Fandom A Runaway’s New Home [Private 1x1]

[Honeypool]

Cherrypaw rolled her eyes at the comment, hoping her mentor wouldn’t over do it. Her ginger fur fluffing up against the cold Newleaf wind as she scrambled from stone to stone. Her paw pads scraping against the rough surfaces before she leaped back down to the hard forest floor. Her tail brushed against the floor stirring up leaf litter behind her as she broke into a small bouncy trot. Her ears flopping slightly as she made her way back to camp.

She could still make out Robinfang’s ginger and black fur in the distance as she padded along. She paused before looking back at Thornmask and Snakeshine. The warm sunlight catching her eyes for a moment before she waited for them to catch up. Her paws were still shaking with excitement from the thought of her now getting to meet the brown she-cat soon. “How soon do you think you can talk to her? Do you think she’ll come with us tomorrow? Do you think she hunts funny? The open moor compared to here must feel different to her. Maybe I’ll learn a new technique from her?” She suddenly began to speak as they drew closer to her.

”Do you think she’ll tell us anything about herself? Do you think she has a favorite kind of prey? Will she tell me about the scar on her face if I asked? Have you asked her about it?” Her blue eyes grew round with curiosity as question after question poured out of maw. “I really like voles. Do they have voles in WindClan? What if she’s never had a vole. Maybe bring her a vole to get on her good side?” Cherrypaw began to mewl nonsense as she brain drifted from thought to thought. Her high pitched mew sounding much like a chattering bird now.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

SnakeShine huffed, still mildly scorned, in amusement as CherryPaw’s spouted on, the sun comfortingly blanketing the patrol’s coat as the little red cat spoke. ThornMask’s interest was peeked as they discussed HoneyPool’s interesting, quickly jumping in to place bets of her own.

“I bet the scar’s from her exile! It looked pretty fresh when we got hold of her at the border.” The tabby recalled when RobinFang tackled to anxiety ridden she-cat at the marshes, the lean Molly’s scar along her cheek marking bald claw marks along her face.

“I’m not sure if she’ll like voles-“ The she-cat shrugged, her broad shoulders lifting and dropping her heavy stripped pelt. “But give her a rabbit and she might actually warm up to us! Maybe enough to tell us what going on with Windclan.” ThornMask grinned, tail high as her claw slid across from stone to stone.

“It’s either HoneyPool some sort of criminal or SorrrlStar gone nuts. Either way somethings up.” She squinted as she looked forward towards their destination in speculation, before a loud call brought the three cats out of their calm.


His green eyes caught on the thorn barricade, the ground beneath his orange paws finally turning to an even mix of rock and soil. His ears keener on the sounds of camp for confirmation, the chatter of ShadowClan’s small talking for once giving him relief from this endless and unproductive patrol. RobinFang turns back to the group, the three still high above on the ledges of stones.

“Can you three hurry up!” He barked a command, just wanting to drop the patrol off before maybe heading back out again on a solo hunt.

He beckoned them forward, making eye contact with ThornMask, as his tail lashed about like a Queen demanding her deaf kin back to the nursery. He huffed as he turned back forward finding the others slow and childish.

‘Any other patrol and I would’ve already had a small meal at camp and out on the hunt again’ He huffed internally, his paws inching to go on a lengthy chase again to make himself useful.

 

[Honeypool]

The ginger she-cat looked at Thornmask as fear flashed in her blue eyes. Just what kind of cat where they up against? Her tail tip twitched nervously behind her as the she-cat went on. What could she have been exiled for? If she did murder someone Sorrelstar would say, right? But what if Honeypool was able to cover it up. Her fur pricked up along her spine as her head began to spin with worry.

She was now wishing the secret mate theory was more possible than her being exiled for murder. She shot a worrying glance to Snakeshine. The sound of ShadowClan’s camp made her feel better as she had a whole clan to keep an eye on the new female for the next few moons. She couldn’t deny something wasn’t going on because it wasn’t common for cats to switch clans without a story. She knew that much from Poppybush.

Her ears flattened in defeat at the thought of trying to catch a rabbit. She couldn’t even catch a frog due to how slippery they were. ”I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rabbit in ShadowClan territory before.” Cherrypaw mewed slightly feeling a bit taken back by the seemingly difficult task of catching one. Maybe if they did warm up to Honeypool she wouldn’t hurt them. If that was her goal.

Robinfang’s sharp mew made her jump slightly. Her tail lashing out behind her at his tone. “Doesn’t it get exhausting being that mad all the time?” Cherrypaw voice was low but loud enough for the two other cats to hear. “I swear he acts like he has a burr in his paw all the time.” She scoffed as her eyes darkened a bit. ”If the patrol was over why was he still waiting for them? But she nothing more not wanting to get caught and not wanting to get into another argument with the scarred and patched Tom. She was way more interesting in finding Honeypool now that they were back home.

She looked at Snakeshine from the side of her eyes. From a distance of course.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

ThornMask looked at the two to her left as, her gaze angled downward from a large jagged surface of the stone beneath her. While the sun's rays hit their pelts, it also lit their stomach, the light reflected in the smooth divots of rock.

SnakeShine's own expression faltered for a moment, ThornMask successfully planting needles of doubt into his chest before he was able to swat them away with a casual ruffle of chest fur as the she-cat finished her sentence. He only caught a glance at his own apprentice's bothered expression before the ginger cat spoke up.


While the tom remained light-hearted, the warm weather bring ease over the patrol, he couldn't help but feel a cloud of uncertainty hang above them. Maybe it was a mix of RobinFang's ready-fire trigger and the talk of the possibility of a masked threat resting in their camp, but it still loomed like a shadow you can only look at from the corner of your eye.

The tabby focused away from these doubts, only acknowledging them from a safe distance. This awkward feeling that the warrior hid away reminded him of when RobinFang first came to camp as a stranger, but before diving into unnecessary memories CherryPaw halted his train of thoughts.


”I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rabbit in ShadowClan territory before.” CherryPaw sounded unsure, a look of doubt and deep thought painting her features. SnakeShine was quick to sympathize with a remark as they drew close to camp.

"Well... she did run here from all the way across the lake, so I think she'll be happy enough with whatever we give her." SnakeShine shrugged, revealing none of the thoughts of concern to change his tone as ThornMask nodded, a half a second hesitant, in agreement.


ThornMask's eyes scan the ground, her ears perking only a moment, landing on a small newt resting in a large patch of partial sun. With the Barking command of RobinFang ringing across the northern stones, however, the creature was quick to dart into a crevice in hiding at the sound, much to the she-cat's disliking.

The tabby grappled her claws across the surface, gaining a higher angle ahead to send a glare at the blotch of gray and orange, remaining a few yards away. Though the details were smudged with the sunlight in her eyes, she was annoyingly sure that the tom only sent an uncaring stern look back at her.

"Doesn’t it get exhausting being that mad all the time?” CherryPaw complained lowly, her tail lashing about as she complained. “I swear he acts like he has a burr in his paw all the time.” The apprentice vented with a scoff as her green eyes narrowed.

ThornMasked groaned in agreement, her responding statement starting in a low growl of dismay before growing bolder. "Maybe a whole damn burdock got stuck up his-"



"I can still hear you!" RobinFang shouted in a gruff tone, his sensitive ears flicking as he rolled his eyes at ThornMask's interrupted response. He only scowled as the she-cat turned to him to look down at him from the stones with a moody scoff.

"It's honestly a miracle you do accomplish any hunting at all with how loud you are." He huffed as the gray tabby grew closer, now looking ready to give a swat across the nose. Her fur bristles with the lack of information on HoneyPool and RobinFang's snarky comment, the tortoiseshell turning away to dive deeper into the forest towards camp as ThornMask puffed a loom of hot air.


