'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly & Orangeblossom

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] The night was still. Not a single creature stirred in the distance and the clans for once seemed at peace in their own territories. Snow was padded down now with weeks of footsteps and the cold lessened slightly to make it just a little more bearable that day. It was that time of day when everyone had decided to settle down for the night and it was time for the daylight warriors' to return back to their twoleg homes. Though one cat stayed behind from the rest of the daylight warriors as they all walked together back to the twolegplace. A large, blue tabby was looking up at the sky as the stars twinkled in the clear, velvet sky and the moon hung as a half wedge in the sky.

"The stars lean down to kiss you
And I lie awake and miss you
Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere,"

The words were soft, almost a whisper, as he recalled this song his humans use to play all the time. He had no idea what it was called, but they would dance to it or be affectionate together with it playing in the background. Was this sort of a mating thing with humans? It was uncertain but the song was rather catchy nonetheless and offered him comfort in times of need. Especially now as he stared up at the night sky with his bushy tail swishing behind him with a slow movement. Hailstone wasn't sure if he wanted to go home.

It had become a nightly debate in his mind; to go home or stay in the clan. Part of him wanted to go home, to his loving humans and his warm bed but yet there was Skyclan. His source of freedom, his loyalty laid here but yet it felt split between the two homes. Hailstone gave a heafty sigh to himself and looked around the camp for a moment as things cleared out and cats dispersed into their dens for the night. Did anyone else struggle with this feeling? His mother must right? Pinataflurry was a daylight warrior too- but she seemed content with her paws in either place. Hailstone wasn't as comfortable as his mother with it, and it made him shake out his coat. Trying to dislodge the mixed emotions from weighing down his chest as he headed for the camp entrance; suppose he should get home.

speech

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​

 

[Orangestar]

Her shift is newly finished, having been put to the task until the daylight warriors went south for the night. Such is the luck of not having an apprentice, she muses to herself - most of their training denmates were either finishing up patrols or sharing tongues before bed. She's already said goodnight to Alice, her mother grooming the fluff out of her eyes like she's always done before she goes with Blueberrypaw to join the twolegs for the night (good for them, Orangeblossom muses, glad that her family is keeping safe and warm from the cold), and now stands beside her father - Heavy Stone is taking over from her, experienced and comfortable with night watch. It saves him from having to be up at the crack of dawn, in his logic, an anecdote that he's shared a pawful of times before and one that Orangeblossom ignores today in favour of watching Hailstone cross the camp towards them. Heavy Stone nudges her shoulder.

"What?" She snips, but the red-and-white tomcat only purrs at her in a knowing, teasing sort of way. Orangeblossom huffs, flushing all the way to the tips of her ears, and swats a paw gently at her father. "Stop it."

"Your mother will be so happy." He responds, gleeful.

"Shh!" She hisses back at him. "Do not tell her, we aren't anything."

The white-and-ginger molly flattens her pelt with some effort as Hailstone nears earshot, and, thankfully, Heavy Stone doesn't instigate further. Orangeblossom flicks her tail in greeting, and rises to cold paws.

"It'll be dark by the time you reach the border, I'll walk with you." She offers, though there's no question in her voice. As far as she's concerned, having company in the dark forest is a given - it's not safe alone, or really even in groups - she'd proven that, accidentally, when she and Finchfang had encountered the fox a couple of sunrises earlier. And she refused to let Hailstone get hurt by something similar.​

✦ ooc ✦ info

•  
• 
  ✦ orangeblossom, warrior of skyclan
  — no apprentice.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with brown eyes. torn left ear, scar on right foreleg.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

​

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] Footsteps approaching pulled Hailstones' mind from the night sky and his deep rooted issues about being a daylight warrior. It was Orangeblossom that was approaching him and he felt his ears twitch back slightly at her presence. The she-cat was very sweet, her mother was a daylight warrior along with Blueberrypaw, and she had been nice to him thus far. Though there was a hint of a smile across his stoic muzzle as she spoke to him about walking him home, and he glanced behind her towards Heavy Stone. What did they talk about?

"Oh you do not have to do that," He countered, but her words were definite and left no room for arguement. Hailstone gave a small sigh and a shake of his head before nudging her towards the direction of the camp entrance. Suppose a walk together wouldn't hurt much. Though suppose it was better to be in a group than walking on his own, the daylight warriors had already headed home for the night.

