[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beau

During the moment of Piperwing's speechlessness, she noticed Passionblaze look up in surprise. She almost laughed when he turned around to look behind him, as if wondering if something back there had rendered her speechless instead of his compliments. Starclan, this tom is thick! She thought to herself, inwardly laughing at how silly he was being. It was endearing though. Piperwing felt the first pang of an attachment inside of her. Not love or attraction. She simply began to care for this thick-headed, hostile, moping tom. He obviously didn't care for himself, so she decided she would just have to do it for him. From this moment on, they would be friends whether he liked it or not.
Piperwing laughed at Passionblaze's continuation of their joke. "Don't worry, I am. You should start practicing if you want any hope of beating me!" She laughed with a sparkle of amusement in her yellow-green eyes, turning to the side and shifting her shoulders to show off some muscles. Her tail whisked through the air behind her, darting in to brush the top of Passionblaze's head before returning to her. "Oh, I won't. The question is: Will you?" Piperwing teased with a grin, ignoring Passionblaze's dark voice. He didn't scare her in the slightest. Her eyes traveled over his form, noting the muscles and overall stockiness. Passionblaze was clearly built for strength whereas she was clearly built for speed. It made them a perfect match. Piperwing knew she could take him if she struck first, darting in to land a blow to the chest or throat to wind him and get him off balance. It would be hard for him then to focus on where he was throwing his paws and she could dodge them easily, dancing around him to land multiple blows all over him until he fell over. Obviously, battles rarely went as planned, so she'd need a second plan and even a third, but she still believed that she could beat him in battle.
Piperwing didn't know Passionblaze well enough to know all of his faults or virtues, but she knew her own enough not to judge him. She knew that she could be too pushy and annoying and that she never thought before throwing herself into situations. Honestly, at times she wondered why any cat put up with her. That was why she was so taken aback by Passionblaze's compliments. Piperwing had a very low self-esteem, despite her confident facade. No cat knew just how much Piperwing hated being Piperwing; she was too good at hiding how she felt.
Piperwing almost sighed in relief when Passionblaze turned down her offer to talk. She never knew how to handle upset cats. "Yeah," she responded in a thinly-veiled disbelieving voice, "It'll pass."
Piperwing listened as Passionblaze gave his whole gender speech. She didn't agree. Piperwing didn't think everything could be boiled down to gender and she hated when cats reduced everything to the simple fact that some of them were chemically different. Piperwing was right in the middle. She didn't think one gender was better than the other. She hated the very idea of that sexist Shadowclan family, which she'd heard of through stories. She couldn't even imagine living in that clan with them and felt sorry for those who did. Especially Halfgaze, their new deputy. In fact, Piperwing longed to meet her and tell her that she respected her. However, she'd hate the family just as much if it was filled with she-cats who were sexist against males. Piperwing just didn't see the point in alienating oneself from the other gender or acting like one was better. They were all cats, after all. Therefore, she found it hard to keep quiet during his rant and spoke up as soon as he was done, "I do, in fact, think you're intelligent. Way more intelligent then you are acting. I also don't think that this can be chalked up to gender. I don't believe that the male gender as a whole lacks sense and the female gender as a whole has an abundance of it. It's individual. Why do you try to break yourself down to just a tom when you're so much more? You are the one who is brave, not toms as a whole. You are the one who is loyal and protective and a fighter. You are also the one who lacks the sense to leave a fight when you are too injured to win. I would go back in a heartbeat to help fight if I thought it would help Thunderclan but do you think they can spare the cats necessary to peel our dying bodies out of the fray? Going back now would be a dis-service to your clan. And, no. Your life is not more important than all the lives in Thunderclan. Yes, we could find a new deputy. But, what makes you think your life is unimportant? Could you honestly say about your clan that we would be unaffected by your death farther than just choosing a new deputy? That is some cold sentiment." Piperwing's tone wasn't harsh or angry. It was more...disappointed and tired. She knew she couldn't change his mind, but she had to try to make him see reason. Piperwing wasn't finished yet and continued in a calm, slightly desperate voice, "What about the cats who love you? You'd really force them to live without you and then say that it doesn't matter? They could just get a new son or brother or friend." Piperwing realized through this conversation that no matter what she said about him, Passionblaze wasn't the type of cat to care about his own life or his own well-being. Her only hope was to make him care about her. She continued, "I've decided that we are friends now. I am going to care about you now since you don't care about yourself and that means that if you go and get yourself killed, your killing part of me too. Do you want to do that to me?"
