Moments where Rattleheart could just take a second to breathe were often rare. The tunneler knew the best way to keep his mind from racing was to keep it busy, and often that meant venturing down into the tunnels, either to go and mark a border or just try to get some hunting done. Occasionally he would even just venture down for a simple walk, the quiet darkness keeping him company in the enclosed space. Today however, offered one of those scarce occasions where he could settle for a while, sitting in camp and grooming down his often messy and ruffled fur. As much as he loved the tunnels, they often left him decorated in dirt and stones that stuck in his pelt until the next time he got a chance to clean it. The task was at least a simple one, and Rattleheart was free to let his eyes wander as he worked - he had always enjoyed keeping a watchful eye on things. Whether for serious purposes or just for something interesting to gossip about with his clanmates.
This time, though, his gaze didn't land on a piece of potential gossip - or at least not one that he would use. He spotted Eaglepaw from a distance, the apprentice eying the tunnels with unease as one of Rattleheart's fellow tunnelers came padding up from the depths. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the tunneler himself - in fact, he had come into camp with a juicy piece of prey clenched in his jaws - but Eaglepaw certainly seemed to hold some sort of disdain for the tunnels themselves. Rattleheart was used to many of his clanmates disliking the tunnels or the prospect of being in them, but he wasn't used to seeing something akin to fear in their eyes.
Curiosity and worry both piqued, the monochrome feline made his way over to Eaglepaw, flicking his tail lightly against their side in greeting. "Hello Eaglepaw, is everything alright?" His head tilted over to one side, nodding in the direction of the nearby tunnel entrance, "You look like a badger is about to come rushing out to snatch us all up." Something that could have been a legitimate concern, if not for the utter lack of badger scent anywhere nearby.
[ PENNED BY EO ]