[ti]Open[/ti]a night out | blizzardthorn

[prunella]

Blizzardthorn couldn't sleep.



She often had trouble doing so; in the night, at least. Cats were meant to be nocturnal, weren't they? She often found her mind was most active at night, her paws itching to fly through MistClan territory, carrying her as swiftly as the wind blows. Tonight, her restless paws lead her to the meadow, where the open territory allowed the wind to buffet her fur. She paused as a shiver ran down her spine, and lifted her chin to taste the air in her parted jaws.
The warm newleaf air invigorated her, stiff limbs now filling with life. She was fond of the cozy MistClan camp, sure, but sometimes her nest seemed so uncomfortable and almost... cramped. She'd much prefer sleeping under the stars most nights, with the vast expanse of Silverpelt hanging over her and the warriors of StarClan cast upon her.

Her whiskers twitched as she caught the scent of rabbit and she quickly dropped low to the ground, grass brushing her belly as she pinpointed the location of her prey. In a heartbeat, she spotted the rabbit, ears straight up with its back turned to her, clearly failing to notice her presence. The wind was thankfully blowing in her direction, so the animal hadn't caught her scent. However, the wind seemed to be a bit volatile tonight, and Blizzardthorn worried that the breeze could quickly change direction. She traced a path in the grass toward her target, stepping lightly as to not alert the creature. With a leap, Blizzardthorn tore in the direction of the rabbit once she was close enough, closing in on it quickly. The creature let out a squeal of terror before it was abruptly cut off, the silver molly's large paws snapping its neck as she pounced on the back of the animal. 

"Thank you, StarClan, for this prey," she mewed, settling back on her haunches. The catch had enlivened her, though she was suddenly reminded of how late it was. It was already moonhigh, meaning there were only a few hours until dawn, and she remembered that she had offered to be on the border patrol. She was still too exhilarated to sleep, and her heart leapt as she spotted the familiar glow of fireflies in the meadow, several foxlengths away. Suddenly forgetting her catch, Blizzardthorn hared over to the little lights, rearing onto her hind legs and swiping the air. She would never do this in the day, especially so open near MothClan's border. They'd probably go back and tell their leader that MistClan's warriors acted like kits! Not to mention her own Clan -- she came off as a relatively serious cat most of the time, despite her sarcasm, and hardly anyone saw this playful side of her.

[Fireflake]

Buckleap couldn't sleep either. Not now, anyway.

Downwind from Blizzardthorn, the tabby warrior had been sprawled out on the grass as if it was a particularly large nest. He likely would have stayed that way until the sun poked over the field, but something about the field was different. He seeped back into the waking world, cracking open a yellow-green eye to stare at the blurred stars above. They came into focus a few blinks later. The warrior wrinkled his nose. The stars were great and all, but they meant it was still nighttime. In which case, he had no reason to be awake yet. The tom groaned just loud enough for his own ears to catch it, then rolled slowly and blinked a few more times. The stars seemed to be dancing on the field.

Buckleap's long ears pricked and he raised his head. Fireflies. The rare little specks were fluttering around hypnotically. He only stared for a few moments before the true cause of his awaking revealed itself... or rather, herself. She seemed vaguely familiar and he got the feeling that he'd watched both her apprentice and warrior ceremony, and had perhaps even been in the clan for her birth, though he certainly hadn't watched that. At least he had the comfort of knowing she wasn't a MothClan cat romping around MistClan's territory after the insects.

The tom smirked at the sight, wondering if he should get up and make his presence known. It was only fair, after she'd woken him with hers. His eyes flicked from side to side and paused at the sight of a rabbit laying completely still in the grass. Buckleap yawned silently, stepped onto the grass as lightly as possible, and stretched out on his way to the fresh-kill. The need to be quiet vanished after he padded over to the she-cat and dropped the prey on the grass. "Hm. Slightly less substantial prey there," he commented, now holding a straight face, nodding to the fireflies.

[prunella]

Blizzardthorn had been so involved in her night excursion that she hadn't even noticed the other cat dozing in the grass. Some warrior she was -- not even noticing the presence of her Clanmate. She started as the sound of the rabbit thumping on the grass met her ears, and she instantly dropped onto all four paws and swiveled around, hackles raised and fur bristling. She relaxed slightly as she recognized the tom as a MistClan warrior, though she hadn't interacted with him much, if at all. Perhaps she had joined a patrol with him once or twice, but she was a fairly young warrior, after all. If she remembered correctly, the tom was a former loner.

Her pelt burned as she realized what she'd been caught doing, and her ears twitched indignantly at the tom's mew. She tilted her head slightly, settling back on her haunches.
"I don't know. I've heard bugs are pretty tasty. Full of nutrients, too," her fur flattened as she replied with a slight trill in her voice. Her eyes rounded innocently.
"Didn't you know they're a delicacy in the Clans? I wouldn't expect you to know, being a loner once and all," she purred teasingly.

[Fireflake]

Buckleap nodded slowly and used every ounce of patience he'd built up over moons of mentorship not to emphatically roll his eyes. "Oh. Really?"
The tom looked back to the bugs as if seeing them for the first time. He tried to keep his eyes on one in particular and took a moment to mockingly appreciate the subject of his newfound knowledge. Then he turned back to the she-cat and let his tone fall flat once more. "Last time I checked, they make you sick."
He flicked his rounded tail-tip. "Maybe that's why warriors need a whole cat dedicated to keeping them alive."

Buckleap sat and began to groom himself, starting with green-stained white paws. "Or maybe," he added as he drew a paw over one of his long ears, "that's because you like to come to the border in the middle of the night to play with bugs."
The warrior finally let his whiskers twitch in slightly mean-spirited amusement.
"What are you doing out here anyway?"

[pants]

Jaggedstream made his way towards the meadow. It was such a beautiful night out, and he had taken the day patrol that morning. After taking quite the nap throughout the day, he decided to use his free time to go stargazing, hoping the meadow's sky would be clear and bright, perfect to see StarClan above. It was a cool and slightly breezy night, the crisp air of the dark being a welcomed change from the constant warmth of daytime. The fireflies were out, reminding Jaggedstream of mini essences of StarClan closer to home. He smiled and continued on his night stroll, his paws leading him towards the open field.

As he arrived, he spotted his favorite tree on the outskirts of the meadow. The bark on this tree was old and worn with time with moss growing on the damper side, but the trunk split into two, creating a fork with a cozy spot from the section where the trunk meets. On a night like this, the comfort of a familiar resting spot paired with the prospect of relaxing on such a beautiful night was something Jaggedstream had been longing to have for quite a while. As he approached the tree, he crouched down, looking at the crevice to be the destination before pushing himself off the ground in one smooth motion. He hoisted himself up with a huff before taking a moment to examine the field before him. The synchronized blinking of the fireflies over the entirety of the meadow was one of the tom's favorite sights. However, something was a bit off. In the distance, he could see two figures, both shapes as cats. Considering the two were this close to the forest, he could only assume they were his clan mates. However, he didn't want to jump to conclusions. While it wasn't odd for cats to be out at this time, one could never be too sure.

So instead of immediately getting comfortable in his favorite hang out spot, Jaggedstream hesitated before climbing higher onto a thinner branch, his weight shifting the branch a bit, causing a few bushels of leaves to rustle. As he managed to get a clearer view, he began to make a plan to approach the two cats. He would just approach the two, but this tom tended to be a pacifist. Better safe than sorry, he thought...