Queen's Job Never Ends (Ulv)

[Deleted]

The breeze blew soothingly and ruffling the burmese's copper brown fur tantalizingly as she lay out in front of the nursery. Gold eyes half watching the camp and the clanmates around her and half watching the kits playing around her a game of hide and go seek tag. A small smile crossed Poppysong's face as the young queen witnessed one of the kits attacking another and they went tumbling to the ground in a heap of fur.
Usually Poppysong would play along with the kits of Skyclan; her being just as childish but the weather was too nice for her to go about chasing kits as terrible as it sounds. Sometimes even the queens need a break to relax and get themselves together or else they just might go insane. But Poppysong was happy regardless of the kits who sometimes even wore her out. Watching the next generation of Skyclan growing up was worth it.

Her gold eyes trained down to her stomach as it grumbled in reminder that she hasn't ate anything today. Frankly when was the last time she even ate anything to begin with? Yesterday maybe? Poppysong was forgetful sometimes which ended up with her going hungry every once in awhile.
Sighing the brown Burmese rose to her paws with elegant grace and flashed the kits a warning look.

"I'm going to grab something to eat. Don't do something mouse brained within those minutes alright?" she smiled sweetly at the kits before turning and heading to the fresh kill pile; all the while keepig her ears open and tuned in with the kits she just left behind knowing that they'd do something stupid the moment her back was turned.

Once at the fresh kill pile she grabbed the first one at the bottom of the pile. Eating the less fresh kill rather then the fresh fresh kill. No use letting it go to waste while everyone else takes from the too. Granted the prey is always new due to hunting patrols going out when needed but Poppysong's mind worked in strange ways in her thinking.
Grabbing a sparrow she turned bak to head to the nursery when she noticed a certain tom in the clearing not too far away and smiled slightly around her prey. The deputy and also her father figure since she was an apprentice. Hesitating between going to the kits and the deputy she figured the others could handle them and she still had a view on them so she could visit her family.

Padding over she settled beside him and smiled as she set the sparrow down at her paws. "Hi!" she chirped with a friendly smile.

Cormorantnose

[Cormorantnose]

" cormorantnose "

The morning patrols had been sent out, and the patrols for the day had been organized, bright and early. Every cat knew what they had to do, and when, and the deputy had taken into account the cats who'd fathered kits, or who had apprentices, making sure that they would have time to do their own personal business, but at the same time, making sure that clan duties were taken care of properly, and accordingly. Cormorantnose now lounged in the clearing, grooming himself and enjoying laying in the sun after his own meal of a pigeon. He'd taken upon himself to lead a hunting patrol later on, and had chosen to join the evening patrol in their checking of the borders. He personally enjoyed the later patrols, and hunting missions, enjoying the quiet of the forest in the evening to the awakening noise that existed while the morning dew still existed on the various surfaces of the forest.

Cormorantnose had nudged the softest of the feathers from the pigeon that he'd been careful not to get viscera on into a small pile too the right of himself, while the other, much less softer, or blood stained feathers had been placed in a small pile on the left. The clean, soft ones he planned on taking some to the medicine cat's den, and others to the elders, and to the queens in the nursery, knowing that the softness would be something pleasurable to add to the comfy cushion that the moss that the clan cats lined their sleeping nests with. He personally enjoyed the feeling of feathers added into the moss that he called his own nest, and knew that the comfort was often welcomed by other cats in the clan.

The old tom turned his head to begin grooming his shoulder, and in the process had fallen over onto his side, his legs sticking out in almost haphazard fashions as he contorted himself in the way that cats do to reach his shoulders, and side while still managing to be almost laying down in the sunny spot he'd chosen as his temporary settlement until the time came for him to attend to the duties he'd assigned himself. It was about this point that a familiar voice chipped a good natured, "hi!" The Skyclan Deputy turned his head to look at the owner of the voice, and instantly his face light up with happiness. "Hi there, Poppysong. Taking a break from the kittens to get some fresh kill I see. How are you doing, my dear?" Cormorantnose's voice was gentle, and fatherly, and his eyes looked at the young she-cat before him with a well placed love. He viewed her almost as a daughter that he never had. He always enjoyed when she took time away from her busy days with her kittens to give him a greeting. Really, he just enjoyed talking too her; it was nice to know that she was doing fine, and that the kits were good. He glanced towards the nursery in that second, and couldn't help but give a bit of a laugh. "They haven't made you pull out any noticeable amount of fur, have they? I hear kits tend to have that effect." The senior warrior stated humorously.


words: 551
@poppysong

[Deleted]

Poppynose couldn't help but giggle as she watched the elder tom try roll around trying to groom himself. It was amusing to no end. Carmorantnose was a silly cat and she loved hanging out with him. He was sort of a best friend and father figure all in one and one of the few people she hangs with daily whenever she can. The copper brown Burmese settled herself in a crouch close to the older tom and smiled.

