pretty in pink (o)

SPECKLEWISH
-
Specklewish had no idea how he got it on him, or what it even was, but he had a strange unnaturally pink thing attached to the near end of his tail. It did not give him the look of a warrior, but instead a kittypet, and he hated it. He hated everything about it. The thing he hated the most? He just couldn't get it off, the pink... thing... just slid away from his claws no matter which angle he tried to pull it off at. When he did try, he'd just fall right over and end up staying there, too angry to bother.

He was surprised nobody asked him about it (likely due to him hiding it from everyone) but frankly, he was grateful. Besides, if anyone were to ask, he'd just claw their face off in anger. Specklewish tried to ignore it, but the sun shone on it in a way that made it look like it was glowing (and therefore, very hard to ignore). He supposed he just had to deal with it- that he was cursed with it- for the rest of his life.

Today, Specklewish was not in a good mood. He sat grumpily in the middle of camp, eating a small vole. His sharp blue eyes narrowed and glaring at anyone that happened to walk by, flicking his tail away from sight, lest anybody make comments about it.

❖ She had to blink twice to see if she had been imagining it. However, no matter how hard she tried, the... strange glint coming from Specklewish's tail never disappeared. Briarrose had been choosing a nice squirrel to eat when the light hit the object just right and it had immediately caught the molly's attention from her peripheral vision. She was about to dismiss it but it just kept bothering her vision and eventually, she just had to pause her current task to inspect it further. Squinting didn't help her much in trying to identify what it was. With a sigh, she placed down her squirrel and began to make her way over to the eating tom. She needed to get it out of her mind or she won't be able to concentrate later.  ღ

❖ As Briar closed in, she could immediately tell that Specklewish was feeling quite grouchy, if his obvious glare wasn't telling enough. She brushed it off, though. Nothing could deter a truly curious Briarrose. The moment she arrived, she gracefully sat down without an invitation (which was out of character for the normally polite she-cat but her curiosity demanded answers now) and began to examine the thing that was capturing her interest. Seeing it up close made her realize how bizarre it actually was. It was sleek, oddly pink, formed into an interesting shape, and it appeared to be tangled around the warrior's tail. What-? ღ

❖ Briarrose finally tore her gaze away, blinking at Specklewish for a moment before simply stating, "You require assistance with that. Let me help." It looked tight and the way the tom's sour mood flared whenever someone even took a peek told her that it wasn't something he was choosing to wear to make a statement. How had she not seen it before? Was she so engrossed with her work that it had slipped her notice? She mentally snorted. Probably. She was known to hyperfocus on her duties. That led her to more questions: Did the others notice it before? Why didn't Specklewish ask (or wasn't asking) for assistance? He probably got it during his time with the twolegs. Now, she was even more interested. What was its purpose? Did any other cats receive such an item? She wanted to ask many questions but held her tongue. Now wasn't the time. ღ

SPECKLEWISH
-
Specklewish shuffled sideways, moving the vole with him with his paw, and glared at Brairrose who had randomly decided it was a great and fantastic idea to sit right next to him. Then, she started looking right at the thing on his tail, making his fur bristle and causing him to whip it sharply in the opposite direction where Briarrose was sitting. Then, if it wasn't enough to have her all up in his business, looking at things that she shouldn't be looking at, she stated something utterly mousebrained.

"Touch my tail. Lose yours." He growled back clearly unhappy with the she-cat's appearance. Specklewish huffed, and turned back to the vole in front of him.

❖ At the tom's harsh response, the she-cat only lifted a brow. Someone seemed to be extra grouchy today. She didn't mind, though. She's been around the block with this behavior before. Her thoughts diverged for a moment. Perhaps he wasn't comfortable with her touching his tail. Would he rather get help from someone he's closer with? A sibling, perhaps? ღ

❖ The warrior tilted her head at the tom and smiled softly. "Ah. I see what is going on. You are not comfortable with someone you barely know touching your tail. It makes sense. I would have been similarly put out if I was in your position. I should have thought about that earlier. My apologies, Specklewish." She dipped her head slightly. "Would you like me to fetch one of your siblings instead? I am sure they would like to assist you with your problem. Perhaps Fawnshine? She is the medicine cat, after all. She is used to helping others all the time. Or maybe one of your other siblings if Fawnshine is busy?" The torbie molly flicked her tail. ღ

❖ Before she stood up to go find one of his family members, a thought flickered in her mind for a moment. Hmm... Wait, maybe he didn't want anyone to touch the item. What if he actually liked it? Had she read the situation wrong? That could be the case. It might be good to ask before she bothered someone. "Specklewish? Do you actually want it there? I may have mistaken your miffed mood to be a result of that and I apologize once more if that is the case. If you want to keep it, please tell me. It is a unique item to wear but I think it is lovely in a way. It is a bit bright in color but I am sure that over time, it will dull enough as you go about your duties." ღ