Scallop and Night

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

What a fine day today, Scallopshell thought to herself as she creaked her way out of the elder den. Not too hot, not too cold; why, she bet the water today was absolutely perfect. She stretched, ignoring the popping of her joints as they protested the movement. Arthritis or not, she wasn't about to stay cooped up all day! She could use a trip to the water; the more she soaked her old bones in the ocean while it was still warm, the better off she would be in the winter time. At least, that's what she told herself. Besides, she was a TideClan cat through and through- nothing could keep her away from the surf.

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

It'd been ages since Nightsong dragged himself out of his den for anything except patrol duty. His eyes were still sunken with grief over his failures and a mild forgetfulness around dinner time. His slight grimace seemed to scorn the sunlight beating on him but he couldn't deny that the strong scent of the ocean brought back memories of a simpler time. He closed his eyes and tilted his head up with a long breath through his nose. His toes splayed to sink against the sand and grip it between each one. Reluctantly, Nightsong glanced around the camp, he could spot a couple of cats sharing a meal as well as Scallopshell across the way. If an elder such as her could be happy despite her body, surely he could stop moping long enough to rejoin the world. The tom wandered towards her, meowing a greeting. "You look like you might just sprout wings and fly away." His low brooding voice didn't fit the polite tone he was taking.

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

As her eyes spotted the young TideClan cat, her eyes softened in sympathy. She'd heard all about what happened with Nightsong- elders were nothing if not gossips. He must still blame himself, poor thing.... Well, if he was out of his den, that was a good sign! 

"Nightsong! It's so good to see you," she purred sincerely- she loved seeing anyone who was willing to humor an old cat like her. "Do you think you could do this old bag of bones a favor? I'd love to go down to the water, but my legs are so stiff today- I don't want to fall halfway through and not make it!"

Normally, she wouldn't trouble a guard with such a task, but she was quickly entering nosy grandma mode: a cat cooped up in his nest for so long could use a little stretch!

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

He sucked in another breath through his nose as he listened to her.

 "...." Night's eyes lingered over her figure, from her aging legs to the sunken nature of her eyes. He sighed. "I could not let you go alone." 

Relenting, he stepped closer while sniffing at her pelt. "Have you already eaten?" There was a long pause as he awaited her answer, though his mind did wander in the meantime. Planning, which route would he take her? ..perhaps he should also use the time to get his mother seaweed and dry grass for her den.

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

"It's settled, then!" Scallopshell replied with a purr. 

She opened her mouth as if to reassure him, but stopped. Was it yesterday that Sharppaw had swung by with a sandpiper for her, or today? She wasn't hungry, but.... she glanced over at Nightsong who, to her, looked like a bag of bones. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I have." she meowed. If it meant Nightsong might get a couple bites as well, she was willing to postpone her jaunt to the ocean for a bit.

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

He blinked slowly as she hesitated to think. Nightsong flicked an ear while silently hoping his memory was a little better at an old age.  

"Well, alright. Maybe something good for energy, you will need it for a day outside the camp." He turned slowly and waited to follow the she-cat at her own pace. His eyes flicked between the points of the camp that they passed, specifically entry points and any walls of theirs that weren't made of the cave. Perhaps it was instinct. Now more than ever he didn't want to find a weak spot or see any strange cats peeking in. In fact he absentmindedly managed to shimmy to the other side of his companion during their walk to put himself between the open side of their camp and her.

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

Scallopshell hobbled along behind Nightsong, her movements stiff, but not unbearably slow. Her arthritis was always the worst in the morning; but then again, long periods of rest did that. 

"Oh, I've got plenty of energy, don't you worry! I may be old, but I can still move when I need to," she meowed with a mrrp of amusement. "You might want something hearty to keep up with me." It was clear she was joking, and what a joke it was- her eyes sparkled with pride over it.

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

He squinted his eyes in question. 

"It is tempting to think me an elder I suppose. I've been in my den like one." He confessed, eying the pile as they arrived. 

He noted a few prize pieces but those he often left for elders and their leader to enjoy, prey like crab was something to brag about, he idly wondered who brought it in before he shook himself free of his daze and reached in. The Tom came back up with a small shallows type of fish, enough that he might convince the elder to have some. 

"... Stomach isn't big enough for this. Which side would you like?" His voice was soft, clearly trying to keep the conversation between only them.

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

Scallopshell didn't regard him with pity so much as empathy; a brief flash of emotion that was replaced quickly with a chipper retort. 

"Well, you picked a wonderful day to see the outside again; what a breeze!" she purred, and as if StarClan had heard her themselves, a gentle breeze passed through camp, the perfect remedy to a just-barely-too-hot-sun. Her stomach rumbled as Nightsong procured a delicious fish; not massive by any means, but certainly too much for one cat alone. Perhaps she hadn't eaten today, after all. 

