Riley
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349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Nov 28, 2022 5:50:41 GMT
Mayday mayday mayday abort abort abort. When Melodypaw had allowed Bayou to clean off the mud she hadn't thought that meant she'd get so CLOSE. Their scent got into her nose and wouldn't leave, staying in her head long after they pulled back. It made her mind swim a bit, but she shook it off easily enough. "Thanks." she meowed briefly with a smile.
She laughed lightly at Bayou's awkward cough and teased, even as she padded by her and brushed shoulders, "Aw, but they're cute! I wouldn't mind more awkward jokes." She followed it up with a grin she'd seen Flare use, but wasn't quite sure she got it. She was shooting for 'friendly and teasing', but was a bit worried she missed it. She didn't want to scare Bayou off.
Melodypaw listened for the pawsteps to join her, and glanced at Bayou when she did. "Galepaw's one of my brothers, by the way. He's the biggest pain in the tail you'll ever meet but if anything ever happened to him I'd kill everyone in this forest and then myself." She huffed a bit, only half meaning it. She'd never get violent without a reason, otherwise it'd mess up her pelt unnecessarily, but if anything ever DID happen to Galepaw... Well, she didn't know what she'd do.
In that way, Melodypaw kind of admired Bayou. She didn't think she'd be able to go off on her own and leave her family and friends to travel. She'd have no idea what to do with herself and would probably turn back before even half a day had passed, too worried one of her mouse-brained brothers would fall out of a tree or try and eat a mushroom.
Figuring she should probably clue Bayou in on what to expect, at least a little bit, she went on. "I have three brothers, actually. One is from an older litter, Flare. I mentioned him, right? He's basically Shellspots's second in command. He trained me and my littermates alongside our parents, so he's basically more of a third parent than a brother.
"Galepaw is the oldest in our litter. He's a hyperactive idiot who's always trying to impress Flare. Don't ask him for any stories because he will go on and on about how awesome Flare is. I mean, Flare IS awesome, but there's a difference between hero worship and being weird about it. Spiderpaw is next oldest, and he's the most logical. Just don't put him in a social situation, or he'll have no idea what to do.
"Then there's me!" And here she batted her eyelashes coyly. "I'm, unobjectively, the best out of all of us. Obviously."
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Post by Solaris on Dec 29, 2022 2:12:07 GMT
River 9, 2021 | Riley “No problem,” Bayou said once they were beside Melodypaw, meeting eye contact with her for a brief moment, then looked away when her lips drew into a goofy grin that they definitely didn’t find oddly endearing despite how oddly it fit on her. No, not at all. “Anyway, I’m glad you like my jokes. My uncle Tootles, on the other paw, would beg to disagree. Everytime I tried making a joke or a pun while I was helping him with his ticks, he would try to bite my ears off.”
She wished she was exaggerating, but no, old Tootles would actually lean in with his yellowed fangs and snap down at her ears. She was lucky he never tore a piece of her fur off, but unfortunately for her, she sometimes had nightmares about his carrion-stinking breath. The smell sent shivers along her spine.
“Aww, I’m sure Galepaw feels the same way about you too!” Bayou tilted their head, obnoxiously nudging Melodypaw with their shoulder. “But, yeah. He sounds like my brother, except I see Bog more like a flea than a pain in the tail. Bog’s not biter, he’s more of a hover-er. If that’s a word.”
“Although, now I’m curious, who’s the brother who’s second-in-command?”
Sure enough, Melodypaw gave a rundown on her family. Apparently having three brothers, Bayou wondered how any cat could withstand having more than one sibling.
“So, Flare’s the second-in-command, Galepaw is the oldest in the litter, Spiderpaw is socially awkward, and Melodypaw is the coolest and best sibling of them all.” Winking, Bayou added, “Obviously! No other cat is as cool as Melodypaw! I’d like to meet your other siblings, though. They sound entertaining, and I think it’d be hilarious to watch you getting embarrassed by your brothers!”
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Riley
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349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Jan 22, 2023 4:31:39 GMT
Melodypaw had no control over the way her face contorted at Bayou's story of her uncle. She tried not to picture an old scraggly cat with breath like their insides had already died but her will was not strong enough, and she fake gagged at the mental image. "Oh stars, that sounds terrible. Hopefully by the time our cats get old enough to be elders I won't have to take care of them!"
She gave a full body shudder before shaking her head forcefully to get rid of the mental image. "The only cat you'll have to worry about biting you here is Heronpaw! And even then it's more in the metaphorical sense than the literal. He's the snappish grumpy one, grumpiest cat in the Clan so far." Melodypaw paused, wondering if she should warn Bayou that Heronpaw was also Shellspots's son.
... Nah! Let her figure it out herself. Bayou didn't need to worry about making a good impression on him when StarClan knows Heronpaw probably won't make a good impression on her.
Melodypaw DID give a returning grin at Bayou's wink, but that grin dropped immediately when the prospect of her brothers embarrassing her came up. She stopped, pondered it, then turned right back around. "Wait no I changed my mind, you're not allowed to meet my brothers. You'd never take me seriously again." She was, of course, kidding. But maaaaybe she could keep Bayou to herself for a bit. Just a little longer...
