[Fawn]

Originally Posted by Casper

Pigeonpaw appreciated his thoughtfulness over her mentor-issues. It was nice to feel like someone cared, and to have someone take her seriously instead of belittling her. It wasn't her fault that her parents hadn't been around to raise her, and it wasn't her fault that she'd never gotten a proper mentor who would stick with her training.
"It means a lot to hear that, honestly. It seems like everyone likes to blame me--and my brothers, for that matter--for the fact that we haven't had a lot of, uh, good influences. It's hard to see eye-to-eye with certain cats sometimes." She would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel upset that people didn't understand. But she tried not to let it get her down, and she definitely didn't want it to define her.

"Whether it's for training or not, I think I'd really like to come out here more often." She beamed, returning to her usual bubbly self. She was quite enjoying just being here, relaxing, enjoying the view of the ocean. "It doesn't sound dumb at all, trust me. I'd give anything to have more excuses to leave camp. And if I have to have an escort with me, I'd be glad if it were you. Don't underestimate yourself; you're good company, and I like having you around!" Her deformed paws fidgeted with the sand idly as she spoke, a trait that seemed to be recurring with her. It wasn't quite a nervous tick, as she wasn't particularly nervous. Just a habit she'd formed, and often couldn't prevent herself from doing.

She wanted to ask Fawnsqueak about Lionstar. There was so much she was curious about, and she wanted to hear all the details about the drama that had unfolded on the Seastones all those sunrises ago. But she figured now wasn't the time for that. She didn't want to make the tom more uncomfortable, so she'd leave it be for now. At the mention of prey, a wide smile tugged at the edges of her mouth. A chance to show off what I have learned! She thought with excitement. Her eyes darted across the beach, searching for one of those ugly, huge birds. And she spotted some.

"See those gulls over there?" She began, gesturing to the small flock with a paw. "The one thing Birchsnow has taught me is how to take 'em down. I caught one all on my own the other day! I bet I could snag one right now, too." She sounded confident, and had already risen to her paws and dropped into a hunting crouch. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either. She conveniently left out the part where that gull had tried to attack her right back. This would be her chance to impress her friend, and grab a tasty meal! What could possibly go wrong?

Fawnsqueak pawed at the sand, kicking it from one side to the other to keep himself occupied, afraid he'd take up a different nervous habit that wasn't so innocuous. "I'm glad," he said, genuine and grateful, "I'd... hate to be forcing you to stick around me, so..." The thought of it crippled his heart, if Pigeonpaw was merely entertaining this friendship in an effort to spare his feelings. Even if she was, Fawnsqueak silently promised that he'd hopefully make it worth her while by bringing her to as many breath-taking landscapes as he could find.

When she mentioned the gulls, Fawnsqueak followed her line of sight and tipped his head at the strange birds. "Those?" he questioned, gawking, visibly baffled by the thought of eating that. He'd seen in on the fresh-kill pile--rarely--but had no idea this is where they were. Admiration sparked in him as she spoke of her own experience with the creatures, and he added his awed "congratulations" in response to her victory. "Wow, that'd honestly be kind of cool if you could." Not only was he curious about them, but he wanted to watch how a cat would nab it.

Peering on, awestruck, he hushed to avoid startling the gulls and ruining Pigeonpaw's chance since she was already creeping toward them. All he could do was wait in intrigued anticipation.