WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Brunch]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The dark tom cocked his head to the side, not quite having caught her words.
"What was that?" He mewed with a short laugh, only to hear her tease him. This was what their friendship was like. They teased each other, right? He'd been playing earlier. She got that. Surely she had gotten that, had he made her feel weird? But, he quickly tried to come up with a retort before he actually did make her feel weird. "Oh, come on! Besides, did it ever occur to you maybe I'm the little one?" He mewed, a teasing glint in his hues as he spoke. Of course, she was somewhat smaller then him. Even so it wasn't doing any harm to mess around a little, not as far as he knew. Her hesitation at his question, however, proved him wrong. Something was up, otherwise she wouldn't be acting this way. And while he didn't claim to know everything about her, he knew enough to know that she wouldn't act like this.
　
And then she told him. What she said made him furious. "They said what?" He asked, his voice dangerously low and soft. That was enough to make any cat frustrated, but he was so angry he would have fought every single one of those cats. Why would they do that? They would just discard her when she decided to stand up to them? "You're right. That is stupid they would say that. They never should have told you they were your friends in the first place. I'm really, really sorry, Canineheart..." His voice trailed off and he sighed. What else was there to say? He was sorry, of course, but there was no way to mend this. There was no way to get her friends back and after hearing what they had said, he wasn't sure that he would if there was a way. If only he hadn't encouraged her to stand up to them. But, if she hadn't things could start getting worse as far as their selections in toms.
　

"You are not stupid for caring about that, and I hope you don't really believe that..."

He could hardly believe what she had said. "But as far as you 'spilling this on me,' I wouldn't have it any other way. It means a lot that you trust me enough to tell me about this. It's important to me that you never feel bad about telling me things, okay?" He mewed gently, giving her a worried look. So quickly playfulness had turned to a more serious conversation. And yet, Obsidiansky wouldn't have had it any other way.

Canineheart sniffled slightly, though felt better as he hadn't heard her words. A small, inaudible sigh of relief escaped from her mouth, her ears flicking back gently as the grass waved in the summer's wind. It would have been a wonderful conversation had it not been for Canineheart's tears. She inhaled deeply as Obsidiansky finished his speech. "Thank you," she muttered gently. Her emerald eyes finally met the hues of her friend, a small smile forming on her beautiful face.
"Thank you," Canineheart repeated, "I don't know what I would have done without this conversation." Canineheart looked at the tom, her face softening; her eyesbrows went back to their normal position, unfurrowed, and her eyes were glossed over, her muzzle went to odd position, between a frown and a grin. Her expression was placid as she gazed off into the distance.
"Do you like me?" the she-cat mewed, still staring off into the distance, the grin slash frown had deepened into a more terrible version of itself, as though Canineheart couldn't quite decide whether she wanted to be happy or sad about her decision to suddenly ask such a deep question. How would he react to such boldness? Would Obsidiansky turn her away, or would he accept her? Would he refuse to talk to her ever again? Because she needed quite the opposite in her life, she needed someone who wouldn't turn away in spite of her and her flaws. Her placid expression disappeared and her eyebrows took form as she became unsure of herself.
Normally, the she-cat knew what she was doing, knew how to react, but this tom had an effect on her, that made her feel as though she couldn't gain control of her emotions. It was as though he had cast a spell on her.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Cloudy

Canineheart sniffled slightly, though felt better as he hadn't heard her words. A small, inaudible sigh of relief escaped from her mouth, her ears flicking back gently as the grass waved in the summer's wind. It would have been a wonderful conversation had it not been for Canineheart's tears. She inhaled deeply as Obsidiansky finished his speech. "Thank you," she muttered gently. Her emerald eyes finally met the hues of her friend, a small smile forming on her beautiful face.

