camp my heart can rest -- moving to the nursery

[Orangestar]

Orangeblossom sets down the tinsel toy Ashenclaw had given her and heaves a long sigh as she looks around the nursery. The gaggle of apprentices she'd accidentally enlisted to clean it a quarter moon ago had been more diligent in its upkeep since, even if Deersong had moved back into the warriors' den recently; the sour smell of stale moss was nearly gone, and the holly bush would not remain this quiet for long. And she'd be stuck here ... until her kits were apprenticed.

Alone.

(Mostly. Sorrel didn't quite count, even if the little chocolate tabby had been running rampant with Shardpaw in the moon leading up to the latter's apprenticeship.)

Orangeblossom nudges the tinsel toy towards a corner, somewhere towards the left side of the den. The spot is out of the way of a draft and would be easy to defend if the nursery was breached, but the whole nursery is a bit drafty with no other adults sleeping there with her and no cat else to defend it. It would be too quiet, she thinks, without Auburnflame muttering in his sleep about sparrows and the mystery culprit behind the snoring that she's heard recently throughout the night. She wonders if Ashenclaw would have moved into the nursery with her, if he were here. One paw tests on the toy as her mind wanders, ears twitching backwards as a peal of purring laughter drifts over from the mini-meeting of new warriors.

At least her apprentice would be in good paws during this time; Eveningpaw would be taken care of by Thistleback, even if the novelty of being mentored by her father might wear off pretty quickly. She's not sure how Termitepaw would go, though - even though Orangeblossom hadn't officially taken on her mate's apprentice after he'd vanished, they'd tagged along a lot and their jitters might not work particularly well with Thistleback's more gruff attitude. Hmm. Maybe she would talk to Blazestar about that.

She doesn't realise she's been staring off into space, one paw still on the toy as if it was to keep it running off like prey, until a voice sounds behind her and she jumps.

"What?" She asks, caught entirely off guard.

— info

• // this thread runs adjacent toooooo this thread! a character in this thread will likely overhear conversation in figfeather's thread and vice versa :3
• 
  orangeblossom. tags.
  — she/her, skyclan deputy.
  — mentor to eveningpaw.
  — attack in #e08550. uses trees as an integral part of her fighting style.
  — mean enough to note that her thoughts don't reflect my opinions as a writer haha.
  — penned by mercibun; @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots. :]
  — art by merc!<3
  

​

 

[Dizzymoth]

- note: this scrolls!

Alone was almost correct. DIzzymoth flitted in and out of the nursery as easily as her namesake did, spending her nights in the warriors' den with her mate and then drifting back to spruce up the nests. She couldn't bear the place looking so untouched and dusty now that she wasn't in it full time. She loved the nursery, she loved being a mother, she loved being around little kittens and their milky scents and little drunken hiccups. She loved it all so dearly.... it was just a shame that she was nowhere near having another litter yet...

She had been out all morning, gathering fresh moss for her pet project, her tail flitting and fritzing to the tune of a silent song only she knew. Wiggle-wobble-wiggle-wobble it went, adjunct to the wiggling and wibbling of the rest of her body. Wiggle-wobble she went, through the pine forest and back to the nursery, all the while humming through her clenched teeth:

Oh, my love's got cotton-tail,
Pretty hare-like fur,
Oh, my love's a cotton-tail,
And so I run for her.

A little ditty she had sung as a workman's song on chore-day, a hymn that her children had repeated back in their chirpy little voices - sopranos by age. Dizzy smiled at the memory as she ducked into the nursery. Maybe one day, she'd accompany her own - oh! Another she-cat has chosen to join her today, it looked about! How wonderful, how perfect, how -

Orangeblossom jumped. Oh, dear, oh, dear. In the several seasons she had been among SkyClan's ranks, Dizzymoth had always considered herself rather tame compared to some more... unsavory... folks. A few more brutish individuals came to mind... but she, herself, was never much of a 'make you jump' sorta gal. Maybe this was a bad time...

"Oh, nothing, really!" The she-cat trilled. "Just dropping this moss off. Are you officially moving in? If I would've known, I would've grabbed some down feathers for you, they make excellent nest stuffers."​

​

"speech"​

 

[BLAZESTAR]

The new warriors move into the headquarters befitting their new status, and so does the SkyClan deputy. Blazestar watches Orangeblossom almost hesitantly enter the nursery, more or less empty for moons. Dizzymoth is always available to help with kits, but there has been such a dearth of them needing nursing or raising that it's been a lonely and neglected place for more moons than Blazestar would like to admit.

