[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"No, no... there's nothing on you. I'm just admiring your natural beauty, that's all. You have quite the gift with your lovely appearance, beautiful." His purr was endearing, that much could be said. But then again, Cardinalflash had always been an endearing tom. He was handsome. He was friendly. He was funny, sometimes... outgoing and had the word handsome already been mentioned? Anyways, Cardinalflash was the type of tom that he believed she cats should be lining themselves up to see. Wasn't it sad when a cat with such good looks was without a partner? A companion, not necessarily a mate... but a cat who would be there for him to "date" so to speak? Yes, that was what Cardinalflash was missing from his life. A special cat that he could hang around and perhaps Angelcloud was the perfect specimen. Pretty. Fun. And she would definitely go out with him.
　
Yep, Cardinalflash was certain that he could get the feline's attention. All he was going to have to do was make sure that he kept her attention. Nature claimed her? That was a funny thing to say. But, of course, the tom refrained from laughing. His head was soaked, and because of his thicker fur, some was hanging down in a way that made him look bedraggled. Yet his hues never lost their playful spark, and he was still a handsome cat - right? He had a good appearance. Surely Angelcloud couldn't deny that. Now, all he needed was for her to realize that she wanted to stay around him. Perhaps she would realize it after he left? Maybe what he needed was for her to realize that his companionship was more valuable then everything else. Although, that was a stretch. Ok, C-Flash. You totally got this. Pretty girl, handsome guy, it's the beginning of every love story in the world... he thought for a moment.
　
Did twolegs have love stories? Surely they did, because he had heard of twolegs having kits. "If nature claimed you, then I suppose I stand a chance here. Every relationship falls apart eventually... all I have to do is wait, right? That relationship doesn't stand a chance with me around... I mean, I'm C-Flash! No she cat in her right mind would turn a tom like me down. So think carefully, pretty Angel." Her name certainly suited her. Angelcloud. It was as though he were looking at an angel who had descended from StarClan just moments before. It's like StarClan sent her to entertain me for the day. Or the moon. Or for the next few moons, who knows? Perhaps she'll be sent back to StarClan with me. Perhaps she was only sent here for my entertainment purposes. Maybe she's the one that I'm supposed to hang around, hmm? Cardinalflash thought.
　
He was a hopeless romantic. He always had been. Always would be. "You from StarClan, Angelcloud?" He asked. Honestly, Cardinalflash was wondering why her name wasn't pretty angel. Though that would be a funny Clan name. Still, he would call her that. It was a nice name. He liked it. And, he was hoping that she would slowly get used to him and his quirkiness. Cardinalflash wasn't used to being rejected right away. Yet, it seemed that Angelcloud wasn't interested in the tom. But why not? Was there something wrong with him? Did she not find him appealing physically or personality wise? Or perhaps she was actually taken by a cat named Nature. Whoever would name a cat a stupid name like that would have to be crazy. And for a pretty girl like Angelcloud to be in a relationship with a cat named Nature? That was twice as crazy.
　
"Aww, look at you. Being all pretty and war-like... I like a competitive female. So take it as you see it, pretty Ang-" He was cut off as she splashed him, and he felt more water droplets sprinkle his already soaked fur. Oh, it's on. The tom thought as he jumped towards her, aiming to splash her as well. The tom was excited for their little game. Already he was having quite a bit of fun with the pretty striped feline. Yes, she was his dream companion. Pretty, fun, able to joke around, not too shy around him and not too fowards, pushing herself on him... a challenge, but not so much of one that Cardinalflash believed he would run out of time. Yes, she was perfect. He was confident that Angelcloud was his future companion. Which was just a little scary, because the feline had been searching for the right cat almost all his life. Now that he found a new she cat and possibly future "girlfriend", what was he supposed to do with her?
　
Jaywhisper had opened his maw to answer her first words, but it dropped open as she continued. He had marked the feline as the shy type, or a cat like him, not so much of one to go rambling on and on. And yet, lo and behold, here she was... talking as though there was no tomorrow. Well, Jaywhisper could appreciate that. He didn't mind that at all. And he certainly wasn't put off by it. For a moment, all Jaywhisper did was listen to her talk. Then, he finally opened his maw to answer her. "I love the river. It's a nice place. I've always found it easy to sleep here, although that was when certain companies were not present. Meaning my brother... Cardinalflash is a bit of a handful sometimes. And I'm certain you feel the same way about your sister. I don't believe I got her name, but she's quite pretty - probably the reason C-Flash seemed so drawn to her." Jaywhisper's voice was quiet.
　
Then again, it was always quiet. Because he was a silent cat. A quiet ambassador, pretty much all the time. Not that anyone really minded. Who cared about a quiet, intelligent, saying-what-he-meant cat? He did love the river. And he did believe that the other striped cat was pretty. But, Heavencloud was quite interesting. So, he would tell her that... right as soon as he stopped for a minute. That had been a lot of talking for him. And even he was surprised by what he had managed. For him, it was a monumental effort. For him, that was like delivering a speech within thirty seconds. Even though it had been a longer period of time, and it had hardly been a speech, Jaywhisper figured it the same way. Perhaps it was just a part of his personality. He had always been one to do that. Act that way. Not that anyone had really minded, after all... no one really payed attention to him.
　
"So, I don't believe I know your name. Or your sister's name, come to think of it. I'm Jaywhisper and, as I mentioned before, my brother - the one swimming in the water and making a fool of himself - is Cardinalflash. Or C-Flash. Cardinal. All sorts of cute little nicknames for him. None for me." Again, it was like delivering a speech for Jaywhisper. Although he wasn't sure how to make introductions shorter. He wasn't the type to say 'hi, I'm Jaywhisper! Nice to meet you' and be done with it. Although the words he spoke often made sense. He was glad of that, anyways. It was nice to be a cat who was known as someone who made sense. Jaywhisper had always wanted to be the type of tom that cats could sort of... understand, no matter what he was saying. And while he might not be exactly that, he figured that he came pretty close.

