Camp WindClan big words, little cat // bengt

[Cricketpaw Cricketpaw]

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

.

So used was Cricketpaw to the den being shared between Meadowpaw and Gladebloom, it felt strange now to see only her sister there, alone, save for the stranger that had tumbled unexpectedly into their lives. Bengt, he was called. She'd stood in this very spot before, staring at him with suspicion or curiosity, but always with someone else nearby. This was the first time it was just her and him. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was something else. Maybe she just wanted to make sure her sister was in good paws.

" …You've got a bad eye too... " she finally said, her voice quiet but direct as her one good eye studied him. Her ear twitched as she stepped in closer, sitting down primly with her fluffy tail curled around her paws, lifting her chin a little as if to make herself look taller. " I'm Cricketpaw. " she announced proudly. " Meadowpaw's little sister and sworn oath keeper. " She gave a solemn nod, like she'd just made a vow in front of StarClan.

Then, more softly, her gaze flicked toward his face. " ...Where do you come from? And how did your eye get hurt? "

She hesitated, then added with a little huff and a puff of her chest. " You better be nice to my sister, or I'll... I'll pounce you...! " She gave a warning wiggle for emphasis. " She's the sweetest, kindest cat ever, and she's really good at what she does! " There was a slight flicker of sadness in her eye then. Gladebloom had always been there to help Meadowpaw, but now, it was just her. And Cricketpaw would make sure no one took that for granted.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

5 MOONS

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[BENGT]

Bengt is used to such curious stares at this point. It's only natural that his mere existence is getting looks; in a way, it makes him feel special, and he never fails to make a show of himself when he feels a gaze or two burning into his pelt.

Today is no different. Meadowpaw is absent, busying herself with her so-called duties, and a cat with mismatched colors is here to keep him company. Bengt stares down at her—a challenge. She is clearly wanting to say something, or at least keeping him in check, and he is going to wait for her to spit it out... no matter how long it takes or how long their eye staring contest is going to stretch on for. When she finally speaks, it's not exactly what he had imagined tumbling out of her mouth.

"Bad? No... I think yours just makes you look cooler,"

he says with decisiveness. For now, his own "bad" eye is too wrapped in Meadowpaw's treatment to be visible, so he can only take the stranger's own into account.

"Battle scars prove that you survived something."

In the wild, injuries can easily become fatal. Bengt always deems scars to be a prideful accessory for that reason. His long fur usually hides them, but this one is undeniable; it takes the center point of his appearance.

"Cricketpaw,"

he echoes. There's no need to introduce himself.

"Oath keeper? Where did that come from?"

He notes the new information about Meadowpaw having a sister and tucks it away for later.

There comes that question. Bengt is at least a little bit ashamed of the source of his injury. He never should have allowed the fight to turn south so fast...

"I got it in battle. A battle for survival, a battle for territory... whatever you want to call it."

Bengt leans down to try and be more eye level with Cricketpaw, his voice dropping ominously.

"You should see the other guy."

Entirely receptive to Cricketpaw's humor, Bengt suddenly draws his head back when she attempts to intimidate him.

"I've been nothing but nice, trust me! You should ask her. I think we've been getting along."

 

[Cricketpaw Cricketpaw]

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

.

Cricketpaw blinked a few times at Bengt's comment, her ears twitching slightly when he said her injury made her look cooler. A flustered warmth crept up her neck, but she puffed out her chest anyway, showing off a fang in a crooked little grin. " R-right! That's because I am really, really, really cool! " she chirped, giving a proud little bounce. " I'm great at tunneling! I could show you, but you-- " she paused, eyeing him from head to tail with theatrical judgment. " --You're way too big. You'd get stuck before you even got your whiskers in. "

She gave an exaggerated huff, before her paw lifted to the old scars across her face. Her tone dimmed, just a little. Proof that you survived something, Bengt had said. " I… I didn't battle anything, though... " she admitted, her voice smaller, her eye wider. " It was my mama. Pumpkin. She saved me from the barn fire… " Her words grew quieter, more fragile. " I didn't fight. She did. She saved me. But I couldn't save them… "

For a moment, the brightness in her dimmed. Then Bengt asked about the oath keeper, and just like that, she lit back up, practically springing upright. " That's me! " she beamed. " I made an oath with Meadowpaw, and I'm keeping it, so I'm the official Oath Keeper of WindClan! Yep, yep! " She leaned in a bit as Bengt spoke, her head tilting curiously at the mention of fighting for territory. Her whiskers twitched. " Ohhh. So… does the other guy miss his eye too? " she asked, sticking her tongue out with a teasing grin.

At his reassurance that he'd been kind to Meadowpaw, she brightened again. " Good! 'Cause if you weren't, I'd pounce you so hard! I'm lethal in battle, just so you know! " she puffed, tail twitching behind her. Then, after a moment of peering at him, brow furrowed in sheer disbelief she finally opened her mouth. " ...How did you get so big, anyway? "

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

5 MOONS

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WINDCLANNER

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bio