"Oh, the tail will be plenty for me, dear; I have to maintain my girlish figure, after all," she said with mrrow of amusement.

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

He furrowed his brow. "The kits used to dare each other to eat things like eyes and brains after we heard rumors it was the best to eat for... health." 

He peered down, silently wondering if he was trying to look out for her or just avoid eating fish eyes. "Still, I've never been one to backtalk my elders." 

He took the creature in his jaws and crunched through it, tugging his side away. To Nightsong's surprise, he began stripping it vigorously. He was rewarded for tending his stomach with brief bursts of satisfaction until it was nothing but bones, at which point he sat up and licked his paw before dragging it over his whiskers.

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

Scallopshell scrunched up her face in a mixture of amusement and a turning stomach. 

"Oh yes, I remember now- my first litter was no exception. They used to tease each other so much... Sealwhisker would chase after their siblings, telling them mice eyes would make them see better!" she chuckled in a nostalgic tone. "It's no wonder my son Loudroar won't eat anything but fish." 

She picked at her food with much less vigor than Nightsong, content with a few morsels before finding herself done. It wasn't that she was full, per se, but the chewing was making her jaw tired. At least she ate about half of what was given to her. 

"Would you like some more, dearie? I've eaten my fill."

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

He stopped his preening as he felt the attention back on him. The tom cleared his throat, ears lowering with a hint of embarrassment. "I don't want to waste it, but I think I have also fed myself well." His thoughts lingered on her stories as he set his eyes on the fish tail. "I guess some things never change. Once my brother brought some mashed food in the den for the rest of us. After we ate it he claimed it was kittypet food. He teased us for three suns calling us kittypets. Not a very smart idea to make all of one's siblings mad though. We were nearly held back from our ceremonies after all the pitiful ways we tried to get back at him- or at least the ways that the others came up with. I mostly just helped execute said plans." 

He stood up to stretch, then eyed the exit curiously.

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

Scallopshell hid the frown on her face- drat! She had hoping to sneak him a few extra bites (he looked so skinny in her old, grandmotherly mind), but his politeness disallowed it. 

"Well, I suppose I can manage a few more bites, then," she said, turning her food over. It was gone in a few moments, and she collected the fish skeleton to bury on their way over to the ocean. Scallopshell chortled in amusement at Nightsong's tale.

 "Oh, I remember! Your mother was hoping you'd all stop fighting long enough to get your apprentice names; but it all worked out in the end. Your litter became fine apprentices, and warriors after that," she said with a smile.  

It took Scallopshell's old bones a bit longer to stretch out the kinks before she was ready to go, but soon she was hobbling along after him. "We'll get there at the perfect time- the water's always warmest when the sun's above our heads."

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

Nightsong grimaced a little. "I regret it personally. Letting them drag me into little squabbles that messed up other cat's days, all because I wanted to fit in. Now I don't want to fit in, don't want to compete, to react the way cats expect me to. It gives them control over me." 

He paced slowly beside her like a shadow, pausing at the entrance to sniff at the air and observe the beach. All he could detect was a patrol from earlier in the morning. They should still be out which made him feel a little more at ease taking the elder outside. "I just want to do something right. Want to do something that matters and will continue the lives of the cats in our camp." Finally he stepped out with her, idly noting the feel of the sand parting under his pads. This close to the coast, most of it was damp but he preferred that over dry hot sand that stuck to him. "But guard work is.. unpredictable. You don't control if you will do it right every time, and when you fail it could mean a lot worse than one belly going hungry that night."

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

Scallopshell listened attentively as she walked, her normal cheery demeanor softening into something more serious, but still kind, as the conversation continued. She took care not to speak up until the end. Though she didn't know the details, she knew of Nightsong's recent isolation, and why. It must weigh so heavily on him- a guard's work was fraught with danger, after all. When she finally spoke, it was quiet, thoughtful; a tone not unlike one a mother would use speak with her child about something that's been on their mind. 

"You're right. You can't control it; but I think there's something to be said in a cat's intentions. You want to do the right thing, Nightsong- that's half the battle," her pawsteps became more surefooted as the sand underfoot was weighed down by the ocean surf; the smell of salt hung heavy in the air. "Guard work is dangerous, and it's not for everyone. You have to be prepared for the worst every time you set out to protect the Clan. I can't imagine the stress it must put you all under."

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

He breathed out a sigh. "I suppose.. though even my choice to be a guard was made out of what I thought I should do, rather than what I thought I was good at." Nightsong's tail flicked as the sun rolled over his back. "Truthfully, I do not know what I am good at. I never felt this sensation called destiny that the other cats talk about, I don't understand the attachment our medicine cats have to StarClan. I believed when I was little but..." 

