camp but today i got plans } moving back

[EGGSKIP]

I MET A GIRL WHO SANG THE BLUES — This was a long time coming, as much as Eggskip hated to admit it. She had resisted it for as long as possible, clinging to her place within the nursery like razor wire chained her forcibly down to the nest there. The nest that was noticeably empty now, left with only her for company. Her trio of kits no longer held such a title, their names echoing in her mind as she stood in the middle of camp, perched precariously between the nursery and the warriors' den. Mantispaw, Leechpaw, and Slugpaw. The burnt-looking chimera was proud of them, of course she was, but she couldn't help but feel bitter over their moving on at the same time. Couldn't they have just stayed kits forever, curled helplessly at her side? Eggskip had nearly expected that to be Slugpaw's permanent fate, considering how much her daughter had loathed the simple act of being conscious.

That hadn't changed, though she had thankfully been blessed with a mentor that seemed primed to deal with it. A blessing for her and a curse for Eggskip, who accepted what needed to be done as the scent of her children slowly faded from formerly familiar moss.

Now there was new moss clenched in her jaws, a mostly remade nest dangling from her mouth as she finally took the last few strides towards the warriors' den. Her head ducked just enough to slip down past hanging branches of bramble, long tail twitching with barely contained displeasure as she searched for where she could settle. Were things more crowded in here than last time she had made it her home, or was she just imagining things? It might have been a bit of both, her mind eager to play tricks on her. In the end, she shoved her nest near one of the corners of the den, separated enough that she'd have at least a gap of space between herself and her fellow warriors. As she stared down at it, she felt an odd pang in her chest. "Guess it's too bad Chilledstar never got to see me come back here." It was too bad she'd never gotten to talk about her plans with them, her own laziness having condemned her to walls of bramble instead of the warmth of the nursery.

Perhaps she could discuss it with Smogstar instead, once their last leader wasn't freshly buried beneath the earth?

AND I ASKED HER FOR ★ SOME HAPPY NEWS

• 
  ✰ longhaired black tabby and fawn chimera with amber eyes
  ✰ 22 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✰ bisexual; currently not looking
  ✰ mother of slugpaw, leechpaw, and mantispaw
  ✰ very recent queen; rarely leaves camp
  ✰ shadowclan born; loyal but not hostile to other clans
  ✰ very easy to befriend; little animosity in her at all
  ✰ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✰ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[smogstar]

Prying eyes and pricked ears, shadowing Eggskip hawk-like from a snug distance. In observing the molly's patchy pelt going to and fro, up to what looks like a mundane chore, Smogmaw's interest wanes not once. He may be off base, misreading signals and misinterpreting the queen's business altogether— but even so, he thinks he can sense a burden in her gait. Weight, heaviness, neither from the moss-bedding clutched in her jaws. It draws his whiskers to curl and brow to crease in idle speculation.

Just before her figure is lost to the bramble-wrapped warriors' den, Smogmaw rises and ambles himself in a leisurely but swift trek after the cat. He shoulders his frame through the entrance with a practiced ease; and his hypothesis stands proven. The nesting material lays deposited, to be a new fixture among the collection of mosses in the den. "Back in here now, eh?" he presses, placid. Pacifistic and caregiving, the path of a permanent queen is not the one she will tread. Instead retaking the warrior's ways, it would seem. "Well, good. Welcome back. How're you feeling?" ​

 

[mirepurr]

✦

Eggskip's reluctance to move from the nursery once her kittens graduated to apprentices has transformed her in Mirepurr's eyes; they almost thought she would one day declare herself a queen permanently, much like Frostbite. Black-and-fawn pelt moves to and fro, her presence in the warriors' den a greatly welcomed one. Mireurr is unable to usher their curiosities away.

Smogmaw beats them to it, flocking to Eggskip at the mention of Chilledstar. He is a replacement in a way. Paler, less tortured, alive.

There is a pang within Mirepurr's chest at the gloom in Eggskip's voice, pulsating with a certain kind of pain that will never truly fade, not even with time. "I'm sure they see you," they remind her, unwilling to throw a skyward glance; she gets the point.

"You must be aching to get out of camp." The declaration is paired with a nod upon Smogmaw's question. They don't imagine the abrupt change in scenery would be enough for Eggskip to feel freshened up — she had cooped herself up in the safety of the nursery fast. The state of the warriors' den definitely doesn't help her case either, blessed as that very fact might be.
​

 

[EGGSKIP]

I MET A GIRL WHO SANG THE BLUES — Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Or think of him, it seemed. Eggskip's gaze of amber slid over to Smogmaw as soon as he announced himself, his question prompting a swift nod of her head. "Certainly seems that way. Maybe I should've just left my nest like it was, then I wouldn't 'ave lost my comfy spot." The thought prompted a light cackle from her, enough to lift her spirits at least somewhat. "Can't say I feel like a spring chicken... but I'm probably just rusty. Few moons in the nursery'll do that to you. But I s'pose it won't be so bad getting out again. Give me a chance to keep an eye on the little ones too, even though they're on their own these days." Not entirely, obviously. She'd never turn her children away if they needed advice, not to mention their mentors being present.

Still, everything about them being 'paws felt distinctly different.

Mirepurr was the next to approach, their words rather unintentionally causing a pang in her chest. Though she had never been the closest with Chilledstar, the thought of them still looking out for her and her kin even now was a comforting one. One she decided not to linger on, just in case her train of thought led to sudden motivation and throwing caution to the wind in order to hunt down the beast that had taken them from Shadowclan. "I've had a few walks here 'r there, but... a proper trip out will be nice. Find something to sink my teeth into, you know? Shame I mostly missed out on when those frogs were swarming us." Save for when they had decided to lay siege on Shadowclan's camp, of course. Still, she didn't really consider that to be the same thing - in those moments, she had felt far more like the prey than the hunter.

AND I ASKED HER FOR ★ SOME HAPPY NEWS

• 
  ✰ longhaired black tabby and fawn chimera with amber eyes
  ✰ 22 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✰ bisexual; currently not looking
  ✰ mother of slugpaw, leechpaw, and mantispaw
  ✰ very recent queen; rarely leaves camp
  ✰ shadowclan born; loyal but not hostile to other clans
  ✰ very easy to befriend; little animosity in her at all
  ✰ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✰ peaceful powerplay allowed

​