#crowsage story

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

How Long (short story, part 2)

“There’s no way she hasn’t figured it out yet,” Emberdawn’s eyes bulged in frustration. Her guessed time was up.

“Are we sure she’s not messing with them?” Cloverfox checked.

“As sure as we can be,” Avery answered.

Word of the she-cat that was flirting with Alderstar every time she saw him spread, as did the betting pool of when she would finally notice that Myrtlewing, by his side, was not just Alderstar’s good friend. 

Speaking of Myrtlewing, his head turned to the bush the group was hiding in. “I’m gonna collect some herbs,” he told Alderstar before heading to the rotting leaves. The cats watching could hear a faint “don’t leave me,” whispered from Alderstar.

Ducking down, Myrtlewing shuffled part-way into the holly.

Cloverfox held her breath, half-expecting him to lash out. She knew him well, but not well enough for him to be unwilling to hurt her, and the blackness of his eyes–and the meaning behind them–were not lost on her. 

But Myrtlewing didn’t appear upset. In fact, he seemed to be stifling a chuckle. “So you lot see what’s happening.”

“Uh..yeah,” Avery began.

“We can tell her–”

“No!” Crowsage cut in. Myrtlewing looked at her curiously, and she added, “we’re..uhm–we want to see how long it’ll last.”

“Ah, betting, then?”

“Myrtlewing, hurry up and get back here!” Alderstar snapped back where the she-cat was weaving around him. 

“Oh, your fur’s so clean and soft! How long does it take to groom?”

“Ask Myrtlewing,” Alderstar grumbled.

“Oh, that’s so nice of him!”

Myrtlewing glanced back at the scene. He didn’t seem annoyed, only amused–he had no reason to be jealous, he knew Alderstar’s heart had only room for two–not to mention they had several litters together. “At this rate, there’s no challenge to it. Any suggestions to push our luck?”

==========

So now it went from betting how long it'll last to betting on what finally gets her to realize.

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Rejection (short story)

“I never thought I could be so nervous,” Scabdrip complained to herself, uncomfortable at the strange new feeling. It also felt strange holding a flower in her jaws, and carefully at that. But that’s what her grandfather did, that’s what her mother did. That’s what she would do. It clearly works, right?

She found her crouching on a muddy bank, drinking from the black water that flowed lazily through the trees.

“Crowsage!” she called, making the other she-cat jump.

Crowsage whipped around, her eyes wide, then, seeing Scabdrip, she shook herself. “Scabdrip,” she greeted back, licking the water from her chin. “What, uh, what do you have there?”

“A rose!” Scabdrip replied, heart beginning to race. That was certainly not a familiar feeling, and very much unwelcome. She had chosen the flower because of its dark colour and sharp stem, which stung perfectly when she brushed her paw through it. Now she worried that Crowsage would find the thorns irritating, and shifted. “I thought you might like it.”

“Oh.”

“Do you?”

“Um. Sure.” 

Scabdrip padded closer, and she couldn’t help but notice the fur rise along Crowsage’s shoulders. She held the flower out for Crowsage to grab, but she didn’t open her jaws, so instead Scabdrip lowered it onto the ground and stepped back again. Blinking, Crowsage seemed to remember she was being given a flower, and stooped down to pick it up. “I’m….we never really talked before, I’m a little surprised.”

“I get that,” Scabdrip replied. “Maybe it could be a start to get to know one another better? My niece, Willowcloud, told me about this pond that has mushrooms growing at the bottom that makes it look like it glows. You could check it out with me.”

Crowsage’s eyes rounded. She looked like she wanted to take a step back. “Maybe another time. My dad wanted to see me today, it’ll probably take a while.”

“Oh.” Scabdrip felt something hard and heavy form in her chest. “Okay, well, let me know when you’re available.”

“Yeah, I will,” Crowsage replied with an odd edge to her voice. She padded away through the trees at a too-quick pace, glancing over her shoulder. Scabdrip watched her leave. Nothing bad had been said, though she couldn’t shake the feeling that something good had definitely not happened.

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--The thing about being a rather scary individual, your crush will be too scared to want to hang out with you.

Crowsage jumped because she thought Scabdrip was going to kill her. She also didn’t outright reject her for the same reason. She was very much afraid here.

--Crowsage is a new character, born a few moons or so after the poisoning incident.