[Thistledawn]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The ginger cat was used to being turned down. He had heard everything from "no way, buddy" to stammering "oh... err... well..." until eventually their weak argument had been boiled down to the fact that they just didn't want to spend time with him. Not that Foxpaw minded that much. He would just move on to the next she cat. He loved getting reactions, and if he wasn't getting any reaction at all, he would move on to someone that he thought he would get a better reaction out of. So of course Foxpaw couldn't have been more pleased with the partly horrified, partly embarrassed reaction that he got out of the she cat. She looked worried, like she couldn't believe that this was happening right now. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm used to being turned down," The tom mewed, an expression of flirtatious mischief on his features.

Foxpaw raised up in his nest until he was in a sitting position, his green eyes sparkling playfully as he gazed at Cherrypaw. Now the feline was taking in almost everything about the she cat. She had electric, sapphire-blue eyes that stood out against her fluffy white pelt. She looked like she had quite a soft pelt, which aroused Foxpaw's interest - he wondered what his ginger fur would look like mixed with hers. Of course, Cherrypaw was a little young to be thinking about all of this right now, so he couldn't quite blame her. "So, back to what you were saying about those cute toms - I wouldn't happen to be one of them, would I?" The feline asked, his voice genuinely curious even though he would have preferred to feign carelessness, acting like what she said didn't matter anything to him. Unfortunately Foxpaw just wasn't very good at that type of acting. He had too many feelings and emotions and liked being "out there" too much to trap himself in acting like he didn't care.

He did care. He cared about a lot of things, he had a lot at stake by putting himself in a position that showed how badly he wanted things, but it was too hard to pretend otherwise. He wondered where Silverpaw was - she would probably embarass him, even with a deeper voice and more charming mannerisms, he still was the same cat that she had met before. The same silly, flirty tom who had had no idea what he was doing. At least now the tom had some idea of what he was doing. He knew how to charm, he knew how to get inside a she cat's head (in a way), and he knew how to make himself seem "better" in a way. Perhaps he wasn't as good as he thought he was, but at least he was learning. Unlike Nightpaw - the apprentice's brother had only gotten more closed off and dark in the upcoming moons, grumbling and acting strangely and staying away from him like he had contracted the plague or something.

It wasn't too fun for Foxpaw, who was constantly wondering if there was a way to get the brother who had at least loved him. Even if other cats hadn't seen it, he had been a good cat. But now that tom was gone and Foxpaw wasn't sure what was left in place of him. Someone that the ginger cat wasn't too happy with, that was for sure. He was glad that Cherrypaw didn't have any knowledge of Nightpaw, because there was no doubt in his mind his (hopeful) relationship with her would be destroyed if that were to happen.

Sadness prickled at the younger apprentice's paws. Cherrypaw didn't want to let down Foxpaw. She'd just met him and she didn't want to ruin their friendship so soon. Foxpaw wasn't like other cats, so it was interesting to talk to him. The white she-cat was entertained by him at the very least. She didn't want to give that up. She didn't want to reject him so soon and so suddenly, but what choice was he giving her? Much to Cherrypaw's surprise, the ginger tom didn't seem all too upset. He was. . . entertained? Pleased? It was like he was feeling the opposite of what any normal cat was supposed to feel after being rejected. He'd called her sweetheart even still. Foxpaw's reaction was far too casual. The younger apprentice felt her emotions turning around once more. She wasn't even sure what she was feeling anymore. Angry? Confused? Worried? Hurt? Frustrated? Lied to? It felt like the other apprentice was playing games again. Cherrypaw squinted her blue eyes at him. What did he mean used to being turned down?

"For your information," The white she-cat was on the brink of seething, trying hard to keep her cool, but hardly doing so. "I hadn't turned you down. I'd hardly said anything." She stated matter-of-factly. Cherrypaw was going to let Foxpaw know she was right and he was wrong. What about exactly, Cherrypaw wasn't too sure, but she knew she was right. "And you don't get to change the topic so easily, Foxpaw. I don't like that." She huffed. "With all this flirting and name calling, I think you're trying to take advantage of me or something. It sounds like something you do a lot to lots of she-cats since you're 'used to being turned down.'" As soon as she'd said it, Cherrypaw wondered if the green-eyed tom had said that to make her feel bad. No matter why he said it, it seemed pretty dumb to her. If she thought honestly about it, it hurt her feelings. It was like Foxpaw had told her that there were more important cats in line before her.

Cherrypaw just wanted to claw Foxpaw's whiskers off. Instead, she just flexed her claws and lashed her white tail. He was too confusing and too much. The most annoying part was that Cherrypaw liked him despite how much he frustrated her. She thought that he was a good cat underneath all of the seemingly meaningless flirting that he did. She undeniably fell for his compliments multiple times, but he'd also taken it too far, and dug himself a hole right in front of Cherrypaw. The younger apprentice stared into Foxpaw's eyes, unsure if she wanted him to stay in that hole, or if she wanted him to find his way out of it.