pafp THE ICE IS SLOWLY MELTING ✦ nursery move-in

[FEATHERSPINE]

She had never been much good at nest-making, especially not with picky customers. If it had been anyone else she might have snapped their jaws shut, told them to deal with what she could give them, if it was her they wanted help from so badly... but, it was Pinkshine. Over the moons she had coaxed many an exception from him, but for once he would call it warranted rather than confusing.

Featherspine was beginning to surprise himself with his own behaviour. Never had her claws felt burr-like, as opposed to thorns... but she could not shake the desire to hover. Yellow eyes were not a narrowed slit of sharp light, but rather widened and watchful as the blistering eye of the sun itself. The words are you alright or do you need to take a break were becoming as easy to dispel as breath.

The moss was the best she could get, the placement was as roomy as the two of them could manage. Really, it should be perfect... and yet, Featherspine felt a worrying beginning to tighten his jaw again. Nagging thought that, well... they had always said their future would be stepped into together, and yet here hurtled forth quite an obvious separation. Physically, only... he was sure their minds would not stray. But how was he to know if something was going wrong? The mortification that would crush him if some nearly-grown kitten had to run for Cottonsprig, instead of him!

Stepping back from that completed nest, there wasn't admiration in her eyes. Merely... a fretfulness. Her tail flicked worriedly against the gorse. "Are you sure you d-don't want me to stay here with you? Even... just for a few nights?"

\ please wait for @PINKSHINE ! backwritten a few days :)​

✦ penned by pin​

 

[PINKSHINE]

The nursery these days wasn't as glamorous a spot as she remembered it being as a kit... It was actually kind of stuffy, and all the bedding was poking her in exactly the wrong places. If WindClan had such a good Leaf-bare according to everyone, why was bedding still spiky and dry and terrible, huh? There was no excuse for it, besides, maybe laziness... The apprentices or queens or whoever did a terrible job! And for a second, she considers that Featherspine may secretly be a not-very-good nest-maker, but this couldn't be the case. No, their normal nest was mostly fine... It must be the moss that was terrible. What was the world coming to if even the moss is terrible?!

She wouldn't take Featherspine's help for granted... Though, to be honest, she kinda thinks it'd be right in way fewer tries if she had done it herself, but whatever. Even now, her paws knead investigatively at the assembled nest, the wrinkle of her nose critical... In a final, decisive motion, she yanks away a small strip of moss that, honestly, she just didn't like! She was pretty sure she'd have nightmares if she dared to fall asleep on that piece. Good thing she's saved herself... Could a not alright Pinkshine have done that? Could she have done that if she took a break?

As her mate steps away, Pinkshine steps forward, making sure no pressing issues became immediately apparently as she fully situated herself... It's okay enough, she guesses. And the worst part is, even as she bends down to sniff at it, she can still feel Featherspine staring at her like she could literally explode into twigs at any moment! If she was about to explode, she'd definitely have enough time to yell for him herself, first!

"Ahghckkk!" A nasty hack wells in her throat, before she succombs to a very real, very convincing dry-coughing spell. "Accck! Haccck!" She sinks into her newly-made nest at last, undoubtedly succumbing to her grievous wounds, to everyone's horror, no doubt... "I'm suffocating, Featherspine! I'm suffocating! And it's all your fault!!" Pinkshine then proceeds to bat the earlier discarded bad-vibe moss at Featherspine. She misses.

 

[Asterpaw]

Pinkshine's move into the nursery is soon interrupted by the arrival of Asterpaw, coming to see the kits, who paused to gawk at the two warriors with interest for a solid minute. She had heard a few rumours Pinkshine had been expecting kits but hadn't believed it until now. Asterpaw wished another queen like Pinkshine had resided in the nursery when she was growing up here. As much as she cherished her kithood and would not have changed it for the world, she thought it would have benefitted from having some more cheery and playful playmates, who weren't her sometimes overly serious littermates.

"Your nest looks nice, Pinkshine!" Asterpaw mewed, nodding in approval. "I bet some flowers or feathers would make it look nicer!" Her eyes narrowed with concern at her sudden coughing fit before softening when she realised Pinkshine was putting it on. "Are you excited for your kits?" She asked, green eyes shifting between Featherspine and Pinkshine in turn.​

 

[Doekit.]

Doekit regarded the happy couple with wide eyes, wondering if she would have time to make friends with the new kittens before she moved to the apprentice den. It was only two moons away, so she wasn't sure, but she was excited at the prospect of new den-mates regardless. The daughter of a rather apathetic queen eager to get back to her warrior duties and an unknown, absent father, and with no littermates to speak of, she appreciated company wherever she could find it. Blinking at Pinkshine's exaggerated play-acting, she pondered over a grown cat being so jovial- Perhaps she would be fun enough company even while waiting for the litter to come!

Padding up beside Asterpaw, she tilted her head and mewed, "Welcome! Do you know when your kits will be here?"​

 

[FEATHERSPINE]

Featherspine had never known her to be quite so particular... not down to the details of tearing off strips of moss, anyway. What, was something wrong with it? It didn't look dead. His face crumpled from some semblance of soft worry to a frown of frustration, brows pinching contemplatively together. She bowed her head, though... found some comfort, maybe... but still hesitated. What now? He hadn't put thorns in it—

And her collapse was a sudden one, throwing herself carelessly to the ground, hacking and choking as if there were brambles wrapped around her throat. Horned ears tipped backwards, flattening against her head; for a moment his pulse leapt with concern, but it took him merely a moment to realise she was faking it. Owl's eyes re-narrowed. The relief that she'd laid down at last was replaced by a swift strike of irritation, pelt bristling into the quills of his name. The moss flew at him clumsily, veering badly off-target... but she pouted as if it had hit her square in the face.

"You could have just said no," she said, bitterly. Scorn didn't hang around for very long, though. It was difficult to grip onto any grudge, when it came to Pinkshine... over the moons, she had earned all of her exceptions. More faces began to filter forward. Asterpaw and Doekit crept forward, admiring the apparently-unsuitable nest. "Don't crowd her," she said... half a genuine warning, and half a mild snipe.

Are you excited for your kits? Featherspine stiffened, glancing to the ground in thought. Really, he didn't have to think about it very much... it was more of a decision whether to say it. Her glance in Pinkshine's direction was swift— when a narrowed gaze flitted back to Asterpaw, she muttered, "Yes. Very." And it was the truth.

Doekit's question was one he wasn't at all equipped to answer. Expectation settled on Pinkshine's shoulders, then... with the memory of moss flying past him, he chose to hold his tongue. Soon, he figured he would go hunting... if pickiness persisted, Pinkshine would need options. She might end up gone a while. ​

✦ penned by pin​