Warrior Cats Online - SkyClan Clearing

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Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil (Post 216661)

The ebony molly blinked at Scorchedpetal's response. A small yet warm smile grew on her maw. "Well it's wonderful to see that Cliffheart has found happiness," Auroraflame remarked, chuckling softly. Pride for her friend swelled in her. To find happiness with such misfortunes was a hard thing to do. But Cliffheart had done it, with the help of Scorchedpetal. If she was being honest, the deputy didn't know Scorchedpetal too well, but she kenw enough. The ebony feline knew she was a kind, caring cat. The somali's next words were words of joy. "That's wonderful! Congratulations! Kit's are always a gift to the clan," Auroraflame purred. To know there would soon be miniature Cliffheart's and Scorchedpetal's running around warmed the molly's heart. This was some of the best news she had heard for a while. A lot of the other news she heard was related to the cruel cats of the Dusk Syndicate.

Scorchedpetal smiled at her happy response, and gave a purr. She seemed excited, not as much as Cliffheart but then again, she wasn't the father of the litter. Purring in slight amusement at her little though she was happy. Everything about this day was wonderful. Cliffheart was ecstatic, Auroraflame seemed to approve, being his friend more than his deputy, and she was going to have kits. Everything seemed to be purrfect indeed. "Thank you, Auroraflame." she meowed, a big smile on her maw. She hoped she could get to know the deputy more, as she seemed so tough when she was working but when she was talking and just strolling, she seemed to have flipped into a kind, caring molly. Scorchedpetal wasn't the one to judge. She liked "educated" guesses. "I hope you come visit the nursery when they're born." she purred, more jokish than serious. Although, for Cliffheart, she did hope the deputy came and saw the kits. She knew the two were good friends, more than she was with Auroraflame. So, for Cliffheart's sake of added assurance- seeing as to how he believes he wouldn't be a good father- she hoped the deputy popped in.

Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashley/Kestrel (Post 215306)

Morningheart gave the tom a small smile, satisfied that someone had agreed to a patrol. "Excellent! Thank you for your cooperation." The cream tom clicked his tongue, arching his brow as he scanned the camp for anyone gathering for the patrol he called. A small tap of his claws against the ground, and he addressed Sagemist with a grunt. "It appears no one else is willing to do something for their Clan, so we'd ought to go." The warrior watched the dark tom carerfully, tailtip quivering as he shifted his copper gaze over to the bramble entwined exit of camp."Where do you think we should head?" Morningheart twitched his whiskers. "Before we go, may I ask what is your name, sir?" The masculine feline arched his back momentarily, giving himself a good stretch before sitting still.

With an over exaggerated sigh at the high-pitch of the other; clearly indicating that they were excited. His velvety audits swivelled atop of refined cranium, whilst the darkly-pigmented feline scanned the clearing once more. Allowing for his brows to furrow, the brute was about to speak up; but it obviously seemed as if the other cat0 had other ideas. Sagemist clenched his lips shut again, but still listened to the tom's string of words. It was hard to admit, but Sagemist was rather proud of the male for being able to say exactly the same as himself. Yes, in fact, the black warrior was merely a few moments away from stating the same information as the other tom had, and he was confused as to whether that was something to be happy about or something to be wary of. Who knows, maybe he has some strange mind-reading abilities? the feline spoke to himself, inwardly, although he rolled his optics; which may have seemed strange from the other's point of view.
Shaking his temple to rid it of the many thoughts now whirring, the atramentous tom-cat allowed for a soft grumble to erupt from deep within his bodice. Cocking a brow upwards, he listened onwards to the male. With his banner fluctuating in the air and auds twitching around upon their axis, sagemist now allowed for himself to follow the same movements that the other had. Ensconcing himself upon the earth, the black brute finally found a question being flung at him. He immediately felt pride rush into his body, however it soon dampened away and the male briskly responded in a tone as monotonous as ever.
"I'm called Sagemist, what about you?" he threw the other a rather strange glance, before continuing, "I think the further we head into the territory, the more we'll end up getting. I heard the prey was good nearer the boundaries though."

