Sparkpaw grinned when Doetuft laughed at the depiction of Talonstone—equal parts pleased that her references were understood and appreciative of the warrior’s reaction to them. Doetuft’s response got Sparkpaw snickering too. Doe wasn’t afraid of teasing Talon for his quirks, even though he was her mate, and that was enjoyably amusing. "I sense some teaming up in our future," Spark said, no small amount of foxlike mischief brightening her blue eyes.

You know what—Spark liked this cat! Usually, she only needed to spend a couple minutes talking with someone to know whether they were good company. Doetuft was passing so far. Her mentor was a gifted observer too; maybe it wasn’t surprising that Talonstone chose Doetuft. Just—how in StarClan’s name did it work out for him? For all his unnerving staring, he must have gotten lucky in the romance department. Sparkpaw filed that question away to ask her later.

Doetuft’s analysis of Talonstone aligned with Sparkpaw’s impression of him. Yes, it was true—his actions did speak louder than words. Even after only a moon or so of training with him, Spark knew to watch what he did so she could guess how he felt. The apprentice wasn’t perfect at it yet, but she was getting better. It was both irritating and challenging in a fun way, having a mentor who could read her so much more easily than she could read him. It spurred the Bengal she-cat on to hone her observation skills.

Smugness caused her lips to twitch. Knowing this little tidbit of information would— wait. Sparkpaw blinked in surprise when Doetuft said they weren’t mates. That… wasn’t expected. She eyed the moss beneath Doe, nestled in a corner of the ShadowClan warrior’s den, undeniably belonging to her mentor in equal right. Spark’s tone was laced with hints of disappointment when she asked: “What do you mean, not mates? Why not? I—you’re already sharing nests.”

Not only that, but Sparkpaw observed Doetuft closely while she talked about Talon. She was clearly smitten with the fluffy white tom—unseeing eyes gleaming with affection while she spoke. Spark thought of herself as an expert on this stuff. There was no way for her to be wrong. Sure, there was a missing piece to all this, though. It was Talon. While waiting for Doetuft to respond, Spark plotted to confront him on this topic next time they trained together.

“And yeah, uh, he’s my mentor,” the cream she-cat added as an afterthought.

“No plans yet,” Sparkpaw admitted, but her tone left no confusion; she was obviously looking forward to any such plans they might make together. Talonstone was in for a terrible surprise. Hey so uh, I met your girlfriend. And we're plotting your downfall. This Doetuft was fantastic—she really should compliment her mentor's taste in partners. Next time Talonstone snapped at her being late to training, maybe Spark would bring it up, just to throw him off balance. There were so many delightful ways she could break the news of this terrifying alliance to him. But, for now, Spark turned her attention fully onto the blind she-cat.

Because Doe was revealing why she and Talonstone weren’t actually mates yet. The answer was… not surprising, unfortunately. Talon did seem the type to want to take things slow for no discernable reason. Just to make things difficult, maybe, because Spark predicted they would end up together. In fact, she was almost completely sure of it [yes, even though Spark found out about this relationship less than an hour ago.]

Sparkpaw noticed how Doetuft seemed tickled by the thing about sharing nests; her teasing that followed made Spark roll her eyes, but good-naturedly. “No—of course not,” she mewed, only slightly defensive. Mostly enjoying the pushback. “Cats are free to platonically share nests. In your case, however, I’m paying attention to context.” Context, yes. Hmmm. Sparkpaw’s eyes brightened in the way they usually did when she got to show off her observational prowess. The creamy Bengal she-cat started tracing a path around Doetuft’s nest, needing some outlet for her excited, restless energy.

“For instance. The way that you talked about him isn’t like two platonic warriors, two friends. You could barely stop smiling! It’s also the stuff you say about him—all the stuff you noticed. And oh, another thing. You’ve known him longer, but I think it’s safe to say Talon’s not the ‘spend five minutes together, now we’re best friends’ sort? Getting close to him probably takes time cause StarClan, he’s picky. Therefore I’m pretty sure sharing nests with Talonstone is a much bigger deal.”

Satisfied with herself—maybe a bit too much—Sparkpaw settled her paws into the earth once more and stayed still. She grinned wider than a fox. The mate thing would drop… for now. Spark already had full-fledged plans to continue this investigation when next she graced Talonstone with her presence. And wait, huh? Doetuft’s question had Sparkpaw snorting in amusement. “Besides when he bosses me around? It’s pretty much been me who talks his ears off…but I’m sure you guessed that. That’s okay, though. Talonstone speaks a lot without using his voice. It’s almost like having an actual conversation.”

