i kiss the sun every morning — intro

[sunblink]

Ten one. Ten two. Ten three. Ten four. Ten five. Small ten six, paw on si— "Ouch." An unexpected sting, the prick of a thorn dragged across a shoulder. Sunblink knew this path well before the deep snows came, and now that they melt to water the mud, he means to re-walk it until they know each other again. This is only the first surprise, and Sunblink goes no farther, pausing to gingerly reach until he touches an armored bush. It is not new, the bush, and does not hide its face from the cold; it is unbothered enough to have grown and fills part of Sunblink's trail.

He shuffles closer, curls snagging on branch-teeth, but he does not mind. "Sorry to bump you," he apologizes quietly. "Would have not if I could see. Grow that way." Sunblink presses on the shrub gently as though to guide it. "More room there and won't walk into you again, and we won't hurt. Good?"

-ˋˏ ༻ OOC NOTES INFORMATION ༺ ˎˊ-

• ooc: —
• -ˋˏ ༻ SUNBLINK: named for the sunlike gleam and warmth of his eyes.
  —— cis male, uses he / him. forty-four moons old. shadowclan; former hermit.
  —— sincere but skittish & awkward. several years of isolation have left a mark.
  —— cares for most people and struggles to view other clan cats as lesser than.
  
  sunblink is a very small, rawboned cat (6" at the shoulder) with brown fur and gentle eyes, which are white and blind due to scarring. his face is very noticeably damaged by old burn wounds and he has trouble with certain expressions.
• "speech"

​

 

[Swiftclaws]

He was little more then a kit when he went through his first leafbare, before he knew the marshes so closely before he knew what a "clan" was, it was the one season he hadn't seen the marshes be overtaken by until now. It felt so wrong to see them frozen over, cast in layers of snow that fell down from once sturdy branches that cast their territory in relative darkness during the hours in which they woke. It bothered him to see the territory in such disarray, he like all his clanmates longs for leafbare to pass so the sound of croaking can return to their territory bringing with it the abundance of prey they were sorely missing[. Since the failed rat hunt it felt morale was so low, they all had a growling need for substance for prey the chill denied them even he felt himself growing more and more bothered after every morning her returned to his nest with nothing to eat but sleep itself. Regardless he'd be fine, they all would somehow he's sure they'll think of something to survive through the coming moon or so and it already looked like slowly but surely warmth was beginning to return to their dreary land; no longer does snow thickly coat the ground. The blizzard had subsided and allowed for them to leave camp.

He'd been hunting crouched low and vigilant with every step he took for any signs of life, from a twig snapping to the soft warm breath of another living being but he doesn't discover something to eat when his head picks up upon hearing the voice of another cat; a clanmate nearby. There would be nothing for him to find but company. He comes padding up to the older tom a amused smile making his muzzle crooked. He chuckles seeing the other warrior talk to a bush like another cat, Sunblink was pretty different that was for sure. ❝I don't think bushes can choose where they grow sadly❞ he muses ❝Would be really awesome if they did though! I can't tell you just how many I've crashed into over the moons, you'd think they'd want to move after having a cat come running right into them but nah, they don't seem very interested❞ he may be pretty fast especially for a Shadowclanner but that didn't mean he wasn't terribly clumsy. ​

( TAKE MY LEAD ; ILL SET YOU FREE )

 

[FERNDANCE]

Starvation had taken its toll on ShadowClan, now it seemed that its warriors were talking to foliage. Ferndance would be a liar if she said she hadn't done the same, the flora was an awful conversationalist but it helped the vast marshlands feel less lonely when you interacted with even the dullest of residents. Drawn forwards by talking, the ticked tabby approached the pair, remnants of prey blood dappled on her lower muzzle. Her hunting had been a little more successful, a small frog caught out by the sudden melting of ice. She'd buried it to take home later. A little smile appeared on her maw as she heard Swiftclaws ramble on, easily picturing the hasty tom running into all manners of things. Ferndance was slower in life and speech, though, it did not mean she didn't walk through every single bush or shrub she came across. There had been plenty of times when she'd arrived back in camp sans a clump of fur, or with fresh nicks from hidden thorns. The solution would be to move around them, but they were the ones in her way, and her ears perked forward attentively when she realised Sunblink must've felt the same.

"We could always rip it up and re-bury it where you said..." she hummed quietly, half-considering the idea as feasible. Perhaps it would take well over one hundred cats and one hundred hours to move a shrub, time and resources that were not available to her hungry home, all the same, she could picture the bombastic scene. The longer she imagined cats heaving the shrubbery along, the more deflated she felt about her amazing idea - oh well, perhaps it would still be fun to play along. "That way, you won't get whacked in the face the next time you want to walk to..." There's a series of quick blinks, a pause, and a head-tilt. Sunblink's intentions were tough to interpret, there were no pupils to observe for microexpressions and his face appeared stilted with old scars. The mystery wasn't a problem for the ticked tabby, though her interest had been piqued. "Where are you walking to?"

​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

the deputy watched from afar, ears twitching back in forth almost rhythmically as they raised a brow. was... this tom cat trying to guide the poor old shrub to grow in a certain manner? their tail flicked and with a huff they stood, slowing their gait before they looked up at the blind tom, and briefly to the two other warriors.

"i don't think the shrub would appreciate being ripped from it's place. perhaps slightly shift your path."

they suggest dully, twitching their nose back and forth. what else could they say?

"be careful."

​

[ NOBODY ELSE MATTERS, GIRL ]​

 

[sunblink]

Sunblink pauses, scarred ears straightening as he listens to approaching steps. Tension eases from his back when the scent of his newfound company is ShadowClan's. "Maybe just haven't asked nicely enough," Sunblink reasons after working to determine whether the laugh and tone of voice were derisive. He doesn't think Swiftclaws is poking fun at him, but it is always difficult to read people after so much time alone. "Have to try. Worked hard making it safe for walking." His paws still remember the bruises from errant stones and the hissing ache of stepping in a sudden hole.

Another set of paws, slower than Swiftclaws', but he thinks the cat moves faster than most here, so that is not surprising. Ferndance's quiet suggestion has him immediately shaking his head as he presses once more against the thorny shrub. "Might hurt it," Sunblink says morosely. "Don't want to do that." His sightless eyes blink at her question, and he smiles slightly, scars tightening around it. "Can walk clearly now without the snow! Have to look for new problems— might trip or cut my paws."

The smile drops from his features at the colorless direction from the deputy, replaced by a faint, near imperceptible furrow between his eyes. "Can't," he answers tersely, turning his back to the three clanmates. "Not expect your understanding."

-ˋˏ ༻ OOC NOTES INFORMATION ༺ ˎˊ-

• ooc: —
• -ˋˏ ༻ SUNBLINK: named for the sunlike gleam and warmth of his eyes.
  —— cis male, uses he / him. forty-four moons old. shadowclan; former hermit.
  —— sincere but skittish & awkward. several years of isolation have left a mark.
  —— cares for most people and struggles to view other clan cats as lesser than.
  
  sunblink is a very small, rawboned cat (6" at the shoulder) with brown fur and gentle eyes, which are white and blind due to scarring. his face is very noticeably damaged by old burn wounds and he has trouble with certain expressions.
• "speech"

​