[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beau

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.

Passionblaze gave up trying to groom his pelt. The dried blood was mostly gone, but Passionblaze couldn’t reach every spot of his body. All around he still ached, so he allowed the couple hairs to stay sticking in every which direction. He didn’t mind much of an unkempt pelt. He never truly had much time to groom himself unless he was sharing tongues with another or he was getting ready for sleep. He stole glances at Piperwing, who was copying his moves, grooming her own pelt. Passionblaze was ready to relax when all of a sudden, Piperwing looked up at him and made him gasp.
Him? An oldtimer? Well! Passionblaze had that known expression when one felt offended. It was like she clawed his heart and twisted it around until snatching it out his body. “The offense! Ooh, I can take you on right now.” He replied, stiffly getting to his paws as his body screamed at him to relax. He still had a little bit of energy soaring through him, and he didn’t mind becoming fatigue after this play fight with Piperwing. Passionblaze knew she was joking though. He certainly didn’t look like an ‘oldtimer’. His pelt wasn’t greying, and his features were far from wrinkled. Actually, he was in his time of prime. The best age to be!...and to get his life sorted out, which he was far from understanding what he wanted in life. “And, just to have you know, elders are wise, so they know everything.” He gave a triumphant humphed like he said the most winning thing in the world. “That just means you need to respect us,” the deputy had winked, playing along with her. If he were to be an elder, he might as well play the part.
Since Passionblaze didn’t know much about Piperwing, he would had never guessed she was alone in the clan. He didn’t know she lost her parents, or that she didn’t have any siblings, and she lost the one cat who meant a lot to her. He would assume everyone was her friend! Her attitude was so easy to vibe it! He felt a connection with her that said this one is gonna he your friend. He would had never known that he was her only friend. To say she was a grand pretender, a wonderful actress, was put well. Passionblaze was reeled in, eating it up. It wasn’t that she was lying or anything to him. She was just being herself, and Passionblaze found himself assuming a lot of exaggerated things about her.
On the other hand, Passionblaze had some distant and close friends. His best friend was Cherrybubble, a black and white Molly that Passionblaze loves to hang around. His mother was in love with her. She tried to play “matchmaker” with them, but Passionblaze could never see that happening. She was like the sister he never had. Additionally, she was far more into mollies than toms. His other best friend had been around throughout his apprenticehood. Erminewhisper was always a sweet, tender Molly but he haven’t seen much of her after becoming deputy. He tried hanging out with her, but she would come up with excuses to get away from him. So, Passionblaze waited on her to make the next move because he was always making the first move. There were many cats Passionblaze was close to, yet distant with. He had plenty of associates, as talking to his clan mates was a daily routine. More than it had been when he was a warrior.
Passionblaze was not paying much attention when Piperwing brushed her tail above his head. It was a friendly gesture, but he took it more in the form, she was starting their battle a little too early. “You can always catch me off guard, huh?” Passionblaze repeated her words, his voice a low whisper, and only loud enough for her to hear. “We’ll see about that. You don’t know what the Passion is all about!” He purred. His voice a little smug, causing it to seem that he was full of himself. “Because I can catch you off guard anytime. You never know where I might be. I’m like a phantom.” He smiled, purring. “You never know when I might end up striking.” He warned, humorously. It silently gave the tom the funny thought that whenever he ran into the she cat, it would be an ‘off guard’ type of moment. Almost like a little inside game the two would know about. Possibly, that would be a little childish on the deputy’s part. His image mattered nowadays, but he was still like a kit at heart that wanted to play all day. He never seem to have that chance nowadays.
Passionblaze was a pretty opened cat. He valued the opinions of many, and never chastised their thinking. Sometimes, opinions turned into a debate that Passionblaze found himself apart of. Yet, he knew they all were cats, imperfect. As Piperwing put it; individuals, allowing themselves to think based on how they were raised and what they had experienced. So, he did listen to Piperwing’s side of her opinion. Whereas, Passionblaze still thought of his own gender as the kind who were territorial than their female counterparts. As an individual, Passionblaze was protective. After Burn left, leaving him the responsibility of caring for Foxpaw - Foxkit at the time and her mother Mapleheart. At first sight, Passionblaze fell head over paws for Foxkit. She was absolutely perfect. Burn was missing out on this gorgeous creation. So, Passion became very protective over her, his mother, and Mapleheart. Those three she cats were who he wanted to keep safe and out of harm’s way. He had failed Mapleheart...she had died, and it still beats him up when he remember the life that left her pretty orbs.
Passionblaze appeared out of context for a moment as he blinked his eyes, shifting a cloudless face and morphing it into the she cat he was talking to. Passionblaze had rapidly blinked until he saw Piperwing with a visual clarity. Then, he smiled. She had proclaimed them as friends, locking Passionblaze in a relationship that he couldn’t get out of. Maybe she had been fibbing with him, but the looked Piperwing casted on him left a scorching mark on his heart, believe it or not. So, she actually wanted to care about him. Not as a clan mate, but as someone specifically. “I’m a bit of a pawful.” Passionblaze replied, coolly lifting a paw to give it a lick with his eyes closed; another smug look. When he opened his eyes, he stared at her challengingly. “But if you insist on forcing me to be your friend, then you can’t back out now. It seems like you're stuck with me.” His set his paw down, purposely stomping it to relax some ache it still held. “That’s the only thing you’ve been described as? I find that hard to believe.” The tom commented. Yes, she was feisty. That’s something he caught onto the first time she approached him. “You must also be...hm, something fierce? For all I know, you’re probably insane!” He joked lighthearted. Anyone can do a first impression, but he didn’t know all of Piperwing. Given time, he would.
Nonetheless, the tom assured her that he would try his best to not get himself killed. It was an empty promise as he continually had the fault of leaping into danger before anyone else. It was bound to get him killed one day. But, not today. Or, tomorrow. Or, the day after.
Passionblaze was glad to finally see her smile, her thoughts rid of Rabbitpounce. He had returned a smaller small on his own features. He plopped down on the ground, the nibbled squirrel in front of him. His whiskers had twitched, and he turned his head at Piperwing’s ‘threat’. “Oh, really?” He wiggles his nose, bringing the tip of his tail in front of him. “Enlighten me. I think my tail might taste wonderful.” He purred, letting out a thunderous laugh. When he moved his tail to wave in the she cat’s face, he winked. “But, since I’m a gentlemen; how about you have the first bite?” He mused, his eyes glittering with mischief. He teasingly continued to flick his tail until he pulled it away and tucked it behind him. “Or, we can stick to the squirrel. As the lady preferred in the first place.” Passionblaze laid down on all four paws, keeping his hind legs outstretched. He shot Piperwing a sheepish smile before burying his muzzle into the cold dead prey.