below the pedestal, her successor [c]

Feral Tongue
Forest Tongue

There was hope when Mottlestar had taken interest in Gekala and the Three Gods that held it together, as well as learn the feral language... Would it be too much to hope that her second in command - Acornstem - also be willing to listen? Quailprowler and Crocusfrost seemed keen on following either of the molly's around, yet Mottlestar hadn't known a lick of language the two spoke. It would be safe to assume Acornstem didn't either. That is why he now stood in front of the elder's den, having seen the she-cat dip inside moments ago.

He didn't understand why, but the Daughter of ThunderClan had been sleeping with the elders lately. Maybe it had something to do with the scarred retired warrior, or maybe she just liked hanging out there. He shrugged his large shoulders. It made no difference to him. "Acornstem? Do you have a moment?"

It had been strange, moving into the elder's den despite being an active warrior. It wouldn't have been her first choice, but with her relationship with Firefly only blossoming on the eve of Firefly's retirement... Well, it had simply become a choice - either they sleep in separate dens despite becoming mates or they share a nest. And...Well, truthfully it was very appealing to sleep in the elder's den with how empty it was...And even emptier now to the unfortunate death of Dayquill.

The deputy had chosen to stop in after collecting discarded feathers from around fresh-kill pile, determined to add them to both her shared nest with Firefly and also to Blazefang's nest so that they could have additional softness and comfort. She however had only managed to drop the mouthful of feathers at the side of her nest before a voice called out to her, glancing over her shoulder in surprise to see Vinecrawler peering in. "Ah yes, give me a moment!" she called out, quickly turning to move the pile of feathers out of the way before she padded from the den to join Vinecrawler.

She couldn't help but wonder what this was about...While everybody was hard at work getting settled into the camp, Acornstem was working hard to keep on track of everything. Making sure the apprentices were settling in, that the prey pile was always stocked and that the borders were calm - mostly when it came to SkyClan's border. Because of everything she was tracking, she couldn't be sure what Vinecrawler needed to speak to her about - was it about his apprentice? How the two rogue kits were settling in? Was it something else completely? She flickered an ear as she glanced at him, curiosity burning in her eyes. "What is it, Vinecrawler?"

Feral tongue
Forest tongue

A soft curse could be heard from beyond the curtains to the den (no doubt that it was Firefly) as Acornstem stepped out greet him. He dipped his head respectfully as he stepped aside to allow her full room to leave, taking careful note that her thoughts seemed to be everywhere all at once. Even her response to him asking if she had a moment to spare seemed to put her on edge. His thick tail flicked once. "Calm. I am here to offer you what I have approached Mottlestar with: the opportunity to learn a little more about those... Born differently. Born from feral blood. That there is more to their world than just one ancestral realm, and the language they speak." His brown eyes scanned the she-cat before him, hoping she would be willing to listen. "Only if you wish to hear, that is."

Acornstem wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it sure wasn't...This! She had heard their language time and again and had always been curious. But to know was... She wasn't sure it was her place to poke her nose into something that seemed sacred to them. She stood there, blinking before her tail puffed up in excitement. "Of course I want to hear!" she gasped, her eyes sparkling. "I want to know everything! I've always been curious but its a firm believe of mine to meet everybody halfway. To get to know everybody better to keep misunderstanding to a minimum. I would love to hear about your ancestral realm and your language."

Feral tongue
Forest tongue

The enthusiasm displayed by the ThunderClan deputy reflected in his own eyes. "That makes me very happy to hear! As expected of the Daughter of ThunderClan! Before we speak on my ancestors realm, I will introduce a few words in my language..." A 'few words' was an understatement. What began with simple terms for greeting friends, enemies, and acquaintances soon turned into phrases related to Gekala itself. "When I say 'You are a friend' what do I mean?" He encouraged her to repeat after him. nodding encouragingly.

Acornstem's smile was wide as Vinecrawler started, before slowly it morphed into a serious expression as the lesson started. Her ears were perked, taking in every word he offered and explained. Under her breath, she repeated the words - careful to pick out their pronunciation while attempting to drill their meaning into her head during the same lesson. Finally, with the basic - and a few dealing with Gekala - she was offered a sentence to translate. Her tail thumped, whiskers twitching as how...Odd it was to be given a sentence that she didn't recognize right away. "You are friend..." she muttered to herself, unaware that she had slightly messed up the sentence as she repeated it quietly to herself, picking apart to put the words together with the whole slew she had just learned. "You... You are.... Friend. You are friend? No - You are a friend!"

Forest tongue
Feral tongue