[Fawn]

Originally Posted by hxneysuckle

[ @Dipper ]

He was early.

Swanfeather's steps were light as he traveled to the Cattail Pond, his eyes bright and shining in the moonlight. In his mouth, he carried a crown of flowers, all the same, but of different shades of blue. He approached the pond and gently laid the flower crown down, ensuring it was safe before he walked closer to the pond. Tail twitching back and forth calmly, Swanfeather dipped his paw into the water, watching it ripple with the sudden displacement. He tilted his head to the side curiously. The ways of water always intrigued him, though he didn't take the time to examine it clearly. Simply watching the stars glitter atop tiny waves was enough for him.

Crickets could be heard around him, chirping away, living their lives in the dead of night. A slight breeze passed through his fur and he allowed himself to relax even more, feeling almost weightless as he basked in the moonlight. Oh, daytime was quite beautiful, but nighttime... he loved it. Perfect for relaxing, clearing your head, going for a peaceful walk, or a romantic outing. Not that the planned meeting was to be a romantic outing-- oh, no, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind!

Swanfeather closed his eyes, head raised to the sky. It smiled down upon him, whispering a sweet melody within his ears. Though as he allowed himself to become lost in the peace, the tom almost forgot the reason he was there. He had to prepare for Fawnsqueak's arrival! He gave his fur a few quick licks and made sure the flower crown was held together nicely, then spun around and gently plucked a cattail from its stem. Laying it on the ground, he dragged his claw down it, unable to stifle the giggle that escaped as fluff exploded out.

He nudged it around, fixing it up as though he were making a nest. From his time in the town, Swanfeather remembered some housecats speaking of 'blankets', a fluffy material to lay on or under. So, he made his own! In order to not disturb it, the tom didn't sit on the cat-made blanket just yet. Of course, he had to allow Fawnsqueak to sit first, it was common courtesy!

Finally, the moon creeped higher in the sky until it was about time for Fawnsqueak to arrive. As time ticked by, Swanfeather found himself becoming anxious and twitchy. Would the other tom show up? What if he really didn't want to learn? Swanfeather had so much to teach him! What if he didn't like the flower crown, or was allergic to that type of flower? Swanfeather tried to settle his nervousness, not wanting to be flustered before Fawnsqueak even arrived.

After a while, he heard a creak in the woods, head turning to look in its direction. Shuffling his paws, Swanfeather decided to softly call out:

"Fawn-Fawn? Are ya there?"

Fawnsqueak had waited, the details of the meeting weighing on his mind, until it was time. His exit from the den had been ridiculous at best as he'd crept along the outer edges of the camp and avoided rustling the reeds, then remembered he was a warrior and warriors didn't do that. Warriors didn't need to sneak out of camp. So he was awkward in his new strategy: just leave. Which didn't feel like something he should be able to do, but here he was in the territory approaching Cattail Pond.

His ears flicked forward at the call of his name. That definitely sounded like Swanfeather, though the irrational side of him briefly considered the possibility of someone doing an elaborate Swanfeather impersonation or.. or this being a prank of some sort. That didn't seem like something he'd do. Shaking away the stupid fear, he wriggled through the reeds and brightened upon seeing Swanfeather, puff tail raising joyfully. "Hey," he said, a little breathless, maybe nervous. Trying to remember tips from their last conversation, he carried on, "This... is nice. The pond, the.. uh-- whatever you have going there." The burst of fluff on the ground, he didn't know quite what to call it. "And you, you... are always nice too."