[ti]Private[/ti]Two is Better than One

[pants]

Jaggedstream ambled into camp, his large frame taking its sweet time as he entered the clearing, a large collection of moss being carried between this jaws. Since there was a lack of apprentices, Jaggedstream had no issue taking up some of the duties, such as gathering moss for the elders. It was about time to change their bedding again, and the warrior had recently found a bountiful collection of soft moss this past newleaf. He'd make trips every now and then and bring home a sizable amount, which pleased the elders and their aching joints every time. 

The gentle giant padded to the elder's den, greeting the few elders that MistClan had before offering to change their bedding, which he did without complaint. He stuck around for a bit, listening to either the mindless chatter or retelling of stories from the oldest of the clan - and there was no in between. After saying his goodbyes for now, Jaggedstream exited the den, the loud roar of the waterfall becoming more audible as he did so. Jaggedstream always did like the waterfall. It was loud, yes, but it was a constant, predictable noise. Calming, in a way. He smiled before opening his maw to release a yawn, his teeth glistening from the sunshine that managed to peek through into the cave. After, he exhaled, hearing his stomach beginning to growl.  

The fresh-kill pile wasn't too far away - maybe a few foxlengths at most, but it definitely felt like less since the tom could take larger strides. And so, he turned his body and stepped off with his left paw, walking over in a relaxed gait, as if he didn't have a care in the world. He nodded to a few warriors that padded by as a greeting, not making too much effort to stop and chat. Most other warriors were busy with their own tasks, whether that be going on a patrol, caring for kits, or doing whatever other business they could come up with to avoid such chores. It was that time of day where the hustle and bustle of clan life was very apparent.

Jaggedstream finally arrived, fresh-kill arranged in a semi-cluttered pile in front of him. The green eyes of the warrior examined the prey on top, surely to be the freshest. After a few moments of uneventful pondering, the tom chose a squirrel, a little bit on the scrawny side, but still enough meat to satisfy his hunger. He didn't have much of an appetite anyway, even if his stomach was throwing a fit. Gently picking up the chosen prey in his jaws, Jaggedstream padded towards a less hectic side of camp, a little cozy spot in the corner. He noticed a few others already occupying the space. That didn't bother Jaggedstream, as the tom just shrugged it off. He didn't mind a little bit of company.

Approaching his destination, the large warrior chose a vacant section, sitting down and placing his squirrel on the dusty ground, taking a decent sized bite to start off his meal. Another followed, and then another. After the rumbling subsided, the warrior slowed a bit, not wanting to inhale the food. Instead, his green eyes eased up, seeing who else was enjoying the quiet corner of their home.


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Fireflake

[Fireflake]

Pebbleshade was not enjoying the quiet corner, per se. More accurately, he was seeking refuge there, taking a step back from the busy camp. He had spent much of the morning tidying. As more cats started to go about their day, more and more seemed to look at him as a tripping hazard or mild inconvenience. In search of some other productive task to block out the sadness clinging to him, he ventured toward the waterfall.

The wall of water stopped him in his tracks as if there was no way around it. "Do you know if anyone else is going to the forest?" he muttered as Troutfang passed. The tabby shrugged and slipped through the exit. Sighing quietly, Pebbleshade resorted to grooming bits of his nest out of his pelt instead. He naturally gravitated toward the outskirts of the cave and ended up, as he often did, in the corner. The tom had just come up for breath out of a thick clump of chest fur when he noticed Jaggedstream beside him.

The grey warrior was not tiny, but he was slightly smaller than the average cat, and he was sharply reminded of this as he saw his large clanmate. He had observed Jaggedstream performing chores around camp, mostly out of the corner of his eye, but it was less noticeable from a distance. The only other time he'd seen Jaggedstream was next to Ramkit, and anyone looked huge next to a kit. His eyes flicked down to the squirrel Jaggedstorm was finishing off, which was notably not very big. "Is that the best that's on the pile?" he asked with a frown.

[pants]

The marbled top observed Pebbleshade next to him as the gray warrior was grooming out his fur. Jaggestream blinked, and left him to it, not wanting to be too much of a bother. He knew how 'in the zone' one could get while grooming, especially if other things were on their mind. And thus, the brown warrior continued to eat his squirrel in peace and quiet. That is, until Pebbleshade caught his attention once more.

"Is that the best that's on the pile?"

"...I do believe there was a pretty decent looking blackbird." He mentioned in his deep, smooth voice, looking at his nearly finished squirrel before directing his gaze to the smaller tom. The bird had been on top of the pile, and was really the most notable thing there. The collection of fresh kill had mostly consisted of mice and a few small songbirds. If there had been anything significant, the queens probably took it. MistClan's kits were getting older. It was about time their mothers began to wean them off milk and introduce them to food with more sustenance. Jaggedstream was also sure that the queens were getting tired of watching the little bundles of energy, never really getting a break. It must be exhausting to keep up with them...

