[xvinn]

orchidpaw (she/they) | mistclan

Night had begun to fall over the valley, and as usual, an orange and white tabby cat sitting in the apprentice's den couldn't sleep. She had rolled around in her nest in every which orientation of her body, and she was surprised that no one had woken up to yell at her to just pick a position and go to sleep. They rolled their head back to look at the apprentices around the den, and couldn't piece together how any of them could sleep. The young apprentice could feel their paws tingling, wanting to burst out into the valley and run laps around the lake that seemed to take up most of MistClan territory.

Rolling over onto her side, the apprentice looked around a little more to see who was closest to her. Soon, amber eyes settled on a nearby bengal cat who the apprentice had grown somewhat fond of over the last few moons. The two could talk nonsense away as the moon rose above the territories, just happy to have someone to listen. The orange tabby always loved the stories that the bengal told, as well as her eagerness to get into some mischief when one of them was bored.

Orchidpaw looked around once more before trying to shift slightly closer to Dogpaw, reaching out gingerly with a paw to try and prod the other apprentice. "Psst ... Dogpaw ... you awake?" they whispered, "I can't sleep," they continued, well aware that their actions were probably waking her up, but they couldn't sleep and didn't want to be the only one who had to suffer from restlessness. They knew that Dogpaw was often just as, if not sometimes even more restless, so if anyone was down to get some energy out, it was probably gonna be her.

She rested her head on her paws as she continued to reach out and tried to poke her friend awake. "Let's go somewhere!" she whispered somewhat excitedly, looking around to make sure no one else had woken before looking back to Dogpaw, "Pleeeeease?" Orchidpaw begged.

As a kit, Orchidpaw was constantly getting into trouble with her parents, and was scolded that when they became an apprentice, that they'd better shape up if they ever wanted to be a proud warrior of MistClan. But to them, it sometimes seemed like warriorhood wasn't totally worth it if it meant they couldn't have fun, and StarClan knows that lots of apprentice duties were very much not fun. She could easily do without changing the nesting of the elders or helping clear ticks from their backsides. It was booooring and tedious, and often felt like a punishment for just existing as an apprentice. It wasn't like she decided to not be old enough to be a warrior yet! If Orchidpaw could get out of dumb apprentice duties, they would do anything for it, but for now, they would have to make their own fun with another apprentice who was likely to say yes.

Abyss / dogpaw ● 517 words

[Abyss]

[googlefont=Rajdhani]

DOGPAW

Mistclan Apprentice

It was rather strange how the general idea of logic could look so different when harnessed in the minds of different beings. Where one finds their source of logic in physical things, others find it in common sense, while others find theirs through interpretation of vague and easily misunderstood messages. More often times than not, cats would clash due to their different views of what "common sense" or logic truly were. Out of all reasonings, she suspected that this was why the clans had been split into multiple long ago rather than one large clan. That was reasoning she could understand. But there were some that just…confused her.

The primary one being the logic behind some of the choices made when the clans moved into their new homes. Whereas before there were 5 clans, there now only resided 3, with two pairs of two clans merging and leaving one in it's lonesome. In her own personal version of common sense, the whole organization would have made far more sense for Nightclan to have been left on its own, as they were so different than the others. While there were many differences that could be named with thought, one of the primary ones that came to mind immediately was the fact that Nightclan was nocturnal. Sleeping at night had been an alien concept to them, for they slept in the the day and walked in the night. In reality, what benefits would come of a clan where half of them lived in the day and half of them lived in the night? Maybe there were some perks, but it still brought forth a divide in the clan, one that prevented them from truly being one.

While she had her reservations on the merging of the clans, she couldn't deny that some of the clans once of Rainclan origin were interesting. She had met a good few, many of whom had been disturbed by her, of course. But, a surprise, she had met a few who were not. In fact, there was at least one who sought out her company rather often; it was a very strange feeling considering there were few who truly enjoyed her time.

The brown Bengal laid on her side within her nest, all four legs and paws extended forward over the edge. Her eyes were closed and her body was unmoving, barely even a rise and fall of her sides. Had no one known better, they may have thought her dead. But no, not quite. They did not move in recognition, but those ears of hers were listening. The shuffling of those in the nests nearby, the voices of her nocturnal compatriots outside, and the occasional hoot of an owl. Owls…they were such beautiful creatures. Large and elegant birds who lived for centuries, growing and aging and gaining more knowledge in every action they took. With every small mouse that they ripped apart with those massive claws, it was as though they consumed the memories of their prey. The residual feeling of helplessness before being snatched away from your fearful and lonesome life. Though sometimes it was a rabbit. Or a vole. Or a fish. Hmm…the owl who resided just outside of the hollow…what had been their last kill? Maybe a much smaller bird who sought the owl's wisdom, but instead found their claw-

