did i lose the words or did you take them away

[Deleted]

(private - Mousepaw )


The sun was setting on IceClan's camp, and cats were milling around camp as they returned from their daily tasks. To an outsider, it probably looked ridiculously cold here - a light snow was falling on the mountains, and with the light fading, there was no warmth from the sun. But it was just nice and peaceful for the dense-furred locals.

Cinnamonpaw's breath billowed out in wispy clouds as he stared at the fresh-kill pile. He'd had a mouse around midday, but it just seemed like he had a bigger stomach than the other apprentices! As much as he'd like to chow down on a fish or something, the ginger-and-white tom knew he didn't need to encourage his weight issues. It was difficult either way.

Luckily, pawsteps crunched in the snow nearby, and he turned to face this welcome distraction.

[Mousepaw]

Mousekit yawned as he woke, briefly dwelling on the idea of yawning and what caused one to do such a thing. And why was it contagious? He added the thought to his list of questions to figure out the answer to before becoming a warrior.      He sidled out of the nursery, squinting against the cold blast of wind that hit his face. He'd never been a big fan of the cold, but he'd never seen snow. The sight of the cold, white perfection was certainly an exception. His eyes glittered with expectations and excitement.      The young tom had heard of snow when passing older cats, but he'd never actually imagined it to look like this. How could water become something so beautiful, something so otherworldly? Nature really was exceptional.      He headed towards the fresh-kill pile, hoping to get something to eat before testing out the snow. He was busy debating two things—what to eat, and whether to ruin the smooth perfection of the snow or to savor it—when a larger tom in front of him turned around.      Did this stranger want to talk? Probably. They often did, and considering the expression on the new cat's face, he seemed fairly eager. Mouse wasn't exactly keen on having a conversation, but, as he'd found, it was often difficult to avoid. So, he looked up to meet the apprentice's gaze, waiting for him to speak. (sorry about the late response!!) ● ● ●

[Deleted]

(ahh, no problem, I'm pretty late with this one too)


Upon catching sight of the kitten, Cinnamonpaw pushed a smile onto his muzzle. No sense in ruining this little guy's mood with his own personal problems. The bobtailed apprentice could easily remember when he'd lived in the nursery, and how nice it had been there - it hadn't been so long ago, after all! No responsibilities, no worries… that had been a good life.

It wasn't an issue of being lazy or anything. He wanted to learn and work, honestly, but being a little chubby made it hard to keep up with his denmates. Not to mention the fact that Cinnamon hadn't seen a trace of his mentor, not even at the ceremony. And that had been back during the days when there was no snow on the ground yet! He would have brought it up with Sunfish or Robinstar if that didn't feel like making more of a burden of himself.

A dilemma, indeed. But this was not the time for it.

"Hi! I'm not in your way, am I?" chirped the older feline. He took a pace backwards to allow Mousekit access to the heap of prey, and gave an inviting twitch of his stubby tail. The gesture probably would've made more sense with a normal-length tail but it was reflexive.

"Have at it, I'm just looking. Err - unless you wanted to chat instead?" There was a hopeful glint in his eyes. Maybe, for once, somebody was about to strike up a conversation of their own volition. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.