Where Every Scroll is a New Adventure
Freckle meets Ruby (Ivy's dad)
Tw: None :>
Freckle's tail twitched with anxiety as he stood outside his home. He had smoothed out his fur, and worn his mother's favorite suit jacket. It took all of his energy to flatten his bristling fur, in the corner of his eye he could see his silver furred cousin Rocky from the bushes. The cat offered him one of his signature manic grins of support. Now don't get him wrong. He loved his mother... but he was also mortified that she would be unapproved of his girlfriend. Ivy. Ivy stood tall next to him, her beautiful gray fur glowing silver in the moonlight. She wore a loose pastel green layered dress that went down to below her knees, with a matching green cloche hat. Her long thin wiry tail intertwined with his soothingly, as she fixed her hair.
"Honey, are you alright?" Her sweet voice cutting through his worrisome thoughts. "You know I can always meet your mother some other time right?" Her piercing yellow stare looking into his eyes. "If your worried-"
"N-No." Freckle shook his head, his ear twitching. "I can do this. It's okay." Swallowing a lump in his throat he knocked on the door. The few seconds waiting for his mother to open the door felt like crawling through hell itself. As each second ticked by he could feel his skin prickle and fur bristle, fear clawing its way up his neck.
"Calvin?" His mother opened the door, her hair tied back into a tight bun as she smoothened out her skirt. Her small ginger stature sent shivers up his spine. "Who's that you got with you?" She narrowed her eyes, fixing her glasses as she looked Ivy up and down. "You better not be getting hanky panky with her Calvin." (I don't know 1920's slang :'<) Nina's tail swished.
"What? No Mother." Freckle shook his head, "I- I uh... I'm courting her? Yeah... I wanted you to meet her Mother." He fiddled with his paws, his anxiety eating him alive as his mother inspected Ivy. Earlier both he and Rocky had briefed Ivy on how to act and talk around his mother. Well actually Freckle did most of the briefing while Rocky screamed poetry about how to avoid angering "the wrath and fury that is the woman of ginger fur and short stature." Whatever that meant.
"What's your name?" Nina asked as she finally let the couple inside. Her brilliant yellow eyes analyzed Ivy and her son as they walked in. Nina had to admit, the girl seemed like a sweet one. Large yellow eyes and soft gray fur, the young cat held herself up with an air of upper class, her thin and wiry body graceful and stunning.
"My name is Ivy. Ivy Pepper. Mrs. McMurray." Ivy smiled as she stepped inside, holding her purse in her hand as she smiled. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Ma'am."
"Hmph." Nina frowned. "Would you like some tea Ms. Pepper?" Nina asked as she poured three cups of tea.
"Yes Ma'am." Ivy smiled, sitting down next to Freckle.
"How did you meet my son Ivy?" Nina asked as she sipped her tea. Her eyes were cold as she analyzed every one of Ivy's moves as if to find a single blunder.
"W-We met at a cafe." Freckle offered, twisting their meeting into a less… scandalous version of events.
"Did she start courting you?" Nina asked wryly, her tail lashing.
"N-No." Freckle shook his head. "I approached her first..." That was a blatant lie, but alas if they wanted this to work they had to. "She was... uh... drinking tea... and she looked like a nice young woman so I asked to speak to her for a bit."
"Hmph." Nina narrowed her eyes. "I suppose you do seem like a nice young lady Ms.Pepper." Nina closed her eyes as she sipped her tea. “What does your family do for work?” (I dont actually know what he works as so I’ll just pretend he's also a mine owner)
“My father owns a quarry, a little out of Kansas City, currently I’m going to college.” Ivy prattled off, her happy chipper voice polite as usual. “Anything else Ma’am?”
“I suppose. I shall consider this arrangement then.” Nina hummed, “Now Ms. Pepper, if you could wait outside for a moment I must discuss it with my son.”
“Yes Ma’am.” Ivy smiled, her heels clacking against the floor as she left the room. Freckle almost cried at the sight of Ivy’s slender tail vanishing behind the door, leaving him to answer his mother’s questions.
