Oh But She Loves, Like Sleep To The Freezing [closed]

Against the pale backdrop of the early morning sky, the ragged outline of the forest canopy was nothing more than a curling collection of jagged shapes and sharp lines- hardly more than a shadowy smudge partially obscured by the steadily rising steam proffered by the seasonally swollen river depths. The faint trills and songs of various nesting birds were faintly evident against the continuous chatter of the rapids, countless melodies blending together into a discordant symphony. It wasn't that uncommon for Nettlesplash to rise during the watery hours that lingered between late night and early morning, a time that was hardly worth bestowing a name upon. Restlessness often resulted in the young tom drifting through the sparse foliage of the territory, usually searching for some little task or another to keep himself occupied until a more reasonable hour. Plus, it offered a little peace and quiet during the more hectic days of the seasons.

These precious few hours were becoming more and more sparse between the upheaval of duties in accordance with the changing of season, as well as the training of two minnow-brains.

Thankfully it was rather uncommon to encounter another cat out this early- regardless of whether they hailed from ThunderClan or RiverClan. After the initial cursory glance of the tumble of stones that sprawled lazily against the riverbank, Nettlesplash had been quick to plunge into the steadily steaming river. Giving himself a brisk shake that sent a loud splatter of droplets arching through the air, the red tom set off towards the prized collection of broken and crumbling stones. Hardly making a sound against the sand-softened earth of the riverbank, Nettlesplash's nose gave a thoughtful twitch that blossomed across his features as he quickly scrambled onto the next low-laying shelf of stone that rose a tail-length or so above the lowest reaching rocks.

A startled pair of blue eyes crowned by dark grey ears peeked down from the highest shelf of rocks, the owner of which had scrambled over from the other side in surprise at the sound of a splash of a cat in the water. Willowshade had been briefly concerned that a ThunderClan cat had somehow managed to fall in the river, and she really didn't want to get in trouble with Lichenstar over their stupid alliance with DunderClan.

When her gaze landed upon her bulky Clanmate, the silver she-cat let out a self-suffering groan, flopping back against the rock shelf. "You scared the tail off of me, Nettlesplash," she complained, letting her sleek fur lie flat where it'd been sticking up. "I was finally almost asleep. The new apprentices never shut up." Willowshade hung her front paws off of the edge of the rock, fully looking down upon Nettlesplash. "What's got you here at this time anyway?"

"What?" Nettlesplash inquired after the initial icy shock of surprise seemed to dissipate from the heavy morning air, tongue lolling out between a mouthful of devastatingly sharp teeth, "Aren't you aware of my brilliant plan? I always volunteer my services to secure the Sunningrocks for the day, it's very crucial work. Somebody's gotta make sure to occupy the best sunning spots, just in case! Don't want ThunderClan getting too comfortable with these new... arrangements, as they might be called." A steady collection of droplets continually beaded along the bulky length of his form, a rapidly drying crown of glistening white light that shone softly in the low light of early morning.

Nose twitching thoughtfully, the red-furred tom was quick to scramble onto the next low-laying shelf of stone alongside Willowshade- likely giving his Clanmate quite the refreshing shower in the process.

"But don't you think you're a bit young to be so tired of apprentices?" Nettlesplash lifted a large forepaw in response to Willowshade, the dismissive little movement carrying the familiar flavor of good-natured humor that was often exhibited by the young tom. Thick tail curling protectively around his hindlegs in an attempt to ward away the damp chill that was currently seeping beneath the wild curls of his pelt, the ruddy tom clicked his teeth absently. "I mean, you're speaking as though you're some Elder who trained half of the Clan."

Willowshade nodded thoughtfully at Nettlesplash's reasoning, relaxing back into her spot, blue eyes following the tom as he joined her in her spot. The shower of water was quite welcome, as she was beginning to get a little warm where she had been laying.

"I'm not that young," she meowed, somewhere between flattered and offended. "I had two apprentices that were fawning over each other the whole time, and I've finally got some free time now that they can occupy the nursery instead of getting attacked every time I turn around." The silver she-cat rolled onto her back, letting the sun warm her belly where it had been chilled by the rock.

"ThunderClan had better not get used to open access here. All of the fattest fish I've caught have been from Sunningrocks," the warrior huffed.