no sympathetic voices anywhere [C]

With all of his sisters gone, sick, or busy, Newtspring was left with little to do. Orchidmask had been busy lately, too; his apprentices were sent on patrols without him; and for once, he wasn't particularly thrilled by the thought of bothering his other Clanmates. He scuffed the snow, ears lowering as he thought. He wanted to go out... but there was no one he wanted to drag with him.

Oh... wait. One cat in particular had rejoined their ranks recently. One cat he had, despite himself, sorely missed. They never got to talk much, anyway; better late than never, he figured as he shoved himself to his paws. Finding Briarthorn out in camp wasn't hard, and as Newtspring approached he bowed his head low. "Uh... hiya, Mom." There was an uncharacteristic bashfulness about him as he kept his eyes trained on the frosty ground. "Are... ya busy? Think ya wanna come out on patrol with me, if not? 'M bored, so..." Feathery tail waved anxiously behind him, as if she would turn him away.

Even when she wasn’t on patrol or out hunting, Briarthorn had assigned herself some sort of role to fulfill while in camp. This time, it was fortifying the nursery walls, patching up any and all holes and strengthening the existing walls to hopefully help it maintain more warmth. It would help the nursing kits and tired queens inside get through this leafbare just a little bit easier, she hoped. She quickly turned around as she heard pawsteps crunching through the snow behind her, approaching her and getting closer with every step. Her gaze softened as she laid eyes on her son, offering him a faint smile. ”Hello,” She said softly, voice hoarse from disuse. She looked back to her work on the nursery for a moment, and finally looked back to Newtspring. ”No, I’m not busy. I’d love to catch up with you on a patrol.” A cloud of hot breath billowed out from her maw as she sighed, nodding toward the camp exit. Slowly, she began padding toward it, waiting for Newtspring to file in by her side.

Almost, he didn't realize he'd been holding his breath; but when Briarthorn agreed, a huff rattled through Newtspring heavily. He skipped forward to walk next to her, slowing for a moment to swiftly– and a bit more roughly than he meant to –butt his head against her shoulder. His usual energy restored, Newtspring took a two-step bound forward, shoving through the exit of camp like an apprentice set to explore the territory for the first time. He didn't make it too far before he stopped and turned around, checking to see if Briarthorn hadn't simply disappeared. Satisfied, he'd turn away again, hopping through the snow.

On one of his checks to make sure she was still there, Newtspring returned to her side, knocking his head against her shoulder again. Hard, but affectionate. "So, how are ya?" His ears twitched, and a look of confusion crossed his expression. That was certainly one way to out it– how are you? how did your month of captivity go? The mottled tabby shook his head, trying a toothy grin that ultimately fell short. "Did.. did ThunderClan treat ya okay? It wasn't too bad, right?" A hot flash of guilt warmed his chest, and Newtspring's nose wrinkled against it. Wolfstar said there'd already been talks about what to do with her, right? But still... the tom couldn't help but feel like his out urst had contributed somehow. "I'm... 'M sorry. 'M glad you're home now."