Any she cat that got complimented without fishing for them would be flattered. Yet, Angelcloud was flattered. As well as uncomfortable. Baffled. Annoyed. Amused. A mix of emotions--and, she only just met the tom. Did he ever stop flirting? Giving her compliments off the bat? It was an old trick. Something Angelcloud continuously stayed away from. Even Tawnyshade hardly flirted with her nowadays. And, now look at them! They became best friends. Nothing out of the ordinary when it came to her. She saw every tom as a brother--or, a play toy. No tom could keep up to her. Eventually, they figured she was too much of a wild feline to tame. That, or they would be annoyed with her uncooperative state to work with them. See, with Angelcloud, she knew all the twists. All the turns. All the knots. Every obstacle. While this was going on in her mind, she played along with the current tom. Nothing wrong with that. She kept a smile on her face, she continued to play with him. And, couldn't she just ignore his flirting advances? Yeah, probably. Or, she could laugh at him. But that would only hurt him...maybe. She wasn't that insensitive.

''Why thank you,'' She suppressed a giggle. That was kinda hard though. She enjoyed laughing at flirting techniques. Everyone's was different, and so far his was the best! ''But I can't imagine how many times I've heard that in my life...or, how many other she cats you seem to flatter.'' She kept her voice peppy at she talked to him. No laced sarcasm or aggression. For Angelcloud, she didn't get sarcasm. At all. It would go over her head, and she definitely couldn't find herself being sarcastic. So, what she said was somewhat true. She figured a tom like Cardinalflash wouldn't hold himself down. How many she cats were there? Hanging on to every sweet word he said? How many had/is calling him C-Flash? Or, did she just receive the special treatment? Even if that were the case, though she doubted it highly, she couldn't see this. Everything was practically a fun-loving game to her. This forest was her arena. Angelcloud just didn't get why she was his target. But everything he said, she figured it was some type of game. So, she played along. She met toms like him before. And, though she had been foolish once, she had observed, and she had learned. Toms like Cardinalflash? They were trouble. Then again, didn't Angelcloud like trouble?

