Private Camp SkC breaking bread // rain

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

It had kind of been eating at her, ever since they met Rain at the border. Quailstep had been blinded by her adherence to their Clan life, suspicious of a strange cat at their border, despite their Clan's long history of taking in others. Quailstep told herself it was simply an overabundance of caution, what with the recent fights along the borders and her still growing used to their new territory. It would be awhile yet before she felt it was truly memorized.

In any case, she felt bad about Rain. The young mother was so clearly in need of help, and she'd not recognized it. Which was why today, Quailstep had taken an early morning hunt and returned with not only some prey for the Clan, but specifically a sparrow. Her own mother had told her that was her favorite prey when she had been expecting, so maybe the same would hold true for Rain? After dropping off the other portion of her catch to the fresh-kill pile, she made her way to the nursery with the sparrow in her jaws.

"Er, Rain?" she mewed, spotting the young cat. "I... brought you some fresh-kill."

Tagging

@Rain

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain was lost in thought. She'd watched the clan meeting from the shadows of the nursery entrance, unsure if she really belonged with the crowd. She knew Hawkstar has welcomed her with open paws, but part of her still felt temporary in their camp. So, she lurked as mentors were assigned to apprentices, and new members of the Sunguard were announced (she was picking up on the clan lingo finally). What was her place in the clan? She knew there were permanent caretakers, but she didn't think that was her calling. Warrior, then? Did she want to be Sunguard? Deputy? Leader? She shuddered at the thought of anyone but Hawkstar leading them. No, warrior was just fine with her. If Skyclan would keep her.

She heard her name and turned toward the sound. Her bright gaze landed on Quailstep, a tasty-looking sparrow in her jaws.

"Oh! Thank you!"

She smiled widely at the newly-named Sunguard. The gesture caught her off-guard, though it wasn't unwelcome. She'd barely spoken to them since she had greeted her at the border. Gratefully accepting the meal, she eyed the warrior for a moment. They seemed... awkward? Nervous?

"Would you... like to join me?"

She offered, feeling a bit sheepish.

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

Quailstep set the sparrow down in front of Rain, shifting her own paws awkwardly as she stood. Truth be told, she wasn't terribly hungry, but wouldn't it be rude to turn down the invitation to share prey?

"You eat first," she encouraged. "It's, well, I brought it as a sort of gift." They sat down, tucking her paws under her chest, and tilted their head while watching the loner.

"I wanted to apologize, really," she blurted out.

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain blinked once, then nodded. Quailstep stood awkwardly for a moment before settling, and Rain tried to look casual, busying herself with plucking feathers from the sparrow. She was painfully aware of the warrior watching her. One small, downy feather managed to stick itself to her nose, and she quickly shook it off before it could make her sneeze. Someone had done something nice for her and she was getting flustered by feathers, like a mousebrain! She forced herself to take a small breath.

"I appreciate it - hopefully soon I'll be able to go out and hunt for you to return the favor!"

She smiled weakly.

"I can't wait to not be pregnant anymore."

Realizing she might have divulged a piece of information about herself that was ever-so-slightly vulnerable to an almost-stranger, she quickly tore into her sparrow. It was delicious. She chewed slowly, savoring the taste. She hadn't had much experience with catching birds, so it wasn't something she often got to try. In all honesty, she didn't know if she'd ever had a sparrow, but it was certainly a flavor she could get used to. She took another bite and almost immediately choked on it when Quailstep suddenly burst out,

"I wanted to apologize, really."

Rain - after taking a moment to compose herself - looked to the tabby, entirely perplexed.

"Apologize? For what?"

She ran through her limited interactions with Quailstep and nothing particularly unkind stood out to her.

"Were you gossiping about me or something?"

She quirked a brow.

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

Quailstep paused. Was Rain not upset with her? But she'd been so...

"No, I haven't!" she reassured the queen. "I'm not... I don't really gossip anyway." They took a deep breath and flicked their ears, trying to find the words.

"When we first met. At the border? I wasn't as kind as I should have been. I was curt, when I should have been more accomodating to you. I let my duty to my Clan guide me a little stronger than simple kindness to a stranger in need." They dipped their head, eyelids low in apology.

