Together Forever or Whenever [closed]

A long day had passed, and it was cold. Even Dacepaw had noticed how brisk the air was despite her dense, comfortable coat of tortoiseshell colors, and the patrols and training she'd done during the day had worn her out considerably. By the time the sun was beginning to set - promising an even colder night, most likely - the ThunderClan apprentice's pale mottled paws were dragging as she made her way through camp. Dacepaw approached the fresh-kill pile for her final meal of the day. She bent down to pick up a speckled bird and was surprised by the weight on it as she lifted her head again. It was too big for her, even with her appetite.

That was when a dull brown pelt in the corner of Dacepaw's vision gave her a brilliant idea. "Duskpaw!" Dacepaw called to the she-cat, instantly and absent-mindedly letting the fat bird flop unceremoniously back to the earth in her excitement. The eager tortoiseshell reached down to pick it up again and scampered quickly to Duskpaw's side, wasting no time rubbing her thick coat down the full length of her dear friend's side and then back up the other so they were standing side-by-side facing into camp. Dacepaw sat her bird down and said, "Hi, Duskpaw, I'm happy you're here! Do you wanna come share this prey with me?" She motioned to it, pressing herself against the other apprentice with a hopeful look.

Duskpaw's pelt remained as dusty as ever, strands of fur sticking up every which way. Stray cobwebs clung to her underbelly, the occasional spider wriggling between the apprentice's paws. The air was cold as the cream-gray she-cat padded into camp, breath billowing in front of her. Her eyes stung with the wind, and a fierce determination to be stronger than her little form allowed her to be. Hazelpaw's death replayed itself in the small cat's mind, blood dripping down her dreams. But Duskpaw wasn't scared, she was angry. She only wished to become a fighter like Beartooth or Dawngaze, a strong cat that could kill the fox that stole her sister's life away.

But her drive was cut off as a familiar fuzzy frame squeaked her name and brushed past her side. Dacepaw was warm, purr vibrating, the scent of bird in her mouth. "Hello Dacepaw." Duskpaw mewed, green eyes following the she-cat's movements. The sight of the bird made her tummy rumble, and it dawned on the apprentice that she hadn't eaten today. "Yeah! Lets eat here under the trees." Duskpaw spoke in response, voice billowy. The two she-cats settled down and Duskpaw let her shoulders brush with Dacepaw's, finding she liked the warmth the apprentice carried with her. It reminded her of comforting things like worms and hollowed logs. Except worms and logs were not warm, Dacepaw was.

Duskpaw's husky voice sounded in Dacepaw's ears, rumbling from the pale gray-brown she-cat's body into Dacepaw's own chest, mingling with the rattling of her purr. Dacepaw felt her friend's stomach growl, and so the apprentice was extra delighted that the she-cat agreed to join with her. Duskpaw offered that they eat under the trees and Dacepaw replied agreeably, "Okay!" She scooped up the prey again, and the two ThunderClan apprentices made their way just off to the side to an overhang of trees where they had eaten meals together many times before. Dacepaw made herself comfortable, and Duskpaw did the same, and by the time they were settled the two she-cats were side by side, pelts brushing.

The bird before them still smelled quite fresh, likely obtained in the hunting patrol before the sun had descended. Dacepaw politely pushed the bird towards Duskpaw, purring, "I heard your tummy rumble, you can have the first bite." Despite offering her friend the chance to eat, however, Dacepaw chittered out excitedly, looking with genuine interest towards Duskpaw, "So what'd you do today? I practiced my stalking with Dawngaze, but all these leaves make it impossible not to crunch around. I feel like a big dumb raccoon with all the noise. Dawngaze is good at it. So are you - did you get any battle training?" She knew how much Duskpaw loved that.

Duskpaw's maw twisted into a shy smile as Dacepaw pushed the bird towards her. Mouth watering, she leaned down to tear at the breast, relishing the taste of food. "Thankf youm." The she-cat purred, mouth full. Dacepaw went on to tell about her day, speaking of Dawngaze and the hunting practice they did. A gust of wind carried threw the camp and cut through Duskpaw's coat. She leaned further into Dacepaw, imagining that the apprentice would make a good nest with all her fur. A hearty swallow, and then a gasp of air at the question of battle practice. "No... Beartooth is sad. Do you think I should bring him some worms? Emberheart liked my worms." The she-cat pushed the bird back to Dacepaw to allow her friend to eat, and wondered about all the prey Dacepaw must have seen. "Did you find any squirrels when you were out with Dawngaze? Or birds?"

A leaf gusted through camp, followed by many others, and Duskpaw giggled, stifling the urge to chase them. She imagined it would be difficult to walk over them, like Dacepaw had said. But Duskpaw wanted to learn. If she was going to kill a fox, she needed to be quiet. "Oh! Maybe Dawngaze can teach us both to walk on leaves? I wanna be super quiet, like a tiger!" Duskpaw's exclamation was followed by another whimsical giggle as she stared at Dacepaw. Duskpaw couldn't put her nose on it, but loved the feeling adventure held. Things like tigers and foxes were funny to her, and being near her fuzzy friend was comforting. She didn't need to be angry over Hazelpaw when Dacepaw was there.

Once Dacepaw finished her barrage of questions, the dark she-cat beside her let out a gasp. Inwardly, Dacepaw was pleased that she had, in fact, found the right thing to talk about. She let out a sad "aww!" when Duskpaw explained she hadn't been battling because her mentor had been sad. Some part of Dacepaw's mind connected that Houndheart had been extra unhappy lately with the thought of Beartooth being upset, but Duskpaw spoke quickly onwards and so the she-cat thought nothing else of it, focusing again instead on her dearest friend. Dacepaw nodded enthusiastically at the suggestion of worms, mewing, "You always find really shiny ones - you're a better bug-finder than all the birds in the forest."

At that, Dacepaw immediately ducked her head down to take a neat bite of the bird, and she absently began to pluck a few feathers away as she chewed. Duskpaw asked if she'd seen any squirrels or birds and at each Dacepaw made sounds of affirmation. "Ah sawl a lolt!" she mumbled through her food. Duskpaw suggested excitedly that maybe they could both learn to stalk together, and Dacepaw swallowed her bite and answered, "Yes please!" She pushed the bird back and mewed, "I like Dawngaze; you're like her, so strong and brave. I bet I'd be able to be sneaky if you were there too."

Duskpaw stared at Dacepaw after her compliment, green eyes blank with hidden thoughts. The fact that Dacepaw thought Duskpaw was strong and fast like Dawngaze was puzzling to her. Duskpaw didn't know how to fight as well as the warriors. Was Dacepaw lying? Or maybe she was being kind? "Thank you Dacepaw!" Duskpaw answered happily, thinking she'd figure out her puzzle later. Carefully, the apprentice removed a feather from her friend's pelt with her teeth, giggling as it stuck to her nose. "There's so many!" Duskpaw squeaked, eyes creased in a smile. As feathers were plucked from the bird, the floated around the clearing, shining in the sun.

They were like leaves, only the leaves were crinkly under Duskpaw's feet. Perhaps if there were feathers on the forest floor, Duskpaw could walk quietly and hunt all the beasts she wanted. "Your fur is clean, Dacepaw." She spoke abruptly, leaning down to take a bite of their bird. A bone crunched in her maw, and the she-cat swallowed. "I have spiders in my fur, they tickle sometimes." The she-cat giggled again, and gave her friend a large smile, teeth gooey with flesh. Its charm was arguable, however her intentions were pure.