SkyClan Territory

[Deerlie]

Originally Posted by Okapi

@SpookyScarySkeletons
Lostpaw was walking through the territory and licked her paws, she was a good warrior, after all she was 11 moons old. She saw a familiar clanmate,” Hello Cloudpaw!” She smiled,” I’m heading out to hunt, would you care to join me!” She meowed.

The tom saw his clanmate and smiled, "Sure!" He flexed his shoulder, "I haven't been out of camp ever since in broke my leg!" He said, limping slightly out of camp.

[Barnabas]

@Doodle
Streampaw made her way out of camp her legs bouncing with excitement, since she was about to learn how to hunt. The young she-cat had been excited for this day since she was just a young kit. She would finally be good for something besides getting underneath her older clanmates feet. Streampaw as a kit was always wanting something to do, to help, but every time she tried she'd trip over a warrior in the camp. She would get in trouble for it whenever she did. I want to catch a squirrel today! I want to climb a tree as if I was one! Oh how much fun it will be to be up high, starring out over the horizon.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Doodle

@Lonestar23

Marblestrike moved quietly through the trees, reaching the clearing and stream that she dubbed as her place- despite the fact that it technically was Skyclan's. To her, this stream was her own, as she had almost never seen one of her clanmates here. It was often a place she could go to relax and calm down- which was much needed currently. The molly had too much on her mind, from her apprentice's training, to her required duties as a Skyclan member, all the way to just a few days ago with a tom who would not seem to leave her thoughts. It was so frustrating- she had told herself not to get attached, not to let her guard down, and yet she was still caught up on how kind he had seemed, how caring, how his gaze seemed so soft and inviting...

The molly shook her head, realizing she had become dazed again- something that had been happening quite too often for her liking. Moving forward once again, Marble moved up onto the large rock that rested beside the stream, knowing the sunlight would have heated it up. It was chilly now, and she doubted she would be swimming for a while. A wistful sigh left her at the thought; she adored swimming, and thus hated leaf-fall and leaf-bare. She longed for the warmer seasons, for times where this rock would be too hot for her to handle, for when a dip in the stream was necessary in order to cool down. But that would have to wait.

Settling down into a comfortable position, she stared out past the stream and to the trees on the other side. While she felt at ease here, she could never completely let her guard down- a fact she had learned during her time as a loner. A cat could never be sure that danger wasn't a tail-length away; perhaps a dog could come charging at her, or even some returned Syndicate cats. A rustle caught the feline's attention, causing Marblestrike to twist around in her position, staring at the trees behind her- though she guessed it was just the breeze, as no other noise followed. Relaxing once more, she closed her eyes for the slightest second, enjoying the warmth that the stone and sunlight brought and trying to ignore all her worries.

Palmettoleaf hadn't seen Marblestrike around in a few days. He was pretty sure he had scared her away, his personality could be a bit - well - much for cats who weren't used to it, but he normally did his best to make them feel at home. He wanted other cats to like him. And yet it seemed these days, he hadn't made as many friends as he wanted to. Padding through the territory, his mind was on that day when he had met Marblestrike. She had told him about Slip. She'd trusted him with that, which he had been very grateful for. And he wished he could have helped her more. Marble? He thought, as he continued onward and reached the spot where they had talked before. Sure enough, there was a cat perched on the rock, her fur sparkling in the sun, and she looked quite pretty.

Palmettoleaf stopped, standing still for a minute, his mixed fur bristling a little with uncertainty as he contemplated whether she would want company at this moment or not. She seemed so relaxed and calm. Like nothing could faze her right then, even though he knew all too well that she was able to be fazed. The memory of her crying shook him momentarily - she'd seemed so strong and so confident... like nothing could ever go wrong. But he had been wrong about her, and even though he'd known there must be a reason why she was closed off. He had never expected something like that.

