RETURN TO SENDER [[[[[[----Tuesday's Challenges' short
Jun 18, 2017 5:04:25 GMT -5
[~Ghost Writer~], 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨, and 1 more like this
Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 18, 2017 5:04:25 GMT -5
Return to Sender---
“Return to sender, please,” said the cat. The apprentice looked at her with amazement.
“What?” he said.
“You heard me. Return the message, unanswered, to sender,” growled the she-cat, her light ginger ears laid back as she looked at Ashpaw. “Tell him – No. Tell him nothing. Return the message to him.”
The gray spotted apprentice still stood there, as if he didn’t understand. His gaze wandered around the warriors’ den and his muzzle scrunched up in distaste. The she-cat wouldn’t come out, no matter how often the tom asked. This was the first time he’d sent Ashpaw in to ask her, but he'd tried many other ways of getting her to talk to him.
“Look, I can’t go back to him without something to say. Can’t you just say you don’t want to talk with him right now? Or better yet, ask him to talk to you himself?” The apprentice sounded hopeful, not wanting to leave without completing his job.
“Give it up!” hissed the she-cat. “He isn’t worth my time to tell him anything. I’m not giving or receiving messages.”
“Can I tell him that?” asked Ashpaw, hopefully.
“…IF YOU MUST!” the she-cat shouted at him. The apprentice took a step back, leaning his head away. “L-look, I’m just doing the job I was given. You can’t expect me not to listen to my own leader, can you?”
The she-cat lashed her ginger tail and Ashpaw knew he was pressing it. “Your deputy is telling you to get out and to tell our oh so benevolent leader return to sender.”
“Alright, alright already,” said the apprentice, backing rump first out of the warriors’ den. “Don’t have to be a pain in the tail,” he muttered when he thought the deputy couldn’t hear.
“TELL HIM TO STOP BEING A PAIN IN THE TAIL THEN!” was the shouted response.
“That’s the message I’ll give him!” yelled the now very cheerful Ashpaw as he rushed away, wondering how long it would be before the deputy noticed exactly what she had said. After, she'd just given him a message.
“W-what? HEY WAIT!”
“Sorry!” he shouted back. “Couldn’t catch that! Got to go!”
He chuckled as he raised across camp and up the rock pile. He shook out his fur a little as he padded into the leader’s den, face still showing hints of amusement.
“I take it she’s still seeing if she can take root in the warriors' den?” asked the leader.
“Yes sir!” said the apprentice, standing to attention.
“Anyone listening in?” the tabby asked.
“No sir!” was the reply.
Both tom’s burst into laughter. “Did you hear all that, dad?” asked Ashpaw. “What in the world did you do to mom to make her act like that?”
“Why do you think I keep asking? I wouldn’t continue to try and talk with her if she would just tell me. Things would go back to normal.”
Ashpaw’s eyes sparked at that. As if a fire of understanding had just been lit. His leader and father didn’t notice, but Ashpaw now understood.
His mother was doing this because she didn’t think the leader talked to her enough. Not as clan leader and deputy, as they did that quite often, but as mates.
“Her message said, ‘return to sender’. Maybe you should try sending me with another? Or go talk with her? It might be a good idea, dad. What do you think? Want to try again?”
“Return to sender, please,” said the cat. The apprentice looked at her with amazement.
“What?” he said.
“You heard me. Return the message, unanswered, to sender,” growled the she-cat, her light ginger ears laid back as she looked at Ashpaw. “Tell him – No. Tell him nothing. Return the message to him.”
The gray spotted apprentice still stood there, as if he didn’t understand. His gaze wandered around the warriors’ den and his muzzle scrunched up in distaste. The she-cat wouldn’t come out, no matter how often the tom asked. This was the first time he’d sent Ashpaw in to ask her, but he'd tried many other ways of getting her to talk to him.
“Look, I can’t go back to him without something to say. Can’t you just say you don’t want to talk with him right now? Or better yet, ask him to talk to you himself?” The apprentice sounded hopeful, not wanting to leave without completing his job.
“Give it up!” hissed the she-cat. “He isn’t worth my time to tell him anything. I’m not giving or receiving messages.”
“Can I tell him that?” asked Ashpaw, hopefully.
“…IF YOU MUST!” the she-cat shouted at him. The apprentice took a step back, leaning his head away. “L-look, I’m just doing the job I was given. You can’t expect me not to listen to my own leader, can you?”
The she-cat lashed her ginger tail and Ashpaw knew he was pressing it. “Your deputy is telling you to get out and to tell our oh so benevolent leader return to sender.”
“Alright, alright already,” said the apprentice, backing rump first out of the warriors’ den. “Don’t have to be a pain in the tail,” he muttered when he thought the deputy couldn’t hear.
“TELL HIM TO STOP BEING A PAIN IN THE TAIL THEN!” was the shouted response.
“That’s the message I’ll give him!” yelled the now very cheerful Ashpaw as he rushed away, wondering how long it would be before the deputy noticed exactly what she had said. After, she'd just given him a message.
“W-what? HEY WAIT!”
“Sorry!” he shouted back. “Couldn’t catch that! Got to go!”
He chuckled as he raised across camp and up the rock pile. He shook out his fur a little as he padded into the leader’s den, face still showing hints of amusement.
“I take it she’s still seeing if she can take root in the warriors' den?” asked the leader.
“Yes sir!” said the apprentice, standing to attention.
“Anyone listening in?” the tabby asked.
“No sir!” was the reply.
Both tom’s burst into laughter. “Did you hear all that, dad?” asked Ashpaw. “What in the world did you do to mom to make her act like that?”
“Why do you think I keep asking? I wouldn’t continue to try and talk with her if she would just tell me. Things would go back to normal.”
Ashpaw’s eyes sparked at that. As if a fire of understanding had just been lit. His leader and father didn’t notice, but Ashpaw now understood.
His mother was doing this because she didn’t think the leader talked to her enough. Not as clan leader and deputy, as they did that quite often, but as mates.
“Her message said, ‘return to sender’. Maybe you should try sending me with another? Or go talk with her? It might be a good idea, dad. What do you think? Want to try again?”
![[~Ghost Writer~] Avatar](http://storage.proboards.com/6575102/avatar/vVGNctuvWjTLXOffDYEW.jpg)
I wrote this to be something light and not something I really wanted to put a lot of...stress to write well, I guess. Just it got a little humorous. 
I'll use it next time.