Originally Posted by Cloudy

"Thank you," Canineheart repeated, "I don't know what I would have done without this conversation." Canineheart looked at the tom, her face softening; her eyesbrows went back to their normal position, unfurrowed, and her eyes were glossed over, her muzzle went to odd position, between a frown and a grin. Her expression was placid as she gazed off into the distance.
"Do you like me?" the she-cat mewed, still staring off into the distance, the grin slash frown had deepened into a more terrible version of itself, as though Canineheart couldn't quite decide whether she wanted to be happy or sad about her decision to suddenly ask such a deep question. How would he react to such boldness? Would Obsidiansky turn her away, or would he accept her? Would he refuse to talk to her ever again? Because she needed quite the opposite in her life, she needed someone who wouldn't turn away in spite of her and her flaws. Her placid expression disappeared and her eyebrows took form as she became unsure of herself.
Normally, the she-cat knew what she was doing, knew how to react, but this tom had an effect on her, that made her feel as though she couldn't gain control of her emotions. It was as though he had cast a spell on her.

Whenever his friend smiled, it made Obsidiansky feel like there were butterflies fluttering around inside his stomach. It was both uncomfortable and strangely, he was okay with it at the same time. As though he liked it, but liked was too strong of a word; wasn't it? A smile spread across his own features, which had faded into a more worried expression during her earlier words, and he lowered his head respectfully to the other feline. But, her question puzzled him. What did she mean, did he like her? She was his friend! What was there not to like? And yet, he was confused at the same time. The correct answer was a positive one, unless she was talking about something else. He couldn't just ignore the fluttering wings of the butterflies in his stomach. But neither did he want to make her feel like he was confirming something that might be untrue.
　
And besides, if he acted as though he were confirming this fluttery feeling, he might look dumb for answering the question wrong. Confirmation was important to Obsidiansky. And it took him a while to make sure that he was getting something right. "I--I mean... you're my friend, so of course I like you... I... what are you asking me?" He asked, cocking his head to the side slightly. Of course he was completely confused now. Yes, perhaps he did like Canineheart. But it was going to take time for him to confirm this. And besides that, he didn't want to wreck their friendship. It was important to him that she was always comfortable around him, always thought of him as a good friend. If he were to ruin that he would never forgive himself. Just a little more time. There's Sagewhisker to think about... I have to think about that, too, she's important to me too... but he didn't get the same fluttery feeling.
　

"B-because... because I, I... I don't really know how to answer, I like you and everything but I-- I'm kind of confused... sorry, I've already said all this, haven't I?" Great. He wasn't necessarily a socially challenged cat, he was, as a matter of fact, quite a good cat in social situations. But she had stumped him. Made him feel like he didn't know what he was talking about. And while he didn't like that... honestly, could he blame her for his confusion at what was quite probably a simple question?

[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Noire

Two toms made their way into the clearing, discussing nonsense it would seem to others, but how they viewed it? It was a battle of the mind between the two. These two tons were highly opinionated, and as the one believed one thing, the other believed the opposite. Though that was how Rabbitbitten and Battail acted towards each other. Always bickering--more so, having a debate as Battail liked to call it.

"You sound fox-brained." The bobtail rolled his eyes. "First of all there would be no way, in all of Starclan that two constellations would cross."

"And why wouldn't there be?" Rabbitbitten countered. "I mean, aren't the stars connected in a type of way?"

"Well, yeah, but not every star forms a constellation."

"Says who?"

"Says the nature of watching stars." The older tom batted at the younger one. Battail had to admit that he did enjoy having little discussions with his friend. It was something about Rabbitbitten that he could not decipher. As he looked ahead of him, he caught scent of a familiar best friend of his, and his trot quickened.

"If that's the truth, the what are the stars? And who has time to study them?"

"Stars are...stars. Given by knowledge we view them as fire, I suppose, but our tradition says that some of the great cats appear as a star." Battail explained, and shook his head. He never truly allowed his geeky side to show through, only when he was with his tom friends. As he passed the fellow she cats, he threw winks at them. Rabbitbitten rolled his eyes at his friend's antics, but even Rabbitbitten was a bit girl crazed. "I don't know why I'm even talking to you about this...especially when there's more important matters to handle." Battail purred, catching a familiar sandy pelted she-cat.

"Sandblood, huh?" Rabbitbitten stared ahead at the two she cats. He put his muzzle into the air. "Your head's in the clouds, huh? She's definitely out of your league."

