TUMBLING DOWN | bird friend

[silkbreath]

TAGS — There is a new sort of chittering in camp. Silkbreath is used to the twitter of his clanmates, and the chirping of the bugs that like to keep him company through the night, but with the changing newleaf sun there also comes the changing newleaf soundscape. He is, perhaps, especially attuned to it all, given his lacking sight- and that is why he is so sure this is a different sort of buzzing than what he's used to.

The pale warrior sits at the base of one of the trees that make up their camp walls, enjoying the feeling of the cool mud on his pawpads, and listening to the new birdsong above him. He could hunt it, sure, but where's the fun in that? Maybe this lyricist is StarClan-sent; maybe the bird has a message that only he who is so attuned to sound can hear. Silkbreath smiles where he sits with eyes serenely closed; hums along to the tune with words that don't mean anything. Maybe, if he and this bird can create perfect harmony, he'll reveal something! What that might be, he's not quite sure, but... well, it's a possibility. Probably. Or maybe he's being batty. Silkbreath opens one eye to peer up at the shapes above him. He can't make out the tree branches from their leaves, or the leaves from the sky; and he certainly can't see the bird. But it's enough to know it's there, and to hear its song.

"Oh, happy day!" the warrior sighs, still wearing his dreamy grin. "Newleaf brings such pleasant song! Maybe you all should try to join in. It might cheer you up, you sorry lot." Perhaps his words are not the kindest, but he means well.​

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[BLOODHOUND.]

WHO IS THE LAMB AND WHO IS THE KNIFE? ☽⁺₊⋆
The birdsong is different today, Bloodhound notes. Closer to camp. Just above camp, actually. How odd. How lovely.

The bengal strolls out into the middle of the camp, listening carefully for the song, finding it on top of a tree, underneath which sat a pale warrior, eyes closed, humming along. Just sitting and enjoying the song. His peace fills them with peace too, and the bengal warrior approaches quietly, so as to not disturb him too much. The pale cat next to them sighs, his expression gentle, dreamy. Suggesting that others take in the moment, too.

Bloodhound didn't need to be asked twice. They lay down in the cool, wet mud, in the shade of the large tree. Near the other cat, close enough to be reasonably be considered to be relaxing with him, but not close enough that they could share tongues. The bengal was still not quite at ease with that, yet. They remain silent out of choice, letting the song wash over them. Just appreciating it. The beauty of life, getting to share in that joy, if only for a fleeting moment. Choosing to quietly meditate, their eyes closed, ringed tail curled around them. Softly purring.

They didn't want to ruin it.

[☾]​

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[FERNDANCE]

What had started as white noise for the Lead Warrior was slowly becoming more prominent in her large ears. She craned her neck towards the sky, emerald eyes catching in the scarce light and shining a vivid lime. Her mind went back to Orchidkit who, days prior, had been tormented by the sounds of the birds above camp. Her nephew displayed no such fear, instead, welcoming the song as if it were an old family member. It is his appreciation that stops her from scaling the tree and making a much-needed meal out of the avian, instead making her way to the pale tom's side and alerting him of her presence with a gentle nudge of her tail tip on his hocks. She couldn't see the bird either, but she could see Silkbreath and Bloodhound, each calmly listening to Newleaf's precious voice. Then, the former turns to the clan, asking them to join in in that special way of his - with a kind tone but words that cut like a badger's teeth. He wasn't entirely wrong though. Where Newleaf brought allergies to flowers, it seemed that Leafbare had caused allergies to smiling, she only hoped that the rebirth of the forest was enough of a placebo to fix that.