"-I'm thinking it must be tiring right?" SnakeShine whispered to CherryPaw in agreement in the small pause of silence as his sister begrudgingly followed the older tom.

 

[Honeypool]

Cherrypaw snorted slightly at Thornmask and Snakeshine's remarks. Her eyes lit up with amusement as she brushed off Robinfang's rude remark. A small smile appeared across her face. Of course it wasn't nice to poke fun at her clanmates but it also wasn't fun traveling with such a cranky tom either. Her ears twitched before her angled themselves, pointed in either direction as a small breeze rushed past them. Traveling with her mentor and Thornmask was always fun for her as she could still feel a spark of excitement in her fur at the thought of having Honeypool tag along with them. She was itching to know what she was like behind her possible threating aura.

"Very tiring. Even the elder's aren't as bad as him." Cherrypaw mumbled back to Snakeshine. She caught her eye for a moment before sighing. "Maybe he'll tire himself out enough he will sleep for a whole moon." Her fluffy tail fanned out behind her at the thought of that happening. A small delighted twinkle caught her eye as well at the warm rays. Her ginger pelt was once again lit ablaze in the afternoon sun as she traveled with the small patrol. Her head up high with confidence as she marched back to camp.

"Why is he so grumpy?" She didn't turn to look at her mentor. "Do you think it's because he misses his old home?" She mewed softly. Her voice was filled with sympathy. "I guess I would be mad all the time if I couldn't go home." She quickly added. She didn't know much about the older warrior's backstory just bits and pieces she had heard around camp. "Or sad." She mewed on. "Or both, sadness can turn to anger, right?" She finally turned to look over at the spotted tabby. "I get upset when I can't catch a frog and it makes me angry and sad. But then I catch something else and I get over it." She turned her head to face forward again. She turned her attention to Robinfang's black and ginger pelt in the distance.

Her ears flattened a bit at the thought. "Has he not caught something to get over it yet? I mean he has been here for many moons now. Well before I was born. And even though he is mean the clan does care about him." Her voice fell as she felt slightly conflicted. She could only say so much though. She was clan born after all and hadn't lived so far away from home before.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

RobinFang’s eyes darted across the colder wet ground, green poking through the brown fallen leaves and melted snow sprinkled dew across the foliage. His gaze was heavily lidded, only lifting his pupils to keep on course with ShadowClan camp, as he watched to keep DewSpring’s bandaging clean and untorn.

Stepping on dry patches of moss or crisp leaves to keep the cobweb wrapping fresh, his green eye flashed back at the patrol behind him, the early spring breeze hitting his face, before facing forward and pacing to the camp entrance.

ThornMask squinted at the tom and his actions, still a bit scorned from his previous slight on her hunting skills before being pulled away by CherryPaw’s voice.





"Very tiring. Even the elders aren't as bad as him." ThornMask overheard as the ginger murmured to her mentor, turning her head to the hushed whisper.

"Maybe he'll tire himself out enough he will sleep for a whole moon." CherryPaw eye’s twinkled at her sly remark of the Tom, making a quiet chuckle bubble from the striped molly’s throat. A wet ha left her mouth before quieting down, SnakeShine rolling his eyes at the two’s scrappy banter and reaction.



The tom only hoped that during their last stretch of the patrol to camp they wouldn’t drag the attention of the tortoiseshell, a puff of mild amusement and annoyance leaving his gray nose at the thought of the stuck tom getting on their tails once more. With a gentle sway of his head, his eyes fully focus in on the talkative apprentice.

"Why is he so grumpy? Do you think it's because he misses his old home?" CherryPaw continued to face forward as she spoke, her blue eyes not turning to meet him as she questioned. ThornMask’s ears flatten in doubt about the theory, the blurry but vivid memories of RobinPaw’s recounting of the twoleg place, while interesting, entirely unpleasant.

His mouth twitched at the thought, almost forgetting that the warrior trotting ahead of them a few paces and the small runty kitten had any relation.

"I guess I would be mad all the time if I couldn't go home. Or sad. Or both-“ CherryPaw continued to ramble on in a conflicted manner, almost debating with herself, SnakeShine now too busy recounting his times with RobinFang when they were friends.

RobinFang, even back then, was a private cat, keeping to himself so much so the tom could be considered mute. SnakeShine could recall the many pieces of prey and offerings of feathers it took for the easily overwhelmed kit to even say hi, his brows furrowing together as ThornMask spoke.



The she-cat shrugs, remembering that SnakeShine himself was the one to tell RobinFang’s story as a kittypet that slowly spread through the clan. “I really doubt he missed his twoleg home CherryPaw, I heard they ripped the claws right from his pads. Isn’t that right SnakeShine?” She asked to be sure.

SnakeShine nods in confirmation, grimacing in disgust at the she-cat’s wording of the declawing.

“See. No cat with half a brain would miss a place like that.” ThornMask waved off CherryPaw’s sympathy, knowing RobinFang to be strict in just about everything he does, including his loyalty.



ThornMask’s eyes forward where RobinFang was impatiently waiting, sticking her tongue out at the tom in response as he rolled his eyes.

“I’m just excited to invite HoneyPool with us next patrol.” She changes the subject to a more exciting member of the clan, dashing forward and into camp.





Carefully lifting the thorn barricade for easier access, despite knowing the three Shadowclan cats could easily duck their way into camp, RobinFang turns to the rest of the patrol only a yard away. He huffs as his tail sways back in forth, the chattering group seeming to take their time.

ThornMask sticks her tongue out in response to meeting his eye, tempting RobinFang to respond the same way if it wasn’t so childish and instead settling to roll his eyes at the act.

He does pick up a quick remark about HoneyPool joining the three next patrol before the she-cat runs over to duck into camp, quickly getting to wherever she wants to go before the warrior stops the other two with his tail.



RobinFang only briefly makes eye contact with SnakeShine with a glint of distrust before turning his gaze downward to speak to CherryPaw.

“If you two are planning on patrolling with HoneyPool I suggest you don’t crowd her. She only just got here and I know how you three can be.” He advises sternly, his tone strong in accusation before liftering his tail away from the camp entrance with a twitch of his ear.

 

[Honeypool]

Cherrypaw’s eyes grew wide at the story. Her paws now feeling like pins and needles were stabbing into them as her flexed her claws. She could hardly imagine the fear or pain an action like that would’ve caused. Her fur fluffing up now as she felt her legs buckle a bit. “I didn’t know twolegs could be so cruel.” She breathed out, her voice going up a pitch. “They are weird, that’s for sure, but I didnt think they were capable of that.” Her eyes flashed for a second as she looked over at the patchy Tom now feeling bad for snapping at him earlier.

Her ears drew back a bit as she sighed to herself. She guessed he wouldn’t miss his home and he was just grumpy in general. Still must he tiring being that angry. She looked at Thornmask and then at her mentor wondering how they tolerated such a grumpy kit. How would she tolerate him if he was an apprentice with her? She frowned picturing things would be the same as they were now. Her ears pricked up. “Is that why he’s so grumpy? Because his claws are gone?” She mewed more to herself than anyone else. Her pelt shivered slightly at the idea of her claws being gone. She didn’t even know that was possible.

Thornmask’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked at the stripped she-cat. “That’s right! Honeypool.” The ginger feline had kinda forgotten about the new clan member for a second and her mind quickly shifted to the brown and cream female. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she looked over at her mentor. Could he possibly convince her to join them? She was well aware of how much a smooth talker he could be but what if his words wouldn’t work on her?

She opened her mouth to speak but Robinfang was quick to cut her off and stop her and Snakeshine at the entrance. Her ears twitched slightly at the maneuver. “Maybe she’ll appreciate the company.” Cherrypaw mewed out as she got closer to the thorn barrier. Her voice was kind but there was a slight hint of annoyance it in. “There he goes again, defending her.” The last sentence was barely above a whisper but it was clear how annoyed the smaller cat was with his remark.