"Yes, I am. I needed some time to myself." she agreed as she followed the tom's gaze towards the nursery and playing kits. "Oh, I'm doing just fine. Nothing really knew going on. Just same old same old. Watching the kits and such. What about yourself? How's everything?" she inquired as she turned to her meal.

Plucking feathers from the sparrow. Some for nests others for the kits to play with, it being a popular game of keeping the feather in the air. Her gold gaze looked up in amusement. Have they driven her crazy yet? Hardly. She shook her head in reply. "One cannot tire another out so easily when they are just as active and excitable as them. Unlike the other queens I actually have the energy to bounce around with the kits." she giggled.

Poppysong was truly a kit at heart. Having grown up without a set place in the clan she befriended everyone and played with anyone who would be able to stand her. Even as an apprentice she was still hyperactive. Never fully growing up so she ended up in the nursery at her own request where her abilities could be used in the right setting. She adored te kits and vice versa. All was well with them both.

"Out of curiosity Cormorontnose. Why did you never have a family of your own? You seem like you'd be a great father." she mused as she picked at her sparrow before finally taking a bite of the bird once she had gotten the feathers off and stacked nearly in a pile.

Cormorantnose

[Cormorantnose]

" cormorantnose "

Once she'd fully settled infront of him, Cormorantnose rolled onto his belly, and slowly tucked his legs haphazardly beneath this thickly furred torso. "Yes, I am. I needed some time to myself." He nodded slowly. "Perhaps sometime in the next few days, we can leave the camp together? I'm sure some time outside in the open air would do you good too. Perhaps while the kits are taking a nap, if the other queens don't much mind the extra paws to watch fully?" The warrior suggested thoughtfully, figuring that being cooped up had to be getting to her in some degree or another. He couldn't understand the cats who chose to never leave camp; since he and his sister had ventured out as kits, he'd loved the open air of the forest beyond the camp, and had enjoyed the sounds that could only be heard up close and personal with the undergrowth. The voice of the forest, as he remembered his mentor calling it, on one of the few occasions that the old grouchy tom had shown that he actually did have a heart. "Who knows? Maybe when they're a little bit older, we could gather another warrior or two, and let them get a taste of freedom outside the camp? If you thought that'd be good for them, of course." Cormorantnose added after a second or two.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine. Nothing really new going on. Just same old same old. Watching the kits and such. What about yourself? How's everything?" The deputy thought over her questions for a moment or two, before he finally gave a small nod. "That's good to hear. I'm glad that things are going good for you. I'm sorry for asking that every time we talk, I just like to make sure that you're comfortable in there, the nursery that is. You know how I like to check in on every cat in the clan." He stated with a small chuckle. Finally he answered her questions with a softly, and thoughtfully spoken: "I'm good as well, busy with everything, but that's to be expected, and nothing that I can't handle. The only problems are the hip that pops, but hey, what do I expect when I'm old enough to cough dust?" The tom's joke at the end was almost poorly tasted, but still held some form of humor too it, even with the truth mixed in there somewhere. He watched her pluck the feathers from the sparrow, and focused in on one that fluttered ever so slightly in a small breeze that had managed to waft through the camp like a silent ghost of a breath that could just hardly be detected.

"One cannot tire another out so easily when they are just as active and excitable as them. Unlike the other queens, I actually have the energy to bounce around with the kits." His whiskers twitched at her giggled words, and nodded. "Very true," Cormorantnose agreed, nodding his head a time or two. "It's always a joy to watch you play with them. They seem to enjoy it so much; it's not something you see often, but it's a welcomed relief from the almost tired looking queens. Granted, I understand that kits are a drain on one's energy. It just speaks a lot of who you are, that you can keep up with them. It's admirable, and I'm sure that it will do the kits a great deal of good in the long run." He spoke almost wispily, his words floating along almost as his thoughts did, following the same swaying rise and fall that his thoughts tended to have a pattern of. Personally, he quite enjoyed watching other cats play with the kittens, it was 'cute' and humorous in more ways than one. It was a sight that could lift even the most downtrodden warrior's heart towards the sky, and honestly, it was a sight that Cormorantnose personally believed that many needed to see. Besides, who didn't enjoy watching an older cat play with kittens, and love listening to the delighted squeals of the kittens as their games were joined in by a much older cat that they could use as a sort of obstacle course?

