[ti]Private[/ti]So Cold It's Not Funny

[americanfacepalm]

Of course it was just Duskjaw's luck that he got stuck on guard duty watching the camp during one of the coldest times of the year. He fluffed his fur up against the cold, but it did him little good. Despite being warrior-aged, he was not quite warrior-sized. Yes, his growth spurt never really had come to him, making him a little below average in terms of, well, everything. It made him feel inferior most of the time, but he realized that his light body was good for hunting.

Good for hunting, not for sitting out here freezing my tail off! What if someone attacks the camp? I can't possibly fight them off as I am! he thought anxiously.

He looked over his shoulder to see one of his Clanmates. Despite being in MothClan since its founding, he felt he hardly knew anyone around him. He had to squint and think really hard before he realized that he was looking at Sagespiral. Quickly, he looked away, hoping she would not notice his longer-than-usual stare. Duskjaw did not like having attention focused on him. He wanted to blend into the background and disappear like a shadow. Like a shadow...

Oh no, was she coming his way?!

[LupTacco]

--==||SAGESPIRAL~

Guard duty again. Sagespiral's spine prickled with indignation- ever since Sootface's disappearance, she felt like her loyalty was being questioned constantly, though nobody had said any such thing to her face. She hadn't been on dawn patrol, hunting, or border patrol since- just internal duties like guarding, or checking a spot near the camp. It was... infuriating! But, she guessed she couldn't really blame them. She'd never really kept it too secret that she didn't really feel at home here. At this point though, her parent clan would probably feel just as alien- new leadership, new clanmates, and nobody she knew who remained would be very happy to see her she suspected. Not after so long. No, she was solidly stuck in MothClan unless she wanted to brave the wilderness alone, and no part of that felt appealing. 

With a sigh, the pale tabby padded towards the camp entrance, and spotted the cat she'd be spending the next few hours standing next to in case anything tried to come in. This time of year it seemed like the only uninvited guest would be a mound of snow, but maybe for once there'd be some excitement. Or, as usual, another boring day. It took her a moment to register who the other cat was, if only because she wasn't really trying to notice them at all, but it eventually clicked that they were Duskjaw, one of the smallest warriors in the clan. He was certainly looking at her for a while himself. What's one more blank stare at this point?, she sighed to herself, taking a seat on the opposite side of the entrance. 

"Hi,"  she spoke up after a moment, "it's cold." She spoke quickly and a little bluntly, keeping an unfocused gaze trained on the young warrior. 

[americanfacepalm]

"Yeah, really cold..." he murmured, shuffling shyly and shuddering with chill. His short pelt was doing him no favors. He had heard about the ordeal with Sootface's disappearance and all, and most certainly about Sagespiral herself and how the Clan whispered. Little Duskjaw did not ever speak gossip, but it was too hard to avoid. Was she really the horrible cat everyone else said she was, or was there a misunderstanding? She seemed unhappy, although he could not tell if it was because she was forever trapped in MothClan like him, or if it was because of everything that was happening to her.

He decided to try and cheer her up. This guard duty would pass by so much quicker with some laughs and a warmer air. "W... where do snow hares go to hide from warriors?" A pause, to let her try and guess the answer herself. "A brr-ow!"

There was a kitlike grin on his face as the joke slid from his jaws. It was such a quiet exclamation, but it seemed like he was warming up to her a little, even if just enough to tell her one of the worst jokes that he kept in his arsenal.

[LupTacco]

Sagespiral blinked at his question, considering answers. There were many, depending on the situation. Before she could ask him questions of her own about the probably scene the snow hare would be hunted in, he said a... 'burrow'? A look of confusion pinched her features as she tilted her head, pondering the funny pronunciation. What could he...? Inadvertently, a shaky mew- something like 'brrr' in sound- slipped from her muzzle. "...I...oh. Oh! That's what you..." clarity softened her face. Nobody had joked with her since Sootface.

"Heh...haha!" a little chuckled escaped, which she quickly cleared from her throat, mildly embarrassed. "Er, good one," she muttered, doing her best to look as composed and stoic as she had just a moment ago, and failing rather clearly. The young warrior hadn't seemed to harbor any judgement in his eyes. Did he maybe not hear the whispers, or at least, not believe them? Maybe she had room for a friend in her heart after all. She glanced at him, mulling over something to say in return that wasn't outstandingly clumsy.

"I'm... not very funny, unfortunately," she shrugged after a moment, "I don't really know any jokes myself."

[americanfacepalm]

Watching other cats try and figure out silly little plays-on-words was one of the most fascinating, interesting things to Duskjaw. He did not talk often, but he loved to think about those clever little twists in their spoken word. It always made for good conversation when he had a chance to actually use it. The transition from confused to knowing was the real kicker to it; the way it was like a fire of knowledge igniting inside their eyes. It never got old.

Sagespiral laughed, but it faded into a stoic silence. Duskjaw almost gave her a strange look, but held himself back like she did. Did he do something wrong? Why did she seem embarrassed? The poor, anxious warrior looked down at the ground, thinking about every little thing he might have done to upset her. Maybe it had something to do with Sootface? Like it was too soon, or other?

"I... it's okay. I just thought I'd share since, uh, you seemed a little upset before..." he trailed off, shyly scoffing some snow with a paw. "B-but I'm sorry if I made it worse!" Duskjaw pitched in swiftly, attempting to remedy and cover over his own bold choices.