no angst an eggs-traordinary disaster [watch out!]

[CLAYFUR]

The last time Clay found a bird’s nest on the ground, he’d had to debate over whether killing the hatchlings inside was more merciful than returning them to the tree they’d likely fallen from. Some of his clanmates had thought killing the baby birds was the better idea, and such a thought still makes the brown and white warrior uncomfortable. Killing things just because they’re useless… is that how his clanmates truly feel?

No, surely not, he thinks as he stares down at the eggs that he’s found lying in a heap of grass. They’re small, smaller than he figured a bird’s eggs would be, but when they hatch into birds they’ll surely help to feed the clan. They could use more prey, especially after finding those loners that Smokethroat told everyone about.

He casts a glance at the patrol behind him, then shifts his gaze skyward. The sky is pale blue, cut through with the green of leaves and the dark branches of the tree above. Where… "Aha!" There’s the nest, on a branch not too far above the ground. Flicking his tail at the cats who are with him, the tom picks up one of the eggs, holding it gently in his mouth. If he goes slowly and carefully enough, he can return it to the nest without cracking it.

He makes it to the lowest limb of the tree, still pretty far above the land below, and is struck with the feeling of unfamiliarity. He hasn’t been in a tree for any serious reason since leaving the pine forest with his family for RiverClan, and he can feel how unsteady he’s become. He pushes onward, though, pressing his body low and scooting along the limb.

Suddenly, a smaller branch cracks beneath his paw, and he nearly overcorrects as he loses his balance—a pale paw slips off of his perch, and his shoulder slams into the wood of the limb that he’s crouched on. He manages to keep himself from falling entirely and tumbling to the ground, but in the shuffle the egg slips right out of his mouth. It rolls off the branch and— "Oh, look out!" He shouts out at whatever unfortunate cat is below him, hoping that they’ll move out of the way quickly enough. But even as he strikes a paw out, attempting to catch the egg, he can’t reach it. The warrior is left to watch as the speckled egg plummets down, down, down…​

[ YOU ARE THE STARS TO ME ]​

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[Mosspool]

As Clayfur ascended into the trees, Mosspaw watched curiously. There weren't many cats in the clan who could climb that well. She watched as he scooted carefully along the branch dexterously, making note of his form. Then, the branch cracked and he slipped.

"Clayfur!" She cried out in alarm as the tom's shoulder slammed into the branch beneath him. Her eyes were affixed to the warrior, terrified that any second he would come plummeting down toward her. She was so focused on him, that she didn't notice what was plummeting down toward her until moments before...

C R A C K

Mosspaw squeezed her eyes shut and flinched back as the egg spattered across her forehead, little pieces of shell going flying. The egg stuck there for a moment before slipping and falling to the ground Aside from her little wince, Mosspaw herself barely moved. She just stood there as the yolk began to run down her face. It soaked into her fur and dripped down toward her eyes. Her eyes began to open a hair, but then she quickly squeezed them back shut. Then she squirmed in place and her ears folded back.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew..." She muttered to herself, raising a paw to desperately and blindly swipe at the mess of egg on her forehead. It came off in little globs of yolk with tiny shards of shell, but she couldn't get all of it. She wanted to remain calm and dignified but the sticky feeling in her fur was so gross and uncomfortable that it made her want to throw up. A low, pitiful whine left Mosspaw. "Get it ooooooff."​

 

[lichenstar]

They were certainly not known for it- what sort of fish climbed trees after all- but to the pointed cat it came as only a small surprise to see the ruddy fur of a familiar tom up in a tree. Mosspaw stood underneath him, stupefied as the apprentice struggled to absorb the careful technique that made a skilled climber and for a moment, they were content to join her, pale gaze moving up to admire how far he'd managed. Was he planning on hunting some birds that way?

A past conversation and a failed hunting lesson came to mind... Clayfur enjoyed birds, right?

As the warrior was about to offer some narration of what he was doing and what choices he was making with his paws upon certain branches, Lichentail barely got their mouth open before he gracelessly tumbled down a row of branches- an easy mistake to make and often deadly. The shrill, nervous outcry made their ears hurt, flicking one slightly as they stared in quiet thought.

He didn't look to be in danger.. the fall had not been severe and he was plenty skilled as far as they could tell. With a small tilt of their head, the disturbed bird's nest proved to give them an unsuspecting attack. It hurtled down to the ground and-

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew.."

An amused purr found them before the thought to help the poor, disgusted girl- "Alright alright, stay still," they grumbled, plodding closer to get a look at the slimy egg-matter and then back up at Clayfur, "Impressive it happened to fall exactly here... If I didn't know better I'd say you aimed it." A rough tongue found itself another unwilling victim to the taste of the cracked egg but it was a sacrifice necessary to help Mosspaw free herself of the nasty sensation.

