Open to Join Elegant as Ever

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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  Emberdust had been busy, smoothing out some freshly gathered moss for the elder’s den, her paws moving rhythmically as she worked. She was on her way out when a blur of mousy brown caught her attention, and she turned around just in time to see the two mice land unceremoniously between her paws after bouncing off her chest.

Blinking, Emberdust’s green eyes flicked upward to meet Specklenose's mortified yet amused gaze. She raised a brow, trying to stifle a smirk, especially as he made his grand declaration about the "gift." For a moment, she just stared at him, clearly unimpressed but hiding the laughter bubbling beneath the surface.

“Well, well,” Purring, she feigned a deep thought as she nudged one of the mice with a paw. “A gift and a show? I must be the luckiest cat in the clan.” She gave a playful wink, her bobbed tail flicking in amusement with the slightest, goofiest flick.

Watching Specklenose try to hold in his laughter was enough to break her resolve, and she burst into a fit of giggles. As he kicked the mice back onto the pile and tried to recover some semblance of dignity, Emberdust padded up to him, giving him a teasing nudge with her shoulder. "Oh no, I’ll never forget. It’s etched into my memory now, raining mice and all.” She leaned in, her voice dropping to a mock serious whisper. “But don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

With another flick of her tail, she flopped down beside him, amusement still dancing in her eyes. “So, how was the hunting besides your stellar throw? Smell anything interesting? Didn't trip over any adders in the mud, hopefully?”

     'I look at things from the heart, despite my brain screaming please don’t!'
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Specklenose sighed, looking wistfully at his mice on the pile, perhaps imagining what their throw could, and should have been like. They were lucky it was just Emberdust on the other side though. She might not ever forget it, but they had a feeling she knew them well enough to not think them terribly uncoordinated. He nudged her back harder, eyes twinkling as she whispered that his 'secret' was safe. 'Ah, thank you. I much appreciate your kindness.' he snickered, blue eyes shining.

Giving an amused glance at the warriors flop onto the floor, Specklenose joined her, splaying gracelessly onto the ground. Their back legs were outstretched, feathery tail swishing slightly. He opened his maw, ready to answer Emberdust's question until his sibling caught his eye. 'Brackenwing! Come join us!' he called out, not sure if his sibling would actually want to come talk, but it was worth a try anyway. They gave Brackenwing a warm smile, before moving his gaze back to Emberdust. 'Just a quick outing for me, so I wasn't really paying too much attention to, well, anything really. Gettin' colder though. Accidentally stepped into a mud puddle and nearly froze my paw off! And its not even that cold at the moment!' They lifted a front paw, no longer its usual shiny silver, but instead caked with mud. The usual speckled pattern on his paw pad had disappeared. 'I really should go frog hunting before it gets too cold, cause then I won't want to do it anymore. I would much rather stick to the dryer areas in the middle of leafbare.' 

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust gave a light snort of laughter as Specklenose flopped down beside her, his words still dripping with sarcasm. She glanced at his mud-caked paw, stifling another giggle. “That’s what you get for not paying attention, frog hunter."

She was about to make another teasing remark when Specklenose called over to Brackenwing. Her green eyes followed his gaze, and she spotted the hesitant warrior circling the fresh-kill pile, tail dragging behind them.

“Come on, Brackenwing!” Emberdust chimed in, her voice warm as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. “There’s enough room here for all of us. And we could use some company."

She then glanced back at Specklenose with a smirk. “And I’m sure Specklenose would love to share his ‘expert’ hunting stories.” Emberdust winked again, her tone filled with mischief. But as the wind picked up and tugged at her fur, Emberdust’s playful demeanor dimmed for a moment. She glanced down at the ground, her thoughts drifting. “Speaking of frogs...I’m not looking forward to the marsh freezing up. No more frogs until newleaf...”