She could feel her brain beginning to whirl as she finally pushed her way through the barrier and stepped into camp not wanting to really deal with the stern Tom anymore than she needed. She looked around the camp clearing hoping to spot the she-cat and frowned when she didn’t catch a glimpse of her. She sighed again but louder as she looked back at Snakeshine. “I’m going to finish cleaning out the apprentice den if you need me.” She quickly mewed already trotting off towards it.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

RobinFang wanted to expand on the topic, but the apprentice had already pushed her way through the bramble barrier in a hushed rumble of a whisper. The warrior huffs, exasperated with CherryPaw’s dismissal and the patrol as a whole, the end of his tail twitching.

His gaze flickers up to SnakeShine, weirdly quiet as he stared at the tortoiseshell, his mouth agape as if wanting to say something. The leaner tom squinted in suspicion at the action, his teeth clicking as he snappily spoke.

“What?” He remarked with a flicker of his torn ear, before ducking under the thorn-tangled border with the push of his scarred muzzle. SnakeShine expression soured in response, any familiarity in his chest immediately disbursing as a result.

The gray and black speckled tabby entered the clan grounds silently after the tom, the high sun lighting the camp’s dense canopy with shimmering leaves like fireflies. His eye caught on the ginger apprentice immediately before RobinFang disappeared into the clearing.

Obviously disappointed in not finding HoneyPool, CherryPaw sighed as she turned to SnakeShine. “I’m going to finish cleaning out the apprentice den if you need me.” She mewed, the tom giving a confirming nod and “Alright.” as she trotted off to the rocks with pride blanketing his coat in the apprentice’s responsibility.



“Hey, SnakeShine!” ThornMask called out getting his attention, waving his paw for him to join them, the she-cat circled by her small group of tolerating friends of SweetHare and DustWatcher. SnakeShine quickly made his way over, snatching the squirrel between the three of them before joining their conversation.



RobinFang darts between clanmates, the high sun making the nocturnal-like clan slow and relaxed. His damaged paws scrap at the ground, already feeling a bit pent up in the stuffy camp, his stomach empty from the lengthy tense patrol.

He quickly grabs a small piece of unfinished fresh-kill, the bottom half of a vole, promising himself a larger meal later as a reward. His feet shuffle from under him beside the ivy-encased leader’s den as he scans the clan, the grounds crowded as most members have return from their morning runs.

He spots DewSpring lazily sleeping belly up in a patch of sun close to the medicine den’s entrance, her tangled mess of fur barely rising with each breath would get her mistaken with a corpse if it was any other cat.

His eyes dart across the various patches of sun from the cinnamon cat, where most cats reside, their coats splattering the clearing, turning to his left where PoppyBush stretched in the bed of thistles and oleander of the nursery with borage under her paw. QuailBerry was quick to join the red and black queen with a large snake dragging behind him in his jaws, the couple rubbing their muzzles together in a loving greeting.

Clanmates grouped together in clumpings of family and friends, close friends curled together to chatter with mates sharing tongues. Being stuck in camp made RoinFang feel awkward, his fur rising as a stare hit his patch pelt.



Shifting his gaze, he catches KestrelFall’s orange eyes pressing into his before quickly returning to her conversation with CoalStar. His tail flickered behind him, his grip tightening around his prey as he wondered if the deputy was deeming him sluggish for just standing around, just taking up space by the fresh-kill pile.

Feeling silly for standing idle for so long, he quickly and silently makes his way up the muddy slope of warriors’ den. The dead shrubs seem void of any clan mates from where he stood, providing a peaceful place to quickly have his meal before a hunt.

 

[Honeypool]

Honeypool turned slightly. Her amber eyes dark as she looked at the opening of the den. Her eyes were faded and unfocused as she laid there, a grim look on her face as the shade from the dead and prickly bush fell upon it. One paw was under her chin and the other was hanging out her nest. She was still exhausted. Her nap hadn't gone as well as she had hoped, and she had been laying here for a while staring at nothing at all though many would guess she was looking outside.

In reality she was zoned out and swimming deep within her thoughts with a depressed expression. Her dark tail was spilling out from her nest behind her. Her fur was ruffled and tossed looking from her trying to sleep and failing over and over again. She probably got a small nap in but she was feeling unsettled and suffocated within the closed off camp and her homesickness was feeling more continuous as the bleak notion hung over her like a dark cloud hanging over her head. She wasn't sure what to do with herself and no matter how hard she was trying she couldn't come up with a plan for her future.

Her brown and cream fur was speckled with green moss that she normally wouldve picked off by now but she had left it there as her stomach churned in hunger but she had forgotten about eating a while ago not wanting to go outside and deal with the attention she was getting. The thought of it made her chest hurt as she could feel every cat peering at her as if she was a mouse and she didn't like feeling like prey. It made her skin crawl and the scar of her cheek seemed to burn as if she had just gotten it.

She didn't like it here. The cats were strange, and she of course felt very unwelcomed. She was just happy the warrior's den was empty when she got in here and it was still empty now. At least she assumed it was empty. She had been lost inside her mind and wasn't aware of her surroundings. A family of mice could've been running rampant around her paws, and she wouldn't have noticed a thing as she continued to stare with a blank expression.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

His ears pointed backward, RobinFang paces up the muddy mount with his gaze more focused on the busy campgrounds below than the skeletons of shrubs at the peak of the slope. His pelt was a bit stiff from the white noise-like buzz his own thoughts produces, not noticing the company of the other before nearly tripping over HoneyPool.

Quickly but awkwardly correcting his footing, finally paid attention to what was in front of him rather than to his back, his ears flatten at the she-cat's almost dead expression.


HoneyPool was splayed in her nest, her limbs spilling out from its edges, as her spine was contorted with what looked like an uncomfortable position. He briefly considered that the anxious cat's rabbit-paced heart had given out before seeing the very slow and steady rise of her torso.

His nest was only a few paw steps away, the small feather adorn nest, while worn and dirty from lack of care, looked more comfortable than ever. The light that leaked through the patchy but overgrown den highlighted the dust and fur that wafted off the cozy patch of moss only making it more tempting.


As much as he would've loved to just let the she-cat be as he enjoyed his meal, HoneyPool has been deemed his responsibility by KestrelFall with her incident in the medicine den making her health all the more worrying. He huffed, a bit disgruntled, as he gently (or as gentle as the tom could muster) nudged the half-dead-looking she-cat's side in search of a response.

 

[Honeypool]

She was lost or as lost as some cat could be inside their mind as her memories swam around her like a group of fish. She felt as if she was floating on in a stream, some memories were calming. Her body gently being carried somewhere downstream as the light and cool water swirled around her only for something dark to plague her mind as the water would quickly turn rapid and rush at her with enough force to drown her.

For the most part she let it. She refused to fight back against the waves and let herself be pushed deeper down into the river. They were just memories after all. Things that had already happened and things that she knew the outcome of. What was the point in fighting back when nothing could be changed? She blinked very slowly, almost putting Dewspring to shame as she let the random memories play and block out the real world as she either gently floated or drowned in her memories.

Her body felt heavy and overbearingly numb as she blinked back the dark water that swallowed her whole before spitting her back up to the surface. Her dreamland slowly loosing its focus before it was quickly snapped away from her as she amber eyes grew wide and she harshly flinched to the feeling of something to her side.

