Originally Posted by Duskflight (Post 222818) She's staring at me.. He thought conscientiously, shifting his weight a bit and awkwardly glancing away, feeling his skin heat up with embarrassment, his eyes glancing towards his visible ribs and immediately feeling ashamed. Oh Starclan she's not going to want to talk to me. She's going to take one look at me and decide she doesn't want to talk to me. Even when he wasn't looking at her Yarrowpounce felt her eyes boring into him, as if picking him apart, that's what it felt like to him, she was dissecting him, scrutinizing him. It felt terrible just sitting there as she stared, his pelt burning hotter and his heart thundering in his chest as if a badger were bearing down on him. How long was it going to last? Was she.. Just going to sit there and stare at him? Flattening his ears, he didn't dare bring his eyes back up to hers. And then she began talking, startling him and causing him to flinch slightly, looking up at her with wide eyes. The amount of talking was surprising too, it was like a river of word, causing him to blink a bit, trying to process what she was saying in his shock, but he only caught the tail end. "Oh, no, no, um I definitely believe in Starclan miss." He offered her an unsure smile before looking away as she did, flexing his paws a bit against the ground. But before he had looked away, he saw the odd look she had given him, gulping with a dry click in his throat. Cats always made that look when he spoke, he couldn't help that he got nervous when speaking to others and stumbled over his words sometimes and couldn't help saying too many 'ums' or 'uhs'. It wasn't a speech impediment, he simply just got so nervous it felt like he forgot how to speak normally. It got better the more he was able to talk with cats, but it's been so long since he has spoken to another cat. His gaze flickered back to her when she sat down, a bit of hope sparking in his chest. If she sat down, then that likely meant she wanted to stay and talk.. Right? Now it was his turn to stare at her, his yellow eyes nervously looking over her demeanor, searching for signs of agitation, annoyance or disinterest, any sign that she did not currently wish to be here speaking with him, but he couldn't find a single thing that would hint towards that. Not a single one. Either she was good at hiding it, or she truly was interested in speaking to him. He truly, truly hoped it was the latter. Splotchfeather might not know it, but he truly did need her, he was in a raging sea with no life raft, thrashing, trying to keep his head above water but was beginning to fail, growing exhausted. He needed something to keep him afloat or it truly would mean the end of him. All he needed was a nice cat. Someone to keep him talking, someone to give him hope, just someone. They could sit for hours on end not talking and he'd be happy, so long as he was in the company of someone who showed that they cared about him. He knew deep down in himself that he was sinking into a bottomless pit, he could feel the hopelessness rise in him, but he truly was helpless. The tom blinked again as she spoke, his ears perking up as he realized he was staring at her, his ears now folding back awkwardly and his gaze sliding to the side before he shook his head, almost a desperate look in his eyes as he looked back to her as she hopped to her paws. "N-No, you're not scaring me away, I-I promise!" And at her next comment he would promptly shake his head again. "I would never leave, I-I.. I like being able to talk to others. I-It's um.. It's nice to have company s-sometimes." His gaze fell to the ground, unable to stop himself from revealing that he really didn't get much company. Why would she care if you don't get much company, what if she's just talking to you because she's bored and doesn't have better cats to talk to? What if she actually doesn't care? His mind rambled on, but he tried to ignore it. But seeing her glance around at all of the other cats, he couldn't help but acknowledge what his mind was telling him. What if she really was just talking to him out of boredom, that he was a last ditch effort to stave away the emptiness that accompanied boredom, that he was just a last resort because she had no one else to talk to. Shortly after these thoughts struck him, she was looking back at him, his yellow gaze briefly catching hers before he looked back at the ground, hearing the restless thumps of her tail. Maybe she's just getting bored of me. His mind thought helplessly. Again, he heard her begin to speak, his head lifting slightly, bringing himself to look at her again, though it was certainly awkward how he kept looking at the ground or glancing away. Regardless, he was trying his best. However, what she was talking about struck a sore cord in his heart, his head nodding in agreement, but his lips quivering slightly, feeling the pain again, stabbing at him, almost making him want to cry, but he couldn't bring himself to do it in front of another cat. "Y-Yes.. Yes I l-like kits. He choked out quietly and forcing himself to take a breath to calm himself. Clearing his throat, he forced his mind off of the subject of kits to register her name, trying to offer a smile to her. "It's fine, i-it's.. It's um nice.. Nice to meet you Splotchf-feather. I'm uh.. Yarrowpounce." He would sit up in order to awkwardly dip his head to her, his front legs quivering a bit with the effort of sitting up. Then the question that caught him off-guard, his mouth opening but words not coming out. His yellow gaze looked at his sides again before he quietly huffed and hung his head. He couldn't lie to her, even if he didn't know her, he didn't like lying. But it was a painful thing to admit, that he wasn't eating. He didn't say anything for a long moment, not until after she squeaked out an apology, his gaze traveling back to her with a sigh. "N-No, you're... You're okay. No I haven't um.. I haven't been eating like I should be. I was um.. Just about to go get some f-food from the pile." Slowly he would stand, all of his legs quivering now. He hadn't gotten up all day, aside from this morning when he came to lay in that spot. His legs hurt, they were stiff and he wasn't even old. Heaving out another breath, he simply stood there. "D-Did you uh.. Want anything from the pile?"

