Wow, this thread is [open]?

[Ripplepaw]

Ripplepaw peaked his head outside of the apprentices den, his eyes scanning Rockclan's clearing for any cats roaming around. Nobody! Breathing a sigh of relief, Ripplepaw slowly padded out to the fresh-kill pile, a twinge of guilt sparking in his gut as he bent down to choose a piece of prey. How often did he get to catch food for the clan? Did he even deserve to eat...? Choosing the smallest mouse from the pile, Ripplepaw eventually sat down a ways off from the pile and began eating silently.

For some reason, he had picked up the habit of waiting until everyone else was done eating before he would, because the clearing would usually clear out and he could avoid confrontation. He felt bad about not wanting to talk to his fellow clan-mates, but every time he had a conversation with someone, it just turned into him rambling about nothing. Plus, he didn't really have any friends to eat with, so sitting alone surrounded by cats who were probably judging him in secret was not appealing to him. Maybe that was why he had began to notice he ate as quickly as possible. He probably looked a little silly.

[Palefire]

Hailspirit trotted into the clearing, a squirrel hanging from her jaws. She padded over to the prey heap and gently placed it on top, happy that she had helped in feeding one of her clanmates. Then a bit of shuffling was heard. The she-cat sniffed the air, catching the scent of Ripplepaw. She could tell that the fresh-kill pile had shifted a bit. 'Must've been someone grabbing something to eat.'

The warrior paused, wondering if she should go after the cat or not. RockClan was so empty nowadays that making one more acquaintance would definitely help cure her loneliness. Drawing in a breath, the blind feline lowered her head to the ground and followed the apprentice's trail.

She slowed to a stop, getting a whiff of the cat's mouse. Hailspirit lifted her head, keeping it in the direction of the cat's scent. She smiled. "Hi."

[Ripplepaw]

Ripplepaw began to relax, abandoning his troublesome thoughts, but he was startled to hear another voice.

'Hi.'

Pausing, the tom slowly lifted his head and locked his eyes on the feline who had greeted him. He had never met this cat before, but she had obviously just gotten back from a hunt. She was a lot older than him, probably a warrior, and he began to shuffle a little where he was seated, suddenly feeling self conscious. Was she wondering why he was eating alone? Or why he was eating so late in the day?

"Oh... Hi?" He mewed, the greeting coming as more of a question since he wasn't anticipating the conversation. "Er, I forgot to eat earlier. So... That's why I'm eating. If you were wondering." Was she wondering? "Not that I forget to eat a lot! Just, I did today for some reason." Honestly, he was just making up excuses at this point. Shouldn't he just be truthful? "Okay, well, I didn't forget to eat, actually. I just prefer eating alone and a lot later... for some reason...?"

Okay, he needed to change the direction in which this conversation was going. Although did it count as a conversation? He had rambled on and on and hadn't given her a chance to even say anything. "Okay, sorry. I'm Ripplepaw... Um, who are you?" He mewed, deciding it was better to just introduce himself. The apology was a little unnecessary, but he had a habit of doing that anyway. He gazed at the other cat, noticing the strange color of her eyes. They were grey with a hint of blue. That wasn't an eye color he had seen very often. He thought to compliment her, but he held his tongue in case it would come off as weird.

[Palefire]

Hailspirit could hear him shuffling around. Had she made him uncomfortable? She took a step back, not wanting to scare whoever it was. She hadn't recognized the scent from the warriors' den, but she could faintly recall the smell from her apprentice days. This could be an apprentice, and from that standpoint she could see how they might be frightened by a warrior.

"Oh... Hi?" She opened her mouth to respond, but the tom continued. She shut it politely, chuckling a little at his rambling. "Well, I'm glad that you're eating. RockClan needs the healthiest cats it can get." Hailspirit said, tipping her head to the side when he went on. 'So he prefers eating alone...' She lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Maybe he looked like he wanted to be left alone, but she couldn't sense it. "I can leave, if you'd like me to."

She brushed her tail lightly against the ground, smiling softly as he introduced himself. "No need to be sorry. It's nice to meet you, Ripplepaw." 'Ripplepaw.' That was a pretty name. It had a nice ring to it. "I'm Hailspirit." She gave a dip of the head.

[Ripplepaw]

'Well, I'm glad that you're eating. RockClan needs the healthiest cats it can get.'

Ripplepaw felt his ears fold back slightly, and hoped the she-cat wouldn't notice. Does it really matter how healthy I am? I'm about as useful as a kit to this clan right now. Before he could think of something to say, the warrior offered to leave. He frowned, suddenly feeling rude. "Oh, no, that's quite all right! I'm pretty much done eating anyway! I don't prefer eating a lone, it's just hard for me to deal with big crowds." He explained without thinking of what he was implying. "I mean, I can deal with them... it's just all a bit overwhelming." Nice, that explanation wasn't any better...

The warrior politely introduced herself, and the tom found himself smiling slightly. She seemed to be very nice, and it was comforting. "Ah, so you are a warrior!" He mewed, his eyes brightening. "Well, it's nice to meet you too Hailspirit!" The tom bowed his head as he always did when first meeting someone. Her warrior name was really cool. What would his name be when he was a warrior?

