shades of blue [closed]

Nimble paws lead the newly named Nightbird from his brand new nest in the warriors den into the brightly lit clearing. It had only been a few sunrises since he’d been named a warrior, and he was absolutely loving it. He was free from those pesky training patrols, and aside from his assigned patrols and duties, he could do pretty much whatever he wanted. Most of his free time consisted of hanging outside of camp with Moonlily, or occasionally visiting the kits in the nursery. He checked in with his mom whenever he could as well, but she was always pretty busy. He allowed himself one long stretch to get his muscles warmed up, basking in the sunlight as he did so. Today was an easy day- he had a quick hunting patrol to go on with a young apprentice- Blackpaw, if he remembered correctly. He’d never met the molly before, but he was sure that she was kind. It was nearly time for the duo to head out, she he padded over to the camp exit and sat down to wait, eying a nearby beetle as it crawled across the rocky terrain underpaw.

Remarkably, Blackpaw was feeling decidedly un-murderous today. Not chipper, not by a longshot, but... Content. The weather was cooler than recent days had been, meaning she didn't prematurely wake up due to the unbearable heat that her fur tended to trap. In fact, she was quite well rested. No early morning training, no Dapplekit kicking her in her sleep (she was enjoying that part of apprenticeship). The only thing she had to do today was go on a late morning hunting patrol with a new warrior. What was his name... Nighthawk? Nightpigeon? Something like that. Birdchaser hadn't taken her hunting yet, so at least this would be interesting. She stepped out of the apprentice den, spotting the blue-furred tom immediately. He was about her height and seemed to be happily fixated on something on the ground. Weirdo.

She loped closer, tail low. What was he staring at? She followed his gaze, tail flicking, and found a beetle skittering over the ground. She approached a little faster, admittedly interested in the beetle. Once she reached the warrior and the bug, she reached out with a paw and pinned the bug in place. It squirmed, gross legs writhing in the air. "Creepy. We won't be hunting these, right?" It may have been misread as a joke, but Blackpaw was dead serious. If they were hunting bugs she was leaving. They were boring, slow, small and not even edible. Probably. She let the beetle go, not bothering to watch as it scampered away. She turned to the tom instead, making eye contact. "Blackpaw. You're, uh... Nightbird." It was a statement, not a question.

She began to walk, Nightbird next to her. "Weather's good. Hot weather belongs in the dirtplace." She growled slightly, fur bristling at the thought of the stupid sun baking her half to death.