She whipped around quickly with dark and fearful eyes. Her heart pounding loudly in her chest she was sure it reverberated throughout the whole den as her eyes quickly met Robinfang’s. She sighed loudly as she tried to calm herself down. Her claws half uncurled as she laid there trembling. Her chest feeling tight as her fur spiked up from the tom. “You scared me.” She breathed out before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

One paw lifted and rested against her chest. Her heart was pounding as fast as a rabbit as she finally came to her senses. She turned her attention to the opening of the cave wondering just how much time had passed. Had he been in here long? “Sorry.” She spoke softly. Her voice coming out as horse and dry. “I didn’t hear you come in.” She admitted not knowing why she had to explain that to him.

Her amber eyes still looked lost though as the finally snapped back to his for a second before drifting downwards. The scent of prey instantly hit her nose now that she was focused a bit more. Her stomach churned again with hunger as she now remembered she still hadn’t eaten anything. She swallowed the thought down. Her anxiety flaring up slightly. “Did you need something?” She asked softly and with caution as if she was walking on eggshells.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

HoneyPool’s eyes unclouded from their fog, her posture whipping into place as she turn to RobinFang causing the tom to retract into himself at the sudden but subtle reaction. The base of his tail and neck bristle as his outreaching paw pulls into his chest.

He sighed, the tension in is chest still remaining his torso deflated, quickly regaining his composure as the larger cat situated herself.

A small grimace graced his face for a moment when HoneyPool whips around looking him dead in the eyes with pupils dark with fear and pelt on end, the eerie action disturbing him before forcefully washing it away with his more serious but neutral expression.

A very brief flash of reminiscence overcame him as he compared the she-cat’s appearance to those silly but crude black cat decorations his owners would put in leaf-fall, their blank wide eyes and forever arched and prickly back similar to HoneyPool’s constant state of anxiety.



“You scared me.” She breathily spoke with a loud sigh, her coat still trembling from the original fright. The tips of his ears weighed downward as his eyebrows subtly creased, half a vole still held between his teeth, flatly responding “I know.”

The bandaged paw hovering above his chest lingered over a patch of orange fur before making its descent, the tom setting down his prey in front of him with a blink down with the appendage. Quickly turning back upwards to properly meet her gaze with attentive but stern eyes instead of the vague look of mild surprise in her general direction.



As his own pawed meets the ground, HoneyPool’s places her brown and white claws on her soft chest, assumingly to ease her racing heart.

“Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.” She explained softly, her apologetic response dry and cracking with her hoarse throat. The tone made RobinFang a touch confused, unsure as to why a cat would apologize when disturbed when compared to the typical snide remark or bark of a prodded clanmate.



“…Did you need something?” The question made the tortoiseshell feel like a bother, the she-cat only met with a firm pause of silence before he could formulate his words.






“No.” He huffed, his own tone crisp from the patrol of talkative cats.

“It’s hard to tell if you’re just sleeping or having another of those-“ his bandaged paw lifts and gestures to the general direction of DewSpring’s den, his teeth clicking together shut as he failed to think of the word for whatever sudden strike of illness got to her that day. Failing to recall the term when her fur got damp with sweat and blinded by fear, he gives it up stiffly setting his paw back down.

“Just checking if you’re breathing.” He settles for with a shrug, his uncaring demener hiding the bristling fear of the humiliation he would earn from Kestrel Fall’s scolding if she found their new member dead.

The pause after his response suddenly made the tom awkward, and more aware his own troublesome presence. With HoneyPool fine, he wondered if he overstayed his welcome in the conversation or crossed a boundary. Curling his tail around himself as he straightened his posture and paw sitting in an almost invisible action to inch away from the other for personal space, his pupils scanning her features for any confirmation of his concerns.



Mentally he sighed with annoyance, the brief hunt in the abandoned two-leg place unrevealing to how tiresome this day was going.

 

[Honeypool]

Honeypool’s ears twitched slightly at his tone. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she unwilling sunk into herself a bit. She felt her chest fill up with dread as he went on. Most of what he said sounded like he was underwater as her attention would come and go as if a light mist had a grip on her.

“It’s hard to tell if you’re just sleeping or having another of those-“ his paw lifted and her amber eyes followed it as it pointed in the direction of Dewspring’s burrow. and gestures to the general direction of DewSpring’s den. She didn’t need him to gesture as she was fully aware of what he was trying to explain. She blinked slowly, carefully watching his body language and expressions. “My panic attack?” Her voice was barley above a whisper as she filled in the missing term for him.

She was aware her attacks had been scary as they had freaked out Sunpatch when she first started having them as well as her mother. They weren’t pleasing for herself either as she felt as if she didn’t have any control of her own body in the moments where they took place. She turned away from him, embarrassed by herself and the lack of stability she had on her own sanity at times.

“Just checking if you’re breathing.” He spoke again but she didn’t look at him instead her eyes had drifted to her white paws as she very slowly flexed them a bit letting herself fill with shame of how paranoid she could get. Half of her wanted to snap back, reminding the patched Tom that she wasn’t a kit and she could manage herself but the pain in her stomach and the scratches along her body were enough proof that she couldn’t, at least not now.

”I don’t think an anxiety attack can kill me?” Her voice was more confused than a proper statement. Even though at times the action felt as if she was going to die from a lack of air followed by the crushing feeling in her chest she wasn’t convinced that she could actually die for the outburst. Right?

She felt her throat turn dry at the chilling thought that her own mind was enough to kill her. She hadn’t heard of any cat dying from something such as that, but then again she didn’t know many cats who had a condition like her. She always thought she would either die of old age or more commonly at war with another cat and not at war with herself. Her tail twitched.

But that was then and now she felt as if she would possibly die under the paws of a cat she still loved as her heart felt as if it had been pierced by a thorn. Her eyes darkened as she suddenly felt heavy and sluggish. Lifting her paw to rest it against the cut going across her cheek without much thought. That death felt more passable than the others.

Was it morbid to think about your own death like that? Was that normal? She turned to look at the only other cat in the room. Did he think that way. She mentally shook away the thought before looking back up at him. “I didn’t mean to freak you out if I did.“ She apologized sincerely. “Thanks for checking in.” Her tail wrapped around herself. It was nice to feel seen by a few cats within this foreign clan while the others were hostile at least she did have Dewspring and Robinfang, when he wasn’t in one of his moods. “How did your, um, patrol go?” She asked, making a light conversation, to try and shift the mood a bit if possible.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

RobinFang felt uneasy, his tongue going stiff as his and HoneyPool’s words settle. His posture shifted, the weight of his chest coiling from inner tension as his nose subtly wrinkled at the smell of mild discomfort still stirring in the dense air.



”I don’t think an anxiety attack can kill me?” She looked up from her paws, her tone confused. The tom tried to remain indifferent in response, but his green gaze squinted in obvious doubt of the she-cat’s statement as his torn ear twitched in suspicion.


“…I didn’t mean to freak you out if I did” HoneyPool spoke with an apologetic tone that quieted her voice with sincerity. RobinFang couldn’t help but mentally stumble in search of a response, not wanting to confirm the fact that he was often put on edge by HoneyPool’s presence. While the she-cat wasn’t particularly threatening, he couldn’t help but tense at the thought of how easily she could be sent into another spiral of panic, the tortoiseshell unable to help.

While any cat could easily lend a helping paw to ground the white and brown molly as DewSpring suggested, any grasp or sudden touch of his pelt made his skin itch. Even the most simple sensations, like the brushing of pelts or the playful banter of paws, caused a flinch of pain to shoot his fur up from the non-existent bundle of nerves in his claws from instinctively attempting to unsheathe them.

He couldn’t help but wonder about the deputy’s motive put him in charge of introducing HoneyPool to the clan, with his lack of personability among clanmates. His ears faltered at the idea of KestrelFall only thought to serve him a just punishment at HoneyPool’s expense.