"Another lesson you're going to learn from me?" Battail whispered as they watch the two from a distance. "Try and try and try until you succeed." He winked. Rabbitbitten chuckled, flicking his tail, and his eyes wandered to another tom a few lengths away from them. The Egyptian Mau was clawing at a tree. With the way his lean body grabbed at the tree, he appeared larger than the other cats. His tail had always been a bit longer than the others, making him appear awkward, but nonetheless he did have friends who didn't judge him.

"Hey Limestripe!" Battail called, Rabbitbitten following behind. The tom became startled, and he dropped to his four paws, his fur bristling until he realized that it was only his two trusted friends. Limestripe allowed his guard to go down, and he swished his long tail.

"What do you want?"

"I think the question is...what are you doing?" Rabbitbitten answered.

"Huh?" Limestripe twitched his nose. "Oh! I-um, uh--I was-nothing. Just...watching birds." He shrugged.

"There's not birds in that tree, Limy." Battail snickered.

"Don't call me that!" Limestripe rolled his eyes, and he looked back towards the small tree. More of a shrub really. It was dazzled with gorgeous flowers, but too high--well, the specific one that the tom wanted. He then looked back at his friends, brushing past them as he saw the familiar she cats. He felt his heart pacing, and hoped that Hazelfang hadn't seen him do anything...weird. "We should talk to the girls." He shrugged, changing the subject and making his voice nonchantlant.

Rabbitbitten gave Battail a knowing look, but Battail didn't get the hint. Instead the tom shouted, "Hey girls! What's up!"

"We could just walk to them you know." Limestripe said through clenched teeth as the three bounded over to their other two friends.

"And there they are." Sandblood hissed, but she was smirking as she swiveled her head around to look at the Toms. She looked half amused, half bored as she sat down and bent her head to give her chest fur a few licks. The she-cat took great pride in her appearance - She took pride in everything about herself, actually.

"Right on schedule." Hazelfang mused, flicking her tail as she watched the Toms head over. She flashed Limestripe a teasing grin. "Hey Limy," She purred, knowing it got on his nerves. Her gaze flickered toward Rabbitbitten and Battail, and an amused look flickered through her eyes. "Batty, Rabbit."

Sandblood's gaze flickered behind the Toms, her gaze resting on the tree Limestripe had been at moments before. Her eyes sparked with interest as she gazed at the flowers, curious. Those look pretty...They would be a good addition to my nest. She chuckled to herself. I'll ask Batty to get me one later,

Her ears pricked as she looked at said Tom, and her nose wrinkled ever so slightly. Sandblood found him rather annoying and obnoxious - Then again, she found everyone annoying and obnoxious. Why couldnt cats be more like her?

[blank_bleh]

Originally Posted by Midna

@blank_bleh

As they made their way back into camp, Nettlebreeze shrugged as she placed the mouse and squirrel down into the fresh-kill pile. "Usually rabbit, but I'm not a picky eater so it doesn't really matter to me," The bengal she-cat replied, looking over at Shadefoot. "Though you could choose if you wanted."

" Rabbit it is then ." He meowed and sniffed around for one , pausing to look up at Nettlebreeze . " Want to go pick out a spot ?" The Tom questioned as pulled out a rabbit, grunting in satisfaction . It was quite small but it would suffice for the pair .

[ConfusedCas]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Clearing his throat, it was obvious that the tom was doing everything in his power not to laugh. True, at least the apprentice was trying. That was what really counted. "Alright, okay, umm... tell you what. There's... there's a few things that need work, but mostly you're actually pretty good!" He praised. And no, he wasn't just saying that to make Rainpaw feel better. He really did believe that the younger tom showed potential. And he certainly did in this case, to be honest. Look at him! He'd gone ahead and done it without any prior real experience, which Obsidiansky thought deserved at least some credit. "Just make sure your weight is centered and stay low to the ground, okay?" That was it. That was all Rainpaw needed to know, wasn't it? Oh StarClan, please don't let me mess this up. He didn't want to ruin his budding possible friendship with the younger cat. Already they had come such a long way from where they had started. Seriously, at first the younger cat had hated him. Now it seemed like they were going to get along. "Do you want me to show you?" Obsidiansky asked in the most gentle, friendly voice that he could muster. There was no longer anything funny about the situation. He's trying. He's trying. Just be friendly and take it slow, he's going to learn soon enough. It was somewhat frustrating to the older cat that it was going to take a longer amount of time but hey, that was what training was for. To help younger cats get better and develop their skills so that someday they would be warriors. And, to be honest, so far Rainpaw had shown quite a bit of skill.