Re: SkyClan Clearing

@wolybro

Small broken diamonds beamed from the crusted snow that remained in patches all around. The pale morning lightly sent them shining without a mire thought of any form of punishment in doing such things. The long haired warrior pushed his way out of the warriors den his pale green light began to travel around the clearing in search for something to do. Maybe he could possibly find his friend and see about a little walk. Or getting something to eat to silence the protest going on in his stomach. Letting out a faint sigh he gave his head a small shake before he settled on the idea of getting food. Shaking out his mess of fur he began to make his way to the freshkill pile. Nosing through was was left over he settled on a small bird. Turning around he then began to find someone to share with. Knowing himself he knew just as well that he wasn't going to finish this thing by himself and to prevent any waste he decided he might as well share with a lovely friend of his. The only problem that needed checked off was where he could possibly find one up at this hour in the morning.

Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by turtle (Post 216936)

Maplespider slipped into the clearing, huffing out breaths of air that created a fog around her. She was an athletic cat, liking to keep herself busy at times. A run in the trees under the crisp morning, as the moon turned into the sun with a pinkish yellow sky, feeling the cool air make its way into her ginger fur, was a nice way to wake herself up for the day. Blue hues scanned the clearing. Her stomach growled for food, seeing as she hadn't eaten before she had left camp that morning for her run, she was rather hungry. Her ears perked seeing one of her friends, Turtlefern, making her way over to him. She was much taller then the other tom, seeing as her long limbs gave her some height. "Hey there," she smiled. greeting him. She was never a talker, not needing to say many words for her friends to get the point. She was more quiet and laid back then her friend, which is what probably drew her to him in being friends. "good morning so far yea?"

Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noire (Post 215312)

{Awww, I thought you forgot about me ;w;. Kidding, kidding take your time!}

Splotchfeather looked around the clearing, hoping to find some sad face she could muse. After all, it was her job to cheer up anyone who was depressed. Who was sad. Who was on the verge of breaking down. It was what she was here for. Though, she always pried a little too strong. Something, she needed to maintain. Learn to maintain, but it was hard to maintain such energy in a small body of hers. She needed to run, jump around, smell the flowers, follow the butterflies, sprang after the birds. Anything to keep her from wasting her time and sitting all day.

It wasn’t her forte. Though at times, she enjoyed a little peace and quiet. It was nothing wrong with it, but she always been a little..rowdy for some taste. Boisterous, insane--most likely. Anything of the sort. But they would never understand. These other cats would never understand the love she had for laughing. The joy that shadowed on her heart whenever she was able to help someone who gave up on hope.

Hope was important. Splotchfeather always clung to it. She knew fate was never in her hands, and at one point she decided that Starclan given up on her, but she still believed in it. This calico feline goes around, prancing about, sometimes singing or humming when she lost everything that she held dearly. When she lost contact with her first brother--was he still alive? When he mother decided to run after her stolen kit, and forced Splotchfeather and her youngest brother to stay on the other side--she was never coming back. That monster struck her too hard, and when...inevitably she lost her youngest brother. So, Splotchfeather knew what it felt like to be alone. She was always alone, but she never spoke on this. As long as others didn’t feel so alone, she was okay with that.

And, as she was humming, lost in her own thoughts. The feline traveled with her head down. She wondered if Greystep ever talked to this feline...this friend he had been telling her about. Splotchfeather carried a vivid memory, and instantly her brain shot out Owlwing! Yeah, she wondered if Greystep talked to Owlwing, if anything happened between them. She had hoped that he was happy at least, and she figured she would stop by and see him whenever she could. He was getting older, and she wasn’t getting any younger...she had to see him.

Yet, life was going...slow in a sense. At least to her, since she never caught a break. That she was always moving too fast. Going here and there. Boundless energy, and most warriors couldn’t even stand to walk a distance. It was truly amazing in the least how she would act. How she would always smile, and talk endless with someone when they needed her the most. And, at times she would help the the queens settle down their kits. It was the only time where she would settle down; in the company of small kits. Either telling them stories or humming a lullaby to help them sleep. Maybe even fall asleep herself.

