Under the Stars

Elmpaw stirred in the apprentices' den, blinking groggy eyes out at the entrance of the den and up at the night sky. He couldn't sleep, and it was bothering him. He didn't want to disturb the others any longer with his soft grumbles of annoyance and his tossing and turning, so he slowly rose to his paws and limped out of the den. It was a bit of a process, trying to sidestep all the other apprentices on the ground, but he made it out without stepping on any tails or heads or paws. That, in its own right, was a success.

The tortoiseshell tom sighed heavily and sat down for a moment outside the den, letting the moonlight hit his face. He almost preferred the camp at night than during the day. There were less cats about, and he could really focus on his own thoughts. It was a nice, cool Newleaf night. Why spend it just in the camp? Elmpaw got to his three feet again and slunk over to the entrance to the camp. While he was out there he might as well go for a walk. Sure, there may be predators out there...but would anyone really miss him if something happened to him?

He pushed his way through to the outside, taking in a breath of the still night air. And then he started walking. He didn't know exactly where he was going, or when exactly he'd come back, but that was okay. He'd be back by morning. He watched his paws as he walked, trying to wander though the moor as quietly as he could. After a while of getting lost in his own head, the sound of rushing water caught his attention. It seems he'd found his way to the Gorge. There was something about the Gorge that he liked, he couldn't place it. He found the rushing water and sharp rocks lining the bank to be somehow calming. Elmpaw sat down a safe distance away from the edge of the Gorge but close enough where he could peer down into it. Maybe he'd just sit here and watch it for a while...

Mothpaw had been awoken by the constant stirring of the other tom. The lean feline watched as the three-legged cat got himself up and out of his nest. His ears laid back as there seemed to be a still air once Elmpaw had left, he sighed gently to himself. The young tom always had an interest in Elmpaw just because of his legs but the other seemed to always smell of sadness everytime he passed him. Growing the courage to get up and fallow after the other, he stretched himself before he left just to let the other move on by his own and actually have some time alone before Mothpaw decided to join him.

He padded quickly after the other when he did decide to catch up with him. His green eyes and hefty face paid more attention to the night sky and the stars rather than the ground. His breath steamed into the clouds with the cold air of the newleaf midnight, it was calming. The earth seemed to come to a slight stop at night, things were sleeping and it was quiet. He couldn't help but think to himself what a rather charming night it was.

All though, moving out of his thoughts, he finally made it all the way to Elmpaw and his sitting spot. The feline was looking down into the Gorge but it didn't seem like he was going to do anything to harm himself. Mothpaw grew shy the closer he moved to the other, unsure on what to say other than he fallowed him all the way out here. He just decided to start instantly with small talk and try to avoid the whole 'how did you know I was out here' question. "Hey.." He mewed out gently, sitting next to him and looking down into the rock split, "It's.. nice out here. Especially tonight." He purred out, wrapping his tail neatly over his paws and finally glancing his green eyes over to the darker cat. "Don't you think?"

(OOC: on mobile ;; also, I just noticed they have the same speech color lol)

Elmpaw snapped out of his reverie with a start, his hackles rising at Mothpaw's sudden appearance beside him. He hadn't realized he was being followed this whole time. The darker tom cleared his throat awkwardly once he got over his initial shock, looking over at the younger apprentice. "Oh, uh...yeah. It is nice tonight..." He trailed off, looking back down at the water below. He didn't know Mothpaw particularly well, although the tom did seem nice enough. At least nice enough to follow him way out here.

After a few moments, he spoke again, looking back over at him with guilt creeping into his green eyes. "I hope I didn't wake you, I...I couldn't sleep. Sorry, you're...Mothpaw, right? I don't know if we've ever spoken before. I'm Elmpaw." Out of habit, he curled his long tail over his paws to try and hide the stump of his missing leg. Surely Mothpaw already knew, but he couldn't help himself.

