private SIGNUM MALUM ✧ honeypaw

[COMFREYPAW]

Comfreypaw returns to the apprentice’s den while the sun still burns at its zenith. Rosemire prefers the gray skies of twilight and dusk, the light and heat don’t offend sensitive rosebud eyes or singe through transparent white fur, and as such she finds herself back in camp at odd hours. She feels tired today, moreso than usual. Whether it’s the suffocating atmosphere her home has developed or the troubled sleep she’d endured the previous night, she walks gratefully to her nest and collapses.

There’s one other cat in the den at this odd hour. Comfreypaw stirs and turns to blink at the reddish shape in their own nest. “Honeypaw? What’cha doing here?” She props her chin onto her forepaws, suppressing a yawn. “Your mentor have you on a weird schedule too?” She can only imagine. Ferndance is… eccentric.

After a few heartbeats, Comfreypaw leans forward. “Hey… what’s the real reason you were out by yourself the other day? I won’t tell, whatever it is.” She blinks sympathetically. “Did you get in trouble for that, by the way?” Nightswarm had seemed awfully serious at the time.

✧ INFO.

• @honeypaw pre-symptoms <3
• 
  — comfreykit . comfreypaw
  — she/her, apprentice of shadowclan
  — bisexual ; single
  — short-haired charcoal tabby with amber eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — art by Meadowllark

​

 

[honeymoon]

sweet like honey
———— ( ☀ ) ————

Honeypaw's schedule had once been much more regular, waking up near the end of sunrise to head out with her duties. Her new apprenticeship under Ferndance now had her waking up early, at least much earlier than the girl was used to. Honeypaw was shocked to find Ferndance even able to move about so early. Her eyes grew heavy by midday, and thankfully she was allowed the mercy of rest especially as she adapted to her new schedule with a whole new face. Honeypaw liked Ferndance, got along with the odd senior warrior quite well, but there was still a soreness in the apprentice's heart that her old mentor had left behind in her absence. Ferndance respected that. Honeypaw was lounging in her nest, attempting to drift off to sleep before Ferndance would be back for her in the evening for a patrol, enjoying the now-rare peace of the den. The massive influx of apprentices had made the apprentice's den quite the commotion, and just as Honeypaw was trying to avoid, Ghostkit - no, Ghostpaw was now creepily amongst them. But that was okay, because for now she was alone.

Or... well, apparently not. Tufted ears flick back when they hear her name, and she almost expects it to be Ferndance here to ruin her sleepy fun before she belatedly recognizes it as the voice of a peer. Her eyebrows are knitted down into a scowl as Honeypaw lifts her head groggily, swiveling her head to look toward the source of the sound with sleep-squinted eyes. Comfreypaw greets her with her head on her paws, and Honeypaw's soured expression lightens. "Good morning, Comfreypaw," the apprentice purrs in greeting, blatantly ignoring the time of day that blazed down on them just a few paces away outside the den. The other apprentice asks about the schedule Ferndance has her on, and she giggles. "Everything is weird with her," Honeypaw confesses. She quite likes that about Ferndance, actually. Ferndance was not a stifling mentor, and kept Honeypaw on her toes. Honeypaw found particular routines to become mind numbing after a time, but Ferndance was almost dizzyingly unpredictable at times. "We went out real early this morning. What about you? Don't you have a, uh... more..." Normal, "traditional mentor?"

Comfreypaw leans closer, and Honeypaw reacts accordingly by scooting herself closer and dropping her voice to a whisper. Their conversation wasn't exactly any kind of forbidden, but keeping the words between them felt particularly exciting. Comfreypaw asks why Honeypaw was actually out of camp, and the sun-drenched apprentice stalls in answering. Honeypaw shuffles in her nest. At the questioning if she got in trouble, she shook her head - no more trouble than she normally got herself in, at least. "Well... I wasn't lying with what I told them." She finally finds her voice for an answer. "I like collecting rocks." Honeypaw looks away and retracts a paw to fish out an agate from her nest, tossing it over the side of the moss wall before batting it toward Comfreypaw with a warm smile. "They're not cozy but but they're very pretty! See how the light catches it? Agates are my favorite. You can keep that one! If you're up at weird times too you'll get to see it glimmer real pretty in the early morning. Tree bark is cool too, it crumbles differently and feels different beneath your claws - did you know? I want to learn what tree is what without my eyes, using only my claws. I think it'd be cool." Honeypaw falls into a silence, thick tail swishing behind her nervously. She worries the inside of her lip with her teeth as she contemplates speaking again.

