[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

What was he doing? What was that expression, why was he... he hadn't answered her. Or at least, he wasn't remarking on her confusion even though she could see his green eyes fixed on her. They gleamed like emeralds, like the leaves in green-leaf - that was what they reminded her of, the leaves in green-leaf. Stupid.... but Winterstorm often compared a cats' eyes, or pelt color, to different things. Her own was like snow. His? Was definitely fox-like. No wonder his name was Foxthorn! And she was pretty sure that he acted like a fox too. However, his statement caught her off guard. That was something she hadn't been expecting. And yet after a moment (of struggling), she took it in stride.

Even though her mind was still asking questions. Did he... miss his sister? Winterstorm watched him, her blue optics flashing with uncertainty. She didn't know whether to trust him or not. He had just said to "be yourself," but then he was hiding something. And so the feline was getting mixed messages from the tom. Whatever he was hiding, the she cat wasn't going to poke her head into his business. It wasn't any business of hers whether he missed his sister or not. Well, I can't just - no. NO. I swear, if I open my big mouth, I will- Her thoughts cut off and she sighed. Oh, what the heck. It's not like he doesn't get asked this a HUNDRED TIMES A DAY. Or by whoever else he talks to every day. Not that big of a deal.

"Do you miss her?" The feline almost wanted to choke on the words, but she didn't. She just wasn't quite sure whether it was right of her to be asking him something like that. It seemed a bit like a, well... personal question. And Foxthorn probably wouldn't answer it. Or at least give her the answer she was looking for. "But yeah, I like pranking. It's - good for me. And I can tell you do, because someone's going to get a nasty surprise. I swear, boy, if I find a single ONE of those in my nest..." That was as far as she went. And as far as she had gone with her statement before that, just that it was good for her. Because it was. It really did feel good for her. It was like a medicine, as she had thought before - a cure-all. The cure-all for her.

Foxthorn had closed his eyes waiting for her to respond, but they snapped open at her question. He turned a piercing green gaze on her, unable to hide the shock for a second before it was replaced with an unreadable emotion. The Tom's ears twitched as he looked away, feeling vulnerable, but he answered anyway. "Yeah, I miss her. She was my best friend, after all. But i'm... Managing." He decided. Yes. Managing; He was managing, better than he thought he could. But a thought crossed his mind and it wasn't the first time, either. Maybe he should go to RiverClan too. But he couldn't do that. Well, he could, but what about his siblings here? He was the only one who fully trusted Blackstorm and Goldensky; They loved having him around. Snowstar enjoyed his jokes and even Honeyfur and Roarclaw liked having that kind of lightness with them. But Splashheart... She had her mate. Her kits. Would she really need him as much as the others? Did any of them even need him?

The Tom struggled to find answers to these two questions, keeping his eyes on the ground. But when Winterstorm spoke again, he looked back up at her, tilting his head. His words about the bugs had a small grin on his face in an instant. "Well, as long as you sleep at the back of the den, they probably won't bother you. But shh," He lowered his voice, flicking his tail tip as he glanced around. "It's supposed to be a surprise for any unlucky warrior who decides to be lazy. Thank me later." He smirked over at her before lifting his head up again, shifting his front paws under his chest into a more comfortable position.