　

He just needed to develop it more.

Rainpaw's brow twitched with obvious annoyance as he caught onto his mentors amusement and quickly making him straighten his legs. I must've done it wrong. He huffed and met the toms gaze with narrowed eyes but lucky for Obsidiansky his expression wasn't that of anger but concentration. The praise sounded genuine but Rainpaw believed he was just trying to get on the apprentices good side but he remained calm. Doesn't matter how I start out, it matters how I finish. He was going to remain determined to learn. "Yeah, just show me the crouch." He replied a bit impatiently as he stepped back a bit in preparation for the warriors crouch. He could see that Obsidiansky was trying to be a friendly, good mentor but Rainpaw hoped he'd realize that he was doing a fine job. If it were anyone's fault for the tension it was Rainpaw's.

[Brunch]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Whenever his friend smiled, it made Obsidiansky feel like there were butterflies fluttering around inside his stomach. It was both uncomfortable and strangely, he was okay with it at the same time. As though he liked it, but liked was too strong of a word; wasn't it? A smile spread across his own features, which had faded into a more worried expression during her earlier words, and he lowered his head respectfully to the other feline. But, her question puzzled him. What did she mean, did he like her? She was his friend! What was there not to like? And yet, he was confused at the same time. The correct answer was a positive one, unless she was talking about something else. He couldn't just ignore the fluttering wings of the butterflies in his stomach. But neither did he want to make her feel like he was confirming something that might be untrue.
　
And besides, if he acted as though he were confirming this fluttery feeling, he might look dumb for answering the question wrong. Confirmation was important to Obsidiansky. And it took him a while to make sure that he was getting something right. "I--I mean... you're my friend, so of course I like you... I... what are you asking me?" He asked, cocking his head to the side slightly. Of course he was completely confused now. Yes, perhaps he did like Canineheart. But it was going to take time for him to confirm this. And besides that, he didn't want to wreck their friendship. It was important to him that she was always comfortable around him, always thought of him as a good friend. If he were to ruin that he would never forgive himself. Just a little more time. There's Sagewhisker to think about... I have to think about that, too, she's important to me too... but he didn't get the same fluttery feeling.
　

"B-because... because I, I... I don't really know how to answer, I like you and everything but I-- I'm kind of confused... sorry, I've already said all this, haven't I?" Great. He wasn't necessarily a socially challenged cat, he was, as a matter of fact, quite a good cat in social situations. But she had stumped him. Made him feel like he didn't know what he was talking about. And while he didn't like that... honestly, could he blame her for his confusion at what was quite probably a simple question?

Canineheart furrowed her eyebrows and met Obsidiansky's eyes, she couldn't help thinking-- What?! No, he doesn't think of you that way! she mentally scolded herself. Her ears flipped back, and her tail twitched with embarressement; what had she done? Her only friend, the one who only cared for her happiness now probably thought of her the way her old friends thought of her. Selfish and annoying. Canineheart couldn't handle that, not again. "I-I don't know," the she-cat confessed, tears blurring the dark tom. "I just- I thought," Canineheart shook her head.

"You love someone else, don't you?" the warrior asked in a hoarse whisper, tears falling from her eyes, and pink flushing her cheeks. This was the worst thing she had ever felt. Canineheart now understood why she had rejected all of those toms, she was protecting herself from the inevitable. She somehow knew that one day, this would happen, that she would open herself up to a lover, one who she really cared about and get heartbroken. Canineheart now looked anywhere but Obsidiansky; she knew that if he saw her crying, he would think even less of her, if that was possible now.

Canineheart breathed in deeply, her chest shaking with the effort not to sob. Not now... Please not now. But the sobs were starting to engulf her, no matter how much she wanted to stay in Obsidiansky's rejection of her feelings was too much. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered uncontrollably, "I g-guess I'll be leaving now..." As quickly as she could, trying not to start crying, she started to run towards the clearing's exit, trying to stop the small sobs escaping her sobs.

