SkyClan Clearing

[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Tgwtgfan

"Right, of course."

Feathersong sat down, shaking her head. It was early in the day, and already something had happened. She pushed the negative thoughts from her mind, quick to regain her cheery and positive nature. "Well, that was close. At least neither of us got hurt!" She was still shaking slightly, but the adrenaline and fear from the experience were quickly fading.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Raywood

After he'd returned from camp, he hadn't expected anything to change. He thought he would wake up in the morning. Remember the incident. And then wish he could fall back asleep, being as unproductive as a warrior could be. He didn't know why Grousestar didn't exile him, really, when all he seemed to do was eat the fresh kill and never replenish it. For StarClan's sake, he didn't even have a good reason not to be active because while he had lost the entirety of his family, other warriors had been through the same. They weren't taking it nearly as hard as he was. What he hadn't expected after his return was how involved Grousestar was. Rabbitfluff knew the Clan leader was exceptionally caring and loved his Clan dearly, but to such an extent... it almost worried him. Fear of how Grousestar would react was the only reason he hadn't wandered off again.

A couple moons had passed since the incident and the battle with the Syndicate, and although he was usually a pacifist unless the situation called for violence, the SkyClan win strangely brought comfort to him. He preferred to entertain the thought that he would no longer be bothered by Hannibal; perhaps he had even died in the fight. With Rabbitfluff's morale lowered and fighting skills sub par, he hadn't aided his fellow warriors and truthfully, he felt a pinch of regret over his recent behavior. It was ...inadequate and childish. He was better than this.

It left the young warrior uneasy, thinking about what he could be doing for his Clan but wasn't merely due to the fact he didn't feel mentally strong enough. Pathetic, he told himself, I need to pull my weight. No wonder his clanmates resented him, he thought and nearly choked at the revelation: he wasn't very kind, nor was he exactly useful. Worse yet, he felt as if he was letting down Grousestar personally, the one cat he almost.. maybe thought of as a companion.

Rabbitfluff shook himself from his daydreams and glanced around the clearing, heart in his throat as he noticed the very cat he'd been thinking about. It was now or never, Rabbitfluff told himself. Rising to his paws, the little feline padded over to him, feeling tongue-tied immediately. "..Good day," Rabbitfluff managed, wondering why he had to freeze up when he was around him. It was different from the conversations he had with other clanmates when he didn't care about the impression they walked away with; Grousestar's opinion mattered. "I've been wondering where you were, I thought you'd be coming around for your daily check in with me." It was sarcastic, yet oddly playful. Even so, Rabbitfluff could have cursed himself -- why was he like this? Clearing his throat, Rabbitfluff tried again, "I.. meant, what are you up to today, Grousestar?"

If there was any cat that would notice Rabbitfluff's inability to complete his warrior duties, it was most certainly Grousestar, and yet, the brown tabby appeared to not even take notice of it. Whenever he approached Rabbitfluff, it was always to see how he was doing, to make sure his well being was good and that he wasn't having any trouble with other cats, never to see why he wasn't going out hunting or on border patrols, or to send him to do his duties. A very slight part of his mind said that he should tell the tom to do exactly that, to go out and do his duties, that if he let Rabbitfluff get away with it, then many others of the clan would and Skyclan would end up getting weaker by the day, but the part of his mind that was dominant, that completely dwarfed he little voice knew that that way of thinking was completely wrong. Rabbitfluff was his friend, a friend he cared very dearly for, and he had faith that his clan wouldn't start slacking off on their duties simply because one mentally scarred cat was. The leader never let others know about that darker, harsher part of his mind, mostly due to it being irrelevant, but it still existed and it still put cruel words in his mind that he wished weren't there.

He will get better. He just needs time and nurturing, there is no need to rush him or make him feel inadequate, if anything, that could severely damage his progress which is the last thing that I want. I want him to be well again, not so that he can do his duties per-say, but so I can have my friend back. My friend who isn't scared and has to look over his shoulder every five seconds, and my friend who doesn't blame himself for the past which had nothing to do with him. The thought brought a small sigh to the leader as he allowed his gaze to drift around.

All of the movement in the clearing caused Grousestar to not notice Rabbitfluff immediately, not until he was half a fox-length away, but when he did, his eyes cleared and his demeanor immediately brightened, the leader standing up and dipping his head in a friendly manner to the smaller tom. "A good day indeed Rabbitfluff!" The tone of his voice held a purr, but then again on most days when he spoke, he spoke with a purr.
"Oh yes yes, I apologize, I meant to come to you sooner, but trust me,
I did have intentions of checking up on you today!" Chuckled out the tom,a bright spark of hope lighting up in his eye as he caught the sarcastic yet playful tone of his friend, a tone that he unknowingly missed dearly.
"Not too much I'm afraid Rabbitfluff. I went for a walk this morning and then I was just about to go looking for you when you got to me first."
The brown tabby offered a smile before sitting back down and curling his tail over his paws again.
False, you were stuck in your thoughts again. You should really talk to someone about what's going on.. Maybe.. Rabbit would listen-no, I don't need to put that on him. But he does at least deserve to know that I was mulling over something that is plaguing my mind.
"Ah well, actually most of the morning after I took my walk I was er.. Doing some thinking, got a lot on my mind it seems."
Clearing his throat a bit, he straightened up and reasserted his smile.
"Ah but enough about me, what about you Rabbitfluff? What have you been up to today?"

