competition? [c]

Russetpaw had recently been informed that there was a cat vying for Silverwing’s attention.

She had even seen said cat and Silverwing talking. She had actually seen Sleepypaw talking to her! The horror! Who was this cat who was stealing all her friends? She would have to have a good, long talk with her. “At least I have you,” she mewed to Fuzzpaw- or where Fuzzpaw had been curled up half-asleep earlier. Probably getting something from the fresh-kill pile, she was pretty sure she would’ve heard Silverwing dragging him off for training. Oh well. It was for the best. The logical side of her reminded the red-pelted apprentice of just how embarrassed she’d be if Fuzzbutt actually heard that- but her much stronger emotional side just cried internally at the absence of all her friends. Even Fuzzbutt. Oh, how low had she sunk to consider him a friend?

Russetpaw knew that this wasn’t genuine anxiety and worry like what occasionally plagued her at night- just some dramatic whining- but still. Shadepaw was training with Coyotegrin. Blazefang and Silverwing were doing something, Sleepypaw was asleep (who would’ve guessed) and looked pretty tired… the warrior she’d sparred, Daisybreeze, was absent as well. Even the cats she’d hardly talked to, Adderdawn and Flutterpetal and her leader an’ deputy- were doing something as well. It was sun-high! Where was everyone?!?

Maybe Batsong was here, or she could talk to Birchpaw, Russetpaw mused as she wandered over to the medicine den. Poking her head in, she saw- the cat who was stealing all her friends! Gasp! Well, time for decisive action. Russetpaw flopped dramatically into the nest next to the marbled tabby, lolling her head back and sticking her tongue out. “I’m gonna perish of boredom!!! Arrrghhhhhhhhhhh-“ for extra effect, she thumped her paws on the floor a few times before going totally still- apart from a flutter of her eyes as she peeked carefully at the other molly. Brackenwing. Not fair- she even got to share a suffix with Silverwing! Argh!

Brackenwing's ear flicked as pawsteps entered the makeshift den that had been set up, providing merciful relief from the biting winds, if not relief from the total lack of solitude she so desperately missed. Right now seemed to be the closest she would get with Batsong away, and that now slipped through her paws at the approach of one of the apprentices. A russet she-cat. Silverwing's apprentice, if she remembered correctly.

Probably just looking for Batsong, which... Brackenwing couldn't help her with. She'd been napping when the older she-cat had left, and the stern warning to stay off her paws lingered in her ears still.

Her ears flattened at the sudden dramatics, the introverted tabby simply wasn't equipped to deal with such. Not now when she was tired, and bored, and annoyed with being cooped up as it was. However, Brackenwing's initial annoyance at being bothered gave way to a wry smile at the apprentice's antics. Despite her irritation at having to witness it, it was very much a feeling she could relate to at the moment. "That makes two of us. Batsong won't let me leave." She huffed.

"You're... Russetpaw, right?"

“Ah, kitnapping! Who would’ve suspected Batsong guilty of such a heinous crime! She lures unsuspecting apprentices in with promises of stories, and then- snap! she sticks them in her den! Where I- erm, them- waste away to pitiful scraps of fur! The misery!” Russetpaw cracked her eyes open, sizing up the other tabby. Hmmm. What did Silverwing and Sleepypaw see in her? She didn’t even know Russetpaw’s name, for crying out loud! Obviously she was not very high on the awesome-o-meter. Nowhere near Russetpaw levels, or even, say, Daisybreeze levels. At least she was higher than Fuzzbutt- for now.

“No, I’m Starpaw the wonderful, slayer of monsters and conqueror of Clans!” Russetpaw tried to whirl to her paws- but forgot about the moss nest, which she promptly tripped into, banging her chin on the rocks underneath the soft moss. It didn’t really hurt that much, but still! “Traps! Oh my stars, the deviousness of this medicine cat knows no bounds. Fear not, Brackenwing, I, the mighty Starpaw, will rescue you!” She’d wanted to call herself Russetwing, but then Brackenwing might think that Russetpaw liked her. No- the one she liked and looked up to wa Silverwing. Get it right, Bracken… Brackenfall, she decided. ‘Cause she wasn’t as awesome as Silverwing, no matter how complex her feelings on Silverwing at the moment.

"I've been wasting away in here for moons." Brackenwing sighed, "What I wouldn't give to have the moors under my paws." She wouldn't admit it, especially not to the apprentice in front of her, but her antics were... Entertaining. And she wasn't just sitting here staring at the side of her nest, as she had been doing.

"Hey- Careful!" She mewed as 'Starpaw' - the name earned a twitch of the whiskers from Brackenwing - tripped over the nest, smacking her jaw against hard stone. "Wouldn't want to end up in here for moons for real, right, Starpaw?"

You could give me all of Silverwing’s fondness towards you! Russetpaw thought at the older she-cat’s comment-

Oh.

Oh no.

She hadn’t thought that, had she?

She had said it out loud.

