Birds of a Feather (Closed for Midnee)

Finchpaw trotted into the sunlit camp, her jaws parting in an exhausted yawn. Training with Squirreltuft was always hard work; the she-cat was always kept on her toes. Though she always came back tired, the silver tabby truly loved being out in the forest, learning the ways of a warrior. I wonder when I'll start battle training....

There were only a few items left on the pile at this point in the day; she had the choice between a slightly stale water vole, or a large carp. Picking up the sizable fish in her small jaws, the she-cat suddenly became top-heavy. Setting it down gentle on the ground nearby, she looked around the camp for someone to share it with.

Ospreypaw smiled as he watched his friend enter the camp, his whiskers twitching as his eyes followed her. The tom got to his paws, stretching as he did so.

Carefully, he trotted over to the silver She-cat, a grin plastered on his tabby face. "Mind if I join you?" he purred as he settled down beside her.

A familiar pelt caught her eye, and Finchpaw turned to purr a friendly greeting to Ospreypaw. "Sure! I was hoping someone would." Smiling, she shifted over a bit to let him settle down next to her. Taking a bite out of her fish, she turned a bright yellow eye towards him. Gesturing to the large carp, she asked; "Do you want a bite?"

Ospreypaw nodded, a purr rumbling in throat. "Thanks, Finchpaw." he meowed as he sat down beside her. The tom glanced down at the large fish at their paws and he suddenly realised how hungry he was. Without much thought he took a bite, the flavour of fish he loved so much, exploded in his mouth. "This is so good, did you catch it? " asked Ospreypaw cocking his head.

For a moment Finchpaw was tempted to claim the fish as her own, wanting to impress the older tom, but her honesty won out. "I wish I could say so; I just picked it off the pile."  With a slight chuckle, she took another bite and chewed before asking; "How's your training going?  You should be a warrior soon, right?"

Ospreypaw nodded, glad for his friends honesty. I wouldn't be surprised if you did catch it, you're the best ..lcatching fish!" he meowed. Ospreypaw took another bite of the fish as he listened to his friend speak. "Soon, hopefully. It's not that bad being an apprentice, though. My trading is going good, what about yours? asked the tabby tom twitching his whiskers thoughtfully.

Finchpaw gazed down at her shuffling paws when Ospreypaw commented on her fishing skills, blushing slightly beneath her fur. With a slight chuckle, she meowed "I'm not that good of a fisher yet....." Looking up, she met his bright gaze and finished her reply in a purr; ".... but thank you for the compliment!" Turning away, she took another bite of the fish and swallowed before answering his next question.

"My training is going great! Squirreltuft always works me really hard, and usually when I get back to camp it feels like my legs are gonna fall off." She laughed for a moment before continuing with a more serious tone. "So far, I've only learned hunting and fishing skills. It's getting kind of boring, doing the same things every day." An excited light flashed in her eyes, and her ears perked; "I want to start battle training! But Squirreltuft hasn't mentioned it yet...."

"That's great!"purred Ospreypaw as Finchpaw talked about her training. "It's good that Squirreltuft is pushing you like this, it'll make you into a fine warrior. I bet battle training will come soon, you've been an apprentice for awhile now." he added as he tucked his paws closer to his chest. The tabby tom gave his chest a few licks.

Ospreypaw glanced up at the sky, thinking of how proud Fogheart must be. I'll be a warrior soon mom! I did it all for you! Are you proud of me? He wished he could hear a reply, but he knew none would ever come.

Ospreypaw sighed and turned his head to look at Finchpaw. "I still miss her, you know." he meowed solemnly. He thought for a moment, then realised Finchpaw wouldn't know he was talking about. "My mother, Fogheart, she died when I was a kit... It make my family a little weird..." he added trying to now push the subject away. He didn't know why he had brought it up in the first place.

Finchpaw nodded her head in agreement, and opened her mouth to continue the conversation on training; but Ospreypaw seemed to have become distracted. She gazed at him curiously as he looked up at the sky, and turned her eyes upward as well. What's he looking at? I don't see anything....