"I won't tell, whatever it is."

Comfreypaw's words revisit her ears as she mulls over her options. Honeypaw swallows nervously, averting her eyes. "I... wanted to get out. Get my mind off of... everything... going on here, you know? The. The sickness. My old mentor is sick, and I... she's not... getting better. That's why I'm with Ferndance now. My mom too - I have to look after Chervilkit now, because our mom is too unwell. And we... don't... have the cure for it. I'm..." Scared, she's scared, she wants so badly to admit she's afraid and terrified of the outcomes, "... worried. I don't like just sitting around not being able to see the cats I care about, y'know? I'd rather just not be here right now. If Chervilkit wasn't here, maybe I'd just live in the top branch of the burnt sycamore until everyone stopped... dying." Horribly selfish, and Honeypaw knows it herself. But Comfreypaw had promised to keep a secret.

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[COMFREYPAW]

Honeypaw doesn’t seem happy to have company at first, and Comfreypaw almost balks, almost apologizes and turns around in her nest. But to her surprise and pleasure, the ginger she-cat returns her greeting with a belated purr. She relaxes, relieved. “Well, I dunno if you’ve noticed, but Rosemire’s super… white.” She smiles. “The sun hurts his eyes and he gets burned even in the marsh if he isn’t careful.” The young charcoal tabby stretches, her forepaws reaching the corners of her nest. “So we go out when the sun isn’t up. It’s good for practicing stalking, but not so great for my sleep schedule.”

Oh, she’s chatty today, and she realizes it with a hint of embarrassment. She hopes her denmate isn’t put off by it—that, or the slightly invasive question Comfreypaw dares to ask.

But Honeypaw does not seem put off. The fire-pelted apprentice lowers her voice conspiratorially. But then she just rambles about rocks. Comfreypaw tilts her head. “Is that really all? Well… you could show me some…” She gropes for the word Honeypaw had used. “Agate?” The girl offers her the bit of stone as a gracious gift, and Comfreypaw is floored. “I can have it? Really? But isn’t it special?” Really, she’s never seen a stone with so many interesting shades of tan and deep brown, all in stripes like her tabby fur. She runs a paw over it with interest, and then Honeypaw is telling her the truth.

“My old mentor is sick. My mom too.” Comfreypaw’s amber gaze softens. “I’m sorry to hear that. I can understand wanting to get away, in that case… it must be hard for you, right now.” She rests her chin on her paws, ears flicking. “If you ever need to get out again and need someone to go with you, I’m sure Rosemire wouldn’t mind…”

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — comfreykit . comfreypaw
  — she/her, apprentice of shadowclan
  — bisexual ; single
  — short-haired charcoal tabby with amber eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — art by Meadowllark

​

 

[honeymoon]

sweet like honey
———— ( ☀ ) ————

Honeypaw is nowhere near one of the more astute ShadowClanners, but she catches the tension drain from Comfreypaw as she moves closer and starts engaging in conversation. Comfreypaw's soft smile serves to widen her own, purring contentedly as she listens to the other apprentice speak fondly of her mentor. It was a nice distraction, even if the topic revolved back to mentorships. It was a step every cat went through, so there was only so much reactivity Honeypaw could really afford to have to such a thing. She wondered if she would grow as fond of Ferndance as she had Cherrywhisker, as Comfreypaw had Rosemire. She speaks of Rosemire's quirks with a touch of affection that nips Honeypaw with envy slightly. Honeypaw wanted to be fondly remembered like that too, as a warrior. Maybe even now, as an apprentice. Even her oddities smiled at by someone. Rosemire was awfully lucky to have such a pleasant apprentice, and Comfreypaw was likewise lucky to have such an easygoing mentor. "He sounds like fun to have," Honeypaw confesses. "I've barely talked to him, myself. He kinda speaks in riddles whenever I hear him, though." Honeypaw snickers lightly. "So does Ferndance, but sometimes they sound more like threats."