Pulling away after a particularly gross mouthful, the lead scrunched up their nose in distaste, swallowing past it to speak, "Better?​

 

[merlintongue]

⚘ "CLAYFUR — !"

matching mosspaw, merlintongue's surprised shout is cut off when clayfur catches himself — he sees the alarm on lichentail's face, too, at the fall that could have ended much worse. instead sky-blue eyes track something small and white that sails down, down, down...

"oh dear," merlintongue murmurs aloud, just as the egg lands directly on mosspaw's head. splat!

while lichentail turns their attention to the horrified apprentice, merlintongue turns his own up toward clayfur, silver eyebrows raised, amusement plain on his face. "that was a close one, wasn't it? thank starclan you're alright. i think you'll owe mosspaw one for this, though ... " he says, blue eyes bright with mirth, only to wince as he hears her pitiful 'get it oooooff' behind him. poor kid. "... do you need any help getting down?"

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⚘

• tags •

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• • MERLINTONGUE, HE/HIM • 48 moons • marshborn riverclan warrior • silver ticked tabby with sky-blue eyes and a soft white mane • tall, graceful, and strong • charismatic and kind, seeks out friendships • peaceful powerplay welcome •
•  

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[CLAYFUR]

There have been only a few moments in his life during which Clay remembers that time had seemed to slow. The first time had been on a very stormy day, and he was looking into sunny eyes and awaiting an answer, hoping he hadn’t read the situation wrong. The second and third had been bloody moments, ones he doesn’t wish to dwell on these days.

Now, the fourth time… he hears a muffled shout of his name as the egg falls in slow motion to the ground. Lower, lower, lower, and—this time, he sees his own life flash before his eyes. Because of course, the egg lands right on top of poor Mosspaw’s head, and oh my god Willow is going to kill him. He’s egged his friend’s child; unintentionally, of course, but no amount of good intent will pull the egg off of Mosspaw’s head and suck it back up into the tree.

"Mosspaw, oh no, I’m so sorry!" He calls out to the apprentice, scrambling to get upright once again, but he’s still too late. Lichen moves to help clean Mosspaw’s egg-drenched head off, but their words are damning. No! Don’t say that! He can tell that the pointed feline is only teasing him, but if Poppysplash or Willow hears them… he’s toast! He’s worse off than that bird egg! He’s seen Willowroot in a fight!

Meelintongue chimes in with amusement plain on his face, and Clay frowns. It’s, like, so not cool to find humor in his potential demise—and he definitely owes Mosspaw more than just one. After this, he owes Mosspaw at least ten. But then the silvery tom asks whether he needs help getting down, and he shakes his head, grinning broadly. "Oh, no, I’m fine! Just a simple-" he moves with as much grace as he can muster, springing into the air just to feel the drag of gravity, the brush of wind before he hits the ground. And when he lands, it is graceful—if one doesn’t count the egg that smashes beneath a clumsy white paw. The second egg that he’d been hoping to return to its nest. "…jump," he finishes, slumping in defeat. What’s the saying—two birds with one stone? This is more like… two almost-birds with one noodle-limbed warrior and an unwitting apprentice.​

[ YOU ARE THE STARS TO ME ]​

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[Mosspool]

Hearing Clayfur's apology above her, Mosspaw squeaked out a quick, "It's fine." With her eyes still squeezed shut. A bit of egg dripped toward her eye and she let out a little whimper of discomfort, undercutting her statement.

Staying as still as she could manage with the sticky egg running down her fur, she waited as Lichentail licked away the mess. A sigh of relief left her as the egg was cleaned away. As he pulled away, she finally opened her eyes again. "Yes, thank you." Mosspaw tried to regain her dignity and pull herself back together, giving him a nod of gratitude.

"...I still feel sticky." She muttered, half to herself, as she uncharacteristically fidgeted in place. While she didn't wish to complain, there was still some stickiness in her fur. As much as she wanted to get back to the patrol, it was hard to focus on anything while she felt so gross.​

 

[BONERIPPLE]

જ➶ She has never witnessed something so humrous before and the mere fact that it also smashes against someone's head is not lost on her. As she makes her way closer to the scene her eyes focus on Mosspaw and she has a want to help but it seems Lichen is already on the scene to do that. So instead she turns her attention to Clayfur and watches with a keen eye as he tries to decend with yet another egg in his grasp. The woman watches with a hint of worry as he makes his descent down from the tree and misfortune comes. Unfortunately the other egg does not make it either. She slips her way over to Clayfur and looks at the smashed egg beneath his paws. "Well, it seems the ants will eat good today, hm." She jests quietly as she gives him a small smile. "We can find you some more eggs later on if you want, Clayfur. I'm sure there are more out there."

Then she turns her attention towards Mosspaw, understanding plight. The egg couldn't have felt good and she finds herself tilting her head in a bit of thought. "Maybe a swim will make it all better. And you can practice your hunting skills as well." She is sure the waters will wash away what was left of the egg on Mosspaw's pelt.​