His nose wrinkled, giving her a quick look as though he was unsure if he should admit something. "That was because I did anything I was told to. Now I don't know what I want or what I believe." There was a silence that followed his confession, his eyes scanned the foam where the tide rolled into the sand. 

"I'm not bad at hunting.. not bad at cleaning the dens. I can do anything with at least some skill, but I wouldn't say anything calls me away from being a guard either. Is it odd that I have no destiny?" Finally, he looked over at her again.

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

A soft purr rose from Scallopshell's throat as the heat of the sun came out in full glory, warming her old bones. She hummed in thought for a moment, before saying, "No, I don't think it's odd at all. Not every cat has some grand destiny to take part in. I certainly didn't- but I think I turned out alright in the end." 

She turned toward her companion for the day towards the end, offering a genuine smile.  The waves lapped gently along the shoreline, greeting her like an old friend as she dipped her paws in their foam. Instead of diving in, however, she lingered at the edge, looking out at the horizon. 

"To find what you want can be a rather difficult path. I find what's sometimes easier is finding what you don't want. You could be a great many things, I'm sure, Nightsong, but let's start with: do you still want to be a guard?"

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

He stopped as she crossed over to the water and watched from behind, his eyes lingered over the deep blue, miles away from them. "Mh.. if you asked me that after the battle I would have easily said no. The truth is, I don't know. It feels like every cat has a name that puts them in a path. Berrynose for a medicine cat or Wildheart for a warrior." 

He flicked his silvery eyes back at her for a moment. "Sometimes I think my naming was irony, this trip is the most I've spoken to any cat in moons collectively." 

Finally he sat, slowly lifting and lowering his tail in the damp sand. He'd asked so many questions and posed so many possibilities; so for a moment he was still, and he thought about it. He tried to part the waves of his life and the distractions of what he could be, or was before. "I guess if I think about it.. mmh, distant memories. When I was happy? ..always listening, always remembering. I know every cats name and I know what they like. I played with the younger kits when the queens needed a break, I know how every cat likes their bedding. When the elders praised me, I felt.. proud." He nodded slowly.

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

The seafoam that danced lazily around Scallopshell's paws put her heart at ease, and hoped that, in some small form, it might offer Nightsong some comfort, as well. She could understand his uncertainty- so many of her own kits felt something similar after they had lost yet another of their family to the sea. Finding an answer you can live with can take time. She did not rush Nightsong to any conclusion as he pondered his life, instead letting him come to his own conclusions on his own time. 

"The life of a crafter or a perm-queen is a fine one- though not without their own challenges. Still, if those challenges pique your interest, I think it's worth pursuing. Our Clan is strongest when its members are happy and fulfilled, after all," she said with a nod. "I've been a hunter all my life, so I'm afraid crafting is outside my realm of expertise.  I do know a thing or two about raising kits, though- if you decide that's the path you go down, I can always give you a few pointers." She grinned at that, her voice lighthearted, but her offer was serious.

--

Nightsong | TideClan Guard

"Is it so easy? I've never seen a cat change paths in my time here.. well, save for those who became injured or older." He took a long breath, peering out over the water again. He didn't particularly shy away from the foam. "I never viewed myself as a kit type, but I guess... maybe I look at the world in the wrong ways, thinking my skills need to be on the nose or destiny. I'd never pondered that listening and cleaning would make for a good kitsitter. Always thought you just had to love kits and be born wanting to be surrounded by them." For once he let out a rasped chuckle.  "Hm. But it's not that simple. Loving and raising is shown many ways. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a.. former Guard between kits and the outside world."

He entertained the thought for a moment. "As for crafting, I dunno. I'm good with practical things. No one could ever complain about a bed I made or a hole I patched to keep out the rain. But I don't exactly build for beauty." They were exciting prospects, but more than that he enjoyed a brief moment of freedom- the feeling of weight lifted off his shoulders and that is what struck him with a sudden realization. "... I don't think I want to go back to Guard work. Thinking about leaving it has untied a knot long sat in my stomach. That much is.. clear now." 

--

Scallopshell | TideClan Elder

"Well now, I'm not so sure about easy- but if it's what you want, it would be worth it still, I think," she said in her wisened, creaky voice. "It doesn't have to be some grand destiny. You just have to enjoy what you do, and have a bit of a knack for it- that should be enough." 

She chuckled at his own assessment of his work, a good humored mrrow that rattled chest in a purr. 

"I can't say many would expect you to craft masterpieces overnight! You would have to learn presentation, but if you've got the basics down, you've got yourself a good head start." 

She lay down in the surf now, ignoring the feeling of wet sand at her belly as she let the foam lap over her age-weary legs. While keeping an eye out for any rogue waves, she greeted his revelation with a cheery mew. 

"Well! That's certainly a good start, wouldn't you say?"