Comfreypaw is enraptured by the agate Honeypaw bats her way, and excitement swells in her chest. Batpaw had been dismissive of her interest, Smogmaw lamented of his own, and Ferndance would humor her urges on occasion. But she'd yet to find anyone else to really enjoy the - well - beauty of them! They were hard to spot in the muck and decay of the marshes, which only made their dazzle all the more rewarding when they were cleaned off. Honeypaw nods her head aggressively, fur bobbing with the motion. "Of course you can! I can find more." Honeypaw casts a quick glance around her, lowering her voice further to whisper, "It gives me a reason to sneak out again anyways." Not that Honeypaw ever needed an excuse to break that rule anyways, really. "It's special because it's yours now. It's pretty like you, too." Honeypaw slides the compliment in as she turns her gaze back toward the sun, watching it glitter in the light trying to shine through the den. Shining in the darkness was something some ShadowClanners had a knack for, too. Comfreypaw certainly didn't darken a den she was in, and Honeypaw thought just as highly of herself too. If Honeypaw was a rock, she'd be an agate!

The topic darkens and so does Honeypaw's expression. Sadness flickers across her face, pinching her brows together as she looks away nervously. Admitting to stuff was... hard. It was so much easier to admit a wrongdoing than it was to admit her feelings. It almost made them feel more real, having to pay them more attention. Having to articulate them into words. "It's okay. I... I trust Starlingheart, I think." The journeying cats may not ever come back with lungwort, and if they didn't, there was no amount of trust in any medicine cat across the Clans that could save her family. Honeypaw loathed the thought. But... that wasn't a stressor to place on Comfreypaw. "I still have Chervilkit, and I'm making sure she's healthy! I'm no medicine cat but I can bring her back food, at least. And, um, moss balls..? I never played with her much before our mom got sick. I didn't really... er... I didn't really like her, at first. I was so jealous. But..." Honeypaw blinks in surprise as she trails off. The words almost burn on their way out but she can't stop their flow. It's unnerving being so open about things she'd held so close to her before. "She's just a kit, yeah? So I'm gonna do my best for her. I'm gonna be strong for her. I'm still gonna take some time outside of camp away from all of this sometimes, though." Even though sometimes she despised the idea of coming back, she always would. Honeypaw just knew it.

Her smile returns, a gentle curl of her lips at Comfreypaw's offer. "That'd be fun! I want to," Honeypaw purrs, an attempt to cover the gentle shake in her voice behind the rattle of her purring. "We could have a prey catching contest too! I won't give all my secrets away, but I'm gettin' good at catching birds."


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[COMFREYPAW]

◇────────────【☆】★【☆】────────────◇​

XXXXXXXXXXComfreypaw shifts a little in her nest, her smile brightening. “He does speak in riddles, doesn’t he?” She laughs, and it’s genuine, full of warmth. Honeypaw’s comment about Ferndance’s riddles being more like threats causes her to giggle all over again. “She’s so weird! Sometimes I wonder if she takes anything seriously… does she? What kind of training do you guys even do?” She finds she’s genuinely curious about her denmate’s day to day life in a way she never has been before. It couldn’t simply be the kindness the golden she-cat is showing to Comfreypaw, the low dips in her voice when she whispers conspiratorially. It couldn’t be that.

XXXXXHer own honey-colored eyes widen with pleasure as Honeypaw tells her she can have the piece of agate. “You’ll have to show me where you find them! I can help you,” she purrs, her ears twitching and overly warm at the ginger apprentice’s compliment. “It’s pretty like you are too.” No one had ever called her pretty before—and she’d always thought herself to be average, certainly no stunner like Halfshade or Applepaw. Her fur is too dark—in truth, she’d always longed for the sunshine hues in Honeypaw’s own fur, or the myriads of color in her best friend’s pelt. But she accepts the compliment graciously, blushing and putting a paw over her mouth to stifle another giggle. “Thank you! We’ll have to find one as pretty as you, next.” It’s said sincerely, with a guileless grin.

XXXXXRegrettably, though, the conversation shifts, and Comfreypaw’s smile thins and fades as she leans forward to listen. “Chervilkit is lucky to have you. So is your mother.” Sympathy darkens the amber in her eyes. She doesn’t like to see her denmate look so worried. “I can help you keep her entertained sometime, maybe? I’m a mossball champ, myself.” She’d played hours of kit games when she’d been in the nursery, both with her littermates and with Halfshade’s kits. She knows them all like the back of her paw. “I’m better at catching mossballs than birds, that’s for certain! You’ll have to at least give me some advice. All I’ve caught is a couple of skinny lizards,” she purrs good-naturedly.

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