[ti]Open[/ti]fluff vs non fluff

[Mama]

Briarfrost had made a good recovery from her recent illness, however, she had been slacking from her duties because of this. She was a bit scared that if she went out, she would get sick, or even worse start to spaz out around other cats. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the den again. Currently, the frial she-cat was curled up peacefully in her nest, before a large paw started to smack against her face. The den was nearly empty, and giving a drowsy look she half expected it to be Wolfclaw in his sleep.


However, it was a large she-cat, with a rather angry look on her face. "Aren't you assigned to the dawn patrol? I had to fill it in for you, because someone was busy taking a nap." Loonspark snapped, her tail lashing. Briarfrost pinned her ears back, giving a nervous gulp towards the feline. She had seen her go off on cats before, and usually it ended bad. 


"Now tell me, did you eat yesterday? How about the day before? Did you hunt when you were acting like a rabid beast in the medicine den?" The black and white warrior growled, her eyes cold. "No. You did not hunt at all. You have barely caught a fly for the clan, and continue to eat like a selfish apprentice. Selfish, selfish, selfish." Loonspark sneered, giving a bare of her fangs.


Briarfrost shuddered before stiffening, her eyes nervous and fearful. What was she going to do to her?

[M'Lady]

Owlstar, with her kits being watched by Rainfur, had gone out on a lovely solo hunting patrol that morning. The snow was fresh and crisp, frost crunching underneath her paws, and the stray flakes had caught in her pelt in the most lovely way, looking like a star dappled night. And she'd even been lucky enough to get a nice catch, a crow that had been pecking at the ground in hopes of finding something underneath the ice. It hadn't heard her coming for a moment, she was absolute grace when it came to hunting.

Now she strolled into camp with her catch in her jaws, placing it on the rather meager freshkill pile. She frowned, and gave herself a mental note to tell Wolfclaw to add an extra hunting patrol for tomorrow morning. She then turned to head back to the nursery, but paused when she heard growls coming from the warriors den. They didn't sound friendly, so Owlstar silently peered around the corner, luminous yellow eyes widening when she caught Loonspark, snarling at Briarfrost. Normally, the leader might've sided with Loon. She didn't tolerate laziness in her clan, just look at what she did to Rainfur! Now he's a productive member of society, if only to watch their kits while Owlstar got down to the actual work. But the leader herself had seen the seizures, the blood, the terrifying look in her cousin's eyes when he returned from the medicine den after seeing Briar. While she appreciated Loon's intentions, this wasn't the time for them.

"That is enough, Loonspark." Her tone was the same as the ones she used for gatherings. Cool, clear, authoritative. Owlstar was the one that commanded, no, DEMANDED, the attention of those she spoke to. She strode into the warriors den, her steps quick and decisive in the usual elegance that befit the leader, and held her head high as she figuratively looked down on her clanmate.

"There is a much more polite of wording your concerns, and certainly no need to growl so crudely at your fellow warrior." Ice. Owlstar was usually full of warmth, invigorating her clanmates and rallying them to a cheer without fail everytime. But now, she was as full of ice as was the forest. "Briarfrost is in recovery from an illness we LOST clanmates to, Loonspark, as you well know. Instead of insulting her strength, you should be trying to help her get it all back." Her words were even, but seething. Owlstar was a diplomat for good reason. "Apologize."

[Mama]

Loonspark snapped her head towards the leader, her tail lashing side to side. "Why must I apologize? Do I need to kiss her paws also, begging for forgiveness? She's been healed for long enough, and all she does is moap around the camp!" The warrior coldly mewed, before sending a glare towards Briarfrost. Owlstar most likely was siding with her because of her deputy, a cat she was close to. Wolfclaw, her cousin, seemed to care a bit more then he should around the small tabby, and the fact she was treated more special made her quite mad.

"If I were to come up to you, complaining I was coughing and then got better, would you allow me to sit around on my butt while my clan worked, soaking in their hard earned prey and praise? Or do you side with her for another reason?" The large feline added, glancing back towards her leader.

Briarfrost had tried to scurry back, her tail tucked under her. "I-I-I.." She stuttered, trying to come to words.

