Closed Thread Sharing Sunbeams

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished
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Bravesong stirred from where he sat tucked near the camp’s edge, half in shadow, half basking in the sun’s reach. The warmth after rain always did something to his bones made them ache and ease at the same time. His tail flicked lazily, hazel eye catching on the familiar dapple of calico fur making its way across the clearing.

"Hello, Orchidflame."

He pushed himself up with a grunt, favoring his bad leg but steady enough, padding toward her chosen sunning stone. She may have just picked one of the best spots in camp to lounge around. "I was just going to grab some fresh kill. Want me to pick something out for you?"

Even a flame that burns softly can still bring warmth through the darkest nights.

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A ginger ear twitched when her name was mentioned, the chocolate calico opened her mismatched eyes as Bravesong moved to make her company. The long-haired she-cat couldn't help but let a purr rumble from her chest. "Oh! Bravesong!" She greeted, her ears perking towards the black-and-white tom, her old friend.

Her offer met her ears kindness that she couldn't resist, after all she was a little hungry "A vole, if there is one. If not I'd be happy to share anything you bring back." she replied, stretching out her body and shuffling to the side to leave room for Bravesong, if he so wished to take in the sun with her.

Orchidflame watched Bravesong for a moment, her eyes softening, not only due to the comfort of being in the warmth, but something deeper that she couldn't quite pinpoint. Whatever it was, it didn't make his company worse, that was for sure.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished
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Bravesong dipped his head in acknowledgment, a low hum of agreement rumbling in his throat. "A vole it is." He said a hint of warmth curling through his tone. Maybe he'd find something exotic in the pile today. He was a bit hungry.

He padded across the clearing toward the fresh kill pile, his gait uneven but sure. The sunlight glinting off his scarred flank as he moved. After a brief sniff through the pile, he plucked up a plump vole and, after a moment’s thought, added a chipmunk to the mix.

When he returned he set the prey down between them the chipmunk’s striped fur catching the light. "I feel like I could eat a whole squirrel." He teased, easing himself down beside her with a satisfied sigh. The warmth of the stone seeped through his old scars loosening them like balm.

"I even found a vole for you, but I picked out the chipmunk for me. Pretty prey like a land bird with its stripes almost a shame to eat."

Even a flame that burns softly can still bring warmth through the darkest nights.

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"Thank you, Bravesong" She replied, his name tasting sweet on her tongue, nearly as sweet as the vole that she savored in a few bites, licking the blood from her whiskers. "You didn't have to do that." Orchidflame added, her tail landing softly on Bravesong's back when he sat, almost on instinct.

At the mention of her friend being so hungry he could eat a whole squirrel, she let a dry chuckle leave her throat, she knew of a certain warrior that adored the tasty flesh of a squirrel, once with similarly grey fur. "You wouldn't be the only one." Orchidflame replied as she noticed the grey warrior deposit a couple of plump scraps of prey on the pile, a finch and a squirrel that made him like his maw before turning tail and leaving camp again, StarClan knows why.

Orchidflame raised a brow at Bravesong's comment on the prey, flicking the white tip of her tail as she let out a warmer chuckle from deep within her chest. "Of Bravesong, if we spared everything pretty we'd have a lot less prey" she trilled, giving Bravesong a gentle cleaning behind his ears. "You're the one that chose it after all. Must have suited your tastes one way or another"

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished
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Bravesong’s whiskers twitched with amusement as her tail brushed his back, and he leaned into the warmth of it without thinking. "I wanted to. It'd be a sorry clanmate indeed if I didn't at least offer."

He began stripping the chipmunk of fur, savoring the smell with a pleased hum. It wasn't as large as a squirrel, but it was satisfying - and fresh. In fact, it might have been the chipmunk that he spied Leopardrose bringing back earlier.

At her quip about sparing pretty things, he let out a low chuckle that deepened into a purr as her tongue rasped behind his ear. "Guess it’s a good thing I’m not the one deciding what’s too pretty to keep around." Which may or may not included a sunny calico laying about in the sun.

He stretched out one foreleg, claws flexing lazily against the sun warmed ground, and flicked an ear toward her with quiet fondness. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Even a flame that burns softly can still bring warmth through the darkest nights.

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"Too pretty to keep around?" Orchidflame repeated with a tilt of her head. The chocolate calico moved a shifted her weight to better accompany her closest friend letting the warmth of their fur rub off on the both of them. There was a strange peacefulness in it, even if the two weren't rubbing up against each other, their fur held a comforting warmth. Like they were the only ones in the camp, the territories even.

The silence that followed didn't need filling, it didn't feel that way, to simply exist was filling enough for the sunbathing elders, the subtle chatter of camp filling the space enough for both of them.

She paused, mulling over Bravesong's comment about what's pretty and what's not, but that wasn't for her to chose. It was a perspective choice over anything else. She respected that as much as she could understand it, which was more than she may think.

However, the silence was indeed broken by a soft appreciative purr from Orchidflame. "Well enough. I've had my still leg for so long that I know how to sleep comfortably. It's the cold that makes it worse I think." she explained, inspecting the still and weak leg for a moments, flexing her claws that she hadn't needed to use in moons, which explained why they were so white and clean. "What about you Bravesong?"

Her voice followed with a teasing trill, flicking Bravesong's scarred flank lightly with the tip of her tail "Need some pointers on how to sleep comfortably?"