Oh, yes! Angelcloud loved to be risky. Jumping from tree to tree, testing herself to see how far down she could go in the water, holding her breath in a competition, battle training with other warriors--anything and more. Angelcloud was a cat that never turned down a challenge. No matter how dangerous or stupid it was. It was pretty certain that if she were going down, she would bring a whole chain of cats with her. Angelcloud was pretty immature whenever it came to her losing. And, her attention was pretty hard to obtain. At the moment, she had been caught up with Cardinalflash. She was dearly enjoying his company. How long would that last, though?

As she continued to swim around in the water, circling around the tom, her ears flicked at his words. She stopped for a second, giving him a peculiar look. Her head tilted slightly to the side. A frown crossed her face at first, before it lit up in a smirk. Every relationship falls apart eventually... all I have to do is wait, right? It made her think for a second. Was it true? Every relationship falls apart. Angelcloud didn't know how to feel about this, and for a moment she was about to be mad--or, seriously annoyed with the company she felt she was enjoying. Nice way to ruin the moment...saying something like that. For Angelcloud, even though she hardly took things serious--one day, she would grow up. Want something real, and allow it to blossom. Thinking that it would fall apart because every relationship fell apart made her sad for some odd reason. Angelcloud put on a thoughtful expression before it dissolved into one of playfulness once more. She wanted to splash him again, but he looked soaked enough. The sight was pretty funny to her. ''Why would I give you a chance if every relationship fell apart? Is that the only reason you're talking to me?'' Now, her voice was dripping with innocence. She was truly curious if the tom was being serious, or if he just something off the whim, instead thinking it through. ''I think relationships should take time and blossom--not fall apart. I think Nature and I are happy together.'' She says, her eyes looking around at their surroundings. Nature was very pretty, and the only thing that seemed to understand her more than other cats. When she brought her teal orbs back to her semi-friend, as she couldn't pinpoint of what she thought of him, she gave him a bright smile, giggling. ''I'm certain a she cat will find you quite as adorable as I do, C-flash! One day you'll find someone serious.'' She kicked her hind legs up, closing her eyes for a moment as she started swimming around again.

Yes, the tom would find someone serious. And, as she would. Though her last statement, she was pretty clueless on what he meant. Why should I think carefully? Angelcloud felt that she didn't have to think at all when it came to him. Everything would be normal to her, sometimes she wouldn't notice a thing, so she simply shrugged at the thought. Upon his next words, the she cat opened her eyes, and she cast him another quick glance. This time she laughed--pretty hard. How many times have I heard that one? ''Hmmm...I'm pretty sure I'm from Riverclan.'' She blinked her eyes, appearing innocent, but she knew all too well what he was up to. ''Unless my mother was from a different clan, but then again, I don't think she was, but more my sister knows more about our past than I do.'' She giggled. Speaking of her sister...

Where was she? The golden striped cat turned her eyes to the shore, making out the form of two cats. From afar, she could see her sister talking to another cat. This made her confused. Heavencloud hardly allowed herself to socialize with other cats. Sometimes she came off as passive aggressive. Other times she was socially awkward. Angelcloud debated if she should run out the water to tend to her sister, but Heavencloud seemed to be doing fine. Though, her attention was taken back by the flirty tom beside her. He doesn't know when to stop, does he? She wasn't mad. At all. Nor, was she annoyed. In fact, quite the contrary. She was amused. She was entertained. And, she loved it. She completely turned back to him, providing him her undivided attention. Yet, she still didn't understand him. Take it as I see it? She tilted her head for a second, processing everything he said. ''But what if it changes as I get it?'' Her thought chain was cut off short however, as she saw the tom jump at her. As the water splashed her, Angelcloud let out a screech. A playful one that if one actually heard her, they might think she was calling out for her. She aimed to splash him back, and hopping that her hind legs wouldn't betray her as wished to swim away from him. He was very complicated to her. Yet, she loved his playfulness, and that was something she knew she would never get tired of. Looks like I made a new best friend!

So far...so good. Heavencloud had thought she lost her chance. She thought he would get up and walk away from her. Or, that he was sitting next to her only to get intel on her sister. It wasn't a first time that it happened, which brought out her annoyed state. Heavencloud was a pretty easy cat to annoy. She was easy to become passive aggressive--she didn't have a problem with having a conversation then. Only when she was really mad. As she listened to him talk, she offered a small smile. It was no use being aggressive. She could be kind. Yet, she had started the conversation first. So, score! And, he had responded. Double score! When he finished talking, Heavencloud quickly glanced in the river where two felines were playing. She tilted her head. It made her slightly uncomfortable at watching them playing in the water. She could easily detect the brother he was talking about. A reddish-orange tom, much thicker fur than the two of them. The she cat flicked her tail. ''The river is great,'' She said, her voice a little distant as she stared into the rippling water. Then, she looked away, emitting out a small sigh. ''Your brother does look like a handful. My sister is...something else.'' Her ears suddenly laid flat against her head, and she wrapped her tail tighter around herself, looking back at the two frolicking cats. ''She is pretty, isn't she? Quite the little sweetheart, if given the chance. Um, her name is Angelcloud.'' She replied, though she didn't know how to presently feel. Her sister had always been the little sweetheart, certainly the angel out the both of them. ''What tom wouldn't be drawn to her? She's really a fun feline. Aside from pretty looks and all. I'm surprised he was brave enough to get to know her himself--suppose you want to know more about her?'' The small she cat quickly glanced at the slate colored tom before turning away.

Maybe that was the reason. It had always been the reason. Heavencloud wished that more toms were like this Cardinalflash who went up to Angelcloud without coming to her sister's keeper first. The thought pretty much annoyed her, but right now she felt serene. She wanted to remain serene until Angelcloud was ready to leave and ready to travel back to the clearing. That way, Heavencloud would leave the company of her sister and sleep somewhere else nearby. That sounded...heavenly right now.

The first thing she noted was how quiet his voice was. He sounded soothing...kind of. She liked a soft, low voice. It was a lot better than boisterous voices that made her ears jump in distaste. The she quietly scooted herself next to him. Only a tiny bit. She didn't know he felt about personal space. And, she only did this to hear him more clearly. Heavencloud was too lazy to strain her ears to hear every word he said. So, she laid down next to him, curling herself into a tight ball, her tail wrapped around her, and her paws tucked in underneath her. He wants to know my name? Why he wants to know my name? I'm not an interesting cat to know my name! But...he did introduce himself...and his brother...and he does know Angelcloud's name now. What else does he need to know about her? Maybe I should wait before I give him any info on her...after all, I have to see if he would be a potential interest for her--Wait, why do I care about that? Shouldn't I give him what he wants to know about her, so he can get up and steal her attention away from, umm...what's his name? C-flash...? Okay, I'm too much in my thoughts, and he's waiting for me to answer.

''Um...I-I...um... I'm Heavencloud,'' she stopped for a moment, exhaling a breath. That was extremely weird to be introducing herself. He asked for her name! Though she appeared confused, she allowed the expression to wipe away. ''Probably just making a fool of himself to impress the little Angel. Little does he know, it's probably not working.'' She shrugged, then gave a light giggle. Heavencloud knew her sister more than she knew herself sometimes, and judging by the way Angelcloud was acting, Heavencloud pretty sure knew that Angelcloud was mainly using the poor tom as a play mate. May Starclan be with him...

''Haha, those are some cute nicknames.'' Heavencloud admitted. Cardinal...C-flash. They carried a ring to them, made him seem like he was one of the most handsomest toms in the clan. Then, her ears flicked. ''No cute nicknames for you?'' She asked, then shook her head. ''Angelcloud was pretty much given a nickname every time a new tom met her,'' Heavencloud rolled her eyes. ''I'm pretty much known as Heavens or Heavenly, sometimes even...Hea.'' Though that was the name she disliked the most for some odd reason. It sounded too weird for her taste. ''Oh! I'm sure you'll get a cute nickname. Have you always wanted one? They're not really special.'' She looked down, nipping at her tail for a quick second before she looked back at the pretty blueness of the river. As she gave her chest fur a couple licks, the she cat turned to look at...Jaywhisper. ''Unless someone special gives it to you. Then, you would feel like you're one in a million.'' Haven't everyone wanted to be different? Stray away from what was ordinary? To be original? That was what Heavencloud wanted, but then she recoiled at the idea and allowed life to slip her by. And, that...is what I suppose makes it special.