sloth
•
Kitten
Posts: 84
Likes: 56
Gender: Female
Preferred Pronouns: She / Her
|
Post by sloth on Feb 17, 2020 19:15:02 GMT -5
Tangledthorn 189 With dusk came the Nightwalkers. Tangledthorn pushed aside the foliage of the meager shrub he’d attempted hiding within from the excruciating sun. Unfortunately, it’d been a restless sleep filled with odd dreams and uncomfortable shifting for the warrior who was already prone to unpleasant dreams when not in perfect sleeping conditions. His face reflected his exhaustion and he was sure his whiskers frayed at the ends either from sheer heat or delirium.
The tom walked towards the slip of water that tricked through the temporary camp they were currently residing in. The ground still felt hot to the touch and he was sure the water would feel as if it were boiling on his tongue. He flicked his pink tongue out to lick the dust from his lips though wetting them hardly satisfied his urge for water. It was difficult to ignore his dehydration but based on what was left of the oases he wondered how long they’d be here. It was for the best; they needed to move on and finally settle back in a solid camp where things would go back to normal.
Tangledthorn started down at the trickling water and frowned; lost in his own thoughts as the sunlight ebbed away.
Wearing masks and kicking ass
|
|
captain
•
Bootleg Admin
Litter God (Moderator)
Posts: 155
Likes: 92
Gender: Other / Decline to State
|
Post by captain on Feb 19, 2020 22:48:40 GMT -5
The first half of the journey was less than ideal. Without the Nightleader, Applewater was forced to keep leading throughout the entire trip. Usually she would have switched partway with the Nightleader who was more equipped to see in the pitch black desert night. But this time she had to press through alone. Applewater could still remember the disgruntled moans of the Nightwalkers as they had to readjust Applewater to stay on route. Even the Traveler couldn't offer help since they had to stay behind the pack to make sure no kits or apprentices got left behind. The small temporary camp didn't help lift the mood of her clanmates either. The stream was more dried up than Applewater was expecting and each gulp of water was accompanied by a mouthful of sand. She approached the stream and stared at it wordlessly. If Applewater couldn't lead her clan to water then what good was her God-given name. She signed, then immediately bristled when she finally noticed the Nightwalker also looking thoughtfully at the water. Apparently she'd walked up to stand right beside him without noticing. Nightwalkers had a bad habit of blending into the night, especially fully black-furred ones. " Oh, um." Applewater tried to compose herself. At least she didn't yelp in surprise this time. " A yes, I um needed you for something…" Applewater scrounged her memory for a name but came up empty handed. " As you can tell from the first half of the journey, my eyes aren't fit for the dark." Applewater looked the tom over. He seemed to be the quiet type, but that wasn't saying much since all Nightwalkers tended to be quiet. Something about him looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. Oh well he seemed well built given a good angle and Applewater wouldn't mind staring at him a while longer. " I could use a pair of Nightwalker eyes at the front of the patrol with me when we make the last half of the journey." sloth , Don't mind Applewater's boy crazy tendencies
|
|
sloth
•
Kitten
Posts: 84
Likes: 56
Gender: Female
Preferred Pronouns: She / Her
|
Post by sloth on Feb 20, 2020 8:55:58 GMT -5
Tangledthorn 551 Even lost in thought Tangledthorn knew to always be prepared for surprises in the dark. The instinct to be on the defense only intensified when standing beside water; after all most successful hunts on his part were made by prey too focused on a drink to notice the looming shadow behind them. So even when his ears failed to hear the shift of sand from Applewater’s arrival, the presence of a warm body and the sound of a slight sigh had Tangledthorn turning his head to stare at his sudden companion. He recognized her instantly and gave the leader a small nod; though she had yet to notice him and repeating the gesture seemed foolish.
The tom got a good look of the she-cat as she stared down the trickling water and it didn’t take superior observation skills to see the exhaustion outlining her silhouette. It was reasonable; she’d been the only one to lead them thus far and after awhile the desert had the nasty habit of looking the same even to the most experienced travelers. When she noticed him; Tangledthorn continued to star silently, his round green eyes taking in her startled expression with mild interest.
He said nothing as Applewater rambled out something about needing him for something. She pressed on in his silence; indicating her lack of direction in the dark. He felt it fair not to point out the obviousness of her statement, it appeared she had enough self reflection to notice when she was inferior to others. Tangledthorn respected her honesty, especially to someone such as himself who was neither the most experienced nor the best Nightwalker out of the clan. ’Why are you telling me this,’ he wanted to chime but questioning a leader wasn’t a very Nightwalker thing to do.
He felt her study him; she was very obvious about it, and he waited for the common statements about his skinny features or lack of voluptuous fur like his sisters. Instead Applewater seemed to be weighing something in her mind more than critiquing whatever she saw in him. It was getting to the point where Tangledthorn was starting to feel uncomfortable by her gaze and he opened his mouth to say something but Applewater beat him to it. The Nightwalker tom took a moment to process what she’d actually said to him and it was his turn to analyze her.
A million thoughts bubbled to the surface, each one pressing at his lips to blurt out; ’Are you serious? Why me? Would I be laughed at for spending part of this journey traveling with Daywalkers?’ That last thought echoed in his mind and he chewed on it thoughtfully.
”Why exactly are you asking me?” Tangledthorn instantly scolded himself for the question; you didn’t question leaders. He covered up his blunder by bending down to take a small sip of water for the stream. It tasted like heat and sand and he immediately regretted even trying to satisfy his thirst here. Two regrets in a single moment was not a very comfortable feeling for Tangledthorn and he tried hard to cover up his frustration with a deep intake of breath followed by a calm, collected exhale.
He was hoping he was lucky enough that Applewater could not see his sour expression in the dark.
Wearing masks and kicking ass
|
|