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished
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Bravesong gave a soft snort of laughter. "I've had my fair share of pratice sleeping." He gave her an amused sidelong glance, eyes glinting with mirth. "Though I wouldn’t mind a demonstration if you’re offering."

He took another bite of the chipmunk.The warmth of the prey and the sun together made his muscles loosen until he nearly melted. Felt nice in warm , inviting weather. "You’re right about the cold though." He mewed after a beat, licking a paw and running it over his muzzle. "The rain and chill gets in the joints makes every old scar feel like it’s been torn fresh."

Bravesong shifted closer, careful not to bump her stiff leg but close enough that their fur brushed lightly. "I think I had a dream last night - smelled of lavender, anyway. It was nice."

He let the silence return for a moment, content to listen to the quiet hum of camp around them.

Even a flame that burns softly can still bring warmth through the darkest nights.

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The rumble in her chest deepened as Bravesong brushed against her fur, the fluffier of the two pushed back affectionately, just as careful not to disturb Bravesong's bad paw with her own affection. "Tonight." She purred fondly "I'll show you how I get comfortable when it's time to sleep." she added, ears flicking as she finished the last of the vole in a few bites.

"Mmm, a sweet one" she murmured to herself, not clear if it was about the prey or Bravesong.

Bravesong then began to ramble of his own struggles with his wound, she nodded along with the same empathy she had always carried with her, but this time, she could really connect with Bravesong on this. They were the same in this way. "Some of the colder days, I don't even feel like getting out of my nest. Terrible those are."

Suddenly, her ears perked with interest as her companion vaguely described the dream he had. "Lavender? You're dreams have a smell?" regardless of the quaint nature of the words Bravesong has described, it still interested her, might make for a good story one day. "Was this just a smell or did you see anything in this dream."

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished
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Bravesong couldn't help but think how much he was preferring Orchidflame's company to anyone else's recently. Maybe it helped that she was also an Elder and always close at paw. He blinked slowly, raking the last bits of fluff from the chipmunk's hide.

"I don't think I saw much..." He admitted with a thoughtful murmur. "More like… a feeling, really. Lavender and sunlight...Just calmness. It beats a chaotic dream any day... Maybe that’s why it felt good." He coudn't exactly put a paw on it, but it seemed accurate enough.

His maw dipped to sample its flesh. An inviting smell wafted back into his nostrils as he took a bite. With a sigh he swallowed and continued his train of thought, barely shifting his paw. "I think that sometimes dreams can help soothe just as well as some can give you anxiety. I'm just glad the nightmares have somewhat abated."

Even a flame that burns softly can still bring warmth through the darkest nights.

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The tri-colored she-cat watched Bravesong as he explained his dream, one that seemed more vivid, more real than a typical dream one might have. Her eyes softened as she listened, a soft reverence cooling them. Making her expression light and airy.

"That's some dream." She purred, her voice hardly above that of a whisper before glancing of the scraps of her meal, the bones and the flesh she couldn't reach with her mouth or tongue. The skeleton didn't seem touched, it looked so peaceful and undisturbed. Strange, that. "Can't remember the last time one of my dreams felt so real."

Orchiflame twitched an ear, the fur that rested at the tips of her ears following the flowing of her movements, no strand out of place despite the length of her fur and how much of it there was. It was a wonder how she kept it so clean... though she did have a lot of time on her paws.

She didn't enjoy the fact that Bravesong had so many nightmares before, but that wasn't something she could change, she could just be there for her friend, and that is what she would do. "I'm glad you've got less of those. They're hard to get a grasp on, since we never have control of our dreams... for the most part."

"Not nightmares at least."

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished
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Bravesong bent his head over what remained of the chipmunk. He had eaten the choosiest bits, relishing in its subtle warmth and freshness. It wasn't long before he ended his meal with a few more deliberate bites. His tongue flashed over his muzzle to swipe off the ruddy stew from his lips.

"Some nightmares ache more than my leg ever did..." He admitted with a dour meow, eyes unfocused as if staring at a far off shadow. The shadow that had swallowed him up long ago. "The mind can twist things in your sleep...makes the pain all the more dire."

His gaze drifted back to Orchidflame and a faint smile teased his maw. "But I think… lately, they’ve been easing. Don't really understand it, but I'm grateful for it either way." Now it was his turn to study the bones left behind from his meal and he stood, tail flicking.

He dipped into an awkward stretch that fanned his front paws out, claws flicking briefly before they returned to their sheaths. "I can clean up, no worries. Least I can do for the company."

Even a flame that burns softly can still bring warmth through the darkest nights.

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Orchidflame decided not to speak, not to interrupt Bravesong's words, she had no intention of being disrespectful or disruptive to her closest friend and her new, and very well appreciated, company that she had gained after the past few days.

So when Bravesong got up, she didn't stop him, simply shuffled to the side to give him the room to stretch out his scarred limbs. But even though Bravesong's scars held the mark of a noble elder, Orchidflame still saw that confident and admirable warrior she had always known since apprenticeship. She still say Jaysong, just with a new name and new look on life. He has been, is and will always be her childhood friend.

She gave a nod of her head in acknowledgment "I appreciated it, Bravesong." her purr was palpable when saying Bravesong's name. He was one of the few elder she got on with nowadays, and she didn't see that changing anytime soon.

"I'll be here when you get back."