private a daring rescue .. pikesplash

[lichenstar]

The shifting sky showed the tell-tale signs of a hot day to come- clouds sparse and quickly dispersing out of the range of the morning sun as if fearful of it. They ran scattered to the wind and with every passing moment, the bird itched to fly and be free. Perched at the sandy edge of their safe haven, pale, prying eyes scanned the horizon as if searching for a sign. A warning... Anything. The wind whistled, it brushed past the new shape of how their figure had been marred and it felt like daggers were in the breeze... it was uncomfortable... it all felt wrong. Plucked of feathers and left to flutter away... laughing.

Their skin crawled.... it had felt like ants had lived in their pelt every since.

Finally free from the hypnotizing stare towards the sun's rise, its blinding light became too much to bare as they turned to look away, basking in the first few rays in silent consideration.

Everything felt wrong. RiverClan felt wrong. It wasn't lost on them... But it didn't matter. Shaking out their coat as if to remove the feeling of creeping hands that crept along their back, the pointed cat saw the familiar figure of a friend fast sleep through one of the dens... probably soon to be harassed by two well-meaning scraps that constantly vied for his attention but-

Without thinking their paws moved across the dusty ground towards his side, glancing over the dozing tom with a small frown to herself. It would be rude to wake him... right? Instead, they opted to lay down behind him, tucking their paws and patiently waiting, head lowered to rest there as their tail flicked back and forth. Pikesplash wasn't a late sleeper surely... He'd be up soon and they could finally bother him to talk.

She'd noticed his awkward behaviors... He'd understand. Besides.

She owed him a lecture.​

 

[PIKESPLASH]

( tags ) The only place of solace he had were his dreams. Oh, he was in the middle of a buffet. Salmon, catfish, trout, and carp were lined up along the shore. Overall it was a blissful dream and he knew if this were ever to happen in the waking world he would most likely cough up the abundance of fish he had eaten. Which... Was a bit of a downer because so many wonderful fish would go to waste. Eventually, he would always would return to the waking world. The tom would turn in his half asleep state to face Lichentail. His whiskers would twitch and an ear flicked before his eyes would slowly open. The tom would blink multiple times to adjust to the light. He would come face to face with Lichentail and yawn.

Lichentail had been keeping to herself, which was not by choice. She had been confined to the medicine cat den for awhile, which was nothing new. There were always cats who ended up in the medicine cat den. Petalnose was always a frequent visitor. He would know because it seemed almost every moon she'd somehow end up on the medicine cat den. It was foolish to reprimand her because he had seen her. Somehow trouble would find her, but she would bounce right back. As for Lichentail... It was very surprising and all the more terrifying. Lichentail was not a cat who would visit the medicine cat den much less stay in it. She lost part of an ear, which meant only one thing. She was in a scuffle. No Lichentail he knew would allow an otter or dog to take her ear.

"Oh, hey Lichen," he mewed. The tom had no clue if she wanted to converse with him, but he figured a greeting wouldn't be too horrendous of him. There was silence. It became apparent that she wanted either something from him or wanted to speak to him. "You're looking better, although I'm sure you already want to join us in patrols. U-uhm, do you need something from me Lichen?"​

 

[lichenstar]

To sit with paws curled up under their chest and lay with such bored regard for the morning was unusual... and so annoying. Each small breath from the sleeping warriors made their ear twitch, hypervigilant and alert as they awaited a specific pile of fur to rouse. It didn't take terribly long... the sun still hung high in the sky by the time Pikesplash rolled over with bleary eyes to find her huddled close to his nest. Winking open her own eyes to peer at him with a sidelong glance, the point's whiskers twitched in acknowledgement, as he had appropriately identified her and continued to make a harmless comment on her appearance.

