[dionysus]

Originally Posted by Constellation

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.”

Piperwing noticed that Passionblaze had returned to grooming. Looking at her own bloody pelt, Piper figured she should set about cleaning it up too. Thus, in between rants, she ran her tongue through the tangled crimson fur, scrunching up her nose at the foul taste of the blood and dirt that mingled in her chest fur. She had a lot of bloody fur to get through and it would take longer if she kept wincing every few moments, so Piperwing used every last ounce of discipline she had not to pause between strokes. At this point, rant breaks were welcome!
Piperwing let out a warm laugh at Passionblaze's lighthearted retort, crowing, "You may have the experience, but I have youth and energy on my side, Oldtimer!" An expectant grin formed on her face as she awaited Passionblaze's response to being called old. He was in no way an elderly cat, though he was seven moons her senior. In reality, he had the upper paw in a fight between them due to his experience but Piperwing wasn't about to tell him that. Teasing banter was one of Piperwing's great loves. Nothing could get her more energetic and happy than witty banter with someone close to her. Not that there were many left. Piperwing realized that she didn't actually have any friends. She'd spent all her time with her mother, whom she was very close to, even during training. When both her mother and father had passed in the Gathering battle, it had left her with nothing. No siblings; she was an only kit. No friends; the only cat she'd ever grown close to disappeared before they became warriors. Piperwing literally had no one. That thought ripped through her heart so suddenly she almost gasped. But, as always, she shook it off and forced a bright smile back onto her face. She realized that she'd been zoning out and quickly purred, "I think we both know that I can catch you off guard!" Her tail had surprised him, leaving her with a satisfied grin.
Piperwing had plenty of practice in pretending she was fine, so the sandy feline wasn't worried that Passionblaze would see her sadness.

Piperwing listened carefully to Passionblaze's speech and appreciated it when he listened to hers without interrupting. She didn't actually think he was in that much disagreement with her. He seemed like a good cat. Good enough for her to want to be his friend. She didn't know him well, but a few of his qualities were already clear. Impulsivity, bravery, selflessness (too much selflessness), and the tendency to take out anger on those around him. She didn't mind though, every cat had faults.

She laughed at his response and shrugged, "I'll believe it." She gave him a little wink to continue the playfulness of her response. Thankfully, though, he seemed to be taking her words seriously and thinking about them. Piperwing returned to her grooming as he did so, cleaning her chest fur to the point where it was just tinged pink before he responded. When he finally did, it was a lighthearted remark that made Piperwing laugh and nod, "If I've been described as one thing, it's feisty." She truly was full of personality.
When he told her he wasn't doing it on purpose, Piperwing let out a questioning noise and responded, "Doesn't seem that way..." before adding, "I know, I'm kidding." The sad colored warrior almost laughed as she watched him stutter at her words. Not many cats would forcefully tell someone that they were friends now. Just another trait unique to Piperwing. "As greencough." She replied to his 'you're serious' remark. Piperwing may have been coming on a bit strong, as she was prone to do, but it seemed to be getting through to him as he thought about her serious words. Finally, he said he would do his best and Piperwing gave a satisfied nod. She added softly, "I know."

Next, they moved on to the topic of Rabbitpounce, making Piperwing lose her appetite. It was nice, however, when Passionblaze tried to comfort her. Almost as if they were really friends. Which she supposed they were, even if it was new. She laughed at his smile remark and shook herself, saying emphatically, "Alright, we're both too mopey for my taste! Let's eat. And don't give me any more trouble on eating that squirrel or I'll rip your tail off and force you to eat that instead!" She made her teasing threat with narrowed eyes, a testament to the seriousness of her threat. As if she really planned on removing his tail and force-feeding it to him. Piperwing herself scooted closer to her half eaten squirrel and started the process of finishing it.