The Beach is Busy (Open)

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Sun shined directly onto Applestream's ginger pelt. With a gentle release of breath, he stretched his entire lying body out, curving his back. His ears twitched, listening to the sounds of far-too-close twolegs that were also enjoying the greenleaf sun. Applestream understood why they were on the beach; he just wished they weren't on his. The sun was bordering on just-too-hot and he desperately ached for a swim in the salty waves of his home.

However, the sun had just reached it's height and the twolegs probably wouldn't leave for a while, at the very least. With a wide stretching yawn, Applestream pushed himself up onto his haunches. He would have to wait until dusk until he could swim, maybe go out to the island. Until then, he was bored. Who's free to talk to? he wondered. Applestream briefly considered going to the nursery as the kits were always free and eager to play with. He reconsidered it, though, acknowledging that the queens may not be too welcome to an unmated tom walking without reason into the nursery.

Applestream sighed. Maybe someone would come to him.

[Babylonranger]

The brown tabby tom stretched languidly in the overhead sun, his body sprawled on the ground in a brown and white puddle. His pale golden eyes opened half-way as he turned over onto his side. Mossbrook smiled in contentment. His apprentice was released from duties until later, his own duties had either been completed earlier or could keep until well after Sunhigh, and it was a beautiful, sunny day.

The young warrior pricked his ears, making out the sounds on twolegs on the beach. He also heard an older warrior sigh. Craning his neck in curiosity, Mossbrook saw Applestream sitting not far away, looking restless. Mossbrook's tailtip flicked in indecision. He didn't talk with Applestream often, but perhaps that would change.

[Whiteleaf]

A lone silver tabby she-cat was out patrolling one of the borders of Sunsetclan territory, scent marking every now and then. Like usual, Lakestorm didn't find anything interesting going on. The warrior then decided to go back and head for the camp, having done her job well. As she tread threw the familiar territory, she caught sight of a small water vole grazing on a patch of grass. She smiled to herself, thankful that she found some prey, even though it was small. Lakestorm crouched down low to the ground, careful not to disturb anything as she stalked closer and closer to her unsuspecting target. At the right moment, she charged at the water vole, and with a swift bite to the neck, killed it. The she-cat picked up the plump piece of fresh-kill with satisfaction and continued on her way back to camp.

She emerged from the entrance of the camp, heading towards the fresh-kill pile. but just as she put her prey down, Lakestorm heard a couple of high-pitched screeches in the distance. The silver tabby she-cat jumped in alarm before realizing it was only twoleg kits on the beach. "Noisy twolegs," she growled under her breath, just noticing that a couple of toms were also in the clearing. She really hoped that Applestream and Mossbrook didn't notice her jump.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Applestream glanced over at Mossbrook in half-interest. Applestream would talk to anyone and anything, if given the chance. Just before getting up to go over to the relaxing brown tom, Applestream noticed Lakestorm coming into the camp with fresh kill. He cracked a half smile at her jump.

"I'm glad they didn't scare off your vole," Applestream said, getting up to walk over to Mossbrook. "They're worse than the kits with all that noise."

The tom grabbed a small frog from the fresh-kill pile and walked over to Mossbrook. He dropped the kill with a small squelch and got comfortable. "How are you, Mossbrook?" he asked as he pulled his meal closer to his body to begin eating.

[Deleted]

Cherryblossom padded into the clearing. Her kits were due soon, so she had been advised to stay in the nursery. One sunrise was enough for her, and she had spent that exact time in the nursery. Now she was going out to stretch her legs. It was very hot, so she shook her fur. Cherryblossom knew that ruffling it would be better, but she would do anything to avoid that.
"Anybody here?" she called, because she never took a walk just to walk. She wanted to have at least a little chat with someone. the kits in the nursery hadn't been the best cats to have a conversation with, and she had become bored quickly. She finally found some cats to talk to, so she walked over to them with a little bit of bounce in each step.

[Babylonranger]

Mossbrook shifted his gaze as he heard Lakestorm's growl. He smiled wryly at her. The twolegs' shrieks were a bit startling. Applestream quickly regained his attention however, when the dark ginger tom plopped down beside Mossbrook with a frog. "I'm well," the brown tabby answered. "Enjoying the sun while it's still warm. How are you?"

He blinked, momentarily distracted as one of the expectant queens strode out of the nursery.

[Deleted]

Cherryblossom padded over to the fresh-kill pile, and she grabbed a large fish. It must have been caught very recently, because she could still taste the salty water on its scales. She laid down to eat and said, "Hello!" to the three cats near her, a brown tabby tom, a ginger tom, and a silver tabby she-cat.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

"Very good, always love relaxing," Applestream responded conversely. The sun did feel very good, and he felt much more soothed being around and interacting with the other cats. His easily bored mind was getting the best of him. He couldn't wait until Ratstar assigned him an apprentice. "How's the apprentice of yours? What was their name, again?"

The ginger tom paused to take a bite of the frog and crouched down to be even closer to it. He looked up as Cherryblossom waddled over with her fish. She looked due any day now.

"Hello," Applestream greeted. The she-cat was welcome to sit closer. He himself enjoyed sitting by others, especially during conversation. "Care to join us?"

In the distance, a few twoleg kits could be heard screaming again. Applestream's tail tip twitched uneasily and his ears swiveled back towards the sound.

[Deleted]

Cherryblossom winced at the loud screech of the Twoleg kits, but quickly shook it off to reply, "Yes, thank you." She wanted to know what's been going on. Maybe a patrol discovered a fox den, or a new thunderpath was being built, or a new prophecy was heard! She didn't think she'd know anything outside the nursery. Cherryblossom took another bite of her fish and said "So, how's it going?" but she said it with a full mouth, so it sounded more like "Sho, has pit gowing?" She knew they understood. Probably.

[Babylonranger]

Smiling, Mossbrook thought about his silver apprentice. "Hailpaw is doing very well, I think. He's clever, and good at thinking things through. He'll probably pass me in fighting capabilities soon." The brown tom stretched his white paws and relaxed.

He glanced at Cherryblossom as she spoke, uncertain as to what she had said around a mouthful of fish. He ran through what she had possibly said and decided she must have asked 'how was it going' or something like that. "It's going well, I suppose," Mossbrook said, yawning.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

"Oh, wow," Applestream said in slight awe. "I wish I could have an apprentice. Maybe soon. I'd be, like, the best mentor."

He glanced up to Cherryblossom and smiled. "Doing good. but we should be asking you that, you're the queen! It's our duty to care for you," he joked. She looked healthy to him and while it was a serious duty, she was eating just now.

The ginger tom had finished his frog. With a satisfied sigh, he rolled onto his side. "Man, I'm glad the clans have been quiet. Relaxing is just so nice during Sunhigh."

Life was good for now. Everything was as it should be between the five clans. Well, except the two missing cats. but everything else seemed to be perfectly fine in Sunsetclan. The noisy twolegs weren't even that bad, really.