Bouncing (mossballs) off the walls [c]

Subject: Bouncing (mossballs) off the walls [c] Fri 5 Jan 2024 - 12:53

- Ospreykit -

It seemed Skyclan had finally caught a break from the leaf-bare’s omnipresent chill and biting wind. The snow in camp had even melted away a little, and while the freezing temperatures would eventually return, for now the sun was shining. Ospreykit had taken this rare opportunity to slip away from her mother’s constant eye and get out of the nursery for a bit. There had been quite a chunk of time spent whining and cajoling Paledove but in the end Osprey’s argument had won out. The queen relented that yes, it was just nice enough outside that her kit wouldn’t immediately drop dead from hypothermia or lose all four paws to frostbite. Thus the victorious youngster was allowed to frolic as she pleased, so long as she stayed in camp near the nursery, where Paledove could watch over her.

She was so absorbed she barely noticed when Paledove had to suddenly leave her post at the nursery's entrance to deal with the rest of the litter. She knew her mother would want her to go back inside... but she did have plausible deniability now. And really, it had been 'soooo' long since she'd gotten to play with a mossball. She knew her mama was just looking out for her, but sometimes it was like she didn't want her litter doing anything fun or interesting at all. Ospreykit didn't understand it all. She wasn't like her mother, who half-glared at cats when they popped into the nursery to say hi and meet the kits, her mother who always seemed to stop Ospreykit from trying to introduce herself and *gasp* make friends. They were clan-mates, right? Ospreykit wanted to meet everyone, and talk to real warriors, and see what was outside of camp, and become an apprentice, and learn to climb trees like a real Skyclanner! Those things sounded amazing to her, so what did Paledove have against it all? Osprekit still couldn't understand and it didn't seem like her mom would be changing her mind anytime soon. So for now she settled for playing mossball, unsupervised for once.

And in fact, despite her mother’s constant fears, Ospreykit was fine. Between her fluffy pelt, constant movement and excitement to play she hardly felt the cold. The brown and white tabby was much more focused on the rolled-up wad of moss in front of her. This she batted back and forth with unfiltered enthusiasm, tossing the toy forward every few seconds to gleefully pounce on again. This was the first time she’d been outside to play since she was banned from playing mossball in the nursery for being ‘disruptive’ and the kit had plenty of pent-up energy to release.

“Ha, take that!” She exclaimed, smacking the toy with as much strength as a kit could muster. This time she was a little too enthusiastic however and ended up flinging the thing to the perimeter of camp. She watched with wide golden eyes as it sailed through the air and landed, rather unfortunately, just within the confines of the medicine cat den. “Aww…” She traipsed over to where she thought the ball had rolled under the sheltering thicket and spotted a messy, vaguely nest-like heap of moss. Maybe her ball had ended up in there? She approached it curiously and poked the edge with a paw, letting out a tiny yelp and quickly backing up as something shifted within. It took her another moment to realize part of the fluffy pile was in fact a cat, one of the sick warriors currently confined to their nests. One of the sick warriors she had been warned not to disturb under any circumstances, to be specific.

“Oh- sorry! I didn’t know you were in here- I was just looking for my mossball ‘cause it rolled away somewhere. I hit it soooo far- Did you see where it went? I really didn’t mean to bother you! Please don't tell?” The kit babbled guiltily. She peered closer at Stormwatcher, partly worried she would get in trouble for waking the sick cat but still wide-eyed with curiosity at meeting anyone unknown. “I’m Ospreykit!” She added in an attempt at finally recalling the manners Paledove had tried hard to teach her.

Number of posts : 2868 Gender : Unspecified

(I love your writing so much! your post is so well written! wow! I really apricate your patience in my long delay of posting here)

For the last moon, Stormwatcher had felt as sick as he ever had in his whole life. The cough he had made his whole body shake and he had zero energy at all times. It felt like he had been beaten to within inches of his life by an opponent he could not even see or fight back in the traditional sense. While he lay there, stuck to the confines of these walls and the little spot his nest was he had lots of time to reflect upon his life.

When he was young he remembered back to how as an apprentice he would do as little as possible at all times and would just laze around most of his days. He skipped every patrol he possibly could and just as many training lessons as well! He remained like that for a long while, passed from mentor to mentor since no one wanted to be stuck with "that apprentice" until finally one day, the leader at the time long ago decided that stormpaw looked too old to be in the apprentice den. And promoted him to warrior on the spot. Stormwatcher thought about how he never even had a moonstone trip due to this, he was forgotten about and one day they just decided he was old enough to be a warrior now without even checking if one of his many many mentors had bothered to take him to the moonstone.

At the time, he had been overjoyed with this, going on some long hike to some rock to dream of dead cats was very low on his list of things he wanted to do as a youngster...

However, once he had grown and become a more older warrior - he had changed quite a bit, he no longer was quite SO lazy. He actually tried. He actually tried to help the clan and he even trained stoneheart to become a warrior. Which he was very proud of her for doing that even if the gruff warrior would never say something like that out loud.

And, now that he was older and also on the verges between life and death with this sickness, he was very sorry and sad that he never got to go to the moonstone... he never got to see its magical glow or talk to a starclan cat for advise... Why had he not spoken to the leader before becoming a warrior and say that he hadnt been yet?? Well... he hadn't because back then he didnt realize that later in life he wouldnt always be that lazy, that later in life he would actually care about things.

He closed his eyes and wondered if since he did not have his moonstone if he would be let into starclan if this awful sickness took him. Would he forever have to wander the mists of the lost souls just because so long ago he had refused to go on some moon rock trip??

