The Colony stones and bones // open

[snowfern]

Snowbank nudged a round pebble with her muzzle, careful in positioning it just outside of her nest, where it joined a few other stones and the femur bone of a particularly tasty rabbit she'd picked clean with someone two moons ago. Her nest itself was made colorful by a variety of feathers tucked into the dry moss, but she didn't have any new ones to add today.

Her attempt at hunting that morning had been a resounding failure, so she'd taken the small stone back to the Colony as a sort of consolation prize to cheer herself up. She'd gone as close as she dared to the river to get one so smooth, but not nearly close enough to find one of the truly interesting ones, wary of her inability to swim.

Satisfied with the stone's placement after taking a step back, she nodded slightly in satisfaction. She'd successfully cheered herself up for the moment.

 

[serpent]

"Oh, that one's lovely..." Serpent's tone wreathes in interest and curiosity. The she-cat detests that Snowbank hadn't returned with a meal (being nest bound at this point means she cannot hunt for herself, unfortunately,) but at least the pale furred feline brought something easy on the eyes. The tortoiseshell would prefer to not have stones littering their nesting grounds, but each to their own, she supposes.

"Where'd you find it?" an easy conversation starter, even if Serpent's heart is further disinterested in the details. It's become so boring in camp, even as she watches cats snipe and bite at each other over the incoming freeze. Her tail loops around her haunches as she takes the liberty to sniff the pebble, "It smells like the river. Did you get close?" A swimmer. Couldn't be her, though she wonders if she'd float in this state.

 

[snowfern]

Snowbank startled slightly at the sound of another cat, having been a bit lost in her own world. A world where putting rocks around your nest where other cats could trip on them was totally, totally not a faux pas. She glanced over at her, suddenly self conscious. She must have looked rather silly pushing her collection around.

"...Thank you," She replied after a too long pause, her voice quiet, "It was, um. Kind of close to the river? Maybe the length of two foxes away, right where the ground gets all gritty."

She almost tacked on that the river terrified her, but she didn't know Serpent very well, so she didn't. She did continue speaking after a moment, though- it wasn't every day someone showed an interest in her collection.

"You can find a lot of good ones near there, I think because the river washes them up further on the bank when it floods."

 

[Frostbite]

Frost never collected things. He always thought to himself, where would he put it? How would he move a collection if he had one? What if someone stole from it? Many times he has seen a cool rock and let it be. But his sister was more powerful than him. She has a nice little collection, unburdened by the doubts that he is.

"The river does have nice stones...." He says, settling near them, taking the loaf position. "Very smooth and round." Smooth and round indeed. Nothing like the rocks inland. "I've seen shells by the river, too. Maybe you could find some when the water isnt....Freezing like it is now." He suggests. It crosses his mind that he could go and get one for her.... But his fur??? And water??? He'll be soaked for days. He'll freeze overnight. But Snowbank IS his sister..... And she DOES deserve the prettiest things in her collection.... That is a trial for another time, though.