camp dance of the sugarplum fairy — apprentices only

[RAVENSONG]

The stars had been blessing them with a flurry of snowstorms lately—how kind were they! The kitlike joy one would feel with one's first snowfall quickly grew into a dreary nightmare. Now warmth and survival were at stake and the frost was as much an enemy as WindClan, perhaps it was even more callous than the moorland cats. It did not discriminate on who would be its victim. Ravenpaw, ever the kitty-pet slacker, was happy at least because it would mean he would not be dragged out for patrols or training, but even with his thick coat he was beginning to suffer.

The early light of dawn filtered through the apprentice den, and the reflection of the light upon snow made it all the more blinding. Ravenpaw woke up with his extremities frozen to the bone. With a groan, the dark furred apprentice squirmed forward like a newborn kit looking to nurse and shoved his frozen face into the pelt of one of his denmates. "I hate it, I hate it,"​

 

[DARKWHISKER]

the sensation of another shoving their face into his flank is what rouses te young tom from his slumber. with a disgruntled snort, darkpaw shoots up, squinting through the blinding light reflected off of the snow and into the den. "wh- huh?" did he oversleep? is he missing a patrol or a training session? did his temporary mentor have to come and wake him up-?

darkpaw would have scrambled to his paws, if it wasn't for... ravenpaw's face buried into his dark fur, keeping him in his nest. the boy blinks at the other apprentice, that confused frown turning into a smile. so, it isn't his temporary mentor... which means, it isn't time for a patrol or training session. silly ravenpaw! he must've been trying to escape the cold that's seeping into the den. darkpaw couldn't blame him- it's super cold today, even in the den! "brr! it's chilly this morning, isn't it, ravenpaw?" through chocolate strands, ravenpaw mutters, i hate it. darkpaw just laughs at the complaint, shrugging. "newleaf will be here before we know it. until then, starclan will look after us all, right?" a white-dipped paw searches for his pebble until it brushes against the soothingly smooth surface.

"hey! why don't we-" the suggestion of warming up with a short walk dies in his throat, when darkpaw finally takes a good look at the entrance. blinding white covers their only exit. it is the most snow that darkpaw's ever seen, and it's trapping them all inside. "...oh." well... that suggestion will do them no good. he guesses they'll have to just cuddle to keep warm, then. ravenpaw certainly had the right idea.

shivering, darkpaw burrows back into his bedding, glancing back to ravenpaw. "guess we'll be in here for a while longer, huh?" the ebony tom certainly is lucky to have a long coat of fur... darkpaw's own short chocolate pelt does little to keep out the cold. but, at least he doesn't have to worry about being weighed down by soaking fur, or sweltering beneath the greenleaf sun!

...

still, he kind of wishes his fur was just a bit longer on freezing mornings like this. the apprentice shifts a little closer to ravenpaw, his teeth chattering. "h-hey, we sh-should play a g-game, t-to pass the t-time."​

 

[FERNGILL]

Fernpaw had woken up a while ago. Light came in sort-of through the snow, but it was mostly frigid darkness that they resided within, and- it was bad, really bad. Biting cold crepe beneath his sparse fur, an easy task for this sort of weather. Much like his brother he wished for a fuller pelt- but instead the ginger scrap had chosen to wiggle beneath the moss of his nest, getting all sorts of muck in his fur. Worst of all, he threatened to collapse the precarious hoard that occupied so much space near his spot in the den- a few stones succumbed to clattering to the den's floor, and a small grumble rumbled in his throat. "Hmmff... stupid..."

He was already behind in training- super, super behind. At this rate he'd never improve, especially when it all ground to a halt like this! With no light to dance off his trinkets, his mind was left to boredom, left to worrying- which was why he was so grateful when Darkpaw suggested a game. Immediately, his bug-eyes lit up with excitement. The glow was soon to fade, however- for his mind met another roadblock in thinking of an option. There were so many, but... moss-ball needed a ball, and truth or dare would be boring in such a confined space. "Um- yeah, g-games, games... are... ffffun." Quiet, stumbling mumble, meant to hide the fact he was stumped. The shiver that still rattled his skeleton wasn't helping clarity of thought, either... oh, it felt like his tail might turn to ice! ​

( penned by pin )​

 

[leechpaw.]

To be woken up by insolent whining was not what he had in mind, but it was better than dawn patrol beside icy waters by far. Leechpaw's ears flicked in annoyance as a complaining voice cut through the otherwise silent den. While it might have been cold enough to flash-freeze a cat brainless enough to jump in the river, there was no reason to cry about it when everyone suffered the same. The apprentice's eyes snapped open to glare intensely at Ravenpaw from the bundle of moss he curled up in, though he didn't care enough to move. At least, not until other voices chimed in. His snout scrunched in irritation. He just wanted to sleep, just for once, without nightmares or patrols or noisy apprentices interrupting it.

"I know a game," he rasped from his nest wedged into the darkest corners of the den. Tucked safely and warmly away from the snowed-in mouth of the den, much to his fortune. He reared his head to squint at the awakened trio, who seemed intent on disturbing the entire den. "It's called the quiet game. Now shut up and let people sleep." With that, Leechpaw pointedly shoved his head beneath white-socked paws, his matted mess of a tail curling around to act as a personal blanket. It was unlikely anyone would actually listen to him, but it was an attempt to salvage some of his restless sleep regardless.​

 

[RAVENSONG]

Ravenpaw's only response was to groan, his nose still pressed into Darkpaw's chocolate fur. It was true that it was not as long and thick as his, but the body heat was mostly what the older apprentice was seeking. At the mention of StarClan, a shiver went down his spine and it was enough for him to pull his head back up, blinking owlishly. "Sorry," He murmured, drawing himself back into his nest and tucking his paws underneath his body. Normally snappish about his personal space, Ravenpaw was happy to permit Darkpaw to move closer to him—if only it would mean more warmth.

Before he could comment on a game, Fernpaw had stirred. Turning toward the red tabby, however, it became apparent that he was offering no suggestions. Ravenpaw frowned. "Well, we could—"

His sentence broke off at the scratchy voice of the other black-pelted apprentice from the corner of the den. Ravenpaw's head shot up with a glare back, his eyes flashing with wounded pride. He would not let such a matted apprentice think he was better than him. "I think we should move your nest to the front. See how you like it." Tch. Cicadastar's pet.​