When was the last time she slept? Splotchfeather brought her head back up, placing a bright smile on her muzzle as she shouted hellos to everyone she walked past. One thing she knew she wanted to be was the sun that lit up everyone’s morning. Especially the ones who were down, and there were many of them. Too many to count. Too many in hiding. Too many she promised herself that she would seek out.

And, at the perfect timing, the she-cat shouted a hello to mostly white tom with patches of a brown tabby. He looked...unhealthy in a sense. Physically, well as far as she could see, he looked well, but she could tell on the inside that something seemed to be bothering him. The she-cat tilted her head, pondering on if she should go up and talk to him. ‘’Isn’t that what I wanted to do all day? Talk to someone?’’ Cheer them up, patch them up, and glow down at them, hoping that they would be happy the next time she ran into them.

The she-cat sprang to her paws and she ran into him, having to stop herself before she made a horrible impact on the both of them. She stopped, probably too close to him, and quickly backed away, laughing. ‘’Hi!’’ She shouted, happily to the tom, her eyes sparkling their yellow hues. ‘’I’ve seen that you looked sad...unless you wanted to be alone...or planning something...or depressed...but whatever!’’ She stopped her rambling because she knew once she started, she wouldn’t be able to stop, and she didn’t want the tom to get angry at her--frightened of her like Greystep at been. And, she was yelled at a few times for being an idiot---which hurt, yet she smiled brightly because she knew every cat was entitled to their own opinion. It was weird that sometimes she was broken down, knocked apart, but constantly smiled like nothing could ruin her spirit. There was just so much a she-cat could take...she still smiled brightly at him, inwardly her smile faltering. She wondered how he would respond. Would he accept her? Run her away? Completely ignore her existence? It wouldn’t be the first time, nor the last time. Sometimes the she-cat was needed, and other times, she wasn’t wanted. ‘’...Just thought I’d stop by and see what I can do to cheer up your day.’’

Grousestar tried his best to speak to every one of his clanmates, making sure that they were doing okay, that everything was fine, but unfortunately Skyclan was a growing clan and it was nearly impossible to speak with everyone. Some cats were left out. Yarrowpounce was one them. Once his half-brother Lemonstar had all but disappeared, and then Willowrain too, he was truly left with no one. He had no one to speak to, no one to connect with, he was left completely and utterly alone.

Now one might ask, But how can you feel so alone in such a busy and loving camp? and they're right to question that, but the truth was, they always seemed to forget about him. Because he was quiet, kept to himself and was out hunting a majority of the time. Well, not any more, but if he were him usual self, that's exactly what he would be doing, he loved hunting, it was the one thing he excelled at, that's why he got the suffix 'pounce'.
And now that he was in the camp, cats seemed to walk past him as if he wasn't actually there. It was horrendous and it made Yarrowpounce's gut churn with unhappiness and loneliness.

Why don't you just go up and try to talk to someone? Why don't you be the one to initiate conversation? Cats might ask him, and the answer was, because it wasn't all that easy. It wasn't in his nature to be a conversation starter and certainly not now, he's beginning to draw into himself, become reclusive. He's tried to start conversations but they just drop dead like a piece of prey after a few minutes, leaving the two cats in an awkward silence until ultimately the other leaves and he's left alone again.

Sighing out, he lays his head on the ground, feeling his heart beginning to ache again but he had cried all of his tears, he couldn't cry any more, all he could do was ache and starve.
He didn't have an apprentice, he no longer had parents, his half sibling was gone, he had no friends, no mate, no kits, nothing and his old mentor was absent, so truly, there was nothing. He'd talk to Grousestar but the poor tom was always busy, and truthfully it'd still be hard to start a conversation with a cat as charismatic as him.

Yarrowpounce wanted to clench his eyes shut and go to sleep again, at least in his sleep he could imagine he had cats he could talk to, or that he felt well and happy, but he knew he couldn't do that. So he blinked.
You need to get food. His mind squeaked again, his muscles tensing as if he truly were about to get up to go to the pile before they simply relaxed and still he lay where he's been all day. I'll get up in a little bit. A lie he always told himself.

