Being Ourselves [C]

Tail lashing and claws kneading the earth, Webpaw was the perfect picture of annoyed. He screwed his face up, surveying the camp for a moment before turning away with a huff. In truth, he wasn't in a particularly bad mood– today he was having a good day, not at all overwhelmed with his Clanmates' noise. He was simply.. bored. Horribly, awfully bored. He had considered asking Rosethorn or Fangsnap if they could hunt or spar or anything, but just as soon as he'd started looking for them he heard they had both gone on patrol. With no interest in asking anyone else to join him (except maybe his family, but the thought of them watching him train made his fur prickle), he had settled for the boredom.

It was quickly turning out to be a bad idea, though, because his head had started to buzz. Soon, with too little to do, he would think too hard about everything going on around him, and he would quickly ruin his good day. And that was simply not going to happen.

I'm too old for mossball, the tabby thought glumly as he spared a glance towards the nursery. Maybe one of the other apprentice's wanted to sit with him? But... he wasn't particularly close with any of them. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be, either. They had friends of their own, and he had siblings that wouldn't judge him or give him odd looks. It was a happy medium, and he was content not to socialize.

... Except he was bored. And the more he thought, he was lonely, too.

Figuring he backed himself into a corner, his only solution would be to talk to someone. Slowly getting to his paws, Webpaw stretched, taking a deep breath before trotting over to the den. "Uhm– are any of you guys still in there? Want to come outside?" He called, not wanting to stick his head in and see all the nests were empty and his efforts were again pointless. Rejection he could handle, but if he found the rest of his denmates had long since been taken out of camp he might just have to run off into the marshes himself.

Stars, it was too hot outside.

Her black and white mottled fur seemed to absorb the sun. She figured the other apprentices were tired of her tagging along. After her mentor Briarthorn left, she had to cling to any mentor/apprentice pair to get some training in.

She heard a voice and stirred. “Huh..?”

Poppypaw opened her eyes. Webpaw. He was nice enough, so she thought. She didn’t know much about him, which she felt guilty for. The mottled she-cat perked up when she realized he was waiting for her.

“Hey, you doing alright?”

Perhaps she was jaded. Other kits didn’t want to play with her because of her spots back when she was younger, and she had some trepidation about other cats since. She took in a deep breath, bracing for a snide comment.

Oh, Poppypaw. He wanted to be grateful it was her, but he found it hard when he couldn't think of a time they had ever spoken.

Oh, well. She had been kind in passing, so he gave her a smile when she appeared. "Oh, I'm fine. I just–" He scuffed the earth, expression briefly souring again, "–well, Fangsnap and Rosethorn left without me, and I don't want to talk to the other warriors, and I'm just.. I'm bored." At some point he had started sulking, so he quickly straightened himself out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ramble." His smile was back, though far more sheepish than before. "I wondered if you wanted to do something. Anything, really." The realization he had no ideas that weren't sneak out and go for a run to Fourtrees made his ears flush, but he would be equally happy to just have her company doing nothing at all.

Someone wanted to hang out with her? How nice of him.

"Sure," she mewed, raising to her paws.

"We'll come up with something to do."

What could they do? It was greenleaf, too hot to run around. Poppypaw didn't want to embarrass herself by trying to hunt in front of him.

"Hmm..."

Poppypaw grimaced. How boring was she?

"If you could do anything, what would you do?"

"Well." It was a little awkward to admit, honestly. Webpaw felt his face grow hotter still, and he couldn't tell if it was the warm weather or his own embarrassment.

"Anything? I've always wanted to see the river, honestly. See if I can swim..." He paused to laugh, the sound short and forced. "I don't think mom would like that very much, though."

Curling his tail around his paws, he gave the camp entrance a wistful glance. One day, he would make his way out there. Devoted as he was to ShadowClan, he wanted to at least see RiverClan someday.

Shaking himself out of his longing, he turned back to Poppypaw, smiling again. "Sometimes I like to watch the clouds. Some of them look like animals!" His voice was a warm purr, and he turned his face skyward to look at the white shapes as they drifted by. Raising a paw, he pointed at one that was threatening to blow apart. "See? That one looks like a frog. Well. Only kind of, I guess."

This was nice, honestly– he didn't mind sitting quietly with her and finding what they could in the sky above, and she had been nice and more than willing to sit with him. He was glad he had taken a chance on asking someone to spend time with him.