Right when he was at his lowest and thinking all these unpleasant thoughts, something bonked him on the head. It wasn't a hard bonk at all, in fact it was quite soft but enough to make him glance around in utter confusion.

The movement of the still rolling mossball now at his paws caught his eye and he blinked looking at it. Well... if this wasnt a playful gesture from starclan? Bonking him with a mossball for feeling so much self pity.

He shook his head trying to get his unruely fur to lay back down.

Soon after, an adventurous kit came around and sure enough, they were looking for the mossball in question. He glanced down at his front paws where it lay and smirked a little to himself as he covered it up for the moment with his big, fluffy paws and listend to the kits story. He was not covering it to be mean, he just ... really wanted to play too. He had not played mossball in ages and perhaps playing a little could get him out of his current fumpy mood.

"seen a mossball huh??" he meowed grinning.

"I am stormwatcher" he meowed in turn dipping his head in introduction.

He clutched the mossball tight in one paw gently clawing into it to hold it but not so much as to ruin it at all.

well hang on now... what is this!? he meowed pretending to be shocked and really playing along with this.

He used his free front paw to wave it around and distract the kitten while his front paw that gripped the mossball slid stealthily to her side.

"You had it hidden behind your ear this whole time!??" he meowed amazed as he 'pulled' the mossball from behind her ear in what he hoped would be a cool magic trick.

He gave a little satisfied purr and tossed it back to the kitten.

He tilted his head and gave her a sly smile, "Alright... I wont tell anyone but only if you play with me for a little bit." he glanced around worried someone would hear him say he wanted to ... play.

But he was bored out of his mind stuck in here and he lay his ears back a little hoping to get a little bit of sympathy from the kitten, "Its really lonely in here... and I am all cooped up and cant go out. You know what that is like with the nursery I bet huh?" he meowed nodding

"If you play... maybe later I can sneak you out of camp for just a little look around?" he offered wanting to make a sweet deal sweeter but mostly just hoping she would agree so he could have somebody to visit with

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Bouncing (mossballs) off the walls [c] Ve9TQY8

Swiftheart

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Subject: Re: Bouncing (mossballs) off the walls [c] Wed 10 Jan 2024 - 6:21

Aw ty! I tend to overthink my writing a lot/be a huge perfectionist so that really mean a a lot Very Happy Hamu

Love your writing too! Especially the way you characterize stormwatcher and his growth from when he was an apprentice, plus the softer side of his personality. It’s amazing how much you can show about him from just one post! And ofc the moss hitting him on the head is fantastic lol))
Dw about it at all! I tend to write very slow and ik everyone’s busy so I totally understand))

- Ospreykit -

“Huh- what? Behind my ear?” The kit, too young to realize the trick, gaped in amazement as Stormwatcher pulled the missing ball of moss out of thin air. “No way- Was it really right there?” Ospreykit questioned, twisting her neck and ending up spinning in tight circles in the futile attempt to see behind her own ear. It remained attached to her head and out of vision of course, leaving her thoroughly impressed at the tom’s mastery of what seemed like magic. “That’s so cool! How’d you do that??” She studied both Stormwatcher and the mossball with fascination as he tossed it back to her, sticking her nose close to the toy and pawing at it a few times as if that would somehow reveal it's secrets. All methods of investigation quickly ehausted she turned her attention back to the warrior.

“Aw, I'm real sorry you’re stuck in here. Being sick sounds like no fun at all.” Ospreykit empathized, deflating a slight bit as she nodded in understanding of the warrior’s situation. She knew the feeling well. To a growing kit, especially one as lively and inquisitive as this one, being confined inside was the worst. She thought back to a quarter-moon ago when it had snowed and the banks of powder had stacked up almost to Ospreykit’s–admittedly pretty low–ears. Paledove hadn’t let them go out again for dayyys it was like torture. There were only so many times a young cat could pace the same den in circles before boredom set in, or before her mother snapped at them for playing too rough. That was the week she had been banned from starting indoor games of mossball– And pinecone-ball... And tag... And leapfrog. Ospreykit had started to wonder if she would never get out of the nursery. It was a wonder she wasn't an elder with grey fur on her muzzle after that eternity of waiting. But finally the snow had melted and Paledove had cautiously allowed the kits their freedom once more. A choice the queen would without a doubt regret when she realized her daughter had vanished into the medicine den at practically the first chance she got. Reminded she only had a limited amount of time before Paledove found and scolded her, the kit shook off her gloomy thoughts. At least she'd now escaped the nursery and even better she had someone to talk to and play with besides her littermates or Honeypaw! “Ok, deal! I’ll play with you.”

“Sneak out of camp?! Really??” She asked in what was probably the loudest, most excited attempt at a whisper ever heard in Skyclan’s territory. Her eyes were as wide and round as the lake now. “Won’t we get in trouble?” Momma wouldn’t like it if she found out… Paledove was always warning the kits about horrible predators that lurked outside the camp, telling horror stories to warn them they’d better stay in her sight for their own good. But Stormwatcher was a full-grown warrior, so it wouldn’t be dangerous if she went with him, right? She knew she'd get to leave camp when she eventually became an apprentice but that was moons away. It was practically the kit’s biggest dream of her life to see what was out there in the mysterious world beyond the perimeter of the clearing, even if she kept that a secret from her rather anxious, overbearing mother.

» 1-2-3 Mossballs away!
» moths and mossballs [o]
» Sweet Hearts and Mossballs [open]
» Beyond the Camp Walls [C]
» within her castle walls (c)