Post by . s p o r e l e t t ♪ on Jan 17, 2010 18:55:54 GMT -6
The mornings now felt cold to Tallhawk, even in the middle of greenleaf. In the hours before the sun came out and warmed the earth beneath the thick covering of branches in camp, the lanky tom liked to remain curled up in his nest and talk idly with his old mentor and companion, Redleaf. It was his habit to rouse early, but since he wasn't quite ready to get up and move around just yet, he took advantage of the morning light to relive some old memories with the other elders in the den. Stretching out one long, thin limb, he prodded the large ginger tom in the ribs. "Redleaf, are you going to sleep the whole day away? It's already well past dawn."
Redleaf cracked open a flame-gold eye and mock-glared at the rangy brown tom. "You know full well I was awake, Tallhawk," he rasped gamely, lifting his head and stretching his jaws in a wide yawn. "I was only resting my eyes."
"Of course you were," the younger elder rumbled. "Like you were when young Nightkit came in to thoughtfully offer to change our bedding yesterday? I recall you being roused by her honey-sweet mew."
"I was already awake," Redleaf sniffed. "And it wasn't nice of you to growl at her like that. You know she's feeling sore over having her apprenticeship held back."
Tallhawk grinned. "I'm an elder now! It's my hard-earned right to growl at anyone who comes near."
"That's a nice sentiment," the ginger elder observed dryly. "It wouldn't hurt to be a little kinder to Nightkit, though. You know her real parents abandoned her before she had even opened her eyes."
"It's not as if she remembers any of that!" scoffed Tallhawk. "The little she-cat is content to believe that Dreamkit is her brother by birth, and Dawnflower is her mother. She's never had any reason to think otherwise, and besides, I don't think a kit like her would be overly-worried about it. She seems resilient enough to handle herself, in my humble opinion."
"Humble my foot," Redleaf grumbled, rolling his eyes. But he grinned, and silently agreed with the other tom's statement.