He was jerked from his thoughts at her next words though. "Out of curiosity, Cormorantnose. Why did you never have a family of your own? You seem like you'd be a great father." He chuckled softly at this. "I just never found the right she-cat. I had one who I fancied - quite a bit, too - but, she chose another tom. I had no quarrels with that, of course. Everyone has a right to be happy in their path, and if she couldn't have been happy with me, then it's not my place to fight what is to be decided, and directed by Starclan. After that, I just became too dedicated, and as a deputy, I feel that I couldn't dedicate the time deserved. I accepted a long time ago that a family of my own wouldn't be something that I sired. The clan is my family, all of you. What I lack in physical blood-related kittens, I make up for in taking you all under my wing, and trying my best to make our lives as Skyclan the best I can. Really, that's the job of a leader and deputy. To be sort of parents to the clan, isn't it?" He stated, before he laughed softly and shook his head. "Sorry for my philosophical prattling."


words: 948
@poppysong

[Deleted]

Poppysong absolutely beamed at the prospect of going out and exploring. Being a queen she didn't tend to leave camp very often and she missed the freedom she had as a warrior to go out. Now she had to stay inside camp watching the little ones. Granted she enjoyed her duty so she shouldn't be complaining or anything and she wasn't but everyone deserved a break every now and then.

"That sounds lovely Cormorantnose!" she chirped smiling as her tail whipped about in her excitement. "I'm sure the other queens wouldn't mind. If it wasn't dangerous I'd suggest taking the entire nursery out to play in the forest, give the queens a break too and the kits something new to look at." she commented.

"I like that that Cor. Perhaps we could with Leader's permission. But until then they must stay in camp." she hummed with a sigh as she gave the playing kits a longing look.

She remembered when she was a kit herself; playing with everyone who would pay attention to her. But even that never satisfied her for long; routine got boring and camp got boring and she wanted out but everytime she'd even think of going to take a peek of the forest beyond camp she was stopped by something. So she understood the need for a change of scenery; the kits would like it too she was sure.
She turned her attention back to her foster father with a soft smile. "Dont apologize. It's always nice to know someone cares enough to keep asking even if it gets asked all the time." she reassured kindly.
"Dont apologize for caring. It just shows your a good deputy who stays in tune with the rest of the clan and in the lives of your clanmates. It builds trust and a closer bond with you and others and it'll be a good thing when you become leader someday. In my opinion a leader isn't someone who has lots of follows but a leader is the one who has the loyalty and trust of the others." she mused thoughtfully as she turned her gaze to the Leader's den. Coromorantnose would make a good leader if this is how he keeps up. If he doesn't change and stays just like this he'd be a very loved leader indeed.

Snapping her attention back to the older tom she caught his answer and didn't know whether to be amused or not at his reply she was glad to know he was doing fine but she didn't like hearing him calling himself old. Granted he was past 80 moons and closing in as an elder but she didn't like thinking of that; he was just too bright for that.
"Perhaps you should see Batears for that hip of yours?" she suggested to the older tom glancing down at his hip with a mild concern look on her face.

Her curiosity about his personal life turned to sadness. He didn't end up being picked to be a she-cat's mate and he never even looked for another one? She could understand the feeling. Poppysong was a hyperactive and bipolar she-cat and her moods change frequently. She hasn't found anyone who could handle her suddenness so she didn't even start looking and dedicated her time for the kits just as Coromorantnose dedicated his attention to the entire clan as Skyclan's deputy. She gave him a small smile and a nod. "That's okay though. As long as your happy that's all that matters I guess." she replied as she finished her sparrow.

She looked a bit confused at his apology. Why was he apologizing for being all deep and stuff? Poppysong enjoyed their talks even if it was philosophical. The copper brown Burmese could be thy way too so there wasnt a problem. She gave him a warm smile. "Nothing to aplogise for." she reassured.

