waiting for action [open]

[• ruthie •]

m o t t l eleaf

The morning was only just beginning, and many elders were still resting. One or two had awoken, but stayed where they were; no need to move, as they had no duties. One near the entrance of the den rolled his head to look out between the leaves and moss. Unfortunately his view was mostly obscured, which was a good thing if the Clan were ever to be attacked. But at the moment, Mottleleaf found it anything but useful. He grunted and grumbled, forcing himself to his feet and stretched, rump in the air. His legs ached, but he knew he could shake off the feeling with a nice brisk walk.

But before he could really get to that plan, he felt the sun on his back. It wasn’t a lot, which was disappointing, but there was still time. He sat down slowly outside the entrance, a little off to the side in case another elder needed out, and looked around the camp with intense eyes. Mottleleaf was always interested in the goings on of the camp, even if he couldn’t really do anything himself. If something needed an opinion perhaps, then he was ready to jump in. Lately he had been so bored! No one wanted to go hunting with him - not any of the elders anyway - and most of the warriors and apprentices were too busy to go with him. Hunting alone was boring, he figured that out the hard way.

So he sat there, tail curled around his paws as he waited for something to happen. Maybe some apprentice would come along and talk to him. Then he wondered if his grandchildren were going to come by soon; surely they had chores to do in the elder’s den? He nearly kneaded the ground in excitement, thinking of how he could catch up with his family.
Look at me! Getting excited about a little visit. What am I, old? he thought with a snort, nose twitching. Deciding that he would not get excited about something so trivial, he thought of other things to do.

Hm.

He could go for a walk. He could visit the nursery. He could wake up the other elders and pester them - surely his brothers of all cats would want to be with him! But when he looked at the entrance, hearing the grumbles of the sleeping cats, he decided against it. A roll of his eyes revealed that he wasn’t too happy with his fellow elders, but he didn’t do anything more. They needed their sleep, he didn’t! So he would humour them for now and wait until at least one of them woke up. It was still early in the day, he could bother them in the afternoon after they’d had some fresh-kill. Speaking of, he looked over at it, wondering if it needed filled at all. Just as his eyes locked onto it however, a few warriors returned from hunting and left their fresh-kill there, some wandering to the nursery with theirs. At the sight he huffed and slowly lay down on his side, accepting that nothing was going to happen. Not yet, anyway.

words 525
tags open
notes :)

[LEAF !]

poppynose ,
warrior of hillclan.

it was such a beautiful morning. poppynose liked to think of herself as a connoisseur of exquisite beauty, and so she sat for a while as the sun rose, simply watching the others wake up and go about their daily business. kits that weren't hers getting underfoot, apprentices tripping over themselves to obey orders, warriors bringing back freshkill and elders snoring away what remained of their pitiable lives in their den. she could hardly even imagine the smell in that sleeping place over there, and wrinkled her delicate nose as she thought of it. the clan was a hive of activity once the sun came up, and begrudgingly she rose from her watching spot slightly on the rise, where the whole area lay in front of her, ready for her keen eyes to examine. she quite enjoyed this time of day, where she could stalk and not be bothered. but now, everyone would be on her back and she would prefer she was not questioned as to her motives. noticing somecat who looked painfully familiar, poppynose rolled her large, green eyes and strolled towards the elder, mottleleaf. he used to be known as a famous warrior, back when she was a kit, but now he had changed his name to become more user-friendly and he was always milling about, looking decidedly lost and very bored. he should get a hobby, like hers. cat-watching, she liked to call it. taking the mouse she had captured before dawn that had been feebly trying to escape her claws for the good part of an hour, she crunched down on its spine to kill it immediately. it was a small quarry, but what use did an elder have for good meat anyhow? it wasn't like he was going to benefit the clan in any way. or her, which was more to the point. elders were useless, infertile and weak. pitiful, in other words. flouncing towards him, all swinging hips and flicking tail, she deposited the mouse before him with a winning smile, tipped with poisonous sarcasm that dripped from her tongue. "here you are, old cat," she said brightly, eyes flashing with mirth. "you need to keep your strength up if you're going to slowly chase your tail in circles all day. again."