"Did you want me to bring you something?" Jahhedstream asked, tilting his head a bit. It wouldn't have been too much of a hassle, as the tom was used to running errands for everyone. However, the frown on Pebbleshade's face told the larger warrior that perhaps he had something else on his mind.

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Fireflake

[Fireflake]

Pebbleshade peered over to the pile as Jaggedstream described the fresh-kill, but it was blocked by another clanmate's plump behind as he rummaged through looking for his own prey. Pebbleshade looked back to Jaggedstream. He pricked his tufted ears in surprise and shook his head. "Oh, no, thank you. That's very kind, but I was only wondering if I should go out hunting, if the pile isn't well-stocked this close to Greenleaf."

The grey tom glanced at the waterfall again. This time it seemed more like a glare, though that was more subtle. He quickly broke his gaze and lifted a paw. Rasping his tongue over the back of that paw, he let his eyes wander to Jaggedstream, and as he put it down again he cleared his throat. "You wouldn't want to hunt with me in the forest, would you?" the warrior suggested. He waited for a response with his head half-turned away.

[pants]

Jaggedstream watched as the tom eyed the waterfall wearily, declining the large tom's offer to fetch some food. The bigger warrior blinked, but just gave a nod in response, not wanting to push the other warrior into talking about what made him so uneasy. However, Jaggedstream just marked it up to that everyone was a bit uneasy, at least, since Bearstar's passing. There seemed to be tension brewing between all the clans on top of that. So who was to say what was really on the gray warrior's mind?

Jaggedstream finished up his squirrel, his stomach satisfied - for now, at least. Looking up from his meal, he looked to the waterfall as the tom beside him asked if he wanted to go hunting. The marbled warrior flicked and ear, looking to Pebbleshade. "That actually sounds nice.." He started with a smile, "I've been so busy picking up the apprentices' slack that I haven't been able to go out and hunt. It'd be great to get out and catch something." The large tom didn't mind hunting. He preferred it to fighting. But he had to admit that gathering moss while constantly satisfying the elders' every last whim got boring sometimes. And on top of that, his favorite basking spot had become more popular with other cats, leaving him to settle for mediocre sunbathing areas. So why not? Mind as well go hunting.

And with that, Jaggedstream stood and shook out his pelt lightly, removing any straggling moss that clung to his fur. "Anywhere specific you wanna hunt?" He asked the smaller gray tom as he stretched out, front near the ground and rump in the air, feeling the tension from his muscles loosen a bit before standing in his typical relaxed pose.

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Fireflake

[Fireflake]

Some of the tension clinging to Pebbleshade ebbed away as the other warrior agreed to his suggestion. His ears pricked gently and he turned his head to face Jaggedstream properly. “Oh, good. It’ll be nice for both of us to get out then.”
Looking at the larger tom, a thought suddenly struck Pebbleshade. It had been quite a while since he’d regularly spent time with cats that did apprentice chores and offered to fetch prey. There was nothing wrong with the few friends he had now, of course. It just made him wonder exactly how long it had been.

Dragging himself back to the present, the grey tom stood up and quickly ran his paw over the knots that stubbornly held onto his chest fur. He’d already wrestled them unsuccessfully for longer than usual, so smoothing them down seemed to be the best he could do in the moment. “And I’m sure it’ll be good for the apprentices to try to handle their own chores for a while,” he said quietly, as if cleaning camp wasn’t an apprentice chore he’d been doing just this morning. He stood and stepped from his slightly warm spot back onto the cold stone ground, then waited for Jaggedstream.

Where they would hunt once the camp was behind them was a question that Pebbleshade hadn’t prioritized. “Personally, I like to go to the shadowy bits of the forest,” he answered slowly. It was practically the default place for him to be if he wasn’t in camp or on patrol, so it was no surprise that this was the first thing to come to his mind. On top of that, it currently offered refuge from the heat that only made the matting of his pelt that little bit harder. “I’m happy to try something different if you have a favorite spot, though..? Just- just not fishing, please.”

[pants]

Jagged smiled, "Yeah, it would be nice to do something other than chores..." He looked to the hustle and bustle of the clan camp, trying to look for Creekpaw. The younger tom was full of energy and determination, but his attention was rarely on his duties. And Whitepaw was busy learning to be the clan's next medicine cat, which left a lot of the responsibility on Creekpaw and other warriors who were willing to pick up the slack. The larger warrior looked longingly to the clan entrance, feeling the itch in his paws to get out before he became stir crazy.

"Let's just hope there isn't a mess for us to come back to..." He softly murmured with a playful tone, looking back to the gray tom. "You know how apprentices are..." Jaggedstream chuckled and began to saunter after Pebbleshade as he lead the way.

