Sorry Not Sorry (Tagged)

[Lionhearted]

Tagged: @goldenbird [Mothcloud]

The tabby she-cat strolled out into the night, unable to sleep. Her mind had been set to venture out into the Fields again, and this time she was determined to see what was in them. She didn't even know what spurred her curiosity on, but every time she approached them she either turned back, nervous, or someone caught her. Last time, it had been Liontooth, and she'd been unable to spin a good story. This time, however, nothing would stop her. Heatherfern quietly slipped past Bramblestar's den and squeezed through the entrance, excitement coursing through her. She was sneaking out at night! What could be more exciting, yet nerve-racking at the same time? 

Senses alert, she pricked her ears, listening for pawsteps. Nothing. She ran quietly and lightly through the forest, heading for her destination. Rain was pouring down upon the lands, pounding the ground, but she enjoyed the chilly drops landing on her fur in the warming weather. There was nothing except the heavy pitter-patter of the raindrops, and Heatherfern stopped feeling so scared. 

Tall, dark grass loomed up in front of her, and she skidded to a stop. There were the Fields. Glancing around her, she stepped into the out-of-bounds territory and, with difficulty, moved through the prairie grass. To her disappointment, it looked uniform throughout the whole Field; it was just grass, and nothing else. Heaving a sigh, she turned back, her paws dragged down with mud that clung stubbornly to her fur. Her entire body was soaked, and she felt a lot more heavier. Heaving herself back to camp, she sloshed past Bramblestar's den again and tromped into her own den with her other warrior Clanmates. Stopping beside her nest, she carelessly extended each leg and shook it, causing mud to fly off and land on neighboring warriors. She shook her pelt loudly, spraying her denmates once again. Glancing momentarily at the mess of mud, water, loose grass, and muck on the den floor, she shrugged, too tired to deal with it, and stepped into the moss. Oh, well. It'll dry. It's not like it's going to kill anyone. 

Finally, she crouched and tucked into her nest, closing her eyes, waiting for sleep to come. 

[Deleted]

Clean... clean... clean... Mothcloud was busy dreaming that for one entire day, the whole of Midnightclan was spotless and shining. Everycat's fur was beautifully in place, every stray leaf or twig had been discarded, and all around the clearing cats were sharing tongues on a ground that was so orderly that even Mothcloud could find nothing wrong with it. It was like a miracle from Starclan, and it would have brought tears to her eyes (if cats had tears, that is), to witness the perfect clan her clan had become. She settled down and purred in contentment as she chose a spot in the warm sun and listened to her clanmates. For once she had nothing to rush around and do and could enjoy herself.

Then, something wet and cold hit her muzzle.

The dark tortie's eyes flew open in the warrior's den and she gazed around in confusion. No, the bright dream had disappeared and left behind a dark, dreary den with the sound of rain hammering outside. She pawed at her muzzle, wondering what in Starclan had awoken her and was now against her face, only to lift her paw back and find that it was brown with fresh, wet mud. No...

She frantically pawed at her face again and groomed her paws, rapidly removing the mud. but then as she set her paws down in front once more, she could see that specks of mud had spattered against pieces of the moss around not only her bed, but the beds of others. Her keen eyes could see the shape of dark muddied pawprints leading to the den entrance, but ending right at a certain someone's nest.

"HEATHERFERN FOR STARCLAN'S SAKE!" The former deputy hissed loud enough to wake the dirtied she-cat (and possibly some cats nearby). Her fur bristled as she gazed around at the damage the she-cat had done. To make things worse, Mothcloud had just cleaned this den hours before retiring to sleep. Why was the she-cat completely covered in mud? Most cats had logic to at least wipe their paws before entering in the same place they slept, let alone enter as a walking mud cat! Of course, with the she-cat having apparently shook her fur, the damage had spread as the mud had been flung around even the walls of the dens... even the ceiling itself! How could Mothcloud expect to clean all of this while cats were sleeping? She couldn't, that was the truth, but she sure as Starclan wasn't going to let a lazy cat dirty up their nests. Midnightclanners were not cats who lived in their own filth!

[Lionhearted]

"HEATHERFERN FOR STARCLAN'S SAKE!"

The gray tabby whipped around, her eyes widening in fake-innocence. Then, she recognized the shape of Mothcloud through her sleepy, hazy vision. Oh, no. She's here to chew me out, thought Heatherfern. Her mind, already half-way into dreamland, struggled to wake up again. Blinking blearily, she peered at the other she-cat from across the den. Cats on the ground muttered waspishly, and Heatherfern's toes clenched as she thought of their reactions when they woke up to the mud on the floor.