He pads close to the ginger-and-white she-cat, to Dizzymoth, and dips his head to both. "You getting situated?" He eyes the area, gaze caught on the shiny toy Orangeblossom's mate had gifted her. He frowns. "At least you won't be alone. Dizzymoth has been hoping for more SkyClan kits to help with, I'm sure," he says, his voice gentle. A permanent queen is not a replacement for a mate, but a friend and cohort will relieve some of the loneliness, he hopes.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

​

 

[CLOUDBERRYTHORN]

He can hear the other new warriors talking, seemingly moving into their new den alongside the other warriors of the clan. He has no need to linger, no need for a nest of his own within SkyClan’s camp; the blue smoke turns and treads toward where he spots an orange-patched pelt disappearing into the nursery. He’d much rather spend the time after his warrior ceremony helping his sister with whatever she may need, especially since it looks like she’ll be moving herself into the nursery now.

He trails in behind Blazestar, frowning slightly as he takes in the sight before him. "Can’t believe you’re gonna be a mom," he says after a moment. Wide orange eyes flick between his sister and the other cats. "You’re gonna be good at it, I bet." A good big sister and a good mother, no matter whether her mate’s around or not. He just hopes that wherever Ashenclaw is, he’ll be able to return and meet his kits. Orangeblossom deserves that. She deserves better than to spend her pregnancy alone, to raise her kits without a father.

He shakes his head to clear some of his scattered thoughts, standing up a bit straighter and casting a glance around the den. "Anything I can do to help?" He might as well lend a paw. Maybe he can collect some feathers for her nest, like Dizzymoth suggests she would have.
​

[ just a side character ]​

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[Honeysplash]

.°☀ I'll believe it all

---

An excited little bounce came from a tawny pelted cat as they popped in beside Cloudberrythorn. They had seen their brother trail after that of Orangeblossom and decided to join in on the fun. The warriors' den wasn't something they particually needed as they wouldn't be staying in the den anyway. One day though they might, but that day didn't seem like today. Bananasplash caught the ends of Cloudberrythorns' words and she grinned brightly in response, "If Ora is anything like Alice, she's gonna be the best mom out there," She proudly spoke.

Then the young warrior moved to paw at her older sisters' shoulder with a gentle paw, "Yeah! Let us help you, do you need fresh moss? Maybe some featherS? Oh or we could bring one of our blankets from home!," She rambled onwards with suggestions of what they could make her nest out of. Banansplash was overly excited to be an aunt! She was determined to help the kits in anyway shape or form!

"Oh do you think any will look like you? Imagine! A little identical Ora!," She wanted to keep the mood light, as she knew that moving into the nursery was a big deal. Doing it alone though, was an even bigger deal. Ashenclaw was still missing and she hoped he'd be back before his kits are born. Though Bananasplash would defintiely be there for her sister if Ashenclaw doesn't come back in time. Orangeblossom wouldn't be alone in this, she was determined for it.

"SPEECH"

---

There's nothing I won't understand .°☀

⟪ OOC ⟫ ⟪ INFO ⟫ ⟪ REF ⟫

• //​
• BANANASPLASH named by her mother Alice and for her spirit and confidence
  — she/they, 12 moons, single
  — skyclan daylight warrior, mentored by Sharpeye.
  — self-doubtful, overlaying smile, very closed in
  
  primary character, high activity. penned by wolf_.​
• 

​

 

[GREENEYES]

After his assessment of the warrior den, Greeneyes thinks he's found a good spot for his belongings. The new warrior departs from the bramble bush, aiming to head back to the apprentice den to get his nest, as well as the trinkets that are nestled safely within it. However, his journey takes a pause, as Greeneyes spots the group near the nursery.

Of course! Orangeblossom must be moving her things too. He'd only just seen her depart the warrior's den, so that must have been where she'd gone. The red-furred warrior trots over, head peaking into the nursery.

Maybe he's stalling now to move his things as he greets the group of cats, a discussion of the deputy's impending litter in the air.

"Yeah! You'll be a great mother!" Greeneyes agrees with a nod of his head. And if the kits were to turn out anything like their parents, they were bound to make some great warriors in the future! "How many do you think you're going to have?"

A freckled ear twitches at the flower against it. He'll have to move his nest soon, he supposes, so he can return his prized flower to the safety of his nest.