[• ruthie •]

m o t t l eleaf

It wasn’t difficult to miss the she-cat prancing towards him. Perhaps she wasn’t prancing, but that’s how Mottleleaf would have described it anyway. What with the hips and the smirk on her face behind the ugly mouse in her mouth. What was she doing? That spoiled brat of a warrior was not made for Clan life. He eyed her, waiting for her to reach him before looking at the mouse she dropped in front of him. He was not hungry, nor was he ready to accept any food from Poppynose. Were she not mollycodled at such a young age, perhaps she would be a different kind of warrior. Maybe even a good warrior, but of course he couldn’t say that out loud. Would her parents overhear, there would probably be an uprising against him.

At her comment, the joyous smile on her face, he sat up a little and his hackles raised. How dare she utter such words to him! He narrowed his eyes even more at the thought of even saying that to an elder. Had he done so at his age, he would have been reprimanded heavily. This is what came out of a life of being babied. She didn’t deserve it. He bat at her face, claws sheathed. But if she continued to making gleeful remarks towards him, then he would be sure to ‘forget’ to keep his claws sheathed. Mottleleaf felt that it would be a good way for her to learn some manners.

“Watch your tongue!” he snapped, calming himself and trying to restrain his voice, “I don’t want to hear such remarks about me, Poppynose!”

He glowered down at the mouse. Usually he would begrudgingly accept meals given to him, but with such an attitude given to him by her, he would want absolutely nothing to do with her. He scoffed, shifting back away from the mouse but kept to his seated position.

“You may have it,” he began calmly, but a sneer couldn’t be avoided, “I’m not the only one that has to keep their strength up to do absolutely pointless things today.”

words 350
tags poppynose&foxheart&open
notes post is short because i had to rewrite it

[LEAF !]

poppynose ,
warrior of hillclan.

oh, good old mottleleaf. he was just a riot, he was, pretending like he mattered to everyone, like his opinions were still required by everybody. she had never understood why elders somehow demanded respect through their grey fur and cloudy eyes. they didn't fight, they didn't hunt, they didn't train. they could hardly be expected to impart their knowledge to a younger generation when it had been infinite amounts of moons since they themselves had done anything useful. she could only imagine it: mottleleaf and his old buddies, still chatting inanely about how pantherstar and eaglestar were thinking of going to war. taking the hit on her face with a heavy pout, she replied with a frown on her pretty little face and a heavy lilt of sarcasm. "oh, my deepest apologies, your eldership. i hadn't realised you were so touchy about," she looked around, then held a paw to her mouth and loudly mock-whispered, "your age." rolling her eyes, she batted the mouse towards herself and shrugged, taking it into her mouth and taking small, delicate bites from the still-warm carcass. she was not useless. the mere fact that she had both been awake far before daybreak - before his high and mightiness over here, might she add - and that she had caught her own breakfast meant that at least she was good for something. slurping the tail into her mouth, she remarked as it slid down her throat with a satisfied smile, "your loss," and continued to nibble at the mouse, avoiding the tiny bones as she went. it was like the fish those brookclan cats loved to chew on: slimy, wet and full of bones, she didn't know why they even bothered. sitting back and curling her tail around her legs, she stared pointedly at mottleleaf with her large, round eyes. licking a paw, she waited on the elder to do something. she adored examining the slight movements in his face, the twitches along his tired, ill-used muscles. it was like reading the movements of the sun in the sky, or watching the blades of grass move to tell whether it was a docile rabbit or a feral fox which hid within its green waves. she was sure he was hiding something away behind that faux calmness: ferocity, anger, or maybe disappointment. or maybe, she added to herself, amidst a final lick of her pristine, black-and-red spotted fur, he might have just really badly needed to pass gas. he was an elder, after all. she couldn't put it past him.

