pafp BECAUSE I HEAR YOU [ ✦ ] "assignment"

[Springshine]

Sometimes in the mornings, if Springkit was awake in time, she would sit in the entrance of the nursery and she would watch as cats all stood in a circle around one cat in particular. The cat was orange and white and though she was around the same height as her own mother, there was a certain air about her that made her seem... bigger. More important. Perhaps it was in her voice, or perhaps it was the way cats looked at her, respect in their eyes. Either way, she looked like one of the coolest cats Springkit had ever seen. One day, when her curiousity had gotten the better of her she had asked Cricketchase who she was, because he was always going up to her and she would say something to him and then he would leave to wherever he went off to during the day. "Thats Orangeblossom, shes the clan's deputy" her father had explained to her the night she had asked him. "Her job is to tell all of us warriors what needs to be done for the day, and we go do it" and then he had told her all about patrols and hunting and training, and Springkit had thought it all to be so much but if that is what a warrior did then one day she would be expected to do it too right? What better time to start than now...

So the next morning, the fluffy kitten makes a decision. Instead of waiting from the entrance of the nursery for the camp to clear out like she normally did, she took a step out. She joined the crowd of cats waiting for their assignments, sitting on the outskirts until it waned and only the cats without a task for the day were left. "Hi! I'm here for my assignment..." she says, her voice wavering only slightly. She hopes it isn't something too difficult... But Cricketchase had said that every cat got one so she is certain her flying under the radar for so long had not gone unnoticed and surely there would be extra work to be done because of it...

// please wait for @orangeblossom

​

 

[Orangestar]

𝐵𝑈𝑇 𝑇𝑂 𝐴 𝑊𝑂𝑀𝐴𝑁, 𝐵𝑌 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷 ✧ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐋𝐋 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀

• 
  
  — orangeblossom | tags
  — she/her ; deputy of skyclan, mentoring eveningpaw.
  — scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes.
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — chibi by waluigipinball
  — penned by mercibun. @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots.
  
  

​

As her Clanmates disperse, Orangeblossom takes comfort in the fact she's done her job well today. Most of SkyClan had been sent on patrol, scattered to the territory, and she's hopeful that her assignments would bring back positive reports and prey for their dwindling fresh-kill pile. The sky doesn't threaten immediate snow, but she knows it's on the horizon, and--

"Hi!" A small voice pipes up from next to her, and Orangeblossom jolts as she's shaken from her thoughts. Springkit stands next to her, lichen-blue eyes fixated and politely expectant on an answer to her question. Mentally, she replays the last few heartbeats.

"Your assignment?" Orangeblossom echoes, briefly confused. She hadn't missed a ceremony, right? No, Springkit was too young. She'd know if the black-and-white kitten had been apprenticed already, namely because Cricketchase never stopped meowing about his kits as is. She's pretty sure he'd been bragging that his kits were almost ready to be given their mentors last night, actually.

"Oh ... You mean for the patrols. I see." The faintest hint of a smile touches the deputy's maw, transforming her permanent scowl into something a bit softer. She crouches to be closer to Springkit's level, leaving a bit of space between them so as not to startle the young molly. "You know kits don't get jobs like the warriors, right? Your job is to play, and to learn."

Distantly she remembers a similar conversation from several moons ago, wide eyes peering up at her hopefully. The muzzle it belonged to is murky in her memory, but she seems to remember a similar plea to let them help out with the Clan duties. Just like she had back then, she relents, and adjusts her mental schedule. The warriors were grown up, their den could wait an extra sunrise or two.

"But ... if you're looking for something to do, I'm going to patch up the nursery walls today." She offers, eyes gentle even though her demeanour shifts back to being SkyClan's deputy rather than a mother. She straightens, though she still looks directly at Springkit. "If Roseblaze says you can, I'd appreciate your help. We're going to use those feathers I've been collecting, so that kits like you can stay nice and warm during leafbare."
​

 

[Springshine]

At first, there is confusion written all over the orange and white mollies face and for a second, Springkit worries. Was she wrong? Would Orangeblossom be mad at her for asking for something to do? Maybe she was just supposed to know what needed to be done and then go do it But then she crouches down to her level and in a very nice voice she explains to her that kits don't get jobs, that her only duties involved playing and learning "Oh.." she says, a bit disappointed as she had been hyping herself up to do this all morning, and now that she finally had she was learning it was for no reason. She drags one foot around in the dirt, absent-mindedly, already preparing to go back to the nursery and report her failings to Roseblaze. She could not have a job because she was too young..

