Saltmeadow Marsh

[TawnyNeedsACoffee]

Originally Posted by Dipper

What she said about being on the wrong side of the border elicited a nod and faint smile. "Logically, I shouldn't be completely dry either..." but that was where the teleportation came in, he supposed, since the river was too wide to jump over it without getting a little wet. Regardless, his demeanor was bright, glad he could entertain her despite being self-proclaimed socially-incompetent.

"Cinderpaw," he meowed upon learning her name, trying it out for himself with a nod. Before he could give his own name, she was already chatting about how her name was lacking, a thought that had his ears flattening -- not in anger, but concerned sympathy. "What? No way. Your name is-- it's... really fitting," he said, "because of your speckles. I think it's nice, kind of sweet to be honest. Why do you think it's gross?" Genuine curiosity bled into the question, and he was oblivious to her worries that she'd wrecked the discussion. Prompted about his own name, he realized he hadn't given it yet and replied, "Oh.. mine's Fawnpaw. I mean, it's not as great as Cinderpaw, but... I guess my dad thought it'd be fitting because his starts with Buck, and y'know, the spots and all." Fawnpaw twisted his head to look at his back, fawn-esque spots trailing downward. "I guess it's sort of silly, but I never minded it."

CinderPaw spoke cheerfully as she gazed at the brown Tom ."I think FawnPaw is a great name! It's even better that your name has meaning to it!".Saying this she stretched slightly as she shifted around to get more comfortable."I think that my name will sound cooler once I become a warrior, something related to nature like- CinderStream? CinderJay? But yeah! I'm not sure why you think your name is so silly?".She tilted her head slightly as she gazed at FawnPaw. The grey Molly somewhat got sidetracked as she looked at the river, it softly flowed down the border, somewhat wanting to feel how cold it was she dipped her paw in the water curiously but quickly pulled it out as she shivered.'G-glad I'm not in RiverClan!'.She thought gratefully before her attention returned to FawnPaw."I have always wanted to ask this but- how long does it take for your fur to dry if your swimming most of the time?".CinderPaw's multicoloured eyes had a intrigued look in them.

As she waited for FawnPaw to reply, the grey molly pondered slightly- half regretting for coming to the border, she knew how uncomfortable she could make cats sometimes but she couldn't help it, the shecat was always excited to meet new cats and usually she was quite energetic in general.CinderPaw pushed the thoughts away as she smiled brightly at FawnPaw, putting her full attention on him.

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by TawnyNeedsACoffee

CinderPaw spoke cheerfully as she gazed at the brown Tom ."I think FawnPaw is a great name! It's even better that your name has meaning to it!".Saying this she stretched slightly as she shifted around to get more comfortable."I think that my name will sound cooler once I become a warrior, something related to nature like- CinderStream? CinderJay? But yeah! I'm not sure why you think your name is so silly?".She tilted her head slightly as she gazed at FawnPaw. The grey Molly somewhat got sidetracked as she looked at the river, it softly flowed down the border, somewhat wanting to feel how cold it was she dipped her paw in the water curiously but quickly pulled it out as she shivered.'G-glad I'm not in RiverClan!'.She thought gratefully before her attention returned to FawnPaw."I have always wanted to ask this but- how long does it take for your fur to dry if your swimming most of the time?".CinderPaw's multicoloured eyes had a intrigued look in them.

As she waited for FawnPaw to reply, the grey molly pondered slightly- half regretting for coming to the border, she knew how uncomfortable she could make cats sometimes but she couldn't help it, the shecat was always excited to meet new cats and usually she was quite energetic in general.CinderPaw pushed the thoughts away as she smiled brightly at FawnPaw, putting her full attention on him.

Pelt feeling hot at the compliment, Fawnpaw shuffled his paws, kicking up a couple pebbles from the stream bed into the river. Kind words tended to reduce him to a flustered mess, especially from females. “Yours has meaning too,” he pointed out once he’d found his voice, “which is why it’s a perfect name for you, and it’s really not gross. Also, Cinderstream— for a ShadowClan cat is unique since I didn’t think you guys liked the water. Cinderjay is nice too. Cinderspeck, Cinderdapple…” he listed, musing about names that accentuated her pretty spots. He gazed to her again and realized she had gotten comfortable, yet he was still standing stiffly on his side of the river. It was a reminder that he wasn’t supposed to be chatting all day and probably had duties to attend to, but he was enjoying her company.