Cormorantnose

[Cormorantnose]

" cormorantnose "

The Skyclan deputy took note of the young queen's obvious perking up at the mention of being able to leave the camp. He felt his whiskers twitch in mild enthusiasm, and his eyes squinted just a little bit. "That sounds lovely, Cormorantnose!" He noted her tail lashing in excitement, and a purr began to rumble in his throat. "I'm delighted that you think so!" He stated, and then listened to her next statement. He nodded slowly, thinking over the idea in his own mind. It was true that such a thing would be dangerous, but that wouldn't mean that it wouldn't be good for everyone, and that the kits wouldn't enjoy it. It could also give the apprentices time to fully empty out, and remake the nests within the nursery, which would be a delightful gift to the young kittens and their mothers.

Of course, they didn't have to go on a trek all the way across the territory. A few feet from the camp entrance, with plenty of warriors on duty to make sure that no furry bundles managed to wander off into the unknown danger of the forest. Honestly, Cormorantnose didn't see the problem with such an idea. "Who knows, maybe something could be worked out? Of course going far wouldn't be an option, but a couple of feet away from the camp entrance... It could be quite the positive, and informative experience for them, I think. Though, I could see where many of the queens would have some objections about such a thing... I could see where a good deal of our clanmates would oppose such a thing. Still, food for thought, really." A fantasy world where there was no danger to a kit would be a nice world to live in, but, alas, Cormorantnose knew that the world that the clans called home wasn't that world.

He nodded at her next statement, knowing full well that it was the truth, and ultimately such a task wasn't anywhere near his jurisdiction of authoritative capabilities. "I'll pass it by, and see what the reaction to it is. Who knows, maybe it will be a chance to give the kits something of a surprise, and allow the nursery to get a good deep cleaning, that I feel like it probably hasn't had in some time." He stated quietly, following her gaze. The love she had for them was quite obvious. He wondered, faintly, if it was because she herself had been virtually alone as a kitten? Cormorantnose wasn't quite sure, and perhaps it really wasn't his place to pass such judgement as that. The old tom could settle for that realization, reasonably and rationally.

Finally, the old cat laughed softly. "When I was a kit, my sister and I made a habit of sneaking out of camp. It was glorious, until our mother, and her brother would find us half way across the territory. They carried us back in their jaws, scolding us through mouthfuls of fur. Looking back on it now, it was funny, but pretty reckless. We didn't know the dangers. The warriors now do such a good job of making sure that the territory is free of the worst of the dangers, like badgers or foxes. They did back then too, but I suppose you never know when one might wander up. We went way too far to really be able to avoid ay danger that there could have been lurking. Granted, I don't think much danger would be around the camp, since it smells so heavily of multiple cats. Any predator would have to be desperate to do something so foolhardy as to come close to camp walls." Cormorantnose stated, mostly thinking aloud, his decreasing volume did a decent job of showing that too.

He looked up at her kind words, and smiled in a warm manner. "Well, at least you recognize that fact. I feel like some sometimes get just a tad annoyed with my constant asking. Maybe they see it as pestering, but that's okay. I know my reasonings, and most others do too, I think. A bit of annoyance is quite alright in my book, because I know when I was an apprentice, my mother continuously asking me if I was alright got old quickly. It really got old after the fall from the tree, but, I knew it was because they cared enough to ask. It's comforting, in a strange way. You know you're not alone, even when sometimes you feel utterly alone among the multitude of pelts." He admitted quietly, before he shrugged slightly. He shook off her compliment with a quiet "I don't plan on becoming leader, for a long long time if ever. I wish our current leader as long a life as old Willowstar, even longer than her. We have a good leader, and I feel like everything's in a good place right now, for the clan. Let's hope nothing comes along to disrupt that." He meowed, knowing that one day, he'd either die as a deputy, or a leader. The thoughts of being leader were somewhat terrifying for him, but of course, Cormorantnose would never admit these deepest thoughts to anyone, not even someone that he was incredibly close too, like Poppysong. They were things that he simply didn't see a need to burden others with, because they were his fears, and his fears alone to bear, and deal with on those rainy nights, where the semi-savage snarls of thunder penetrate the dreams of even the heaviest sleepers.