“I don’t care for touch is all. Nothing serious.” He shrugged as he looked away, a subtle nod shooing away the unnecessary apology, with a small huff of hot air puffing out his nostrils at the unhelpful and troublesome series of thoughts.





“Thanks for checking in.” HoneyPool’s response seemed to visibly relieve him, the brimming tension easing off his shoulders as he was glad to not overstep his bounds in personal space.

With a firm nod sighing his thanks, RobinFang shifts his weight to his left, turning his gaze from HoneyPool back to his own nest that lay comfortably in the sun patch, the bundle of soft bramble and worn feathers. But he stops in his tracks, his ears pointing back to HoneyPool as she shuffles her long tail around herself.

“How did your, um, patrol go?” HoneyPool meekly asked, making conversation.



The tom audible groaned at the mention of SnakeShine and his posse, his mouth parted in a snarl that made his long teeth poke at his lower lip, his expression souring, as he lifted himself up by the feet. Grabbing his prey with him as he complained, weirdly enough his harsh tone lacking his typical rigidity then when he simply spoke.

“Don’t remind me, those two twins are some of the most aggravating cats you’ll meet. I’m lucky they didn’t talk my ears off.” RobinFang complained dramatically as he walked to his nest. The tom plopped down on his side with a purr in the day-lit patch of moss, the unfinished fresh-kill swaying between his teeth by the tail.

Craning his neck downwards, he takes a bite of his fresh-kill, the worn fur and flesh soft and easily torn for consumption, his sharp eyes flickering from the vole upwards to HoneyPool as he chewed. With the she-cat remaining put, the ex-Windclan cat probably only looking for some peace and quiet, the leaner cat’s pelt burns in embarrassment at how emotional and talkative he’s gone, annoyance quick to set aside as he made quick work of swallowing what was left on his tongue.

“It was fine.” He retracts, denying the obvious conflict and hassle the border patrol has given him, shifting his eyes downward in his as he took another bite.

 

[Honeypool]

Honeypool found it difficult to not smile slightly at the tom's groaning. The sound almost seeming ironic coming from such a prickly cat but she said nothing and kept her comments to herself. Her body stiffened slightly at his expression thought wondering if she had hit a nerve. Her eyes drifted back down to her paws as he walked past her towards his nest in the back. She had opened her mouth to speak and apologize but he had beaten her to it.

"How much could they have to say?" She wondered more to herself. Her amber eyes shyly following his gaze. She was aware now of how nosey Thornmask seemed to be and it seemed like the stripped she-cat always had a comment but the ladder of the group she had no opinion on. She turned her head to look out at the warm sunlight peering in. The heat warming up her pelt which had been soaking wet earlier that day. Her ear's twitched as she felt them heating up at the embarrassing memory. She just hoped he hadn't told anyone, not that Robinfang seemed to be the go around telling others much of anything except how annoyed they made him, she couldn't help but wonder what he was like with his closer clanmates.

She turned to look at him again but didn't speak. Dewspring had said that he was normally grumpy with everyone which was very different than what she was used to. Usually, he was grumpy with just her and no one else. Like her presence alone just annoyed him. But that was only when they were in a group. Alone together things were good until they werent. Her nose twitched finding herself annoyed she easily let her mind wander back on someone who wasn't even here. Out of sight out of mind, as if.

She found herself laying her head on her paws again her amber eyes half closing as she felt a sudden dull pain flowing within her. Just how long would it take for her to feel like her old self again? Or at least to get over everything. If that was even possible.

"Something's you never get over." She could hear her mother's voice ringing in her ears and she quickly lifted her head. Almost as plain as day she could see her mother's brown fur vividly. Her fur prickled with un-comfortability as she sat up to give her pelt a shake. Her eyes dull as she looked down at the ground half hearing what Robinfang had said to her or even if he had spoke at all. Her head spinning slightly at her quick movements before her body instantly grew heavy as she slowly made her way back down into her nest to lay back down. A small wave of nausea swamped over her as she swallowed it down. "Sorry to hear about your patrol." Her voice was low but loud enough to be heard as she turned her back to him. Her fur digging into the thorny barrier of the den as she closed her eyes again, letting him enjoy the rest of his meal in silence.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

Sorry about the delay! Work has been killing me rip ;-; //

RobinFang takes another generous bite of vole, the old flesh tearing easily as its gray fur got stuck in his long teeth, his gaze lazily lifting upwards as he watched HoneyPool fur waft and catch the sunlight as it drifts in the air.

With food hitting his stomach and the slow sun painting his pelt silver, a small sense of ease is finally able to drizzle over the tortoiseshell.



“Sorry to hear about your patrol” The she-cat spoke is a low voice as she settled into her nest, her back to the tom. RobinFang’s torn ear twitched at the sound, finding the apology out of place.

“You sure do apologize a lot.” He absently observed in a quiet tone, watching as HoneyPool shuffled deeper into her nest of moss as the den’s thorns distribute her white fur.

‘Why does she always seem so down whenever she’s stuck in her own thoughts?’ He huffs at the vague thought, the end of his tail twitching as he pulled the appendage closer to himself. Assuming HoneyPool was just reminiscing about her old clan from across the lake, RobinFang could only hope that he would be able to ease his clanmate into the life of a ShadowClan cat.

She seemed nice enough to be able to make friends on her own, the molly’s polite demeanor working in her favor socially to ensure the she-cat would make friends as time passes.

HoneyPool’s more mellow personality would defiantly serve her better than his did when he first joined Shadowclan, the tom taking another bite of his prey as he curls in on himself, his feather-adorn nest wrapping around him.



Rotating the piece of vole in his paws as he takes another bite, he’s able to focus in on the taste, the old flesh only fit to fill his stomach than to truly enjoy as it passes over his tongue. Its last remnants of fur are worn, the browning flesh overly tender, and the brittle bones making him have to gently lap at the remaining strips of meat so its delicate skeleton wouldn’t stab at his mouth.

Despite the poor quality, the fresh-kill settles his cramping stomach enough to go hunting.

He gently pushes the small bones aside once he’s finished, the hip bones poking out of his clustered nest as he stretched. His back arches upward and paws forward before walking up to the warriors’ den’s entrance, his shoulders jetting out of his short pelt and head hung low.

His head pokes out of the dead shrub, low-hanging fern leaves brushing against his ears as he looks out onto the camp. The clan was slow and docile at sun high. Siblings like LynxSwipe’s twins, the identical large black heavy-coated toms, SpiderFoot and RoachTooth, poke fun at each other as they sit on the edges of shadows. Mates joined together to share tongues, all laying in soft patches of stone and moss like PoppyBush curled around her tiny brown and white mate in the nursery. Friend groups waked together at an idle pace, sharing prey as they chattered, cats like DustWatcher, SweetHare, and ThornMask splitting a mouse between them.

RobinFang’s gaze sharpens as he looks for routes out of camp without being disturbed, but catches on the she-cat beside him.




RobinFang turns to HoneyPool, her eyes closed and her tail tightly curled in on herself cozily in her nest.

“ThornMask and SnakeShine will come by sometime today and ask you to join them for a patrol. I suggest you take the opportunity to fit in as you stretch your legs.” He flatly advises as he turns away from HoneyPool to look out again, unsure if she was even listening.

“Keep your secrets close to your chest around the tom though, he’s not the most tightly sealed cat when it comes to private matters.” He sighs, an orange paw leaving the den as he walked down the muddy slope, his green eyes darting between cats as he began weaving though clanmates.

 

[Honeypool]

Insert loud sreeching because I didn’t except to be this busy these past few days!! I am SO SORRY!//

Honeypool watched him go. Her amber eyes fading as she realized she would be alone again. Even it was for a moment the feeling filled her with unwanted dread and despair. His company wasn’t always the nicest but he was tolerable, at least enough for her to not want to keep a huge distance between them, though that would be for the best. She still wasn’t comfortable about anyone else outside of Dewspring but she knew she couldn’t hang out in her burrow until the day she left for good. Or until the day he found her.