Taking a step foward, Palmettoleaf glanced up at the rock where Marblestrike was. So far, she didn't seem to have noticed him. He took another uncertain step foward, and another... until he was standing at the base of the rock. Crouching down, his powerful hind legs pushed as low as they would go, Palmettoleaf was on top of the rock within a couple of bounds, standing beside the multicolored she cat. "Hello, Marblestrike." He greeted with a friendly smile. It was as though he had seen her just the other day in the clearing, and they'd had a nice talk. You never would have guessed their relationship.

She'd trusted him, which must mean something - Palmettoleaf just wasn't quite sure what it meant. He guessed he would find out eventually. "Haven't seen you in a while," He added, the friendly smile never faltering.

[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Ennard

@Doodle
Streampaw made her way out of camp her legs bouncing with excitement, since she was about to learn how to hunt. The young she-cat had been excited for this day since she was just a young kit. She would finally be good for something besides getting underneath her older clanmates feet. Streampaw as a kit was always wanting something to do, to help, but every time she tried she'd trip over a warrior in the camp. She would get in trouble for it whenever she did. I want to catch a squirrel today! I want to climb a tree as if I was one! Oh how much fun it will be to be up high, starring out over the horizon.

Feathersong followed shortly behind her eager apprentice at a fast trot, not yet at a full sprint. "Streampaw, slow it down- you don't know where you're going," the molly scolded lightly, however it was noticeable that she wasn't angry as her pale yellow eyes glimmered with amusement. "I know you're excited, but if you run around like that you'll scare all the prey off." The tabby cat finally caught up to the younger feline, resting her tail on Streampaw's shoulders for a brief second. "Now, I know this is all fairly new to you still,but you need to remember that I'm in charge here, okay? It's important that you listen- we don't want to run into any trouble." While they were out of camp, Streampaw would be Feathersong's responsibility and the motherly she-cat wasn't about to let the new apprentice get hurt. Just the thought of running into a fox made her blood run cold; she had only been Streampaw's apprentice for a short time but already she felt like a second mother to the young cat. "Now, follow me. I know of a nice grove that should have a decent amount of prey, even during this time of year. You're bound to make a catch!" Eager herself to train her apprentice, the grey and cream cat started off in the direction of their destination.

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Palmettoleaf hadn't seen Marblestrike around in a few days. He was pretty sure he had scared her away, his personality could be a bit - well - much for cats who weren't used to it, but he normally did his best to make them feel at home. He wanted other cats to like him. And yet it seemed these days, he hadn't made as many friends as he wanted to. Padding through the territory, his mind was on that day when he had met Marblestrike. She had told him about Slip. She'd trusted him with that, which he had been very grateful for. And he wished he could have helped her more. Marble? He thought, as he continued onward and reached the spot where they had talked before. Sure enough, there was a cat perched on the rock, her fur sparkling in the sun, and she looked quite pretty.

Palmettoleaf stopped, standing still for a minute, his mixed fur bristling a little with uncertainty as he contemplated whether she would want company at this moment or not. She seemed so relaxed and calm. Like nothing could faze her right then, even though he knew all too well that she was able to be fazed. The memory of her crying shook him momentarily - she'd seemed so strong and so confident... like nothing could ever go wrong. But he had been wrong about her, and even though he'd known there must be a reason why she was closed off. He had never expected something like that.

Taking a step foward, Palmettoleaf glanced up at the rock where Marblestrike was. So far, she didn't seem to have noticed him. He took another uncertain step foward, and another... until he was standing at the base of the rock. Crouching down, his powerful hind legs pushed as low as they would go, Palmettoleaf was on top of the rock within a couple of bounds, standing beside the multicolored she cat. "Hello, Marblestrike." He greeted with a friendly smile. It was as though he had seen her just the other day in the clearing, and they'd had a nice talk. You never would have guessed their relationship.

She'd trusted him, which must mean something - Palmettoleaf just wasn't quite sure what it meant. He guessed he would find out eventually. "Haven't seen you in a while," He added, the friendly smile never faltering.

