Refuge in the Shade [Open]

[Bluetwilight]

The abandoned, decrepit shack was just that; abandoned. Not even a cat was milling about in the shade of the building on this hot spring day, and this was just how Bluetwilight liked it. Before entering the structure, the tortoiseshell female had checked it thoroughly for signs of life. Upon finding none, she quietly slipped inside and, in one fluid motion, jumped gracefully onto a shelf in the back of the room. This was, in her opinion, the best place to rest when there were no more warrior duties to be performed for the day. Of course, the job of a warrior was never done, but it couldn’t hurt to take a break every once in a while. Starclan knows that one RoseClan cat takes enough breaks in a moon to last the collective lifetimes of all PineClan warriors. Bluetwilight snorted back laughter at her own silent joke as she settled herself into her usual corner.

A normal cat may have chosen to take a nap in a more comfortable, central place such as the warrior’s den in the PineClan camp, but Bluetwilight was not a normal cat. Or at least, she did not think she was normal. What normal cat would purposely seek to be alone, when the whole point of being in a clan was to work together and provide each other company? Would a normal cat have dreaded clan meetings, which were usually a source of great excitement for all? No, no they wouldn’t. Bluetwilight thought glumly as she fidgeted in place. She was momentarily frustrated by her own introversion, but reminded herself of what her optimistic mother had once told her as an apprentice. “The clan needs quiet cats just as much as it needs loud ones… without cats like you, everyone would be talking and no one would be listening.” This comforted her momentarily, but it didn’t stop her from wishing she had been born into the group of loud, socially accepted cats.

Regardless of what she wished she was, Bluetwilight had to admit that sitting alone in a shady corner of the shed was quite relaxing. It was certainly better than being stuck in the hot, noisy camp all day. With a contented sigh, the warrior closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

[~ .rushstar.]

If there was one thing Rushstar hated more than the other Clans, it was lazing around and doing nothing. She couldn't stand just laying there watching everything go on around her, even when she was completely bored and had nothing to do. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had taken a nap. It must have been as a kit or very young apprentice, since she was sure nap had not been in her vocabulary as a warrior or deputy, and now, as leader. If she had cats out patrolling, she would go hunt or find something to do that would benefit the clan. 

It was for those reasons that she was out of camp now. Lately, she had made it her project to look over PineClan's territory when she had nothing else to do. In Rushstar's mind, a leader should know her clan's territory as well as, or better than, her warriors. Today's section was the old, run down two leg shack in their territory, a good place to catch mice. 

Moving at a steady lope, Rushstar covered ground quickly, soon seeing the top of the shack. She slowed, so as to look around, memorize her territory. PineClan scent was all around her, but one path was stronger than the others. The tabby's tail twitched, wondering which cat had been out recently. She didn't ponder it long, instead, moving up to where the door had once been. Peering in, she saw the shape of a cat relaxing in a corner. Bluetwilight. The she-cat was shy, quiet, never really speaking out or bringing attention to herself. 

Keeping her voice soft and calm, Rushstar mewed, "Hello, Bluetwilight. I hope I'm not disturbing you." The younger cat and Rushstar had never really communicated much, just the usual greetings and such when they passed each other in camp.

[Bluetwilight]

Despite the other cat’s soft, quiet voice, Bluetwilight was still spooked when she heard her leader speak. She sprang to her feet, nearly knocking her head on the shelf above her own. It was unfortunate timing, since the female warrior had only just begun dozing off when Rushstar had entered the shed. A little earlier and she wouldn’t have been caught off guard, a little later and she wouldn’t have even heard the leader’s voice. But, as it was, Bluetwilight was even more self-aware than she usually was in social situations due to the unexpectedness of the other cat’s arrival.

“Rushstar! I-I didn’t see you!” Her tail twitched nervously as she spoke, blue eyes focused on a point just over Rushstar’s shoulder as was common with her in any interaction. The embarrassment of having been caught off-guard combined with the fact that she was speaking to the clan leader made Bluetwilight feel very awkward. Rushstar had the look of someone who was a confident, hardened fighter and, although the two she-cats were about the same size, Bluetwilight felt vastly inferior. She could not remember a time when they ever had a meaningful conversation. Come to think of it, she did not think she had ever even been alone with her leader before now. This realization did nothing to sooth her nerves.

The tortoiseshell cat stood on the edge of the shelf, pressing herself against its wall. “No, it’s fine. I was just… uh…” She hesitated, not knowing if Rushstar would look down on her resting during the daylight. Her tail twitched again, eyes venturing even farther away from her leader. “…getting out of the heat.” She mumbled, looking rather guilty as she wondered if there was any way she could remove herself from this situation.