A poke, and her green eyes opened instantaneously without even a hint of drowsiness found in them. Emotionless eyes looked forward, where only a step or two away a pair of amber eyes peered back at her with a gleam. She blinked twice at Orchidpaw. For an Apprentice who had resided within Rainclan not too long prior, Dogpaw found that out of all of her new denmates, Orchidpaw was a strange one. She was one of the few who tended to wake up in the night, even though she was not nocturnal as Dogpaw was. Though, something that did pique her interest, was that also unlike some of the others, Orchidpaw had a knack for mischief and a craving for adventure, much like she did. And, in the same line of thought, it was often herself who the orange and white tabby came to when the desire for exploration became too strong. It was almost refreshing to finally find someone who could appreciate her curiosity for the world and even take part in it as well.

Her body rotated in her nest and she laid straight up, blinking a few times more with blank features. Her head turned and she peered over at the feline who had "woken" her up. "Ok."

She stood, padding casually out of her nest without a second thought. She didn't bother to smooth over the bits of her fur that began to stick outwards from laying on them, nor did she feel the need to stretch, for her body had not really rested for long. She just as quickly turned as she emerged from the Apprentices den and padded in a casual trot towards the entrance to the camp. Thankfully, the cats who stood guard she recognized as previous clanmates of hers, so it was far less troubling that anyone may be leaving camp at this time.

Only a turn or two went by before the Bengal turned, glancing to the side at where she assumed Orchidpaw was following. Her eyes scanned around them, seemingly searching something out. When she spotted it, her emerald gaze lifted to the trees above. She could not see it, but she knew that if it was there currently, it could see her.

"I am quite sure that the other clans can not say that they hold an ally of the clan who is not feline-born in their territory as we do." She peered up into the darkness, waiting. A low-pitched hoot sounded from above, and a smile crossed her features, before she turned back to Orchidpaw. "I have been attempting to think of a name for her. Do you have any ideas?"

1001 & Gemini

[xvinn]

orchidpaw (she/they) | mistclan

Watching Dogpaw stand and make her way out of the apprentice's den got Orchidpaw's heart racing with excitement. They, too, did not bother to smooth out their fur, but the reasoning was less due to a lack of rest and more just a lack of care. The tabby-patched apprentice rarely saw much fit for cleaning out her fur, up until someone complained to her about it. She didn't see the need for keeping things like a little moss out, or keeping her fur flat at all times - if it didn't stop her from being able to do her duties, then what did it matter? If anything, sometimes the bits of moss or stray feather that they'd lined their bed with, they believed made them an even better hunter since it allowed them a chance to blend into their environment much better than their white fur could ever allow.

It took a little more work following her friend, but Orchidpaw liked to view it as a challenge for herself. She didn't have quite the same knack for navigating in the dark, being much more adept at navigating waters and currents instead. They had to pay close attention to where Dogpaw was moving and turning, even for a short distance, listening out for them and trying to pay close attention to her scent.

When they reached the spot that Dogpaw seemed to be leading Orchidpaw to, she looked to her friend before following her gaze up. Amber eyes squinted, as though it might help pick out what was so interesting up high. Just as they seemed to finally settle down, the hoot from above made Orchidpaw jump a little bit, standing back on all four paws and shaking out her fur to settle down. They purred a bit in amusement at their own startled response, tail now straight in the air knowing that MistClan might have such a friend on their side.

Orchidpaw thought a moment, before her amber eyes went wide with excitement as an idea popped into her head. Galliantly, the apprentice suggested: "Lady Featherfowl, Guardian of the Skies and Leader of the Winged Allies of MistClan." She gave a bow of her head, as though bowing to the great prowess of the feathered friend above like a knight to their monarch. After she raised her head once more, she blinked, "Or, ya know, Hootie could work, too!"

Immediately, the tabby began to wonder what the world must look like from the owl's perch. It wouldn't be the first time that they'd wondered what the valley would look like from up so high, flying over the Clans' territories, looking down at the cats who lived down there as though they were the size of simple fleas. They wondered if the wind through their feathers felt similar to the way that it felt when the water would glide against their fur, or if any of them enjoyed trying to fly against the wind the same way that Orchidpaw loved to push against the rough currants, strengthening their swimming skills. She wondered if the muscles that a bird might use to fly would be different from the muscles a cat would use to run or swim. After all, she was always trying her best to be the strongest cat in all of MistClan, able to protect anyone.

"I would be most honoured if our Lady would allow me to be both a warrior of MistClan and her personal Champion, too," she said, continuing her charade of seeing the bird above as a great and honourable leader who she could work in service of. Orchidpaw trotted around the base of the tree a moment, holding her head and tail high in pride of her newfound duty to protect their friend in the trees above.

Abyss / dogpaw ● "lady featherfowl" is a d&d reference and i don't apologize ● 632 words