greenhouse [p]

[Hollylight]

-for @maybelle only please <3-

hollypaw frowned as he looked out the entrance to the apprentices' den where he now slept. this was to be his very first night- his very first sleep- in the den. a little less than positive thought. it would be his first night without his adoptive mother and siblings to cuddle up to when the nightmares got too bad, the first night where he'd possibly have to deal with them alone for once.

he flicked his ears, blinking his amber-yellow eyes as it began getting darker and darker outside, seemingly by the second. he couldn't do this. hollypaw quickly sat up in his nest and looked around at the other cats there, smiling softly when he saw juniperpaw and basilpaw in their nests, and turning his focus towards the stars.

[Deleted]

Maplepaw had been an apprentice for quite a while, but still hadn't gotten used to the den. Sure she said she did, she put on a facade and even made up her nest with doves feathers, but it just wasn't... hers. It was a temporary home. She would move out when she was a warrior, and only then would she have her own nest. At least in the nursery the nest she had been in was still used by her mother. She sighed after a while and shook her head, not even bothering to try to sleep anymore as she made her way up to the other cat who was awake.

"Couldn't sleep either?" she asked, getting a closer look at the cat and relizing he was new. "Your first night in a new den will do that to you. To many strangers to be comfortable."

[Hollylight]

hollypaw turned around at the sound of a nearing voice, his yellow-amber gaze meeting the sight of a pale tabby apprentice. she was a little older than him, he noted. he frowned softly and turned back to the stars for a split second before nodding towards the currently unnamed tabby, letting out a soft sigh and shuffling his paws closer together. the young apprentice's soft fur fluffed up to keep him warm despite the slight cold night breeze. "the strangers don't bother me," he said lightly, voice cracking a little, "my siblings know why i cant sleep... but i don't wanna talk about it," he explained, hoping that the blue-eyed cat would take it and not pressure him into further explaination.

"why are you up at this time? surely you need sleep?" hollypaw asked in a whisper.

[Deleted]

May tilted her head. She watched the tom carefully as he spoke. "I'm guessing nightmares. I would also throw in some sort of life changing attack in the middle of the night while you slept, but that doesn't happen much around here," she said, quite bluntly. She bit her lip as soon as the words were out and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, sticking to her goal to be nicer, "I don't mean to be rude. It's just my specialty to... read people." she responded, carefully picking those last two words. "As for me, the stars are more deserving of my attention than those that live inside them," she said, not really certain what it meant but curious if the other apprentice could fixture out what she was generally meaning.

[Hollylight]

hollypaw flinched at maplepaw's guess, feeling slightly uncomfortable that she had got the reasoning behind his lack of sleep first guess. he was apparently more jumpy and vulnerable at nights. "it's fine," he responded quietly to her apology, looking down again and focusing on his small paws. he gave a confused expression at maplepaw at her last statement, not quite sure what she meant by that, "to be honest," he began, trying to continue a conversation despite the confusion, "i think it's the heart and personality of them rather than their outer shell... i just want to make others happy, helps me forget, y'know?"

[Deleted]

May grinned, knowing she had gotten it right. Nightmares then. Looked like she may have to deal with another cat awake at night. Man, she really had to work on being nicer. "It depends on the cat you are speaking of in particular, but yes. I think I understand," she said. She knew she dfinately felt the same way most times, but she had her own motives. What fueled him to act as such, she wasn't certain. Which she didn't like, but she had to deal with unless she planned on throwing her goals of being nicer to others right out the window.

[Hollylight]

hollypaw nodded, lifting a paw to lick at it and turning his focus once again towards them, "you didn't answer my question," he stated simply, white whiskers twitching, "why are you still awake and talking to me? you could be sleeping," he asked, feeling slightly like this other cat was judging him, a feeling he was used to by now.

[Deleted]

May tilted her head. "I couldn't sleep." she responded with a shrug. "And the sky is so much prettier and night," she added, gazing up at the dark blue sky speckles with bright white stars. "I go by May. That's the name my dad gave me, but now it's short for Maplepaw."

[Hollylight]

hollypaw tilted his head at maplepaw's short response, but didn't press any further, guessing it was just simple as that, "it is isn't it," he smiled, looking back up at the stars, "it's just nice to be able to look up there without feeling like the sun's gonna burn your eyes out," he chuckled softly.

"well it's nice to meet you, may," the young cat continued, introducing himself with a purr, "i'm hollypaw, but i guess you can call me holly," he began to think- if maplepaw's original name was 'may', then surely she wasn't born in the clan too, right? he didn't ask out of risk of offending her.

[Deleted]

May nodded. "I think it's only more beautiful because the daily distractions are at a minimum. That's not all of it, but the peacefulness contributes." she responded. Watching Holly, she nodded, recognizing the expression all to well. She knew basically every expression, but even without her ability to read emotions Shen would have been able to read that. "Yes," she's responded to the unasked question, gazing up at the stars. "I come from outside the clans."

[Hollylight]

holly twitched his ear tip when may answered his thoughts, had he spoken them out loud? he didn't think so... or maybe she was just a mind-reader or something. hopefully not, then the young tom would have restrictions not only physically, but mentally as well, and he didn't think he'd be able to take that.

"oh umm..." hollypaw continued after her statement, "so was i," he admitted. may was so far the only non-family cat he had told about this, but he guessed most of the clan could tell he was an outsider anyway. holly just liked to distract from it.

[Deleted]

May shook her head again. "I'm sorry," she said as she once again caught herself, "You see, as a kitten I was always good at reading emotions. When I came here I perfected the practice. I'm sorry if I'm being blunt or anything, I really do try not to be," she said. She perked her ears as she heard he too was not from Treeclan. "Well then you'd understand why sleeping at night isn't the best idea. I-I don't remember much from then but I dislike recalling what I do."

[Hollylight]

hollypaw shrugged at may's apology and stared at his dark brown paws, "you are being a little blunt but it's fine, i can be too during the day time when i can forget," he explained, smiling softly at the pale coloured tabby, "i do all too well," he continued, "you don't have to tell me about it if you don't want, i'd rather not speak about what happened to me so i'm not going to force you into anything."

[Deleted]

May smirked slightly. "I know," she responded, gazing up at the sky where stars shimmered like fireflies. "And even if you did force me there wouldn't be to much that I remembered to tell," she added, shaking her head slightly. "So, who is your mother?" she asked, "In Treeclan I mean."

[Hollylight]

hollypaw nodded simply to show he was listening before flinching once again when maplepaw asked who his mother was, although he settled down again at her addition to the question. "oh umm, her name's sorrelpatch," he said, suppressing a yawn, "you?"