solace | early m(o)rning

[scorchfrost]

Scorchfrost hadn't been able to sleep. He wasn't sure why, he'd been awake long enough and worked hard enough that he should've been exhausted, but he wasn't. He wasn't particularly bothered by it. He wasn't awake enough to get bothered by his thoughts, but he was still aware of himself. There wasn't much he could do at night, the night watch was mind-numbing and something he tried to avoid, so he took the time to exist in peace and take what rest he could. The sky had begun to lighten by the time he found himself again, having lingered in the fuzzy place between consciousness and sleep for longer than he'd realized.

The sky that had been dark just moments before was shot through with faint streaks of pink, staining the pillowed clouds floating through it. He felt like it got brighter with every blink, every time he looked away to see a clanmate move in their sleep or watch the dark, distant form of a bird fly past. The horizon wasn't visible from camp but he could still see the growing vibrancy of colours that arced from it. It was undershot with peachy-orange and a faint purple today, both making themselves more known with every passing second. Dawn would go by in an instant, with the sun ushered to its place by the guidance of birds and the songs of those that rose with it. It was windy today, maybe that helped quicken the process.

He tried not to look away, to focus on the beauty unfolding before him, but one grows blind to an everyday happening and, inevitably, his attention was gone for a second too long. The sky was lit with vibrancy unparalleled and then it wasn't. The blueness of the morning sky was there and it was time to start his day.

Now that he could see across the brightening camp, the senior warrior would pick himself up, yawn and groan about the stiffness in his everything, and make his way to the freshkill pile. The prey wasn't entirely fresh, limp from the passing of the rigors, but he couldn't bring himself to mind it. Refreshing the pile was what the morning hunt was for but the prey needed to get eaten anyway. There wasn't such a thing as waste in the Shadowclan camp.
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[ YOU CAN'T BREAK MY SPIRIT ]​

 

[FERNDANCE]

The morning was a mixed time for the molly, a night of rest did not cure her exhaustion and waking up early could be miserable, but... she found it was when others were at their most vulnerable. Fatigue didn't benefit her clanmates when she wanted to snatch things from an unguarded nest, or disarm them with a comment that made her smile (and them blink in bafflement), it was the chaos of dawn that could make the sunrise worth seeing. Stretching each limb individually as she stepped out of the Warrior's den, crusty eyes scoured the camp for her other clanmates, scarce in number at such a time. With so little to look at, it didn't take long for her attention to lock onto Scorchfrost, without giving it a second thought, the cinnamon tabby bound towards her peer. Stride like the gallop of a horse, she found herself close to the other's side quickly, an easy smile appearing on her muzzle. The allure of the fresh-kill pile left her nostrils flaring and mouth salivating; even cold, stale prey could be appealing when faced with hunger. She resisted the temptation... it was better if her kids ate before her.

Scorchfrost, luckily, didn't seem to have the same reservations, which was good because she wouldn't feel guilty snatching a bite from whatever he picked out for himself. Ferndance leaned over to whisper in the senior warrior's ear. "I recommend the frog..." She blinked fervently, cast her gaze to the pile mostly consisting of frogs, and relaxed her shoulders in realisation. "That one," she mewed, gesturing to an average-sized amphibian with four claw marks running down its back like a tabby's stripes. "It looks the yummiest." The fact that the 'yummiest' also happened to be one the former Lead Warrior hunted herself was a coincidence... totally.

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[CHILLEDSTAR.]

bored. they're so very bored out of their mind that they think that they probably could count every single fur on every single pelt of every single shadowclanner, and that would provide them with more entertainment than just sitting around camp healing. it's not ideal to be sitting and doing nothing but they're trying to at least lead by example and not leave camp at all, no matter how much their paws ache at the idea of just being useful. they're not sure how many times they can clean the elder's den and take the responsibility away from apprentices, before they completely lose their mind. speaking of such, they had decided that maybe it was a good time to get some prey to the elders. the trip to the freshkill pile isn't a long one, and they hum in thought as they look it over. their gaze moves briefly from ferndance and lands finally upon scorchfrost. ferndance says something about one of the frogs looking good but they don't quite hear all of it because of her whispers.