“So what do you think, Mother?” Freckle asked as he wrung his tail in his paws. Worried thoughts ran through his head; What if Ivy was too straightforward? What if her manners were off? What if his mother didn't like her? However his worried thoughts were interrupted by his mother’s booming voice.
“Stop messing with your tail Calvin. You'll ruin your fur.” Nina finished sipping her tea. “I suppose the girl is soft spoken. A good woman for you Calvin.” Nina folded her hands in her lap.
“You like her?” Freckle’s ears pricked in excitement.
“Now wait there Calvin.” Nina raised a paw, “I do quite like this young lady, however I do not know if she is the right fit for you.” Upon the sight of Freckles' dejectedness, Nina rubbed her temple. “However, I will give her time, Calvin.” She looked at her son. “And if she proves to be fit, I give you my blessing.” It took all of Freckles' self control to not jump for joy.
“Thank you Mother.” Freckle beamed, his tail swishing side to side in excitement.
“Yes. Yes Calvin.” Nina waved a hand, “Have you met her papa yet?”
“Errrrr… yep. He’s a little busy but I managed to speak with him over the phone.” Freckle lied with a smile, praying to the heavens that his mother wouldn't catch that lie.
“Good. Remember no hanky panky until after marriage.” Nina waved a finger at her son. “Understood? I want no such godless behavior under my roof.”
“Yes Mother.” Freckle smiled, scurrying out of the room, practically quivering with excitement to tell Rocky and Ivy the news. Nina sat down in her chair chuckling.
“That’s a good one Calvin.” She wiped her hands on her apron watching as Freckle ran over to the car where Ivy was waiting for him.
“Goodbye Mrs. McMurray.” Ivy called out curtseying to the older cat from outside as she entered the vehicle. “So how did I do?” Ivy asked once Rocky managed to drive the car a few blocks away from the house. “Did I pass?”
“She approves!” Freckle beamed.
Thunderclan (Marigold)
Mordecai Heller Warrior Warrior name: Hatchetclaw Serafine de Savoy Warrior (Previously trained as a medicine cat) Warrior name: Bonepelt Nicodeme de Savoy Warrior Warrior name: Bearfoot Asa Sweet Deputy Warrior name: Sweettooth
Shadowclan (Lackadaisy)
Mitzi May Leader Warrior name: Softwhisker Rocky Rickaby Apprentice/Warrior (Technically still an apprentice but has a warrior name) Warrior name: Rockhead Freckle McMurray Apprentice Warrior name (future): Frecklepelt Ivy Pepper Medicine cat Warrior name: Ivyspark Dorian Zibowsky Warrior Warrior name: Gingerfur Viktor Vasko Warrior/Elder (Refuses to admit hes an elder) Warrior name: Deatheye
Kittypets/Loners/Barn Cats
Sedgwick Sable Kittypet Name: Wick Lacy Hardt Kittypet Name: Lacy Nina McMurray Kittypet Name: Nina Elsa Bastion Barn cat/Medicine cat (Previously Riverclan's Medicine cat) Name: Elsa Abelard Arbogast Barn cat/Medicine cat (Previously Riverclan's Medicine cat) Name: Abelard Bobby Bastion Barn cat Name: Bobby Dominic Drago Loner Name: Dom/Drago (Either goes)
Tracy has said that Sophie Rickaby was a lot like Rocky, and she also said that she spent most of her adult life in sanatoriums (which are quarantined hospitals for people who have tuberculosis.) I wonder if her health problems started when she was a little girl. Sophie may have been idealistic, intelligent, goofy, and impulsive like Rocky, and she may have been often sick and couldn’t get into the kind of trouble that Rocky could. Or maybe she was a very healthy kid and she could have absolutely dislocated her arms in a homemade flying machine accident, who knows? But I like the idea of Nina having to contend with a boy version of her little sister, only this child has healthy lungs and can run faster than her, and can actually unleash the kind of tomfoolery that Sophie only daydreamed about.