Friends Again (Oakfoot and Persnickety)

Persnickety let out a soft sigh. The night had been chilly and wet. A little condensation from the night had crept into the den and wet her fur. As she exits the den she shook the wet from her fur with a scrunched up face. She liked water but not while sleeping. She stretched and looked around, ears perked and swiveled every once in a while at sounds.

Oakfoot had been up for a while at this point, awakening just before dawn to go hunting and patrolling, determined to keep his family well fed and safe. If anything  else, having kits made Oakfoot serve his Clan even better than he already did serve them. And he was one of the most devoted cats in IceClan before that too.

As he entered the camp as saw Persnickety. She was the only other cat. He slowed uncertainly, wondering if she would want to see him. At least a polite greeting should be in order. He padded to the fresh kill pile and dropped several pieces of prey before turning to her. "Good morning, Persnickety." he said to her.


She perked her ears and looked over at Oakfoot as she heard his voice. She blinked then smiled. "Hey Oakfoot." Her tail swayed against the earth and pulled it to her side. "How's your mate and kits?" She asked, no hint of sorrow, depression or anger anywhere in the female's form as she asked the question; just genuine curiosity.

Oakfoot's ear twitched as she asked. Rabbitfoot was still not his mate. He had asked her, but she was so confused and uncertain that she had not wanted to accept. He decided to let it slide, though. Not worth bringing it up. "They are well." he said with a small smile, "The kits are growing quickly and Rabbitfoot is staying healthy." he was honestly awful worried about her. With Chillstare sick, he would be just devastated if she got his best friend and kits sick as well. But he felt powerless. How could he protect them from sickness?

She swished her tail and smiled. "That's great." She said then stood and stretched, her jaws parted in a yawn, still rather tired from lack of sleep. It had been a few days since Persnickety poured her heart out, and despite how she left it, she looked rather happy. "I don't know what Rabbitfoot likes but yesterday I caught a pheasant. She might enjoy it." She suggested then walked more into the clearing to stretch her tired legs.

Oakfoot smiled, "Thank you." he said. He nodded at her words. "Alright I will surely bring it to her. I am sure she will appreciate it." he purred. "So how are you doing?" he was encouraged by her happiness.

"I'm fine." She tells him, swishing her tail behind her. "Everything's still the same really." She said as she reached the prey pile for breakfast. She picked up a mouse again and headed to her spot, settling down and taking a bite. "Bullstar still hasn't trained me like he said he would." She said, though usually rather patient she was getting impatient. "I really want to change my name, but I cannot until he sees me fit as a warrior. But I can't until he trains me." She took another bite of her meal. "So I'm stuck just hunting all the time."

Oakfoot nodded. "I see. Have you met any new friends?" he asked. She seemed happier than before, and he hoped that was the reason. He furrowed his brow at the mention of Bullstar not training her. "Hm..that's odd. I can teach you a few things if you'd like." Oakfoot offered. Even if he was not her mentor, any training would help her and the Clan should a fight be on the horizon. "And besides, you must be a very good hunter by now." he added a bit more lightly.

She looked at Oakfoot. "Still just Bluefeather really." She purred then perked up. "Oh! And Wolfpatch." She swayed her tail happily. She then looked at him. "It's a nice offer but Bullstar says I can't be a warrior until he trains me. So even if you trained me a bit I still wouldn't be able to be a warrior." She murmured.

Oakfoot nodded. "Oh, good." he said. he did not know Wolfpatch at all, but he was happy that she was making friends. He nodded as she said that Bullstar wanted to train her himself. "Yes, I know, but warrior is just a title. If we were to get into a battle or if you ever needed to fight, it would be very nice for you to know how to defend yourself, apprentice or warrior." he pointed out.

"I know but I wanna change my name." She scuffed her paw. "I wanna be known as Softstep." She said and finished her meal.

Oakfoot perked his ears. "Really? A very nice name indeed." he said, remembering that he had suggested it to her. "I think it suits you."

She perked up and smiled, waving her tail. "Yes. I like it." she looked at him. "Thank you for suggesting it." She purred.

Oakfoot smiled. "Well, we can only hope that Bullstar will be around soon to train you. Hopefully you can get your name soon." he said.

