[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

T

he air smelled like electricity, the sharp note of it standing out in the musty air. A cool breeze brought mercy to the heat bearing down on TreeClan, and Robinpaw was grateful for the refreshing flow of air. Though the lightning was distant, a roll of thunder so abstract that no cat seemed to be concerned with it, a very real storm was shadowing the Clans. It was this storm that the calico apprentice was mulling over currently, with the sensible thoughtfulness with which she approached every situation.

A bundle of springy moss was gripped in her jaws, and she was carrying as much as she could handle towards the medicine den. She noticed with a flash of frustration that Duckpaw hadn't contributed to the small pile she had assorted outside the den where the eldest cats slept, and a sigh of resignation worked up from her lungs as she added to her pile. Whiteclaw had been in need of fresh bedding for several days now, but had kept it to himself. Robinpaw should have suspected the older tom would do something like that, he preferred to deal with his own issues privately rather than accept help from the apprentices. Swandive, much like her brother, had also kept the dire nesting situation in the elder's den under wraps. Maybe they didn't want to disrupt the apprentice's battle training, which had taken on a much more serious tone now that war seemed inevitable.

Troubled, Robinpaw trotted on dainty white paws to where she had bundled the last of the moss. She scooped as much as she could in her slender jaws, attempting to balance another bundle on her shoulders. She snorted through the plants in amusement. She looked like a tree. Abandoning the shoulder idea, Robinpaw decided she'd just make as many trips back to her pile as was needed to get all the moss to the elder's den. Green eyes still storming with thoughts of the future, she lost concentration on the moss bundle and accidentally dropped most of the clump on the ground. "Mousedung..." She cursed quietly, a word the proper little cat would never have uttered in her kithood. She tried to gather the moss back up, but it seemed the bundle just wouldn't come together the way she had organized it. She felt just about ready to give up, but the elder's still needed fresh bedding, and how would she feel if she had to sleep in the same wad of dirty moss for yet another uncomfortable night?

 Wordcount: 421 // Tags: Ghost the Undead Goddess

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Redbird

Treeclan 33 Moons She-Cat

The pretty she-cat made her way through Treeclan's territory as swiftly as a squirrel through the trees. Though the warrioress' petite paws were on the ground, she knew the territory with her eyes closed and maneuvered her way through like the branches twisting about overhead. 

Already the warrior had had a busy day. Awaking at Dawn to aid paws to the patrol heading towards Nightclan's border. She was one of the more level-headed and gentler cats of Treeclan, so it wasn't a worry for her to be that close to their shadowy rivals. 

After that the Somali she-cat had spent some time hunting, managing to add two squirrels and a fat thrush to the fresh-kill pile. She had actually been on her way back out towards a different part of the territory when she stumbled upon one of the clan's apprentices by herself. 

"Robinpaw." Redbird purred at the similarly named she-cat, flickering her feathered tail in a friendly greeting. It looked like the young apprentice was doing chores for the day, but... didn't she have a littermate who should be helping?

"That's an awful large amount of moss, would you like some help with your duties?" Redbird had been an apprentice once, and honestly despite earning her warrior name and title, she didn't mind going through and helping the elders and queens. 

And she knew the elders could be difficult at times. Some things never changed, elders would always be cranky and some apprentices would skip out on their work like Duckpaw had done to Robinpaw. 

Padding forward on silent paws, the slender feline moved to help the apprentice bundle up the moss. It had been spread out as it fell apart and dropped here and there. "So, where did Duckpaw sneak off too?" Redbird looked up with a glitter of amusement within her golden pools. 

"Foxfur liked to slack off as an apprentice too. Drove me absolutely crazy some times. He's talented you know, he just doesn't like to do anything." She loved her brother dearly, he was perhaps one of the most important cats to her, but when they were younger he was bad about leaving her to do everything for the both of them. 

373 Words ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 Notes

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

S

he looked up as movement caught her attention, a flash of reddish brown fur and the sound of paws approaching. Her pale green eyes landed on Redbird, and the calico apprentice felt a wave of embarrassment as she stood over the pile of moss. She half-expected the rusty warrioress to think she was a clumsy mousebrain. But instead, there was a friendly expression on Redbird's face as she waved her tail in an amiable greeting. "Robinpaw." She purred, and Robinpaw smiled politely in response. "Hey, Redbird." She replied, with a respectful dip of her head. Redbird's eyes drew towards the mess of moss at Robinpaw's white toes. "That's an awful large amount of moss, would you like some help with your duties?" The older cat offered, and Robinpaw lowered her tail in relief. "If you have time, and you're not going too much out of your way, that would be great." She spoke, her voice soft with gratitude.

She bent to gather roughly half of the moss in a tightly packed bundle, her deft little paws perfect for the task. Redbird set about helping her, collecting her own half of the bedding. "So, where did Duckpaw sneak off too?" Despite the amusement in Redbird's voice, Robinpaw felt her gut tug at the mention of her brother. She raised her slender shoulders in a shrug, and used her chore as an excuse to not meet Redbird's gaze. "I don't know. He just..." She gestured with her paw towards the forest, as though that was explanation enough. "Please don't tell Brushfire." She added quietly. "He's not very strict, but still... I don't want Duckpaw getting in trouble. It's not like I can't handle our duties on my own." It was unusual for Robinpaw to defend a troublemaker, but Duckpaw being her brother, she didn't want his final assessments getting delayed over some moss.

There was a short pause, and Robinpaw looked up from her work to judge Redbird's expression. Finally, the red warrior spoke. "Foxfur liked to slack off as an apprentice too. Drove me absolutely crazy some times. He's talented you know, he just doesn't like to do anything." Robinpaw was surprised. It was hard to imagine that the warriors of the Clan once dabbed mousebile on ticks and cleaned foul-smelling bedding just as she was doing. She imagined Redbird as Redpaw, annoyed as her brother ditched her on yet another unpleasant task. A purr of amusement rumbled in her chest. "Sounds like you were a lot like me. Maybe Lionstar should name me Robinbird." She joked, pale green eyes lighter now that she had company. She sank her teeth into the compact bundle of moss, and started to carry it towards the elders den. The thoughts of the future that had plagued her mind only minutes before had eased a bit, Redbird's cheerfulness rubbing off on her. When she emerged into the den, Whiteclaw gave her the barest of nods to acknowledge her presence. Swandive, meanwhile, coiled her tail in amusement. "What took you so long?" She drawled, stretching her white paws out in front of her. "And where's that hyperactive brother of yours?" She added, surprised when Redbird followed the apprentice into the den. "Don't tell me he's in the medicine den again."

 Wordcount: 544 // Tags: Ghost the Undead Goddess