Thawing our Frosty Hearts (Open)

The sun was at its peak in the sky as Ashflight returned to camp with his patrol, only a single measly mouse to show for his efforts.  Despite it being sunhigh it was as cold as ever, and the thick-furred tom was starting to be extremely grateful for the extra fluff his genetics had gifted him with.  What would've been even more helpful though was his old black fox-pelt from his days with Asylum; though he had long left it behind, he had to admit that the gruesome thing had been quite helpful during cold nights.  Shaking snowflakes off his back, Ashflight dropped his mouse on the pile and looked around.  The clearing was mostly empty, cats either on patrol, sleeping or stuck in their dens.  Conversation had been hard to come by lately, with everyone so stressed or busy, but the tom couldn't help but settle down on a nearby patch of grass and watch, waiting for someone to come by.  It had been a few days since he had gotten to spend time with Perchfall, and Otterpaw was concentrated on gearing up for his warrior ceremony.  He needed to make good on his promise to Ivystar that he would make new friends, even in such a harsh time.

Even as she had just been made a warrior— Leaf-bare proved itself to be just as harsh, still. With all but a single minnow hanging from her jaws, Hollyleaf, though disappointedly, found another one that she supposed shared her struggles. An older, more experienced warrior sitting by himself. It was odd how she never thought of approaching him before, though perhaps that happened as.. she truly isn't the most sociable of cats. At least, not at camp alone. She'd been too busy searching for prey, and helping Beaverpaw with her training, at that. So, with a deep breath, the molly made her way to Ashflight— offering him a small nod of the head before speaking up. "Would you mind if I chat with you? I've been so busy since the start of Leaf-bare, I rarely ever got the chance to interact with others at all," She mewed, a compassionate, yet guilty tone hinting in her voice as she spoke. Quietly setting herself down, she waited for the tom's answer before saying anything again.

A glimpse of silver out of the corner of his eye caught Ashflight's attention, and the tom turned with a smile to greet Hollyleaf, one of the newer warriors.  He hadn't recalled speaking with her before, she had always come across as quite introverted, but she seemed kind all the same.  "Of course not, I was hoping to chat with someone also.  It sounds like we're both in a similar situation."  Shifting aside to give her more space, Ashflight tucked his paws underneath his belly to keep them warm, using the moment of silence to think of something to say.  "You're mentoring Beaverpaw, right?  How is her training coming along?"  If he recalled correctly, Otterpaw and Beaverpaw were siblings; he wondered how the little she-cat was taking the loss of her mother.  Birdsong's death had truly come as a shock to the whole clan, and he had been trying his best to support Otterpaw in the ways that he could.

Relieved by the fact that she wasn't bothering him, she smiled back. "Yes, I am," She paused, Beaverpaw? She.. does seem to be a bit distracted lately. I suppose that's reasonable though, no one would be happy of such an incident." Hollyleaf frowned, glancing down her paws, then back at the tom. "What about Otterpaw? How has he been doing?" Although only briefly knowing of the apprentices, she was curious, too. They were siblings, weren't they? The molly wasn't exactly best at small talk, though perhaps giving it a try wasn't so bad at all. She'd get to know more warriors.. er, aside from Ebonyhaze. He wasn't here, and neither was Cloverheart. After all, she wasn't so sure about approaching other cats aside from them. Ashflight seemed nice, however.

Ashflight nodded, unspoken memories clouding his gaze.  "No kit should have to lose a parent so early, that pain sticks with you for your whole life.  We should do all we can to make them feel loved and understood."  He met Hollyleaf's gaze with a soft smile; he didn't know much about the warrior's past, if she shared similar pains, but regardless it was a mentor's job to look out for their charges, both physically and emotionally.  "Otterpaw seems to be doing the best he can, despite the circumstances.  I think he's the type to work through his pain rather than dwell on it.  I've been keeping him busy.  If you and Beaverpaw ever want to join us for training we'd love to have you!"

With the warrior's ending sentence, Hollyleaf nearly had spaced out. Occupied with her thoughts, she probably wouldn't have realized she was spacing out just a moment ago— if it wasn't for the falling leaf landing right aside her paws. It was something minor, though has helped her snap out of her thoughts.

Although this was their first time talking, Hollyleaf would've never thought a cat would be so friendly. Well... more warriors could definitely be social, though she tends to be reserved. Should she perhaps have socialized more? Snapping out of her thoughts, the she-cat returned the tom another smile, nodding again. "That'd be great, thank you. I'll make sure to ask Beaverpaw later on, then." She supposed Beaverpaw would agree, although she didn't want to rush things. Interacting with others was slowly becoming easier with each attempt. Plus, she supposed even her apprentice would need it, too. "I'm glad to hear Otterpaw's training has been well."