[dionysus]

Originally Posted by Constellation

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.

Piperwing had finished grooming her chest fur by the time Passionblaze gave up. Her fur was once again light as sand and bright as snow in the sun. However, the rest of her body was still covered in dusty, messy fur. Her fur was a darker brown color due to the debris that had gotten lodged in it, and it stood out in odd directions. There was still a lot of blood, though her back and sides had less blood per area than her chest. Most of the crimson liquid was tried to her back and the tops of her flanks. Piperwing shrugged painfully and decided to leave that grooming for another time. She’d have to finish before getting into her nest, but it could wait until after her conversation with Passionblaze. The only problem was that he must have decided the same thing since his fur was still clumped in places. It didn’t bother her on herself, because she couldn’t see it, but a little tuft of was standing straight up between his ears and it was all she could focus on. It was hard not to laugh. Then came the playful banter. She relished the look on Passionblaze’s face when she called him old and she actually laughed aloud when he got to his paws and suggested a battle right at that moment. Piperwing too stood and got into her best copy of the easiest battle stance, her shoulders prohibiting her from doing even that correctly. “You sure you wanna fight me in that shape? She questioned teasingly, as if she wasn’t just as injured, “Fighting an old cat is one thing, but an injured old cat? I don’t know if I could bring myself to do it!” Eagerly, she awaited Passionblaze’s counter and laughed warmly when it came. Triumph and amusement sparkled in her eyes as he referred to himself as an elder who deserved respect. His little wink had an odd affect on her. Piperwing had always loved winks, they were so amusing and cute. The best way to make her smile other than bantering, was to give a flirtatious wink. Thus, her smile widened and she shook her head as if she thought him cheesy when in reality she found it adorable. Piperwing would have been glad to know that Passionblaze didn’t suspect her misery. No one really knew about it because Piperwing was a stellar actress. She had the whole clan thinking she was the same happy-go-lucky fireball as ever. She missed that version of herself and could only hope the genuine thing would return eventually. She was, however, interested in Passionblaze’s life. She figured he must have tons of friends due to being deputy and suddenly worried that he thought she was only being nice to him because of his rank. Piperwing truthfully couldn’t care less about his power. She simply liked him as a cat. As they got back into their battle banter, Piperwing snorted in a rather unladylike way when she heard Passionblaze describe himself as ‘the passion’ and a ‘phantom.’ Flicking her tail back and forth, Piperwing responded cheekily, “Oh, I think I can guess what the Passion is about. She repeated the word phantom in a teasingly questioning manner and boasted, Well I’m like a cheetah. You never see me coming until my jaws are around you throat!” Piperwing pretended to lunge forward to see if he would flinch. Piperwing planned from that moment on to sneak up on Passionblaze every time she saw him as a joke. It felt good to have an inside joke again. To be close enough to someone to have an inside joke with them. Piperwing noticed that Passionblaze was zoning out a bit and shook her head exasperstedly. She kept talking and he eventually returned to paying attention. Piper proclaimed them friends and Passionblaze went along with it, making Piperwing nod in approval. “I think I can handle it.” She answered his warning wryly. When he told her she was stuck with him, Piperwing sarcastically meowed, ”Oh no, whatever shall I do? It means your stuck with me too, hon, so don’t get too cocky.” Piperwing laughed and answered, “You’re right on all accounts, but I meant that fiesty is the big one.” Piperwing winked, agreeing that she was fierce and insane too. Piperwing knew that it was in Passionblaze's nature to be reckless, just as it was in hers, but she also knew that he needed someone to change that for. She would just have to be that someone. Piperwing laughed as Passionblaze responded to her ‘threat’ and waggled his tail in front of her nose. Mischief gleaned in her bright greenish eyes and she thrust out a paw to try to smack his tail as he pulled it away. “Squirrel sounds good to me!” She purred, settling down beside Passionblaze and taking large, unflattering bites of the squirrel.