His yellow gaze slowly drifted around the camp, actually looking at the cats there, not distracted by his thoughts, wanting to feel their happiness but unable to, unable to even bring a small smile to his muzzle as he saw some kits playing near the nursery.
I wanted kits..
That thought brought back the aching in his heart tenfold, causing him to bury his muzzle in his paws, a stifled sob escaping him, but no tears falling from his eyes. It wasn't fair.. It wasn't fair to have everything ripped away.

He wanted to stop, but the sobs kept wracking his body, a few tears being squeezed out, wetting the fur around his eyes, his claws sinking into the dirt as he tried to force them to stop. And eventually they did, his head turning to its side so that his cheek was pressed against his paws, his eyes slowly opening, they were glassy with freshly shed tears and the corners of his mouth still turned down and slightly quivering as if he were about to start again. But he wouldn't. His eyes caught the sight of a cat walking towards him. Sniffling he would try to straighten up and look like he was able to talk to them. He was desperate at this point and partly didn't care what he looked like. He just wanted companionship.

"H-Hello." Spoke the tom quietly, having to clear his throat to make himself sound a little louder, his eyes glancing away before he forced himself to look back at her. Cats liked when you made eye contact with them. "I..."
Should I tell this cat..? No, it only makes others feel awkward. They don't want to deal with my emotions.
Putting on a smile, he shook his head a little. "N-No, I'm um.. I'm fine... B-But I wouldn't mind t-talking with, with, uh, y-you!" He said quickly, as if in a desperate way, his eyes wide and looking up at her, his body tense as if he were scared in some way.
Please don't leave, please don't leave..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liquoris (Post 212711)

At his words, Moonfrost felt a wave of emotions crash down upon her. Relief and shock were among those emotions, and the light she-cat stole a glance at her leader for a second. "Y-you would?" she asked. She cursed herself secretly for asking such a mouse-brained question, and even more-so at how she asked it; nervously. What did the feline have to be nervous about? Grousestar probably just didn't want to lose any of his clanmates, end of story. Right? Or maybe... 'What if...' she thought. She hypothetically shook her head free of the thought. 'Don't be mouse-brained. Why would Grousestar want an ex-kittypet as a...' she couldn't bring herself to say it, even in her own mind. There was just something about that word that made her freeze up in anxiety, but not the bad kind. It had always made her giddy and anticipating the next time she spoke to the tom she thought of it for. Grousestar had taught her much when she joined the clan, and she would always appreciate it, but what if there was something more there? Should she act upon it? What if there was nothing and she ruined their friendship? Moonfrost simply decided to stay where she was, waiting for Grousestar's answer. He seemed so calm and relaxed. She wondered what was going on inside his head.

Suddenly Grousestar felt a wave of emotions crash over his friend at his words, his head tilting slightly as he watched it play out on her face. Was it really not expected what he said? Did Moonfrost truly expect him to say that he wouldn't care if he ever saw her again? He wasn't the type of cat who would ever feel that way, and if he did feel that way, he would never say it to them, not unless it was an enemy, but she was a clanmate.
"Well of course I'd want to see you again Moonfrost, you are a close friend of mine, it would be completely ridiculous of me to send you off on, and excuse me if this hurts, but suicide mission to find your family again. I truly do care about you and your well being, just as I do with every member of this clan." he meowed in a rather matter-of-fact manner, the tip of his tail flicking before curling to his side. There was a small pause before he nodded and looked into her eyes directly.
"I truly do care about you Moonfrost. Please don't forget that."

Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by j a k e (Post 216913)

Morningheart blinked in slightly confusion at the inked tom's sudden eyeroll, and he twitched his whiskers. Was he rolling his eyes at him, or something? The cream tabby didn't comment on it, and focused his copper hues on Sagemist. "Well, nice to meet ya, Sagemist. I'm Morningheart!" The cream tabby puffed out his chest ever so slightly, paws kneading the ground as he listened to the male's words with interest. The tom was trying to be as optimistic as he possibly could, but the monotone black smoke was putting him off slightly, was he annoying him or something

The cream tabby nodded along to Sagemist's words, clicking his tongue in though. "Yeah! Sounds like a plan!" Morningheart offered the longhaired tom a dashing smile, waving his tail in the air as he stood to his full height, looking at the sitting tom. "Are you ready to go out, or do you want to grab a bite to eat before we leave?"

Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashley/Kestrel (Post 218428)

Sagemist kept his main focus on the tom in front of him, although he couldn't help but get distracted a few times. His caudal appendage swayed over the grit-like earth; barely skimming over the dried-up foliage that lay submerged in the dirt. With his claws emerging from their shells, the grumpy tom-cat allowed for his mitts to fumble across the ground. His silvery whiskers twitching as he reverted his attention back to the other male, Sagemist's tufted audits flicked as he listened to his words. "Ah, nice to meet you too, Morningheart." he spoke in a more husky voice, nodding his cranium in an attempt at being friendly.

The midnight-kissed feline rose onto all-fours, wobbling slightly before catching his balance. With a weak flick of his tail, the brute let his lips fall open as a yawn was transmitted from his mouth. The male simply kept his mouth ajar, after allowing for the other tom to speak, "Honestly, I'm not too peckish, but it seems like a good idea to have something to eat beforehand." the masculine spoke in a friendlier tone, allowing for a thin, lopsided smile to be returned to Morningheart. No matter how hard Sagemist tried to dislike him, Morningheart seemed to brighten up his saddened state.

Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by mony (Post 216698)

Auroraflame felt a wide grin planting itself firmly on her maw. She loved making others feel happy, it gave not only others joy, but joy for herself as well. The deputy loved the sight of smiles, and the sound of laughter. Both of them seemed to be contagious to her, for she always managed to catch onto them quickly. The deputy always tried to give everyone a smile. She knew that that one smile, could possibly be the only one they received that day. "I'll definitely be visiting," Auroraflame purred. Kits were adorable and they always gave everyone joy. She couldn't wait to see the kits that Scorchedpetal bore, although it would take a bit of getting used tom seeing multiply copies of Cliffheart and Scorchedpetal. "I wonder how Cliffheart will feel, seeing miniature copies of himself running around camp and causing trouble," Auroraflame remarked with a tone of amusement. She wondered if the tom had already spoken to Scorchedpetal about that. It was the kind of thing that the deputy would just expect him to do. That was what made him Cliffheart. Everyone had something that made them unique, whether it be their looks, personality, or something else.

Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duskflight (Post 217828)

For a moment, Splotchfeather stared at the tom. Her yellow hues doe-like as she analyzed him physically. She seemed to be aloof, just staring at him without saying a word. She was contemplating whether or not to question him. He looked a bit confused. As if, maybe, he had been crying, but the she-cat quickly dismissed the thought. She was already standing in one place for far too long and needed to move her paws, so she hopped to her paws, mustering the biggest smile she could. ‘’That’s great! It is a nice day out here, isn’t it? The welcome of new-leaf...finally, and I thought I would had perished during No-leaf! But starclan’s for us all, and it’s amazing to have our ancestors looking down on us, don’t you think? Oh, I’m sorry! You probably don’t believe in starclan.-’’ The she-cat noticed her incessant rambling, and stopped to look away for a moment.

One thing that did click in her mind at the last moment was his stammering. Her ears perked at this and she gave him an odd look. He was definitely acting like Greystep--stuttering, seeming nervous, but that was what she picked up from his first impression. The calico sat down across from him, delicately bringing up a paw to give it a few gentle licks. She was pleased to hear that he didn’t mind talking to her. After all, she wouldn’t leave unless he chased her away. It wasn’t her forte to leave frowning faces.

Splotchfeather knew that deep within the soul of her heart that she had to be the sun that shined down on others’ lives. She knew that she had to help the helpless. She had to give hope to the hopeless. She had to make the stonest of hearts, crumble into dust, wishing to seek love again. Splotchfeather wished to be the definition of love. She could go around camp and dot on every cat that needed cheering up.