The younger she-cat tilted her head to one side, expression warm and curious. Her brows pulled together. “But hey- there's something I haven't figured out yet. Can I ask you a question? How did Talonstone manage to snag you? I mean—he’s him. Did StarClan give him extra luck?”

Doetuft’s laughter was infectious. Warmth blossomed in Spark’s chest as the older she-cat’s playful side revealed itself; it felt like sunlight on her cream-colored pelt, even though it was too early in the morning for sun. Doe already had a plan! And because she seemed intelligent and, of course, knew Talonstone longer, this plan would no doubt be a great one. Sparkpaw grinned, committed before she knew what was expected of her: “Yes! I’d be a very willing participant in my mentor’s downfall. You can count on me! I’m a fantastic partner in crime, you know.”

Spark’s ears perked, as sign of interest. Doetuft liked observation, too? Now that was a lucky thing. It made sense that Talonstone would choose a mate—er, future mate—who had a brain. Spark was already catching on to Doe’s intellect. But it was still fascinating on a new level, the idea of blindness intersecting with observation, a contradiction Sparkpaw found herself enamored by.

“I bet cats underestimate you,” Spark mewed, because she couldn’t help throwing out her own perspective, no matter what the topic. “That’s…a pretty great advantage, if it’s your power. What kind of things do you see?” Being blind, Doetuft must have a really unique perspective on ‘observation.’ Did she pay attention to voice inflection—word choice, or scents? What other way might she use this ability, if not with her eyes? The notion intrigued Sparkpaw a great deal; she found herself wanting to learn.

When Doetuft giggled once more, it was after the ‘therefore I like you’ comment, and Spark scoffed through a smile. “I’m pretty sure with a lot of cats, it won’t matter how long you force them to hang out with Talonstone. He still won’t like them. But…” Sparkpaw realized Doetuft had a point. Maybe it was the one she was trying to make originally. If Talon willingly spent time with a cat, then yeah, it meant he liked them, and that made sense too. “Yeah—I guess you’re right. That is kind of like, Talon code for ‘I like you.’”

No matter what Doe said, though, Spark wasn’t buying the ‘sharing nests for convenience’ thing. Doe wouldn’t need to see her to know this. The creamy she-cat’s smirk was pretty much audible. “He’s definitely not a fan of physical contact, yeah, I noticed that one. So why in StarClan’s name would he find sharing a nest convenient? Unless….” She waggled her cat brows. “…unless he really liked the cat he shared nests with. So yeah, you’re right, it sounds like it was a big deal.” She was teasing now—unabashedly, without shame, teasing Doetuft like she might have done with an older sister, maybe. If Spark had any littermates in the first place.

The apprentice's smirk disappeared when she was taken off guard by Doetuft’s invitation into the nest. Into Talonstone’s nest. Spark gawked a little, maw hanging open as she processed two things; she might have been a tiny bit reluctant, but Doe really wasn’t scared of Talonstone at all. She was so confident about it, so effortless, that Spark was both shocked and impressed enough to laugh. Oh, you better be keeping her, was all the Bengal she-cat thought as she stepped into the nest beside Doe, hoping Talonstone received her mental message. Moss and twigs made up the bedding. It was a on the rough side, but Spark was enjoying the moment too much to be bothered by it, signature fox-like smile curling over her lips after her surprise melted away. Doetuft continued without missing a beat when Spark got comfortable.

A thousand follow-up questions flooded Sparkpaw’s mind. Talon thought he was cursed? What the stars did that mean? And why were they both wrecks when they first met—unstable emotionally? If it was possible, Spark’s face might have turned paler, her eyes flaming with blue-tinted curiosity. Doetuft was ThunderClan before. A lot of what Doe said Spark didn’t understand: the stuff about healing each other, not acknowledging more than friendship, parts of them being destroyed… but she did understand changing clans. She was surprised, but the revelation didn’t make her see Doetuft as less. Not at all. If anything, Sparkpaw was more annoyed at herself for not guessing it.

“Oak and leaves,” She said abruptly, mind whizzing with the new information. “Talonstone said! On our first day of training. Oak lines the ThunderClan border. So that’s why it's still in your scent.” In a moment of vast indecision, having far too many responses to choose from and too little understanding of the surrounding context, Sparkpaw went with her gut. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too—uh, direct. “I don’t really get it. You healed together… so something bad happened? I can’t really relate, I guess. Why would healing make him not wanna… you know, acknowledge that you’re more than friends?”

Terrified of—what? Sparkpaw nearly choked on her own surprise. Of all the things she expected Doetuft to say, that wasn’t even on the list of possibilities. Just…no way. “You’re telling me that Talonstone—mister broody warrior guy who doesn’t flinch in the face of danger—his weakness is FROGS!?”