"That's why I'm sorry. I shouldn't have questioned your intentions. Everyone else was far more welcoming than I was, and I wanted to apologize for that. To reassure you that I didn't mean to be rude. I think you'll be a wonderful member of our Clan, and we'll take care of you for as long as you wish to stay, if you do in fact wish to stay." And now the words keep tumbling, faster than she intends.

"I want to ensure that you're safe, and that your kits are well-off when they're born. If you need anything - prey, company, herbs, nest materials - I want to let you know I'm available for you."

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain blinked in surprised as words began to spill from Quailstep's mouth. By the time they'd finished, Rain was holding back an endeared giggle.

"That's very sweet,"

she began with what she hoped was a reassuring smile,

"but you don't need to apologize. I'd say Teaselfeather was much less friendly than you were - but you were both right to question me. I just sort of... showed up, on the blind assumption that you all would take me in."

She shrugged. She could distinctly remember the indecision that had gnawed at her as she stood on that border.

"Just like I was trying to protect my kits by coming here, you were trying to protect your family. I could never be upset with you for that."

She took another bite of her sparrow and allowed herself to relish what Quailstep had said.

"I think you'll be a wonderful member of our Clan, and we'll take care of you for as long as you wish to stay, if you do in fact wish to stay."

So they did want her to stay. She hoped she could make a comfortable life there, that her kits would be happy.

As a gesture of goodwill, Rain selected a long, pretty brown feather and gently tucked it into the soft fur of Quailstep's chest.

"Congrats, by the way. I can see why Hawkstar picked you for the Sunguard. You're a wonderful warrior, she's right to be fond of you."

Rain paused contemplatively.

"Have you been in Skyclan your whole life?"

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  16 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

Relief washed over her as Rain spoke, reassuring the warrior that her worries had been misplaced. Even so, Quailstep didn't regret voicing her apology - it had afforded her this opportunity to connect with the young queen, barely warrior age and already on her own. Quailstep hated to think of what may have happened if Rain had gone elsewhere.

Her mouth barely parted to speak, but at that moment, Rain tucked one of the sparrow feathers into Quailstep's chest fur. Her heart fluttered. It was a simple gesture, but... reciprocal. Her eyes softened and she relaxed more, settling in to lay beside Rain, careful not to disturb the new gift.

"T-thank you," she mewed, her ears twitching in embarassment. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect it! But I'm... I'm honored to serve my Clan." Quailstep wanted to linger over the particular choice of the word "fond" to describe Hawkstar's opinion of her, but that would be something to unpack later.

"I have," she said in response to her question. "My brother and I were born here, and I actually grew up alongside Flowercloud, our deputy. I was already a warrior when we made the journey from our old home to here, so it's been... an adjustment." Quail looks around the den, smiling.

"But it's still home," she mewed. "As long as I'm with my Clanmates."

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

Quailstep's brother and parents are NPCs/UFA.

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Something seemed to change in Quailstep's demeanor, and Rain purred softly as she seemed to relax more. She grinned at Quailstep's humble response. They really did seem like the perfect clan member - selfless, loyal, strong, humble... She was flattered that they were even engaging with her. She hoped that, when her kits were old enough, maybe Quailstep would mentor one of them. Not that everyone she'd met hadn't been kind and strong, but Quailstep was so... honest. She trusted her, even with the tiny lives inside her. She tried not to get too ahead of herself when she thought about her kits, considering she had no idea how many there would be, what they would look like, or want out of life but it was hard not to be excited. She thought about voicing this desire, but stopped herself. She didn't want to come off quite that strong, not when Quailstep finally seemed more comfortable.

She listened to their explanation with a curious tilt to her head.

"Old home? So Skyclan didn't always live here? I'm sorry, a big change like that can be hard. I'm glad you could all be together still."

She asked. From how the housecats had talked, the clans had always been here. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be forced from your home - but, she supposed, she'd never really had a home to begin with.

"What was it like, where you used to live?"