"What?" murmured Heatherfern drowsily, clambering up again. Annoyance sparked inside her; didn't Mothcloud understand that she was no longer the deputy anymore? With Ashstep gone, StarClan help me! Don't let Bramblestar pick Mothcloud again! Flicking her tail, she yawned widely to show she didn't want to take part in this conversation. "I was just out for a little stroll. Sorry if I got your precious glossy pelt dirty. I'll clean it up tomorrow. Besides, you're not in charge anymore, so just go to sleep and stop worrying over a little drop of mud. You're waking up the entire forest, and we'll be lucky if we catch anything in the morning."

[Deleted]

"What?"

What? What did she mean what?! Mothcloud was in disbelief, did she not know what she had caused, or did she simply not care about it? The filth was everywhere, how could a cat just be so at ease living in such a mess and not even care?! Her tail bristled in irritation as the she-cat merely yawned widely, rather than noticing or even acknowledging the mess she had created and why Mothcloud had awoken her. Laziness, carelessness, disrespect; those were the words that were running through the tortie's mind as she noted the warrior's body language. It ruffled her pelt even further, and as she immediately opened her mouth to reprimand the she-cat, Heatherfern beat her before she could begin;

"I was just out for a little stroll. Sorry if I got your precious glossy pelt dirty. I'll clean it up tomorrow. Besides, you're not in charge anymore, so just go to sleep and stop worrying over a little drop of mud. You're waking up the entire forest, and we'll be lucky if we catch anything in the morning."

What...

Mothcloud's eyes widened and expression froze in an extreme stunned disbelief. The silence in the den that followed her statement was eerie, with only the pattering rain to interrupt. Drip.. drop.. drip, it was like it was counting down the amount of tension in the seconds. After what seemed like too long of an uncomfortable wait, the former deputies face suddenly darkened. Her ears had pulled back, her fur wild and bristling, and her orange eyes were now a fierce and burning flame that had hardly ever been seen before. It was a look that was so much unlike her usual flustered, anxious appearance, and a look that was rarely ever witnessed. This look completely contradicted the idea of an anxiously unstable she-cat. It was a look that said 'I will tear you apart to shreds from where you stand right here, right now'.

Yes, Heatherfern has done something that most cats could not accomplish; She officially and royally pissed off the Mothcloud. Hell was now sure to be paid.

"Excuse... me...?" The she-cat's gaze burned with a fiery rage as she rose up in her bed and loomed over Heatherfern with bared teeth. With her nervous nature, many cats forgot that her skills in fighting were actually worth praise and how terrifying she could be when faced in such a hostile manner. Of course, she didn't need to fight her clanmate to put her in her place, but she wasn't about to let Heatherfern get away with her remarks either. Not without regretting it.

"Listen Miss Dirtbath, I don't care if you enjoy wallowing in your own filth or not, but you are NOT taking it into our dens and our camp! You will clean it, and you will clean it NOW, or I will be sure that Bramblestar hears of not only your disregard for the dens your clanmates worked hard to provide for you and clean, but also your immense disrespect towards your fellow clanmates themselves. I may not be deputy anymore, but you have forgotten who I have close ties with. Bramblestar still listens to me and entrusts me with ensuring the clan is fit to be lived in. That means making sure that the dens are livable! Who do you think he will side with? If you want to go live in the mud, you can leave the den right now and find your own place outside of camp, but until then, you are under our clan and our standards, so CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!" The she-cat was practically face-to-face with the other by now, her tone as terrifying of a growl as a cat could ever imagine coming out of Mothcloud's throat. It had been low enough not to wake up the surrounding cats, but intense enough to clearly state that she meant business and had no problem following through with her threat. She had always been attached to Bramblestar by practically his hip, as any cat would know, what with her constant need to fulfill his orders up to his standards. Deputy or not, she would still approach him as she had in this manner to ensure the clan was still run properly.

[Lionhearted]

@goldenbird [Mothcloud]

"CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!"

Heatherfern frowned. Taking a step back, she flicked her ears back dramatically and looked taken aback. "Ugh! Rude. Just because you're still Bramblestar's kit does not mean you can boss me around like that! GO TO STARCLAN!" she yelled, her voice becoming higher and higher as she arched her back aggressively. No one bossed Heathefern around. Not even Mothcloud, and not even Bramblestar. Except if she disobeyed the latter he'd probably punish her, so she listened to him anyway. I am a strong, independent she-cat of the new generation! she reminded herself, as she reminded numerous toms. Tail high, she narrowed her eyes at the other she-cat, the one she so despised every since she'd met her. Ha! She's not deputy anymore. Serves her right. At least I hit a nerve.

A prickle of fear shot through her. Would Mothcloud tell Bramblestar? It's not even a big deal, she told herself. Ugh, Mothcloud's contaminating your head. Calm down. "What if I don't do it?" she sassed, her snarl becoming a sneer. "Try and make me, furball!"