time spent together [c]

Since returning from the lake, Scarletpaw had been focused on his training and his desire to surpass his new mentor, but that had come at a cost: namely, he felt as if he hadn't seen Pigeonpaw in ages; even though he saw her every single day. They ate at the same fresh-kill pile, they slept in the same den, but his dedication to spending every possible waking moment training meant that he hadn't had the time to really spend with her.

Which was unfortunate, because she was one of the few cats he actually liked spending time with; and even when he was doing other things, he had been worried about her. Well, she had her siblings again, they wouldn't let anything bad happen to her--but hadn't he promised the same? And they'd still been attacked, even if they were both alright now.

But now, with most of RiverClan busy with other things that he was desperately trying not to think about, he went searching for his fellow apprentice.

"Hey, Pigeonpaw!"

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Pigeonpaw
Apprentice | RiverClan | she/her

There was a lot on Pigeonpaw's mind--more than she liked having. Swan and Dove were warriors already, so she had to work hard to catch up to them; but she had to find time to walk around in circles replaying the wolf attack, too; and she had to worry about the war, and her recent fog-shrouded dreams, and! Somehow, she still had to find time to keep up with her friends. Which... she didn't have many of. A little ball of guilt formed in her stomach when she thought about Bubblepaw, wondering if her old friend had earned her name yet or if they could still talk at Gatherings, and it worsened when she thought about Scarletpaw. He was her best friend--kind of because he was her only friend, but Pigeonpaw figured he'd be the best regardless--and yet they'd barely talked since getting home. She thought being back from that awful lake and getting better would give them more time to talk, not less. But he was busy, like he always was, trying to be the best apprentice so he could be the best warrior ever. Which: Pigeonpaw thought he'd be the best at that anyway, too, but... they were all busy. It was okay. She was training hard, too!

The sound of her name made her ears flick. Pigeonpaw blinked, suddenly startled away from her thoughts. She looked at the rock she'd been absently rolling between paws as if it'd produced the offending voice, then lifted her head. Who was it that wanted her? Wait-- had it been-?

It was. Pigeonpaw's eyes got round when she spotted Scarletpaw on his way over. Immediately, a broad smile broke across her muzzle and she pushed herself up from lying stretched across the ground. Rock and worries forgotten, she called back, "Scarlet!" and clumsily wheeled to meet him halfway. When she was close enough, Pigeonpaw raised a paw to issue a friendly cuff to his shoulder. "I nearly forgot what ya looked like, furball! Are ya trainin' t' take on all'a SkyClan by yerself?" The admonishment in her voice was lessened by the laughter framing it. Still, Pigeonpaw squinted to emphasize she was serious before speaking again. "So, how ya doin'? What're ya doin'? Are you walkin' 'round just looking for me or what?"

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Pigeonpaw's voice was like cool rain washing over his fur on a hot day. Even her cuff to his shoulder wasn't unwelcome, where from anyone else he would have taken it as a genuine threat of assault. But, well, Pigeonpaw was an exception to a lot of things; both because she was his best friend (his only friend) and because they'd gone through a lot together.

He didn't want to admit the truth--the way his body tensed when he remembered the beast that had attacked them; the way he froze when the wolves attacked at the lake--and so he brushed it off. "Ha, yeah. I've been trying to focus on my training. And the ThunderClanner"--she had a name, he knew her name, he just didn't use it because to him she was only his second and less respectable mentor--"has certainly made sure I've had something to fill my time with."

But camp felt comparatively empty now, and while she was probably around somewhere he couldn't see her. And he had finished his tasks, and caught up with his training, and if he wanted to take some time to make sure Pigeonpaw was okay then he was going to.

"We still sleep in the same den, y'know," he snickered. "If you forgot what I looked like, you just weren't paying attention."

Well. That wouldn't be so bad, either; to know that she was busy too, and to know that she wasn't looking at him and that she wasn't looking at the scar that marred the very top of his beautiful face. Two relatively thin lines, but even his fur hadn't grown back enough to cover them.