‘’Yarrowpounce.’’ The she-cat repeated slowly with a nod of her head. The name was peculiar, but then again, her own name was peculiar. It was a cool type of peculiar. A lot better than her own name. Splotchfeather truly did not like her name. Whenever she did hear a cool name, she locked it away in her brain, hoping to use it to her inspiration someday. The she-cat let out a pleasant giggle. ‘’I like your name.’’ She wanted to know how it fit him, but she decided to ask that another time.

At the moment, he tried to get up to get food. Splotchfeather watched him with a genuine care in her eyes. She padded around him, circling him before she brushed past him gently, halting him in place. She seen the slight wobbling in his legs. She seen the sad look in his face, and she wondered what ever could had made him...depressed. It was her job to cheer up anyone in need. She loved to help and care for others, so she beckoned him to sit down. ‘’Why don’t you just relax? I can go get something for you.’’ She told him, smiling faintly. Cats like him, she had to be careful with. This she learned from Greystep. Splotchfeather couldn’t just use her outburst of energy to make new friends. She would scare them away.

The she-cat made a slight flinch, but she trotted towards the fresh-kill pile, looking back once to give the tom a bright smile, before her eyes settled onto the pile. Her tail swished behind her, slowly as she scanned around what he might like. ‘’I didn’t ask him what he wanted. Oh, yeah, that’s great, Splotchy. You’re so smart!’’ She scoffed at herself. A few cats had been staring at her, thinking she was being...delusional. Splotchfeather threw them a smile, showing her white fang before she decided to pick up a small grouse. ‘’Maybe he liked birds…’’ She says, feeling a slight uncertainty within her. The calico feline prodded at the dead bird with her paw to make sure it was in good condition. Upon doing this, she picked it an trotted back to the tom, setting the bird at his paws gently.

‘’I don’t know if you liked birds. They had squirrel, rats, some other creatures--oh goodness! I should had gotten you a squirrel, shouldn’t I? What if you don’t like birds! I did this all wrong! Maybe I should go get you a squirrel too just in case you don’t like the bird. You don’t have to eat the bird, I just didn’t want you wasting your energy when you’re literally in no shape to…’’ Splotchfeather let out a frustrated sigh, closing her eyes, and breathing. The feline had to remind herself that she needed to learn how to not ramble on about nonsense. Quietly she put her head down, giggling softly. ‘’You can tell me to shut up when you want me to.’’ She looked back up at him with her yellow orbs. Many times she wished that other cats would tell her that she was talking to much. She didn’t want to be known as a cat who talked others ears off!

Splotchfeather was somewhat liked by the clan. She gave a sweet smile to everyone she passed, and she always walked with a bounce in her step. Her voice was just as sweet and caring, not to mention that her voice was needed to sing the blues away whenever someone needed a light at the end of the tunnel. The she-cat was a caregiver. Everyone she came into contact with, she accepted them into her heart, no matter how much they were annoyed with her.

As her eyes roam over Yarrowpounce, she wondered how he even got...that way. She wanted to ask, but knew it wasn’t right to pry. So, instead, she sat down, wrapping her tail loosely around her paws. ‘’Don’t worry about me, I’m not hungry.’’ She rolled her eyes playfully. ‘’I have enough food to last me for days.’’ She giggled, hinting at her stomach. Though she wasn’t that large of a cat. Her fur was thick, soft, and downy. This she-cat did love to eat though, and she never turned down a meal. So, when she did turn down this meal, she only did it so that she can be close to him, and tend to anything that he might need.

