Ask to Join Burnt Bark

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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Nightwhisper had been well relieved of her duties for the day, however, boredom eventually took it's toll over her. Even if she wasn't just a kit trapped in camp, she had certainly felt like it. She needed to get out and do something, run, climb, hunt, collect herbs, something had to be done to treat this boredom she felt in her heart, almost as if it wracked her body. Something had to be done.

The moment Nightwhisper left camp, it was as if the energy vacated her body immediately, the older she-cat darted forward immediately and nearly crushed several beetles and frogs as she flew past, wind brushing against her fur and a purr palpable in her throat. How she loved going for a run.

However, the mostly black warrior skidded to a halt when she saw a blue coated form sitting up on the trunk of the burnt sycamore. Nightwhisper tilted her head in curiosity then moved forward silently to investigate. Her curled ears perking. "Whatcha doing, Duskmantle?" she questioned once she got the the charred stump. "Enjoying the view? You wouldn't mind some company would you?"

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle's ears swiveled toward the sound of paws skidding through the marsh and coul see the night black and white she-cat from his vantage point. "I was." He called down, gaze drifting back over the marsh for a moment. From this height it seemed almost peaceful.

At her request, he shifted slightly along the branch making more room for her even if he did it habitually. "I don't mind." It surprised him a little how truthful that felt. There weren't many cats he'd willingly share a spot with but Nightwhisper wasn't difficult to exist beside.

"The wood hold well enough if you want to join me. Just mind the thinner branches." There was the faintest trace of amusement in his voice as he looked back toward Nightwhisper as he imagined a younger cat struggling up the bark.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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At Duskmantle's acceptance, the nearly night black warrior leapt onto the burnt stump with practiced ease. It wasn't like running through the territory until she lost her breath, but she had found that hanging out with Duskmantle had become a recent thing that she had entertained. Perhaps for a reason beyond her own boredom. It wouldn't hurt to get close to at least one cat.

She squeezed in comfortably beside the blue smoke tom, flicking her tail every now and again as it found a place to settle, eventually choosing a comfortable curl around her loafed body. "Anything interesting going on with you, Duskmantle? Or have you been just as bored as me?" She asked, giving the long flowy fur on her chest a few quick licks to flatten the ruffled strands from her prior run.

While she mostly enjoyed the company of kits, talking to Duskmantle didn't necessarily feel forced. It felt nice to have a cat that was able to listen to her, whether he judged her or not. At least he was willing to stay.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle watched her climb, watching the way she moved confidently up the bark and settle beside him.The branch dipped only slightly beneath their combined weight. He let the question linger while she groomed the fur along her chest, his gaze wandering back across the marsh. Dragonflies skimmed the pools below, and somewhere in the reeds one could hear the frog calling amongst themselves.

He didn't want to bore with the usual humdrum of warrior life. Nothing too exciting since breaking past borders to trail after the tresspasser. He shifted against the bark under his paws, sifting out a foreleg. "Not sleeping well some nights. I guess there's a lot on my mind, even if I don't seem to know it."

Nightwhisper didn't seem like the kind of cat to get bored easily - but maybe she was just more comfortable doing stuff out of the ordinary. "Are you upset there isn't any rogues to chase down this time?" He had to admit...inwardly, at least, that he had fun with her last time, even if that cat had gotten away.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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Nightwhisper nodded at Duskmantle's admit of how he hadn't been sleeping well, she understood that all too well. Except their lack of sleep was most definitely caused by different reasons for sure. But she chose not to make much of a comment on it. Not at the moment anyway. But then Duskmantle's next ears made her curled ears twitch oh so slightly. No rogues to chase off? It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about and shook her head.

