~Sleetswan one of Riverclan's finest Ice-Fishers~
A set of pawprint tracks within the glistening snow trailed through the camp clearing, left behind by Sleetswan as the off-white tom trotted from the entrance to the fresh-kill pile. Once there, he shifted the snow off of the prey pile and he unclenched his powerful jaws, allowing the three medium sized fish to fall into the snow stash. He then shifted the snow back over the pile, and settled down, lapping his tongue against his maw. Sleetswan had just finished up his morning ice-fishing routine, grateful that there had already been a place within the ice that was cracked open. So, he could swiftly strike his paw into the hole and catch any fish, sluggish from the cold, unsuspecting that he was lying in wait just above the ice hole. The off-white tom was one of the finest ice-fishers of the clan, having the foresight to break through the ice carefully as a young warrior, so as to fish out the fish from underneath the ice. He had impressed his mentor with that clever tactic, Now Sleetswan wouldn't go so far as to brag that he invented ice-fishing, he was fairly certain others must have done so before him. But he wouldn't be in denial and claim that he didn't take pride in being one of the finest ice-fishers Riverclan had to offer. As Sleetswan sat there, his mind wandered about, as he pondered as to what he should do next. That's when his eyes landed on the Nursery and his mind tumbled down into thoughts of his nephews curled up next to his molly in law Snowfeather, all cozy and warm. A passing thought of delivering some prey to them floated across the surface of his mind, but he knew that Edgefrost had already given Snowfeather quite a few pieces of prey this very morning. Snowfeather and her little balls of fluff were probably fast asleep with full bellies by now, taking a mid-day nap. Perhaps he fancied a nap himself? He was rather chilly, due to his paws still being wet from the glacial waters. A yawn slipped through his parted maw as he wondered what it felt like to have little balls of fluff curled up against one's body. He hadn't given the idea of a family much thought, not until he saw his brother and Snowfeather have kits of their own. He stretched himself out, and rolled his front shoulders, and looked towards the Warriors' den, contemplating upon that nap.
~Sleetswan one of Riverclan's finest Ice-Fishers~
Sleetswan, was nothing, if not a tom of little words. He kept to himself mostly, not one to trot up to another to try and start up a conversation. So, as he was stretching, minding his own business, he was nearly startled right out of his skin, as he tensed and the alabaster fur that covered the length of his spine prickled as Morningsun's voice sounded off from seemingly nowhere.
Though it was as soft as a feather in tone, the clearing was quiet and serene, when her voice infiltrated his ears, it shattered the silence like the distance screeching of a prey animal taking its last, in what could only be described as a botched attempt at an apprentice trying but spectacularly failing at properly killing their prey, leaving it a few fleeting seconds to shriek out its demise in warning to other prey in the vicinity to give them precious time to flee.
All the exhaustion was zapped right out of his body, as he went into alert mode, and snapped his head towards Morningsun, regarding her with astonishment, for just a singular moment, before the tension drained right out of him and he let out slow breath, relieving his aching lungs- now realizing he' d been holding his breath. He nodded in confirmation to Morningsun's inquiry.
"I have," he replied. There was hardly any emotion behind his tone, it was more or less matter of fact than anything else. He stared at Morningsun, taking her all in noting that the golden-amber of her eyes shimmered in the light of the sun above them. He hadn't given the she-cat much mind before, in fact he didn't have many cats in his circle, he was usually a loner, and thus most of his circle was accumulated with family. As he stared at Morningsun, a realization sunk like a stone into the pit of his stomach, he truly didn't have any friends outside his family.
Perhaps it was time to change that...? Yes, he shall. He would try at any rate. He knew his mother in Starclan would be proud of him if he did. Ever since she died, he had retracted himself into a hard shell that was impenetrable, and he knew that his mother wouldn't wish that he stays there. It was time for him to crack himself open and in turn allow others in.
"Want some?" He flicked his tail towards his recent additions to the pile, attempting to make a kind offer, hoping that he'd be able to slowly start up something meaningful with Morningsun. Perhaps a friendship that would last a lifetime, wouldn't that be wonderful? Yes, his mother above would surely approve.
As would his living family, wouldn't it simply put them up in the clouds to see the misfit of their family finally step beyond his shell? Yes, surely it would.