[Tgwtgfan]

Originally Posted by Doodle

Feathersong sat down, shaking her head. It was early in the day, and already something had happened. She pushed the negative thoughts from her mind, quick to regain her cheery and positive nature. "Well, that was close. At least neither of us got hurt!" She was still shaking slightly, but the adrenaline and fear from the experience were quickly fading.

Of course.

[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Tgwtgfan

Of course.

Feathersong sighed yet again, now fully collected and no longer shaking. "Well, thank you again, Featherpaw. I should get started on some of my duties, then." The molly stood right back up and padded towards the camp entrance, fully intending on placing a good hunt in her schedule that day.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

A familiar, cheerful voice attracted the orange tom's attention, and a calico cat caught his eye as she sat down next to him. Talking about flowers. Gingerblossom, he thought with the faintest smile, golden eyes meeting her own minty green ones. "That's a beautiful flower, gorgeous! And if I thought it would look half as good on me as it does on you, I would find one of my own." He purred, his voice silky-smooth. Worth another shot, he thought with a sigh. The tom had been finding lots of cats to flirt with lately.

Although Drizzleshard was still his number one target. It had been Gingerblossom for quite some time, but that fantasy had faded away as he realized that he really didn't stand a chance with a she cat like her... mainly because she didn't understand his intentions. Well, no one did at first, not unless they were flirts themselves or experienced in flirting, but at least they realized that he was trying to woo them. Gingerblossom? She seemed to be oblivious to that. Blazingcomet didn't mind a cat who played "hard to get," but this was above and beyond what he had ever seen a she cat doing to get his attention. So she must really not get it. "Oh really? That'd be a good idea - hey, you might even be able to make a giant circle of flowers to put on your head! Wouldn't that be pretty?" He could just picture her with a ring of flowers on her head, all the colors from before... yellow and purple and this orangey-yellow one that seemed to match his own pelt.

"So, what've you been up to lately? Have you met a lot of nice cats?" The feline asked, his whiskers twitching a little as he remembered what a nice cat Gingerblossom had thought he was. It had surprised him - especially when she didn't react in the right way to his flirting - but he had gotten over it eventually. And now he really didn't mind at all, if he were being honest. There were "other fish in the sea," so to speak. Gingerblossom was just one of them. @RedHead

Gingerblossom shook her head, laughing. "You can't wear an orange flower silly! It would just blend in with your fur. I've already proven that." Her eyes the moved quickly across the clearing, looking for something. "You know what? I think that green would go best with your fur color. Possibly even yellow..."

At his suggestion, Gingerblossom's eyes widened, so wide it seemed almost impossible. Her mouth dropped open, and after a moment, she broke into a huge smile. "That's the BEST IDEA EVER! She yowled, Monty eyes sparkling. She looked at Blazingcomet, then licked his cheek in a grateful manner. "You're so smart! I think that would look so pretty!" Gingerblossom got to her paws, looking wildly around. There were plenty of flowers in the camp, she could start here. And possibly, she could get a pink flower from somewhere to top it off. Then another idea popped into the calico's mind, and she turned to look at her friend. "And you know what else would be awesome? If we make awe earth of leaves for you!" Leaves were green, and Gingerblosom had to admit that they would look good in his fur. "So, we'll need a lot of flowers, a lot of leaves, and some sticks!"

Before she heard his next question, the mollywas off and running aroundtge camp, searching for the materials she would need for her project. If she had known he had says something, she would've been devastated that she was so rude and didn't answer, but she was so caught up in the moment at this time to hear her friend.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Doodle

Marblestrike didn't respond right away, rather she just quietly studied the tom through slightly narrowed eyes- however this time it wasn't from anger. No, she was thinking, trying to understand Palmettoleaf. What he had said about the molly being unique was certainly true about the tom himself. Some of what he had said could have been taken offensively- such as saying the speckled cat looked like she needed company. But Marble was starting to think that what he said really didn't mean to offend her; maybe he was just being brutally honest. While the she-cat didn't want company, sometimes she could surely use it. And she guessed that he could have been described as thoughtful by approaching a lone cat even when she didn't have the best reputation within the clan. She wouldn't share this, but what Palmettoleaf had just said earned the tom a point in her book.

The molly turned her head back to look out at the clearing once more as her thoughts spiraled around her mind. In that instance, she decided to give the tom a chance- at being her friend, of course. A few nice words didn't mean she was about to fawn all over him like a silly she-cat in love. But she would make an effort to be a bit kinder; while concealing it, of course. If she gave the impression that she was nice to others, well, then what was stopping the entire clan from bothering her? Plus, sometimes it was amusing to watch every cat scramble away from her- and other times a bit sad, but she kept it this way nonetheless.