"Nah, that rogue was just entitled I guess. I'll admit though, that little adventure was fun anyway." Nightwhisper chirped, she hadn't initially seen herself getting this close to Duskmantle, but as the time went on, she often thought of considering him as at least some kind of friend, acquaintances don't share tongues alone together outside of camp after all. "As much as I'd like to flay her fur, she's gone for now, so it doesn't really matter as much if she doesn't come back. But... I might have taken 'swamp stompers' a little too personally." She let out a chuckle, recalling how she proved Ahryndae correct last moon when she stomped and growled at her for the small insult.

Then her ears perked slightly in amusement "But if you do perchance find another rogue to chase out, feel free to give me a yowl yeah?" She spoke, half joking but part of her did really like doing all this with someone that wasn't her kin, as much as she wanted to impress Haresprint and be like them, there was a time that she'd need to be her own cat. "Or even just spar, hunt, anything. I hardly have anything to do in camp." She added with a soft chuckle, that one wasn't a joke.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle's whiskers twitched faintly as Nightwhisper laughed at herself. It was...refreshing, in a way, seeing her able to poke fun at her own outburst. He hadn't forgotten the way she'd puffed up like an angry marsh owl over a fleeting nickname. "You probably proved her point a little...Though, I wasn't much better."

He was every bit as irritated when the rogue had slipped away beyond their reach. Instead he distracted himself around her offer. Hunting was fine, but sparring would be even better and his ear pricked forward. "I could probably use the practice..."

He spoke lightly but there was weight behind his eyes. If they sparred he knew he wouldn't take it lightly. He didn't enjoy losing...and once a fight started, even a friendly one, some stubborn part of him always wanted to be the winner. Hopefully Nightwhisper wouldn't mind a few bruises...or a warrior who got a little too competitive. Emberdust had already sworn off his sparring advances...

"Just don't complain if I win." Was he warning himself or her? He frowned as he looked over the marsh even if he wanted to smile at her instead. Act nonchallant about it... "Hunt anything impressive lately?"

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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"We both were a bit irritable that day. But at least we made some good of the pent up energy. Had a good hunt afterwards." She commented with a smile, flicking the white tip of her long-furred tail as she stared out across the territory. Originally, she hadn't really thought much about Duskmantle, but now, she had grown quite close to him, as close as a cat could really be with Duskmantle anyway, he didn't even seem this close with Clovershine of all cats. Part of her did find it as an honor, but she didn't think it to be something worth mentioning.

A smirk curled the edged of her snout at Duskmantle accepted her offer. "I wouldn't have it any other way. May the best cat win... or however that saying goes." She shrugged lightly, curling her tail tightly over her white paws. "As long as it's a fair fight, I wouldn't care who wins or loses." She added, it wasn't entirely true, she would likely be a little pouty if she lost quickly, but she's been a warrior for longer than Duskmantle has, so she was confident that she didn't have to put in too much effort to get past him in a fight... anyway.

Her curled ears perked up, turning into the blue smoke mink tom's direction as he asked about anything impressive she might have hunted recently. Her face lit up shortly after the fact and she let out a proud purr. "I caught a huge marshbird the other day! It was like the size of two normal marshbirds!" She boasted in that usual way of hers, she was always the boastful type, but that was all in good sport, she never did it in any attempt to one-up another, and besides, Duskmantle DID ask.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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It wasn't difficult to tell when Nightwhisper was pleased with herself. He wasn't sure how believable it was, but neither did she have any reason to lie either. "A marshbird is a good catch." He confirmed out of habit, practical about it. "A duck in the pile feeds more than one belly."

He wondered how many bellies her marsh bird would fill. Maybe they could share it once they got back. "Ducks are a challenging hunt but...feather's everywhere. Maybe we could do some hunting sometime to show off our techniques." Hunting a lizard or a frog was hardly a challenge for an experienced ShadowClan cat...

Swiping his tongue over his shoulder, he kept his cornflower blue eyes on her to see if she'd find the second suggestion agreeable. At least she seemed receptive to sparing.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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Nightwhisper gave a flick of her curled ear as she listened to Duskmantle go on about ducks. "All the more to decorate one's nest with, maybe a softer nest could help you sleep better. If the issue is physical anyway." She suggested, mostly in a playful gesture, but there was a hint of genuine care within it. She knew there was a soft side in that tom somewhere, she just needed to find it under all the... pragmatism, yeah, that's a nice way to put it.

