[Fawn]

[smear:740089]Hollystorm[/smear:c53c52]
15 Moons. She-Cat. NightClan.

You can't raise hell with a saint

---

This STILL isn't dry?

Hollystorm prodded the damp moss nests that had once filled the nursery, frowning irritably over the lingering wetness. The storm had been days ago, but the problem with living in a cave was that not only did they have a flooding problem, they also had a drying problem when the flooding was over.

Some water had managed to seep into almost every den, and both Hollystorm and some of the younger warriors had been instructed to bring the moss outside to let it dry. Some cat had brought some of the moss back while it was still damp. She could smell the wet earth on it! Her tail lashed, the svelte black feline turning narrowing, heat-seeking eyes upon the rest of her Clanmates, looking for those bothersome brothers of hers.

But Bonepaw and Coyotepaw were nowhere to be found. Dimstar had taken Bonepaw out earlier (frog-hunting, she had overheard with no small amount of glee) and Coyotepaw was probably still out with Sunpulse. Some of her anger dissipated as she thought of the handsome, musical tom in charge of making Coyotepaw into a warrior.

Right. Standing here daydreaming isn't going to solve a damn thing.

It would be simpler just to bring in fresh dry moss, especially when it was so warm like this. Rather than wait for it to dry, she glanced around until she settled on the fluffy, cloud-like outline of Applewhisker nearby.
"Want to help me collect fresh moss?" She mewed to the queen that was actually... a tom. Hollystorm didn't care about that, though it had confused her as an apprentice (why would a tom want to be a queen? COULD a tom be a queen?), but as she'd matured, she began to see anything that made her father's lip curl as something she wanted to know.

Well, some things. Applewhisker seemed good at his job, and Dimstar didn't seem to mind.

---

Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell

Word Count: 325 Words
Tags: @poptart BlooRey DVD (For Sunpulse mention!)
Notes:

[Deleted]

    Applewhisker found the flooding of the clan camp to be an exhausting experience every time it happened. Access to water varied greatly based on the clan one found themselves living in, luckily Nightclan didn't find themselves going without such a basic necessity. Water didn't play the same role in a Nightclaners' life as it would in a Rainclaners' but there was a general dampness in their camp that they could never escape from as hard as they may try. Thus an overabundance of water that turned said dampness into a full squelching effect was less than desired, outside of the general discomfort from the calamity the cleanup process associated with flooding was a pain to say the least.

    As the clans' resident tom-queen Applewhisker found herself taking on even more of a home-making attitude than usual. Most likely not deemed fit for battle, hunting wasn't outside the scope of her duties however. That was unless the camp happened to be flooded, in such a case the diversity of Applewhisker's work was greatly reduced and this was certainly stressful in its own right. So when asked if she wanted to deal with moss, again, she sighed and replied "Of course." As enthusiastically as she could muster. Hollystorm wasn't part of what she would consider her support group but there had never been any less than desirable interactions before. A wave of wariness draped itself over the fluffy warrior however as a commonality in the form of Applewhiskers' former mentor, Blackwolf, gave them a single connection and not a desirable one at that.

Fawn

[Fawn]

15 Moons. She-Cat. NightClan.

No I won't apologize for the fire in my eyes

---

She and Applewhisker had never been close, but it didn't take a cat with the mind of a fox to realize the feline was... less-than-thrilled to be on moss duty again. There also seemed to be a tenseness in Applewhisker's frame that Hollystorm had almost missed. The tom was fluffy like a kitten, rather feminine looking, and sometimes it was hard to notice things that would've been easier to detect on a cat with much shorter fur.

She could always tell what Coyotepaw was thinking faster than she could tell with Bonepaw; of course, they were two very different cats, but they also had different fur lengths. At least I can read Sunpulse well enough. Hollystorm's thoughts were consumed, briefly, by mischief and fondness for the rhyming ginger warrior, but once they stepped outside, the sunlight on semi-long black fur returned Hollystorm to the present.

"If your whiskers droop any lower," Hollystorm commented, her eyes glittering. "You'll look like a shrew. Tired of moss?" Who isn't? NightClan was short on apprentices, which meant that some of the younger warriors were having to pick up the slack whenever there was an overabundance of things to do.

"We don't need to go back immediately. We can walk around the pond if you want." Maybe he—SHE wants to stretch her legs? Hollystorm didn't understand it (her parents weren't known for their openmindedness), but she wasn't against it either. Trying to be accommodating to a Clanmate who sounded bored, the black she-cat flicked one ear towards Applewhisker, curious about her reaction.

---

Let me show you my true colors
It ain't your rainbow

Word Count: 256 Words
Tags: @poptart

[Deleted]

    Applewhisker wasn't sure whether or not she was glad the younger warrior had so easily identified how she was feeling, was it bad for her to be tired of cleaning up wet moss? The comment about her becoming shrew like seemed sightly sarcastic if not insightful however it left a stone of worry in Applewhiskers tummy. Did Hollystorm think her lazy? Was she a bad warrior for disliking the main job she did for the clan? As these thoughts of doubt swirled inside Applewhiskers's head Hollystorm put her worries to rest once she suggested they take a detour from their duties causing Applewhisker to perk up near instantly. "I think that sounds great!" She replied with a little bounce as she tried to contain her excitement. "I'm getting a little stir-crazy with this flood business, would you like to lead us out?" Applewhisker asked as a purr began to well up inside her chest, she loved making new friends.

Fawn

[Fawn]

15 Moons. She-Cat. NightClan.

No I won't apologize for the fire in my eyes

---

At Applewhisker's encouragement, Hollystorm readily took the lead, guiding the small party of two up the steep sloping cavern entrance. As always, she was left to blink into the evening light, the orange glow of a fading greenleaf day illuminating the vibrant green hue of her eyes. Soon enough the crickets would be out, and the frogs would begin their nightly croaking; it was a perfect time to hunt (by NightClan standards, at least). "We should see if we can catch something on the way back." Hollystorm mewed to her companion.

There was no can about it, for the NightClan warrioress. She would catch something; not only was there pressure to be a successful progeny of the infamous Blackwolf, Hollystorm also held herself to a certain standard that others might have trouble keeping up with. That was fine by her; she could be critical and sarcastic and unforgiving, but regardless of how she acted around others, Hollystorm was always hardest on herself.

That was the nature of success. She didn't give a rat's tail about 'natural talent'; a strong warrior was the warrior who was clever enough to make use of what they had, and to increase their skills when they had the chance, not rely on natural affinity to do the work for them. What did Applewhisker have an affinity for? It was through the murmurings of her Clanmates that she knew Applewhisker to be one of her father's many apprentices; he never mentioned her. He did not mention many of them, in truth.

Yet he barely acknowledged this one. Maybe he thought being a queen (whether you were a she-cat OR a tom) wasn't a worthy enough role in the Clan to deserve even five minutes of his time. Hollystorm snorted. Her father's arrogance had a bigger border around it than their entire Clan...

"Do you like being a queen, Applewhisker?" It was a sudden question, but Hollystorm was curious.

---

Let me show you my true colors
It ain't your rainbow

Word Count: 328 Words
Tags: @poptart