[lyric ♫]

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[atrb=background,http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae64/Byonten/FoxheartBG-1.png] It was moments later that the scraggly-haired tabby came slinking back into camp himself. He'd been out since near daybreak with the dawn patrol, reinforcing their scent markings as well as hunting fresh-kill for the clan. In his jaws he carried a large fat squirrel and, in his eyes was simple pride in the catch he'd made. New-leaf was only just beginning so most prey they found was still fattened from their leaf-bare slumber, but that didn't stop Foxheart from still feeling proud of his capture -- even if everyone was catching them. He set his squirrel on the very top of the fresh-kill pile, figuring he'd leave it for someone who actually needed all that meat. He wasn't very hungry, anyway. At the very least, he could wait until evening before eating anything. The tom stretched his back, kneading his paws in the ground. Aaah, it had been a while since he'd felt the tension relief from a good stretch. Actually, it was when he first woke up that he had last stretched like that. To be honest, he was wondering if he should bring any food to the elders, but then he also knew how much Mottleleaf hated it when any cat brought him fresh-kill. Then again... there were other elders in the den that might've appreciated the squirrel he had brought in. Wasn't that the apprentices' job, to bring food to the elders? Tsk, he rolled his eyes before picking up the squirrel once again into his mouth. And just as he was headed on over to the elders' den, his pale green eyes capture that unmistakable pelt belonging to Poppynose -- a beautiful pelt splashed with black, ginger and white. That she-cat, he knew, was a fluffy ball of spitfire which... actually, he liked. Of course he liked all the she-cats, but Poppynose's whole personality constantly rendered him amused. The smile on his face, which once was just a tiny grin, grew wider and he picked up his pace until he finally reached the heavily protected elder's den. "Hello, beautiful," he cooed in between mouthfuls of squirrel, with his tail held high and a prance that made his fur flow stunningly as he made his way around the she-cat; making sure to gently brush his tail along her back, of course. He then dropped the squirrel at Mottleleaf's paws and purred, "I know you don't like being hunted for, but perhaps one of your den-mates might enjoy this plump squirrel?" he offered kindly, before flashing a flirtatious smile back at Poppynose with half-closed eyes and a loud purr. words: 432. muse: good.

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[• ruthie •]

m o t t l eleaf

His stare could not have been any frostier as he watched Poppynose. He wondered how anyone else could put up with her - did her parents protect her from anyone confronting her at this age? His tail flicked continuously in irritation, eyes wandering to the mouse as she ate before looking back at her. He could only think that if she were his child, things would be much more different. He wondered how such cats came about; ones that believed their own needs were worth more than their Clan’s. Mottleleaf did believe his opinion was important, but not above anyone else’s. And as a warrior he accepted that others were to be respected, not mocked.

Before he could once more berate her for taking such a tone with him, another warrior wandered over. Foxheart; a loyal warrior. He was not as annoying as Poppynose by any means, but he was definitely a dangerous distraction when he wanted to be. Unsurprisingly he greeted Poppynose first, but Mottleleaf did nothing. He couldn’t help but smirk, even. He knew what it was like back in the day, trying to get a mate. Well, he knew what it was like trying to get a certain she-cat, but his brothers boasted about the amount of females that swooned at their paws just at a smile. Maybe it was all exaggerations, but Mottleleaf wouldn’t be surprised if some of it was true. Perhaps flirting was easier than Mottleleaf ever thought.

Falconclaw had not been very interested in flirting. They both knew that they liked each other, so there was no reason for either of them to lead up to it with taunts and teases. Even when they were mates, there was no flirtatious conversations in private. Nowadays it just seemed to be thrown all over the place, and Mottleleaf could not wrap his head around it. Even his daughter had been flirting quite obviously with her mate before they were together… Perhaps he was just a special case. Or maybe he had flirted, he just never knew it. That was definitely a strange thought! It didn’t change anything for him, but it was still weird to think about.

Remembering that there was a warrior speaking to him, Mottleleaf straightened his back a little.
“I’m sure they will appreciate it,” he stated, his tone almost completely different now that he was dealing with a kinder cat, “Thank you, Foxheart.”

He eyed the meal that Poppynose had previously offered him. In comparison to the squirrel, it was almost nothing. Of course she would not want to try very hard to feed the elders. He took the squirrel and poked his head into the den, offering it to the first elder he saw awake. He took it with great pleasure, calling out a thank you to the hunter and Mottleleaf returned to his spot. It wasn’t as if he was going to give up a space he had sat down in before Poppynose even turned up just because they had appeared.