Her mouth went dry at the thought and the barrier from the den almost felt like claws sinking into her pelt. She felt sick as she mentally suppressed back a gag that was left caught in her throat. Even if she did want to vomit she knew nothing would come out. One emotion after the next flooded her mind and she felt like pulling her fur out with how uneasy all of this was making her.

She sat up quickly, getting her coat a strong shake as if she was trying to toss something off of her. A cold chill gripped at her spine and her paws felt itchy. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to flee or if she was rooted in place. Breathing in deeply, she held it, trying to calm herself down. For the moment she was rooted in place, unable to leave. She had told herself that for moons now. Nothing had changed since the day she left her clan. She was still as clueless as ever.

Her dark tufted ears flattened a bit as she continued to stare at the entrance of the den. A few cats passed through her field of vision but they all looked blurry to her. She slowly blinked wished that Robinfang had invited her along wherever he had wandered off to, but then again the Tom seemed to like his own alone time and she wasn’t in the mood to smother him with her own uneasy company.

What did Thornmask and Snakeshine want with her now? She huffed to herself knowing that Thornmask‘s demeanor always through her in for a small loop. She couldn’t tell if the she-cat was trying to be nice or if she was just trying to do what everyone else was. Trying to get to know why she was here and what had happened back home.

”He doesn’t have to worry about me keeping my secrets to myself.“ She began to mumbled out to herself as she seemed to relax a bit. Her past would be something she would rather take to her grave than admit it happened. That she had let it happen. Her stomach tightened as she slowly lowered herself back down into her nest as she now felt heavy and sluggish. She would rather curl up and sleep here for the next few days than tag along with the two siblings, but she couldn’t turn them down and maybe stepping out for a bit would help clear the suffocating feeling in her chest as well.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

I hope everybody is in character! And gosh, it feels good to write about my boy again.//

RobinFang carefully waded his way through the camp, planning each step to maintain a respectable distance from each of his fellow clanmates. The camp looked a bit fuller than usual as cats lay about, beginning to relax and share tongues as members caught up on their afternoon patrols and dark pelts trickled inward from the entrance.

The tortoiseshell scanned the camp conscientiously as he always does to keep track of its members, accidentally making eye contact with SnakeShine. The gray Tom smiles at him, but the twitch of his pelt that jiggles his stripes gives away the awkwardness of his niceties. RobinFang doesn’t return the gesture, his green eyes elsewhere to look to the camp’s exit.


The tom has already finished his work for the day, typically staying up nights when insomnia overtook him to hunt and mark borders alone. With the rare amount of free time he allowed himself to have, he planned to visit the lake where he would wade his front paws in the cool water of the bank and enjoy the sights of the burnt pines in the scorched part of the territory. His mouth nearly twitched into a smile before he repressed it, pleasantly thinking of how the chill of the shore’s water would numb his paws and the uncomfortableness of phantom claws.



“RobinFang!” KestrelFall called out, shattering the warrior’s thoughts and attempts at a good mood. He sat up straighter as he turned to face the approaching deputy, frowning as her pace implied she was in a short mood.
‘Starclan, if you’re real and listening, kill me now’ RobinFang thought and prayed in the privacy of his mind as the grayish brown she-cat spoke.

“How is HoneyPool doing.” She ordered a report sternly.
“She seems fit enough to hunt, her speed as a Windclan cat bringing her many advantages as a warrior. I don’t recommend relying on her in a fight however, with her still being nervous around strangers” Especially with gossips like SnakeShine circling her, RobinFang thought privately as he focus on responding quick enough to remain and appear professional.


“Any signs as to why she abandon Windclan? And if she’ll do the same to us?” KestrelFall asked without missing a beat, bold and straightforward about voicing her suspicion.
“I don’t know ma’am.” RobinFall responded honestly before continuing to elaborate in reaction to the she-cat’s wrinkled nose and creased eyebrows.
“She seems only to be wary of returning to Windclan from what I’ve seen, but that’s only an educated guess.” He stood up straighter, resisting the urge to shift as the tabby plunged them both into a brief but uncomfortable pause after he spoke.

“…do you know why that is?” KestrelFall huffed.
“I don’t know.” RobinFang answered, his tail wrapping around himself.
“Haven’t you’ve been talking to her? Shouldn’t you know this by now?” She asked exasperated, berating the warrior with her tone.


‘Why can’t you socialize like a normal warrior?’ He felt her ask herself mentally by the barely veiled annoyance written on her face and the twitch of her claws as they unsheathed, as if dealing with an irresponsible kit.

‘You never taught me how.’ He bit back subconsciously, but managed to compress the childish turmoil to address his deputy.

“Is that all?” RobinFang asked.
She shooed him away with a paw, turning away without batting him an eye.


His mouth tasted sour at the interaction, his pelt hot with humiliation as if he was a scolded apprentice despite the pretty tame conversation. He tried to shake off the unreasonable anger, knowing truthfully that all of it was likely in his own head, but only managed to replace the emotion with the cold feeling of being small.


Maybe he should focus on fixing up his hunting skills instead of lazing about by the lake, bettering his pounce to look less like a slow cobra’s strike resulting in plummeting its own nose into the dirt (something he’s done an embarrassing amount of times).

He successfully pressed these juvenile feelings further, now solely picturing how he would encroach upon a vole or manage to catch a small newt or minnow on the banks. The tunnel vision provided by envisioning the hunt allowed him to busy himself mentally and unable to notice SnakeShine approaching the warrior’s dens as he left camp.

 

[Honeypool]

//The duo is back!!

Honeypool frowned. The talk with Robinfang had left a bitter taste in her mouth as she sat in a loaf-like stance in her nest. She had watched him go and kept her eyes on the den's entrance for a few heartbeats before curling in on herself. She had napped for a bit but she was still feeling heavy. The scent of prey still lingered in the air and though the scent had reminded her that she had not eaten, the scent also made her stomach drop and turn with new found disgust. She had to mentally swallow down whatever was left in her stomach as she felt it tighten and twist below her. When would be the best time for her to eat? She refused to step outside of the den alone and she refused even more to be seen and talked about.

At least in the den, though it was quiet and lonely now, the silence and solitude making her skin crawl, it was away from prying eyes and twitching ears. Every cat was still so focused on why she had left, of course, and she was trying to forget it all. She had left WindClan wanting to put her past behind her as soon as she stepped out of the moor and into the forest. Still, she could understand their curiosity, not that she enjoyed it. She mindlessly looked around the den. Sleeping here last night she took notice in how all the warriors slept together under the dead bush rather than having then own dens or sleeping outside in the clearing.

This clan was so much different from her own and with every realization of it, she felt more homesick, more angry, more upset, more distraught. A feeling of longing was tugging at her skin and it rested in her bones making her already sore and scarred body feel worse. Right now she was wishing she knew what to tell herself or at least have someone tell her something. But doing so meant opening fresh wounds and she wasn't ready for that. She doubted she would ever be ready to spill everything like a bubbling creak. The thought of it all made her head spin. If she ignored it long enough she would forget, right?

Could she pile another lie on top of her other lies and turn her story into something that would be enough to get other's to leave her alone? Could she come up with her own fantasy and dive her mind into that instead of dwelling on the bittersweet truth that laid anchored in her mind? If she could what would her story be? How would she explain her appearance and her slipping mental state? Dewspring had already admitted that she was covered in cat scratches, at least in front of Robinfang. Could she piggyback off of that?