And, this tom...this tom in front of her seemed to need her. Maybe not need her, but she felt that he needed her. Like she felt every sad face needed her. As she put her paw down, she gave him a gentle smile. ‘’I might be scaring you off, and I just met you!’’ She hopped to her paws, wanting to bounce around. It was one of her weird quirks. Instead of running or trotting, she would hop on her paws, feeling herself as light as a feather. It was quite an amusing sight. ‘’It’s okay...I wouldn’t be surprised if you decided to leave,’’ she adds, her voice peppy, but her heart felt a pang. In all honesty, this she-cat did not like to be left alone. She did not like when other cats decided to leave. Then again, it was inevitable for it to happen and instead of pushing it away, Splotchfeather learned to accept it.

She learned to accept it, like death. Something that was bound to happen.

Splotchfeather looked around, her eyes fleeting to every cat and every corner. When she wasn’t moving excessively, she had to move something. Usually when she stopped bouncing around, she would move her eyes to different corners, her smile wide. She loved looking at the other cats, and she felt her heart warming at the sight. The calico placed her eyes firmly back on the tom in front of her, her tail thumping in small patterns behind her. ‘’Eh, New-leaf means more kits. How they quite amusing don’t you agree? Especially when they just want to cuddle, and you could sing to them, you could tell them stories, you can...watch them grow. I love being in the nursery and helping out the kits. And, singing to them, and telling them stories, and watching them interact with the wor-’’ Splotchfeather interrupted herself, her ears shot up in alarm. ‘’Wow! I haven’t even formally introduced myself to you. How rude of me!’’ Splotchfeather rolled her eyes at herself, aggravated for a moment before she hopped to her paws again, brushing her tail alongside her. ‘’I’m Splotchfeather, and it’s nice to meet you!’’ She says, her smile widening.

The tom didn’t look harmful. He looked quite normal to her, though she couldn’t read his mind. She couldn’t figure out what was truly wrong with him. She did notice him on the lanky side, and wondered if he was eating. The she-cat knew it wasn’t her place to ask him these questions, but her curiosity got the best of her. Before she could even stop herself, she asked him, ‘’Are you eating? You look hungry. Are you pale? Do you want me to go get you something from the fresh kill pile?’’ She was most likely prying into his business, and she didn’t want him to feel triggered. Splotchfeather once again shut her maw and awaited the oncoming of her invitation to leave. For a long time the female felt tense, but she settled herself down in a quiet stance. She never thought about what she said mostly, but it was something that she had to learn. ‘’Sorry!’’ She squeaked, and cringed at the way her voice pitched. ‘’I need to learn how to shut up sometimes.’’ She said more quietly, with a soft giggle.

Re: SkyClan Clearing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lonestar23 (Post 214716)