She nodded and groomed her muzzle before sitting up. "I hope so." She stretched before shaking out her beautiful fur

Oakfoot managed to gather the courage to ask her the question."So...are we alright now, Persnickety?" he asked her with a hopeful tone.

She nodded her head, looking at him. "I'm sorry I let my emotions get the best of me." She flicked her ear.

Oakfoot smiled, blinking warmly. "You're a wonderful cat, Persnickety. You will be an asset to IceClan." he thought back to her very first kill she had shown him. Twice in a row in fact. She was impressive indeed. And he was even more happy that she was making friends.

She flicked her ear. "Thanks." She said to him and looked at him with blinking eyes. Just because she couldn't love him didn't mean she still didn't. She just didn't let it show anymore after that one night. "I sure hope so. I love Iceclan, I wanna have a family here, grow old here. Die peacefully in my sleep." She said looking down. "Icelcan is my new home and I'd do anything for her." She said.

Oakfoot nodded, "And I am sure you will." he thought to Bluefeather or Wolfpatch. He hoped that one of them would make a good match for her, and if not them than someone else. "All that can be achieved here in IceClan. It is a wonderful place to live." he said.

She flicked her ear. She figured she was much to 'weird' or 'kitty-pety' to attract any of the toms here. Sure she was beautiful, but lately it seems toms look at the inside not the outside, which was good, but made her screwed because they couldn't look past her own past. She had only tom friends yes but they were just friends. "I hope so." Lucky for her since she's a purebred her owners didn't send her to the 'cutters', in hopes they'd breed her but she was lost before they could do that. She licked her paw and ran it over her face.

Oakfoot dropped the subject and went on to something else that interested him. "So, tell me about your home as a kittypet." he said.

She flicked her ear and looked at him. Shocked that he was curious. She scuffed her paw. "Well." She started. "It was very luxurious. I was born into the life by my mom, a bred purebred champion in cat shows. Meaning since she was so great in shows they paired her with another first place cat to make great show winning kittens. Well I being one of them was bought by my owners not long after being weened so I never got to really know my parents. My owners loved me and treated me well. After they got me I was taken to the vet to get my claws removed. My owners planned to breed me when I got older to sell the kittens for money, since apparently we're worth a lot. They treated me well and that's all I cared about. Then I was lost in the move so that's when my kittypet life ended."

Oakfoot nodded. It didn't sound like a nice life, being the object of breeding and mutating by twolegs, but it sounded like she was happy and well loved. She nodded. "I see. Well, I am sorry you lost it... but I am also happy you have found a new home here. I hope you are content here as well with many cats your own kind." he said. Surely she preferred the company of cats to humans.

"I will admit I miss being pet, scratched behind the ear, under the chin. I miss being played with. My favorite toy was a little feather attached to a stick." She giggled softly and sighed. "But at least I have the company of cats."

Oakfoot nodded, trying to understand but could not really. "Well, you get live feathers here." he pointed out and nodded. He for one preferred the company of other cats to anything else. But, then again, he was born here so he would not know anything different.

She chuckled. "It's not the same." She replied but smiled at his effort. She scratched her ear softly. "So tell me about your life, now that I've told you about mine."

Oakfoot shrugged. "Born and raised in IceClan. My father was a rogue. I didn't meet him until he came to take my mother and sister away when I was a young apprentice. My mentor, Brackenclaw, did most of the fathering to me." Oakfoot said. Of course it was a bigger deal than it seemed the way he casually said it. He had been very hurt by his mother and sister's betrayal, and Brackenclaw had been his most trusted guardian. But Brackenclaw had died protecting him from a badger the night he became a warrior. He had been angry with his mother for leaving him and abandoning her Clanthat gave her so much. She claimed that she loved his father and that was why she was leaving, but Oakfoot had not been sold at the time. Only now he understood why she had to leave because now he knew what love was. And now he wanted to see her again, to apologize for how coldly he had rejected her as she begged him to understand before she left him and her Clan. But it would be difficult to find her if even possible. Who knows where she had gone in the past 30 or so moons?

She flicked her ear and nodded. "Oh, sounds a less complicated then my life." She teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Oakfoot nodded with a small smile. "Yes, it certainly is." He said. Even if things had happened to his friends and family around him, he had always been the same, living a semi normal life in IceClan.