OOC: I thought it was cute tbh : )

Mothpaw looked downwards, giving a soft sign and he laid himself against the ground and rested his head against his paws. "It doesn't matter if you woke me up or not, I'm not bothered by it either way.." He spoke with the truth, cats only grew restless if something was bothering them so the lighter colored feline didn't care too much because he had already known that Elmpaw was going through some things. "I would rather spend time with a possible friend than sleeping anyways," He smiled at the other and rolled onto his back showing off his belly just for a few moments to show that he was comfortable with being around the other, showing trust and hopefully comfort.

shifting back onto his paws he watched as Elmpaw moved his tail over his missing leg. Mothpaw had noticed his leg, surely everyone had but the tom didn't see anything wrong with it. It was a disadvantage for the tom but it didn't mean that he was a lesser soon to be warrior, "You don't have to hide around me, yknow. I have two extra toes on my front paw, see?" He moved his paw forward, of course he wasn't lying as he showed it off. The growth was surely there but it wasn't nearly as noticeable as a missing limb. "I don't see you as any less of a cat.. just so you know. Sorry if that doesn't help." He purred out a slight sorry, he just wanted the tom to be comfy around him.

(OOC: it is cute :) )

He watched Mothpaw idly, his attention briefly divided between him and the Gorge. The swiftly-running water was mesmerizing, the rapids swollen from the snow that had melted from Leafbare. The word "friend" caught his attention, though. He blinked at the other cat, unable to hide his surprise and hope. A friend? Really? Elmpaw watched in awe as Mothpaw smiled at him and casually rolled over to show his belly. The tom managed a soft smile back, easing himself down into a laying position. He suddenly felt odd being on a taller plane than Mothpaw was.

"That's...That's sweet," he mewed, watching Mothpaw with interest now. When the other showed him his extra toes his ears swiveled forward and he craned his neck over to get a better look. His tail loosened from around his stump. Honestly, he didn't know what to say to that. For a moment he froze and stared deeply into Mothpaw's face, trying to see if he was being sincere or not. It seemed he was, so Elmpaw looked away again, tentatively brushing the other apprentice's flank with his tail. "Thank you..." he murmured, quite sincere as well. "I...sorry, I don't think anyone's really told me that before. But thank you, it...it means a lot. That you think that."

Mothpaw half closed his eyes until he felt the tail run across him, he took this as an opportunity to scoot himself closer to the tom, at least until their pelts barely ruffled together. Shyness peaked up inside him as he leaned his head on the other apprentices shoulder, the white tom knew that he always had a romantic interest in Elmpaw. But, he wasn't entirely sure on how he would bring it up that he thought that the darker pelted feline was handsome to him and that he had admired him from afar.

He sighed, getting caught up with his thoughts, finally turning his attention back on the other, "No one has told you that before?" He asked, it was a disappointing thing to hear, the clan seemed bias against disabled cats but Mothpaw saw potiental and that shine in everyone and he didn't see how Elmpaw could be any different from a four legged cat. The short hair gave a slight hum, trying to figure his words in his head. "You're welcome, I'm glad to be the first, I guess..." He purred out, his tail gently wrapping around Elmpaw the best it could. "What's up though, what was keeping you awake? Anything in particular?" He asked, he didn't know how to continue the other conversation so he decided it was best to change the subject.

Elmpaw blinked as he felt Mothpaw shift towards him, their fur brushing together. He held in a gasp of surprise when the other tom leaned against his shoulder, his scent filling his nose. He wasn't sure how to decipher this. Did Mothpaw...like him? Like, like-like him? Or was he just being friendly? Not that Elmpaw would be mad if he did have feelings for him. That wasn't strange to him, having had small crushes on other toms before. He was just...surprised. He didn't expect anyone to ever like him like that. The tortoiseshell hadn't really considered Mothpaw much before until now, he was pretty cute. Elmpaw liked the spotting on his fur, and his eyes. The other's flank was warm against his and he inched his own closer so that they were actually touching.

