i wish i was a baller [c]

Finally, he was Batpaw. No longer did he have to stay in that dinky nursery with Lilypaw and her smelly kit who'd come into the camp as an imposter and a stain upon his good name. He could breathe some proper fresh air when he slept, surrounded by the comforting scent of ShadowClan cats and with some of his closest companions. Companions? Comrades. Orchidpaw, Nettlepaw and Crabpaw. He admittedly didn't approach them very often unless he needed something, but he preferred things this way. It was far less messy and he didn't get attached to anybody if he was never friends with them. If they died committing to him someday in the future, he would be able to brush it off!

Still, he should at least make it look like he cared about them. He wasn't big and scary, he couldn't command their loyalty through fear... He had to gain it some other way. It was why he was in the apprentice's den now after chomping into a particularly plump bird, a mouthful of its remaining feathers with him. He spat them out once he had reached his own nest which he put strategically near the three cats he knew best. Not terribly close, but not terribly far. Just close enough that he would share his warmth with them and be able to keep a close eye. He began to sort the feathers carefully, dividing them into a group of four. The smallest pile was for himself - a sacrifice he reluctantly, but had to, make. They were otherwise relatively equal, save for the fact that Crabpaw had a couple more than the other two. Call it favoritism, but Crabpaw had very little ambition and so was less of an issue for Batpaw. Closer to a friend than a rival.

After a bit of work, he was finished. And he was proud of it. Initially, he wasn't going to tell any cat what he'd done, but how would they know it was his doing if he didn't tell them? He deserved the credit for giving them such comfortable nests. Batpaw rose to his paws and shot out of the apprentice's den, calling out. "Nettlepaw! Nettlepaw, come at once! You must receive the gift I have made for you! You will enjoy it!" A pause. "...NETTLEPAW!"

"The biggest! As my closest and most trusted companion, that is what you deserve. I've placed your nest nearby Crabpaw's as well as Orchidpaw's, and most importantly, my own." He raised his chin proudly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He'd better say thank you.

He sat down at the entrance of the den, nodding towards the back of the cluster of nests. "If you are referring to Lilypaw, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Otherwise, every cat sleeps much too loudly. Little regard for the sleep of others. I think they should see our medicine cat for whatever ails them so." Batpaw let out a heavy sigh, his tail thudding on the ground once. "Especially if it is bothering you. You could... You could grow cold and lonely outside of the den. I shall join you, however, if you decide to do so!"

Batpaw's head inclined downwards slightly, his chin pointing towards his chest. He was gazing at Nettlepaw with an unusual emotion, something he had only felt for his mother. Affection. Yes, he felt affection for Nettlepaw - the same way a litter would feel towards one another. Dare he say, he looked at Nettlepaw as kin? It was not as though he knew what it was like to have siblings anyway - Batpaw was the only kit his mother gave birth to.

"I would imagine, considering New-Leaf is so close, it would be best to sleep beneath one of the pine trees. We would be mostly sheltered from the rain, should it fall, and shaded from the heat of the blistering sun." He inched closer to the white tom. "But let's stay in our den while we can, yes? I have made us nests, and I do not want to do it all over again so soon... I would not worry about needing to move. Get the thought out of your mind." He purred silkily, letting the tip of his tail brush against Nettlepaw's flank.