Do The Creep [p]

[Beechroot]

Beechroot was a sneaky cat. Well, a more proper word for it was eavesdropping. He would listen to other's conversations even though it was none of his business. The skinny tabby was just bored with his own life. He had no worries, no drama, no spark of life. One of the things he had heard was that there was a new queen, Autumndust. 

The golden tabby sat near the entrance of the nursery, would casually peer inside of it, then whip back as if he wasn't looking. He was just curious to meet a new cat, but he didn't know how to approach her.

[Autumndust]

Herding kits was no easy task, Autumndust had soon discovered. The soft-spoken queen never liked to raise her voice but found that occasionally, she had to just to be heard over the sound of rough-housing kits. She felt guilty every time she did, but at least she was keeping them from hurting themselves too severely. Finally, things seemed to be calming down, at least for now, and Autumndust decided that if she was ever to take a break that day, now would be the time. The only issue- the tom lurking by the entrance.

She'd glanced at him from within several times, just in time to see him look away. She didn't exactly know what he wanted, but she had heard something about no other cats being allowed in the nursery, besides queens, fathers, and cleaning apprentices, so she stayed inside to make sure he didn't come in. The thought occurred to her that perhaps he was waiting for somebody else to come out. At the very least, she could ask who he was waiting for and let them know he was looking for them, right? Queens were supposed to be helpful, after all. Eventually she made her way to the entrance, and poked her head out, clearing her throat to let him know she was there.

"May I help you?" she asked, somewhat quietly. "I don't mean t-to bother you, but you've been out here a while- do you need anything? If you're waiting for somebody I can try to find them for you-"

[Beechroot]

Beechroot wasn't necessarily a kit lover. He was quite neutral with them. It's not that he didn't like them, he had no idea what to do with them. I would be a horrible queen.. The warrior distracted himself with this thoughts so much that he didn't hear Autumndust approaching. Her question made him almost jump out of his own fur. The tabby jumped to his feet and realized she had saw him. "I-uh.. I was looking for you actually." His dull yellow eyes shifted to not make eye contact. "I heard you were new so I just came to say hello."

[Autumndust]

Autumndust blinked, surprised that the warrior had come to see her, of all cats. "Oh..." Her voice trailed off, and she blinked again, this time actually leaving the nursery so she could sit by Beechroot. "That's rather thoughtful- thank you," she managed a small smile. "It's rather sweet of you to come." She couldn't hide the quiet purr in her throat. It felt good to know that somebody was thinking of her. "I hope it's not taking time out of your warrior duties- I would introduce myself but it seems that most cats already know my name. What's yours, if I may ask?"

[Beechroot]

Oh thank Cloudclan, she reacted kindly. A lot of cats didn't like being watched. Beechroot never had bad intentions, but he got a lot of bad reactions. He lit up a little with her purring and the nice words. "Oh no, I'm not a very busy cat." Mostly because he avoided most of his responsibilities and chose to lurk around instead. "I'm Beechroot. My mother..Sorrelpatch..named me after the former leader. Who I never knew or have relations to."

[Autumndust]

Autumndust was finding that it was much easier to speak to somebody who had come with the intention of talking to her. She hadn't really been bothered by his behavior- he had been respectful enough not to wander into the nursery, and polite enough to wait. Even if his methods had been a little...strange, he had been kind enough to follow the rules, and the young queen felt that such courteous behavior warranted a positive response. "That's a nice name," Autumndust mused, nodding her approval. "I'm afraid I didn't have the pleasure of meeting the former leader- I've only heard rumors about him."

[Beechroot]

"I've heard mixed reviews about him." Beechroot laughed nervously, his eyes now looking at his paws. "I'm friends with his mate, Koisplash...the elder." As if she didn't know already. "I help her with the elder's den sometimes, since most of the apprentice's hate going in there." He got an idea. Another way to avoid being a warrior. Not that his offer wasn't genuine. "If you ever need any help in here, please just ask for me."

[Autumndust]

"I'm sure he meant well," Autumndust replied. "A leader is bound to get...mixed opinions. He'd do what's best for the clan, though, right?" She wanted to believe that everyone meant well, even those she hadn't met yet. Though, perhaps she should stop trying to defend somebody she hadn't even met. She thought that Beechroot must have been a kind warrior, if he was so willing to help out with the less popular tasks, like changing the bedding. "I'll make sure to keep your offer in mind," she promised. "CloudClan knows I'll probably need your help at some point. You sure you'd be up for that? The kits can make quite a mess- and it is usually an apprentice's duty to help with cleaning..."

[Beechroot]

(sorry someone from out of town is with me)

What's best for the clan. Beechroot had never thought of that. He had only ever thought of himself. About what he liked or what he didn't like. The warrior had never even cared about what others even thought of him. Caring and having feelings was such a hard subject for him. "I know it seems childish, but I enjoy apprentice's tasks more than the warrior's. Apprentices interact with their clan-mates more while warriors are always off doing their own thing." He finally made eye contact with her. "I don't like being alone."

[Autumndust]

Autumndust nodded in agreement. "I understand that feeling," she replied, sighing somewhat wistfully. "I think that's part of the reason I like the nursery. There's plenty of cats to talk to..." She smiled a little. "-even if most of them are kits. Some of them can be surprisingly wise and creative, actually," she added. "If you like doing the apprentice's task, than I'll make sure you're the first cat I talk to." She still found it a little strange that anyone would enjoy cleaning bedding, but she wouldn't hold it against him. "If you do go hunting again, though, you could ask somebody to go with you. I'm always up for it, as long as things are quiet here."

[Beechroot]

Beechroot smiled a little. "I'll take you up on that one day." He got up to leave, then decided to offer her something too. "If you ever need a break, I could watch your kits for you." Which was a queen job, but for some reason he didn't mind. "I can't promise any motherly love though." That produced a little awkward laugh out of him.