Marble's eyes snapped open at a voice- a familiar voice. She internally groaned. One second, she had shut her eyes for once second! And of course that was when the tom decided to show up. Afterlife forbid she actually have a moment of peace. The mottled molly debated upon just ignoring the other, pretending that he wasn't there, until she finally turned towards him with a heavy sigh. "Palmettoleaf," she acknowledged, looking him over. Her eyes got caught on his piercing green ones, and she narrowed her orbs skeptically. What was he doing here? Had he come specifically looking for her? Surely he had, if he came to this area when Palmettoleaf knew this was her spot. I should have never shown him this place, she thought with a scrunch of her nose. The molly wasn't exactly good at hiding when she was thinking about something- she was sure to do something to draw attention to the fact that there was something going on in her mind. But, if he questioned her on it she wouldn't answer. That was something she should have done the first time around meeting the tom- not answer his questions.

"Yes, that was intended," the molly answered rudely. Her tail waved slowly behind her, and she tucked her paws in to her chest; she was uncomfortable, and if Palmettoleaf were to pick up on these actions he would know it. "What do you want?" She finally spoke to him, rather than waiting for him to talk. Marblestrike figured that perhaps, if she was rude enough, the tom would have enough and leave. It had worked in the past, hadn't it? Her mind flashed to their last encounter- so maybe it hadn't worked so well with this particular tom, but she could hold hope that it would now. She really wasn't sure what it is that the warrior did want from her. How was it that he didn't run away as soon as she blurted out her life story? How was it that he wasn't done with her, now, that she'd been avoiding him like green cough and acting as rude as a Syndicate cat? Frankly, Palmettoleaf baffled the once-loner. She just couldn't figure him out, couldn't understand his motive behind his actions. Perhaps that was what scared her away from him; she couldn't decide if he was genuinely there to help or if he had his own secret agenda.

Oh, goodness, thinking about it now was already stressing the molly out. Shifting around, Marblestrike tore her gaze away from the tom's, realizing she had been staring into his eyes for a time longer than acceptable. That was certainly awkward. A small cough left her, and she cleared her throat in hopes that the awkward tension would leave. Tension was fine with her, but awkwardness? She just couldn't handle it. Again Marblestrike wished she would be able to swim- she could have hopped into the water and swam away from this whole confrontation of sorts. But no, she couldn't do that- unless she wanted to freeze herself, which she didn't. No, Marble didn't like the cold. Hated it, in fact, like she hated the unknown. With a cross look and another snap of her tail, she waited for the tom to speak- or leave, whichever came first.

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by Doodle

Feathersong followed shortly behind her eager apprentice at a fast trot, not yet at a full sprint. "Streampaw, slow it down- you don't know where you're going," the molly scolded lightly, however it was noticeable that she wasn't angry as her pale yellow eyes glimmered with amusement. "I know you're excited, but if you run around like that you'll scare all the prey off." The tabby cat finally caught up to the younger feline, resting her tail on Streampaw's shoulders for a brief second. "Now, I know this is all fairly new to you still,but you need to remember that I'm in charge here, okay? It's important that you listen- we don't want to run into any trouble." While they were out of camp, Streampaw would be Feathersong's responsibility and the motherly she-cat wasn't about to let the new apprentice get hurt. Just the thought of running into a fox made her blood run cold; she had only been Streampaw's apprentice for a short time but already she felt like a second mother to the young cat. "Now, follow me. I know of a nice grove that should have a decent amount of prey, even during this time of year. You're bound to make a catch!" Eager herself to train her apprentice, the grey and cream cat started off in the direction of their destination.

