Open Camp THE MORNING SUN 𓆣 cleaning den

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This thread takes place inside the clan's camp.
148
13
Freshkill
0
Pronouns
they/them or bug/bugs

CICADABUZZ, 34 moons / shc + med. cat
a SH cinnamon tabby/chocolate tortie chimera w/ black eyes
parent to cloudberrypaw, hemlockpaw, mistletoepaw ; mentor to magpiepaw
a reserved, pragmatic healer driven by duty rather than sentiment
Cicadabuzz moves through camp with a quiet sort of intent, paws whispering against the ground. The day is neither busy nor slow—it is in between, humming with a restless lull that has the clan drifting in and out of their dens, seeking shade or scraps of conversation. For Cicadabuzz, stillness is a weight they cannot wear for long. Their paws itch for movement, for work, and so they do what comes most naturally—they search for something to busy themself with.

Their tail, decorated with sprigs of old feverfew and crumbling marigold petals, brushes against the edges of the medicine den as they slip inside. The scents are overwhelming to some, but for them it is grounding, a constant reminder of order and purpose. They pause, gaze sweeping across their storage with the precision of a hawk circling the sky. Some leaves are curling at the edges, brittle from heat. Others have fallen into small, untidy piles where curious paws must have scattered them the day before. Cicadabuzz does not sigh, but their whiskers twitch, betraying their disapproval at the disorder. Carefully, they set to work. Each leaf is nudged into place, each stalk of horsetail separated from the rest, the withered ones pulled away to be discarded. They weave fresh sprigs into their tail as they move, slipping into a rhythm that feels almost like breathing. Busy paws keep their mind from circling back on itself, from dwelling on questions with no answers.

When the den is once again in order, they step outside, herbs still woven loosely in their fur. The camp is no quieter, but Cicadabuzz does not linger in the flow of idle chatter. Their paws draw them instead to the clearing's edge, where prey-bones have been left scattered. The vultures overhead may not descend into camp itself, but such mess is an invitation to them, and Cicadabuzz is not willing to risk it. They gather the remnants, carrying them in silence to the refuse pile beyond camp, the sun pressing heat into their dark pelt as they go.

 

Sablestar's den has always been kept quite plain. It is a place of resting tired bones and rising to continue his endless work and nothing more. His moss is not decorated with any trophies or trinkets, barren of any pleasantly scented flowers and pine needles. It makes for quick and easy tidying, which doesn't seem to be the same for Cicadabuzz as he watched his medicine cat leave their den.

Maintaining the camp wasn't something Sablestar often did himself, however. He left that to his warriors and their apprentices, finding his own work occupying too much of his time to pause and displace moss for.

The tuxedo approached bug with a slight drag in his step from his latest lack of sleep. "Let me help you, we can bury this to help dissuade anything from getting close." The tom mewed gently as he pulled a pawful of dried mud from the ground.

  • "mew"
  • SABLESTAR— he/him ï½¥sixty moons ï½¥leader; shadowclan ï½¥penned by gonkpilled
    a black and white tuxedo with dark amber eyes
 
& I don't know what's got its TEETH in me
Like his namesake he enjoys collecting, the more shimmering the trinket the more joy. Magpiepaw's nest in the medicine cat den is a stark contrast to his mentors - it is laced in bits and pieces of things, tattered feathers and dried leaves, shimmering stones and the occasional interestingly shaped piece of bone. He is careful, at least, to pick things clean to not allow insects to find refuge in his treasures. The last thing they needed was ants, Cicadabuzz might be threatened by more bug than bug present in the den. He tries to keep his area clean, but often fails under bug's scrutinizing black gaze; so he has made a habit of tucking the moss around the edges more tightly when he wakes in the morning to keep his paws scattering things around in his clumsy efforts to rouse. The pale throated apprentice peeks around the edge of the willow, behind it he has made a secondary place to bury his interesting things that he didn't think would be appreciated piled in a corner of their den, and he spots his father and mentor moving to clean the scraps of the freshkill pile.
"I wonder..." He chirped, "...why do other animal not bury remains?"
When a cat died, it received a burial. When they ate prey, the bones and bits left received a burial but he had never seen other creatures do so. When foxes left carrion it was exposed in the open, when the monsters on the Thunderpath splattered life they did not even pause to acknowledge it.

Ooc- ooc info here.

I dream in phosphorescence - Bleed through spaces
MAGPIEPAW

— medicine cat apprentice of shadowclan
— He/They
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— Solid black w/low white & blue-violet eyes.
— Has 'wobbly cat' syndrome.
#9272ee
 

CICADABUZZ, 34 moons / shc + med. cat
a SH cinnamon tabby/chocolate tortie chimera w/ black eyes
parent to cloudberrypaw, hemlockpaw, mistletoepaw ; mentor to magpiepaw
a reserved, pragmatic healer driven by duty rather than sentiment
Cicadabuzz lowers the last of the bones into the shallow scrape of earth, the gesture deliberate, unhurried. Dust clings faintly to their whiskers as they brush soil back over the pale fragments. The act is neither sentimental nor ritualistic—it is necessity. To leave them scattered would invite scavengers, and scavengers would invite illness. It is as simple as that. When Sablestar's voice cuts through the hum of insects, Cicadabuzz straightens, dark fur catching the press of sunlight. Their gaze flicks briefly toward the leader, noting the drag in his step, the way exhaustion hangs about him like a second pelt. They say nothing at first, only watch him scrape at the earth with that slow, worn movement. Finally, their whiskers twitch—something close to acknowledgment.

"You should rest, Sablestar," they murmur, tone even, not chiding but factual. "This work is no weight on my shoulders. I would rather see you well-rested." Yet they do not push him away, only shift slightly so that the two of them fall into an unspoken rhythm, soil moving quietly beneath their paws. It is Magpiepaw's voice that draws Cicadabuzz's attention more fully. They pause, black gaze lifting to find their apprentice peering out from the willow's shadow. The question hovers in the air—bright, naive, yet edged with the kind of curiosity that Cicadabuzz has come to expect from him.

"Because most creatures do not consider death as we do," Cicadabuzz answers after a measured beat. Their voice is steady, carrying no sharpness, but no warmth either. "Weasels, foxes, eagles—the remains are nothing to them but what can be taken or left behind. It is function." They brush the last bit of soil flat with their paw, eyes still fixed on the earth. "We bury our prey because it keeps camp clean. We bury our dead because it keeps them from being consumed by scavengers." Their gaze shifts back to Magpiepaw then, dark and steady.

 
It returns from a solo hunting expedition, a small toad clutched between its fangs as its only proof of effort. Despite spending most of the morning trying, the young feline could only manage so much. Some days are better than others, as it goes. It intends to pass Cicadabuzz and the crew of cats that've gathered around it, when Magpiepaw's question draws in the wraith's curiosity. It pauses in its gait, looking towards Sablestar for an answer. Yet, instead, it's parent speaks. It grimaces, eyes narrowing further. Bug says that predators leave bits and pieces behind because they are mindless, yet the cats of the Clans are mindful.

"They leave them behind to draw you in," it says, the severity dripping from its tone. "It's just a trap to catch curious cats like you." She would find it hard to believe that no fox, weasel, or otherwise wouldn't attempt some sense of never ending food that way. Some forestborn creatures will eat anything if it means another day of survival, after all.

Regardless of reception, Cloudberrypaw readjusts its grip on its toad and walks past the trio, unwilling to elaborate.

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