Looking back up at Hailspirit, the tom opened his mouth again, feeling a burst of courage. "So... how is being a warrior? Have you been one for very long? It must be pretty exciting!" It must be amazing to actually be a valuable member of this clan...

[Palefire]

"Oh, I see." She took a seat, feeling a little better about approaching the apprentice. She shrugged as the tom rushed to explain himself. "No, I get it. Crowds can be a bit nerve-racking." Hailspirit didn't really like them, either. Not that it made her anxious, but she had to be extra-cautious not to run into someone.

Her smile grew at his exclamation. She nodded, followed by a delighted purr. He didn't sound as timid as before. He sounded.... happy, almost. She liked that. "It's wonderful, though I haven't been one for long. There's definitely more responsibility, but freedom comes with that." Hailspirit answered, wondering how far along Ripplepaw's training was. If they became friends, she'd finally have someone to speak with in the warriors' den. Almost all of her friends were still apprentices, including her brother. She hated it.

The patched she-cat went silent for a few moments. Taking a sniff of the air to make sure he didn't leave, she turned her head in his direction again. "Tell me about yourself, Ripplepaw." She perked her ears, interested in whatever the white cat had to say.

[Ripplepaw]

[this is kind of random but your cat is so cute haha!]

Hearing that the warrior wasn't fond of crowds either made him a feel a little less embarrassed about admitting it to her. Hailspirit seemed to be very accepting of him, even though he was sure he was being blatantly awkward. It was such an unusual thing, her attitude towards him, and it was surprising. He listened silently as she answered his questions. So she hasn't been a warrior for very long?

The tom found himself observing her mannerisms. It was a habit he had picked up due to always being weary of what other cats thought of him, and one expresses themselves a lot through the way they move and act; He was definitely an open book when it came to his own mannerisms. He watched as the warrior grew quiet, before smelling the air. Huh? Is she expecting someone? Looking for something nearby? Despite being anxious about the fact that another cat might be joining them, he found Hailspirit to be quite an endearing cat, and nothing so far suggested that she was trying to judge him or look down on him.

'Tell me about yourself, Ripplepaw.'

The cat dipped his head to the side in confusion. "Huh? About myself?" What a strange request. Not one cat had ever wanted him to tell them about himself. "I mean, are you sure? I'm pretty uninteresting..." He wasn't sure he would say anything she'd care to hear. He wasn't sure he could say anything good about himself either.

[Palefire]

|| aww you're so sweet!! thank you! (: Ripplepaw is cute, too! ||

Hailspirit listened quietly, giving a nod. "Of course I'm sure. You're an interesting cat." And she meant it. He was kind and polite, yet more on the shy side at the same time. She'd never met someone like that. 'I wonder if there's a reason behind his timidness.' She recalled how nervous he had sounded when she walked up. 'I hope he wasn't bullied or anything. Poor kid.' Her heart softened at the thought, and she kept her smile as friendly as possible.

"Go on. What are your interests? Who are your friends, or family?" She urged, now more curious than she was before. Was he hiding something? Or did he just have a low self-esteem, which made him think he was uninteresting? 'Probably the latter.' Hailspirit thought on this for a moment. Whatever he was going to say, she was now determined to make him think positive about himself.

The warrior continued to keep her ears perked, more prepared than ever for Ripplepaw's answer. 'I just know he'll be interesting!'

[Ripplepaw]

[Thank you! And sorry for the late-ish reply, real life can get busy haha!]

'You're an interesting cat.'

Ripplepaw took his time to fully process what the she-cat had said before his eyes went wide and his face began to heat up. Him, interesting? Unlikely. If he were interesting, then he would surely wouldn't have a lack of friends- or confidence.

"Right... my interests." Weird. This was weird. He didn't make it a habit to talk about himself. "Um... Well, the obvious one is I wan't to be one of the best warriors Rockclan has ever seen! ...Because if I achieve that goal, then I know that I'm a different cat from the one you're looking at now. I'm... confident. I'll have bettered myself." He told her, trying to ignore the thought in his head telling him that maybe he was saying too much all at once. "I'm no good at hunting, and I've yet to master anything that would help in battle... and that's mostly because I worry too much; I'm too timid! Once I get over that, I'm sure my apprentice training will be a breeze!"

The tom frowned. Did that really count as an interest? "Of course, I helped our medicine cat go herb hunting once. Herb's are actually kind of interesting to me, but I think I was sort of distracted by the..." The way she hated my guts. He shouldn't talk down on Rockclan's medicine cat... He shouldn't be talking down on anyone! What was he thinking? "...the fact that I don't know the first thing about herbs. Other than that... Uh... I really like it when it rains. The sound can kind of be calming." Cliche much?

Time to move on. Hopefully she wouldn't realize he had skipped her latter question. No need to talk about a lost cause. "So, what about you then? What are your interests?" Had he talked about himself too much? Maybe she thought he was weird? Would he even want to answer his question or continue the conversation?

