no rest for the wicked [open/bad dream]

[QUILLSTRIKE]

I FEEL LIKE AN ASTRONAUT IN THE OCEAN​

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Quills nights were more unpredictable than he'd like to admit. A lot of the time he would sleep like a rock until morning, waking up refreshed and ready to face the day even if he looked as unenthusiastic as ever. Sometimes though sleep didn't come as easily to him. There were nights when he felt restless, left wanting to randomly walk or stargaze in the wake of excess energy. Nights where his mind was just too loud to let the rest of him fall asleep, his troubles noisy and demanding. And then there were nights where he did manage to sleep, but was inevitably awoken by dreams he could never quite remember the details to despite knowing what they were about.

Tonight was a night where a dream had gotten the better of him.

He didn't call them nightmares because that would insinuate that Quill was afraid, and he wasn't. If anything, they were echos of a past he no longer had to deal with. In the many weeks since the chimera had joined, Quill had adapted. He was used to things here and had fallen into a routine, had managed to get his mind focusing on the present rather than the past.

Sometimes when he slept though, he'd forget for a second.

The easiest way to describe it would be the human equivilant of jolting awake thinking you were late for work, only to realize its 3am and your not even working that day. Not a nightmare, but not pleasant either. Quill would be sleeping peacefully one minute and then would jerk awake the next, convinced he'd forgotten to do something or other and was now about to be screamed at. Sometimes he even woke muttering an annoyed 'go fuck yourself' as if he were about to start arguing with someone who wasn't there, only to quickly regain his senses before leaving the apprentices den.

And that was pretty much a play-by-play of what had happened tonight.

Mismatched eyes still heavy with sleep, the tall tabby cat stepped out into the crisp, cool air of outdoors and was glad when the shock woke him up a little more. He could see the wispy puffs of white that came with each breath, no breeze present to steal it away as it ghosted forth from his maw, and in the still silence of the camp he was able to find a modicum of peace that began to calm his racing heart.

​

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skyclan - male - 8 months - bisexual - homoromantic - single - very tall tabby tomcat with broad shoulders

 

[BEARPAW]

"NOBODY TEACHES YOU TO WALK WITH OPEN HANDS"​

No stranger to restless nights herself, Bearpaw shifts over to her other side, trying to get better settled in her nest. It isn't exactly an uncomfortable arrangement; rather, the problem is that it's almost too comfortable, in a way that leaves her feeling just as unsettled as she is grateful for the extra bits of fur and feathers. Never has she known something this stable for this long - when it had been just her, any nest she made came with the knowledge that she might have to move on the next day, so there wasn't much room for anything other than quick practicality, and when she was still with the rest of her family the nests weren't much better, even if she had her siblings and mother for comfort. A lack of other pelts pressed against her is also something that Bearpaw sorely misses, enough so that she's even considered asking if anyone wanted to put their nest alongside hers to combat the growing chill in the air, though in the end she had decided it might be too weird of a suggestion to the other apprentices especially considering she still feels like she hardly knows them.

As she tries to quit twisting about and instead focus on keeping her eyes closed and her breathing steady in an attempt to find some sleep, movement from someone else catches her attention. Suddenly stock-still, she tries to pinpoint exactly who it was who had just left their nest, but of course it's far too dark with far too many options of fellow apprentices to tell. They hadn't seemed too rushed, so there probably isn't anything terrible going on - really, it's likely just someone suffering a bout of sleeplessness looking for a cure in a night walk - but she still finds herself curious. Would it be strange to follow after them? At this point, it doesn't seem like she's going to sleep anytime soon anyways, and even if they didn't take too kindly to Bearpaw following behind she could always just split off and go for a walk on her own. Rather than follow immediately, she waits for what feels like an appropriate amount of time so that it might seem less like she's following after being awakened and more like she's organically choosing to leave her nest before she makes her move. Carefully, she climbs to her paws and weaves past the rest of her sleeping clanmates, trying not to bother anyone who's actually getting some sleep in tonight.

Slinking out into the rest of camp, the first thing she notes is how different it seems when just about everyone is asleep. Normally, there's a sort of hustle and bustle as cats move about, going about their daily lives, but in the soft quiet of the night it's almost as if it's a new world entirely. It's not often that she gives into the urge to get up at night, though Bearpaw thinks that maybe she should try it a little more often, even if it's just to sit in camp for a little bit; after all, it's almost peaceful in a familiar sort of way. After taking in the strange qualities of the dark-tinged hollow she's growing to call home, she finally notices Quillpaw off by himself, and she decides that it must've been him who had gotten up, considering he doesn't look like he's been out here for long. She hesitates a moment, wondering if she should just give him space since he doesn't seem to be making his way out of camp for a walk, but she figures it's at least polite to say hello. "Hey there," she greets softly, keeping her voice down so that she doesn't disturb any of the other sleeping residents of Skyclan. Bearpaw lets the silence drag on until it's past awkward that she's still just standing there, watching Quillpaw, but instead of just moving on and walking away the apprentice feels like she should say something else, especially having initiated conversation. "Nice night we're having, huh? It's really...quiet..." Somehow, she feels like that was much worse than just walking away would have been.​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[Fireflyglow]

WE'VE BEEN DOIN' ALL THIS LATE NIGHT TALKIN' ✧​

"I FOUND A BUG!! A BUG!!" Firefly is the first to break the peaceful silence in the air with his shriek of excitement, having ripped a rather plump looking worm from the ground. Though it's limp in his jaws now, obviously shaken and bitten to death- the worm-like creature wiggles from the shaking. Firefly turns a wild-eyed glance over to the pair of apprentices, noticing the air around them almost too late. He drops the 'worm', chuckling softly in embarrassment.

"Uuuh, what's up, guys?" He awkwardly grinned towards the group, finally able to open his eyes wide enough to show the cereulean blues that were normally hidden behind shut eyelids. "Did you have a bad dream or somethin'? Why are y'all up so late?" He asks with a tilt of his fluffy head.​