Baby, It's Cold Outside [Private]

[Rosepaw]

For Aloepaw/Andri.

Rosepaw shuddered against a chilly draft. His coat had grown longer and thicker as the days grew colder, but it seemed it wasn't quite enough to keep him warm. I like it better when it's warmer outside, and the sun is shining, he thought longingly. I'll just have to wait for that season to come. Meanwhile, he needed something to prevent his paws from freezing off.

The tortoiseshell perked up; someone had just walked in from the biting frost of outside. Rosepaw smiled and propped himself up to properly acknowledge the newcomer. "It's snowing pretty bad still, huh? I think my nose is going to fall off if the sun doesn't come out soon."

[Deleted]

Even though Cinnamonpaw's mentor had yet to actually set up a training session, nothing was stopping the young apprentice from keeping busy. He'd already taken a walk around the territory, made a nest in his new den, and brought a fish to Maplefrost. However, all that running around in the cold weather had him shivering, so he figured it was about time to head inside.

The ginger-and-white tom slipped into the den with snow dusting his pelt and frost glittering on the tips of his whiskers. He glanced over at Rosepaw and offered a grin despite his half-frozen appearance.

"You got that right. Brr! Mind if I warm up with you?"

[Rosepaw]

Rosepaw's pointy canines poked out from his grinning lips. He was always eager to get to know more of his denmates, especially the newer ones who had their ceremonies not that long ago. Outside of regular, brief exchanges of 'hello' and 'how are you?', the dilute tortoiseshell barely had the opportunity to properly hold conversation with any of his colleagues. His smile widened at the though that now, he had his chance.

"Not at all! I got plenty of room," he chirped. Rosepaw shuffled over to free up more space for the other tom to settle in. "I haven't been out almost all day, to be honest with you," he started, "I'm afraid my fur's not gonna protect me much out there, and I'd turn into a cat-shaped icicle."

[Deleted]

(what nnno this isn't late at all)


Cinnamon gave his fur a quick shake, scattering flecks of slush all over the ground, and happily trotted over to settle beside Rose. "Great, thanks," purred the youngster. It was certainly much warmer in here, not to mention that having a snuggle buddy was helpful for getting all toasty.

"Maybe it'll be warmer tomorrow," he commented with a small shrug. "Have you got a mentor? Mine's Vinewhip, but I guess she doesn't hang around camp much because I never actually met her so far. I hope she comes back so she can teach me stuff, otherwise Whitepaw and Harmonypaw are gonna get ahead of me!"

[Rosepaw]

Rosepaw wasn't at all preturbed, willingly pressing his side up against Cinnamonpaw's cold fur to help warm him up. The frost that clung to the warm-colored pelt began to melt, and Rosepaw craned his neck to lick some of the moisture off. "I hope so. Can't have any of us getting a cold this season," he added with a casual shrug.

"Mentor? Oh, Thornfrost! He's really nice, but we've really only gone training once. I don't mind though; he's probably super busy all the time. He's got these really cool scars on him, too, and he took me out at night!" the dilute tortoiseshell stopped before he got carried away, then continued on the right track, "Well, if they get to be warriors early, I'll still be here to hang around with!" He beamed, thoughts of still having someone he knew to be with in the apprentice's den exciting him.

[Deleted]

For a moment the bobtailed tom confused himself. He had almost started to groom Rosepaw in return, but froze with his tongue halfway out. Slightly embarrassed, Cinnamon reminded himself that he was the cold and damp one, then turned away to lick at one shoulder.

"I've never been sick so far but it sounds bad," he commented offhandedly. Not to mention that he would never want to burden the medicine cats. "Anyway, you gotta introduce me to Thornfrost sometime! The way you put it, he seems like one of the coolest warriors." Cinnamonpaw straightened up and moved on to clean his chest fur, already feeling a bit drier than before.

"Hey, speaking of older cats, d'you know if other apprentices ever really get assigned to clean the elders' den? Maplefrost has been pretty bad-tempered lately…"

[Rosepaw]

Rosepaw hummed a merry tune under his breath. It had been a rather long time since he'd last had the chance to be with another clanmate who was willing to share such close space with him, even more to allow him to assist in grooming. His siblings were the only ones that let him, so he felt extremely happy when Cinnamonpaw didn't make a move to shy away from his help.

The dilute tortoiseshell made a face. "Being sick is the worst ever! I've only been sick once, but ugh. I mean, you can't do anything! You're not even allowed to be around too many cats for too long or else they'd get sick; you're lucky you've never caught a cold or something worse." The tom moved from lapping at Cinnamonpaw's neck up to his ears before pulling away. "Thornfrost is so cool. If I can catch him at the right time, I'll definitely have you meet him," he chirped excitedly.

Oh, Maplefrost? Rosepaw always heard that the elder was frequently ill-tempered, but he frowned in concern anyway. "I'm not really sure, but they should definitely go by the elder's den a couple of times to help out. I think I'll do that soon, actually. Elders are the advisors of the clan, so they deserve more attention."