“Huh? Oh,” he was broken from his daydream and peered into the water, “I’m… not sure. I’ve never gone swimming, since my mentor didn’t take me, but it doesn’t seem like it’d be that long.” Despite the rational answer, he stepped closer as if about to try it, but backed down. “I, uh… I probably shouldn’t do that since I wouldn’t want to subject you to the sight of me drowning if I was bad at it.” Again, he anxiously chuckled. And noticed something. She had completely distracted him from his thoughts without judgment, a rarity for him. “Hey, sorry if this is weird or something, but thanks for just talking to me for a while. I guess I needed that.”

[TawnyNeedsACoffee]

Originally Posted by Dipper

Pelt feeling hot at the compliment, Fawnpaw shuffled his paws, kicking up a couple pebbles from the stream bed into the river. Kind words tended to reduce him to a flustered mess, especially from females. “Yours has meaning too,” he pointed out once he’d found his voice, “which is why it’s a perfect name for you, and it’s really not gross. Also, Cinderstream— for a ShadowClan cat is unique since I didn’t think you guys liked the water. Cinderjay is nice too. Cinderspeck, Cinderdapple…” he listed, musing about names that accentuated her pretty spots. He gazed to her again and realized she had gotten comfortable, yet he was still standing stiffly on his side of the river. It was a reminder that he wasn’t supposed to be chatting all day and probably had duties to attend to, but he was enjoying her company.

“Huh? Oh,” he was broken from his daydream and peered into the water, “I’m… not sure. I’ve never gone swimming, since my mentor didn’t take me, but it doesn’t seem like it’d be that long.” Despite the rational answer, he stepped closer as if about to try it, but backed down. “I, uh… I probably shouldn’t do that since I wouldn’t want to subject you to the sight of me drowning if I was bad at it.” Again, he anxiously chuckled. And noticed something. She had completely distracted him from his thoughts without judgment, a rarity for him. “Hey, sorry if this is weird or something, but thanks for just talking to me for a while. I guess I needed that.”

CinderPaw smiled somewhat at FawnPaw's words before she shrugged nonchalantly."Well We don't like swimming in it but it keeps us hydrated plus it's calming to look at..From a distance that is". Her Multicoloured eyes glanced at the River, as reckless as the she was she wasn't keen enough to jump into the water to see what it would feel like for RiverClan cats. Hearing the tom answer her question she spoke energetically."Oh- That's too bad, It must take a lot of training to learn how to swim...". She trailed off slightly once again getting distracted by a small bird that pecked at the ground.'Oh The colours on that bird's feathers look quite nice!'. Thinking that she turned her attention back on FawnPaw.

CinderPaw looked a little shocked at the statement until she smiled happily her tone cheerful."Really?! I-I mean, it's fine! Im glad I was of some help, Besides I enjoyed talking to you too!".The grey molly felt relieved that she didn't seem to make him uncomfortable, She then spoke softly."Thanks for putting up with my rambling- most cats find it really annoying so usually I get ignored unless I'm saying something important...Sorry if I bothered you!".She smiled a little awkwardly as she apologised, she shuffled her paws slightly- she felt happy that there were atleast some friendly cats in other clans unlike that RiverClan shecat that attacked her a while back.

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by TawnyNeedsACoffee

CinderPaw smiled somewhat at FawnPaw's words before she shrugged nonchalantly."Well We don't like swimming in it but it keeps us hydrated plus it's calming to look at..From a distance that is". Her Multicoloured eyes glanced at the River, as reckless as the she was she wasn't keen enough to jump into the water to see what it would feel like for RiverClan cats. Hearing the tom answer her question she spoke energetically."Oh- That's too bad, It must take a lot of training to learn how to swim...". She trailed off slight once again getting distracted by a small bird that pecked at the ground.'Oh The colours on that bird's feathers look quite nice!'. Thinking that she turned her attention back on FawnPaw.

CinderPaw looked a little shocked at the statement until she smiled happily her tone cheerful."Really?! I-I mean, it's fine! Im glad I was of some help, Besides I enjoyed talking to you too!".The grey molly felt relieved that she didn't seem to make him uncomfortable, She then spoke softly."Thanks for putting up with my rambling- most cats find it really annoying so usually I get ignored unless I'm saying something important...Sorry if I bothered you!".She smiled a little awkwardly as she apologised, she shuffled her paws slightly- she felt happy that there were atleast some friendly cats in other clans unlike that RiverClan shecat that attacked her a while back.