Why hadn't she chosen one of those stupid flirtatious toms that were always vying for her attention? Perhaps Canineheart wouldn't have been too happy with them, but it beat this feeling of hopelessness. Canineheart hated every bit of it, especially the way that it made her feel like she wasn't worth anything. She inhaled deeply, and broke through the brush entrance, small ferns snagging her pelt. Canineheart didn't care, she just wanted to leave, get out of there, away from what had hurt her. Would she ever be friends with Obsidiansky again? Would she ever love anyone else?

I don't want this, never again...

[lone]

Originally Posted by SpiralTheRival

Rainpaw's brow twitched with obvious annoyance as he caught onto his mentors amusement and quickly making him straighten his legs. I must've done it wrong. He huffed and met the toms gaze with narrowed eyes but lucky for Obsidiansky his expression wasn't that of anger but concentration. The praise sounded genuine but Rainpaw believed he was just trying to get on the apprentices good side but he remained calm. Doesn't matter how I start out, it matters how I finish. He was going to remain determined to learn. "Yeah, just show me the crouch." He replied a bit impatiently as he stepped back a bit in preparation for the warriors crouch. He could see that Obsidiansky was trying to be a friendly, good mentor but Rainpaw hoped he'd realize that he was doing a fine job. If it were anyone's fault for the tension it was Rainpaw's.

"Very well." His expression changed to one of amusement, mixed with frustration at the younger cat's constantly impatient, or bored, or angry tone. Why? Why couldn't he just be... happy. Happiness was always just out of reach. True happiness, the kind that came from deep down, could be found eventually. It just took a little bit of time. After a moment, Obsidiansky took the stance-- a perfect hunter's crouch. "Down low. Eyes ahead. Weight balanced. Don't move." He was speaking calmly, clearly, as carefully as he could to make sure that Rainpaw would understand. For a few moments longer he remained in the stance so that the grey apprentice could take a look and see what was going on before he stood up. "No one's expecting perfection today." Obsidiansky waited for the tom's response, half-expecting some snarky comment or rude snort, followed by a challenging glare. Even on this day, he was learning a lot about Rainpaw. A lot meaning that the tom was arrogant, snarky, and rude. But... he was also hurt, and the black feline could see a loyal warrior in the making.





"What?" The tom's expression changed to one of confusion, but in the next second she was crying. Oh StarClan, why was she crying? What had he done wrong? "Wait, no, I didn't--" But it was too late. She had gone. She had run away, and left, and now he didn't know what to do. Go after her? Was it too soon? And, he wasn't even sure. Yes-- he could sort out his feelings perfectly well, he was a grown tom! But, he didn't have time to think before he went racing after her, his ears pinned back to his head, not daring to look up or where he was going. Everyone had said love was blind. But this brought a whole new meaning to the words, and Obsidiansky wasn't quite sure if he was doing the right thing here. Oh no, no, no... this wasn't okay. This would never be okay again. Why had she run away? You love someone else, don't you? Love? Love was a strong word.

Love was a word he had sworn he would use carefully, he would use gently, he would use it only when he absolutely and completely meant it. Love was a word of power. It was something special, unique, and irreplaceable. He was in the territory now, following her. This was something that couldn't wait, it needed to be sorted out as soon as possible. This was something that he knew was going to cost him time. Do I love her? But, he could use the time doubly-- to find her, and to ask himself that question. To answer that question. There was no way to ignore the fluttery, butterfly-winged feeling that he always got. There was no way to ignore the way that he felt. But was it love, or a crush? Perhaps he was just crazy. He'd been in love before and even now, he could remember it... or was he just remembering what had happened? It was the faintest memory, playing at the back of his mind.