[M'Lady]

She watched Loonspark closely, her own yellow eyes burning with a faint sense of annoyance towards her warrior. There was nothing wrong with wanting your clan to be the strongest it could be, but there were ways to go about this. When the warrior had finished, Owlstar spoke once again, her voice low.

"Think again before you twist my words against me, and don't you ever dare suggest I have anything but Ivyclan's best interests in mind." A soft hiss accented her words, and her ears pinned back slightly as she continued her argument.
"I never once suggested a recovered cat should be allowed to lie back and do nothing. I will talk to Briarfrost myself about her absence from patrol. There is a better way of voicing your concerns than beating down your clanmate just after they managed to get on their paws again! Insulting her is not the way to get your point across, Loonspark. As an Ivyclan warrior, as one of MY warriors, I expect better from you." Her growl was low and rumbling, as threatening as the telltale thunder that announced a storm. "Not every cat is like you. They cannot sweep aside a brush with death so easily. This is fear, not selfishness. If you weren't so blinded by your duty you would see so." At this, Owlstar sighed, seeming to calm down a bit once she had gotten her point across. She quickly added onto her words.

"That may have been a bit far. You are a valued warrior of the clan, fearless, intent on making us stronger. But death is terrifying to some. Though Briarfrost may physically be better, emotionally, she may not be. Your duty as a clanmate, as a fellow warrior, is to see if there's anything wrong before you become accusatory. That's the duty I expect from any one of my warriors. It's akin to..." She attempted to find some sort of metaphor to explain her words.

"If Mistclan crossed our border to hunt for prey, that's enough of an indicator for us to instigate a battle. But if they didn't, we have no right to do so. Get proof first, and then attack. It's the way we've run this clan for generations." Owlstar turned her head, to peer down at Briarfrost for the first, time, with indifferent yellow eyes an even tone.

"Briarfrost, are you scared?"

[Mama]

Loonspark was unfazed by her harsh words, but calmed down a little. "Fine." She hissed coldly, her eyes narrowing. "I'll leave it to you whether you punish her or not."

After another glare towards Briarfrost, the feline turned around with a flick of her tail before stalking out of the den, the cold air a relieving feeling against her thick pelt. Leafbare was nice for her, as she liked the cold. Along with that, she didn't stick out as much and was always nice and warm. Her jaws parted for a moment, before she growled and proceeded towards the prey pile to get something to eat. //

Briarfrost had covered her face with her paws, her heart pounding in her ears. She had been so overemotional and always felt like she was doing something wrong, scared she made the wrong move. Especially after finding out that another cat had feelings towards her.. she didn't want to let them down. But it was hard to try and hold this up, and her body was sore and weak from the recovery. Along with that, she was always cold and like the rest of her clan, hungry.

Slowly peeking up towards her leader, she didn't know what to say. Admit she was scared, or suck it up? Instead, she said nothing to Owlstar, and remained as still as she could. 'Maybe if I don't move, she won't see me. Or none of this happened.' She thought. It was stupid, but either way she was frozen like a deer in the headlights of a monster.

[silverfang218]

Starlingkit rarely remained in the nursery for long unless her mother or Shadowpaw was there; as her long fur gave her some protection from the leafbare cold, the little kit thought nothing of it to roam around in camp even when her father was supposed to be watching her. Rainfur truly tried his best, yet it was pretty easy for the resourceful kitten to get around him. Shadowpaw, you may have rubbed off on your little sister; at the very least, she picked up your sneakiness.

Starling’s ears prick up as they pick up her mom’s voice, and the small kitten quickly follows the sound to the den where Briar, Loon, and Owl are all hanging out. The kitten doesn’t barge in right away though; even before she starts listening to Owl’s speech, it’s easy enough to pick out a stern note in her mother’s voice. Her mom must be taking care of something important.

Sure enough, Starling quickly starts to pick up on the argument that’s happening. That cat that’s huddling away from the argument must have been sick or something and Loonspark is angry at her for it? And Owlstar must be defending her. Kind of; at the very least, Owlstar isn’t allowing Loonspark to abuse her. As Owlstar carefully structures her argument, Starlingkit can’t help but poof up a bit in pride. Go, mom. Her mom is just the bestest, smartest, and kindest cat there is! Starling carefully listens to the whole thing, waiting until Loonspark stalks past her before inserting herself into the conversation.

