don't you see the starlight? [c]

The rest of the day following Ravenloft's warrior ceremony had passed quickly, and dusk settled upon the camp, grays and deep purples bled into the sunset until the sky was muddied and dark. As the first stars of the night made their appearance, the newly named warrior stretched out at the edge of camp. She was flat on her belly, with her chin resting on the cool ground and her long, dark tail flicking idly back and forth... the idea of a vigil had been cool at first - a night guarding the camp alone in silence, the night she earned her warrior name. It was both a tribute to the stars and the warrior code, and a way to prove that she had what it took to be a warrior. But stars was it boring.

The first half hour crawled by at an agonal pace, the silence so loud it rang in her ears. Ravenloft flopped over on to her side, restless and bored. She quickly decided that this was more akin to torture than reward.

Morning could not come quickly enough.

With plenty of warrior duties and the burden of apprentice training, Auburnflare often found himself exhausted at the end of each day. However, following Ravenloft's warrior ceremony, the tom had found himself to be restless. He had found that cats whose presence he enjoyed, he loved to pester out of some sort of familiarity. Knowing the she-cat would soon be sharing a den with him again, and likely more patrol, drastically increased opportunity for playful entertainment. Ravenloft, unlike Kestrelpaw, seemed to understand or at the very least tolerate him.

Knowing she was out playing sentry right now and forced to be awake, this was the perfect opportunity to pester her. Slipping from the den, the brown and white-furred tom's pelt was bathed in fractured rays of silver moonlight. As soon as the newly named warrior was in sight, he bounded a few steps forward and prodded her with a forepaw. His voice was a fervent whisper in hopes to not stir the clan, "Raaaavenloft, you can't be sleeping already! What if a giant owl swooped down right now and swallowed a cat whole? We'd never even know." He knew full well she had taken a vow of silence much like he had, which prompted the smirk that tugged at the edges of his maw.

She couldn't fall asleep, but that didn't stop Ravenloft from laying there, still as a stone, blue eyes trained on the entrance of camp. A yawn split her maw, sharp teeth flashing in the moonlight. The warrior was more of a morning type cat, so it wasn't often that she stayed up this late, and it wasn't often that she was this alone. But Ravenloft didn't mind it... there was something spooky about the darkness that the she-cat could appreciate... the way that creepy-crawlies could be hidden in any shadowed corner, ready to pounce.

Ravenloft's eyes flicked back and forth from one dark section of camp to the next, her pulse quickening with a mixture of excitement and fear. She was so intent on watching that she forgot to listen, and by the time she finally noticed Auburnflare's approach, there was already a paw in her ribs. Ravenloft practically leaped to her paws and it was only the fact that she bit her tongue in surprise that kept her from accidentally breaking her vow of silence then and there. She faced him, back arched and her tail twice its normal size... but then she heard Auburnflare's sing-song voice call out her name, and her frayed nerves settled, the alarm instantly morphing into amusement as he continued speaking.

Slicking her ears back, Ravenloft scowled playfully and batted Auburnflare between the ears, her dark tail lashing back and forth. Of course he'd come to bother her while she was on vigil, knowing full well she couldn't banter back at him. Mostly, she was annoyed that she hadn't thought to do the same at his vigil a few nights ago, but she was grateful for his company anyway. Squinting, she gave the other warrior a look that said you know I'm not allowed to speak, and settled back down on her belly, curling her paws under her chest.

The she-cat regarded him with an appreciative blink, one brow raising as if to ask what he was doing there. She imagined he was just there to pester her, but there was always the off chance he had something actually useful to say.

The tom couldn't help the mrrow of amusement that left his maw at her swift reaction. For a brief second, the Thunderclanner felt like he had the silent stalking skills of a Shadowclan warrior. Although, it was likely more attributed to the fact it was late and her attention elsewhere, Auburnflare was always inclined to consider it a matter of his own honed abilities. The cocky smirk was dashed away as he ducked his head underneath playful blows.

"Oh, come on, you know the vow of silence is just a boring old tradition leaders tell young cats to keep them quiet for once. Besides, how can you truly keep the clan safe if you can't give a yowl of warning over danger?" He huffed, falling down on his side dramatically in front of Ravenloft. Bright eyes still dancing with mischief, he looked up at her to catch the quizzical look from her casual yet dutiful position.

With his paws stretched into the sky, the brown and white tom swiped his paws at the stars as if he could strike them down from the heavens. It didn't work, leaving him empty-pawed of course. Auburnflare hummed softly, mind working endlessly for no good reason and with a thirst for entertainment, "You know everyone else is sound asleep. I bet we could race to Sunningrocks and back before any cat would notice."