After her rant, Piperwing was tired. As they moved on to the subject of Rabbitpounce, she sat back down and looked at her paws. She wasn't hungry anymore and the thought of Rabbitpounce was already making her stomach churn. Whatever Passionblaze said, it was Piperwing's fault, and that was one trauma that they shared. He can blame himself all he wants, but his claws hadn't torn through her flesh and ripped the life from her. Piperwing could still feel the blood oozing between her claws and dripping down her paws. She could feel her claws ripping into the other cat. Passionblaze would never have to live with that. His words caused another pang in her heart. It was meaningful, yet it stung like any wound when she thought about how he would have said that for anyone. He didn't want to lose a clanmate, not her specifically. She wasn't in love with him, but she did like him in a friendly way. Piperwing simply wanted someone to care about her specifically and not just because she was a part of the same clan.

Okay...so it wasn’t anything behind him. Passionblaze had looked from left to right. There was definitely nothing on the side of him. Maybe he had struck a memory that made her quiet down. It was certainly a lot better than a brewing storm coming from the Molly. Passionblaze had relaxed, because before he prepared himself for a hustle of unpleased responses. When none had came, he felt relieved, and a lot more calmer. He had delicately began to groom his leg. His tongue feeling the coarseness of his pelt as he felt his familiar wounds. It was a good thing those wounds didn’t open up. Passionblaze didn’t like the taste of blood. It made him gag.
Laughter in a dim time like this was needed. Certainly, he had been moping, a little attitudinal since the battle took place. A little laughter was needed. It was light and airy. A tad contagious because after a moment, Passionblaze awkwardly let out a short, small laugh himself. “Don’t get too cocky now. I have, what?...probably seven moons of training ahead of you?” He assumed. For the first time, he had puffed out his chest to make it bigger than it already was. “There’s nothing you can throw at me that I can’t - “ Passionblaze didn’t have much time to react when he felt a fluffy tail brush the top of his head. The move did catch him a bit off guard, which disappointed his playful banter over who would win their fight when chances came down to it. “Okay, maybe that caught me off guard, but any other time, I’ll be ready.” His tail had lashed behind him in the grass, whacking the tree. It brought a bit of pain to his tail, but he visibly ignored it, giving all his attention to the sand colored feline. It came to his attention that Piperwing was definitely not a rookie when it came to the battling field. She had visible muscle, not as sticky as him, or any other male. Her figure held a graceful-like, leaned muscle. More perfect for running. An advantage she had over him. Despite this, Passionblaze was egged on even more to want to challenge her. It brought him back to his carefree days when he and his brother rough housed.
The fact that her attitude seemed so positive, save for the gloomy situation. She held confidence in his eyes. He knew nothing of her self-esteem as she spoke to him with a vibe that he adored in mollies. Their confidence, their spark, their talents - this was a tom who wasn’t afraid to show he held a complete admiration to the male’s counterparts. They were like goddesses in his eyes. It was hard not to find a fascination for them. For a moment, Piperwing has reminded Passionblaze of Blizzardhail. He didn’t know Piperwing that well, but her playful attitude and her facade of confidence, that went over his head, made him think of the other white Molly.
If Passionblaze had known she carried such tragic esteem issues, he would had used his last breath just for she could believe every compliment he given her. He would help her like she was helping him. The most sad thing was a she cat who didn’t see that she was beautiful, smart, strong and all the synonyms that followed after it. As far as he knew however, she was confident, and he liked that.
Just like Piperwing, Passionblaze felt himself let out a breath of relief. Though his was more awkward because he didn’t want to spill his heart out to a cat he hardly knew. She didn’t need to know his stress issues, the concerns with his brother, the insecurities with himself, the breakup and involvement with...to say the least, Passionblaze was happy that she didn’t push him to talk about things he wasn’t comfortable with. They say time will heal your heart, but they never mention the scars that are left behind.
As he told her about the difference between she cats and toms, Passionblaze perhaps knew he was being biased. Based on his experience, he witnessed she cats a lot stronger than toms. His own mother was a prime example! Even after losing their father, she displayed a healthy amount of pleasant nobility that no other possessed. When he was finished with his speech, the way Piperwing countered it, he knew she disagreed. Of course, she would. She has a good heart. One thing he did agree on was the fact it was based on individuality and not gender. His head tilted to the side, wrapping his tail around himself as he listened to her. He had no answers to give her to why he did things. Passionblaze was impulsive. He was the type of tom if he seen a badger attacking the clan, he’d jump in to fight it right away without a strategic plan. He was the tom who took action immediately after trouble was brought. He didn’t have an answer to why he done such. It never concerned him to care much about his own life. Nor, that any other would care about it.
