Ask to Join Whispers of the Wind

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
༻❁༺ 

Merrypaw padded into the elders’ den, the scent of fresh kill warming her nose despite the crisp air clinging to her pelt. The den was dim, musty with the mingling scents of old moss and sleeping cats, but she barely hesitated before stepping forward, a skinny thrush clasped in her jaws.

Her teal eyes flickered across the nests until they landed on Cinderwhisper, the older she-cat curled up in the dimness, barely moving. For a heartbeat, Merrypaw wondered if she was actually asleep - or worse - but the steady rise and fall of her flanks reassured her.

The apprentice set the thrush down near the elder’s nest, clearing her throat lightly. "I've brought a little something to eat..." She announced, her voice bright but not overly eager. She had learned that some elders didn’t appreciate being fussed over and Cinderwhisper… well, she didn’t seem like the talkative type.

Merrypaw hesitated for a moment tail flicking before adding. "Still warm. Probably tastier than whatever’s left in the pile later." A subtle attempt at conversation. If the elder even wanted it. 

"..."

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The scent of fresh-kill prompted Cinderwhisper to open her eyes a little, the molly slowly looking up at Merrypaw. Ah. Prey. How sweet of Merrypaw. “Thank you, Merrypaw.” The she-cat rasped, her voice barely above a whisper before her jaws parted in a yawn, the elder stretching before sitting up. Looking down at the fresh-kill, the tabby smiled the smallest of smiles. Thrush was her favourite. The hazel-eyed feline took a bite out of the prey, only speaking again once she swallowed the first bite, her voice now a soft, grumbly on, though it was still quiet. “What else is left in the prey pile?”

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
༻❁༺

Merrypaw’s ears twitched at the quiet rasp of Cinderwhisper’s voice, surprised to hear her speak at all. The elder rarely said much, but the small smile she gave at the sight of the thrush didn’t go unnoticed. Maybe she had guessed right about bringing something fresh.

She sat down, curling her tail over her paws as she considered the question. "Mmm… let's see. A water vole, a couple mice... and a squirrel, I think. Whatever's left of it. Looked a bit stringy." Her nose scrunched slightly. "Nothing too exciting... But this thrush! I caught that - birds are kinda like fish, if you think about it."

Her gaze flicked to the elder’s nest, taking in the ragged bedding. "I can bring in some new moss later, if you want...?" The striped mink apprentice offered, unsure if Cinderwhisper would even care.

"..."

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As Merrypaw spoke, Cinderwhisper continued to eat, the molly’s left ear twitching to give the tom a silent indication that yes, she was listening. When he offered to bring her moss she shook her head. Was the last time she had a fully new nest a moon ago? Yes. But her current nest was nice and warm. The molly didn’t want a cold, new, nest. She knew that moss wasn’t something well-known for trapping heat or the cold but she was comfortable as she was. 

Cinderwhisper, pulled away from the prey a little, licking her lips. It’d been a few days since she had prey this nice with leafbare and all.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
༻❁༺

Merrypaw noted the shake of Cinderwhisper’s head and took that as her answer. No moss, then... Fair enough. Some elders were picky about their nests and if Cinderwhisper was comfortable there was no point in arguing.

She flicked her tail idly, glancing at the thrush as the elder pulled away for a moment. It was good to see her actually eating, given how rough leafbare had been."Thrushes aren’t easy to catch, y’know. You’ve got to be quick before they take off."

Her ears twitched, and after a beat, she added. " I used to think birds were more trouble than they were worth, but now I think I’m getting the hang of it... At least until the river ice melts away." She tilted her head slightly, watching for any reaction. Maybe Cinderwhisper didn’t talk much, but Merrypaw wasn’t the type to just sit in silence.