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  16 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

Quailstep's gaze grows wistful as Rain asks about the gorge. They try not to get too stuck in the past, but this place is still fresh to them.

"No, we've not even been here for twelve moons now," she meowed. "Our old home... we lived in a stony gorge, with little caverns in the rock face for everyone to sleep in. The walls were great for climbing and jumping... And there was a stream running through the gorge, with rocks nearby where we could sun ourselves or watch the kits play around. And then our territory was forest and it was perfect for jumping and hunting." They smiled.

"We had to leave because there was too much danger looming - Hawkstar needed to protect our Clan - but I remember it fondly. This is our home now, and I'm grateful for it, but there are days I miss the gorge terribly. Learning to share territories with other Clans is certainly a work in progress."

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain nodded slowly, watching Quailstep's expression grow distant, like she had transported themselves somewhere else. Her heart ached for the warrior.

"That sounds wonderful... I wish I could have seen it,"

she purred.

"What danger was there?"

She couldn't imagine a cat like Hawkstar ever being afraid of something. Whatever danger lurked there must have been pretty bad for them to uproot a whole clan and move it someplace, especially somewhere they now had to compete with other clans.

"Were the other clans already here when you found this place"

"Sorry I'm asking so many questions,"

she mewed sheepishly.

"I feel like there's so much to learn about the clan and everyone here."

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

Quailstep purred.

"Oh, I don't mind the questions!" she mewed. "I'm always happy to help." They licked a paw and drew it over their ears, thoughtful.

"Rats. Too many of them to fight or hold off - our gorge was being overrun. Rather than fight a losing battle, we moved here in search of a better life. As for the other Clans," she licked her paw again, "ThunderClan and ShadowClan had established themselves shortly before our arrival - RiverClan and then WindClan formed after our arrival. But we are the only Clan who knew StarClan and the code - while these others are named after the ancient Clans, they're nothing like the legends we grew up hearing."

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain nodded slowly as she listened, taking the opportunity to finish off her meal (the meal she said she would share with Quailstep - oops). She gave the sparrow's beak an experimental crunch between her teeth.

"Uhg, rats,"

she grimaced at their explaination. No wonder they decided to leave. She then listened to their description of the other clans in mild surprise. She'd pieced together via context that Starclan was where cats allegedly went when they died, and she knew about the Warrior Code.

"But how can they be clans without the code?"

Rain asked, feeling entirely naive.

"Isn't that the whole point?"

She thought about her time as a loner, both before and after meeting Jet. They'd never adhered to any kind of rules other than basic morality - don't kill, don't steal (well, usually), help others when possible. When she'd first heard about the clans from the housecats, the first thing they'd told her about was that they had specific laws. To think that some of the clans didn't even follow them seemed so silly. What differentiated them from ordinary colonies then?

"Wait... ancient clans?"

This was so confusing!!

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

Quailstep thought for a moment. They were Clans, and for the most part...

"Well, they're learning the Code. We're trying to help teach them! It's just that some listen better than others," she laughed. They flicked the tip of their tail, thinking about the mission of a patrol to RiverClan for that express purpose. If only ThunderClan hadn't been causing so much trouble, maybe they could have done the same there...

"Yes- many many generations ago there were other Clans living here, with the same names and structure... but they all scattered and died. Only our Clan remained, since we were far enough away from whatever rid the forest of the Clans."

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain couldn't help but smile at Quailstep's comment.

"I see,"

she nodded. At their next comment, however, Rain's eyes widened.

"Wow... I had no idea,"

she murmured. She tried to tamp down the fear that rose in her throat. What could have driven established clans away from their home? She peered around camp. They seemed to be strong and healthy, organized and efficient. She assumed all the clans were similar. To think they were all just... Gone. Looking back to Quailstep, she supposed her own clan had been driven from their home - and recently. So it was possible. The tip of her tail twitched involuntarily. The whole point of finding the clans was to provide stability to her kits, a home they could keep forever. What was the point if even something like this wasn't guaranteed to be permanent?

She swallowed her anxiety. Just because it had happened once didn't mean it would happen again. She had to believe that. Curling her tail around her belly, she let out a small bitter laugh.