Looking back out into the openness of the camp's center, his observation of her antsy nature was... accurate. "Yes well... I would prefer to be working right now but I have watchful eyes making sure I don't run off and 'over-exert myself' or something." It is with a childish, grumpy huff that they stand up, turning to face the tom again with a small shake of her head, "'S not a need.... Just wondering if I could borrow you this morning to talk."

Kinked tail flicking back and forth, their gaze wandered once more to the camp, scoping out their home for the second time since he'd awoken. There were a few more bodies out and about already, preparing for the day and getting set to resume patrols. "Since I can't leave without a chaperone, I figure I won't get into trouble if it's just a harmless walk with you... Wouldn't want to be lectured for 'escaping' again."​

 

[PIKESPLASH]

( tags ) At the mention of watchful eyes he can't help but mumble, "Oh. Right." I'm one of them. When I'm not sleeping that is. "You can't work all the time Lichen. It stinks to be told that, but even if you weren't hurt, working all the time is no good. Take care of yourself every once and awhile, y'know? Ah, I'm not trying to lecture you or anything like that. I'm just trying to say that I care about you," he finishes flustered. It was a habit of his to be a mother hen to those he cared about and sometimes he finds himself saying things that might cross the line. After all, some cats didn't particularly like being treated as such. Sometimes it felt like he was reprimanding them for certain actions when the case was that he simply wanted his friends to take care of themselves. Major issues were in most cases they were quite stubborn and he would find himself complaining to Starclan why his friends had a thirst for getting hurt.

Thankfully, they're both shaking their heads at themselves for this. He does perk up at her asking to borrow him. What are we talking about? She didn't say what she wanted to speak to about, so now he's wondering if she has a task for him that she's going to guide him into doing. Essentially helping her work in a different way, which was better. He would rather have her order him around than actually do the task for now. Until she got the clear then he would no longer be on her case about it. Perhaps his mistake was not asking her what she wanted from him because he would respond rather quickly with a "Sure!"

It's a bit odd for her to bring up the fact that he would be chaperoning her because it just sounds weird. He doesn't consider himself as tough as Cindershade or as terrifying as Smokethroat to be chaperone like. He's in all a big plush teddy bear in comparison. In short. Not chaperone like at all. He doesn't think she would get in trouble if she left with him, but with his track record. Yeah, it was kind of iffy. I'm not really a pushy cat. Walk all over me type. "Yeah, another lecture doesn't sound great," he answers as he rises to his paws. "Let's go then? We can spend more time out today, to stretch your legs and take a breather." So you don't feel too trapped in camp.​

 

[lichenstar]

Scrunching up their nose in a stubborn disagreement, the molly shook her head to insist he was wrong. There was no such thing as working too much! If there was something that needed doing, it needed doing! And she would do it, without question or hesitation. It wasn't like anyone else could, otherwise they would've already... right? "If no one else will do it... someone has to." A refusal to acknowledge the value of rest... nothing unusual. He back tracked to reassure her that it wasn't a lecture and Lichen dismissed it with a flick of her ear, "Not a problem- I welcome your worried insight, I just don't think I'm worth worrying about."

Standing up as if to escape the conversation through sheer vertical distance, the striped cat moved towards the camp's edge with a waving tail to encourage him to follow. They would have some privacy... some space. It was all she wanted.

He is quick to relinquish that much, to her great relief. They wander in some idle silence, taking a chance to really breathe and settle and rid the tension that had been living stubbornly in her spine.

After some small, silent time, the lead was certain they would be free of prying ears.

"Much as I appreciate your mothering, there's a reason I don't have one around." It is mostly meant in jest... his incessant concern does not bother her the way her mother's did. But aside from that... troubled water... Lichentail considered herself a fully realized adult, capable of keeping herself afloat without supervision. "I digress- I will be more careful of course. Though... I'd implore you not to drag the next sorry idiot that collapses in camp." A small churl of amusement (it had caused her no great nor permanent harm, but it was funny nonetheless) before they continued.

"Hope you don't mind my prying but... how are you? Are you feeling okay?"​