“I take it hunting has been mostly successful?” he asked, sending a glance to Poppynose when he emphasised on a certain word. While the question was aimed at both of them, he wouldn't even blink if Poppynose chose to leave then and there. But, why would she? Well there was a promising mate right beside her! Mottleleaf wasn't blind to her needs and tricks. She wouldn't give up this opportunity so quickly, even if it meant keeping Mottleleaf in the conversation. Or, rather, Mottleleaf keeping himself in the conversation to get in her way. Not to hurt her or anything, of course not. Merely good fun. That’s all it was for this old cat that had nothing better to do than chase his own tail.

words 627
tags poppynose&foxheart&open
notes :)

[LEAF !]

poppynose ,
warrior of hillclan.

poppynose could barely hold in her excitement. not only was there fun involved in irritating the elder here, but foxheart had joined mottleleaf: gorgeous young foxheart. a stunning young tom, and useful too - not like the old cat before her - would give her gorgeous little kittens. that was the only thing she really wanted in life. not an apprentice, not really even a mate, and not to become a leader, or to fight in a war. she just wanted kittens: if she had her way, she might live in the nursery for the rest of her life. she blushed a little as foxheart complimented her, coyly looking down at her paws. "good morning, foxheart," she replied, very tempted to add a 'gorgeous' in there, but knowing that stuffy old mottleleaf might strike her across the nose again for the impudence of it all, or whatever. just because foxheart had caught something bigger than her, mottleleaf was going to hold it against her. she had offered, after all: it was the thought that counted. she was sure, as it was newleaf, she could find a newborn badger cub or something else substantial if she wanted, but she had not been bothered. but clearly mottleleaf was going to continue pretending that he wasn't hungry and he didn't need to be looked after, because he dumped foxheart's hard-won quarry into the smelly elders' den and returned. she sighed, choosing to ignore the obvious insinuation behind mottleleaf's words. "yes, hunting is rather successful, for those of us who do still have the aptitude for it," she said cheerfully, her eyes glinting spitefully. what did he think he was doing? surely he realised that young warriors had the ability to love, far more than a washed-up elder such as he, and that he was just in the way? he had done his part, he had given the clan plenty of kits, and now he needed to back off and let the newer generation live properly. she didn't understand why he hung around, wasting air and freshkill with his presence. he should just hurry up and die already.

[• ruthie •]

m o t t l eleaf

Of course Poppynose continued to be all smiles and purrs when Foxheart was around. He could tell it was a bit less forced than it was with him, although he was quite glad that there were much less purrs going around his way than Foxheart as receiving. He couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of the newly lovestruck she-cat, so desperate to find a mate that she was willing to fall to the paws of the first male that even looked at her way, let alone talked to her. It must be a sad life, having to rely on other people’s attentions to even live properly. Even if it meant going to an elder you clearly didn’t think earned the meals they were offered.

He looked her way when she talked, tail twitching and wrapping around his paws. At her retort, he could just feel the claws coming out and slashing at him. She must feel so superior to him. Perhaps he could spitefully get her a big plump squirrel and offer it to her later on, just to prove that he wasn’t the old crazy badger she thought he was. Yes! That’d be hilarious; the look on her face as she tried to hide her anger and shock as he stalked off back to his smelly elder’s den, proving a point. But what point was he even trying to make? Was it even worth it? Part of him didn’t even want to feed her anything - but he knew that that they were Clan mates. He would appreciate that and treat her like so. If he had to, he would hunt for her. Begrudgingly.

“That’s good,” he stated, “I suppose I will go find out for myself if that’s true soon.”
He was not going to let her snide, sneaky remarks get to him. No matter what Poppynose would try, he was going to continue to be Mottleleaf - the cat that had just retired too soon. Unfortunately their leader was reluctant to let him back as a warrior, which he couldn’t possibly understand. He was a perfectly capable warrior still, and clearly he could hunt for himself and the Clan! Although, he noticed as an elder, if he were to bring back any fresh kill no one would badger him for it. He could keep it to himself, as being an elder, he would have gotten fresh kill first anyway.

words 403
tags poppynose&foxheart&open
notes poppynose is so horrible xD