Laughter bubbled out of Sparkpaw before she could stop it. The Bengal she-cat could see it now! A jumpy, slimy frog hiding in the crook of his twiggy nest, then Talon’s one-sided expression morphing into a second, much more horrified one. That would be amazing. Stars, her abs were getting a workout from all this ridiculous laughing. “Oh, we’re so putting one in his nest. I have to confirm if this is true or not,” Spark said, resolute. Sorry, mentor mine. Doetuft and I will take you down and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Sparkpaw sobered when Doe began explaining how she processed. Spark’s fluffy ears flicked toward the blind warrior as she listened carefully, intrigued by what was said. It truly was amazing, how Doe could 'see' things in such a different way than Spark, and yet they both existed in the same world. Both received the same sensory information; they just came up with different conclusions and relied on different strengths. It was all a fun discovery for Spark, whose sharp mind soaked up new knowledge like a fluffy pelt soaked up water. She wanted to know how Doetuft saw their world. Sparkpaw wanted to feast on as many different perspectives as she could.

The way Doe described her heightened sense of hearing—it filled Spark’s imagination with splashes of color. The apprentice imagined just what it might be like to differentiate the beat of a sparrow’s wings from a blackbird’s, smiling dream-like by the end. “That’s amazing,” Spark blurted without thinking. She didn’t plan the compliment, which was... rare. Usually everything Sparkpaw said was planned in some way or another. “What do you notice about me? If Talonstone walked into the den, how would you tell us apart from just the sound? Would his pawsteps be heavier than mine since he’s massive?” If every sound was unique, Sparkpaw wanted to know the nuances of hers.

Doetuft’s laughter made the apprentice smile with both corners of her mouth. The sound was still so contagious, showering Spark with light and warmth. Why was it so funny, though, to say what she did about ‘convenience?’ Sparkpaw listened to Doe’s story but didn’t catch on to any good defense, so she snorted.

“Nope. Still don’t believe it. If he wasn’t absolutely smitten with you, there’s no way he’d let you drag him into your nest—‘convenience’ my arse.’” Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief just waiting to be released in a tidal wave. “I’m sure he was terrified! I mean, it’s clear he doesn’t understand emotions, and around you… well I’m sure he feels a lot.” She did like that story, though. It was just such an accurate depiction of her mentor that Sparkpaw could feel the sincerity of it. Er. Sincerity in everything but the convenience part, of course.

With that, Sparkpaw tried to make herself a little more—ah, comfortable in the nest, grunting when a particularly sharp twig poked her back. Ow. “You guys really need some feathers or something… maybe softer moss? Stars, how do you sleep in this thing?”

Maybe it was rude to critique the nest of her mentor, the nest Doetuft just invited her into. The blind warrior's comment about spilling secrets made Spark forget about the discomfort quick enough. Instead, the she-cat grinned, her voice coy when she said: “Oh yes we’re enjoying this very much, thank you. I’ve had more fun with you in ten minutes than I’ve had with Talonstone my entire apprenticeship, in fact.”

Oak and leaves… yeah. When Doetuft repeated it, Spark was delighted to see that it lead to the sharing of more background. The apprentice couldn’t deny that Doe’s cross-clan background was interesting, if only because it was a novelty to her, and Spark just wanted to know more. Born and raised…. Huh? Beastspark Sparkpaw knew, but her nose wrinkled when trying to put a face to Flintspirit’s name. At least Until Doetuft said ‘our favorite stubborn icicle,’ followed by ‘frosty' and 'snowflake,’ names which could only refer to one cat considering their limited pool of mutual friends.

...Talonstone. Had. A nickname. Him!? Oh, sweet stars, could today get any better? It was almost too much to handle. “Why do you call him icicle? Or Frosty, or snowflake!? Is it just about his icy exterior? Or how his face is ‘frozen’ into one expression most the time?”

Sparkpaw’s wide smile faltered a little when Doetuft’s last words hit her. Bad things happen to everyone, the warrior said. But… did they? Bad things didn’t really happen to Spark, but according to Doe, they happened to Talonstone and to herself. New questions replaced old ones. Spark’s mind raced, formulating thoughts and filling in the blanks with any potential or likely answers, but she didn’t get too far. It didn’t matter that Doetuft wouldn’t say anything about Talonstone’s past; Sparkpaw had time enough to uncover those secrets herself. Right now, she cared about Doe’s story to tell, the blind warrior’s own experiences. “What happened to you? What do you mean, suffered? Is… is that why you left ThunderClan, then?”