When Pebbleshade suggested the shady part of the forest, Jaggedstream nodded. "That sounds good to me. It'll keep us out of the sun." Greenleaf had been killer this season. Thankfully, the MistClan cats could cool off in the river and stay in their misty camp, but it made hunting and patrols that much more of a challenge. The larger warrior liked the idea of not being overheated, even though sunbathing was one of his favorite activities. The tom looked to Pebbleshade. "Wouldn't fishing be ideal? That could keep us cooler." Jaggedstream questioned with a calm tone in his voice, his inquiry genuine and not one of malicious intent.

[Fireflake]

Pebbleshade nodded at Jaggedstream's comment on the apprentices. He found it was kits more often than not that would leave mossballs in the middle of camp, but apprentices tracked in all sorts of things from the territory. The words echoed in his mind, "you know how apprentices are", and a faraway look crept into his pale green eyes as he remembered the three he'd trained. He was jerked back, this time, by Jaggedstream asking him a question. I'll have to remember to stop doing that.

Pebbleshade flicked his ears. Heat had gathered in them despite the water droplets jumping onto his pelt. He knew the feeling well by now, and knew enough not to hide his face in a false grooming gesture, so just carried on and waited for it to dissipate. "I don't like..." he began, but trailed off. It was beyond odd for a MistClan cat to say he didn't like the water. "Fishing. I'm just not very good at it, if I'm being honest. Looking through the water, and the timing, and the movement, it's not my type of hunting. Not if there's another option."
Pebbleshade stifled a sigh as he realized he'd over-explained in his attempt to brush it off.

Back to normal conversation.
"But, um, yes, that's what I was thinking about the forest. Hopefully the prey has been thinking the same."
Instinctively avoiding the sun's glare, the tom stepped into the shadow of a tree as soon as possible. He was far more in his element from there. Not exactly comfortable, but a few steps in that direction. The warrior glanced to Jaggedstream again. "Is that something that you like? Fishing?"

[pants]

Jaggedstream just stared on as they walked together, flicking his ear to show he was listening, but not giving much of a reply. He could see the edge of the forest, the towering trees providing some shade from the sun's blinding rays. The tom squinted his eyes a bit, trying to block out some of the light until he managed to amble to the line of shade, his eyes adjusting to the darkened state of the forest. The large tom blinked a few times, the shade easier on his eyes.

Jaggedstream then began to reply, "Aah, well, fishing isn't for everyone, I suppose." His tone was nonchalant. Even though they were in MistClan, he could understand if some of the cats weren't too interested in the water, even though Jaggedstream loved the river and eating fish. Perhaps Pebbleshade had a bad experience as an apprentice?

"I do love to fish. I don't do it very often, but it is something I enjoy on occassion," Jaggedstream looked to the warrior with a side glance and a slight smile. "There's just something about swimming that makes me feel like I'm flying like a bird would in the sky." The tom looked to the patches of sky between the dense leaves of the canopy above. He didn't know what it was like to fly exactly, but he could imagine it was effortless and relaxing as one watched the world from a distance. "And fish is my favorite...It's so light and I love the flavor," he mused, thinking about the flaky meat. He gave a soft purr at the thought, making a note to eat some later. Was he typical for a MistClan cat? Perhaps, but he liked it that way. Jaggedstream loved the simple things in life and just went with the flow, making it easier for him to fit in with his clanmates.

The two warriors moved deeper into the forest, the scattering of squirrels and the chattering of birds filling the air with its signature song. Even though Jaggedstream frequented the forest, he usually was here for the lush moss that grew on the damp bark of trees or the cool surfaces of rocks. It had been a while since he had hunted here. His warrior training kicked in as he glanced about, looking for small critters out in the open, munching on seeds and nuts and away from their burrows. The large tom continued to pad by Pebbleshade's side, waiting for a signal that they had reached their destination.

[Fireflake]

Pebbleshade's ears pricked a bit as Jaggedstream offered his opinions on swimming. The grey tom angled his head to the sky too, but his own eyes focused on the branches themselves. He could remember a time when he had pounced from tree to tree tracking down squirrels and little birds as if falling was impossible. Here, the trees were too far apart for such jumping, and it just wasn't the done thing. Pebbleshade lowered his gaze, giving his attention back to Jaggedstream as they kept walking.

"Fish is... okay," he agreed quietly. Clearly 'okay' was all it was to him, but he wasn't lying when he said that. "I've never heard someone describe swimming like that, though. I suppose that's without a current?"
Though phrased as a question, his last comment seemed more like a conclusion. In any case, he didn't wait long for an answer, continuing to pad on light paws deeper into the forest. Every now and then, he nervous gaze would snap onto some rustling grass or twitching leaf. Most of the time he just stayed silently alert.

At a point just slightly closer to IvyClan's border than to MistClan's camp, his paws slowed. The trees grew close enough together that a cat would have the cover of shadows for most of a hunt. Finally, Pebbleshade came to a full stop. "This seems like a good place to me. What do you think?"
As if to signal agreement, a squirrel hidden nearby chattered loudly. Pebbleshade quickly raised his head to look around.