camp FLOATING TO THE SURFACE ✧⭒RTA ⭒ leafbare nests

[CHALK]

⭒✧ Chalk nosed through the fresh moss of his nest. Leaf-bare had been rolling through the territories quickly, with the pine forest’s evergreen trees the only preventative to the dour, leafless amalgam. It dredged not-so-distant memories of the mountaintop the journey troupe had left behind, though it lacked in scale. It had been an adjustment, coming back, with his return to the twolegplace in another category of its own. Frankly, he hadn’t gone back to the Learningplace, not properly. A few visits, now and then. Each were met with excitement from the teachers there, spindly paws coaxing him to his place on the window sill. Sharp scents bloomed from controlled flame, the windowed gazes of the twoleg kits strict to their newest experiment. It should have felt like routine, but it doesn’t.

Instead, patrols and clan tasks prove to be lessons enough on their own. Seeing the cure disseminated on their return had given the daylight warrior a better appreciation of what putting work into the clan looked like. It felt… wrong to leave often after that. Chalk couldn’t really place why- despite hefty deliberation. He wore away at the topic still now, sawdust paw padding down the nest that had unofficially become his own.

He knew it was unusual for a daylight warrior to sleep in the warriors' den- it removed the whole ‘daylight’ aspect. But he hadn’t thought to address it yet. Did he feel like a clancat? It was looking more and more likely. Did he feel like a skyclanner? The answer should be a resolute yes, and at its foundation it was. The journey blurred lines, the tom mused, one ear knocked aside. He wondered how those cats were doing now.

Chalk remained crooked as he tugged old bedding from the den mouth, skew tail joining the imbalance. The sight of a clanmate smoothed the expression out quickly though, and he dipped his snowy chin. "I suppose we’ll need warmer nests for leaf-bare? Or will our thicker pelts be enough?" Sadly, embodying clanlife didn’t grant moons of wisdom overnight, and he remained uncertain of the finer details. Last leafbare the tom simply stayed in the Learningplace or tucked himself against the warm vent atop the roof when it got too cold.​

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[TIGERSCAR]

BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS​

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It was rare for Tigerscar to sleep in camp overnight, and typically when he did, there was a good reason for it. The rogue problem of the past few moons, for example. He wouldn't have risked returning to the twolegplace in the midst of that chaos, and in any case, it earned the brute more respect from his clan-mates. When it came to nests, however, Tigerscar finds himself uncertain. He was used to napping next to a fire in a bed of soft cotton. Moss could hardly compare, but at least it was better than resting on the cold dirt. One eye shifts toward Chalk momentarily, thoughtful.

"Hmm, we could try gathering feathers? Would make the nests warmer, and softer." The Daylight Warrior comments aloud. They'd need to catch a lot of birds for that, though...
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[TWITCHBOLT]

Chalk had become granted in warrior life- was simply another member of a patrol, a hunter to bound alongside, inhalations in the night. In the flurry of getting himself re-organised, of falling back into place. Twitchbolt had almost forgotten that Chalk used to be a face he could not find for later-night patrols, or set on dawn hunts. Now, though- he prodded at a personally-woven nest. A claimed patch in the warrior's den, a possession even the longest standing daylight warriors could not claim.

Only now did curiosity glimmer amber-struck in Twitchbolt's eyes, though. Warmer nests for Leafbare, he asked Tigerscar- and nearby, Twitchbolt could only look for a few passing moments. Feathers, yes- feathers.

It was rude, probably, to ask Chalk why he wasn't retreating to his night-time nest. He didn't seem very much as if he wanted to- especially not as he displayed an actual want to brave the Leafbare chills alongside his Clanmates. Quivering and oh-so-slightly bewildered, Twitchbolt mumbled, "Yeah, ah- feathers, feathers are good." Stupid and rambling and pointless. He tried to force some sense back into his head, like fitting two mismatched buzzle pieces together. "You- you'd rather stay in this nest?"

And- yeah, maybe it was rude. Probably, it was rude. But Twitchbolt's voice was brimming with genuine curiosity, genuine confusion. If he didn't fear Twoegs so much, if he wasn't forest-born- Twitchbolt didn't know that he would do the same. ​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[BEAR]

Compelled by the ideas shared, the shaggy tom is prompted to scoop up a bird from the freshkill pile, resting it by Tigerscar. "Anything warm is good." Bear rumbles, as if he's familiar with the kind of nest making that happens within the clan. Usually it was whatever scraps they gathered, whatever soft thing they had thieved. He settles on his haunches nearby Chalk. "If you're taking the feathers." Flicks his tail towards the one bird he's carried over, "might be a good start."

Moss is uncomfortably comfortable. Soft embrace of the springy moss when retiring each evening has him shifting to find sleep to no avail, he's remided this by navigating himself halfway onto the floor. Despite this it hasn't taken long for him to gain an appreciation for the warmth they offer. Of course, the luxuries of clan life are not to his liking. He definitely doesn't like the soft nests, doesn't like the accessible sizeable pile of freshkill, and most certainly doesn't like having his family back in his life.

The concept of daylight warriors is still confounding to him, can't quite figure out why any kittypet would willingly sacrifice any aspect of their easy lives. It offends his sensibilities. Twitchbolt's inquiries towards Chalk have him squinting at him, as if to figure something out.
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[CHALK]

⭒✧ Chalk hummed to the image of feathers tucked tightly into moss- that’d certainly keep the cold out. Tigerscar appeared thoughtful after making the suggestion and he matched it in polite pause, cool eyes watching the other cat as if they could pluck the ideas from his mind directly. Twitchbolt and Bear’s confirmation drew the tom’s perhaps too-long gaze with a snapped blink.

"Birds ruffle their feathers to keep warm, don’t they? I wonder how we could emulate that, position them in a specific way…" The small form beside Bear bled into his attention, the bird’s stiff body the very opposite of warm now. Heat intriguingly drove life, with lizards on their sun-soaked rocks and stifling twoleg boxes. It was the feeling of movement, transformation and danger all at once. Chalk grew over-aware of his own pelt for a beat.

‘You- you'd rather stay in this nest?’. Surprise ticked up the daylight warrior’s tail up minutely. There was a sincere spin of confusion in Twitchbolt’s question, and while Chalk couldn’t fault him it was another matter to hear it. He did want to stay in that nest, but again what did that mean? He’d stay and never leave if they’d let him- which they likely would. Why wouldn’t they, other cats had become permanent fixtures. Blazestar was a kittypet turned warrior. Some self-imposed filter kept his future and his clanmates independent of each other in his mind.

Guilt? Memories of ferrying cats up a cliff face, the knowledge that the clan had been struggling with sickness and rogues in parallel. This life wasn’t easy and he’d taken it for granted. Observed and prodded at its structure without stepping up to take the weight. Even his offer to go on the journey had been rooted in selfish interest. Tempered, quiet, but selfish.

"Yes."The even way Chalk spoke betrayed little of the tumbling debate that preceded it. "I like it, I stay here often enough don't I?" It was a weak plea for validation, carved of natural nonchalance. Twitchbolt's familiar oak-split fur was suddenly hard to look at and so he looked to the peak of a nearby pine instead.
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