Out of Practice [C]

Woolywing yawned as he came to from a fitful sleep. The quake had messed up his whole schedule so he wasn't entirely sure what time it was, though he imagined it was quite early since he could only hear the stirring of a few cats and the blackbirds were starting to sing. He appreciated that the birds kept to their singing schedule even after everything. They were persistent creatures. The white tom gave a brief sigh. He couldn't leave, not without permission and an accompanying patrol. Even if he was allowed to hunt on his own, the territory here was mostly foreign to him. Doubly so now that it had been ravaged by the disaster. He could stroll through Fourtrees, but navigating a clearing packed with half-awake cats didn't sound like an entirely fun activity this early in the morning. He sniffed the air, more out of habit than any practical reason. Plus, never bad to practice. He noted the birds, he could smell quite a few of them. The oaks here stood strong, they must be a good shelter for the songbirds whose homes had been destroyed. The scent of the cats around him filled his nose too, though it was hard to sift through all the differing scents and get any meaningful information. Still, it was a slight comfort in the chaos that had been the last few days. That he wasn't alone.

A rustle to his left got his attention. A RiverClanner? He assumed so, the sound was quite close. "Good morning, who's there?" He called softly.

"Just me." A voice responded softly. Despite having their own area around the fourtrees Sootspirit didn't want to cause to much of a fuss for any of the other clans. "Sootspirit.." The dark tom added just for food measure.

"Why are you awake so early Woolywing? Maybe it was unfair of him to ask that question considering that he was awake as well, but he was going to ask it regardless.

Woolywing gave a soft exhale of relief and a welcoming smile to his Clanmate. "Sootspirit. Long time no talk!" The small tom got to his feet, shaking out his thick pelt. He slowly made his way over to the other tom, more comfortable being near the cat he was talking to. "I'm not sure. I suppose it's hard to sleep, I've still got jitters from the quake. And I like to listen to the birds." He motioned his head upwards, towards the birdsong. "You can't really hear them over all the Clans, so I try to be up early just to hear them." He tilted his head sheepishly, hoping Sootspirit didn't find him odd for birdwatching.

The stout tom heard stirring around him as some cats began to wake up. He motioned away from himself, hopefully in the direction of Fourtrees' exit. "Would you like to go out? It doesn't have to be a patrol or anything. I'd like to stretch my legs, and Perchstar prefers I don't leave on my own." He noted the bitterness in his own voice. "I suppose it's all for the best," he added with a forced chuckle.

The dark tom let out a soft but pleasant hum at Woolywing's words and observations. It really was quieter before everyone was awake. The birds that remained after the quake seemed to be singing as best as they could covering any idle chatter that was taking place in the clearing right now.

Amber eyes turned to his companion as soon as the tom offered to go on a walk. While Sootspirit was hesitant to leave Riverclan behind, it was needed to get away from the clearing.. There was too much going on and it made it a little hard to process everything. Some quiet could do him some good. "I'm good with taking a walk. If we stick by each other it should be fine." He wasn't going to go too far.. He didn't need something else happening while he was out again.