Her mind swirled with story after story unsure of which one to go with. None of them sounded believable enough to her. Even a kit wouldn't believe those tall tales. She sighed, unsure of what to do with herself at the moment as she lost herself starring at nothing.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

“Hey!” Pleasantly meowed the gray tabby, approaching the warrior’s den where HoneyPool was residing and not seeming to notice her discomfort. He effortlessly worked his way up the wet slope and seemed uncaring as the long fur on his legs and hind snagged on unroofed roots and shallow branches.

Seeing her stare into nothing, SnakeShine waved his paw in her line of sight to catch her attention

“It’s HoneyPool, right? Remember me?” SnakeShine smiled as he spoke in a cool tone, ducking his head to enter the dead scrub’s entrance. His smile showed off his sharp teeth and gave away his slight overbite, the den breaking up the sunlight to highlight the way his expression creased the stripes on his face in a friendly manner.


“Of course it’s HoneyPool mousebrain! You know that already.” Called out a she-cat’s voice, the nearly identical looking cat marching upwards with her tail held high as she bumped her brother’s side teasingly.

“We were just talking about her, remember?” ThornMasked added, her voice a touch higher then the tom and pitched with curiosity. She paid no more mind to her brother, as her eyes lit up at the large brown and cream colored she-cat in interest, boldly stepping forward and inch too close to continue talking.


While SnakeShine scrolled at his sister’s behavior, wanting to come off more coolly and collected to not scare off the new clanmate, ThornMask was oblivious as she chartered.
“We’ve been saying how we wanted to hunt with you later today, with you being a new face and all. My brother’s apprentice has been dying to meet you.”

“You make it sound like we’ve been obsessed over it.” Grumbled SnakeShine under his breath, not caring for their interest to be called out so early. The whole clan has been intrigued by the new face, Shadowclan cats unused to newcomers but most not too nosy to poke and pride at the ex-windclan warrior. This hasn’t stopped them from openingly voicing their suspicion of her motive however.

‘She won’t be too mysterious for long’ thought the Tom with a shrug, quickly recovering from his sister antics to piggyback off her message.
“CherryPaw has been eager to meet you, curious to get to know the new warrior. And I have been meaning to take her out hunting, with most of the clan finishing up their patrols for the day to leave the forest to ourselves.”


ThornMask turns to HoneyPool with an expectant smile, not hiding the way she looked over the she-cat with a sense of peculiarity in her gaze but not registering the she-cat mood.





“Damnit!” Cursed RobinFang with a yelp, his nose wrinkling in frustration as the small rat scurried out from under his paws and into the safety of thistles growing among the wet patches of soot. The tom swiped at the soft dirt under his in exasperation, kicking up a cloud of ash with an anger exhale deflated his chest.

He tried to steady himself with a deep breath, wanting to better his chances and fix his terribly off hunting game. He only managed to breath in the cloud of kicked up soot, resulting in a sneezing fit that left him worse off than before.


He’s been meaning to redeem himself with a mouthful of prey to bring back to camp, quickly racing from camp after that horrid interaction with KestrelFall to bury himself in work. Which he manages to forget about for the most part successfully, but the poor hunt only leaves him even less satisfied.

He was hoping he’d be up for the challenge of hunting in this scorched stretch of the territory, bettering his stalking and pouncing in a place devoid of obstacles. But despite the occasional tree saplings that stemmed from the sides of dead tree trunks and patches of bramble, the area seemed barren of any signs of prey thanks to the noise of his last chase.


With a disgruntled harumph, he lifted himself off the forest floor and gave his pelt a once over. The orange speckles of his paws now blended with the gray of his fur after scrabbling about in the ash; it tasted too bitter to bother with cleaning.

With an unenthusiastic shake, sheets of dust and dirt shook off him lazily and settled around him in a cloud, now looking forward to moving on to the lake. His pelt bristled with uncertainty, but remained sure and eager in redeeming himself by hunting by the muddy banks of the clear lagoon. Mentally he promised himself to not return to camp with an empty jaw.


‘At least maybe HoneyPool might get a kick hunting around here’ thought RobinFang in passing, his green eyes giving one last look over at the interesting but flat landscape of blackened trees and recovering saplings as he left the open woods.

 

[Honeypool]

Her pelt spiked at the sudden call of a voice, her eyes blinking and shifting uneasily as she saw a semi-familiar pelt come into view. Her ears pricked up and her paws shook from underneath her at the sudden interruption. A wave of confusion hit her. She knew these cats were coming but that this fast. She was hoping to be left alone for a bit longer but clearly that wasn't going to happen now. She breathed in, trying to calm herself remembering seeing this tom earlier when she first walked into camp with Robinfang this morning after their rat hunt. She opened her mouth slightly but before she could speak new pawsteps could be heard followed by a voice she knew a bit better.

Seeing the sibling duo was back made her stomach hurt more but she held her tongue. They were talking about me again? Her ears twitched with slight annoyance wishing that the chatter would stop or at least something else would happen in camp to take everyone's minds off of her for a little bit. She wanted her nest to swallow her up for the next few moons, to let her drift off into peace in some type of endless void for a while. Her ears did shift with wonder, slightly wanting to know what these two had been talking about as they seemed willing to get to know her and did approach her first without the rude remarks.

She let them talk among themselves half listen and half not as she suddenly remembered Robinfang's warning to not let her secrets out. Not that she was ever going to unless she was on her death bed, or even in death. She shifted her weight to one side still sitting-laying in her loaf state. Was she up for another hurt? Her legs were dying to be stretched but at the same time they could have been sore because she was still physically aching deep inside her skin. She blinked slowly feeling unsure if she actually wanted to go with them or not. Being in the den was horrible for her mental state but so was being outside in the open and hearing the whispers and murmurs all around her. She wished she had gotten her ears clawed off rather than her face.

She had fallen quiet for too long her amber gaze fixed on her paws for a few heartbeats before she looked up at the duo. Her fur ruffling as she quickly sat up making a mess of nest slightly with her hasty movements. "Hunting? Y-yeah sure." She stammered out finally realizing they were probably waiting for her to speak back to them. She felt frazzled and the quick movement made her head spin slightly.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

“Great to hear!” chirped ThornMask with a toothy grin and chuckled, giving a rough supposedly friendly affirmative swat to HoneyPool’s back. SnakeShine grimaces at the rough sound of her paw hitting her pelt, familiar with his sister's more oblivious and brutish behavior.

He gives the bi-colored she-cat a sympathetic glance, knowing how overbearing ThornMask comes across, turning to watch the tabby excitedly leave the den and grapple her way down the muddy slope of the warrior’s corner called out to a ginger apprentice nearby.


SnakeShine turns to HoneyPool with a sigh, his paw waving off his lookalike’s antics.

“Sorry about her, she’s… Excitable.” The black and gray tabby grumbles, glaring at where ThornMask stood, before switching back to HoneyPool with a friendly smile.

“See you at Sunlow?” The tom confirms as he stands, his tone sure and grateful, as his tail waves HoneyPool goodbye.






The cool water that lapped at the tortoiseshell’s paws helped bring the tom’s temperature down, RobinFang sighing contently at the escape from the warm spring winds.

His green eyes check his reflection, blurred by the ash that bled from his dirty pelt, frowning at his own scruffy appearance. The warrior unconsciously brought a paw to his neck, just above his chest where his ruffled gray and orange fur had parted to reveal an old jagged discoloration of skin, quickly flattening it out with a soaked paw.

Before he could dwell on anything, not that RobinFang would have liked to, a small minnow dashed across his cloudy reflection, his tail held high like a pole as he frantically grabbed at the prey. Slashing the water in search of where it went.

 

[Honeypool]

She winced roughly. The sound was enough to make her ears fall flat, but the sudden spark of pain made her back arch as she curled in on herself, her dark tail ruffling as pain shot through it. It took everything in her to not snap as her front legs slightly gave out as her body swayed to try and steady itself out from all the sudden motions.