“I bet,” he agreed, thinking about how he’d have to grasp the basics of swimming if he wished to pass his exam, “but most of RiverClan is pretty good at it— I mean, I guess that’s obvious, but… recently we had a contest for the warriors that included a swimming competition. It was neat to watch. Do you guys in ShadowClan ever do games together?” The question was with a tip of his head, eyes glittering with curiosity. “Fallenstar wanted to welcome in new leaf by organizing fun activities.” Fawnpaw hadn’t participated but spectated the others enjoying themselves, equal parts too shy and too busy with his own interests to bother playing. It was a little pretentious to think about, feeling as though learning was more worthwhile than laughing and having a good time with the other apprentices.

Flattered, he peered gratefully at Cinderpaw and was relieved she didn’t mind having this discussion with him along the river. It separated them, but they’d still managed to forge a small bond of acquaintanceship. “I’ve never met a ShadowClan cat before,” he admitted, “but you seem really nice, so… I just hope they’re all like you, I guess.” His version of a ShadowClan cat that he’d built in his mind was stoic, shady, intimidating, rude. Cinderpaw was nothing like that. A pinch alarmed, his eyes widened. “Wait, what? It’s… I’m not ‘putting up’ with you, that’s— I like talking to you.” The reassurance spilled from him quickly and with fondness. “I have no idea why you’d think it’s, um, a disservice or something. If anything, I should be saying that to you…” Fawnpaw wasn’t oblivious to his off-the-charts levels of awkwardness that arose during most interactions. In disbelief, he almost murmured, “I can’t believe your clan ignores you.”

[TawnyNeedsACoffee]

Originally Posted by Dipper

“I bet,” he agreed, thinking about how he’d have to grasp the basics of swimming if he wished to pass his exam, “but most of RiverClan is pretty good at it— I mean, I guess that’s obvious, but… recently we had a contest for the warriors that included a swimming competition. It was neat to watch. Do you guys in ShadowClan ever do games together?” The question was with a tip of his head, eyes glittering with curiosity. “Fallenstar wanted to welcome in new leaf by organizing fun activities.” Fawnpaw hadn’t participated but spectated the others enjoying themselves, equal parts too shy and too busy with his own interests to bother playing. It was a little pretentious to think about, feeling as though learning was more worthwhile than laughing and having a good time with the other apprentices.

Flattered, he peered gratefully at Cinderpaw and was relieved she didn’t mind having this discussion with him along the river. It separated them, but they’d still managed to forge a small bond of acquaintanceship. “I’ve never met a ShadowClan cat before,” he admitted, “but you seem really nice, so… I just hope they’re all like you, I guess.” His version of a ShadowClan cat that he’d built in his mind was stoic, shady, intimidating, rude. Cinderpaw was nothing like that. A pinch alarmed, his eyes widened. “Wait, what? It’s… I’m not ‘putting up’ with you, that’s— I like talking to you.” The reassurance spilled from him quickly and with fondness. “I have no idea why you’d think it’s, um, a disservice or something. If anything, I should be saying that to you…” Fawnpaw wasn’t oblivious to his off-the-charts levels of awkwardness that arose during most interactions. In disbelief, he almost murmured, “I can’t believe your clan ignores you.”

CinderPaw thought for a moment at the question, as if to try and remember such a thing but she came to a dead end and shook her head softly."No, I don't think we did but it sounds fun though". She spoke fondly of the thought of doing fun little competitions although she doubt her clanmates would ever want to do something like that.

Hearing FawnPaw admit that he had never met a ShadowClan cat before she spoke cheerfully."Really? Well, I have met a RiverClan cat before but uhm...Let's just say it didn't end well...". She laughed a little nervously looking at her paws but re-directed her gaze back on the brown tom not wanting to seem rude."T-Thank you but Uhm- I Doubt they would be like me, I guess you could say that we aren't the brightest clan out there, D-Don't get me wrong my clanmates are nice and all but they are quite serious, Dramatic I guess?". The grey molly sighed a little, she only ever really heard drama in her clan although that could just be because that's all her Brother ever talks about but she pushed the negative thoughts away her face turned into a panicked look as the Tom started to spill out with mouthfuls of words."W-Well they aren't completely ignoring me just shrugging off my large rants, they do listen when im being serious but only ones who im close with really have proper conversations with me and listen to all the rambling bits- I'm not really bothered by it since its normal for that to happen, I just didn't want to bother you with it since I know how annoying I can get sometimes".She sighed after saying that before a thoughtful look appeared on her face."But Thank you!".CinderPaw smiled happily before asking in curiosity."Do you have any siblings? If you don't mind me asking that is".Her multicoloured eyes shone brightly.