After all, she felt a small feeling inside her that Yarrowpounce needed her. She would do everything in her power to loosen him up, for him to talk to her smoothly--happily. For him to embrace her welcoming herself into his life. As she stared down at him, she knew she had a lot to work on with the tom. She just hoped that he was an easier case than with Greystep. That wasn’t easy at all. The calico let out a giggle, remembering the way she tried to get the older warrior to open up to her. He had been a stuttering mess, but that was alright. Splotchfeather was happy to have him as one of her best friends.

‘’You have to eat everyday. Morning, midday, and night.’’ She advised him. It was ashamed that he looked unhealthy. An unhealthy type of skinny. She didn’t want to see him with ribs and bones. ‘’And, if I see you around and you haven’t ate, I will force something down that throat of yours.’’ She says, her voice full of playfulness. She wasn’t going to necessarily force food down his throat. That would be plain wrong, but she would make sure he ate and that he would get stronger daily.

It was abnormal, she could feel that he might think this. That this feline, just met him, and was already forcing him to change some things in his life. Splotchfeather did not know what he was going through in his time. She wasn’t around for that, but she wanted to be there for him now. ‘’I don’t see how you cannot eat though...Food is amazing.’’ She sheepishly grinned and giggled. In order to get on a lighter subject, the she-cat settled herself down, so that she was laying on her stomach. She folded her paws neatly in front of her. ‘’So, how was your morning mister Yarrowpounce?’’ She tilted her head slightly, giving him her utmost attention. So far, so good. She wasn’t bouncing off every corner like she normally would. It felt nice to sit around, though her tail still thumped slightly from her lack of movement.

A large smooth-coated silver tom bounced happily off from a side of a mountain. He looked back once, seeing a few rocks tumble after him, and he jumped to the next rocky surface. It was never easy for most to climb rocky mountains or, well, run along them. That did not matter to Umbraice because he felt like he ruled the world. Everything he went across, he owned. Figuratively. He knew being a leader was a hard job in itself. He knew that Grousestar was busy everyday, and perhaps never landed a break. And, what about the deputy? Auroraflame was a hard worker, she was pretty kind to from what he observed of her. He wondered if she ever was cut a break? The tom doubted it because high ranks were always busy. High ranks weren’t his forte if he couldn’t have fun every day.

As for right now, the tom wasn’t enduring fun. More so, he was being reckless. Hopping on each rock with ease, and watching others fall around him. He moved his head in order to not be hit by one. ‘’That was a close one.’’ He grumbles before he hopped on the last big rock before he would make it to the ground. Even then, he stopped for a moment to embrace the world around him. Green pastures, yellow pastures, mountains, trees, flowers--all the above that amazed him. How come he haven’t been doing this often? Just allowing himself to admire his surroundings and to take notice where he was. ‘’Wow.’’ was his simple reply. A reply that would had been longer if he hadn’t heard the crack of another rock falling. This one was a larger rock, and before he could allow himself to get hurt, he instantly jump off the last rock and started running back to the clearing as fast as he could. ‘’Later, suckers!’’ He called back, overjoyed with the recent adventure he took.

Umbraice loved living on the daring side. It was apart of his athletic ability. The tom had succeeded in learning the power of running sideways along a rocky, tough surface. At first, he banged his head a couple times, and most likely almost died, but he pulled through, and found himself doing it often.

Just last week, the tom was attack by a venomous snake. Perhaps, it was his fault for prodding it too much, asking for trouble. Umbraice did not want to relive that memory, and apart of him felt that he wouldn’t be the tom that he was today if he allowed himself to never be so...reckless. Only, he wasn’t reckless. He would truly take offense if anyone called him that. Being reckless was being idiotic. Umbraice was none of those. He liked to think of himself as a cool and mellow tom that loved a side danger.

Nothing wrong with that, eh?

As he padded back in camp, the tom felt his muscles rippling, and the tension they carried. After a tough workout he endured that day, they were fatigued and all he wanted to do was eat and sleep. The tom went up towards the fresh kill pile and grabbed for a small bird--whatever bird it was? He did not know, but he was ready to eat. A few of the cats watched him, and he tried to throw a smile if only his mouth wasn’t ruffled.

Umbraice was...defeated for the day. Yet, he was proud, and he couldn’t wait for what he would do the next day. Most likely out for a simple run? Perhaps, chase birds or butterflies? Or maybe associate himself with his clan mates? That sounded plausible, but Umbraice never liked to socialize much. He was friendly, but he was a cat of action. Enough said.

The tom stretched his limbs before settling down at a good spot, and he quietly began picking at his food, absorbed in it as if it were the only thing in the world. His world.


@Empress Of Evil