"Jet would have hated this. Too many rules. Too much to learn."

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

DId she say something wrong? The two cats had been getting along quite well as they talked, and a comfortable air had enveloped them both. But now, something seemed to shift, and Rain seemed a little distressed.

And then, a name. "Jet."

Quailstep couldn't help but ask.

"Is Jet... The kits' father?"

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain froze, her heart leaping to her chest.

'Stupid!'

She scolded herself. She'd just casually namedropped him as if Quailstep would know who he was. It was humiliating, really, to think about him. She felt so foolish.

"Ah, yeah, he is. Was. Is?"

She mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

"He did father them, yes. But he is not their father."

She processed aloud. She'd thought long and hard about what his relationship would be to their kits, if she were to ever encounter him again. Part of her ached for it, some kind of reunion where he realized how stupid he'd been. But she knew she'd never be able to trust him again. Not after her abandoned her and their children.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been silent for, not quite meeting Quailstep's gaze.

"He, um..."

She was such a naive mousebrain. She thought she'd known him so well. Her ears grew hot with embarrassment. Ducking her head so Quailstep couldn't see the shame in her eyes, she mumbled,

"He left."

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC: rain circling the drain of traumadumping on her new friend lmao
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

"He left?" she asked in disbelief. "What a mangy piece of crowfood." Too late, she realized it was probably a bit too harsh for their conversation - clearly Rain had some complicated feelings about the tom.

"Er, sorry. I'm sure there were good times with him. But if he left you behind... well, then he's not worth wasting any more time on." Quailstep hadn't really ever had much experience in the love department, but she'd heard enough stories about toms who refused to take accountability for their sired litters. "In my opinion, at least."

OOC

as if quail didnt already kinda traumadump about the journey lmao

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain blinked in surprise. Quailstep condemned Jet quickly, easily, as if it seemed obvious. Though they quickly backpedaled, Rain had to admit they had a point. Maybe it was obvious. Maybe it could be as easy as just forgetting about him and moving on, raising the kits and enjoying her new life. After all, she'd probably never see him again. Why let the thought of him make her heart ache? She turned towards Quailstep with a small smile.

"No... You're right,"

she shrugged.

"He is an extremely mangy piece of crowfood."

She opened her mouth to say more, but quickly thought better of it. Quailstep didn't need to know the deep inner turmoil she felt, knowing there was a good chance her kits would look like him. They were already a painful reminder of what could have been, how happy their family could have been, she didn't know what she would do if she had to see his face in their tiny ones. Instead, she took a deep breath and tried to shake off her Jet-induced funk.

"So what about you? Any crowfood here I need to know about?"

She asked with a wry grin.

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC: uh oh the girlies are gossiping (traumadumping)
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!
  
  

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

they weren't sure why the question caught them so off guard. They'd both been talking about their pasts, Quailstep had commented on Rain's former mate... why wouldn't the caregiver ask about any past romances Quailstep may have had? Truthfully, the Guard felt a bit self-conscious about having given advice when she didn't really have any history to speak of.

"Ah, not really, no," she admitted. "I've had crushes before," still do, "But I've never dated anyone." Unless... did that patrol with Hawkstar count as a date? They really needed to stop dwelling on that.

"But, yeah, thankfully no crowfood for me to fret over here." They averted their gaze, feeling terribly awkward about the whole thing.

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain immediately regretted asking. Quailstep seemed to tense up, not meeting her gaze anymore. It seemed her attempt at deflection had made her companion feel awkward instead. Still, the tabby answered, and Rain tilted her head.

"That's surprising,"

she mewed earnestly.

"You're so pretty! But I guess warriors have a lot of responsibilities... I imagine it can be hard to fit in time for romance."

She was a whisker away from asking who she'd had crushes on, but she stopped herself. She'd already made things awkward, no reason to make it worse.

And all because I didn't want to talk about my lovelife...

She groaned internally.

Instead, Rain opted to change the subject, to the first thing that popped into her mind.

"Are you good at hunting birds? I'm... not really,"

she laughed.

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!