Marblestrike wondered what to say to keep the conversation going- now that she was actually going to relax her guard a bit. Her mind kept traveling back to what Palmettoleaf had said about her mother's choice in names, and then she found herself thinking about her kithood. What was Palmettoleaf's kithood like? Definitely nothing like hers, as he was probably raised in the clan. Or was he? This would be a neutral enough topic, in her opinion. At least she hoped it wouldn't bring any ill thoughts to the tom, so she tentatively asked her question. "Were you raised here? In Skyclan?" She took a glance at the feline from the corner of her eye as she spoke before quickly focusing back on the activities in the clearing.

"I was raised here, but I wasn't... born here." It was a story that he had told before. Being from outside the Clan was nothing to be ashamed of. After all, Palmettoleaf didn't think that the Clans would be anywhere as big had cats from outside of it not joined in the past. His leaf-green eyes watched Marblestrike and he continued with what he had been saying earlier... pretty much his life story, at least the early part of it. Not everyone wanted to hear it, but Palmettoleaf told everyone it anyways.

"I don't remember much of life outside of SkyClan, but I know I wasn't born here. Parents who looked much, much different then I did raised me and I kind of figured I couldn't be their biological son, so... the conclusion that I couldn't have been born here came. What about you, were you born and raised in SkyClan or did you join later on?"

The idea that she could have come from another Clan entered his mind, although part of him wanted to push that aside with a scoff. No way was Marblestrike from another Clan! He couldn't imagine leaving SkyClan to join... ThunderClan, which seemed like the Clan he would settle into the best. Though he did also like WindClan, those two were probably his favorites. Despite the fact that they were currently angry with each other. Palmettoleaf was glad that SkyClan was out of that type of danger, having already beaten the Dusk Syndicate.

Those green eyes stared at Marblestrike, as though he were looking her over. One thing that he had to admit to himself was that she was pretty. Though you could tell that about any cat just by looking at them, decide whether they were attractive or not. A good deal of the cats in SkyClan were attractive. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Good personalites were becoming rarer, although their good natured leader and deputy certainly seemed to encourage that type of behavior. They had for the tom, anyways. Did she have a good personality?

Now, some thought that there was always good beneath the surface. Palmettoleaf believed that every cat had a soft spot in them. For something, or someone. Every "evil" cat had either been hurt and wanted to take revenge, or they had been taught that revenge was good. Every good cat had either never been hurt, or they had but they chose to make the world a little bit of a better place even through their own pain. Palmettoleaf had been hurt before, not as bad as some - but was there really a thing as a worse painful experience?

Everything could hurt. And yes, there was, but Palmettoleaf... wanted to believe that all pain, regardless of how "bad" it had been, was the same. It was still pain. It was still bad. And all he wanted to do was take pain away. It wasn't going to happen, not in this life or at this age, but that was all the tom wanted to do anyways. He wanted to make a difference... but then again, didn't everybody?

[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"I was raised here, but I wasn't... born here." It was a story that he had told before. Being from outside the Clan was nothing to be ashamed of. After all, Palmettoleaf didn't think that the Clans would be anywhere as big had cats from outside of it not joined in the past. His leaf-green eyes watched Marblestrike and he continued with what he had been saying earlier... pretty much his life story, at least the early part of it. Not everyone wanted to hear it, but Palmettoleaf told everyone it anyways.

"I don't remember much of life outside of SkyClan, but I know I wasn't born here. Parents who looked much, much different then I did raised me and I kind of figured I couldn't be their biological son, so... the conclusion that I couldn't have been born here came. What about you, were you born and raised in SkyClan or did you join later on?"

The idea that she could have come from another Clan entered his mind, although part of him wanted to push that aside with a scoff. No way was Marblestrike from another Clan! He couldn't imagine leaving SkyClan to join... ThunderClan, which seemed like the Clan he would settle into the best. Though he did also like WindClan, those two were probably his favorites. Despite the fact that they were currently angry with each other. Palmettoleaf was glad that SkyClan was out of that type of danger, having already beaten the Dusk Syndicate.

Those green eyes stared at Marblestrike, as though he were looking her over. One thing that he had to admit to himself was that she was pretty. Though you could tell that about any cat just by looking at them, decide whether they were attractive or not. A good deal of the cats in SkyClan were attractive. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Good personalites were becoming rarer, although their good natured leader and deputy certainly seemed to encourage that type of behavior. They had for the tom, anyways. Did she have a good personality?

Now, some thought that there was always good beneath the surface. Palmettoleaf believed that every cat had a soft spot in them. For something, or someone. Every "evil" cat had either been hurt and wanted to take revenge, or they had been taught that revenge was good. Every good cat had either never been hurt, or they had but they chose to make the world a little bit of a better place even through their own pain. Palmettoleaf had been hurt before, not as bad as some - but was there really a thing as a worse painful experience?

Everything could hurt. And yes, there was, but Palmettoleaf... wanted to believe that all pain, regardless of how "bad" it had been, was the same. It was still pain. It was still bad. And all he wanted to do was take pain away. It wasn't going to happen, not in this life or at this age, but that was all the tom wanted to do anyways. He wanted to make a difference... but then again, didn't everybody?