His voice caught her attention, and she turned back to Ospreypaw, listening as he spoke of his deceased mother. Finchpaw had never known about Fogheart, or her tragic demise, but she was glad her friend trusted her enough to talk about the sad topic. With a sympathetic smile, she shifted her body a little closer to his, their fur brushing comfortingly.

"I'm sorry for your loss Ospreypaw, I could never imagine what sadness you had to go through...." Twisting her head, she looked up at the sky for a moment before shifting her gaze back to him. "I'm sure that she's watching over you from StarClan, and that she is very proud."

Ospreypaw flinched away as their pelts brushed, but he quickly calmed down. He smiled at Finchpaw, grateful for her sympathy."Don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault. She died when I was a kit." Ospreypaw mewed gently. He shifted his paws again, moving a little closer, Leafbare was still biting.

Finchpaw purred; she hadn't realized how cold it was out here until she felt the warmth flooding from her friend's fur. She shifted a little bit closer, fluffing out her thick pelt to press against his, so that both cats could share each other's comforting warmth. The silver and white she-cat smiled gently, and meowed "I know.....do you have any memories of your mother? Did she pass while you were very young, or can you remember her?"

Realization suddenly swept over the young she-cat, and she shied away a bit. "Oh, a..are you okay with talking about this? I don't want to intrude or..or hurt you or..." She trailed off, hoping she hadn't upset the tom. With wide eyes, she frantically searched her friend's face for signs of sadness or offence.

He smiled softly as Finchpaw moved closer, the warmth was welcoming. The tom flicked his ear as he listened to Finchpaw asking about his mother. "It's fine, Finchpaw. I don't want her memory to die." purred Ospreypaw reassuringly.

The tom furrowed his brow, searching for memories of Fogheart from his early kithood. "Well, Fogheart was grey-ish, like you. She was blind, though, and very overprotective of me and my siblings. I don't remember my siblings... They died when I was very young." he meowed trying to tell Finchpaw as much as he could remember.

Ospreypaw never thought about his siblings, Dewkit and reedkit. He remembered Dewkit being increadiy shy and gentle, but nothing else. Ospreypaw cocked his head, as he looked at Finchpaw, waiting for her response.

Finchpaw let out a silent sigh of relief at Ospreypaw's positive reaction to her questions.  The last thing she ever wanted to do was make him sad.  Regaining her curious smile, she tipped her head to the side a bit, thinking hard to conjure up images of these cats from his descriptions.  Snapping back to reality, she chuckled a bit before purred jokingly "Oh, I think Fallowstripe could give Fogheart a good run around as far as over-protectiveness goes."  There was no disrespect or scorn in the young she-cat's voice; she truly was grateful for her mother's love and involvement in her life; talking to her friend made her cherish their bond even more.  

Her eyes once more gleamed with sympathy when he spoke about his lost siblings, and she searched for questions to ask.  After a moment, she spoke up; "What did your siblings look like?  Were any of them blind, like your mother?"  The small she-cat was glad that her friend seemed open to talk about his past, because it had begun to peek her curiosity.  Not just for her own sake, but for her friend's as well, she wanted to learn and know all she could.  She wanted to fully understand him, and his situation, so she could support and comfort him.  The tom had always intrigued her, and she was deeply glad they had such a close friendship.

"Oh, really? Fogheart, didn't let me leave the nursery... I had to sneak out, she was so angry when she found me!" he chuckled relishing his mother's memory. Ospreypaw wondered why Finchpaw was so curious, but he didn't mind, he was glad that someone cared.

Remembering his sibling for Finchpaw was harder, he barely remembered them at all, let alone what they looked like. "Well..." Ospreypaw paused, furrowing his brow again. "Dewkit, was a very pale wispy grey, like Fogheart. Reedkit, I really don't remember him, but he had a funny tail... That's really all I can remember. " he meowed.

Finchpaw laughed; nodding, she accepted her defeat. "Okay, I guess you win. Or, Fogheart wins." Smiling, she tilted her head to the side curiously as Ospreypaw began to describe his siblings. Nodding, she looked distracted for a moment while she tried to imagine them in her head. Snapping back, she meowed "Did he have like, a short tail? Or a broken tail, or?" Letting out a small laugh, she continued; "I'm probably breaking your brain with all these questions, if you want to stop just say."