He thought back to his conversation with Rabbitfoot. The calico had asked him to bring up his parents to Persnickety, in case she had seen them in her travels. He decided that this was as good a time as ever. She was his friend, after all, he was sure she would be willing to help. "So, Persnickety." he began, "I was wondering if you met many cats on your travels?"


"Of course, I met a lot of cats. None all too friendly tho." She flicked her ear.

Oakfoot nodded. "I see... did you ever see a cat who shared my color, but taller and thinner? He would most likely be with a more stocky dark brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes and long fur... and it is possible that another long furred she-cat was with them as well, also with blue eyes and dark brown fur." He recited their appearances as if he had seen them yesterday... their images were so clear in his mind, even his father who he had met for only one afternoon. He shrugged, not looking hopeful as he waited for her answer.. It was a crazy shot,  but it was worth asking if nothing else.

She thought back. "Hm I've met a lot of cats." She tried to search for his description in his mind. "Well when I showed up I got labeled as a threat by a tom that fits your description. Moe? Mohita? Mo..." She couldn't remember his name.

Oakfoot was on his paws, burning amber eyes searching his friend's deep orange ones. "Moghi?" he said hopefully.

She perked her ears. "Yeah, that was the name." She nodded. "I was at some farm and met a young she-cat. We talked, she was very friendly and nice. We played in the barn loft with the hay. It was so much fun." She smiled. "But then Moghi caught us and thought I was some threat and told me to leave. I didn't see your mom, maybe he was protecting her I dunno. Your sister was the first friend I ever had, till I had to leave."

Oakfoot's eyes flooded with emotion as she mentioned his sister and her played in the barn. "Darkpaw..." he murmured. His voice held a new excitement as he went off on more question. "This is incredible, do you remember where? How long ago?" his tail tip was twitching back and fourth eagerly.

"Couple moons ago maybe? The barn is a distance to walk, but it's not to terribly far." She said, flicking her tail.

Oakfoot nodded eagerly. "You will have to tell me the way. I cannot leave while my kits and Rabbitfoot are in the nursery... but, perhaps someday soon..." he drifted off a moment, lost in his thoughts and planning, and then he snapped back to the she-cat in front of him. "Oh... thank you, Persnickety. This means the world to me." he said with a smile. It had been a distant dream to apologize to his family for treating them so badly when they first left... but it seemed to be a possibility materializing before his very eyes.

"Someday." She agreed, because she also agreed that she would not tell him the way while he had kits in the nursery. "No problem Oakfoot. What are friends for. And when you do find them, you'll have to tell Darkpaw dear ol Persnickety says hey." She flicked her tail.

Oakfoot nodded to his friend. "Yes, I will." he promised, "Where is this barn located, exactly. North of IceClan or will I need to travel though other Clan's territory?" he asked. He wanted to have specifics so he could start thinking about the best way to get there, even if he wouldn't leave for several moons.

Persnickety stood up and shook her head. "Ah, no no sir." She tsked. "I'm not trusting you with information until your beautiful kits are out of the nursery." She lulled and flicked her tail. "I can tell you all about it when that day comes, but not a moment before." She smiled.

Oakfoot blinked at her in surprise. Did she really think he would leave Rabbitfoot and his kits at such a young stage in their little family's life? His tail tip twitched a bit. She should know better of him... he was probably not giving off the right vibe to the she-cat, he realized. Yes he had started off solemn and stern, but now he was quite comfortable with her, so he acted quite different than he did around most cats. And she saw mostly the bad side of the normally responsible and diligent personality for she knew better than most his mistakes and his relationship with Rabbitfoot.

He shrugged his large shoulders. He supposed if she thought that of him then arguing would have no point. He would have to plan the journey later. In the mean time, telling Rabbitfoot that his parents and sister were somewhere would have to do. "Thank you, Persnickety." he said, then decided that perhaps a nap would be the best thing to do at the moment, since he had gotten up quite early and thus was sleepy "I am going to take a quick nap. Enjoy the morning." he smiled at her and turned to pad into the warriors den.


The she-cat had been teasing, but she twitched her own ail tip as he didn't know her well enough to know that too apparently. She just turned, whatever. "You too." And she padded the opposite direction of the male.