“I’d be scared too if I got really sick, and then some big mean warrior got mad at me for it.” Starlingkit declares as she trots into the den. “But then again it’s okay to be scared. We all get scared sometimes, right?” At least that’s what Shadowpaw has explained to her; right now, even the small kit can easily tell that Briarfrost needs comfort, and so Starling trots right past her beloved mother and up to the cowering warrior that clearly needs some kitten cuteness in her life. The kitten brushes against the warrior, assuming Briar allows her to get that close, and Starling aims a big smile towards Briar. “So don’t let that other warrior upset you! I bet she’s been afraid at some point or another too!”

[M'Lady]

Owlstar made sure that when Loonspark stalked out of the den, she left for real. Once she was confident in that fact, did she turn her gaze towards Briarfrost, who still hadn't answered her question. The leader parted her maw to speak once again, but was soon interrupted by her very own kit who came marching in with a declaration of her own to shout out. Owlstar remained silent, but watched on with faint amusement and clear pride as Starling, her lovely daughter, went right on to comfort the warrior. She had raised her right, her little sweetheart. Owlstar brushed her tail over Starling's smooth back, and then turned warm yellow eyes to Briarfrost.

"It's okay to be afraid." She repeated what the kit had said, a deep sense of certainty behind her voice. She didn't speak for a moment after that, instead choosing to let her kit do what kits did best, cheer others up. But Loonspark was right, she couldn't give Briarfrost a free pass on this. They were all scared, they were all cold, they were all hungry. That didn't excuse her from her duties as a warrior that could still carry them out. Death was terrifying, but she had only a mere brush with it. Owlstar nearly winced as she recalled the pain of dying. The river had been so dark, it felt like the darkness was killing her instead of the water. It constricted her, it drowned her, it made it so that sometimes she'd still wake up in complete darkness and start, before realizing she was safe and breathing.

Owlstar sighed, and then finally interjected on the sweet scene before her. "Briarfrost," She began, her voice soft but her eyes just as duty bound as they had been before. "I'm afraid I will have to punish you for missing your patrols. Tomorrow, you're on apprentice duties. Care for the elders, clean out the nursery, and then spend the rest of your time hunting. After that, I expect you to hold to your normal patrol schedule. If you miss more, I'll have to take more drastic measures." She hummed, before she then warmed up a bit more. "If you need to talk, Briarfrost, there's no need to worry about looking weak. Being scared is being a warrior, it happens to all of us. I'm here, Larkbeat is here, and I'm sure Wolfclaw is here if you need help."

[Mama]

Briarfrost bristled up as the kit entered and started to talk, but failed to keep her kitten defenses up as Starlingkit brushed against her. She relaxed and softly licked the small bundle of fluff on the head, giving a small purr of amusement. The scene calmed her enough for her to hear the rest, and as she glanced up towards the leader to listen, she gave a light yawn.

"Y-yes Owlstar." the warrior mewed, her happiness lingering only faintly as she looked a bit nervous once again. When she mentioned Wolfclaw, the fur on Briarfrost's neck bristled up a bit with a small burst of emotions, before it lowered. "D-do you w-want me to go on a patrol u-until then?" She asked, glancing up with a shiver. Her tail curled against her body again, and she flattened her fur tightly against her frame.

[silverfang218]

Starlingkit purrs softly as her mother’s tail brushed over her back, and she gives her mom a quick smile. Starlingkit and Shadowpaw have become very close, and she has comforted the twitchy apprentice multiple times when he would run back into camp after feeling lost and alone once again or after a particularly frightening dream that would send him looking for companionship from either Wildpaw or his little family members. Fear is no foreign concept to the kit. The kitten purrs more as the warrior gently licks her head. She likes this warrior!

“I can help you do that stuff- well, except for hunting or patrolling obviously.” Starling offers. She needs something to do anyways; it’ll take her mind off her worries for Shadowpaw. Plus, for as much of a diva as Starlingkit can be, she likes being helpful or useful at all. She might even end up with a warrior friend other than Barkfur; that’s a plus. Gotta network early, after all.