- Oct 17, 2022
- 458
- 78
- 28
MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————
The river has started freezing in parts where the water runs slowest, a thin layer of frost thickening into crackling ice when the nocturnal cold sinks its teeth into it, sometimes growing thick enough to support a cat’s weight as the cold lingers and the sky is hidden behind a veil of clouds. Not so much that Snakeblink fears a complete icing-over like what they suffered the previous leafbare, not so much that fishing is entirely out of the question, but enough that on days when the sun is particularly reluctant to come out and shine its warmth over the forest, he prefers land hunting to the risk of falling into icy water.
But last night was brutally cold, and the grey morning saw their territory blanketed in a thick layer of white; Snakeblink doesn’t feel that lucky to have escaped the chance of a frigid bath after hours spent trudging through powdery snow. His paws are certainly no drier than if he had chosen to fish instead. He feels a little bad for the cats accompanying him on this miserable excursion, as well as bitingly jealous of their thicker fur keeping them insulated from the worst of it.
He glances over his shoulder to gauge how the targets of that thought are faring.
Carp-paw is doing as well in the snow as can be expected for someone still in the middle of her teenage growth spurt; maybe they ought to take a break soon, as they’ve been outside all day and she’s bound to get tired and not mention it eventually. But it’s his second, bulkier shadow that gives him pause.
Rookfang cuts a strange and imposing figure next to the apprentice, scruffy and tall enough to more easily step over the snow Snakeblink has to all butrabbit- jump through. He sidled up to them as they were leaving for dawn patrol and hasn’t left yet, for no reason that Snakeblink can devise or that the other bothered to explain. He’s just there. Following them in an unobtrusive but somewhat… ominous… manner. It’s nice to have some willing, friendly company around; strange to feel observed in this manner, though Snakeblink guesses he had it coming. It’s just that he’s so curious. His… friends (as he’s now someone who has those; what a concept!) don’t tend to patrol with him, not on purpose; his schedule is perhaps a little more intense than most warriors are expected to keep up with.
A patch of snow gives out under his paw, forcing his focus back to his path as he has to correct his stance. They’re making their way from the beech copse at the moment, and tripping here would mean taking a rough tumble down the long slope. ”Be careful where you step,” he calls to the others, ”The ground here is— AH!”
His words break out into a yelp as his next step falls on a slicker surface, and he feels his paw going out beneath him as he slips on the patch of black ice hidden under the snow.
But last night was brutally cold, and the grey morning saw their territory blanketed in a thick layer of white; Snakeblink doesn’t feel that lucky to have escaped the chance of a frigid bath after hours spent trudging through powdery snow. His paws are certainly no drier than if he had chosen to fish instead. He feels a little bad for the cats accompanying him on this miserable excursion, as well as bitingly jealous of their thicker fur keeping them insulated from the worst of it.
He glances over his shoulder to gauge how the targets of that thought are faring.
Carp-paw is doing as well in the snow as can be expected for someone still in the middle of her teenage growth spurt; maybe they ought to take a break soon, as they’ve been outside all day and she’s bound to get tired and not mention it eventually. But it’s his second, bulkier shadow that gives him pause.
Rookfang cuts a strange and imposing figure next to the apprentice, scruffy and tall enough to more easily step over the snow Snakeblink has to all butrabbit- jump through. He sidled up to them as they were leaving for dawn patrol and hasn’t left yet, for no reason that Snakeblink can devise or that the other bothered to explain. He’s just there. Following them in an unobtrusive but somewhat… ominous… manner. It’s nice to have some willing, friendly company around; strange to feel observed in this manner, though Snakeblink guesses he had it coming. It’s just that he’s so curious. His… friends (as he’s now someone who has those; what a concept!) don’t tend to patrol with him, not on purpose; his schedule is perhaps a little more intense than most warriors are expected to keep up with.
A patch of snow gives out under his paw, forcing his focus back to his path as he has to correct his stance. They’re making their way from the beech copse at the moment, and tripping here would mean taking a rough tumble down the long slope. ”Be careful where you step,” he calls to the others, ”The ground here is— AH!”
His words break out into a yelp as his next step falls on a slicker surface, and he feels his paw going out beneath him as he slips on the patch of black ice hidden under the snow.
——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely