[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Constellation

Chrysanthemumshade was focused on the setting sun. The sky would soon darken, and the luminating green or blue eyes of the nocturnal animals would soon make their way out. Chrysanthemumshade wouldn't mind much of the dark, but she was somewhat afraid of it, unknown to others. Especially for the cats that lingered in the shadows. And, though her pelt would make an excellent camouflage at night, it still didn't help with the emotions she felt towards it. Her ears had perked when she heard a rustling noise. She turned her head back to give a quick glance at Wolfgalre, as she watched him. A small smile has graced her face before she turned back to look at the opening, and flicking her brilliant leaf colored hues towards the sky. At his words, she only shook her head. She blamed her mother too for naming her such a...peculiar name, but apart of her liked it. Then, she tilted her head towards the ground at his next words. She gave a small snort upon hearing why Wolfglare got the second part of his name. If she were being honest, she would say it described him to a core. The perfect name for him. He seemed to glare ar everyone with those icy blue orbs. "Well, my mentor thought being called Shade because he always thought there was something sneaky, or um...what's the word he would use for it? Uh, um, unknown...I believe it was. I was a pretty quiet cat, and I never talked to anyone much, which, I guess made me weird." She shook her head at remembering the memory. She was grateful that mentor wasn't harsh on her. At some point he had understood her. Some point. Until he came on too strong. And, she recoiled. Once again, she came back to the realms of the present, and she looked towards Wolfglare once more. "You gave your mentor a hard time?" She questioned, a small smirk coming upon her maw when she looked down to avoid giving eye contact. "I'm sure your mentor was an angel! You, on the other hand, seemed to not been the nicest apprentice." She joked. Judging from the way he was acting earlier towards her, as if he were some pompous kitty that needed everyone to give him the world and bow down at his paws. Or, his large appearance making him the direct definition of the word fear.

Chrysanthemumshade felt herself shiver for a moment just the thought of him, but she quickly regained her posture. She wanted to understand his goal in life, but she herself always tried to stay away from other cats. She was quite the jumpy kitty that was easily frightened. Don't be fooled, however. She was easy to rile up, especially if it included an interesting topic. She seemed to have touched some soft spots to the male, but she didn't address it. "Ah, well, you made it sound that you would find a random cat and stalk their every moves," she laughed, awkwardly. "I think your siblings would make excellent test dummies, and that's a nice way I'm putting it." She shrugged, and slinked back into the den so that the little bits of sunlight stopped reflecting on her pelt. Even if it made it glow, it was something about the light that didn't make Chrysanthemumshade feel comfortable. Once she found herself into a nice corner of the den. She was still able to look at the tom across from her. "You must have a lot of patience with your siblings! I know that sometimes Cloverwhisker and Pufftuft get on my nerves, but I'm sure I get on theirs as well." She sighed longingly, a happy type of sigh that made her feel comfortable. "Trust is a two way path as well." She says, but she didn't know how to explain it.

Even if she was unaware of the fact that the tom was finding somewhat intriguing. Chrysanthemumshade loved impressing others, but she was always thinking that her impressable state didn't work well. Currently, she didn't know what the tom thought of her, or if he even thought anything of her at all. "And, it's easily broken, Wolfglare. I hope you give this cat a good reason as to why they could trust you." Trust was a vulnerable thing, and it was only few cats that the she cat found herself trusting; which were only her siblings. There wasn't that many cats she would socialize with or allow herself to get to know.

The feline ruffled up her pelt, giving her jaws a tender lick with her salmon colored tongue. "I have to admit that it is pretty interesting." She says, flicking her tail. She wouldn't do it herself. Her goal was pretty simple. Stupid, kind of, but she wouldn't say anything aloud. She had to remind herself that she was around a judgmental cat. He would probably tell her off, glare at her, say something incredulous with his Griffey voice, and thus she would leave and cry. Leave because she did not take insults well, and cry because she failed to be liked. If she couldn't be popular having plenty friends like the pretty she cats in the clan, then she would at least like to be liked. And her looks could only get her so far, but her mind was probably what intrigued others the most. Of what she thought, sometimes intellectual, and other times unstable. But mainly curious, as she loved to observe the world around her. Unlike Wolfglare, who had a goal to know a cat's inner true beauty, Chrysanthemumshade wanted to know the world. Every part of the landscape, and travel to the exotic pieces that hid itself within the depths of the forest. Though she couldn't. Especially since she was bound to Shadowclan. So, she traded into a more cliche type of goal, which was literally finding a mate and doing what she cats were prized for...kits. Bearing fruits and potential warriors for the clan. The thought was repulsive to the young she cat. Indeed, she adored little kits, but she was quite afraid to ever bear her own. "Getting to know a cat and all their thoughts and actions and their meanings? Sounds like an exaggeration, but what cat would be interesting enough to help you with that?" She twitched her nose, as if she was trying to hold in a sneeze, but she only did it when he curious nature appeared. "All we do is hunt, eat, and sleep." It was a simple joke, but wasn't it somewhat true? Chrysanthemumshade didn't really pay attention to the other cats. She would normally carry out her duties, and maybe if she had time to sun herself and talk to her sister. Especially since the nice warm days were coming through. If she wasn't relaxing, she would find herself exploring the grounds. Something many did not know was that the she cat had a knack for plants--which she were named after. Chrysanthemumshade knew it was Daypaw's job about knowing about herbs and such, but Chrysanthemumshade was drawn to all sorts of herbs, flowers, plants! She had an abnormal wide range of knowledge about herbs. Many would think why she wasn't chosen to be a medicine cat. Simple. She chose to not show that knowledge to anyone in her clan. Chrysanthemumshade blinked. Maybe she did earn the second part of her name.

However, at his words, the she cat felt her eyes lighting up. Her brilliant green hues danced around the den as she gulped down a chuckle. What did he mean that she probably knew them? Chrysanthemumshade didn't know many of the cats, let alone his siblings that he said he was going to do his "project" on. Once again, she twitched her nose. "Oh, I know them?" She tilted her head, and gingerly stepped towards him a tad bit, but keeping enough distance between them. "What, you're thinking about getting to know my sister or my brother?" It was quite funny thinking that he would do it. Especially since she got the feeling that he didn't think so highly of her dear sister. Or, maybe he wanted to get to know her friend Sheepface. But even Chrysanthemumshade didn't know her that well. His words had plagued her because she wanted to know desperately of who it would be.

But before she could continue pondering on this, the large Tim was talking again. She perked her ears at listening to him, and an easy giggle escaped her maw. She turned her head to roll her eyes at Wolfglare. "Sharing is caring, isn't?" She teased. Her eyes lingered on him, looking at his thick pelt, and the colors of it complemented him well. "I'm sure you'll make a great nest to lay upon; big and puffy, and warm-" she stopped herself, feeling quite the chill making it along her back. "I was thinking about throwing out my old nest, actually," she mewed, flicking her tail. "Thought you might want to replace it." She joked, maintaining a steady tone, but her eyes shone playfulness. How he would react, she didn't know. He would probably give some type of huffed response at her, for some odd reason, she enjoyed teasing him a little bit. As far as he would take it.

"Are you alright, Wolfglare?" Chrysanthemumshade asked, tilting her head in question. The tom seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, and she worried if he lost the present around them. But at the sound of his voice, she found her shoulders sinking out of relief. She feared that she had said something wrong and he would be ready to walk away. She felt that she had got far with him and was getting to know him without any intentions. "Halestar is a bit paranoid, isn't she?" Chrysanthemumshade muttered with a roll of her eyes. Then she was taken aback. Did he just say he had fears? Chrysanthemumshade felt her mouth go agape, but she quickly re-composed herself as she flicked her tail to remain expressionless. She could name a million of her fears off the back of her paw. But she would had never guessed that the bulky tom would have anything to fear. After all, he was a cat. Even the most feared cats, had unmentionable fears of their own. It wasn't like he was some type of abiotic factor that didn't need anything. He was a biotic factor. One that was living and one that needed water, food, and shelter to live. And, of course, love. Everyone needed love to live, right? Even if they deny it time to time.

Before she could even comment on his earlier statement, he was talking again. Chrysanthemumshade allowed her tail to swing lowly under her, as she looked up at him. "It's funny that you should mention that, especially since you do it all the time." She replied back, quietly. "Judging other cats, and for what reason?" Her eyes remained on him for a quick second, trying to absorb any information that he hid into his icy gaze, but she could feel the glaring coming from him, so she looked away. "We're all going to live our lives no matter how others believe we should live it." She couldn't speak on the topic wholly. After all, she was the type of cat that aimed to impress. If she couldn't make any friends by simply being herself, why not make friends by being something the other wanted to see? It was complicated for her, and often she would go to bed wishing her life away, but by the next day, and sundown, she would be out there blending into the shadows and perhaps hunting or better yet--sniffing the nightly flowers, and running through a field that was filled with assorted lightning bugs.

Chrysanthemumshade suppressed down a sudden urge to laugh at the tom. Did he just saucepan she think he said? Was he truly afraid to get others to know him? The she cat simply looked away for a second. It was an odd fear, but she could find herself understanding it. She had refused to allow others to get to know her, so she fed off on what intrigued other cats to be liked. She figured that Wolfglare would had left if she embraced her kit like nature and weird obsessions with plants and the world around her. She saw Wolfglare as a stoic, tough, and mature young warrior. Not one who was for games and frolicking around. The grayish colored she cat sat next to the tom again, just to test which type of closeness he was afraid of. The physical kind, the emotional kind? "I never would had thought of you being the one to be afraid to get close to others, but you want to experiment on a cat to know them fully--inside and out?" She tilted her head once more, and twitched her nose. "Now, you're just confusing me." She giggled, and brought her head back up to shake it. She ruffled up her pelt, and started to groom herself slightly. "But you should know that getting to know each other is the common goal. Not for one cat to know all these things, and leaving the other cat clueless on who they're telling all their abilities and insecurities to. It's not a fair play." She gave her paw a lick, and brought her eyes to look up at Wolfglare. "And even if you're afraid to allow another to get to know you is no excuse. Take a dare. Take a chance, why don'tcha? I'm sure you're an excellent tom to get to know." She admits, sincerely. Her ears had twitched to their earlier conversation. And, she still pondered on who she knew that he would be getting to know. Chrysanthemumshade felt that she was left in the dark when it came to what he said, and it was eating her up to know. As the sun was setting down, her eyes slitted into green abysses. Soon enough most of the cats would be out hunting. "Wolfglare," she said his name hastily, and am turning to sit in front of him so he was across from her. "Who is this cat that you're trying to get to know?" Her voice sounded like she was desperate to know the answer, for the simple fact that he said she knew them well. The only cats she knew well was her siblings. Besides that, she was a very curious cat. To the fact that she would be deemed nosy.

"Well, that makes two of us." Wolfglare had also been that cat to not talk much, but his was more out of studying others, not being shy or anything like that. And he would've never guessed that Chrysshade was one of those quiet cats as an apprentice. She seemed perfectly talkative right now. But Wolfglare actually thought her name was... Nice. Not exactly pretty, that would more be like Roseheart or some name like that. To him, Chrysathemumshade sounded strong, but also gentle at the same time. It had an odd vibe to it that Wolfglare couldn't quite pinpoint. Just like the she-cat herself. "I don't think you're weird." That could be considered as close of a compliment as you could get from the shady tom. But you could tell in his time that he had meant what he said. "My mentor was okay. But I was most definitely the best apprentice out there." The large tom meowed, a smirk crossing his face. His icy blue eyes softening for one moment before they went back to an emotionless, empty sea of coldness.

Wolfglare noticed that Crysanthemumshade seemed to shiver. For no reason that he saw. Is she... Afraid of me? That's what cats usually did around him. Shiver, or cower in a corner. Or stare at him with wide, fearful eyes. Usually he wouldn't care if they did that, as it was normal for him when just walking through the clearing or something like that. Apprentices and kits especially seemed to fear him. He had an apprentice of his own, thankfully she wasn't too scared of him anymore, though he could still tell he frightened her a bit. But she would be a warrior in about a moon. And Wolfglare supposed he had trained her well. For his first apprentice. But, bringing his thoughts back to Chrysshade, Wolfglare felt a little hurt in his chest. He didn't care if other cats were afraid of him, but the thought of her being afraid of him made him feel hurt for some reason. The warrior didn't get it. How was it that she could spark so many different feelings in him? And thoghts that he had never thought about before? He was quite stunned at himself. But of course, while all of this was going on in his brain, his outer demanded was the same. Stoic, calm, and cold. Although not as cold as usual, as Crysanthemumshade seemed to have warned the tom up a bit.

