catching snowflakes

To say that Mistpaw was nervous was something of an understatement. Even in the safety of Fourtrees, surrounded only by familiar cats, she was jumpy and anxious; prone to jumping a few steps back if someone approached unexpectedly or spoke too loud. This was somewhat alleviated in the presence of either her sister Stonepaw or her mentor Dawnfeather, but she still preferred to watch most happenings from a safe and comfortable distance.

Usually from behind a rock, or under a bush, but now that she was an apprentice she looked forward to learning to climb trees. Then she could keep an eye on things without anyone paying attention.

Today, though, she'd woken to a new and unfamiliar sight; a blanket of white over the world. It was cold and crunchy when she'd risen from her nest: apparently this was snow, something she'd heard of but not experienced, proof that leaf-bare was upon them at last.

She had recoiled at first, the cold a shock to her, but now she watched as more of it fell from the sky; dusting over her and glittering in the sunlight. It was pretty, if she let herself look at it that way.

Hesitantly, she stuck out her tongue, wondering if she could maybe- catch the snow? What would it taste like?

(As one of the flakes landed as intended, she learned that it tasted like cold; but she kept trying to catch them anyway. It was... Fun, maybe? Something she could lose herself in.)

It had been a long time since Dawnfeather had seen snow.

It reminded her of days spent with Olive near the mostly-frozen creek, of playing in the whiteness with Holly. It reminded her of days spent trying to track down her loved ones, of nights spent too far from home- but she didn’t have to think of that, did she? No. She could- she would focus on the brighter days.

The golden she-cat craned her head back, gazing up at the cloudy skies and letting whiteness slowly cover her pelt. It was cold, colder than she liked it, but it was also invigorating, sending adrenaline through her veins. She wondered if Foxpaw had seen snow, yet, or if she’d missed that… she should ask. Was-

Dawnfeather was immediately distracted by the sight of her apprentice- her apprentice- trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue. How adorable- Mistpaw was such a sweetheart, even more quiet than Hollowpaw had been- and, of course, far more timid than rowdy… Antpaw- the little she-cat had seen so much, for her age, being thrown out of her home and watching her Clanmates being taken by Twolegs… Dawnfeather sympathized. Not empathized. She’d never had that happen to her.

The golden she-cat made her way over to where her apprentice stood, waving her tail in greeting and shaking the snow off her pelt. Mistpaw’s was thick and long, so she didn’t worry about the apprentice catching cold. “Isn’t the snow beautiful?” Dawnfeather purred in greeting, coming to stand beside the apprentice. ”I remember running down this very slope beside one of my friends and diving into the snow. It’s such fun.”

This was, Wolfblossom realized, her first experience with snow. The white stuff covering the ground crunched under foot and was cold to the touch, and more of it fell from the sky, dusting her opalescent and pale tabby fur with white. Entranced, she stared up at it, lifting a paw as she watched the fluffy yet delicate-looking snowflakes fall. This was going to be a chore to hunt in for her patrols, she realized, but somehow, that was further from her mind that it might've been. Shaking out her pelt and sending snow scattering, she glanced around the hollow. Some of her clanmates would be around, surely... And yes, Mistpaw's dark silvery pelt stood out in the snow. The apprentice was shy and timid, and Dawnfeather was with her. She watched for a moment as the apprentice tried catching some of the snowflakes on her tongue, whiskers twitching in amusement. Dawnfeather too, seemed to be enjoying herself.

Maybe it was kittish... Maybe she was simply still a kit, to which Birdchaser would probably agree. But the clan could use a bit of fun in their lives! Packing the white stuff as best as she could, Wolfblossom sent it toward the the mentor and apprentice with a playful flick of her paw.

"Mistpaw! Dawnfeather!" Her voice was cheerful as she called out to them, "Enjoying the snow?"

Though Dawnfeather's presence didn't startle Mistpaw (at least, not overwhelmingly so), the voice that called both of their names certainly did; the shadow-like apprentice leaping several steps back, letting out a startled sound that seemed somewhere between a squeak and something entirely incomprehensible. "!"

Upon realizing that she cat she'd responded so negatively to the arrival of was the deputy (the very same who had named her Mistpaw and assigned Dawnfeather as her mentor), a look of panic crossed her face and she immediately leapt behind Dawnfeather. Her voice came out as a whisper, so soft it was nearly lost in the breeze. "...Help...?"

