sparkle and shine [c]

Flurrypaw had taken an immediate interest in RiverClan's territory once she was able to explore what lay beyond their camp; that was definitely the most enjoyable aspect of her apprenticeship. But it was a close contest - there was so much to do, after all, and she loved every aspect of it. Well, okay, maybe dealing with the elders' ticks wasn't her favorite thing to do, but they had stories to tell to pass the time. She might not have loved the ticks, but she loved the stories and the history.

She had fulfilled her responsibility, at least for now, and she found herself exploring again. Looking for things she could decorate her nest with, mostly - maybe some pretty rocks, if she could find some, or something that glittered in the light; but anything would work if it was pretty, and there were so many pretty things all around.

There was something particular about the arrival of Newleaf that'd especially caught her attention. Perhaps it was the comforting, slightly warmer breezes of the new season, or the abundance of prey— or it was the amount of scenery change happening. She'd watched as barren trees grew back their leaves, and flowers once wilted and missing, now blooming yet again. And as Hollyleaf headed back to camp, she carried a shell in her mouth. Of course, there wasn't much to do with it, but... it was somehow interesting to look at, either way.

It was then another new apprentice caught her attention. Apprentices were soon quickly becoming warriors, and kits reached six moons in just what felt like blinks of an eye— one of them being Flurrypaw. There was a bittersweet connection between that name and another one she knew of, though the name belonged to another TC molly, now. She hadn't gotten to know her that much, but she was... her previous apprentice's sibling. Perhaps this time, she'd get a new chance. Not the same cat, but it was worth a try.

Still gently holding her new find, she approached Flurrypaw, exchanging with her a small nod as a greeting. "Hello there, Flurrypaw. Are you looking for something?"

The sound of a pawsteps approaching followed by a voice calling her name finally caught Flurrypaw's attention. "Oh! Hollyleaf!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her paws. She loved her clanmates, thought all of them were beautiful in their own distinctive ways. Hollyleaf in particular was pretty in the way that many RiverClan cats tended to be, with light-colored fur and blue eyes that weren't unlike her own, though Flurrypaw was definitely smaller than the older she-cat. Today, though, Hollyleaf had something unusual with her. "You look extra pretty today! Maybe it's the shell...?"

Only after she said this did the apprentice-shaped bundle of excitable energy known as Flurrypaw actually process the warrior's question. "Huh? Oh, yep! I'm looking for shiny things. I wanted to decorate my nest, y'know? I want it to be prettiest one. Or even just one of the prettiest ones, 'cause they're all so nice! I was gonna try and use fish scales, cause I think they're soooo pretty in the sunlight, but it was imp- in practice? No, it was - impractical, that's what they said." Disappointment crossed her face for just a moment, but was quickly replaced by her usual cheerful expression. "So then I wanted something shiny. Are you out looking for shiny things too, Hollyleaf? Is that why you've got the shell?"

She paused for a moment, considering. The shell was certainly pretty, as most things were. There was really only one problem with her line of thought. "...Oh, but it's not all that shiny, is it? Just pretty things, then! What are you going to decorate with it?"

Hollyleaf felt her ear tips flush at the comment, though she blinked, gently nodding with an awkward smile. "Thank you, Flurrypaw. I found it on a patrol." The molly continued to listen to the apprentice's chatters, ears swiveled high in an attempt to listen to it all. Fish scales.. well, that's interesting. She'd noticed the flickering expression change, though didn't mention it. Instead, she gently shook her head. "No, I wasn't originally out looking for them. A few kits seemed to like them though, so I tried to find a shell for them to play with," She paused, eyes to Flurrypaw, the nursery, then back at her again, "Though, I wouldn't mind helping you find some decors. I do agree they look... rather interesting." She chuckled.

"Underneath the sun, a lot of rocks are much prettier than fish scales. They're shiny, yes, but are a bit impractical." There was a soft, almost teasing tone to her voice as she said the last sentence.

"Ooh, I bet it'll bring you good luck! And I'm sure the kits will be happy to have something so nice to play with, so they're lucky too," Flurrypaw nodded. The older she-cat's second statement made her eyes widen. "You'll help? That's wonderful! You're obviously super good at finding these kinds of things, if you found that without even looking for it!"

The warrior's statement about rocks made her pause, if only for a moment. Though she thought everything was beautiful, she hadn't yet stopped to appreciate what exactly made every little thing so much so. She thought of rocks that glittered like the scales she had so wanted to fill her nest with, ones that glittered just as much but were far larger, and imagined several of them completely surrounding it.

Well. That was maybe a little unlikely, she supposed - even Flurrypaw had to admit that they could only carry so much. A few, or even just one if it was really pretty, would do just fine for now.

"There are stones that are even prettier than fish scales? I can't wait to see them!" She was about to dash off, but stopped short when she realized she had no idea where to look. "...Where should we try looking, Hollyleaf?"