The grey tom was somewhat embarassed that he had frightened the younger cat. His ears went back against his head, but he didn't say anything. Being older, not by much he assumed, he wanted to set a better example then the one he had for the brown cat. "S-su-sor-soh-suh-sor-ry. Sorry," He mewed, his ears flattening themselves down even further. Of course embarassment played a huge part in this, and regret. Why hadn't he just remained still? No way to frighten younger cats there. Just sit still and pretend to be some sort of a...rock, or a stationary object. That was how he reacted when he was frightened. As for how he reacted in a situation like this, well...normally breaking down was a pretty normal response for the tom. But not this time. This time he was more mortified then anything else, frozen with regret and worry that something could go badly wrong. What else could he do, though? He'd already frightened Acornflash. Made a bad first impression by hiding away. Cautiously, somewhat clumsily, he looked as though he were trying to make contact with the younger cat before moving away in a shuffling manner, muttering something to himself as he did so. There was no stammer when Greystep was talking to himself.
　
There was no...anything, really. It was more of a quiet murmur then anything else, just to calm himself down. It worked, too! At least...he hoped it worked. The tom's confusion at his words puzzled Greystep. Why wouldn't he be mean, was the real question-- wasn't it? That was just how the older cat's mind worked. After moons of being scared, and alone, it was only natural that he would have some suspicion. Probably would have been stranger had he not. Acornflash seemed like a decent cat, a nice cat, even... wasn't he? Realizing he still hadn't answered the question, Greystep swallowed slightly. "B-be-buh-because I'm w-wu-weh-weird. Because I'm weird." He mewed somewhat stubbornly. This was something the large tom had been told often. He was weird. Abnormal. He wasn't the type of cat that should be living in SkyClan with the others, going on patrol and...fighting. The thought sent shudders down his spine. Fighting. He hated fighting. It scared him, to be honest-- which was strange. He was quite strong, and when he did get up the nerve to fight, did so very well. And yet he was still scared. "L-lots of c-cats," The tom shrugged. His stammer had almost stopped now, which he was glad about.
　
Just as long as things kept going in this direction, nice and easy, he would be fine. Just as long as no one mentioned an uncomfortable subject, Greystep would be able to keep his vocal cords under control. "H-have y-you e-ever seen a D-Dusk Syndicate c-cat?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. He'd seen one once. Embarassingly enough, they hadn't even been close to him and he had been terrified. The thought that they might soon join the Gathering, coming to the safe place where he felt like the Clans really were able to connect scared him. Forbidden love sometimes started at Gatherings, and he worried that someone from SkyClan might fall in love with a Dusk Syndicate cat. The idea of that! It was horrible. Who would ever want to be with someone so...scary? He wondered what would make that happen. And yet, the Dusk Syndicate cat that he had seen had looked quite friendly. Had he not been such a coward, he might have been tempted to go and say hello. But he had learned that friendly-looking cats were not always good cats. During the battles with the Clans, for instance, there had been some quite friendly looking cats who had attacked him. Had Acornflash fought in those battles? He might have asked, had he not been so...nervous.
　
　

Acornflash blinked, instantly shameful for his unconscious actions that may have caused Greystep's mortification. The one thing he'd been trying to avoid; making the other tom more nervous than he already seemed to be. "Oh, no, don't worry about it! Y-You're fine," he responded quickly, hoping to dismiss any other feelings of discomfort. He always seemed to do something, whether it be the slightest twitch of his paws or something he had said aloud that made others nervous. Really, it heightened how uncomfortable he was when he did something potentially embarrassing. At Greystep's shuffle towards him—and away from him—his head tilted slightly to the right, confusion flashing across his hues before it was replaced with a sudden realization. Acornflash was pretty comfortable with physical contact, but by the look of Greystep, it didn't seem like he would like it as much.

Despite his aversion to cats outside of SkyClan, he seemed perfectly fine talking to cats he hadn't even met before inside of the Clan. Maybe seeing them around often enough helped him to calm down before actually interacting with them. "Everybody's weird in some way!" he persisted, determined to make sure Greystep didn't feel completely out of place in his home. Acornflash assumed that he was born here, and even if he wasn't, he still had enough strength to keep living in the Clan with the very cats who teased him. "And besides, you shouldn't listen to those cats! They don't know what they're talking about," he meowed, a look of resolution on his face. He softened a little at Greystep's next question, but a faint shadow of Acornflash's decision to make him welcome lingered.

"Ah—no, I haven't. I don't really like outsiders..." Acornflash paused, looking at Greystep as if the brown tom was having a debate in his head and only the larger tom could resolve it. After a moment, he sighed and glanced to the right, opening his mouth to continue. He still seemed conflicted. "I can't really remember it well, 'cause it was a long time ago, but as a kit, this... cat... kidnapped me or something for a little while. She was kinda scary..." His speech had slowed somewhat; he was actually thinking about what he said this time around. For a moment after he had finished speaking, he looked almost defeated in some strange aspect. Straightening his shoulders, he added on to what he had said. "But! That's all in the past now, heh. I just don't really like cats who aren't in SkyClan, I guess. They kinda remind me of that cat." He had started talking much faster again, almost unbearably so. It was like whenever he wanted to fix something, he spoke too fast for some to comprehend, and when he got worried, he spoke at a normal pace. A little odd, of course, but then again, nothing seemed strange to Acornflash anymore.