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by TawnyNeedsACoffee

CinderPaw thought for a moment at the question, as if to try and remember such a thing but she came to a dead end and shook her head softly."No, I don't think we did but it sounds fun though". She spoke fondly of the thought of doing fun little competitions although she doubt her clanmates would ever want to do something like that.

Hearing FawnPaw admit that he had never met a ShadowClan cat before she spoke cheerfully."Really? Well, I have met a RiverClan cat before but uhm...Let's just say it didn't end well...". She laughed a little nervously looking at her paws but re-directed her gaze back on the brown tom not wanting to seem rude."T-Thank you but Uhm- I Doubt they would be like me, I guess you could say that we aren't the brightest clan out there, D-Don't get me wrong my clanmates are nice and all but they are quite serious, Dramatic I guess?". The grey molly sighed a little, she only ever really heard drama in her clan although that could just be because that's all her Brother ever talks about but she pushed the negative thoughts away her face turned into a panicked look as the Tom started to spill out with mouthfuls of words."W-Well they aren't completely ignoring me just shrugging off my large rants, they do listen when im being serious but only ones who im close with really have proper conversations with me and listen to all the rambling bits- I'm not really bothered by it since its normal for that to happen, I just didn't want to bother you with it since I know how annoying I can get sometimes".She sighed after saying that before a thoughtful look appeared on her face."But Thank you!".CinderPaw smiled happily before asking in curiosity."Do you have any siblings? If you don't mind me asking that is".Her multicoloured eyes shone brightly.

Fawnpaw’s intrigue sparked upon hearing that she’d met a RiverClan cat, his ears perking. “What happened?” When he realized that could be personal and pushing the boundaries, he said, “Uh, not to be nosy. You don’t… have to tell me. Sorry. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable if you don’t feel like sharing.” He'd understand.

“Well, your Clan is called ShadowClan, so it’d be weird if they were bright,” he said, meow lightened in a teasing remark since he understood what she was trying to convey but slipping in his own lame joke. “That’s kind of unfortunate, though. If they were all more like you, it doesn’t seem like the Clans would be fighting nearly as much, but drama tends to do that…” Cinderpaw sounded like a peaceful sort of apprentice, and that was an approach that jived with him since he was unsettled by violence. Fawnpaw didn’t care for the brutality of battles and wished that wouldn’t be the method of resolving their tensions. “But that’s still… I don’t know, it seems maybe a little disrespectful?” he pondered, nose scrunching. “It just is weird that they don’t want to find the time to listen to you, even if it is a large rant or whatever.” To Fawnpaw, information was valuable; his approach was taking everything in, all experiences and things said to him, then sifting through it later. However, Cinderpaw voiced being content with that, so he shrugged it off. “I guess if you don’t mind…” Unlike them, Fawnpaw was rather enjoying her company, rants and all.

When the subject swapped to siblings, he meowed, “Sure, I have a big brother, Thistlestep.” His gaze settled back on her, attentive. “What about you? You mentioned… uh, Dun… Dunsomething— Dunlin, maybe? Dunlinpaw?” he guessed at the name. “But do you have any other family?” Behind her, he noticed the sun was beginning to set into oranges and reds that signaled dusk would be coming soon, a thought that deflated him because he knew they wouldn't be able to chat much longer.

[TawnyNeedsACoffee]

Originally Posted by Dipper

Fawnpaw’s intrigue sparked upon hearing that she’d met a RiverClan cat, his ears perking. “What happened?” When he realized that could be personal and pushing the boundaries, he said, “Uh, not to be nosy. You don’t… have to tell me. Sorry. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable if you don’t feel like sharing.” He'd understand.

“Well, your Clan is called ShadowClan, so it’d be weird if they were bright,” he said, meow lightened in a teasing remark since he understood what she was trying to convey but slipping in his own lame joke. “That’s kind of unfortunate, though. If they were all more like you, it doesn’t seem like the Clans would be fighting nearly as much, but drama tends to do that…” Cinderpaw sounded like a peaceful sort of apprentice, and that was an approach that lived with him since he was unsettled by violence. Fawnpaw didn’t care for the brutality of battles and wished that wouldn’t be the method of resolving their tensions. “But that’s still… I don’t know, it seems maybe a little disrespectful?” he pondered, nose scrunching. “It just is weird that they don’t want to find the time to listen to you, even if it is a large rant or whatever.” To Fawnpaw, information was valuable; his approach was taking everything in, all experiences and things said to him, then sifting through it later. However, Cinderpaw voiced being content with that, so he shrugged it off. “I guess if you don’t mind…” Unlike them, Fawnpaw was rather enjoying her company, rants and all.