As soon as the molly heard that Palmettoleaf hadn't been born here, her head swiveled around to place her full attention on him. Marblestrike certainly hadn't expected that; but then again, she supposed she had never really seen anyone similar to the handsome tom in the clan. She wondered briefly what had happened to his parents, what caused them to leave their kit behind. She listened respectfully to his story, not interrupting. She only commented once she was sure the tom was finished speaking, before she would answer his question in return. "That's... I wasn't expecting that," she admitted. "You seem like a Skyclan cat through and through."

"I wasn't born here either, but I also wasn't raised in Skyclan." The she-cat began her own backstory. This had to be the longest she had gone without making some sort of sarcastic remark, or even the longest she had gone without frowning. "I was raised by my mother along with my littermates. She was a rogue, and we lived in a small forest that was, say, a moons travel from here?" Marblestrike tilted her head as she tried to remember how exactly to get to her birthplace, and where she assumed her mother still lived. "I can't remember where exactly it is, but it probably took me longer than a moon to reach Skyclan. I was younger then, though, and didn't really have a set destination so it would probably take less time to get there if I really wanted to go back." Which, honestly, the splotched cat didn't care for returning. It wasn't like it had been an awful place- really, it was beautiful and filled with prey. But Marble had wanted to get out and explore the world for herself, and now that she had seen it she definitely wasn't going to be running back to her sheltered life. If she were to leave Skyclan, then she'd simply find a new home for herself. She had no plans of leaving currently, however, and was just fine where she was- if a little irritated at times.

The molly's eyes glazed over as she recalled the memories of her old home, a fond smile growing on her face. Just because she wouldn't go back didn't mean that she hadn't appreciated the place she had grown up in; definitely not when she had so many fond memories. "It was very different there, almost no twolegs, and not many other cats as well. We didn't really have much to worry about- even as kits we were running around the territory and exploring. And at night, there was the biggest amount of fireflies! It was as if your Starclan had come down to the ground with us..." She trailed off and shook her head, dispersing these memories. That was long enough for her to go on about herself; Marblestrike certainly didn't want to bore the tom. Her blue eyes refocused on his green ones, ready to end her story. "You just really appreciated being alone out there, and found ways to entertain yourself. We didn't have an entire clan; just my littermates, and my mother. So we were often by ourselves, but with how wonderful the territory was there... I definitely didn't mind spending entire days alone." She finished her story with a brief smile, before turning the conversation back around. "You say it's not possible for a cat to like being alone; but have you ever taken a night to yourself? To just be out in the territory, with the only noise from the crickets chirping, and the only company the stars up above? Surely if you had, you'd understand the way I feel."

She then cleared her throat, what she had just said dawning on her. The molly certainly hadn't meant to share so much about her, especially to a tom that she knew so little about. So without another word, Marblestrike returned her gaze elsewhere away from Palmettoleaf, watching the busy buzz of clan life and unable to stop herself from comparing it to the quiet of her old home.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Constellation

The calico feline bounded a few ways away, stopping once to flick her tail, and look back to make sure the tom was following her. It was never good to be sedentary, always sitting around and making useless works of your bones. Splotchfeather was the type of feline that had plenty of energy wherever she went. Trying to be a bright sun in a cloudy sky, or even if it were night, the moon that shine through a starless sky. Anything that made others accept her friendly expression and helpful intentions. And, based on the tom in front of her, he seemed to need all the help he could get. The way he had stared into her eyes had given her a small fright. It was like she was reading his entire story, a heartbreaking one that she felt that she was experiencing his own heartbreak. Who could had done this to such a...sweet tom? Splotchfeather, herself didn't experience much with love, but she knew it was a sacred thing. A treasure thing to behold that most cats took for granted. Some might ask her how come the pretty calico hadn't took in any tom as a mate. It wasn't that she was closed to the idea. She was far too stuck in the clouds, chasing after butterflies, or teaching her apprentice, Foxpaw some new lessons. No tom in the clan ever took her attention away. Being quite the naive, sweet kitty, there were bound to be others that tried to take advantage of her. That was the least of her problems, however. She preferred to be the bouncy feline that brought a spark of hope around others.

And, Yarrowpounce? He looked like he would need all the hope she could give him. Hope was a valuable and easy to lose sight of in the darkness. "All you need is a little exercise, and I'm sure you'll be brand new!" She snickered, teasingly. She didn't want to take him that far. She didn't know how well he would do. Then again, he was around an energetic she cat that could either run him away for life or one that he wished to come back any time. Splotchfeather was quite the unpredictable kitty. One moment she would be paying attention. And the next moment, she would be in a daydream or bounding off after something exciting. It wasn't that she was being rude, but more so her attention span was short, and quite annoying--given to the other cats.

Splotchfeather had flicked her tail, twitching her ears. "Hunting you say!" She mused, her voice held excitement. "I love hunting! I try to do it everyday! You know to pitch in for the clan! I'm not the best hunter, but I can certainly catch a good meal! Probably a bird or two. If I'm lucky to get the meatiest of the animals," she licked her jaws, and for a moment showed a sparkle of her white fangs. "You know sitting around and doing nothing, you might as well join the elders den." She mused, sadly. The tom looked too young to retire to the elders' den. He looked pretty workable, just depressed. For a moment, Splotchfeather understood this. Albeit, she didn't know what the exact reason as to why he felt this way. She just vowed to do whatever it took to get him out that lonely corner. Anything at all. "You don't want Grousestar to notice you not pitching in the duties. You're a fine young warrior! You have a lot to look forward to if you focus on how clear the blue skies are. It's a Starclan blessing that you're able to wake up daily and start over." She says, her mind calm and happy. Never had she wanted to endure the past that shaped her. She wasn't a constant change. Even after losing her mother and brothers at a young age, she pretty much stayed a positive feline all her life. She knew that the past brought bitter reminders, and the future brought unwanted worries, so she relied on the present. The here and the now to guide her. And every day that she woke up, reminds her of the new choices she would make in order to make up for yesterday.