[Palefire]

|| no worries! ||

Hailspirit listened with an unwavering smile, though her reactions to what he said were quite different. Still, she didn't want to frown because she didn't know if it would discourage Ripplepaw from talking. "I know you'll be a great warrior." She replied, quickly following it. "And honestly? I think you're one of the best apprentices this clan has ever seen. You're so keen on helping out, and you're not boastful like most are. Those are both great qualities." She purred a little, going quiet again when the apprentice continued his answer.

'Herbs are interesting to him?' Hailspirit had never given the special plants much thought. "That's really unique, Ripplepaw. I've never cared about herbs, and other than the medicine cats I've never met anyone interested in them." She hoped he knew that uniqueness was a good thing. She nodded as he continued. Rain was pretty calming. It made her think about her days alone with Webpaw...

The warrior shrugged when she was asked the questions back. 'He didn't answer my second question.' She decided not to push it. Maybe he didn't want to talk about that. She hummed softly, trying to think of what to say. "I like flowers. They smell nice. I also love listening to birds in the morning. Their songs are so pretty."

[Ripplepaw]

"Me? A great warrior?" He asked in confusion, his head tilting to the side. Hailspirit was one of the nicest cats he had ever met, not to mention she was actually taking everything he considered to be a flaw and made them into... strengths. "That's... probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me..." He admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed by being complimented; It was a nice feeling though.

"Honestly, the only reason I was interested in the herbs is because it's a way of helping. I would be interested in doing anything if it meant I was able to help someone who needed it. That's probably why I really want to make sure I'm a successful warrior." He admitted sheepishly.

Her response was much shorter and simple. He found that he liked the way she could just say anything on her mind in such a calming way. "I guess I never stopped to listen." He told her, taking her response into consideration. "Or to smell the flowers. I probably need to slow down every once in a while."

[Palefire]

"Definitely." She said, making a soft "oh" sound as he spoke again. She really liked this tom, and it was sad to hear that he wasn't complimented much. 'Or maybe he just doesn't talk to many cats.' She hoped the latter was true. If not, then she was deeply disappointed in her clanmates. How could they dismiss someone like this apprentice?

"That's wonderful to hear. See? Right there is a reason why you'll make a great warrior. You don't need to make sure of it. It'll just happen." Hailspirit quickly responded, lifting her head a little. 'I wonder if he's even listening...' She doubted it. Who would listen to her? A kit maybe, but definitely not any age above that.

She smiled a little. 'Seeing things is just that good, huh?' "I guess I'm kind of limited in activities I can do. Don't worry about smelling the flowers or listening to birds. I'm sure that seeing things is better than those two combined." She forced a little laugh at the end.

[Ripplepaw]

"Well... when you put it that way... I guess I should probably stop worrying about it so much. It's been stressing me out a lot, but if you think I'll be okay... I'll just have to take your word!" He mewed, smiling. He felt a lot more comfortable around her. "I mean, knowing me, I'll probably still worry about it, but knowing that someone believes in me definitely helps."

'I'm sure that seeing things is better than those two combined.'

"What...?" Ripplepaw began, confused. What did she mean, seeing things? Seeing things... Ripplepaw let his eyes meet hers, and then it clicked. Oh... that's not just an eye color... How had he not noticed that? And the tone of her voice when she said that last comment... was she mad at him? The tom blinked, thinking of something to say back.

"While I can't say that that isn't true, I think cherishing the smaller things in life is what makes us... alive, in a sense." He told her. "I've been so caught up in my own world, I sometimes don't notice the things around me..."

[Palefire]

"Well, you're welcome. There's no need to stress. Though I know that might not help... But you're going to become a warrior no matter what. And if you stay as sweet as you are now, you'll automatically be a great one." She kept her voice soft, curling her tail tight around her paws. RockClan, she had noticed, had quite a bit of mean warriors. A nice one like Ripplepaw would really help them out. It'd probably uplift the mood in the warriors' den, too.

"What...?" Hailspirit paused, tipping her head to the side in confusion. Did he not realize she was blind? "Um... I can't, y'know, see." She said a little awkwardly. 'Maybe that's why he was so nice. What if he becomes crueler once he realizes that he has an advantage?' Her smile disappeared at the thought, though he didn't sound any different when he spoke up again.

"Yeah. You're busy, though. With training and all. It makes sense that you wouldn't stop to sniff some flowers."

[Ripplepaw]

Ripplepaw shrugged, even though he knew now the warrior wouldn't be able to see it. "I guess I'm a little busy, but I think making some time for those kinds of things would be...nice." He told her. He adjusted the way he was sitting so that his tail folded neatly over his paws.

"Anyway, I've talked a lot about myself... But I rather know more about you. Who are your family and friends? And now that you are a warrior, is it everything you expected it to be? Is it challenging?" He asked her, before realizing he may have sounded a little bit intruding. "Uh, that is, if you're comfortable in sharing. I'm not here to force you." He laughed a little after his last comment in an attempt to calm his nerves.