and the bird goes tweet |➹| singing?

[sparrowsong!]

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.

It was hot today.

Sparrowsong had awoken that morning with a frightfully dry throat; one that had made it difficult to swallow without a prick of pain. It was fortunate then, maybe, that they had been part of the dawn patrol that had trekked to the RiverClan border. The cool water of the river had come as a relief, even if the prickle seemed to refuse to abate itself. It was still early by the time the patrol had returned home, and they were still tired despite it all. Freed from their duty, the chocolate tabby had taken the opportunity for a small nap.

It was hot today.

Sunhigh was near now, and despite their prior plans for a hunt, they weren't sure that they had the energy to stalk and climb and run in the sweltering heat. Still they busied themself, off in a shaded corner of camp and eyes narrowed with concentration as they fiddled and plucked with the camp wall.

Every now and then, they would take care to tend to the foliage that sometimes threatened to overgrow and reclaim the camp that SkyClan resided in. They would trim and pluck and tuck, then leave it until next time.

While they worked, however, Sparrowsong found themself thinking back to the dawn patrol and, consequently, Ravensong.

Ravensong, they mused quietly. Song. Before they knew it, they were singing softly under their breath.

"So sing a song for me..." came their tune, and their usually clear voice was hoarse. They either didn't notice, or paid no mind to it, their paws having paused to focus on the words, on their thoughts. "...Set you free..."

The words paused instead then, and they shifted to work on another portion of the wall. My name's Sparrow! Do you wanna play? "Okay," they murmured to themself. Then, after a pause, "So don't cry... hush, dear... sing a song for me..."

They remembered singing that song for him once. Mama likes that song lots. Do you like it too? They liked it lots, too. Come on, it's fun! Sing with me! Had Ivan ever sung with them? Their brows furrowed in thought, the memory hazy. Surely he had. They made a mental note to ask the next time they visited his house.

It was hot today.

At some point, it began to feel as though the heat were clogging their throat, trying to force them into silence but oh, they just wanted to sing, so why couldn't they? Sing? Oh, that sounded like fun.

"So sing a song for me..." they began their familiar song, sucking in a breath, and clumsy paws plucked at the camp wall.

//

Spoiler: prompts

1. Sparrowpaw is caught singing to themselves by someone while working in camp. What is their reaction? What are they singing about?

3. Sparrowpaw recently met a cat from their past at the Gathering. Has this stirred any memories of their former colony, whether bitter, sweet, or somewhere in between? Write about a memory Ravensong's presence could have triggered for Sparrowpaw.

​

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[BLAZESTAR]

He’s stuck in camp himself. The heat is a burden. Above SkyClan, the sun pulses, and through pale but thick fur, the flame point moves sluggishly as he speaks with cats reporting back from duties. Sickness clouds his mind, sickness and death and pending battles, and his steps are slow and heavy. It’s only when the quiet is disturbed by a voice soft like feathers, curling into the air as though it aims to soar alongside the birds taking flight on the clouds, that Blazestar looks up.

Sparrowsong stands near one of the dens, their paws busy weaving and closing gaps in the walls. And as they work, they sing—and their voice, despite the hesitant quality, is lovely. Blazestar watches, aware vaguely of the lump in his throat. He’s reminded inexplicably of Sharpeye’s elegant movements through the pines, a dance he’d learned in the colony he hailed from moons ago. He’s reminded of a small black she-cat who curls protectively around five writhing kits. He’s reminded of a mother who sinks her paws into a plush, limp body who is cooled by snow, wailing for the kit she could not protect.

“That song…” He thinks of a pale tabby, whispers between them in the shadows of the medicine cat’s den, “…who is it about?”

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — blaise . blazestar
  — he/him ; leader of skyclan
  — pansexual ; divorced ; single
  — longhaired flame point Ragdoll with blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Mercibun

​

 

[DOEBLAZE]

✿—— her fur, though long, only grows thickest in the heavy mane falling from her spine—still, that's enough to make her rather displeased by the late greenleaf heat. not as much as darker-pelted cats, and certainly not as much as blazestar, towards whom she casts a glance of mingled amusement and concern. just like the ragdoll, she's been drawn from her spot at the camp's entrance, returning from a patrol, by the brown tabby's sweet songs. she doesn't do too much work on the camp walls, favoring hard training and long patrols to build her strength, but she supposes she ought to try her paw at it sometime. perhaps moons of flower-weaving and fur-untangling might put themselves to use in that way, the lilac warrior muses as she draws closer.

though their voice is a touch hoarse, perhaps due to the heat, their song is light and airy, dancing through the air like a refined version of the birdcalls that echo through the sky every day. she pads up to where blazestar is nearby, feeling slightly as though she's interrupting some strange poetic silence with her light pawsteps. the simple song makes her think of kithood, of a willowy form curled around her with a thin mane falling against her face where she can reach for it with kitten paws. it makes her think of sleepy songs crooned to her as a child, of the strange lilting gabble of her old housefolk. it's nostalgic, and she smiles at sparrowsong and mews softly, trying not to disturb them too much, "that's lovely, sp-sparrowsong. perhaps, uh, you could teach me sometime?"

she casts her gaze towards blazestar as he speaks, wondering what thoughts dance behind those blue eyes.