At the mention of her singing from earlier, the she cat answered, "I don't sing that song often, silly." She tells him, and for a moment she brought herself away from his attention, staring at a hovering dragonfly. She sat down to admire the pretty coloring it had, and wished that it would lower itself down so that she could bound after it. Though it would had been rude, considering she had company beside her, so she shook her head and started walking around again, throwing smiles at the other cats. "It's just a song that I remembered my mother singing when one of us would sit alone. It really got us to open up!" She exclaimed, probably louder than she was supposed to. "Every line was different, I just assumed that..." Once again, the she cat trailed off, and she bounded over towards a broken branch, a small caterpillar walking among it. She bent her head to stare at it, crossing her eyes for a moment, giving an odd look. She made a giggle, and with a paw, gently shrug the creature off the branch. Splotchfeather had brought her head, shaking herself slightly. "I always sing. It soothes my soul." She admits, brushing her tail to the side before she continued on. The feline remembered from earlier how he complimented her voice. Splotchfeather was a humble she cat, never really liking the idea of compliments thrown her way. They always made her out of place, or sheepish. Yes, she had been applaud for her beautiful voice, or either her nice personality. It was always nice to know that she was doing something right in her life. She would had felt herself blushing under her pelt like whenever she received a compliment in general. "I love singing to the kits in the nursery!" She giggled. Not only would she be surrounded by the adorable scraps of fur, but also she would give the queens a break from handling their own kits. Splotchfeather never minded kitsitting, and figured that if she ever had her own, she would never find the courage to leave them. She could practically envision herself, singing to the little products that she bore. Oh, how the future seemed so far! "Or even Greystep! You have to meet him by the way! I think the two of you would become the greatest of friends!" She spoke in her happy, care-free tone. It was something about Yarrowpounce that reminded the feline of her good friend, Greystep. They both were stammering messes, and quite the awkward toms. In her opinion, at least. Greystep was just a cat that liked to be alone, but there was something much different when it came to Yarrowpounce. Splotchfeather couldn't detect what is was, but as long as she stuck around, she was sure that it would be easier to take notice of.

The feline figured that he was a loving tom indeed. And, much of a gentleman. If such sorrowness was keeping him drowning--what was it that he was hiding? That broke him into little pieces? What a sad shame! No cat should ever have to go through such an amount of displeasure. As she continued to walk along, a light bounce in her step, she tells him, "I am very much interesting in learning much about you, if you're comfortable with telling me." She shrugged, offering him a friendly smile. "It must be tough! And I blame myself for not noticing you any time sooner!" Seeing his blank expression, the sadness in his eyes when she had first approached him, tugged at her heart. Splotchfeather hated seeing sad faces on other cats. They made her uncomfortable, but at the same time wanted since she loved to cheer many and all up!

Flicking her ears, she gently brushed against him, just to make sure he was holding up well. Splotchfeather remembered the way his legs wobbled as he tried to get up. It was a sad sight. She needed to work with him in order to get him back on the right track. On the path of reliving his hope once more. "You're being hard on yourself." She didn't know what made her say it, but it was out there. He was being hard on himself after all. Just sitting in a corner and refusing to let up because of his depression. It could had been anything that made the tom so sullen, so miserable!

Why did it bother her so much? She was like this with many of the other cats. And it always had bothered her in the first place. She had not paid any heed to notice his tears. Her mind had wandered to elsewhere, but as she peered at him, she could notice the small wet spot around his eyes, and she wanted to doubt that they were tears. But now she could see him closely. And, as they walked, all she could do was stare at him. Trying to decipher the reason he was such a downer. Living in a sad tragedy that the feline herself never understood. It had to be that he lost someone he loved dearly. As she had when she lost her mother and brothers. Had he lost his parents? Siblings? A mate? Or any other kin? Perhaps even a dear friend?

Splotchfeather did not want to pry too much in his business, so she only stared at him, her yellow eyes beaming towards him, and focused on him attentively. It may make the tom uncomfortable with the intensity of her stare. But she failed to notice a small twig in front of her, and it made her almost trip over her own paws. Her eyes became wide, and she turned to stare in front of her; wide eyed. Her breathing had hitched, but she was alright. She giggled, "That's why you should always pay attention to the path in front of you." She purred at her clumsiness. Additionally, that's what she get for staring too much.