[~ .rushstar.]

Upon hearing her voice, Bluetwilight sprang to her feet, nearly hitting her head on the piece of wood above her head. Rushstar padded forward, looking for a spot that was acceptable for her to sit. After looking for a moment, she found an area that was fairly clear of rubble. After sitting down, she wrapped her tail around her paws. "Easy, there. Sorry I startled you." Her voice was still calm, a hint of amusement hidden in it. It was odd, the reactions cats had to her, now that she was leader. 

Her tail tip twitched as she refrained from a scathing comment, instead just thinking Well, duh, you didn't see me as she kept a serious face. Rushstar could already tell that Bluetwilight was one of the more timid cats in the clan, they type that would rather stand alone. She herself wasn't particularly social, but she made a point of talking to everyone, communicate with her clan.  Even so, her interactions with this cat were very limited, something Rushstar blamed herself for. She needed to know what all her warriors thought of certain problems, any ideas they had. 

She shifted her weight, listening to the warrior as she stammered. It was clear she had been wanting to say napping, but didn't know how Rushstar would react. Even though she wasn't a cat to sleep during the day, she didn't care if her warriors did, as long as everything got done and nobody was going hungry. "Hey, it's fine. I'm not one to take naps, but if you want to, feel free as long as it all gets done." This conversation was not what Rushstar had been expecting. No, she had been expecting go in, look, head on back. 

"So, do you come here often?" Rushstar didn't know what to say, honestly. She hardly knew Bluetwilight. They had hardly talked before this.

[Bluetwilight]

The clan leader was not fooled by the warrior’s sugarcoating, but thankfully she was not angry. Bluetwilight nodded, relieved when Rushstar assured her that resting was not a bad thing. Still though, she wished she had been caught doing something more productive, such as hunting for her clan. She wondered, then, whether or not she should jump off of her shelf to be on the same level as Rushstar. It would certainly have made chatting easier, but it would also open her up to the possibility of a long conversation. Bluetwilight’s stomach churned at the thought of having to come up with topics to talk about. It was always difficult for her to make small talk, and she thought maybe there was some sort of secret conversation formula that everyone but her knew about.

Just as she was trying to decide whether or not to abandon her post on the shelf, Rushstar spoke again. It depends on your definition of often. The blue-eyed female thought as she hesitated to answer the question. Was this some sort of trick to get her to confess to taking more breaks than she should be? Bluetwilight didn’t think she took too many naps… only on hot days when there was nothing to do. Her indecision was painfully obvious in her answer. “Well… yeah. Sometimes. I mean, only when there’s nothing to do.” She cringed internally. Why did she have to stammer so much, especially now that she was talking to someone important? She wasn’t normally this awkward.

Her left ear flicked back as she hastily redirected the conversation to Rushstar. “How about you? Do you come here often?” Come to think of it, why was Rushstar in the abandoned shed? Bluetwilight knew that the other female was not fond of resting, so it was absurd to think that she went there for the same reasons as the tortoiseshell cat. But then again, Rushstar was the leader. She could go wherever she pleased, since it was her territory. Questioning her motives would have been unwise. Bluetwilight sat down tentatively, her multi-colored tail hanging over the edge of the shelf.

[~ .rushstar.]

Her ears flicked as a fly buzzed around them, trying to land so that it could take a bite out of her. When the pesky insect was not deterred, Rushstar shook her head, an ear knocking it out of the air. "Sorry about that," she said as she smoothed down her fur. "Pesky flies don't know when to stop messing with a cat." She smiled at the warrior, hoping she would stop being so quiet and nervous. She was hoping that the she-cat would relax and be able to have a normal conversation.  Talk about the hunting and borders and normal talk, that was what Rushstar wished would happen. The chances of it happening, however, were slim to none. 

The leader could see uncertainty in the warrior's eyes. Rushstar cringed internally, knowing she had worded it wrong. As she opened her mouth to speak, Bluetwilight spoke. Rushstar's tail flicked as the other cat stammered out a response. "Is the hunting here good, do you know?" she asked, trying to get information for her project. The more she knew, the better off PineClan would be. Her methods were slightly unconventional, but if her clan thrived and became the most feared, then what did that matter? In her mind, it didn't, not as long as they flourished while the other clans grew weak. 

Suddenly, the conversation was directed back at Rushstar, not that she cared. "Not really. Right now I'm just going through all of PineClan's territory, finding weak spots on the border, good hunting spots and stuff like that." Her tail flicked. "It's been my project for the last quarter moon or so in the afternoons when I'm bored and there's nothing for me to do." That was an annoying part of being leader. Everyone thought she had leader stuff to do all the time and she never got to go on a normal patrol. The few times she had been able to, she had made some car nervous and ruined the hunting for them.