But then something great happens! She looks up as the cat opposite to her speaks again, this time with an offer. One that Springkit readily takes. Orangeblossom was going to patch up the nursery walls and she was going to help! She would be the coolest kit ever because thanks to her (and Miss Orangeblossom) all the other kits wouldn't become ice cubes! "Yes! Yes! A million times yes! I'll go ask her right now and I promise I'll be the most helpful kit EVER!" she exclaims, shooting up to run to the nursery as fast as her dainty kitten legs will take her, so that she may ask Roseblaze for permission to help out, though there isn't a doubt in her mind the tortoiseshell queen would say no. In fact. Roseblaze had seemed quite amused when Springkit told her she was going out to get a job. Before she had left she had reached out and ruffled her head, called her her little warrior and sent her off on her mission while she watched from the entrance of the nursery. She was going to be so impressed that Springkit was going to be something so important!

​

 

[Orangestar]

𝐵𝑈𝑇 𝑇𝑂 𝐴 𝑊𝑂𝑀𝐴𝑁, 𝐵𝑌 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷 ✧ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐋𝐋 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀

• 
  
  — orangeblossom | tags
  — she/her ; deputy of skyclan, mentoring eveningpaw.
  — scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes.
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — chibi by waluigipinball
  — penned by mercibun. @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots.
  
  

​

"Very good. You go and ask Roseblaze, and I'll collect the feath- aaaaand she's gone." Orangeblossom's instructions taper to a halt as Springkit disappears in a whirl of night-black fur and enthusiasm, and her whiskers twitch. Hopefully she retains this degree of enthusiasm towards her apprentice chores in the next few moons. With a quiet huff of amusement, the deputy turns to fetch her own materials. Depending on who else is around camp, she might enlist a couple of extra paws to help her out.

Orangeblossom approaches the nursery a short time later, a leaf-bundle of feathers held gingerly in her jaws. A mrow rumbles in her throat to announce her presence, peering through the den's entrance and searching inside for her young helper. Had Springkit been allowed to join her or would she be asked to watch with her eyes, not her paws? She'd understand if Roseblaze chose the latter; StarClan knew she'd told her kits the same thing a few times when they'd tried to get under Johnnyflame's paws.

​

 

[wolfpaw!]

Wolfkit knows a little about how SkyClan works. Mostly he listens to Blazingkit's babbles; his brother is very keen on knowing exactly how each apprentice duty works, and so Wolfkit tries to absorb as much information from him as he can. Admittedly, it is not a lot. The cream-and-lilac torbie is not exalted for his smarts, but he tries his best to keep up, and not just with his own littermates, but with his denmates, too. So, when he spots Spingkit assailing Orangeblossom for work, Wolfkit is quick to join in.

"Miss Orangeblossom?" the child pips, plumed tail wagging behind him as saucer-wide amber eyes stare up at the deputy. "I already know how to play and learn super good, so, um... I need a job like Springkit. I'm like, the best at playing. Especially playing porcupine hunt. So...." As he trails off, he continues staring up at the warrior expectantly. She'd have to give him something cool to do, since he was so good at playing and everything. He totally had that down, so he didn't need to learn it at all anymore. Briefly, he glances backwards at Springkit as she tears through camp proclaiming her importance, and his tail wags a little more — he'll be important, too, if Orangeblossom gives him a cool job to do. "Can I do something cool like Springkit? Or maybe cooler?"

𝐈 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 ☾ 𝐈 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃

• 

• 
  
  — wolfkit
  — she / they / he ; kit of skyclan
  — longhaired lilac torbie with piercing yellow eyes
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — avatar by tropics; signature by dreamydoggo
  — penned by meghan

​

 

[edenberry ?!]

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 〰 They have to admit it's a lot more fun to hang out with the bottomless pools of energy that are the clans newest kittens. They do their best not to make it obvious how much they like stealing the chores from other apprentices when it comes to cleaning out the nursery (they cannot hunt for the queens, this is their only option really) but it's hard to ignore the way their eyes linger there anytime half-pint felines roll rove around the camp. Orangeblossom is their victim today, which makes the two-toned cat grin in malicious amusement- if she weren't already a mother, Edenpaw would suspect her to be super impatient, boring and completely incapable of fun. But Cherrypaw and Glimmerpaw exist... unfortunately, they disprove their running theory by virtue of being cool themselves.

Wolfkit and Springkit demand a job... It would be hard to find something suitable enough that wouldn't just be the same thing the apprentices had to do everyday but this doesn't seem to bother the deputy in the slightest. Springkit's already haring away to talk to her mother when the second kit pipes up about their supreme prowess as 'the best', which draws a small 'tehe' from Edenpaw.

Padding over to the two (hoping Springkit won't trip and fall in her haste to get permission), they stare down orange and cream fur with a silent offer of support. "I can help supervise," they suggest, squeezing their eyes shut into a smile that reaches their corners. "Promise I won't lose them playing hide-n-seek this time."​