This time she paid attention to the path they were walking along. She looked down at her small paws and purposely began hopping with them, and laughing at her kit like behavior. Her eyes looked towards the birds, singing their madrigals in the trees. She didn't understand their twittering, but she hummed along anyway, enjoying the musicless tune. Badly she wished to play with her company, her restless state coming over, but she didn't know if Yarrowpounce was in any condition to play a game of tag, a game of hide and seek, or even a game of play fight. Her tail waved frantically behind her, but she kept a level of calmness. She could at least try to get him to be more opened up. To try and get that broken heart of his pieced together. To try anything to not see him laying in that corner any longer. As much as she knew, Yarrowpounce was done being alone. She was sure of it.

So bounding a few moments away from him, she made a sharp turn, standing in front of him, bending down and putting her rump in the air in a playful stance. Her tail swayed gently behind her, and her eyes held amusement. She gave him a bright smile, before slowly bringing herself up for a second, laughing it off. She then turned back around, and started to trot off, flicking her tail at him as she sauntered about.

{So sorry about this late reply!! ;;}
Deep down in his mind he knew that staying still for so long could mean the death of him, that it was terrible for his body, but his willpower, it had shrunk to nearly nothing at all. Yarrowpounce was fairly intelligent, he knew what could obviously kill him, that refraining from eating and hardly moving at all could have ended him in just short of a moon. It was no mystery, but when there was no cat that seemed to care or notice him? It sapped his inner force, his desire to get up and do things. He felt that it was useless and it certainly seemed like no other cat in the clan seemed to care at all. Well, at least at the moment it seemed like this she-cat cared. She had shown interest in him, getting him up and moving, but even still he wasn't sure if she actually truly cared. Maybe she was just doing her good deed for the day and the second something else called for her attention, she would be gone and he would be back to square one. I hope not, oh I really hope not.. For once I have hope that I... I actually have someone to talk to. A friend after so long. I don't want to think about that going away. Gaze focusing on the ground, it was brought to look at Splotchfeather as he heard her speak.

"Brand new h-huh, what, am I a broken toy now?" Spoke the tom with an awkward smile, obviously trying to tease back at her, but it might have came out as a bit harsh. Yarrowpounce had never been the best in conversation, nor was he the best at conveying humor. Just speaking to other cats in general was a strain, but it was a strain he wanted to make now. After so long of having no one, it was a relief to feel the awkwardness again, it was at least some sort of feeling. Rather than the emptiness that had swarmed him. Clearing his throat, he shook his head and fell quiet, part of him wanting to apologize and part of him felt that he shouldn't, that it wouldn't do any good for if it did upset her, why would his apology matter?

Relief trickled into the mostly white tom as the conversation moved to hunting instead, something he was much more comfortable talking about. "Y-Yeah I uh, I enjoy hunting too.. I used to um. I used to hunt a lot. Some liked to call me the best hunter in Skyclan, but I mean.. I never really believed them, there's always s-some one better than you anyways."
At the comment about joining the elders den, he glanced at her and offered a weak chuckle, his gaze drifting back to the ground. He could feel a small sting in his heart. I'm not even close to being an elder and yet I feel and act like one. That thought swirled around his mind, conjuring up a deep feeling of guilt as he realized he was hardly even a warrior anymore. I'm so.. useless compared to the warriors of my age. Even in the liberation of the clans I had to be saved by an apprentice. What.. What kind of warrior am I? Clenching his jaws shut, the tom fell quiet, not offering a response to what Splotchfeather said.
Just.. Just focus on walking. Trying to get his mind away from the vile thoughts that were now there, the tom instead channeled his focus on keeping up with the fluffy she-cat, finding that his legs were still stiff and a bit wobbly and he could hardly hold the pace he used to be able to hold so easily. Then he heard Splotchfeather's voice again, though his gaze did not travel to her this time, but his ears did angle in her direction.
"A lot to look forward to huh?" His voice was quiet again, meek, he tried to offer a smile but he found it suddenly hard to do such a thing. "I..
I guess it is a blessing that I can wake up. But.. What's the point if it's.. It's just the same thing every day? It's not really starting over because I wake up with the same lack of energy as the day before, the same sinking feeling that ties me to the ground I-" Eyes widening as he realized he was actually speaking aloud rather than thinking to himself, he quickly turned his head to look at her, this time abruptly apologizing. "I-I'm sorry. I don't mean to discredit anything th-that you said um. I.. I didn't mean to say that. Sorry."
Closing his eyes, he shook his head before adding on, "I.. I'm not so good with this conversation thing. Please forgive me." Opening his eyes, he'd look at her again before frowning and lowering his head as they slowly walked on.