She asked if he was planning on taking down SkyClan by himself, and he allowed himself to laugh a little at the thought; finding that her energy was contagious even as she made it clear that he should have paid closer attention.

(Well, she was right to; he had missed this.)

"I don't think I could take all of them."

Or any of them, if I froze up again. But she doesn't need to know that.

She's safe, everything's fine.

And then she asked if he was walking around and looking for her, and well, he was; but was he supposed to own up to that? Wasn't it embarrassing to admit to something like that? He still had his pride to maintain, even if she seemed to wear away at it without really trying.

"Right now, I'm hanging out with you!" Playfully, he bumped her shoulder with his own. "Uh. Unless you've got something important to do. Somewhere you need to be? But I wanted to hang out with you. So what have you been up to?"

That was at least something he could admit to without embarrassing himself.

It wasn't the whole truth, the thoughts he was still trying to sort out. It wasn't the I keep finding myself staring and trying to make sure you're okay or I've missed you or I can't focus because I'm worried about you; he had already convinced himself that she didn't need to hear any of that.

She didn't need him worrying over her, not when she had her siblings and the rest of RiverClan to look after her. Not when he couldn't even move when he was caught up in a for-real fight.

But if she needed a friend--if she wanted a friend, if she thought he could be that friend--then he would just be glad she wanted to keep him around.

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Pigeonpaw
Apprentice | RiverClan | she/her

Pigeonpaw rolled her eyes at the vague mention of the ThunderClanner, but a laugh came with the expression. She couldn't chastise Scarletpaw for the disdain he held toward his mentor when she was slowly starting to feel the same. Even if their reasons were different, Murkyriver made her pelt itch, too. "I'm payin' attention!" Pigeonpaw protested. "'S not my fault you 'n' Murkyriver are tryin' t' work all the fur off'a ya." When did she start caring so much about how busy Scarletpaw was? He'd always been like; stubbornly devoted to his warrior training at the cost of... everything else. Since when did it bother her that she couldn't see him? Since when did getting a laugh out of him make her ears feel ridiculously warm?

Pigeonpaw shook her head and blinked hard. "Well, I think ya could," she said decisively. If Scarletpaw could beat back the awful thing that threw her like a mouse, Pigeonpaw was sure he could handle a few SkyClan warriors. They were close to being warriors themselves, anyway! Scarletpaw jostled her shoulder to disrupt any thoughts of war before they'd linger. It earned another laugh out of her, strange and bubbling in the middle, and heat rippled under her fur from the point of contact. Was she getting sick again? Stars, Pigeonpaw hoped not. That wouldn't explain the disappointment over Scarletpaw half-dodging her question, anyway.

Wait-- did she want him to say he was looking for her? Pigeonpaw tried the effort of shaking her head and blinking again, not that it helped. Well- well, whatever was the matter with her, she wasn't worrying about it right now. "Obviously yer hangin' out with me," she snickered. "'N' no, I'm not busy, ya worrywart. Ya found me just sittin' around, didn't ya?" Pigeonpaw skipped a few paces back so she had room to bow playfully, forepaws pushing through the sand. "You know what I've been up to," she purred, "we're both 'pprentices! I'm huntin' 'n' fightin' 'n' trainin'. All'a that fun stuff. I'm gettin' real good, too--I'm bettin' I'll get my cer'mony right afta my Moonstone. Ooo--maybe Perchstar'll make us warriors t'gether!"

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"Well, how would I know? Maybe you were trying to sneak or something! I... Had to actually... Make sure you weren't busy."

(He wasn't convincing himself, either.)

Scarletpaw felt laughter bubbling up in his throat again at her stance, but swallowed it down.

"Yeah... It won't be too long now, if I had to guess." The idea of becoming warriors together, after what felt like an eternity of apprenticeship even though it really couldn't have been all that long, was enticing; an exciting prospect. "...That would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?"

He tilted his head, regarding her at a different angle.

"What sort of names do you think we'll end up with?"

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