Marble's eyes snapped open at a voice- a familiar voice. She internally groaned. One second, she had shut her eyes for once second! And of course that was when the tom decided to show up. Afterlife forbid she actually have a moment of peace. The mottled molly debated upon just ignoring the other, pretending that he wasn't there, until she finally turned towards him with a heavy sigh. "Palmettoleaf," she acknowledged, looking him over. Her eyes got caught on his piercing green ones, and she narrowed her orbs skeptically. What was he doing here? Had he come specifically looking for her? Surely he had, if he came to this area when Palmettoleaf knew this was her spot. I should have never shown him this place, she thought with a scrunch of her nose. The molly wasn't exactly good at hiding when she was thinking about something- she was sure to do something to draw attention to the fact that there was something going on in her mind. But, if he questioned her on it she wouldn't answer. That was something she should have done the first time around meeting the tom- not answer his questions.

"Yes, that was intended," the molly answered rudely. Her tail waved slowly behind her, and she tucked her paws in to her chest; she was uncomfortable, and if Palmettoleaf were to pick up on these actions he would know it. "What do you want?" She finally spoke to him, rather than waiting for him to talk. Marblestrike figured that perhaps, if she was rude enough, the tom would have enough and leave. It had worked in the past, hadn't it? Her mind flashed to their last encounter- so maybe it hadn't worked so well with this particular tom, but she could hold hope that it would now. She really wasn't sure what it is that the warrior did want from her. How was it that he didn't run away as soon as she blurted out her life story? How was it that he wasn't done with her, now, that she'd been avoiding him like green cough and acting as rude as a Syndicate cat? Frankly, Palmettoleaf baffled the once-loner. She just couldn't figure him out, couldn't understand his motive behind his actions. Perhaps that was what scared her away from him; she couldn't decide if he was genuinely there to help or if he had his own secret agenda.

Oh, goodness, thinking about it now was already stressing the molly out. Shifting around, Marblestrike tore her gaze away from the tom's, realizing she had been staring into his eyes for a time longer than acceptable. That was certainly awkward. A small cough left her, and she cleared her throat in hopes that the awkward tension would leave. Tension was fine with her, but awkwardness? She just couldn't handle it. Again Marblestrike wished she would be able to swim- she could have hopped into the water and swam away from this whole confrontation of sorts. But no, she couldn't do that- unless she wanted to freeze herself, which she didn't. No, Marble didn't like the cold. Hated it, in fact, like she hated the unknown. With a cross look and another snap of her tail, she waited for the tom to speak- or leave, whichever came first.

Streampaw stopped as her mentor came up behind her. The she-cat was indeed happy to be out of camp, to get out for a while. What possibly could go wrong on this day? "I'm as excited as any apprentice, but I'm far stranger than the others." meowed Streampaw, trying to keep her voice down, so that no prey could hear her. Streampaw looked around the forest, the excitement still in her eyes, but as far as being calm she was getting there, but just not fast enough. "How far is that? Will we meet anything there?
Are there tree's to catch squirrels at? I want to climb a tree!" she questioned with a very excited squeal. Streampaw tried her best to keep still, but she was not calm yet again. Streampaw instantly stopped, taking a couple of deep breaths before looking into her mentor's eyes. "I promise I'll be calm now. No more trouble." stated Streampaw, the excitement still was there, no doubt, but she knew she had to be calm in order to hunt. I don't want to scare any prey away, so that I'm able to catch a squirrel, because I will be disappointed if I don't.

[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Ennard

Streampaw stopped as her mentor came up behind her. The she-cat was indeed happy to be out of camp, to get out for a while. What possibly could go wrong on this day? "I'm as excited as any apprentice, but I'm far stranger than the others." meowed Streampaw, trying to keep her voice down, so that no prey could hear her. Streampaw looked around the forest, the excitement still in her eyes, but as far as being calm she was getting there, but just not fast enough. "How far is that? Will we meet anything there?
Are there tree's to catch squirrels at? I want to climb a tree!" she questioned with a very excited squeal. Streampaw tried her best to keep still, but she was not calm yet again. Streampaw instantly stopped, taking a couple of deep breaths before looking into her mentor's eyes. "I promise I'll be calm now. No more trouble." stated Streampaw, the excitement still was there, no doubt, but she knew she had to be calm in order to hunt. I don't want to scare any prey away, so that I'm able to catch a squirrel, because I will be disappointed if I don't.