I'm ruining this walk for her. She likely wanted this walk to make me happier, more uplifted. Mentally sighing, he yet again cursed himself. Why is it that he was like this? As he pondered this, he barely realized the conversation had shifted to that of her singing, his yellow eyes clearing slightly to glance over at her again just as she focused on a dragonfly. At one point in time I would have pounced for it, just out of instinct. Now I have hardly the energy to turn my head to look at it. Again a thorn stung his heart as he realized how far gone he was, how much he had changed from his former self. His dwelling mind caused him to miss her trailing off, making it appear as if he just accepted that whatever she had said wasn't meant to be finished when in reality, he had hardly even heard her.
Stop thinking and pay attention to what she's saying! His mind hissed at him angrily, causing him to become quite startled when she went bounding to the broken branch, the tom jumping slightly and his fur bristling for a moment before he quickly calmed himself and exhaled cautiously, following her over at a much slower pace. "W-Well your.. Voice is.. It's very nice." He offered quietly and with a sheepish smile before he glanced away. "That's um, not weird to say right? If it is, I apologize, I don't mean to-to sound weird i-in any way. Oh wait.. I.. I already said that didn't I? I'm sorry, now I'm repeating myself." Clenching his jaws, his face furrowed in frustration with himself, causing him to look away. Here I go again, ruining this nice walk by being ridiculous. My one chance at being normal again and I'm destroying it, ripping to shreds.
Yarrowpounce turned his gaze back to her as he heard her say that she especially liked singing to the kits in the nursery.
"O-Oh I'm sure they love it." He tried on a smile again, this time it seemed a bit better but it appeared the tom found it awkward causing it to falter.
"You think so? I'm.. Not so sure he would want to be my friend. I'm.. I'm not too fun to be around." His gaze flickered to the ground for a moment before looking at the broken branch instead.

"Wh-"
Her statement caught him by surprise, his yellow gaze now focusing on her again, his jaw slightly parted, quite unsure of what to say. She actually..
Wants to know about me? Blinking, his slowly closed his jaw and allowed his gaze to fall to the ground as he thought about it.
What should I even tell her? I'm terrible with these sorts of things, I don't even remember the last time some cat was interested in what I had to say,
much less wanting to know about me.
His vision cleared and he awkwardly swiveled an ear before speaking up.
"I'm.. I-I'm not sure how to tell you about myself.. I-I'm not too good when it comes to that kind of thing, b-but um.. I.. I wouldn't mind um.. Answering q-questions? Sorry if.. If that doesn't make much sense."

Nervously he flinched away as she brushed against him, the tip of his tail twitching as he mentally cursed himself for having that reflex. This cat was friendly, she wasn't trying to hurt him in any sort of way, why would he flinch away? Sometimes even he couldn't understand himself.
"I..."
Is it being hard on myself, or is it the truth?
The tom didn't know the answer to that question and instead of answering her, he let it fall to awkward silence, his gaze traveling to the ground again, something that seemed to be a common occurrence when he couldn't find the words to say.

Yarrowpounce could feel her eyes on him and suddenly he became fully aware that his heart was thundering out of fear, his yellow eyes now fully staring at the ground and his head lowering. Is.. Is she contemplating on leaving me? Maybe I'm not interesting to her anymore. Or.. Or maybe I said something? Did something? Or maybe she's mentally laughing at how stupid I sound, how pathetic I look.
But it seems Splotchfeather tripping seemed to rip away this volatile thought train as his mind immediately snapped away from that to focus solely on her and whether she was alright, his head snapping to look at her with wide eyes and his paws lurching in her direction as if he were about to grab hold of her scruff so that she wouldn't fall and hurt herself before realizing that she was okay and wasn't in need of help at all.
"H-Heh, being perceptive of your surroundings i-is always a good thing I'd say.."

Instead of diving back in his thoughts, he would watch her out of the corner of his eyes, seeing her bounce in an almost kit-like manner, her giggles and light-hearted, cheery demeanor. He'd smile a little, just a little before looking back ahead, so that he wouldn't make the same mistake that she did. It was a nice day for a walk, plenty of birdsong to becalm the soul, plenty of sunlight filtering through the canopy to warm the pelt and just enough wind to keep you cool. Yarrowpounce found that he was slowly becoming aware of these things, he wasn't as numb to them and that sparked hope again. Just a little bit.

The sudden movement of her bounding ahead caused him to snap out of it and watch her cautiously, a slight look of confusion settled in as she got into the playful stance, his paws stopping so that he didn't go crashing in to her, his tail cautiously flicking one way then the next. Is... Is she trying to play? His gaze followed her before he nearly tripped over his own paws, trying to follow, still feeling the dull ache in his limbs but it was beginning to fade thankfully.
"Are.. Are you always like this? P-Playful I mean, sorry."

[lone]

Originally Posted by RedHead

Gingerblossom shook her head, laughing. "You can't wear an orange flower silly! It would just blend in with your fur. I've already proven that." Her eyes the moved quickly across the clearing, looking for something. "You know what? I think that green would go best with your fur color. Possibly even yellow..."

At his suggestion, Gingerblossom's eyes widened, so wide it seemed almost impossible. Her mouth dropped open, and after a moment, she broke into a huge smile. "That's the BEST IDEA EVER! She yowled, Monty eyes sparkling. She looked at Blazingcomet, then licked his cheek in a grateful manner. "You're so smart! I think that would look so pretty!" Gingerblossom got to her paws, looking wildly around. There were plenty of flowers in the camp, she could start here. And possibly, she could get a pink flower from somewhere to top it off. Then another idea popped into the calico's mind, and she turned to look at her friend. "And you know what else would be awesome? If we make awe earth of leaves for you!" Leaves were green, and Gingerblosom had to admit that they would look good in his fur. "So, we'll need a lot of flowers, a lot of leaves, and some sticks!"

Before she heard his next question, the mollywas off and running aroundtge camp, searching for the materials she would need for her project. If she had known he had says something, she would've been devastated that she was so rude and didn't answer, but she was so caught up in the moment at this time to hear her friend.