[Bluetwilight]

Bluetwilight watched, slightly amused, as Rushstar was pestered by a fly. The insects were numerous in this part of the territory, one of the bad things about picking this spot as a place to rest. But Bluetwilight wasn’t bothered by flies much, so long as they didn’t bite her or anything. Her mouth twitched into a smile at Rushstar’s attempt to lighten the mood, but she did not comment on the situation.

Thankfully, Bluetwilight’s attempts to redirect the conversation off of herself were successful. The topic changed to hunting as Rushstar asked her about the quality of prey in the area. This, at least, was something Bluetwilight was knowledgeable about. Not only did she come to the shed sometimes to rest, but it was also one of her favorite hunting spots. Her ears perked forward again as she spoke. “Oh, yes. This is a good place to hunt; a lot of mice use this building as shelter. They’re pretty easy to pick off.” Subconsciously, the tortoiseshell female licked her lips while she spoke about food. She tried to remember whether or not she had eaten this morning, but could not. The days tended to blend together when nothing exciting was happening.

Bluetwilight was surprised to hear that Rushstar was often bored. Did she not have important, possibly secret leader stuff to keep her occupied? Surprising even herself, the quiet she-cat wondered this aloud. “When you’re bored? Don’t you have… stuff to do all the time?” Her tail flicked nervously. Perhaps she shouldn’t have questioned the clan leader’s agenda, but she was genuinely curious what exactly it was that the leader did. She hadn’t thought about it much before, but she supposed she didn’t really know much about the leader’s duties. It had always been an iconic position of power to her, untouchable to her introverted self. But maybe it got tiring for the leaders to be looked up to all of the time. Bluetwilight wouldn’t know, since no one ever looked up to her.

[~ .rushstar.]

The leader could tell that Bluetwilight was amused by the pestering fly. There were several in the shed, yet the she-cat apparently wasn't bothered by them or had spent enough time in the area that she was accoustomed to them. Whatever the case, it helped the other cat feel slightly less uncomfortable, or so Rushstar hoped.

"Good, that's something I can add to my list." She had seen the warrior's ears prick up as they started talking about hunting and was glad she had finally found a topic that Bluetwilight was comfortable with. "Any other prey besides mice around here? It's been so long since I've been on an actual hunting patrol." Rushstar's tail flicked, expressing her annoyance. "Everyone always gets nervous when we're hunting together or thinks I'm useless." She shook her head. "But, I guess, I do have things that only I can do. It just gets annoying, not being able to escape it all."

Bluetwilight seemed surprised that Rushstar got bored. That was an unusual reaction. Not. "Trust me, after moons of telling everyone what to do and then being left in camp, you get bored. I'm to the point now that I really don't care what cats think, I'm going to patrol if it kills me. I can't stand this." Her tail lashed violently. "Do you want to go hunting?" She blurted it out without thinking, not taking into consideration if it would make the other she-cat nervous or not. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I can go by myself later," she added hastily.

[Bluetwilight]

The warrior nodded her head sympathetically when Rushstar admitted that others got nervous whenever she hunted with them. Truthfully, Bluetwilight couldn’t empathize. Usually she was the one who was nervous when hunting or patrolling with others; she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to make everyone else nervous just by being in their presence. It must have felt lonely. Lost in thought, Bluetwilight nearly forgot that the leader had asked her a question. “Um, well, mostly mice, but sometimes there’s other prey here too. Birds like to sit up in the rafters, occasionally.” She looked up, but there were no birds above her head today. It was just as well, because they were quite dangerous to hunt when they were perched so high up. Bluetwilight had never managed to catch one that had been in the rafters, though not for lack of trying.

The she-cat looked down as Rushstar expressed frustration over the boredom she experienced as leader. She wondered if she had ever made her leader feel unwelcome in a patrol or hunting party. If she had, then it was unintentional. Just as Bluetwilight was trying to think of something to say to this outburst, Rushstar asked if she would like to hunt with her. Startled by this sudden change in mood, the warrior took a moment to answer. “Sure… I’d like that.” Bluetwilight felt more relaxed around the other she-cat after their brief conversation, and thought a bit of hunting might even be fun.

The tortoiseshell leaped off of her position on the shelf gracefully to stand next to Rushstar. Her deep, blue eyes scanned her surroundings thoughtfully. “Do you think there’s still prey around here? We may have scared it off with our talking.” She spoke quietly, not wanting to startle more mice that may still have been around. The two cats had not exactly been trying to keep their voices down during their conversation, but perhaps there were some mice that had not been bothered by their talking enough to leave. Bluetwilight looked to her leader, wondering if Rushstar could smell something that she was missing.