"Oh hunting!" She chirped suddenly as Duskmantle suggested it and a grin curled her lips, fangs faintly poking from behind her upper lips as she purred her agreement. "I'd like to see what techniques you have in that mysterious head of yours." She trilled, she, in truth, knew quite little about Duskmantle. Aside from he didn't refuse her company, either out of courtesy or he actually liked her. She liked to think it was the second option. If he let her hang around out of courtesy, she didn't want to bother him.

However, in spite of her prior enthusiasm for hunting, she shuffled a little more onto the branch, thankfully, it was strong enough to stand strong beneath the weight of both cats. Nightwhisper was grateful for such a great landmark on their territory. It was then that her green eyes met the cornflower blue and she gave a welcoming smile to him. "But I've been talking about myself a lot, how've you been going... aside from the sleep situation."

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle let her question about himself linger a bit, ear tipping back for a moment as he considered bringing more of...him to light. It wasn't something he was used to, other cats taking an interest in him. Maybe he could brush it aside...that would have been much easier.

"I've been exploring...Not Clan lands, of course, but other places." HIs nonchallantness was punctuated with an airy shrug as his gaze lifted from her and drifted out over their territory. Sometimes when he went beyond their borders...he kept walking. It was simpler than the Code that he and his Clan was ruled by.

"I've met kittypets, loners, rogues...Cats from all walks of life. Even a cat wearing wings and starlight in Two Leg Place..." His expression was not one of longing or something that might incite suspicions, at least he hoped. At best he approached these encounters with veiled mistrust...Perhaps it was curiosity too as he searched for his sire. "Duck feathers would be nice in my nest. And marshbirds in my belly."

Camp had always felt a little small.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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Nightwhisper pricked her ears at Duskmantle's comments of his own explorations. It eased her mind slightly to know that he wasn't going off into another clans' territory and causing problems. If anything, Nightwhisper was more likely to go off and do something stupid like that. Not Duskmantle. He was smarter than her, at least objectively.

"I'd assume you've gained their perspectives on things." Nightwhisper answered with a flick of her tail over her front paws as she laid. "Still sticking with ShadowClan?" the tone wasn't accusatory, she didn't accuse him of looking for another place to stay, but it was more-a-less a genuine question towards him. Against her better judgement, Nightwhisper would miss Duskmantle a lot if he decided to up and leave the clan to be a loner or... a winged star cat?

The bicolored she-cat gave a soft shrug before rasping her tongue over her own tail fur, awfully casual given the possible implications of the question. But she said it in such a casual manner that she had hoped it didn't come off in any way that another cat might mean it. It was no question of loyalty, but perhaps, just a question.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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His eyes rested on the marsh below, towards familiar boughs and watery divets. The question wasn't offensive. If anything it was one he'd asked himself more than once during his wanderings. It was direct - and Duskmantle appreciated that.

"It's not like I've never thought about it." Despite the words coming easily from him, they carried a weight that was rare for the tom. "I was a foundling, after all. I'm not ShadowClan by blood." His declaration wasn't meant to be dramatic. There was a certainty to his next words as his eyes lifted towards her once more.

"ShadowClan is where I belong. I don't always agree with everything, certainly not everyone...But having disaggreements isn't the same as wanting to leave." He rested his chin on his front leg, angling upwards against the bark.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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"Even if you weren't born in ShadowClan, you're ShadowClan to me. You never gave me a reason to think otherwise." Nightwhisper responded with a little, relaxed huff, the prior boredom had ebbed away and the breathlessness from her racing around the territory had done the same, now it was simply a little exclamation of feeling at peace.