He was ready to speak, but she continued on, so he listened to her, blinking his eyes occasionally as her words sunk in.
Passionblaze began to use a claw to aimlessly draw into the dirt. “I can tell you something right now. I’m not intelligent. In fact, I’m very,” He paused for a moment. “Very, stupid.” He snorted, at least to lighten the situation a bit. Possibly he was very intelligent, but considered himself to be modest. Passionblaze couldn’t rack his brain for any other words as she spoke. The questions she asked, they must had been rhetorical. Passionblaze didn’t want to think about it because he knew his mother would be a ghost in the flesh. His niece, who he raised like his own daughter, would never be the same. Countless times he heard; You’re gonna get yourself killed if you keep being reckless. During those times, he would laugh. He would wink. Or, respond with; Don’t I know it! To him, he was fighting for his loved ones. Whether he died or not, it didn’t matter to him. It wasn’t that he was purposely trying to endanger himself. His thoughts would hinder themselves whenever trouble brewed, and the only thing that mattered was protecting his clan, his family.
Passionblaze stopped his sloppy artwork that consisted of thin lines of a cat’s claws. The next words that appeared out of Piperwing’s maw caught his attention. “Well, miss feisty! Thank you for putting it so nicely,” he replied with humored sarcasm. He couldn’t disagree with her because it appeared that he didn’t care much about his life. He grew up with the concept of a warrior served their clan. They died for their clan. It was a nice thought knowing he could have another friend. He just didn’t know whether she was being genuine or just pitying him. Passionblaze took what he could get. It was a wonderful feeling of being friends with a lovely Molly. “It’s not like I’m trying purposely to get myself killed,” His fur had bristled out of sheepishness, and he let out another awkward chuckle that ended with him coughing. “W - h -wha - tha -“ Breathe, Passionblaze, breathe. If cats could blush, he would appear much more brighter than his ginger pelt. “I - I - what - wait - huh - how - “ Another pause. He felt out of place with such depressing words that left her maw. His eyes had bulged for a moment, and Passionblaze turned his head to hide it into the thickness of his pelt. When he felt himself breathing regularly, he turned back to his company. “You’re being serious aren’t you?” His ears pinned to his head for a moment. He didn’t mind being friends with her, but the knowledge of the words that followed along made him stiffened up. That wasn’t a normal friend proposal. He felt that it wasn’t her place to care about him in the first place. On the other hand, it was his job and duty to care about her. She was an acquaintance, a clan mate, a member of thunderclan. Now, she claimed them as friends. She would care about him. If he were to get killed, then he would be killing a part of her? The repeating thought ran through his mind like a scurrying squirrel. The sadistic thought that followed along in his mind said; It’s better than killing the all of you.
Do you want to do that to me? Now, Passionblaze felt like a fish out of water. She just had to bring that sentence into play. That sentence alone made many rethink, especially when you cared about the other. It was the secret power to get someone to do anything for you. If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for me. Passionblaze hated those lines because they made him weak minded. He couldn’t deny such a request. Besides, if she were to care about him, maybe he should return the favor. Obviously, he already did care about her for the acknowledgement that she was his clan mate. “Well - I - uh - um - “ Pause. Deep breath. He felt so awkward and out of place. “I’ll try my best,” he finally managed to mutter, dipping his head once more to Piperwing. “I don’t do things intentionally, you know.” His body was visibly still tended, slowly coming back to a relaxing state. Passionblaze uttered the truth. He didn’t do things intentionally. He just never thought the consequences through.
After playing with his squirrel, watching the blood drip out. He didn’t notice Piperwing stopped eating. The tom sniffed his meal, and nibbled slightly on it. Usually he took ravenous bites, but since he wasn’t as hungry, he reciprocated Piperwing’s actions and pushed the prey away. He tried his best to comfort her because it was obvious that the skirmish that happened before the battle weighed heavily on their mind, but he never had been good at comforting most. “Hey,” he called quietly to the sullen she cat. “Stop thinking about it. It’s in the past now, and thinking about the past can make you a very bitter she cat.” He just wanted to move on from what was done. As stated before, he thanked the stars that they haven’t lost one of their clan mates during that skirmish. He didn’t wish that pain on any clan, but still... “Hakuna Matata,” he said in a much more refreshing tone. Passionblaze didn’t like sadness, crying, or anger. Especially not on a she cat. Oh, definitely not! Their happiness was contagious. Their faces were too pretty for any sulking expression to call it home. “Sadness doesn’t suit you. A smile would be much more prettier.”