[Splash]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"A beautiful name." Easy does it, Shadepaw... The tom had the art of speech down almost perfectly. He was fairly good at it. But, then there were those times when he wasn't as good at it - if he tried too hard, it always seemed fake. And Shadepaw needed others to believe he was a natural charmer. Now, the black tom was quite handsome - his eyes were somewhat eerie, standing out against his dark fur, but otherwise, he was almost perfect physically-wise. Scars were set in places that were either impossible to see or seemed to add to a roguish type of charm. He was muscular for an apprentice, although he was about to be a warrior, so that could have something to do with it. And he was pretty darn good at getting what he wanted. If that included Crescentpool? She would be on his side, no matter what he had to do. "That's perfectly natural. After all - I'm an apprentice, you're a warrior. You can't be expected to know everyone's names, Crescentpool." He paused for a moment before continuing on, knowing better then to just stop there without offering her his name. Because that would be rude. And at the moment, Shadepaw needed to be polite and charming... right?

"My name is Shadepaw."

His name sounded so dark, and that was just the way he liked it. However, it did seem off-putting to cats like Crescentpool who were more on the shy or anxious side, and they almost always questioned it. To those who seemed to want power? Shadepaw was the perfect name. A name that seemed to show he was going to do things differently. If he were in charge, Shadepaw knew there was so much he could change. But there was no way - no way he would ever end up in charge. Wasn't that what every ambitious cat wanted? To be in charge of something? However, Shadepaw had something they might not have - most likely didn't have, that was. He had the power of persuasion on his side, as well as something else - a beginning following.

Adderpaw, Wildpaw, and Ravenkit were all a part of his "group." Now the more cats on his side, the better... so why not go for some warriors? If Crescentpool was on his side, Shadepaw was more certain that he would be able to show other cats that there was at least one warrior joining them. She obviously must believe in their cause. Who knew, perhaps she had some friends he could trick into coming along? Yes... it was a great day to be Shadepaw.

Crescentpool blinked. She did not like her name, not in the least. It was unique, and Crescentpool was the type of cat who thrived in the background, away from attention. She was born to be a follower, and felt as if her name would draw attention to her. It never did, really, but she couldn't shake the fear that, one day, it would. However, if a cat- a handsome one, too- liked it, no way was she going to voice her opinion on her name to that cat. Just let them think what they want. "Thank you."

The black-furred feline nodded as the tom continued speaking. She hid her relief that he wasn't mad that she didn't know his name quite well. He was actually on the opposite side of the spectrum from mad: saying it wasn't her fault, that it was natural. A kind thing to do. Crescentpool was shocked as she felt her cheeks heat up. A blush?! No, no, this was Crescentpool, loner, that shy cat that others left alone. She had long since stopped hoping for romance. So maybe it was the tom's good looks, or his air of sophistication, or the feeling of mystery that surrounded him. It didn't really matter. Crescentpool was not one for feelings, and she wasn't planning on changing that. She nodded as Shadepaw revealed his name. "Shadepaw," she echoed, testing out the name. "I like shade. It's... relaxing." Way to play it cool, Crescentpool, she chastised herself internally. Not that there was any chance Shadepaw was interested in her.

Crescentpool looked away from Shadepaw, wanting to remove herself from the situation before she began brewing false hope. Better to leave Shadepaw before she liked him too much than to be rejected. Heartbreak came both ways, but it was much worse with one path. Hopefully the she-cat could advoid that one.