The large blue tabby padded towards the den entrance and looked to the red and white she-cat beside him, "So what did Heavy Stone say to earn a whap from you?" He questioned as he had caught that out of the corner of his eye.

speech

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​

 

[Orangestar]

"Safe travels," Heavy Stone calls as the two warriors pad out of camp, and Orangeblossom twitches her whiskers in farewell. She can practically already hear his questions when she gets home, stars help her, but she settles into the familiar path towards Twolegplace, she allows herself to relax a bit ... That is, until Hailstone asks what the whap had been about. Orangeblossom huffs again at the innocent query, expression souring further. So he'd seen it? Great. Hopefully he hadn't heard anything, or put the pieces together ...

She waits a moment, throwing a glance over her shoulder in order to ensure they're definitely out of earshot before she answers: "I'm about the age that my parents had me, Cit and Apri, and Ma has been on my tail about settling down for like the entire season. Every friend I have about my age is potential in their eyes, which would be funny if it wasn't every single friend. Do your parents do that to you as well?" It's not a lie - Alice had been prodding her about finding a mate since they'd joined SkyClan on its formation, but she's careful not to specify that Hailstone had been the latest subject of their (well, her) interest.
​

✦ ooc ✦ info

•  
• 
  ✦ orangeblossom, warrior of skyclan
  — no apprentice.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with brown eyes. torn left ear, scar on right foreleg.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

​

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] The blue tabby listenedo the orange and white she-cat as she went on about what the smack had to do with, and couldn't help but snort in slight amusement. Then Orangeblossom brought up his own mother, Pinataflurry, and he couldn't help the eyeroll that followed after, "Do not get her started on it. Shes is a huge family oriented person and would want nothing more than to have grandkits," he responded with a shake of his head. With his other siblings still up in the air of their wereabouts, Pinataflurry was very attached to Hailstone and him to her. He may be a large cat, but he was definitely a mommas boy at heart.

"Though thankfully she hasn't seen us together, so theres no pressure on her end," He assured the she-cat with a crack of a smile resting on his otherwise monotoned voice. Though he couldn't rightly blame them, the clan was small and kits would be a huge asset to the cause. Though he wanted to take things slow and find the right cat for him, but it was unlikely who that cat would be.

As the pair walked, the sky above started to cloud over with darkened puff of air. Then there came the soft flakes that gently floated downwards from the tree tops and green eyes looked upwards at falling snow, "Its snowing- we should hurry," He didn't want her to be stuck out here that was for certain.

speech

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​

 

[Orangestar]

"I wonder if they're conspiring ... Guess you'll know about it if Piñataflurry starts talking to you about me, I guess." Orangeblossom's meow is laden with amusement, a rare show of lightheartedness from the usually grouchy warrior, and she nudges Hailstone gently at the shoulder. His second comment, however, ushers the bicoloured molly into silence. Thankfully she hasn't seen us together. There's nothing to the comment, no implication nor dismissal, but it whispers through Orangeblossom's mind, a breeze through new leaves ... or maybe that's just the chilly wind that flattens a few snowflakes to her long fur.

"Let's go. I'll race you?" This, at least, is an offer. She's not the fastest in SkyClan, not by a long shot, but it would definitely warm them both up and get them to the twolegplace a lot faster. What Orangeblossom is not prepared for is how quickly the blizzard intensifies, buffeting against her muzzle and reducing her visibility to nearly nothing - even worse than the night ordinarily would.

She slows to a halt, squinting against the cold and the flurries. "Hailstorm! Are you still there! I don't know if we'll make it, this got - woah," she stumbles as a heavy gust of wind forces against her flank, "really bad. We should try to find a place to wait it out, your twolegs will understand."​

✦ ooc ✦ info

•  
• 
  ✦ orangeblossom, warrior of skyclan
  — no apprentice.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with brown eyes. torn left ear, scar on right foreleg.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

​

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] There was a small nod of understanding between the two cats; both of their families were insane. Though they loved them anyway so who was really the crazy one? Then the snow started to come down harder than before and Orangeblossom suggested they go for a race to which he obliged. Hailstone was a poor runner, his large size made it harder, but he managed to keep up the pace at least a little bit. Yet the wind got harsher and he could barely see the orange she-cat in the midst of the white storm that seemed to be evolving before them.