And now he was trying to remember. Trying to pull that painful memory fowards, all the time learning from rejection, learning to heal... he was pulling it fowards now, bringing everything he'd tried to forget back. Love was strong. Love was a power.. Love was a gift. Love was a choice. He could choose to love her here. He could choose to make her so happy. But if it was an illusion, would it just fade away? He would not go. No matter how hard things got. He wouldn't walk away from a cat who needed him... but it wasn't fair to either one to remain in a dream. It was time to talk to her so he could figure things out, and he would need time. Time. A precious thing there was only so much of. He needed time to think. Time to find her. Time to realize. Because yes, there were other cats that he had feelings for. Crushes, perhaps? Crushes or... or maybe love. And it was time to sort them all out.
@Cloudy

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Nighty

So, Singe had obviously failed to mention this. A grandfather she had never heard of? Not what she was expecting when she came back. But his features, height, pelt, even eyes. It all reminded her of Him. It wasn't on a bad way though. Forest loved her father. She really did, no matter how other viewed her for it. It was the father she had and she had to love him the way he was. Sure, as she grew older she was beginning to disagree with more and more if the things he had done and was doing, but that didn't mean she stopped loving him for it.

But now, here was this cat who claimed to be her grandfather. Sure she had no way to verify that, but judging by the same features, height and all, she would trust him in his word. Beside it seemed he knew who she was, though she didn't know his name. If this cat was her family, maybe she could get to know him? Maybe her Grandfather could be a good alternative to Singe for her.

"Huh," she huffed. "Singe never mentioned anything if you. And besides, I don't even know your name. " she remarked, gazing at him with calm and steady eyes, holding his gaze. "Of course, I don't doubt you, but you look a bit young bye be called grandfather. " she purred in slight assume that. Maybe this could be the start of her second chance, the chance of a life time, the chance to change everything, and to fix her problems.

Mumblenose shared Forestpaw's views on Singe. In fact, their situations were fairly similar. When Singe was born, Mumblenose had been neglecting him due to his grief. He had lost the love of his life, the clan had looked down at him due to his relationship with a rogue, and he was left with a family to raise. It was so overwhelming, and he was so depressed with everything... He practically let his kits raise themselves, when he should've been guiding their pawsteps along the right path. He's always loved his sons, but he never really showed it - he couldn't bring himself to. However, he's always loved his offspring. And as time went on, and Mumblenose aged, and Singe became meaner, he realized just how important love was.

With an understanding nod, Mumblenose meowed, ``I completely understand. I realize Singe doesn't care much about me to mention me to you. We've always been on bad terms...`` He left out the fact that the misunderstanding between father and son was on him. He didn't want to bring up that history just yet - this should be a happy introduction. ``I'm Mumblenose. And yes, I was a young warrior when your father was born.`` He admired Forestpaw's courage to hold his gaze. He was known for his bad temper in the clan, and very few could look him in the eyes without him lashing out at them.

Now that Forestpaw was within the ranks of the clan, would things change? Would the little, bold apprentice before him help change his ways? Mumblenose looked at Forestpaw, a noticeable twinkle in his eyes. Perhaps, a twinkle of hope? He's been very unhappy lately, but looking at the she-cat who managed to push him out of his nest, get him to eat, and care for himself just by thinking about meeting them... He now had faith. Things would change, he'd make sure of it.

[ConfusedCas]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"Very well." His expression changed to one of amusement, mixed with frustration at the younger cat's constantly impatient, or bored, or angry tone. Why? Why couldn't he just be... happy. Happiness was always just out of reach. True happiness, the kind that came from deep down, could be found eventually. It just took a little bit of time. After a moment, Obsidiansky took the stance-- a perfect hunter's crouch. "Down low. Eyes ahead. Weight balanced. Don't move." He was speaking calmly, clearly, as carefully as he could to make sure that Rainpaw would understand. For a few moments longer he remained in the stance so that the grey apprentice could take a look and see what was going on before he stood up. "No one's expecting perfection today." Obsidiansky waited for the tom's response, half-expecting some snarky comment or rude snort, followed by a challenging glare. Even on this day, he was learning a lot about Rainpaw. A lot meaning that the tom was arrogant, snarky, and rude. But... he was also hurt, and the black feline could see a loyal warrior in the making.





