[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beau

( @Constellation)

Cloudstrike looked guiltily around her, feeling bad about breaking one of Honeythistle’s rules. But, he wouldn’t know and so it wouldn’t make him sad or angry! In her innocent mind, that was a perfect excuse. She wasn’t trying to be sneaky, she just interpreted the rules as only when Honeythistle was around. After all, why would he care if she caught herself a frog as a snack before returning to the camp if he wasn’t there to do it for her? However, she still had this little pick of guilt that maybe the rules didn’t only count in Honeythistle’s presence and maybe she wasn’t doing the right thing. In order to ease her conscience, Cloudstrike silently promised to find Honeythistle as soon as she returned to camp and do something nice for him. Maybe she would sing, he liked that. Or they could share tongues... Whatever he wanted, she would do for him. That way, her little hunting excursion wasn’t such a bad thing! Feeling much better, Cloudstrike trotted along until she heard something. A quiet, muffled ribbit reached her snowy ears and halted her footsteps as the molly paused to listen. There was a small, boggy pond just ahead of her emitting dozens of ribbits. Catching a frog would be kitten-play here. Smiling to herself, Cloudstrike crouched down in a nearly perfect hunter’s crouch and stalked forward, ignoring the feeling of her silky fur brushing the muggy water as she had been trained to do. The pond muck weighed her down as she struggled further into it, but Shadowclan apprentices were trained for that and Cloudstrike knew just how to move with the added weight to not startle any of the creatures nearby. Pulling herself as far up out of the water as she could, Cloudstrike locked eyes on her target, and leaped.

Honeythistle brushed his tail silently against the ground. At least to soothe the sound of his annoying paws as they thudded below him. His eyes stayed locked on the prize. The prize being Cloudstrike. Exactly, what was she doing out here? There was no reason for her to be out of camp! The Tom narrowed his gaze further, and he tried his best to keep himself hidden. When he stopped, a growl emitted from his throat. It wasn't a large one. It was small, yet held an amount of power that he felt swelling in him. For some odd reason, it pained his heart to see his beloveds betraying him...like this. From afar, he could definitely see her hunting. Why was she hunting!? She knew this wasn't expected of her to do. Unconsciously, his claws slipped out his paws, and when he saw her leap, he didn't think a second thought before he marched right up to her spot. It wasn't ordinary for Honeythistle to punish his mates. Of course, he allowed them to have their own train of thoughts, as long as his traditions were embedded in their pretty minds. The only thing he asked for them to do? Love him, and raise his kits. No hunting, no disrespect, no going on patrols - none of that. Just because the other mollies didn't have a tight hold with a Tom (who loved them very much) didn't make it right for his lovers to follow suite. Honeythistle was that Tom to provide for their needs, whatever they needed. Cloudstrike was hungry? Why didn't she seek him out to give him that request? Why did she feel that this was okay? To Honeythistle, he saw this as a form of deceit...or, was this defiance? Apart of him forgot the fact that her mind was such a delicate form. That most times she wouldn't get the gist of what he expected. Though, his heart had hardened, becoming rigid as stone. Outside all this, others believed The silver Tom was exaggerating, surely! All Cloudstrike was doing was hunting - a cat's favorite activity for most! She was helping out the clan, nonetheless. This was not the situation, however. Honeythistle wanted his mates to be elegant, classy, and beautiful. He wanted them to truly become the definition of a queen. Not just a meaning to mother kits, but one that other mollies looked up to, and realized that they made a mistake for not becoming demured as they were. His queens were someone to worship, to love, to be respected - even if they were she cats. This was what Cloudstrike signed up for. He was what Cloudstrike wanted. She didn't want to adhere to the rules, that's for sure, but like all his other mates - she had no choice. From the distance, Honeythistle watched the feline; her fur soggy and dirty, the way she crouched, and the way she leaped for that catch - it made his heart suddenly crack from stone and boil at an unreachable temperature. "Cloudstrike!" He boomed. "What are you doing!?"