Feathersong gave a soft smile to her apprentice. "Streampaw, you're not strange," she immediately replied. "Trust me, every apprentice is excited about learning to hunt." When the younger molly looked around, Feathersong followed her gaze, trying to see the world from Streampaw's eyes. She was the tabby's first apprentice, and old memories were already resurfacing for the warrior. Feathersong had been just as excited as her apprentice now was in the early stages of training... she had just gotten sidetracked at the end with a tom, that was all. A tom that ended up fathering your kits, she thought before shaking her head and returning to the present. "Hmm," she hummed at first to the she-cat's question, before blinking rapidly. "Oh, perhaps. It's not unusual to run into a clanmate there, but we shouldn't run into anyone who isn't from Skyclan. If we do, we'll have to chase them off... but if that does happen- which it probably won't- then you've got to let me handle it, okay?" Feathersong was a patient cat, and wasn't annoyed by her apprentice at all. Her main concern was that Streampaw listened to her in order to keep the feline safe. She was her responsibility, after all.

"Of course there will be trees- that's why it's called a grove, silly," the grey and cream cat answered with a small laugh. "You can't have a grove without trees- the trees are what makes it a grove!" They were nearly there, and really should be a little more quiet, but Feathersong couldn't bring herself to scold the excited molly again. She didn't want to ruin Streampaw's good mood; it was infectious, making Feathersong herself happy and excited for training. "You'll have an opportunity to catch a squirrel," she promised to feline, before nodding as the other agreed to calm down. Good, she wouldn't have to tell her to be quiet again. She didn't say anything else, as they had now arrived to the grove.

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by Doodle

Feathersong gave a soft smile to her apprentice. "Streampaw, you're not strange," she immediately replied. "Trust me, every apprentice is excited about learning to hunt." When the younger molly looked around, Feathersong followed her gaze, trying to see the world from Streampaw's eyes. She was the tabby's first apprentice, and old memories were already resurfacing for the warrior. Feathersong had been just as excited as her apprentice now was in the early stages of training... she had just gotten sidetracked at the end with a tom, that was all. A tom that ended up fathering your kits, she thought before shaking her head and returning to the present. "Hmm," she hummed at first to the she-cat's question, before blinking rapidly. "Oh, perhaps. It's not unusual to run into a clanmate there, but we shouldn't run into anyone who isn't from Skyclan. If we do, we'll have to chase them off... but if that does happen- which it probably won't- then you've got to let me handle it, okay?" Feathersong was a patient cat, and wasn't annoyed by her apprentice at all. Her main concern was that Streampaw listened to her in order to keep the feline safe. She was her responsibility, after all.

"Of course there will be trees- that's why it's called a grove, silly," the grey and cream cat answered with a small laugh. "You can't have a grove without trees- the trees are what makes it a grove!" They were nearly there, and really should be a little more quiet, but Feathersong couldn't bring herself to scold the excited molly again. She didn't want to ruin Streampaw's good mood; it was infectious, making Feathersong herself happy and excited for training. "You'll have an opportunity to catch a squirrel," she promised to feline, before nodding as the other agreed to calm down. Good, she wouldn't have to tell her to be quiet again. She didn't say anything else, as they had now arrived to the grove.

Streampaw looked around the grove, her eyes lighting up as she saw all the tree's around her. "It's so beautiful!" gasped Streampaw, being as calm as she could. The apprentice looked up at Feathersong with a serious face. So far I've been keeping my excitement inside, since she told me to calm down the first time. Streampaw kept her cool even after she heard a couple of Squiirels in the tree's above them.

[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Ennard

Streampaw looked around the grove, her eyes lighting up as she saw all the tree's around her. "It's so beautiful!" gasped Streampaw, being as calm as she could. The apprentice looked up at Feathersong with a serious face. So far I've been keeping my excitement inside, since she told me to calm down the first time. Streampaw kept her cool even after she heard a couple of Squiirels in the tree's above them.

