damp [p]

[Deleted]

Navigating the territory by himself had been more of an annoyance than he'd thought it would be. Maybe it's just because he'd picked the stickiest location possible; the air was hot, and the ground seemed intent on holding his paws captive every time he tried to walk. Even the reeds were starting to get on his nerves. He would've invited one of his siblings or friends along, but he figured that he'd need to explore Fireclan's territory by himself. Not as a requirement, but rather, a personal goal. 

"Ugh, this is so dumb--" Lionpaw started, head and ears perking up. Something was moving. His vision was obscured by the reeds, however, and it wasn't like he could just bolt it. He bared his teeth and leaned down, trying to look more intimidating than he felt. It was supposed to be safe here! "Who's there? I'm dangerous!" 

Skypaw

[Skypaw]

//ohmygod i am so so sorry i swear i thought i'd responded already!!

Skypaw's tiny white paws barely made indents in the water-softened sands he tread on. He disliked dampness, disliked the way it clung to his bones and dragged him down, but exploring the Reed Beds were part of his apprentice training, and so he forced himself through the disgust, keeping his tail a respectable difference from the clinging mud.

Right when he thought he was alone, thought he was safe, he heard a growl and some threatening words, and he quickly bolted backwards. Blinded by the reeds, which were much taller than and loomed over him, he bristled his fur.

"I'm not dangerous!" he meowed, feeling like a pathetic kit.

[Deleted]

(sorry for the late reply!)

Lionpaw felt like slightest bit of relief when it ran, hopefully intimidated, but his heart was still pounding. His mind raced. Surely a genuine predator would've just hissed and bared it's teeth, maybe rushed at him, ready to tear him apart? Wait, no, don't think that. No, he was going to be a hero for crying out loud. If something attacked him, he'd be ready and he would win---

And then he heard a voice. A cat's voice. He took a moment to sniff the air, trying to identify their scent, and widened his eyes when he recognized their scent. "Oh," He muttered, relaxing into a neutral stance as he tried to locate this cat between the reeds. "Uh, greetings! I thought you were like, a badger or something. My name's Lionpaw! Who and where are you?"

[Skypaw]

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And then, this cat, whoever he was, was speaking to him with a bright voice. Not sure whether to be terrified or not, Skypaw didn't move from his position hidden amongst the reeds, but surrendered his location when he was asked for it.

"I'm here," he meowed, stepping forward out of the reeds. His pale grey pelt shone silver under the light, and his white paws were plastered with mud. The tiny apprentice looked smaller than ever before, stardust eyes twinkling.

"I'm Skypaw," he meowed shyly. "Certainly not a badger."

NOTES that's fine <3

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[/quote]

[Deleted]

The cat came out of their hiding place, as he'd asked, and for a few moments he just watched this new-comer in surprise. An apprentice, surely? His expression grew into it's usual confident grin as 'Skypaw' introduced themselves - he knew it! - and he swished his tail back and forth in the air. "Nope, definitely not badger. And thank Cloudclan for that."

"Anyways, nice to meet you, Skypaw. I'm surprised we haven't met before. Given our ranks and my gloriously good looks, you'd think we met before." He said, puffing up his chest for a few seconds, as if to give an example of 'gloriously good looks'. He half-hoped his fur was in decent condition; although it almost glowed under the sunlight, amber eyes like honey, the tip of his tail dripped with mud alongside his paws. Again, dumb reed beds. 

[Skypaw]

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Skypaw smiled slightly at the mention of Lionpaw's good looks. He couldn't work out if he agreed, but he did have to admit that the tom's sunlight-kissed pelt was glorious.

"Yes, it is a mystery," he responded, tipping his head. Feeling brave and wanting to tease the apprentice, he gave an innocent blink of his blue eyes.

"What are these good looks you speak of? I can't seem to find them," he meowed, eyes wide open in faux surprise.

NOTES

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Deleted]

Lionpaw nodded back, giving his chest a quick lick. He tried to imagine where else he'd possibly seen the silver apprentice, but came up short. Maybe it was just his ego speaking, but for some reason, it felt weird that he didn't know all the cats in his den. Most likely was that this Skypaw was older than him. Still though---

And he whipped his head back up, eyes wide in surprise. It took him a second to respond, as if the teasing comment had taken him off guard so bad that he just couldn't comprehend it. Then, switching to cocky grin, he responded. "Uh, excuse me? How can you not admire my pelt under this sunlight? Some cats have made mention of my eyes as well, and I can't help but agree."

[Skypaw]

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Skypaw grinned at the tom's reaction, amused, feeling himself warm up even more. A light purr rumbled in his throat.

"Your eyes?" he continued teasingly, his own sparkling with amusement. "I can't say I find amber eyes too attractive, darling. I've heard many much prefer these blue beauties," he batted his stardust-blue eyes with a cheeky grin, flicking his tail back and forth.

NOTES argh no muse sorry!!

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Deleted]

((that's ok ^^)

It was supposed to be a simple, obvious reminder of his sheer brilliance, mentioning his eyes. They didn't contrast as well as, say, a black cat with green eyes, or the moon against the night-time sky, but they were still pretty! So, when Skypaw began, Lionpaw thought it was reasonable to expect some form of praise.

And then he was shot down. Wounded. Betrayed, by his own clan-mate! Okay, he was having a hard time even taking himself seriously. If anything, the teasing tone reminded him a bit of his own brother. He still gave a dramatic gasp, raising his paw up. Then, he shook his head. Waving his tail around, he said, "Obviously, the muck from these Reed Beds is messing your vision up. I mean, I gotta admit, your eyes do look nice and, well, blue. But c'mon. You can't deny that mine are pretty stunning too." He paused, titling his head to the side.

"Hey, I don't mean to veer the topic off of my sheer beauty, but, what are you doing here anyway? Same thing as me, or...?"

[Skypaw]

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Skypaw's grin brightened even more with amusement. He genuinely liked this tom.

"Alright, I give in, they're parallel to sparkling ambers," he tossed his head dramatically, batting his eyelashes haughtily.

"Hey, I don't mean to veer the topic off of my sheer beauty, but, what are you doing here anyway? Same thing as me, or...?"

Skypaw tipped his head to one side, gazing at Lionpaw curiously.

"I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but exploring the reed beds is, unfortunately, part of my training," he meowed, flicking his paw to rid if of sticky mud. "You?"

NOTES

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Deleted]

Aha, finally! He knew he'd be able to win this apprentice over eventually. Instead of gloating for once, he merely stood taller. Unfortunately, somehow the sunlight actually managed hit his eyes and his pupils dilated, causing him to flinch away. Ouch.

Lionpaw was still blinking by the time Skypaw answered his question. "Oh. Well, in that case, I think I'm here for the same reason. I dunno, it just seemed like something you're supposed to do. Explore the territory, broaden your horizons and all that." He lifted up a muddy paw and flicked some of the gunk off. He grimaced. "I just wish this part of our territory wasn't so gross."