The blue tabby looked around for a moment, eyes narrowing as they tried to focus through the veil of white for a place for them to hide in. They where close to the twolegplace by now and he picked his way through the snow tufts towards Orangeblossom. He pushed against her side to sort of guide her towards the direction of a picketed fence, "Here, this way, we'll be safe in the garden," He called out through the billowing winds that threatened to even knock him over.

"Stay close and keep your head down," He instructed into her ear as he pushed them along the growing snowbanks, covering their pawsteps and any scent trail, and then under a small hole in the fence. Hailstone barely fit under the small enclosure before they came out the other side and he lead them into a small dog house, the scent of dog was strong but faint so it hadn't been there for some time. It was shelter at least.

speech

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​

 

[Orangestar]

// excuse the mobile post sobs

Orangeblossom thinks it nice not to be outpaced, though for all intents and purposes there should have been more than a fox-length between the two warriors at any given moment as they race through the snow - Hailstone stands taller than she, and has longer legs, though she supposed his large size must slow him down a bit. She resolves to challenge him again in Greenleaf, where the snow would handicap neither.

She's acutely aware of the press of Hailstone's pelt against her own, guiding them somewhere he thinks is safe - and, despite the little voice in her mind asking what the hell she's thinking, she shouldn't be anywhere near twolegplace except on a border patrol, Orangeblossom nods and presses her flank against her Clanmate's, and follows him through the little hole in the fence. Past the growing snowbanks, and into a shelter that reeks of dog. For a heartbeat she fears she's been tricked, hackles raising at the stench and claws sliding against the chilly floor of the shelter ... but the scent is stale even if it is strong, and, suspiciously, Orangeblossom relaxes.

"How did you know this is here?" She says, finally. "And how did you know there's no dog?"

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] Once inside the dog house, Hailstone shook his coat out and scattered white snow from his long-haired coat. That snow storm came out of no were and he hoped that the clan would be safe during it. Then his large head turned to the white and orange cat to sniff her to make sure she was alright as well. She seemed fine which was a relief and then he was questioned about how he knew this would be here.

The blue tabby twitched an ear routinely, "This is next door to my twoleg den, they haven't had a dog here in moons," Then again, his neighbors had also been gone for quite some time. They maybe moved away or on one of those 'vacations' that he has heard neighboring cats talk about, "I also took a chance," There was a slight shrug of his broad shoulders and he padded over to the entrance of the dog house, looking up at the now clouded over sky.

"I don't think this storm will end before sunrise," Hailstone commented to her and mainly himself, "Though there are worse cats to be trapped in a dog house with," Was that an attempt at being playful? It came across as awkward and harsh, but it was indeed a small try at joking around.

speech

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[Orangestar]

Orangeblossom relaxes further at the reassurance that they haven't had a dog in moons ... that would explain the stale dog-reek in the little den. She still doesn't feel totally safe - why would they have a dog-den if they didn't have a dog? Twolegs sure were weird - but after the fox fight she and Finchfang had been caught up in not too long ago she's still wary of danger.

"Yeah, could be Dawnglare." She agrees, albeit a little absently. Her heart isn't in the snark, and not entirely with the conversation either. She would still rather be stuck in this den with Hailstone than their medicine cat, though. The ginger-and-white molly shakes out her pelt with a short sigh, scattering flecks of snow, and turns her muzzle towards the larger SkyClanner. "Look, Hailstone, you can go back to your den if you want to. It's a fence over, right? If there's no dog here, I'll be fine until sunrise, and you can stay warm and well fed."​

✦ ooc ✦ info

•  
• 
  ✦ orangeblossom, warrior of skyclan
  — no apprentice.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with brown eyes. torn left ear, scar on right foreleg.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

​

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] Dawnglare, the peculiar medicine cat of Skyclan and some what of a known figure for his rather- strange behavior. It truly wasn't understood why Starclan had chosen him over anyone else, but he was a good medicine cat at least. Better than having nothing of the sort and if he had to deal with death all the time, then he'd be a bit jaded too. Who knows what sort of mess that medicine cats had to deal with. Especially with the tensions between the clans and all that, it must make it hard.

Then green hues looked over into soft brown as she dismissed him, stating that he could return to his twoleg den while she stayed there for the night. Hailstone narrowed his gaze a bit at her before lifting his chin slightly, sitting down right by the entrance of the dog house promptly, "It is not safe to stay here all night alone, twolegs have a habit of setting traps for cats they spot," He argued back with a twitch of his ear, rather stubbornly with his monotoned voice almost daring Orangeblossom to argue.