"Yes, it is," Feathersong agreed, seating herself down and looking at Streampaw. "Now, I want you to tell me what you can sense- what you smell, what you hear." Yes, this was a rather good approach to hunting, at least it was for the molly when she was learning how to hunt. Next, she could check out Streampaw's hunting crouch and touch that up a bit, and then... then, Streampaw could try to catch this squirrel she apparently wanted to find so badly. A small smile reappeared on the molly's face- seeing the younger feline so happy made her joyous in return. Plus, so far everything was going great! The normally excited apprentice was even staying calm- and the warrior was thankful for the effort being put into that. I have a wonderful apprentice, the tabby thought thankfully. What if she had to mentor a cat she didn't get along with? That would have been simply awful- so she was quite happy that the cat she was paired with ended up being like another daughter to Feathersong.

[Charmer]

@Duskflight

Shinefang set his paws outside of Skyclan camp for the first time in what felt like ages. He honestly hadn't expected this job to be so busy, but there were injured cats to tend to, queens and kits to check on, and deputies to have long and tense conversations with. As a warrior, he had ventured out of camp daily, and he'd been busy most of the time then as well, but this was different. As a warrior, he hardly ever had to rush to eat, but now even that little bit of free time was hard to come by. He'd been meaning to go herb gathering for some time and now finally had a moment to do that, but he lingered outside the camp entrance just looking over the trees and think woods of the territory. His heart ached a little. It was lovely, but it wasn't the Skyclan that had been his home since he was a nursing kit. He did believe coming here was a good thing. It was good to be near the other clans, and he was grateful for his blooming freindships with Daydream and Juniperpaw, but still, sometimes he just wished he could visit his kits grave one more time. It was too late now, he supposed. He would never sit beside them again and tell them storied until he joined Starclan and became a twinkly foxheart himself. He sighed heavily and got to his feet, supposing he ought to get going. There would only be a few good harvests before leafbare.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Doodle

Feathersong followed shortly behind her eager apprentice at a fast trot, not yet at a full sprint. "Streampaw, slow it down- you don't know where you're going," the molly scolded lightly, however it was noticeable that she wasn't angry as her pale yellow eyes glimmered with amusement. "I know you're excited, but if you run around like that you'll scare all the prey off." The tabby cat finally caught up to the younger feline, resting her tail on Streampaw's shoulders for a brief second. "Now, I know this is all fairly new to you still,but you need to remember that I'm in charge here, okay? It's important that you listen- we don't want to run into any trouble." While they were out of camp, Streampaw would be Feathersong's responsibility and the motherly she-cat wasn't about to let the new apprentice get hurt. Just the thought of running into a fox made her blood run cold; she had only been Streampaw's apprentice for a short time but already she felt like a second mother to the young cat. "Now, follow me. I know of a nice grove that should have a decent amount of prey, even during this time of year. You're bound to make a catch!" Eager herself to train her apprentice, the grey and cream cat started off in the direction of their destination.

Marble's eyes snapped open at a voice- a familiar voice. She internally groaned. One second, she had shut her eyes for once second! And of course that was when the tom decided to show up. Afterlife forbid she actually have a moment of peace. The mottled molly debated upon just ignoring the other, pretending that he wasn't there, until she finally turned towards him with a heavy sigh. "Palmettoleaf," she acknowledged, looking him over. Her eyes got caught on his piercing green ones, and she narrowed her orbs skeptically. What was he doing here? Had he come specifically looking for her? Surely he had, if he came to this area when Palmettoleaf knew this was her spot. I should have never shown him this place, she thought with a scrunch of her nose. The molly wasn't exactly good at hiding when she was thinking about something- she was sure to do something to draw attention to the fact that there was something going on in her mind. But, if he questioned her on it she wouldn't answer. That was something she should have done the first time around meeting the tom- not answer his questions.