At Duskmantle's final statement Nightwhisper nodded. "You don't need to get along with everyone or agree with everything given to you to be a clan cat, life would be pretty boring if that's how everything was." Nightwhisper followed Duskmantle's gaze out the the territory, her eyes softening in a kind sort of fondness. "That's what I like about you Duskmantle. You're still new, your perspective is different from full blooded clan cats. It's fascinating to hear you talk about these sort of things." she finished, uncurling her tail as her posture settled involuntarily. She hadn't really been able to sit and just... exist in some time. It was nice.

Nightwhisper felt the urge to shuffle closer to Duskmantle pull at her, but she didn't maybe it was fear of having an awkward situation if it went sideways, perhaps something far more mouse-brained, but if he decided he wanted to be closer to her, she wouldn't object to it. "I'm glad your hear, Duskmantle." She stated, her voice calmer than the usual chattering their clanmates would surely be more used to, perhaps it was due to her having the time to relax, she wasn't sure. But it is how it is.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle's ears twitched at her first remark, his expression remaining unreadable for a heartbeat before the lift of one of his cat brows rose. His mouth didn't find the words, but a softer part of him wondered if the other cats in his clan still saw the abandoned kit they had taken from Fourtrees.

Maybe that meant he did bring a fresh new perspective on how things could be seen - he always felt different, but that was to his advantage. He'd seen all walks of life and so far preferred ShadowClan to anything else he experienced to the benefit of the Code, he assumed.

Distraction pestered his thoughts as her declaration dragged him back slightly. Her words seemed softer now... the endless stream of chatter replaced with something calmer. Suited her just as well. He held her gaze for a moment before looking away again, a little self conscious beneath the sincerity of it.

"Well...I'm glad someone would miss me if I were gone."

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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Nightwhisper didn't laugh her usual chuckle when Duskmantle spoke, she simply let free a soft smile as she laid her head down on her paws, glancing out at the open marsh. What a place to live. She purred to herself before turning to Duskmantle. "I can't speak for the whole clan, but if you went missing, I think I'd be missing you the longest. I'd even set off on a mission to find you if no other cat did." She confirmed with him, soft but truthful, perhaps this is where her namesake came from... peaceful moments like this.

When the air got cooler, a slow sign of the day slowly coming to an end, Nightwhisper's ears pricked, pelt rippling as the temperature penetrated her thick fur... eventually. "It's nice. In a way." Nightwhisper began, nearly curling in on herself, not for warmth, but it simply reminded her of a more relaxing time. She sighed a soft sigh before continuing. "Being here, just... talking. I don't do this often. But it's nice."

She finished with a relaxing of her body, still there beside Duskmantle, but far enough to respect his personal space. It was all his own after all. This was a proper friend that her birthing parent hadn't taken into his fold, and she didn't want to ruin that by becoming too clingy.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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There was no immediate dry remark from him as he spoke and allowed himself to go quiet. He'd spent enough of his life wondering whether anyone would notice if he somehow didn't come back to camp that hearing someone say they would come looking was...unfamiliar.

Even if she decided to come look for him, he wouldn't make it easy; he'd been all over the neutral lands and picked up some techniques to not be followed. His tail shifted against the bark, the tip curling loosely beside his paws. "I'd probably come look for you too, and not just on an order from Palestar or Dawnflurry."

The evening air cooled around their pelts and Duskmantle found himself appreciating it more than he'd expected. "I don't mind talking to you...even if you do most of it." He agreed, not quite a purr. He'd probably notice if she wasn't there - the whole potentially talking his ear off would do that. He smiled at the thought.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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And not just upon order of Dawnflurry or Palestar, that felt comforting to say the very least. Nightwhisper let out a soft hum at that. She liked the idea that she was liked enough within the clan that in the case of her disappearance, she would have at least one cat looking for her, and for Nightwhisper, that was enough. 