She fell back on her haunches, his request for his clanmates to join in still fresh on her mind. The Lead Warrior's flank expanded as she inhaled for seconds, a slight whistle to the end of her inwards breath. Then came the ticked tabby's song, yowled in a tone that'd be enough to bring even the toughest warriors to tears. "Awooooooooooooooooo! Awoooooooooooooo! Ow Ow Owooooooooooooo." Perhaps it should have been specified that they were tears of anguish. Sounding like a mix between a dying wolf and a screaming fox, the gentle-voiced Ferndance screamed with an intensity that had to be deliberate, but her eyes feigned ignorance where her smirk could not. She thought she sounded closer to the elk she'd stumbled across the other day with Wolfpaw, her chest puffed out in pride of the performance. Birds were such beautiful things with voices like messages from StarClan, just this once, she didn't mind proving that she was the prettier entity, and with an equally pretty voice that didn't carry some prophecy on it.

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[ROOSTERSTRUT]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The birdsong was beautiful, wasn't it? Roosterstrut hadn't heard such a melodic tune in moons; newleaf brought many changes, including the ambiance of the marshes (if the incessant frog croaking wasn't enough evidence for that). Roosterstrut found himself meandering over toward the source, where a few other ShadowClanners were appreciating the music as well.

They should join in, Silkbreath had teased, to which Ferndance immediately jumped at the opportunity to do so. Roosterstrut considered himself to be one of the more upbeat and fun-loving ShadowClanners, but Ferndance simply possessed no sense of self-consciousness or embarrassment like most cats did. He admired her free spirit and her willingness to just do without caring about what others thought. The lead warrior was an odd one, but she owned that oddness.

He flicked his ears down, the she-cat's "singing" piercing to his ears, though an amused smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "I... think I'm good. I think if I even tried, the bird would die and fall right out of the tree." Roosterstrut chuckles lightly. He glances up the trunk of the pine, peering toward the boughs before commenting, "Might be a good hunting technique, though."​

 

[silkbreath]

TAGS — There's a presence that joins him; a newer one in the clan, though not so new that Silkbreath doesn't know their name. Bloodhound does not offer him a beautiful song, and thus no perfect harmony to hear StarClan's whispering through, but he thinks that is alright. They seem to understand the beauty of the birdsong on its own, and he can respect that. He nods in their direction, acknowledging them, but the peace is soon disturbed....

"Oh, wonderful!" Silkbreath cries at Ferndance's awful howling. It grates against his sensitive ears, right next to his sensitive ears, enough to make his pale eyes water-- but he's really just happy that she joined in, though her song was indubitably horrible. And, thank StarClan, it seems that ever her nails-on-chalkboard yowling could not shake the bird out of its tree! The thing chirps happily on above them, perhaps content to be out of reach of the ShadowClan warriors. For now, anyway. Silkbreath's ears still ring with Ferndance's song. "It was so lovely, I can still hear it! Maybe you ought to have been a songbird yourself."

And then Roosterstrut approaches, a lovely golden blob in his vision, and Silkbreath's smile expands somehow wider. What a beautiful gathering of friends! "Oh, don't be silly!" he hums, milk-pale hues squinting, paw waving as if to dispel any preemptive embarrassment. "If you kill it, then it's just free food! Give it a shot, won't you?"​

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[BLOODHOUND.]

WHO IS THE LAMB AND WHO IS THE KNIFE? ☽⁺₊⋆
They can hear a couple of their clanmates approaching, with their eyes closed, and ears attuned to the sounds around them.

After a few moments, one of the voices pipes up and begins......... singing? It was a noise alright. Perhaps one of the noises of all time. It breaks through their quiet meditation, and urges them to open their eyes, to see Ferndance awooing along. Silkbreath seemed to enjoy it at least, though Bloodhound is sure they could see his milky eyes watering.

They make a noise, a wheeze, trying to hold in laughter. She was singing along! It was horrible! She was just having a little fun. Their eyes fall to Roosterstrut, who declines the offer to sing, saying he might just kill the bird if he tried. Silkbreath tries to urge him further, smiling wide.

"I think she has it covered. Someone might think we're all dying over here." Bloodhound chimes in, having to speak a little louder to be heard over Ferndance's approximation of a song.

[☾]​

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