The mortified apprentice’s ears turned as bright foxing red as her pelt. Maybe- maybe she hadn’t heard that? Carefully not looking at Brackenwing, she started chattering in a ludicrously high-pitched voice. “Oh no, I wouldn’t end up in here for real, no Starpaw the mighty is way to mighty and awesome for that, right like my warrior name would be something cool like Stargleam which I have already earned because I am this awesome yes and when I’m leader I’ll be Gleamstar so it wouldn’t be hare-brained haha not that I’m calling you hare-brained ‘cause that’d be mean like right?” She finally paused to take a breath, still fixedly staring at the wall. And not. At Brackenwing.

“Stars, I really do run on, don’t I?”

*nervous laughter*

((She's so awkward! I love her!))

The fondness Silverwing gave her...? Brackenwing blinked, confusion and surprise evident within her green eyes. "You're... Jealous? But she- You're-" Her tone wasn't accusatory, merely confused and startled, but the apprentice was rushing off into a high-pitched stream of words. And Brackenwing could practically see her ears turn the same shade of red as her pelt.

Maybe... Maybe it was best to just ignore it. If Russetpaw hadn't heard her... But the words still stuck in Brackenwing's mind. But you're her apprentice, how can you be jealous? Surely she hadn't just heard those words from Russetpaw, she barely knew the apprentice who had been training with Silverwing, after all. And Silverwing had been plenty busy enough rather than wasting time sitting around the medicine den.

"What, don't want to be Starstar? Because that would be hare-brained. Neither of us are that." Well, if it helped distracted from... whatever jealousy the apprentice felt that Brackenwing was half-convinced she'd only heard in her own head...

"Erm. No? I mean- It could be worse."

((russ is a hen with no younger siblings + no responsibilities + no trauma from watching ash get mauled as a kit))

Russetpaw’s face was a mask of perfect mortification. Heeheehee… heh… wait, maybe Brackenwing hadn’t just said that? Yeah? Hopefully? Surely if she had she’d be all angry-like and all “Silverwing is my friend, stay away”. Yeah. So now they’d continue with a perfectly normal conversation that was not awkward at all. Yeah. That was good. Right. Except that now her words in her head were all scrambled-like and she could ‘ardly think straight. Just- come on Russetpaw, you can talk, you know how to do that… just… say things, but not hare-brained things this time, okay? Alright? Think before you speak, hare-brain, you.

“Right, yes um…” it was perfectly normal to pause mid-sentence when she’d been rambling on moments before. Right. “Uh… soooo… how’s the prey running lately- oh stars- Erm- what was Sleepypaw doing in here earlier?” Great, two stupid questions in a row. This had been going so well but now it was so not. How awkward could this be? How long would it be until Batsong returned? Would she be stuck in the awkwardness for all eternity???

"Great starclan." She muttered. This had certainly been one of the more awkward conversations Brackenwing had been involved in, and she had to admit she was no stranger to awkward conversations.

At least Russetpaw seemed more capable of finding an out than Brackenwing, who would've been content to sit and let the awkward, agonizing silence engulf them both. A snort escaped her at the mention of prey. "Prey's running better than I am, at the moment I'd wager." Sleepypaw? She'd- Oh, right. She had been by earlier. Well, more like the previous night really, but time blurred in this den. "She... Couldn't sleep. Rather ironic given her name."

Right. Riiight. Russetpaw’s electric blue eyes narrowed in apprehension. Sleepypaw, not being able to sleep? Hah. Brackenwing did not know the trouble this obvious-lie was going to get her into. Obviously she had summoned Sleepypaw to steal her! Except Sleeps was waaaay too awesome to ever fall for that. So. Brackenwing = bad, don’t let Silverwing or Sleepypaw near her ever again… but, surprisingly, at the thought, Russetpaw felt a small pang of regret and guilt. The other molly had been cooped up in the medicine den Russetpaw’s entire apprenticeship, pretty much. Surely she could spare the lonely tabby a few moments of her friends’ time… eergh. She guessed so. If she had to. But once Brackenwing was out and about? Nope!

Engrossed in her thoughts, Russetpaw completely forgot to reply.

Russetpaw stayed quiet, and Brackenwing wasn't sure if it was because of the lingering awkwardness or simply not having anything to say. Either way, Brackenwing was perfectly content to let the silence sit between them. She could've tried to pick up the conversation again, but she was sure that that would only lead to more awkwardness, and who wanted that? Not her, and she was pretty certain Russetpaw wouldn't either.

“Riiiiiiiight…” Russetpaw trailed off, slowly backing out of the den, ears pinned. Brackenwing was spooky. She just- stared. Spookily. The red-pelted apprentice cautiously inched backwards, desperately trying to think of something to say to get her out of here. Anywhere but here. This was the absolute pinnacle of awkwardness. Ugh. And Brackenwing was weird, too.

“SoI’vegottsgodostuffsolikeseeyalateriguessbye!” And with that she was gone, turning tail and bolting out of the medicine cat den like her tail was on fire.