His head a jumble of thoughts, he blinked another couple times when Mothpaw spoke again. "Yeah, I feel like our Clanmates don't know how to handle me. Like I'm some kind of monster or something, or something that needs to be treated extra specially or else I'll break. At least, I get that feeling from my mentor Brindlewhisker sometimes, although I'm sure she's trying her best." He found Mothpaw easy to talk to and easy to be around, their tails gently intertwining together. The apprentice's presence was calming.

"What's up though, what was keeping you awake? Anything in particular?"

He considered this for a few moments, absently kneading the ground in front of him with his front paws. "I...I don't know. A bunch of things, I guess. I was mostly thinking about what would happen if I hadn't run away from home when I was younger..." Elmpaw frowned and trailed off, awkwardly leaning over to press his cheek to the top of Mothpaw's head. "...Did you know I did that? It was many moons ago, that's why I'm kinda an old apprentice. Older than you, at least." That, and because it took him longer to learn how to hunt and fight properly. But that was probably obvious, given his disability.

Mothpaw was shocked that his clanmate returned the cuddling, he was unsure on how he should presume the interaction until Elmpaw continued to speak, it was calming listening to the other. If Elmpaw was talking to him so openly, he wasn't worried with the tom being uncomfortable with the touching. "You're stronger than the rest of us.. Even if you did run away it took a lot of emotional strength to pull though with that you know.. I see how hard you try and I understand why other cats would treat you that way but you're not a kit anymore, you're growing into a smart young warrior and others should treat you as such." The white male pushed his head against the others as he felt the darker male put his cheek to his head.

"I think cats act like you're going to break because you have a disadvantage on the rest of us, but it takes more time and effort to deal with it. I admire you honestly, I always have from afar. Cats just don't see what I see in you I think." The feline was second thinking his words but he couldn't take them back now.. "But I don't think that I've heard the story, if you're ready to share I'm all ears." He offered, giving a light purr from his throat the whole time he spoke. Mothpaw's voice had a slight rumble to it.

He closed his eyes as he listened to his clanmate speak, nuzzling his face gently against him. The compliments made his cheeks heat up underneath his fur and he swallowed carefully, hoping Mothpaw couldn't feel it. He wasn't used to getting compliments, it was a bit embarrassing for him. But he was very grateful to get them, of course. They were nice, he wished he got them more often. Elmpaw murmured a soft, "Thank you," in response to the other's words, his dark tail tightening around the white one.

"...You've really always admired me?" he asked incredulously after a few moments of silence, opening his green eyes again to glance down at Mothpaw. "That means a lot, actually...I-I know I've already said that, but...It's true." He was very flattered, and touched. He took a minute to gather his thoughts, then spoke again. "When I was a kit...my mother, she named me Hobblekit. When I was very little I didn't mind it but I quickly learned what it meant. My mother sheltered me much more than my littermates, forcing me to stay in the medicine cat's den for long hours. I think he took pity on me, though, since I was born like this, and let me go to the elders' den to listen to them tell stories. I think they pitied me too, honestly..." His ears flattened against his head and he pulled his face away from Mothpaw, staring out into the darkness. "I couldn't play very well with my siblings, and I had a hard time learning how to walk. My mother hardly let me leave the nursery if I wasn't with the medicine cat, so I would sit in the doorway to the nursery and just watch all the other cats walk around. I...I got fed up with it. I thought I could do more than my mother thought I did, so one night I just...ran away. I left the Clan and immediately got lost in the moors. I think I was around six moons. It didn't matter, I doubted any warrior would want to apprentice me anyway. I was out there alone for at least a couple moons, maybe three. No one ever came to look for me. At first I wanted to be found, for someone to just show that they cared...but no one did. I didn't want to go back. I almost got caught by a few patrols. I think...I was such a nuisance and a waste that they didn't want to find me either. Finally I was desperate and starving and I managed to find my way back to camp...Featherlight patched me up and took care of me and I became an apprentice and Ashstar let me change my name. So...here I am. I wanted to do something, make something of myself. I want to show that I'm not as useless as I look. That's why I came back." He sighed, letting his words drift off into the open air. It was a lot to talk about, hopefully Mothpaw didn't think he was crazy or something.