"Oh, I can help too, if you want! I'm sure there's something I can grab for you!" She's got plenty of help already, but part of him hopes that he can aid in making the nursery nice. Perhaps a duty he no longer has to do, an apprentice chore, but Greeneyes would rather do that, than to move his own things just yet. Besides, maybe Dizzymoth wouldn't mind the extra company too, for the time being.
​

 

[Orangestar]

Ah, it's just Dizzymoth. Orangeblossom raises her tail in greeting as the nursery's permanent resident makes a reappearance (how could she have forgotten about Dizzymoth?), and nods a resolute answer to her question. Turning to face the other molly, and Blazestar in turn who has popped up to check on them, she blinks.

"I am. Thought I would take the opportunity, since I've been relieved of my duties." She shoots Blazestar a look - in her opinion she could definitely still work, but she understands why he's worried; Orangeblossom getting trapped while out on a patrol would be bad for every cat involved. "Don't worry about the down, I'm used to a warrior nest." She might take the queen up on it later, but for now, moss would do.

"Can't believe you're a warrior. Who passed your assessment, huh?" Orangeblossom pulls a face at the familiar drawl of her younger brother, but stops short as he compliments her sincerely and offers his help; followed shortly by his littermate. Orangeblossom doesn't consider herself anything like Alice, so Bananasplash's comparison hangs curiously in the air to be answered another time. Greeneyes appears too, echoing the sentiment, and she softens a little.

"Knowing our family's they'll all be orange somewhere, even if they have blue fur." Even as one white paw prods back at Bananasplash she slides a pointed glance to Cloudberrythorn, though it's far more gentle this time. To Greeneyes, she answers with a shrug. "No idea. I don't know what I'm looking for to be able to tell - I was ... not involved with past pregnancies aside from helping with nests." She'd never been comfortable around the gossiping queens, even when one had been her mother. Funny how life did that sometimes.

"Help ... hmm. If the warriors' den isn't too scary for you three could one of you help me grab my moss? I don't think I need any new bedding, but I'm sure there's some old scraps." She doesn't mention how she's absorbed part of Ashenclaw's nest into her own, some of the moss still smelling ever so faintly like him.

// mobile

 

[Sorrelpaw !]

SORREL — she’s been living on the highest shelf.
Sorrel didn’t quite understand.. anything about this place, really. Most of the cats were solemn, the sobs of others echoed through the night at times.
Cats went missing.
All scary things, and it seemed as though only heartbeats had passed after the child had been whisked away to Skyclans camp was she thrown into a milk-scented den, cozy in atmosphere but void of any life.
So, what had little Sorrel done? Lived it up, of course, moss balls had scattered across the floor, her various collection of things stowed away in a singular corner until they were spilling over. She had loved living the home-alone life.
She wasn’t completely alone all the time, anyways. Being chucked in front of a crowd of gaping cats wasn’t all bad when she had found Orangeblossom, who at first had seemed reluctant to the bracken-hued childs need to constantly be on her heels, going on and on about how she was a “deputy” and “couldn’t play all day.”
Orangeblossom was silly like that, Sorrel didn’t play! She was far too important to be occupied with such a distraction, no.. she was observing! Naturally chattering the mollys ears off simultaneously, of course.
Only little while ago had the cream warrior come and put an end to Sorrels single-living lifestyle, hanging around the nursery more and more and giving the tabby gentle reminders to clean up after herself. A change that Sorrel had been pouting about.
Well, until now.
She stirred from a midday nap, nestled cozily in the corner of the nursery. It only took a moment for the blurry visual of Orangeblossom to become crystal clear.
A small forepaw groggily rubs her eye, head tilted as if she was about to ask a question, was the deputy visiting her?
Amber eyes click towards the toy suffocating under the older mollys paw, instigating a quick scan of her surroundings.
No.. Ora was moving in! Sorrel bounces up, a million questions on her fast-paced tongue.
Rudely, however, she is interrupted by Dizzymoth… and then Blazestar, and then more! Within moments Sorrel’s tiny stature is hidden well from sight from Ora, with a frustrated huff.
A mom? Who was becoming a mom?
Chocolate ears perk as she tries to get a better listen.
Ora! So, she hadn’t come to live with Sorrel. The kitten frowns, and weasels her way forwards, undoubtedly stepping on a few of the older cats paws as she did so.
She approaches Orangeblossom with wide, questioning eyes, before promptly tapping on her paw in a rapid motion, signaling that the girl needed her urgently.
If Orangeblossom didn’t reply quick enough, Sorrel would plop herself down square in front of the bigger molly, looking up backwards with confusion glimmering in honey optics both for theatrics and to truly catch the others attention. "Are you really moving in… becoming a mom?" She chirps, needed double confirmation. She hoped it was true.
"speech"

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