"What?" The tom's expression changed to one of confusion, but in the next second she was crying. Oh StarClan, why was she crying? What had he done wrong? "Wait, no, I didn't--" But it was too late. She had gone. She had run away, and left, and now he didn't know what to do. Go after her? Was it too soon? And, he wasn't even sure. Yes-- he could sort out his feelings perfectly well, he was a grown tom! But, he didn't have time to think before he went racing after her, his ears pinned back to his head, not daring to look up or where he was going. Everyone had said love was blind. But this brought a whole new meaning to the words, and Obsidiansky wasn't quite sure if he was doing the right thing here. Oh no, no, no... this wasn't okay. This would never be okay again. Why had she run away? You love someone else, don't you? Love? Love was a strong word.

Love was a word he had sworn he would use carefully, he would use gently, he would use it only when he absolutely and completely meant it. Love was a word of power. It was something special, unique, and irreplaceable. He was in the territory now, following her. This was something that couldn't wait, it needed to be sorted out as soon as possible. This was something that he knew was going to cost him time. Do I love her? But, he could use the time doubly-- to find her, and to ask himself that question. To answer that question. There was no way to ignore the fluttery, butterfly-winged feeling that he always got. There was no way to ignore the way that he felt. But was it love, or a crush? Perhaps he was just crazy. He'd been in love before and even now, he could remember it... or was he just remembering what had happened? It was the faintest memory, playing at the back of his mind.

And now he was trying to remember. Trying to pull that painful memory fowards, all the time learning from rejection, learning to heal... he was pulling it fowards now, bringing everything he'd tried to forget back. Love was strong. Love was a power.. Love was a gift. Love was a choice. He could choose to love her here. He could choose to make her so happy. But if it was an illusion, would it just fade away? He would not go. No matter how hard things got. He wouldn't walk away from a cat who needed him... but it wasn't fair to either one to remain in a dream. It was time to talk to her so he could figure things out, and he would need time. Time. A precious thing there was only so much of. He needed time to think. Time to find her. Time to realize. Because yes, there were other cats that he had feelings for. Crushes, perhaps? Crushes or... or maybe love. And it was time to sort them all out.
@Cloudy

"Down low. Eyes ahead. Weight balanced. Don't move." Rainpaw studied the move carefully and could help but admire the warriors skill and technique. However he also was unable to stop thinking, That's what I did! Luckily he held his tongue and didn't argue with his mentor. He could just tell in the corner of his eye that it was getting later in the day and sooner or later the training session would run out of time. I need to use this session the most I can. He took a deep breath and stood still for awhile before giving Obsidiansky and nod and stepping forward. The apprentice prepped himself for the move, a very simple move that everyone had to learn and for most it was easy to learn. Rainpaw lowered himself so his belly skimmed the grass beneath but he was still lopsided and kept casting glances at Obsidiansky to see if he had done well.

[lone]

Originally Posted by SpiralTheRival

"Down low. Eyes ahead. Weight balanced. Don't move." Rainpaw studied the move carefully and could help but admire the warriors skill and technique. However he also was unable to stop thinking, That's what I did! Luckily he held his tongue and didn't argue with his mentor. He could just tell in the corner of his eye that it was getting later in the day and sooner or later the training session would run out of time. I need to use this session the most I can. He took a deep breath and stood still for awhile before giving Obsidiansky and nod and stepping forward. The apprentice prepped himself for the move, a very simple move that everyone had to learn and for most it was easy to learn. Rainpaw lowered himself so his belly skimmed the grass beneath but he was still lopsided and kept casting glances at Obsidiansky to see if he had done well.

Rainpaw had definitely improved, or so Obsidiansky thought, watching the younger tom. Yes, there was definitely some improvement there. "Better. Much better. Alright... why don't you try and center your weight just a little more and then we can be done for the day." The black tom glanced up at the sky, eyeing it uncertainly. He doubted that Rainpaw would want to be done soon, but he was ready for a break. The apprentice took some energy, that was for sure. Not to mention strange things going on in his personal life that he needed to take care of. Absolutely, things would get better soon! It was just going to take some work and time, both of which Obsidiansky didn't have the ability to do while he was working with Rainpaw. Perhaps he shouldn't have been assigned an apprentice. Was he ready for this? Part of him said yes, and part of him said no. His head and his heart. Always those two, constantly disagreeing, but Obsidiansky had learned to balance them out and do what he believed-- deep down-- would be the best thing. Like it or not, Rainpaw was his responsibility now. He could do this.