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Post by Solaris on Feb 6, 2023 2:28:28 GMT
River 9, 2021 | Riley They snorted at Melodypaw’s contorted, grimacing expression; she looked pretty cute when her face was all wrinkled up all like a hay bale. “Hey, now! I would watch your words! How would you feel if you’re an elder who can’t move around and none of the young’uns want to clear your ticks for you? You’ve gotta think for your futures.”
“Heronpaw is the grumpy one,” Bayou echoed, nodding as if she were in deep thought. She met her share of grumpy cats, especially grumpy old cats, so she knew how to deal with them. She shrugged and started walked from side-to-side, giving a dramatic and dainty flit of her head. “I make good impressions on cats, just you wait! I’ll have everyone practically in love with me and begging for me to stay!”
“Pfft, well, I’ll eventually meet them sooner or later,” she said, smiling. Then, with a more considerate glance, she asked, “Is there anything I should expect or do when I first meet them?”
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Riley
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349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Apr 13, 2023 3:27:43 GMT
Melodypaw smiled at Bayou's snort. She pictured herself as an elder, old and crotchety, but found she couldn't. The oldest cat she knew was her father, Jay, and he was still as fast and strong as a cat half his age. He didn't even have any gray in his muzzle yet!
Bayou didn't seem all that put off about Heronpaw's grumpiness. In fact, she seemed father confident she could gain the grump's favor fast. Melodypaw gave a huff of laughter and mewed, "More power to you! If anybody can draw Heronpaw out of his prickly shell, I have a feeling it'd be you!"
And finally it seemed like Bayou was taking Melodypaw's words about her brothers to heart. She was right that she'd have to meet them someday, and at least seemed to be thinking of what to expected! Melodypaw hummed in thought as they traveled, putting actual effort into thinking about it. "Well, as previously established, Spiderpaw is socially awkward. Don't let that fool you though! He'll use it to his advantage."
A log loomed over and Melodypaw took a moment to jump over it before continuing her explanation. "Galepaw is friendly and will probably treat you like he's known you for moons. He'll talk your ear off about this or that or the other thing. And the whole time you'll be so focused on him that you won't even notice Spiderpaw scrutinizing you and making notes of your reactions and body language."
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Post by Solaris on Apr 13, 2023 20:12:01 GMT
River 9, 2021 | Riley “Why, thank you! I’m sure Heronpaw isn’t as bad as you say he is. Maybe he’s got a soft, squish center inside,” said Bayou, leaning over to Melodypaw to whisper the last part of the sentence to make her laugh. She wasn’t sure whether she actually believed she could get to a grumpy cat she’d never met before, but there was no harm in a good attempt, right? And besides, she loved meeting new cats. Melodypaw’s clan seemed ncie enough.
“Spiderpaw is socially awkward, and Galepaw is friendly and talkactive,” they echoed back Melodypaw’s words. They nodded, remarking and eyeing Melodypaw, “Huh, I’m liking your brothers so far! I think I would get along with them, hopefully as much as I get along with you. I hope they’re better than my brother, haha.”
She tried speaking the last part as a joke, but it didn’t come out the right way. Her forced chuckle felt foreign to her throat, and she lowered her head as the joyousness left her face, It was too loaded to be a light-hearted quip. But Bayou wasn’t in any mood to confront her complex feelings, especially not when she was having fun with Melodypaw! She refocused her thoughts on the prospect of getting to see the clan’s camp, and meeting so many new cats. As the two approached farther through the plains, her stomach wound up in an anxious energy like the buzz of a hive of bees.
Thoughts raced through her head as they thought about how they should present themself when meeting the others. Most of all, they wondered if the cats would be as friendly as Melodypaw was. These were silly concerns, ultimately, but Bayou had never left horseplace before and they didn’t know what to expect. The found herself nervously flicking her tail as they neared what looked to be the entrance of the camp.
“Are we there yet?” Bayou swallowed the nervousness.
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Riley
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349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Apr 14, 2023 1:47:27 GMT
Melodypaw considered it. She pictured a world where Heronpaw was soft and gooey. More specifically, she pictured a world where Heronpaw acted like Flare. And promptly discarded it. It was too weird of a thought.
Bayou echoed her words back to her, and Melodypaw took note that repeating things seemed to be how Bayou memorized things. It wasn't the first time this she'd done it this conversation. Wasn't even the second or third. Melodypaw found it rather endeearing, and silently hoped the rest of her family did too.
The comment about Bayou's brother made Melodypaw falter in her step and just. Look at Bayou. The lightness that had been in her expression vanished and was replaced by something morose and melancholy. Melodypaw wasn't sure how to comfort her, and in the end the only thing she could do was brush Bayou's side with her tail.
Finally the edge of camp was in sight, and Bayou gave an audible gulp of nerves, asking if they were there yet. "Almost! See that wall right there? Camp is behind it. And hey." Melodypaw skipped forward to stand in front of Bayou and leaned forward, until there was almost a little bit of space between their noses. "If my Clanmates like you half as much as I do, you'll be the most popular cat in the Clan."
She gave a soft, gentle smile that felt much more natural than the one she'd tried copying from Flare. More her. After a moment, she pulled back and mewed, "Now let's introduce you to Shellspots!"
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