A clump of snow hit Dawnfeather’s shoulder, and a familiar, upbeat voice called out over the sounds of Mistpaw startling and Dawnfeather sneezing snow out of her nose. The golden she-cat laid her tail gently on Mistpaw’s shoulder, hoping to calm the apprentice somewhat. “Goodness!” She called, laughing, “Is this some new fighting tactic I haven’t heard of yet? Blind your opponents with snow, like how ShadowClan does with mud? Hah- Mistpaw,” she continued, turning back to her apprentice with what she hoped was a comforting smile, ”Surely we can’t just let this slide…” There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

The golden warrior quickly shaped the snow into something vaguely resembling a ball, then flicked it towards Wolfblossom, grinning, still positioned between the deputy and her apprentice. If Mistpaw did not wish to engage in the snowfight, she wouldn’t press her too- but she thought it might be good for her, if she’d like.

Upon seeing the apprentice's startled reaction and the look of panic on her face, Wolfblossom blinked. She'd known that Mistpaw was shy, of course, but she hadn't expected... She hadn't expected that. "Oh, I'm- Sorry, Mistpaw. I didn't mean to startle you." She mewed, tone turning from joyful to almost meek with apology. Did she scare her other clanmates this badly? If it was just Mistpaw, how did she not notice how much more than simple shyness this was? And she was hiding behind Dawnfeather. Goodness, if Wolfblossom had known how strong her reaction had been, she might have approached differently. Too late for that now, she supposed, but something to keep in mind. The apprentice almost seemed... Scared. It left a strange feeling akin to guilt twisting in Wolfblossom's gut before Dawnfeather's voice drew her attention.

A smattering of snow brushed her own shoulder in return, and the deputy grinned at Wolfblossom. "Well, it's on the ground. Why not use it to our advantage?" She joked. The snow was probably harmless compared to mud, with how quickly it melted upon contact with a cats' fur, not to mention how it wasn't always going to be on the ground, but to play in? It was good for that, at least. With a small smirk, she gathering up more of the snow and packed it, then sent it toward the mentor and apprentice duo.

Mistpaw carefully peeked her head out from behind Dawnfeather as her mentor threw snow at the deputy, and Wolfblossom- didn't seem to mind all that much? She had apologized for scaring her, and she seemed... Almost upset?

Had Mistpaw done something wrong?

"...I-"

Whatever she was going to say, she stopped short.

"If it's okay," she whispered, watching how the deputy sent snow toward them once again. If she managed to relax, and stop worrying, then it almost seemed like-

Fun.

And Dawnfeather was doing it, and encouraging her, and the deputy didn't seem upset with her at all. Maybe there was nothing to be afraid of? The apprentice's own paws hesitantly mimicked the older cats, sending a pawful of snow toward Wolfblossom. Well, she had sent some of it over to them first, and then again, so it was- probably okay?

Still, maybe she should... Apologize? Was this disrespectful? Or was Wolfblossom upset with her, rather than the snow? "Sorry...!"

Dawnfeather grinned at Wolfblossom as the deputy sent a dusting of snow towards her and Mistpaw, catching most of the whiteness on her shoulder. It was hard to think of Wolfblossom as deputy instead of little cousin! Especially without Beechaunt here… when would Dawnfeather be able to see her aunt again? It had been so long already… sorrow tugged at her heartstrings, but the melancholy was swiftly dispelled by Mistpaw’s small little voice. “It’s alright!” The golden she-cat encouraged her apprentice. “That was some very good aim, Mistpaw. Let me try-“ She made a half-hearted attempt to get the snow into a ball before whacking it as hard as she could- and absolutely destroying the snowball, sending the cold whiteness all over herself and Mistpaw instead.

Dawnfeather blinked, now completely covered in a thorough dusting of snow. At least she’d caught most of it on her golden pelt instead of getting Mistpaw all covered in snow. “Oops.”

Mistpaw sent some of the snow her way, and Wolfblossom grinned. She was shy, but it seemed that Dawnfeather was able to coax her into having a bit of fun. That was good. "Nice aim!"

"A bit more and you'd blend right in, Dawnfeather." Wolfblossom snickered as the she-cat sent snow into the air, covering herself rather than sending the pile towards Wolfblossom. If the sun ever peeked out from behind the clouds, the snow against her bright golden fur would shine so brightly... And how could she leave poor Mistpaw out of that fun? Wolfblossom scooped together more of the fluffy white stuff, then sent it toward her clanmates again.