"Yes, that was intended," the molly answered rudely. Her tail waved slowly behind her, and she tucked her paws in to her chest; she was uncomfortable, and if Palmettoleaf were to pick up on these actions he would know it. "What do you want?" She finally spoke to him, rather than waiting for him to talk. Marblestrike figured that perhaps, if she was rude enough, the tom would have enough and leave. It had worked in the past, hadn't it? Her mind flashed to their last encounter- so maybe it hadn't worked so well with this particular tom, but she could hold hope that it would now. She really wasn't sure what it is that the warrior did want from her. How was it that he didn't run away as soon as she blurted out her life story? How was it that he wasn't done with her, now, that she'd been avoiding him like green cough and acting as rude as a Syndicate cat? Frankly, Palmettoleaf baffled the once-loner. She just couldn't figure him out, couldn't understand his motive behind his actions. Perhaps that was what scared her away from him; she couldn't decide if he was genuinely there to help or if he had his own secret agenda.

Oh, goodness, thinking about it now was already stressing the molly out. Shifting around, Marblestrike tore her gaze away from the tom's, realizing she had been staring into his eyes for a time longer than acceptable. That was certainly awkward. A small cough left her, and she cleared her throat in hopes that the awkward tension would leave. Tension was fine with her, but awkwardness? She just couldn't handle it. Again Marblestrike wished she would be able to swim- she could have hopped into the water and swam away from this whole confrontation of sorts. But no, she couldn't do that- unless she wanted to freeze herself, which she didn't. No, Marble didn't like the cold. Hated it, in fact, like she hated the unknown. With a cross look and another snap of her tail, she waited for the tom to speak- or leave, whichever came first.

"I know I'm growing on you, Marblestrike." Palmettoleaf winked in an overconfident manner, before settling down in a more comfortable position near the she cat. Still, just out of respect, he gave her a decent amount of room. He figured she deserved that much. Besides, from the signals she was giving off, if Palmettoleaf wasn't mistaken he would say that she wasn't too happy to see him. That, and her tone of voice told him that. Maybe he should show some respect for the she cat. "What do I want?" If you were listening very closely, you might be able to hear some amount of what sounded like anger in the tom's voice. He was frustrated. The question bothered him. Marblestrike had practically disappeared, or had been avoiding him - whatever was going on, and he had been worried about her, and now that he had found her, she was asking him what he wanted?

Something was clearly wrong, and Palmettoleaf was worried about his friend. "Fine. Since you ask, I want to know why you've been avoiding me." The tom asked, his tail curled around his paws neatly. His eyes were narrowed into almost - not quite, but almost slits, as he examined the she cat. It was hard to stay positive and friendly when he had thought they were friends before, only to find out that oh, whatever he'd been thinking? It was a lie. "And don't lie, because this-" He gestured to the area around them that he knew was her safe spot - "is avoiding me." The tom finished with a satisfied smile. He was almost proud of himself for figuring this out, but he was pretty sure Marblestrike was nowhere near impressed with his guess. She seemed angry with him. What right did she have to be angry with him?! He'd just been trying to find her, trying to spend some time with the former loner he thought of as his friend, but she was avoiding him like he was a sickness.

Like he was going to hurt her if she allowed herself to think of him as a friend, and Palmettoleaf didn't like that. He didn't want Marblestrike to fear him. He wanted her to think of him as a friend, and yet it seemed that every time he was friendly, something went wrong. Even last time things had gone wrong. He had learned more about Marblestrike then he had ever thought he would on a first meeting, but she still didn't trust him. Even with knowing all that, and wanting to be her friend so badly, she wouldn't just... believe that he wasn't going to hurt her. It was like she had something against him trying to give her happiness. What had happened? He knew about Slip, and he knew that she had been close to the tom, but wasn't there a way to move on even if it hurt? She needed to trust again. Open herself up. Change and make friends, because in the end, it would only help her - right?