Nice way, huh? Wolfglare shook his head, rolling his eyes a little. "Well I know for certain Nightleap and Forestpelt wouldn't appreciate being called 'test dummies.' Smokepaw would probably just laugh at the word." Wolfglare smiled at that thought. He loved his little brother to death, and would do anything for him. If he had any major enemies, and they knew how much he loved Smokepaw, they would know exactly where to hit home. That's why Wolfglare didn't show much affection towards Smokepaw, he was protecting the younger tom. But when Wolfglare was certain the two were alone when hanging out, he made sure Smokepaw knew that he was loved by his older brother. Wolfglare knew that if Chrysanthemumshade were to see him when he was having fun with his brother, she wouldn't recognize him. Because under all of that poofy fur, there was another whole Wolfglare you could get to know. Yes, his outside demeanor was still there, his honest and a little rough personality, but he could be an absolute sweetheart as well. Wolfglare flicked his tail a little bit, looking at Chrysanthemumshade. His appearance had caused the tom to act a certain way for all of his life, because he had always thought, who in the world would see a large black-furred tom, with ice blue eyes, and think, aww, he must be nice! No one. So that's why Wolfglare had become the cat he was. But his backstory of course had also shaped him. The demonsions of reality. They applied to everyone, even him. "And I so have patience for them, although Nightleap and Forestpelt, my sisters, are the ones who can get under my pelt. Want to know how to annoy me, go talk to them." Wolfglare wondered if she would actually go through with that. She seemed like the type of cat that would enjoy getting under his pelt. But other than that, that seemed to be the only similarities she shared with his sisters. She would probably get along fine with Smokepaw, but Smokepaw got along with most cats.

Trust is a two way path. Wolfglare knew that. He trusted his siblings, even if his sisters were a little annoying. But of course they trusted him as well. He defiantly trusted Smokepaw, and Wolfglare knew the young tom returned that trust. The warrior had also trusted his parents. But that trust was not a two-way path. They had never loved their kits. They had only wanted them to create warriors, to fight for the Dark Forest, and with the EE leaders. Wolfglare had experienced heart-break before. But not because a she-cat he loved rejected him. Because his parents that he had loved so dearly, betrayed him. Him and his family. Their own family. Wolfglare had especially trusted his father, who had given him his large stature, pelt color, and ice blue eyes. If the two toms stood beside one another today, you would think they were twins. But his father was dead. The one who had always called Wolfglare "his blackberry" with so much affection. Wolfglare had taken upon himself the leading male role in his family, caring for his younger brother like a father should care for his kits. Wolfglare had never thought about having kits, but it occurred to him now. That if he ever did, he would treat them with more kindness and love than his own father ever had towards him. Chrysanthemumshade's words flicked Wolfglare out of his thoughts. If the one he was "experimenting" was to be her, then he would have to let her trust him. He would have to show her the things he loved, tell her his backstory, let her know him. Then a thought occurred to the tom. If he let her know everything about him, then on the way, he might find out everything about her. It would be hard for Wolfglare to do, but maybe it was time to let someone in. He just hoped that he wasn't making the wrong decision by having it be her. "Yes, I will give them a reason to trust me. I promise you that." Wolfglare meowed, looking over to Chrysanthemumshade and looking straight into her green eyes. The green eyes that he would see for a long time yet.

As they sat there, a few moments of silence between them, Wolfglare cast his gaze outside. The sun had finally gone down, and it was dark outside, as the moon wasn't quite up yet. The dark-furred Tim was now harder to see in the darker den, his Ive blue eyes being the only thing that stood out. He could still see the pale pelt of Chrysshade, sitting over in a corner, about a fox-length away. A breeze swept through the entrance of the den, not a hot summer breeze, but a cold, crisp breeze. Wolfglare lifted his head, sighing with pleasure as it swept through his fur, cooking him down. Tonight was going to be a cool night, probably a cold night, Wolfglare could tell. He would defiantly go out, have a nice walk out in the pine forest. These were the ones that Wolfglare relished during the hot green leaf days. When the nights were cold and crisp. He knew cat like Chrysanthemumshade would get cold during the night, but Wolfglare felt perfectly fine.

The large tom listened to what she had to say next, still facing the entrance to the den, although his ears were pointed in the direction of her voice. "Every cat is interesting. Because no cat is exactly the same, so there's always something new to learn." He turned around to look at the pale-furred feline, his gaze boring into her own. "And pretty much most of us warriors went through the second Evil Era, right?" The Evil Era was a touchy subject for Wolfglare, due to his parents. But he had to put that thought out there. Maybe it would rack some sense into her brain, that every cat has at least something interesting to share. Wolfglare then wondered what her main goal in life was. He had shared his with her, so shouldn't he get to know hers in return? Most definitely. "What's your main goal in life?" A simple, straightforward question.

At her question, Wolfglare wrinkled his nose. "Why would I want to get to know your sister or brother?" The thought repulsed him. Her sister, a weakling, and her brother, an annoying cat, from what Wolfglare had seen from afar. Sure, they might have stories of their own, but Wolfglare didn't know them at all. He at least had talked to Chrysshade for a while now. "Chrysshade, you'd think I'd want to get know your brother and sister? No thanks." He said this kind of jokingly, but there was still a slight tone of seriousness in his voice, t show he really meant it that he would not want to get to know them. "But you definitely know the cat." Every single bit of them. Wolfglare had decided to go through with his idea of letting her get to know him, and getting to know her in exchange. It would be risky, Wolfglare knew that, and there might be times when he got frustrated. But he knew, in the end, it would all be worth it. And, he might have an actual friend because of it. Wolfglare didn't plan on telling her what he was doing though. That's what was going to be the fun in it.

Her next words caught Wolfglare by surprise. She wanted to lay on him? Wolfglare almost gagged. Well, he kind of did, but he covered it up pretty well. But still, he was so confused and kind of repulsed by the thought. She was thinking of throwing her old nest out and having him replace it. No. Wolfglare wouldn't stand for such... Weirdness! He turned fully around to face her and ask just why she would think such a thing. But as he did, he noticed the playful shine in her eyes, and the small smirk on her face, and his angry sheet dropped into a sudden look of complete astonishment. She was joking. Why had he jumped to conclusions that quickly? He never did that! He calculated every word carefully and precisely, every tone, every action. He didn't just jump to conclusions. She definitely seemed to be doing something to him. "Ahem. Um.. Well.. Maybe..." Wolfglare was completely out of his guarded state. He was vulnerable right now, his ears lying flat against his head, and his eyes sparking with, not exactly worry but not exactly fear either. "Maybe I'll share tonight, if you get cold. Looks like it's going to be a cold night." His ice blue eyes widened with surprise at his own words. Did I really just say that? Wolfglare took a deep breath and composed himself once more, he could not be like this any longer. He resumed his spot in front of the entrance, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. But he knew in his mind that Chrysanthemumshade was going to say something about it.

At her next few sentences. All he did was nod, shake his head, or give a huffed reply. He didn't know why he had done that, and he was still a little shaky from it. But he wouldn't show that on the pour side, of course. Although some of her words Wolfglare couldn't help responding to. "Well, I'm a very confusing cat." He meowed, the ghost of a smile on his maw again. He had been planning on letting her get to know him, so maybe his little outburst there wasn't that bad. He hoped it wasn't. As she sat next to him, Wolfglare resisted the urge to move away. Her fur was brushing his, lightly, something that actually tickled the large tom a little. He held back a snicker, swishing his tail through the air a little. Take a dare. Take a chance. It was decided. He would. And hopefully, Chrysanthemumshade could accept him for who he was. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at her, flicked big his ears lightly. "I can't tell you who it is, but in time, I bet you could figure it out." He then looked outside, at the clearing nor starting to glow in the moonlight. A beam of it shine through the den, turning Wolfglare's pelt a fascinating silver. "Chrysshade, would you want to go... Out in the territory with me? I know it's a little cold, but... If you get cold I can keep you warm." Wolfglare supposed that since he had his little outburst earlier, it wouldn't care if he was acting like this now. This was his sweetheart side, the side that most cats would appreciate. He waited for her answer, a small smile on his face and his ice blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight, no longer cold and hard.