"Ah, it's always been like that. It's what happens when your hip pops out of place. It was expected that it would give me trouble in my older seasons," Cormorantnose reassured her, taking comfort in the fact that she expressed any concern in regards to his hip. It was nice to know that she cared enough for him to at least suggest it, even if it was a persistent problem that nothing could be done for. "But I may go see Batears about it, if it gets too much worse. I'm use to it how it is right now though. Nothing I haven't long since grown accustomed too." The old tom aimed to reassure her with his words, but honestly, he wasn't too sure that was the effect that they were having at that particular moment. Regardless, the later conversation left an even heavier feeling in the air, and he finally shrugged. "Things are as they are. I'm happy, and I have no complaints, so, there's really no problem." He stated, giving her a small 'smile,' that he hoped was intended as a sign of comfort. "Maybe I feel to be in an apologetic mood. I honestly think I've been doing that all day. It happens, I suppose, right?" Cormorantnose asked with a small laugh, twitching his whiskers in amusement at his own rather repetitive choice of 'sorry.'


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@poppysong
Dear, I've got to say, your writing has gotten so much better recently. <3

[Deleted]

Poppysong smiled even more when the older cat seemed happy as well. The copper brown Burmese loved making people happy to begin with plus Cormorantnose was a busy cat so she was content to know that he cared enough to give his time out of the day to hang out with the queens and kits.

She hummed in agreement as she nodded. "That would make sense and I'm sure the kittens would be pleased regardless of where we went as long as it was out of camp." she giggled looking fondly at the kits. "And we could always take an extra warrior or two out as well if the queen's are so picky. Granted I do understand being a queen myself but how unsafe could the kits be when you have the queens AND the deputy watching over the kittens?" she replied with a shake of her head at the thought. Some queens where just too uptight but that was Poppysong's opinion and frankly she thought more like a kit than a queen; hence why she always has energy to play.

"Again I can see the concern but it's just a few feet an if people are so worried they could always come with us. It's a rare opportunity for the kits plus wouldn't it be memorable watching as they play for the first time and exploring the sights?" Poppysong sighed; she really wanted the kits this day very much. But it's really the Leander's decision that counts in the matter.

The queen gave Cormorantnose an appreciative smile. "Frankly the entire camp should get a deep cleaning if one place was going to be cleaned. I rather not pass up this opportunity." she murmured as her amber gaze traveled along the rest of the camp with a critical eye.

Very much like a kit the queen perked her ears up and listened as the older warrior spoke about his kit hood. She giggled at the mental picture of him and his sister being carried back to camp while being scolded. Cormorantnose sounded like he had a wonderful kithood. Adventurous and mischievous didn't seem to suite the cat he was right now. Of course age and experience wisdoms a cat but the queen briefly wondered what he would have been like back then. If Poppysong had been around whenever Cormorantnose had been a kit she figured for sure they would have been very much like family and best friends.

"Well you seemed to have a fun kithood growing up. Even if your rebellious and dangerous escapades out of camp. I almost went out of camp many times when I was a kit myself. But the queens must have had a poppy-radar and stopped me before I could put my thoughts into actions. Being an only kit without a family I didn't really think they would really care enough to pay attention to stop me. I was the orphan and all the others had mothers to watch out for them so I figured since I had no one it wouldn't be a big deal." the brown shecat shrugged and looked at the camp entrance with a look of sadness and longing. All she ever wanted was to be wanted by a family and not be jumping from one family to another and ending up the oddball and third wheel. Her kit hood wasn't all bad; it was fun actually but there had always been that certain element missing which was a family of her own. She had no mother to sing her to sleep or to go to if she was sad and she had no siblings to play with and cause trouble alongside and she had no father to look up to. She had no one but the other kits and queens and although they played and took care of her it wasn't the same as an actual family. Perhaps that it why Poppysong had latched onto the deputy so tightly as she had when they had become friends. Because he reminded her of a father the Burmese never had growing up. I guess having someone late rather then sooner was better then still being unattached to anyone.

She looked up from her reminiscing when the deputy began to speak again. "I don't see it as any of those. People should be grateful that others care enough to keep asking. And actually meaning it as well. Nowadays when others ask you how you are you just smile and say just fine even if your not doing okay. It's a formality that doesn't mean much anymore." Poppysong huffed. "I can understand that sentiment." she smiled ruefully. She was one of those who felt alone in the multitude of pelts growing up so she understood very well what it was like and that's why she made sure to include everyone with whatever it was they where doing.