Her bobbed tail gave a slow flick as she continued, her tone laced with disappointment. “I know they’re not everyone’s favorite, but there’s something about chasing frogs through the muck. Once leafbare hits, all we’ve got are the vole and birds - and none of that feels quite the same, you know?” 

     'I look at things from the heart, despite my brain screaming please don’t!'
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'Hey! I pay perfect attention. The puddle was just... camouflaged?' Both uncertaintly and joy shone through their eyes as they stifled yet another laugh, but one look at Emberdust and his whiskers twitched in amusement. They shuffled over, a little closer to Emberdust to make some room for Brackenwing, giving both warriors a lopsided grin, before whipping his head around to flash Emberdust a false look of hurt. 'She meant to say that in a different tone. Promise. I'm actually a master hunter, and she knows it' He said to Brackenwing, kicking out a back leg to whack Emberdust for making fun of him.

As the breeze picked up, Specklenose only really noticed by the cold air that pierced his skin, for his long fur protected him for the most part. 'Not really a lizard or snake sorta cat, but no frogs is quite the disappointment..' They then turned their head back to Emberdust, shaking his head. Her love for mud was so odd. 'What it it with you and muck? It's dirty, cold and makes you look horrendous. If I hadn't known you for so long, I would believe that you were born brown!' he snickered, leaning down to his mud crusted paw, about to start grooming it until the grossness hit his brain and he lifted his head away with a frown, speckled nose wrinkling in disgust. 

Brackenwing still seemed to be looking for a snack, and Specklenose wanted to help their sibling out, so the narrowed their eyes while gazing at the pile, trying to look for some sort of scales. Surprising himself, Specklenose actually spotted a peeking tail from the bottom, pattering their front paws against the ground in satisfaction. 'Brackenwing, over here. There's a lizard down the bottom I think.'

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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  Emberdust snorted with laughter at Specklenose’s defense, shaking her head. She gave him a playful nudge with her shoulder, watching as he scooted over to make room for Brackenwing.

But as the wind gusted through camp, Emberdust’s thoughts drifted again. The sharp chill in the air was a reminder of what was coming. Her gaze softened as she looked out toward the marshes in the distance. She sighed, her ears drooping slightly. “Once leafbare hits, everything’s gone. I hate it.”

Her green eyes met Specklenose’s again as she gave a rueful smile. “I guess you’re lucky, not being a ‘muck cat.’ But I’m going to miss it.” When Specklenose made his comment about her looking horrendous in the mud, Emberdust smirked, her playful spirit returning. “Maybe I was born brown!" 
As Specklenose inspected the pile for Brackenwing, Emberdust turned to their fellow warrior, offering an encouraging nod. “Hey, maybe we’ll catch one last lizard before the freeze. I’ll even share.” She winked, trying to lighten the mood, but was just as pleased once one was spotted at the bottom of the pile. Seems Brackenwing would have his wish after all. </br.

     'I look at things from the heart, despite my brain screaming please don’t!'
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Specklnose noticed how Brackenwing gave half of their lizard to Emberdust, flashing them a look of feign upset. 'Brackenwing!, You choose to woo the lovely she-cat instead of feed your starving sibling!' They said, flopping their head on the ground dramatically in fake misery. Specklenose did not mind at all in truth. He wasn't hungry, and hadn't expected Brackenwing to give them any anyway. What they refused to believe though, was that the prey was given just because. They knew they could be entirely wrong, but Specklenose was more than happy to make assumptions about his siblings interests, even more when it came to Emberdust. 

With a smirk he gently nudged Emberdust, looking at the prey and then their sibling. 'Sharing prey so casually... it's clearly a love confession!' they said, before flashing a troublesome smile at Brackenwing. Oh how he loved to mess around with their siblings. He paused for a moment, wanting to take in every moment of Brackenwing's reaction before continuing on like they had said nothing at all. 'I think in leafbare, all the warriors should combine their nests into one. I still practically sleep on top of my brother sometimes, but having one giant nest would make things much warmer. Though I'm not sure some of the older warriors would appreciate it. I dunno if you guys remember or not, or were apart of it, but I remember Pebbleshine would always invite everyone into her nest, and there would be a big puddle of kittens. Never have I had a better sleep since those days.' He laughed fondly, for his days of kittenhood were some of his favourite. He could be carefree and childish with no consequence. Now, he actually had to be careful. 