NO LOVE, HOWEVER BRIEF (✿) 𝑰𝑺 𝑾𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑫

• ooc: ——
  
• nothing here, have a nice day :-)
• 
  — bobbie
  — she/her ; warrior of skyclan ; 40 ☾s
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — chibi by its_oliverr
  — penned by dejavu
  

​

 

[MALLOWLARK]

Vastly unaware to how little any of the cats present wanted him there, Mallowlark descended upon the scene, dressed with his grin. He'd heard the melody from afar and it had reeled him forward, live a Riverclanner plucking a writhing fish from the depths. But Mallowlark wasn't writhing, no... no, he was walking, striding forward with straight posture, footsteps hauntingly quiet for such a large tom. Staring, his applause was in his transfixed gaze. It was an interesting little tune, one he hadn't heard before- and one Mallowlark was interested in investigating. He'd never been able to match bird-song, but Sparrowsong had come close- and oh, did they live up to their name!

The tune reminded him not of kittens, but of a patchwork she-cat he had not seen in a very long time, grinning like the sun. That smile he had strived all his life to imitate, to match, though he was never quite as good as she was.

"Oh, me too!" he chirped after Bobbie, enthusiasm flooding out of him like dawn light spilling over the horizon. For once, for once, nothing left him regarding how he'd tried to look in birds' throats to see how they could sing or anything of the like. Thrill slipped from his throat in the form of uncontrollable giggles, bubbling out of him like water encroaching the shoreline. Unstoppable force, ruled by something else... something beyond his reach.

"Never- hah- been- b-been good at it, 'cos of- th-this, HAHahaha...!" He fanned a night-soaked paw toward his throat, eyes refusing to leave the bark-striped warrior. Maybe they could teach him how to get good control of his voice.​

☺PENNED BY PIN​

 

[sparrowsong!]

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.

Through their singing, periodically fading to a mumbling hum and picking up again at various portions of the song, they didn't immediately notice the approach of Blazestar. "Hmm?" they hummed, sluggish mind trying to process the question they knew he'd asked.

The singing stopped, as did their paws as they thought. Gray and unfocused eyes turned to their leader. "Who?" they echoed at last, as if confused by the question. Sparrowsong paused. "It's a song mama liked to sing to me as a kit," came their explanation, almost nostalgic in tone.

Swallowing hard with something bordering a grimace and pulling in a breath that wavered, they looked back to the camp wall, paws hovering uncertainly for several heartbeats before fiddling with the foliage near aimlessly. "...Never liked storms much," they continued, as if the silence had never fallen. "She would sing to me if I cried. Make me feel better."

Again the warrior began to hum, but their voice was rough in their throat, and their heart didn't seem to be in it, the notes trailing off into silence. Even so, when Bobbie and Mallowlark wandered over to compliment their singing Sparrowsong twisted around to offer them a small smile, if only temporary as they lowered themself to their belly. "Y'think so?" they wondered aloud. "Singing doesn't have to sound good..." they drew in a breath, "it's just to feel good and have fun." They... didn't feel good, they thought.

Sparrowsong had retreated to the shady corner of camp to escape the suffocating heat, but it just didn't seem to help. Briefly, they wondered if they were going to dry up from the inside-out. It was choking, making it difficult to breathe; why was it the others didn't seem to share the same struggle? Even Blazestar, with his thick coat, barely seemed bothered.

Slowly shifting onto their side, head pressed into the grass and eyes scrunched shut, a thin noise rose in their throat when it did little to help. If anything, it made their head spin. "S'too hot today," they whined softly.​

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[Fireflyglow]

The sound of singing is soft, kind of scratchy and slurred in a way- his eyes blink sleepily as he rises to his paws, his friend's voice subtle amongst the sound of Mother's winds. Tempting, to join their side and aid them with whatever they were doing while they sung. Sleep blinking from his eyes, crusted over from exhaustion. He shakes out his fur to rid himself of debris, tail sweeping across the ground. It isn't until he hears a soft wheeze that he begins to panic, moving up alongside Blazestar's side to brush against his father's shoulder gently. Bobbie's presence is also a welcome one, though Mallowlark- whom he finds strange even still, hesitant to greet the black-footed tom. Why should I? He thinks to himself bitterly, padding over to Sparrowsong's side to aid them.

But instead of continuing to build up the camp wall, they lay down and press their body into the grass. S'too hot today, They whimper, and Fireflypaw panics just a bit. "Sparrow, it's not hot outside today.." He swallows back his sob of panic, sightless hues staring down with wide eyes at his friend. His tail gently graces their side, paw lifting up to gently attempt to push his pawpad against Sparrowsong's nose to feel if it was dry. "Is it hard to breathe, songbird?" The nickname falls from his lips easily, body crouching low to properly hear them speak. Their voice so soft, they sounded exhausted.

"I need to get them to the medicine den." He turns back to the three cats present, eyes narrowing towards Mallowlark- I don't need your help. Don't you dare touch them. He would think bitterly to himself, though the line his lip was drawn into was thin. Carefully, Fireflypaw presses his forehead to Sparrowsong's own, whispering a soft prayer to the Mother below before he speaks softly to them. "Can you stand again, friend? Walk to the medicine den? Or may I carry you?" ​

SKYCLAN MEDICINE CAT APPRENTICE ✦ 13 MOONS ✦ CHUNKY, BIG-FOOTED SEAL POINT ✦ TAGS​