While on the icy-er side of things usually, Hailstone was loyal to his clanmates and would never want any of them to be alone out at night. Even with the blizzard raging outside it was simple; he was staying.

speech

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​

 

[Orangestar]

The soft thud of Hailstone sitting down surprises her, though Orangeblossom is less surprised by the flicker of amusement that follows at his demeanour. Stubborn as a rock, and, unfortunately, making a good point. While Orangeblossom seriously doubts that any twolegs would come out cat-hunting in the middle of a blizzard, it is a very real possibility that they might come grasping at wild fur if they were to make their presence known.

"It's not as if I'm going to come out in the snowstorm and let them see me, Hailstone." She bickers back, though there's no real venom to it - only a weary resignation, even if some weakly fluttering hope stirs in her chest. "But fine." She settles down near a wall, tucking her paws underneath her, and curls her tail close to her flank for warmth. Now that they're not moving, however, she's acutely aware of how cold the night is when she's not curled up in the warriors' den with extra warmth from her moss nest and the other SkyClanners asleep beside her.​

✦ ooc ✦ info

•  
• 
  ✦ orangeblossom, warrior of skyclan
  — no apprentice.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with brown eyes. torn left ear, scar on right foreleg.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

​

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] There was a shrug of broad shoulders and a crack of a smile across a blue furred muzzle, "I know, I do not think of you as stupid," Hailstone commented back with a twitch of his fluffy tail. Then she settled up against the wall, curling in on herself to keep warm while the blue tabby cat sat by the doorway. Should he keep watch? Well it was unlikely that humans would come out in this type of feather, and loners or rogues never risk it in twoleg gardens, so he could rest for the night in here.

A hesitant gaze was thrown her way for a brief moment, should he dare? For some reason the blue tabby was enjoying getting under her skin, seeing her lighen up a little bit even, and he settled down were he sat. Tucking large paws under his chest comfortably and then looked back out at the storm. Watching the sheet of whiteness thickening with the passing minute, it was going to be a huge one tonight.

A few moments passed before the blue tabby cat had laid his head down on the ground, green hues lulling slightly with his exhaustion of the day. Eventually Hailstone got up from the entrance of the dog house and moved over towards Orangeblossom. The large cat settled down a respectful distance away from her, like they would be in the warriors' den back in camp, and his large tail was out stretched from his body.

speech

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[Orangestar]

In the still quiet, night-time sounds muffled by the snow, Orangeblossom starts to doze off. It's strange without the background noise of her denmates' snores and quiet conversation of the night-owls, but, tired from the calamity of the night it doesn't take long for her to fall asleep. She doesn't notice Hailstone move from his sentinel spot near the door of the dog-den, but stirs a small time later. Still cold. The bicolour warrior stands on groggy paws, and takes couple of small, unsteady steps that bring her to Hailstone's side. Without a word or any acknowledgement that might imply she's any sort of coherent, she lies back down and curls up next to him. If she's not roused fully by a reaction Orangeblossom would slip into sleep near immediately once again, scattered thoughts fading once more into a peaceful rest.[/color]​

✦ ooc ✦ info

•  
• 
  ✦ orangeblossom, warrior of skyclan
  — no apprentice.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with brown eyes. torn left ear, scar on right foreleg.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

​

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] The mainecoon was a rather heavy sleeper and had been laying on his side when Orangeblossom moved over to cuddle into him. The blue tabby seemingly curled around her comfortingly and rested his chin on her side softly, twitching his nose every so slightly.

At some point there was soft noises of the world waking up and peaks of light drifting through holes in the dog house. There was about a few inches of snow at the entrance of the dog house, and some of it leaked inside from the wind. Muscle stiff from laying in one spot for most of the night, Hailstone blinked open his green gaze groggily and twitched a tufted ear, what time was it?

From the looks of the outside world, it was just beginning to be sunrise. The blue tabby pulled himself from Orangeblossom, not putting the pieces together fully, and padded towards the open hole of the dog house with a yawn. "Ora, come look at this," He grumbled as he headed back over to her, taking a large paw to poke at her slightly.

speech

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​

 

[Orangestar]

She dreams in fragments. A greenleaf breeze, her toes in the sand facing a great body of water ... like the river, but if it went on as far as she could see. A weight on her right flank- weird, as there's nothing she can in her dream that would press against the fur. A kit tumbling across her paws, a miniature version of herself. The sensation of the warm sun on her back, warming her fur from the outside in. Despite the miscellany of the broken pieces her mind conjures, there's a pervasive feeling of content, and she sleeps quite well.

