[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Swallowing a shudder, and knowing how close he had come to being scared by Talia, Max put on a friendly smile as he glanced up at the darker she cat and her companion. She and Holden were nearly inseparable - every time he came here, it felt like he saw the two of them together. ”Okay, thanks!” Max grinned up at them, before heading on his way towards the river. At least he wouldn’t be spooked there - Dahlia was much better about that kind of thing, and he would never be scared of her. She was upbeat and light and airy, like Max… more his type, so to speak. Heading towards the river, there was the lightest skip in his step, thinking about what he and Dahlia could do that day. Obviously they would go swimming (Max didn’t have the best pelt for that, but he was happy to oblige anyways) and maybe hunting, and they could talk… there wouldn’t be a lot to catch up on, but that didn’t matter! To Max, every conversation with Dahlia was treasured time. And there she was, just like Talia had told him… near the river. Max had always thought she was a pretty cat, and there was no denying that he had some sort of attraction to her - but it was always easy to push down. She deserved to be wooed by someone who was better than he was… who didn’t jump at their own shadow, and who could give her the compliments that she deserved, and who could protect her. They were just friends… it was all they could be. ”Talia told me you would be here! I’m glad she didn’t steer me wrong!” He mewed cheerfully, bounding towards his friend with an energetic smile on his maw.

----

If he could have, Holden would have raised an eyebrow at Talia’s comment. ”Actually, I think it’s you who can’t get enough of me. You didn’t kick me out that first day, and ya don’t kick me out now.” He meant it to be teasing, but it was true - they’d been pretty young when they had met, and Holden had stumbled upon this territory. To him, it was golden… though if he was remembering correctly, Talia had been less than thrilled to find him here. That had been back during his awkward stage, when he hadn’t lost all of his kit-fluff and his muscles were still developing… his body had seemed too plump for his limbs to carry, and his emotions were all over the place. Holden wondered just what had made him change from an awkward stranger into who he was today. It was partly Tal’s fault, he supposed… things would’ve been much different without her. ”And anyways, I have to come everyday. Who else is going to stop you from picking on poor, defenseless Max?” He asked, making himself comfortable near Talia. Holden’s eyes twinkled with laughter, a smirk making its way onto his maw, despite the fact that he was trying to be innocent. It wasn’t a good look for him - it might’ve worked for the little black and white tom, but Holden was much different. He and Max weren’t really friends, but they’d come up with a sort of unspoken agreement - Max liked Dahlia, Holden liked Talia, and neither one would try to “steal” the other away. Not that anyone could “steal” Talia if they wanted to. She’s nobody’s property. And besides, Max was far from the darker she cat’s type… he hoped.

Dahlia had been crouched at the water's edge, waiting for just the right moment to arise before she made an attempt at catching a meal. There were plenty of shadows that had flitted past her, possible fish to catch, however she'd passed them all by for the hopes of something bigger. Max was sure to come along today, after all, and she wanted to be prepared for him. A nice meal to greet her best friend with. In her mind, there wasn't a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn't show up- after all, the tom had never broken a promise to her before. Distracted, she almost missed the large shape flitting her way. Perking up, she waited almost until the last minute before swooping her paw out. A silver shape flew from the water, landing on the grass behind her. As it did, a voice surprised her. Glancing up, the molly purred at the sight of her best friend. "Max!" Dahlia exclaimed gleefully, her voice dangerously near a squeal. She payed no mind to his remark about her sister- Dahlia was hardly aware of the tension between her best friend and sister. Suddenly remembering her prey, she glanced down at the wriggling thing and gave it a quick nip behind the gills to still it forever. Picking up their meal, she trotted over to the tom and dropped it at his paws. "It's so nice to see you," she purred, pressing her nose to his ear in greeting. "Hope you're hungry- this is for us!"

----

"I think you know me too well," Talia spoke humorously. Holden had correctly called her out on her bluff- she really couldn't get enough of the tom. Time seemed to breeze by when spent with him, and each day the molly hoped to see him, even if she'd just seen him the day before. "And hey, I may not have kicked you out that first day, but with all your kit fluff I sure thought about it!" She bumped his shoulder with her own in a teasing manner. It was a lie, what she'd said, but she'd let Holden figure that out on his own. She hadn't been that old herself when they first met, and it hadn't been long since she and Dahlia had left twolegplace. In fact, they'd only been in their territory for a few days when Holden showed up. Back then, Talia was still sporting some kit fluff of her own and she hadn't yet grown into her long legs. Needless to say, both of them still had some ways to go before they transformed into the cats they were today, and they'd helped each other during that change. Surely she wouldn't be the molly she was today had she not met Holden, nor he the tom he was today if he hadn't met her.

A laugh bubbled out from her at her best friend's teasing, and she gave a helpless shrug. "Hey, I have to entertain myself somehow when you're not around. Poor Max is just too enjoyable of a show for me to resist." She had perhaps not phrased her sentences in the best way, making it seem like Max was irresistible to the molly, but Talia didn't give it a second thought. In her mind, no way would anyone think she had a thing for the tom afraid of his own shadow. She herself didn't get what Dahlia saw in him, thinking he was too much of a scaredy cat to keep up with the outgoing molly. To Talia, her sister seemed not to be afraid of anything. But she didn't voice her thoughts out to Dahlia, as she knew somehow Max still made her happy. But while she wouldn't voice her opinion of Max to Dahlia, Talia was sure Holden at least knew what she thought about him, not sparing it a moment's thought that her best friend may be worried about her falling for the other tom. To her, it was almost painfully obvious that she had a giant crush on Holden. She thought everyone in the world must know it... except for Holden himself. Glancing at the tom, Talia wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a curse. She honestly didn't know how her friend would take the news of her crush, if he would be ecstatic or weirded out. Why was it that she was so good at reading everyone except for her best friend?