"hm... this one doesn't look too bad. heres to hopin' the elders like it. taking one for yourself, scorchfrost?"

doesn't look as if ferndance is exactly looking to take one of her own. didn't matter either way. after they fed the elders– so long as needledrift, eggskip and the kits have eaten– they could eat as much as they so chose.

———————---***ALL OF MY FEELINGS ARE GONE***———————---​

I LEFT 'EM ALL ON THE FLOOR✧ MAN WHO'S TO BLAME IF YOU DON'T LOVE ME NO MORE

•  
• — black feline with a white marking across their face, a white chin, a white right front paw, and blue eyes. chilledstar is covered in scars, the most prominent ones being the one across their face, and the one across their neck.
  — 44 moons old; ages the 3rd every month
  — they / them pronouns
  — aromantic / homosexual ; currently not looking / looking
  — child of JAGGED and RAVEN
  — shadowclan ; loyal to shadowclan ; other info if applicable
  — mildly difficult to befriend ; trusts barely anyone; trusts no one outside of shadowclan
  — "speech", thoughts, attacking
  — peaceful powerplay allowed

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[scorchfrost]

" Mmm, yeah. I've gotta agree with you there. " Scorchfrost hadn't found anything in the freshkill pile that looked particularly appetizing but, as Ferndance pointed out, the frog did look the yummiest. It wasn't a great margin of difference from the other bloated little corpses but he'd amuse the other warrior. He was probably going to eat one of the many frogs anyway. There were always so many frogs.

Scorchfrost wasn't that up to date on the whole warrior code thing, he barely remembered half of what had been said, but he did like the whole 'kits and elders first' thing. He didn't really remember it though, as shown by him picking the frog out of the pile for himself. He was pretty much an elder anyway, might as well. " Yep. " It was nice of Chilledstar to bring food to the elders. Scorchfrost would have to try and remember to bring them something fresh later on. " Doesn't look too bad is a nice way to put it. "

He'd look to the molly beside him, seemingly amused as his gaze darted between her and the frog. The reasoning behind her suggestion had clicked. " Are you wanting to share? I don't tend to patrol on a full stomach. It limits the, uh, senses. " It didn't, but he would offer anyway. He was polite!
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[ YOU CAN'T BREAK MY SPIRIT ]​

 

[FERNDANCE]

The cinnamon tabby blinked rapidly in Chilledstar's direction as they approached and, when it was clear the leader wasn't talking to her, mischevious green eyes settled once more onto Scorchfrost. "A wise choice..." she mused quietly, dipping her head uncomfortably low between her shoulders before it popped back up once more like a jack-in-a-box. "I killed that one," she giggled. "I think I killed most of them actually... I haven't stopped hunting since I left the Nursery." A white lie, though it was true the cinnamon tabby had spent most of her time slaughtering frogs, she didn't recognise many of her signature kills on the withering pile - more than likely, they'd gone to others out the line of sight of her clanmates. As she daydreamed about the local amphibian population, the older warrior asked her a question that caused her to blink rapidly into the present. Ferndance tilted her head, reminded of the rumble in an empty belly. Much of her food had been going to her children, trying to keep them afloat in the apprentice den while they weren't allowed to hunt for themselves. Perhaps a little nibble wouldn't hurt, it wasn't like she'd be a more efficient hunter half-starved.

"Oh... absolutely." In a single beat, she took the frog from the pile and took a chunk out of its leg. Her alabaster paw batted the kill towards Scorchfrost, the she-cat's chewing open-mouthed and loud as she wrestled with the dryness of a day-old frog. "That's very sensible, if you run on a full stomach, you're slower. Because of all the food inside you," she mewed while eating, eyes grew wide as she spoke her 'truths' to Scorchfrost. "That's why WindClan are so fast... they don't eat until nighttime... so they sprint like bunnies during the day." An impish smile crept upon her pale muzzle.

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