Her eyes were dark as they looked over at Snakeshine, unsure if the tabby she-cat had done that on purpose or not. The warriors den now felt stuffy and extremely uncomfortable. The air grew tense around her as she wondered just what she had actually agreed on. Hunting, that much she knew. Another chance to stretch her legs and to get some fresh air.

Her eyes darted out towards the entrance of the den. She barely heard or seen Thornmask walk out. She blinked trying to take in if she had said anything else to her, but her mind fell flat. Only when another voice spoke did she quickly snap her head in the direction of it. “It’s fine.” She spoke quickly almost understanding where Snakeshine was coming from but she couldn’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach. Must be nice to have a sibling that knows you well. Her eyes glazed over with a mix of emotions.

“....sun low?” She quickly blinked realizing she had zoned out again. She opened her mouth slightly confused about what was happening at sun low before everything clicked.

She cleared her throat feeling annoyed with herself with how unfocused she was at the moment. “Yes, sun low is fine.” She agreed not that the timing really mattered to her. She just casually went along with whatever not giving anything a second thought as she dipped her head at the ShadowClan warrior as he parts from her and she is left alone, sitting in the den. Her shoulders lower as her head drops and her tail quickly wraps itself around her legs as of trying to comfort her itself.

She sat still, looking at the floor, absorbing the conversation that just took place so she could try and mentally prepare herself for the outing. Two warriors, one who had tried to bribe her the night before, one who had called her pretty, and his apprentice. Her cheeks warmed slightly as she mentally tried to picture herself at the moment. Her fur was probably all tousled and covered in bits of bedding. She lifted her paw to give it a quick sniff wondering if she still smelled like swamp water and yarrow. Her nose wrinkled up as a groan escaped her muzzle. She could almost hear a familiar voice scolding her in the back of her mind.

She decided to finally give herself a long, much needed bath.

---

Cherrypaw’s ears twitched as she padded out of the elders den. Her fur decorated in bits of grass and moss and she scampered her way across the clearing. Her tail flowing behind her with excitement as she quickly caught slightly of Thornmask. Her little legs almost tripping over themselves as she met the warrior halfway towards the apprentices den. “Thornmask! Thornmask!” Her bubbly voice echoed through the canopy as she skidded to a stop in front of the tabby. Her blue eyes bright and round with wonder.

“Did you speak with Honeypool? Is she going to join us? Did Snakeshine’s charming work? Did she turn us down? Is he going to try again? Are we leaving now?” Question after question bubbled up from her throat as she shuffled her paws back and forth in anticipation. Her eyes looked behind her to meet her mentors as her her fur ruffled with a flurry of emotions. She was hoping things went over smoothly with the new she-cat. “I had been talking to Lynxstripe about her but you know how he is.” Her eyes rolled as she remembered the nasty string of insults the black elder had said as Cherrypaw cleaned out his bedding and brought him something to eat. “Robinfang isn’t coming, right?” Her voice fell into a low and serious tone. “He’ll ruin all the fun and I thought of so many more questions to ask her.” Her voice grew into a pleading voice.

 

[Chill Alley Cat]

Sorry about the quality! Idk I’m off my writing game for some reason :/ //

The black and gray tabby slide down the muddy, mud catching under ThornMask’s claws clumping her paw’s fur together.

“ThornMask! Thornmask!” CherryPaw called out.
As her amber eyes caught on the red furred apprentice scampering across the clearing, the warrior slid to a stop where the stout ginger cat stood by hooking her talons along uprooted roots.

“Did you speak with Honeypool? Is she going to join us? Did Snakeshine’s charming work? Did she turn us down? Is he going to try again? Are we leaving now-?” CherryPaw babbled on, moss still in her fur from her duties in the elder’s dens.
ThornMask quickly silences the apprentice to ramble on herself, placing a paw on CherryPaw’s snout.

“She’s going to join us on a hunting trip at sundown.” ThornMask nods excitedly, removing her paw to place on the ground as SnakeShine walked to join the group with a look of disapproval.


“-no thanks to you, bee brain. Don’t you know I have a system?” The tom berated his sister with a glare, which ThornMask only acknowledged with a scoff and a roll of her amber eyes.

SnakeShine huffs at his sister's dismissal, annoyed he seemed to be only one aware of how jumpy HoneyPool really was and how her breath hitches at the slightest touch. The tom’s mouth twitched in pause, honestly unsure what to make of the behavior, before phasing back into the conversation as CherryPaw talked about her apprentice duties in the elder’s den.



“As exciting as all this is-“ SnakeShine motioned at the two she-cats. “I want you two on your best game, putting ShadowClan’s best foot forward during our hunt.” He poked at CherryPaw chest playfully, knowing she’ll do her best during some hunting practice.

‘-even though Shadowclan’s first impression may not be the most personable, with RobinFang in charge of introducing her to the clan for whatever reason.’ SnakeShine pondered in thought.


“Robinfang isn’t coming, right?” CherryPaw spoke as if reading her mentor’s thoughts. “He’ll ruin all the fun and I thought of so many more questions to ask her.”

ThornMask is quick to wave away this concern with a smile. “Nah, knowing him, he’ll probably be gone out of camp til moon high.” She shrugged, recollecting many times of the warrior coming to camp late after long hours.





Meanwhile, at the lake, the tortoiseshell pelt was soaked. His fur sticking to his skin, as he launched himself off the rocky banks of the shore and into the water.

A loud struggle consisting of tossing and turning amping the waves, the Tom broke from the surface with a cackle of triumph.

“Aha! Slippery bastard!” RobinFang cursed, his breath heavy and a grin on his face, a small trout squirming in his grip between his two front paws. The fish was small, no bigger than a minnow, and, in all honesty, could be swallowed in a single gulp.


At the thought, his smile faltered with a deep sigh, face planting in the swallow water in defeat for a moment before tossing the fish aside on the shore and scanning the water for a less embarrassing catch.

 

[Honeypool]

//Sorry this is so late! I finally got wifi again so I can use my laptop again.

Cherrypaw's dark fur bristled with excitement. She was finally going to meet the new she-cat. Her paws could hardly be still as she shuffled them back and forth. She was hardly listening to Snakeshine as her brain whirled with question after question as they pooled from the deepest parts of her mind unsure of where she would start. Possibly something simple and easy to answer for the she-cat before diving into the deeper questions. Cherrypaw was determined to know everything from her favorite prey by the lake to her best friend if she had one. Her ears twitched before she turned her head to the two warriors noticing that she had drifted off for a bit longer than she would have liked.

Feeling her mentor's paw against her chest brought her back to what was actually happening. She blinked in surprise. "I am always on my best behavior." Cherrypaw mumbled only half telling the truth. She did have a bad habit of rambling and sometimes loosing focus of the task at hand more than she would like to admit. She swept her tail around her flinging bits of moss into the air. She took to notice of her appearance as she gazed up at the setting sun wishing sun low would come faster as she finally gave her pelt a strong shake sending the rest of the debris into the air before letting out a strong sneeze as a cloud of whatever she was covered in floated in front of her. "Either way he wouldn't be able to stop us."

She sniffled and rubbed her nose with the back of her paw. The three of them against Robinfang was a battle she would much rather avoid to the best of her ability if it was possible. Taking in Thornmask's comment about him being gone until moon-high she turned to look at the camps entrance wondering just what the tom was up to at this moment before she turned to look towards the warriors den. "Have you thought about where we are going to take her?" Her eyes grew round with curiosity as they flicked back to her mentor. "The caves? The marshes?" She questioned listing off just a few places. "Maybe if we hunt close to ThunderClan we could catch a rabbit?"