Nightwhisper then raised a brow at Duskmantle's statement, but the black-and-white she-cat still bore a smile. "And even if you lost your voice, I'd do the talking for both of us." She spoke, lifting her head back up to face the warrior with a soft smile. It was true, as much as she enjoyed the fact that Duskmantle could reply to her, it was nice especially for a cat like Nightwhisper, but part of her wouldn't mind chatting up a storm for the both of them.

Green eyes then turned to face the slowly setting sun. So that's where all the warmth was going, made sense. She thought to herself as she stiffly stretched out her limbs in the limited space. "So, how do you think the rest of your evening is going to go? Anything interesting? If not, I could certainly make it interesting, or at least... less quiet." She winked at him with a knowing smile before tapping her tail ever so lightly against Duskmantle's back playfully.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle's brows furrowed at the wink, his cornflower eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to decipher exactly what she was getting at. The light tap of her tail against his back only made him glance sideways at her. He'd learned by now that Nightwhisper had a habit of saying things that could mean several different things.

His pelt smoothed at the assumption that she probably was going to challenge him to something. Something that was not just lounging around in the burnt tree. That was the most reasonable explanation after they had hinted at what they could do sometime. A spar...A hunt...or some other spontaneous adventure that would end with her talking the entire way there.

He settled his chin back onto his paws, though the faint curve at the corner of his mouth betrayed a certain wryness. "I'm sure my evening will turn out just fine." Eyes narrowing over to her before he sighed.

"- And I'm listening." Whatever she had planned, he was at least curious enough to hear it.

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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"Perhaps a little... patrol detour" Nightwhisper hummed, suddenly standing on her paws and carefully stretching out her limbs, most things happening this moon had much much more of a distraction from the loss of Haresprint and the accident with Murksong, but it seemed to be working well enough, maybe that's the true reason she needed to get out of camp so much.

The black and white she-cat shook off her long fur and perked her curled ears "Maybe you could show me all the spots you've found while exploring outside of the territory. Or... maybe just one." the offer came with a playful trill, she spoke as if it were an offer to play with a kit, it seemed like an entertaining distraction to her. 

"After all," Her green eyes flicked down to Duskmantle. "Both of us aren't typically known for being back at camp early." She purred in amusement, curling the tip of her black tail over her back. She had really come to enjoy Duskmantle's company, and even if he didn't want to show her where he'd been venturing, she would find another thing to do with him.

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskmantle's ears perked at the suggestion, the pupils of his eyes dialating with slight attentiveness. A patrol detour was one thing - but introducing her to some unknown mystery was another. He weighed her offer as his tail wagged lazily from beneath the branch, head lifted.

He was eager to flex the freedom they'd been given, and the thought of showing Nightwhisper one of the many places he's visited held a certain appeal. Maybe he could afford sharing one of his secrets. He slowly lurched forward to stretch his forelegs before glancing back at her.

"Hmm. I suppose..." Careful not to show much excitement at all, only the slight hint of challenge. "But you'll have to keep up..." A smirk lifted along his muzzle as he suddenly swoped low, claws extended as he scaled the tree in a reverse slide down burnt bark where he leaped down to the roots from above.

"I might know a place."

I did not wake up to be mediocre.

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Nightwhisper's black, curled ears quivered at the tips as Duskmantle accepted and she couldn't help but chirp in excitement as she slid down from the burnt tree after him eagerly... perhaps too eagerly. But Duskmantle had seen so much more than she had and he was letting her take a look into that world, there was no way that she wouldn't be excited for a new experience like this, she was in a much better mood today, so the situation with the pompous rogue was far behind her.

"Keep up with you? Of course I would Duskmantle." She chirped as she cantered to his side with ease. However, he probably had the high ground in environments outside of ShadowClan, so she wasn't certain on how well she would be able to keep her word. But that didn't mean she would back down like a cowardly kitten. "You underestimate me." She trilled playfully.

And with her flank near glued to Duskmantle's side, she followed him to an unknown area past the clan boundary. A world awaited her, and Nightwhisper didn't wake up to miss out on it all.