[~ .rushstar.]

The PineClan leader knew that she was one of the very few cats I the clan that could make the other cats feel nervous on patrols. She supposed it was a combination of her personality and position that frightened cat, young apprentice especially. All Rushstar could do in those situations was keep going and hope they got over it. She also knew that Bluetwilight, one of the quieter cats in the clan, was apt to get nervous on a normal patrol, from what the other cats had told her.  "That's good to know," she said as she glanced up at the rafters, seeing a couple of old bird nests. 

It was unfair, she supposed, that she made Bluetwilight listen to her rant on about everything and this and that. She took a deep breath, composing herself. Rushstar could tell that the warrior was startled by her sudden change of conversation, but she accepted. "Great!"- she said, tail flicking excitedly like an apprentice leaving camp for the very first time. Thief companion seemed to be relaxing after they had talked and Rushstar was looking forward to this hunting trip. Just a short trip to catch some extra prey for that night, celebrate the good hunting. 

The tabby watched as Bluetwilight leaped off the shelf she had been perched on, landing gracefully. At Bluetwilight's remark, she tasted the air, catching the faint scents from outside the den. "It can't have gone too far," she said, voice hardly above a whisper. "I think there's quite a bit of prey in the woods just outside this den," she added. Paws light, she stalked quietly over to the door, tasting the air where she could catch the outside scents better. The she turned and stalked her way back to Bluetwilight, careful not to pad on any squeaky boards. "Yeah, there's more prey scent just outside. Want to go and just hunt around this area?"

[Bluetwilight]

Bluetwilight could not help but to be amused by the apprentice-like excitement in Rushstar’s voice. The Pineclan leader was really not as stiff or strict as the lesser warrior had initially assumed. She supposed the daunting position gave off an aura of seriousness, no matter how playful or lighthearted the leader really was. It was unfortunate that she had been nervous around Rushstar before, and made a mental note not to make the mistake of judging another cat based on their position in the clan again.

The calico nodded as Rushstar whispered that she would go outside to check for prey. Meanwhile, Bluetwilight resigned herself to inspecting the inside of the shack for any hidden mice she may have missed on her initial sweep of the place. It seemed that she had been right in assuming that most of the prey had moved on due to their loud conversation, but Bluetwilight was relieved to hear from Rushstar that there was still some prey just outside of the building. “Okay, let’s go!” Some of Rushstar’s excitement must have rubbed off on Bluetwilight, because she was quite eager to catch some much needed food for the clan too.

The she-cat stepped gingerly out of the shack and raised her nose to the air to scent for nearby prey. She knew that mice had a knack for being able to feel a clumsy cat’s paw steps, so she was careful not to tread too heavily. It didn’t take long before Bluetwilight located the scent of prey. It was not a mouse as she had been expecting, but a vole. She stopped to look over her shoulder and, seeing that Rushstar was not far away from her, flicked her tail back and forth to get the other female’s attention in a way that would not alert the prey. Bluetwilight figured that since her leader was so excited to be hunting, she should be the one to make the first kill.

[~ .rushstar.]

Rushstar could hear the excitement building in Bluetwilight's voice. Maybe she was finally relaxing now that she knew the leader better. She hoped that was the case and that the calico wasn't faking her excitement for hunting. "Great!" she meowed, hoping that Bluetwilight was actually looking forward to hunting with her.

The leader let Bluetwilight leave the twoleg building, then stepped out into the forest. Scents flooded to her, mice and vole along with the forest scents. Rushstar took a moment to let the scents relax her. She hadn't realized it until then, but she had felt confined and restricted inside the shack. Just one more piece of evidence that she couldn't be a RoseClan cat. Being confined in those creepy buildings all the time… Rushstar knew she wouldn't be able to do that ever.

A few moments after they had started their hunt, Rushstar noticed Bluetwilight signaling to Rushstar. It was fairly obvious that the calico had found something and was going to let Rushstar kill it. Rushstar nodded and crouched down after she had caught scent of the vole.. One paw in front of the other, the tabby she-cat stalked her way towards the rodent. The vole was slipping between the leaves, munching away and unaware of the cats nearby. Rushstar was sure to stay upwind of her quarry. It would certainly be embarrassing for the leader to lose prey due to the wind blowing her scent towards her prey.

After she was close enough, Rushstar pounced towards the vole, forepaws landing with claws extended on the furry creature. After a swift bite to the vole's neck, it was dead and the leader sat up holding it in her jaws. After looking around, she saw a spot to bury it until the two cats were done hunting and did so, scraping dirt over it. Once finished, she looked up and over at Bluetwilight. "You get the next one."