Orangeblossom stirs when Hailstone stands up, a twitch of her torn ear signifying her return to consciousness, and she stretches herself out in a leisurely line. She hasn't been able to do that in moons without knocking into someone else, and she takes some small gratification from the movement. That's the stuff. When she cracks her brown eyes open, it's still dark - but dim enough that she can see Hailstone looming over her, meow a sleepy rasp as he prods her awake. Must be just about sunrise.

"'ssa matter?" She mumbles, lurching upright as her brain lags behind the action. She scents the air - nothing new (though, granted, the scent of twolegplace is still somewhat new overall), and no danger in the relaxed set of Hailstone's expression. They're still safe, then.​

✦ ooc ✦ info

•  
• 
  ✦ orangeblossom, warrior of skyclan
  — no apprentice.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with brown eyes. torn left ear, scar on right foreleg.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

​

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] There was no verbal response aside from a small grunt with a jerk of his head towards the dog house entrance. Leading the way over he exited the house and hopped up onto the top of the roof. Green eyes looked down expectantly at Orangeblossom as a bushy tailed waved back and forth behind him. The roof of the dog house was high enough to see over the fence and out into the forest beyong it. Everything was covered in a fresh blanket of snow and frost from the storm the previous night.

They could see through the barren trees of Skyclan territory into that of the moorland were the sun was rising. The sky danced with pieces of pink and peach, the darkness of the night slowly fading into a soft purple with the moon setting, and the forest laid in a quiet hum. No creatures stirred aside from the occasional bird chirping high above their heads, and a warm golden glow was casted over the land with a brilliance.

"The sunrise is my favorite time of the day," He idlly commented to her as he settled down into a sitting position on the roof top, careful to not stick his butt in cold, fresh snow.

speech

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​

 

[Orangestar]

Claws scrabble for purchase atop the frosty tiles of the dog-den roof, and Orangeblossom finds herself in an entirely new world. She's been awake at sunrise before, sure, but never like this - under an open sky at the edge of the forest, the last few stars twinkling high above their head amidst a few lingering clouds - harmless, comparatively, to the heavy snow-laden ones of the blue hour last night. She closes her eyes for a moment as the sun peeks above the horizon, guarding brown irises against the bright golden glow that washes over them, and she relishes in the warmth that it brings.

"I can understand why."

They remain like that for a time- quiet, as the forest begins to wake up around them. It's still eerie in comparison to greenleaf, where the morning air is a cacophony of birdsong and cicadas, but it's peaceful even if Orangeblossom has a weird nagging feeling that she's forgetting something. She could deal with that later, surely, when they get back to ... SkyClan. Ah. She'd been on the dawn patrol. However, closer of a task, Hailstone had mentioned their proximity to his home; and he hadn't returned to it, even though she had made the suggestion. Secretly, she's grateful for that decision.

"... Would your twolegs be awake? I'm sure they'd be worried since you didn't come in last night. You should let them know you're okay." She suggests, casually, as if she hadn't just remembered the responsibility that she's shirking and wasn't silently freaking out about it.​

✦ ooc ✦ info

•  
• 
  ✦ orangeblossom, warrior of skyclan
  — no apprentice.
  ✦ 25 moons, she/her
  ✦ fluffy white and ginger cat with brown eyes. torn left ear, scar on right foreleg.
  ✦ bi, single. @ on discord for plots.
  ✦ "speech" — thoughts

​

 

[Ashenclaw]

[ ☾ ] The silence between them was peaceful, hardly that of anything awkward, and he quite enjoyed the peace. It was nice compared to the hustle and bustle of camp this early in the morning. Hailstone felt comfortable here with her and that wasn't something he could say often about his clanmates. They all seemed to have a stickler about his kittypet roots and that he was more fed than they were. None of them seemed to really want to spend time with him.

The blue tabby looked to the orange and white she-cat as she spoke about returning to his twolegs home, and the tom found himself shrugging slightly at the suggestion, "I do not know if I want to go see them. The last time I had not returned home at night they kept me in the house for four days," He commented back with a flick of his bushy tail, and then glanced down at her for a moment.

"How about we walk back to camp together? I am suppose to be on the sunhigh patrol anyway today, and my twolegs will be fine without me for a moment," He offered to her instead with a brow raised at her questioningly.

speech

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​