This was already going to be an easy target. "Treetiger came here with similar problems. She dwells alone in the clan, aside from Spiderthroat. I sent her to find him and sure enough, your very own deputy took her under his wing. You don't have to make friends, but allies within the clan are beneficial.
Are you alone in the waking world? Perhaps your first ally can be Treetiger, here."
Come Meet My Friend [p]