She scoffed and batted at the elder's ear. "I think you'd make a wonderful leader! Don't cut yourself short. You'll have your day." she assured. "But I agree with having you as deputy still helps the clan. But not everything will stay calm you know. We are not living a fairy tail bad things will happen. Just have to make the most of the time we have until the storm finally rolls in." of course she wasn't expecting something bad to happen anytime soon but no one should fall into a false sense of security and act like everything is okay forever.

He was right in assuming the queen wouldn't let it go. When Poppysong was concern about something r someone it wetter be fixed or else she'll continue to hound you about it. It comes as a queen instinct; always wanting to fix things and make it better whether it was for a kit or an elder. "humph. Just make sure you do go see him. It maybe something you've gotten used to but it doesn't mean you need to be used to it when it can be fixed." she reprimanded stubbornly.

Smoothing out herself on the ground comfortable the brown Burmese placed a feather on top of the tom's head with a playful smirk. "Well that's good I suppose." she sighed batting the feather on his head. "What so you plan on doing today?" she questioned.

ulv
Notes: Thank you! I've had some practice on another site as well as writing fanfics as of late.

[Cormorantnose]

" cormorantnose "

He chuckled softly, and nodded. "I think dropping a ball of moss in front of them, would please them. I'm for it, and it sounds like you'd be for it. I'm sure Minstar could possibly be persuaded to allow the kittens this experience of their young lives," Cormorantnose stated, glancing towards the leader's in-camp domicile. He wondered, curiously, just how the brown-coated leader would respond to such a proposal. Would it be greeted with enthusiasm, or with a blunt 'no,' the Skyclan deputy wondered to himself, his thickly furred skull tilting to the side as he did so. He also wondered how the other queens would respond too it - he knew that Poppysong was up for the idea, embracing anything that would be exciting for the kittens, and fulfilling to their young lives, but at the same time, safe for them to do, without any real possibility of a single, downy hair on their heads getting harmed. "I wonder how your fellow mothers would feel of it?" He murmured aloud, the question almost sounding rhetoric, but at the same time being stated as something that was open to be answered, and responded too how ever one might wish too.

The old tom listened to her next statement, and nodded slowly, chewing the words over in his mind as he did so. "I'm sure a few would come along, but I know they'd have their concerns. For the opportunity though, I feel as if most of the clan within the camp at that particular time might just follow us out, in sheer curiosity to see exactly what it was in the name of Starclan we were doing taking a horde of kittens out of the camp," Cormorantnose chuckled softly. "There'd be no shortage of watchful eyes around, simply because they'd want the chance to watch the kits have an experience that I feel like very few have ever gotten without sending someone into a fit of worry, about where said kitten had disappeared too. I don't presume that it's an experience that the Clans tend to give the kittens, since they are to be protected at all costs. But, if we smother them in protection, then what will they learn before they're apprentices? I see it as something that should perhaps be a tradition, or a once a moon thing. That way, every kitten gets the experience, without putting themselves in danger of slipping out without anyone knowing that they've gone... Exploring."

Cormorantnose glanced around the camp, and nodded. Each den was due for an intense deep cleaning, and perhaps some dens needed the excuse to be completely emptied out, without a grumbling apprentice complaining about having to change stinking bedding as a punishment. House keeping was a necessity, that had been a bit neglected recently. The only dens frequently changed were the Elder's den, and the Nursery, and that was simply because there were cats in there almost every waking moment of the day. The tom could see the opening for an opportunity to fully clean out each den in the entire camp, and even checking each den for drafts, and taking the moments that it was completely free of bedding to reweave the wall materials, back into a tight, formidable barrier against the drafts that could make a cat sick in the colder seasons, and even just making sure that they were for the most part protected against rain storms filling the slight dips with muddied water, and flooding the clan out of their dens.

Besides, it would also be a prime opportunity to protect against ticks, and fleas that he suspected a few cats might be having some trouble with, with the itching, and smell of mouse bile that he could detect faintly on the cats who frequented the forest beyond the camp's walls. "I will certainly take the time to suggest it. I'm sure no cat would have any real objections to the camp being tidied up. We haven't done that in quite some time, I don't think. At least, not the whole camp at one time... And I personally think it's a little overdue." Cormorantnose stated with a small laugh, despite the fact that his words were almost jabbing towards the neatness that the camp was rarely kept at.

