Sharing Tongues (Open)

[Moonstar]

In these dark times in Clan history, it was a rare thing to share tongues with one's Clanmates, though it was always a nice tradition within the Clans. Cats got to know each other better this way and become much closer than before. There was, in a way, a need for friends, however small for some cats, Moonstar included. While the she-cat was generally cold and distant, she needed to talk to her Clanmates so she knew what, in depth, was going on within her Clan.

When almost every cat in the Clan had a chance to be chosen for the Games, that mostly involved death, just how hard was it to get close to any cat?

Very hard.

Extremely hard.

Near-impossible.

Moonstar had all of this in mind when she became leader, and yet she took this weight upon herself, anyway, because she was rude enough to feel as if she were one of the only cats in FernClan to be truly capable of handling it at the time.


The black-furred leader padded out of her den, feeling as if she were swimming, her pelt weighing her down to the point where her pace had slowed dramatically.

Ah, but it was all in the FernClanner's head.

She slid to the fresh-kill pile and plucked a plump bird from the top, sitting and glancing around to find a Clanmate to join her.

[Tigerflight]

Tigerflight watched warily as her leader picked a bird off the fresh-kill pile, not sure whether the openness was an invitation. Being a punitive cat herself, she dealt best with outgoing personalities and she was always unsure when a cat seemed anything but emotionally closed off. With a huff, the brown tabby Maine Coon bounding lithely over to Moonstar, dipping her head respectfully, though she noted to herself that it was stupid that she, the deputy, should have to bow to the black she-cat. Her thoughts, however, she caged like a bird in her mind, instead voicing a respectful greeting. "Good day, Moonstar. The weather is beautiful." Settling down next to her leader, her long fur in slight disarray due to the dry, static air, Tigerflight narrowed her eyes against the sun. 'It's all in your mind,' she thought, 'whether you like warm weather.' Being lone-haired, the large femme preferred the cold, brisk days when the sun was shining but warmth was an impossibility. The was, of course, because she enjoyed being warmer than the rest of the Clan, in the sort of smug way one is when it suddenly starts raining and you're the only one with an umbrella. Call it arrogant, but Tigerflight considered it simply a sort of god-given advantage with the perfect amount of self-preservation.

[Moonstar]

"Indeed it is," Moonstar replied with a wave of her tail in greeting to Tigerflight. Although she hadn't taken the time to contemplate it yet as of today, the more the FernClanner thought about it, the nicer the weather really became to her. She was quite a fan of newleaf, as many cats were, because it meant new kits (which wasn't exactly Moonstar's favorite part), melting snow, warmer days, and greener surroundings.

"How are you, my deputy? Anything important to report, or just joining me for a meal?" The leader asked, her gaze flicking over to Tigerflight's, though there was no emotion showing in Moonstar's leafy eyes. Settling down, the black-furred feline sank her teeth slowly into the bird, ripping out feathers, spitting them on the ground, then going in for a bite. She ripped some of the meat out and chewed thoughtfully, carefully planning out her schedule for the day. Swallowing, Moonstar flicked an ear and said, "Come, Tigerflight, have some of this. The warrior who caught it should be proud."

[Tigerflight]

"Oh, I'm fine. There's been an abundance of prey since New Leaf began; that's been good. Other than that, there's been no trouble. I just thought I'd catch up with you because I've been rather busy lately." Tigerflight curled her lip in a smile. "New Leaf has been generous; now all we need is a kit or two." The tabby she-cat didn't exactly want more kits in the Clan; their helpless mewls were not in any way attractive to her and their flailing paws signified simply more mouths to feed, but more kits meant more apprentices, and, through that, more warriors, and a Clan could never have too many claws and teeth. She wondered why cats weren't born fully matured warriors; it would mean death to the mother, but there would be many more to take her place. Tigerflight shook herself out of such morbid thoughts; even she, with all her ambition, would rather have to train apprentices than loose a cat in every birth.

The Maine Coon smiled at her leader's words, a rush of pride for the Clan washing through her, but she shook her head, smiling. "It looks delicious (and it's such a plump catch, too), but I already ate a mole this morning. Thank you though." She sniffed delicately, the sweet aroma of bird flooding her berry-pink nose. Maybe it was unwise to refuse an offer from the Clan leader, and the femme hoped the black she-cat wouldn't take it the wrong way, but she was leading a hunting patrol at sunhigh, which was nearing rapidly, and she hunted much better on an empty belly.

"What's been new with you?" The inquiry was accompanied with a flick of Tigerflight's sweeping tail and a curious glance of her green eyes; she purred, content for the moment, while she waited for her leader's answer.

[Moonstar]

"Good to hear," Moonstar meowed, happy that there weren't any problems she had to deal with. Being the leader of a Clan was extremely hard work, and though many kits often dreamed of having the job, it wasn't unheard of that Moonstar - and probably other leaders - wished to return to their kithoods. The responsibilities and duties of a Clan leader surely weren't something that one should overlook. "I agree, Tigerflight," Moonstar said when her deputy mentioned kits, "Though my sister has recently had her three and Berryfall gave her litter before StarClan claimed her."

Moonstar blinked in response to Tigerflight already having eaten, then took another few bites of the bird. She felt greedy to be eating such a large piece of fresh-kill by herself, but she feared that leaving it behind would cause it to rot, and that certainly wouldn't be good. With that, the black-furred feline finished the meal and sat up, conversing with Tigerflight, "Oh, not much has been new with me. I'm still getting used to the idea of being an aunt. My mother doesn't seem to want to give up on the idea of pushing me to get with toms. She consistently tells me of gossip she hears about the toms in this Clan. It's really becoming quite a nuisance, but that's what mothers are for, right?" Moonstar's whiskers flicked in amusement at her own words.