"Oh of course, how silly of me." He spoke in a low voice, whiskers twitching in amusement although he tried to hide it. The tom's eyes widened when she licked his cheek and then began talking again, going on about... a flower crown? A leaf crown for him? What? The tom's eyes widened in surprise, and he shook his head just the slightest bit."Oh, but I-" And she was off. Off before he could complete a sentence, and he shook his head as he watched her before getting to his paws. Blazingcomet's cheek still felt warm from Gingerblossom's grateful lick. Look at me, the guy who's planning on having a mate sometime soon and here I am with her, he thought almost scornfully.

Though he remained loyal to Drizzleshard. Nope. No interest whatsoever in Gingerblossom. But it was always a thrill when a pretty feline showed him even the slightest bit of attention. Though by now, the orange tom had learned that she never had romantic interest in anyone. It was all in his head. All quite annoyingly in his head, really, but hey! What could he do about it? He followed Gingerblossom around, watching her as she searched the Camp for the materials for his leaf crown and her flower crown. "Are you sure this is going to work?" He asked. If he could have picked one cat to spend all day with - other then his mate of course - it would have been her. She was very easy to get along with.

"You know, we could always just - do something else, too," His suggestion was spoken in a lower voice, knowing that she probably was stuck on the idea of flower crowns now. Of course it would be fun to have a flower crown, but, Blazingcomet was positive it was going to be difficult. And just as stuck as she was on the idea of having one, he was almost as determined to get out of it. He didn't really want a leaf crown - but he hadn't really had time to say anything. And besides, she seemed to be the one cat who always had a smile. Blazingcomet didn't want to hurt her feelings... or see that angry side of her that he had seen once before. It had startled him. Scared him.




Listening to her talk, the tom couldn't help but think if she were like this around everyone, then she would probably never be alone. This was like a new side of her, a side that he was glad to get to see. It was amazing, seeing Marblestrike opening up, and Palmettoleaf was thankful that she felt like she could talk to him. Why hadn't she before? Had he said something, or done something? Whatever the reason, those things were behind him now and she was continuing on to talk to him about what seemed like nothing. Her life with her siblings. The way she described it sounded amazing, and he wondered what it would have been like for him had he had a loner family. No rules. No barriers. Just open territory and adventuring on, and on, and on... but without a Clan and structure, Palmettoleaf wondered how happy the cats in a loner family really were. Without much structure it seemed like things would fall apart pretty quickly.

His leaf-green eyes fixed themselves on Marblestrike as he listened to her speak, a sigh coming from his maw as though he were content to just listen to her. But her voice trailed off and she asked him a question. It took him a minute to think about it before he realized he had never done anything like what she had described. It sounded beautiful. Nice. Peaceful and relaxing, and it was something that Palmettoleaf had to admit to himself he had never thought about before. It just didn't come naturally to him to think of things that included aloneness. "That... does sound nice," he admitted out loud. He really just had never liked being alone. It had constantly bothered him, everything from just the plain thought of it to actually having to spend time on his own. But the way she described it... the night with the crickets chirping, and Silverpelt shining brightly up above, it was... amazing.

"But, I just wouldn't want to be all by myself out there. I mean, when you think about it... if you're alone, who do you have to talk about what you see later? You could always tell another cat, but there's the risk they might not believe you. And if you're alone and something happened to you, there's no one else to help you! Or to take you to somewhere where you can get the help you need..."

The thought of getting hurt and dying, all alone, out in the woods somewhere with the stars still glittering while the last of strength drained from your body made Palmettoleaf shudder. If he were going to die, it would be surrounded by clanmates and friends. Bright green eyes studied Marblestrike again, wondering what she would prefer. He wasn't going to ask her, it was a subject that was considered touchy to most cats and he didn't like to think about the day he would die. It was a ways away, he hoped, and there was no use in dwelling on it until it would come. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in joining me for a walk, would you?" The clearing did get boring after a while, and the territory was always more fun to be in with another cat. After all, when you had company, what was there to get bored about? His leaf-green hues watched her, twinkling with anticipation of her response.

Was she going to agree? Now, Palmettoleaf wasn't sure if his offer had come across as too flirty or not. It certainly wasn't his intention to flirt with Marblestrike, seeing as he knew it could be offensive - and he didn't want to offend her, that wasn't his goal here - and he had never been much good at that kind of thing. Everything he said always came off as too rehearsed, too robotic rather then smooth and elegant.

The honey-like deep purr that she cats adored so much. How come it was that kind of tom that got all the girls? Why couldn't it be the ordinary, not-too-handsome but not too bad looking cats like himself that always got the girl? But... Palmettoleaf supposed he didn't have much to complain about. He had a good life.

With or without a she cat in it. @Doodle

[Mango]

@Rivergold
Cucumberpickle yanked a thorn out of his paw with his teeth and spat it out, his fur was a mess some going forwards, some going backwards. He winced as he stood up and heading to an open space in the clearing and started grooming his shoulder fur down before he eyed Silverslice remembering all the good times he's had with her I use to be such good kithood friend with her and my lover as an apprentice...I wonder if she remembers me...