He nodded. "My kithood was a fun time, despite the absence of a father, and the youngness that my mother had us at. And oh? I most certainly would have been one of the ones out to fetch you, if you had. I think most queens have a kit radar. It just depends on if the kit is fast enough to evade it. I remember our plans got thwarted quite a good bit. It was amusing, to say the least. I was always so embarrassed when we got caught, but, my sister - Bitternkit - was always the one that was spitting, and grumbling and complaining each time. Of course, she was also usually the mastermind that devised our great escapes, so, perhaps she was just in her complaints. Even though it was funny to see such a tiny black and white kitten fluff up and get so hostile, as if she were tough enough to frighten seasoned warriors with her wrath." His eyes closed slightly at the memories that made his stomach tighten, just a bit.

He loved the memories with a fondness, but thinking of them sometimes brought back harder memories that reminded him that his mother was inexperienced, and often highly confused in what she was doing raising kittens, when she'd hardly been a warrior for a couple of moons, and that his father, who ever he may be, was oddly absent. Cormorant hadn't learned until much later that his father had died as a valiant warrior... Though, he'd heard many say that he and his sister had been fed lie after lie of that... So, perhaps he didn't know the truth, and this made him wonder with a particular skepticism, as to just what his kithood had really been, aside from the warm, fuzzy memories that it was, with a few oddities here and there.

His eyes darted back to Poppysong's face, as he listened to her next set of words. He nodded, twitching his whiskers and ears in a fond manner. "Well, as long as some understand, I can deal with those who don't. I remember in my younger days, cats asking me how I was doing almost angered and annoyed me. My young mind viewed it in a way as they didn't think I was capable, especially after ruining my hip like I did. But, now I understand it, even more so since I myself do it, and have been on both sides of the tree in that situation... So, I'm sure they'll understand one day. Maybe they're just not in a place right now that allows them to fully grasp the reasoning behind such formalities?" He suggested, shrugging his shoulders ever so slightly.

He squinted playfully when she batted his ear though, and lashed his tail, and wiggled his backside as if he might lunge at her. He settled after a second though, and nodded in an embarrassed sort of way. "Well, I suppose so. And no, we're not. How I wish we were, but, you are right. We've always got to be on our toes. We have to expect tragedy, but that doesn't mean we have to dwell on it, and ponder on it for long. We've just got to be aware of the looming presence of it. What be it, whatever it is, we've got to take faith that Starclan will be there for us in some capacity to help us when we need it the most." And she was right, things wouldn't stay calm forever, but, he preferred not to dwell on those sorts of things too much. The anxiety that they stirred almost made breathing hurt, as if his lungs were filled again and again with burning, singing smoke. He pushed the thoughts away; now wasn't the time for them. Not in the presence of others!

"I will, I will," Cormorantnose promised, ducking his head. He knew Poppysong only pushed the issue because she was concerned. Regardless though, accepting it just meant accepting that he knew he was an ancient sack of bones, and thinking about the fact that age was finally catching up to the old injury made him feel almost... Dejected, in a strange sort of way. Like he wasn't quite as capable as he once was, and while he knew that was somewhat the case, the old deputy didn't want to think of the fact that perhaps he really should consider retiring to the elder's den. But then... While he knew he'd earned such a privilege, he didn't want to feel useless like he knew he would if left with nothing to do all day but talk, and snore. Perhaps that's why he hadn't given it thought yet? He respected the elders to the utmost degree, but that part of clan life just wasn't where he wanted to stake his claim. He'd long since promised himself that he would hold onto his title as a warrior, capable, and able-bodied as long as he possibly could, and as long as he could still hunt and fight as well as any warrior could, he wouldn't give such a thing a thought. Besides, he had a duty to the clan that he had no intentions of flaking off any time in the foreseeable future.

He watched her, and the feather with an amused expression on his slightly greying face. "Indeed," he murmured, watching the feather flutter to the dusty ground to the side of him. He laughed softly, and swished his tail in a good mannered way. "Today, I plan on going on a hunting patrol later on, and joining in the evening border patrol. And you, my dear?" He responded, and returned the courtesy. Perhaps he'd make a point to find her something special, and bring to her later on, after the hunting patrol. He figured that she'd enjoy the thought put behind it.


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@poppysong
Dear sweet mother of Marry, I'm sorry they just keep getting longer and longer. x.x