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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  Emberdust’s whiskers twitched in amusement as she watched Specklenose’s dramatic display, his teasing hitting its mark. She gave a playful eye-roll, but her gaze flickered to Brackenwing for a brief second, catching the awkward smile on their face. Emberdust shook her head with a snort, clearly unimpressed by the antics.

“Specklenose, if I had to choose between you and a half-eaten lizard, I’d take the lizard any day,” she shot back with a grin, leaning down to take a bite of the offered prey. It had already gotten a bit cool, as it wasn't the freshest being stuck at the bottom of the pile, but she wasn't complaining. “But if this is a love confession, I think Brackenwing could do better than a lizard. You’re lucky I’m not that easy to woo.” Her tone was light and teasing, but she gave Brackenwing a quick wink to let them know she appreciated the gesture.

Emberdust laughed again at the mention of sharing nests. “A giant nest sounds like chaos waiting to happen. But…” There was a hint of fondness in her voice. “I do miss those days when we’d all pile in together. Pebbleshine and Hawkfeather's nest was the warmest spot in camp. It’s been a long time since we’ve had that kind of closeness.”

She gave a playful swat at Specklenose’s ear, her green eyes gleaming with mischief. “Maybe we should bring it back. You know, for old times’ sake. That way you won’t have to sleep on top of your poor brother anymore.”

     'I look at things from the heart, despite my brain screaming please don’t!'
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    'Emberdust! How can you say such a thing! I'm a sensitive soul, and take such cruel words to heart. I might have to just leave ShadowClan now... this bullying... it's unacceptable.' They purposely shuffled themselves around so they faced away from Emberdust, whiskers twitching in amusement out of Emberdust's sight. They feigned a sigh before continuing their conversation with Brackenwing (and Emberdust), still looking at their paw with mild disgust. That paw would go nowhere near Specklenose's mouth. It was to be cleaned by water only.

'I think if I actually started combining cats nests Hollyclaw might actually throw me back into the apprentice's den, which is something I definitely don't want. Though I'm sure she'll let us be if it's just us. How about, once the first snow hits, we all squish in together, just like old days.' Their eyes sparkled, containing a specific fondness as their childhood days were mentioned. 'You can have your own nest next to ours Brackenwing, I promise I won't squish you. If no one else wants to join, it's just you and me, Emberdust' they added with a wink, now turned back so they could face both of the warriors. 

Times like this were when Specklenose was happiest. Their siblings and friends meant the entire world to them, and the fact that they could relax and joke around like this was all they could ask for

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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  Emberdust smirked at Specklenose’s dramatic reaction, her green eyes gleaming with playful mischief. “Oh, woe is you, poor Specklenose! ShadowClan will never be the same without you!" She teased, her voice dripping with mock sympathy, clearly not buying into his overblown display.

As Specklenose shifted the conversation back to the idea of squishing together in nests, Emberdust’s smirk softened into a genuine smile. “I don’t know.” She shot back with a wink, her stub tail swishing playfully behind her. “But you know what? Once the snow falls, I’m in. One big nest, just like the old days.”

Her gaze shifted toward Brackenwing, who had been quietly observing. “Don’t worry, Brackenwing, we’ll make sure you have your own little corner of the nest, no squishing required.” She grinned, enjoying the warmth of the camaraderie between them. Moments like this, where they could laugh and joke together, were what made the looming cold of leafbare feel just a little more bearable.

“Don't leave ShadowClan, though, alright? I think I may miss you if you left.” Her teasing was light, but the fondness in her tone was unmistakable as she settled back down, taking another bite of the lizard.