When the subject swapped to siblings, he meowed, “Sure, I have a big brother, Thistlestep.” His gaze settled back on her, attentive. “What about you? You mentioned… uh, Dun… Dunsomething— Dunlin, maybe? Dunlinpaw?” he guessed at the name. “But do you have any other family?” Behind her, he noticed the sun was beginning to set into oranges and reds that signaled dusk would be coming soon, a thought that deflated him because he knew they wouldn't be able to chat much longer.

CinderPaw shook her head softly as she replied."No, it's fine- Basically, This shecat was with her friend and I had accidentally stumbled upon them and uhm...One of them wasn't in a great mood and attacked me, B-But don't worry no blood was shed or anything since her friend told her off for doing it!".Quickly adding that last bit as she somewhat shuffled her paws."Honestly, I was a little scared since I wasn't sure what to do but everything turned out fine". She smiled brightly.

The Grey Molly laughed a little before nodding in agreement."I guess you are right about that". Her multicoloured eyes glanced at FawnPaw as she listened to him before she spoke a little calmer."Well...I guess so...But I don't want to hold it against them, y'know?".The Shecats energetic mood shifted when the topic, becoming very excited her eyes gleamed brightly as she spoke."Oh yeah, DunlinPaw is my Littermate so im closest to him out of all my other siblings! But my sibling BayberryPaw is Great to hang out with, sometimes my clanmates say im being a bad influence on them but i usually ignore them- Oh! There is also my younger brother TinyKit! He's very cute and it's fun to pull pranks on my mother by hiding him-". Realising she was rambling she stopped herself before she could go on, asking nervously."What about your older brother? Do you two get along?".A Curious glint formed in her eyes as she watched the brown coloured tom find the words to reply.'I Wonder what his brother is like? Would he be as nice as FawnPaw?'. Tilting her head at the thought she mulled on it for a little while before shaking the thought away.

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by TawnyNeedsACoffee

CinderPaw shook her head softly as she replied."No, it's fine- Basically, This shecat was with her friend and I had accidentally stumbled upon them and uhm...One of them wasn't in a great mood and attacked me, B-But don't worry no blood was shed or anything since her friend told her off for doing it!".Quickly adding that last bit as she somewhat shuffled her paws."Honestly, I was a little scared since I wasn't sure what to do but everything turned out fine". She smiled brightly.

The Grey Molly laughed a little before nodding in agreement."I guess you are right about that". Her multicoloured eyes glanced at FawnPaw as she listened to him before she spoke a little calmer."Well...I guess so...But I don't want to hold it against them, y'know?".The Shecats energetic mood shifted when the topic, becoming very excited her eyes gleamed brightly as she spoke."Oh yeah, DunlinPaw is my Littermate so im closest to him out of all my other siblings! But my sibling BayberryPaw is Great to hang out with, sometimes my clanmates say im being a bad influence on them but i usually ignore them- Oh! There is also my younger brother TinyKit! He's very cute and it's fun to pull pranks on my mother by hiding him-". Realising she was rambling she stopped herself before she could go on, asking nervously."What about your older brother? Do you two get along?".A Curious glint formed in her eyes as she watched the brown coloured tom find the words to reply.'I Wonder what his brother is like? Would he be as nice as FawnPaw?'. Tilting her head at the thought she mulled on it for a little while before shaking the thought away.

Rearing back slightly at the sudden escalation of the tale, he blinked in surprise and said, "Oh, gosh.. uh, no wonder you'd be kind of nervous about meeting RiverClan cats after that. I'm glad it turned out fine, that sounds like it could've been dangerous. I..." he trailed off, laughing a little self-consciously, "I think I'm far from the nicest cat around, but at least I'm not going to start clawing and biting at anybody." In reality, he was more likely to withdraw himself and sulk.

"What, are they afraid you're going to teach Bayberrypaw to be a good conversationalist? Oh, the horror," he meowed, dramatic but monotone since he'd never been the best actor. With a smile crossing his muzzle, he took in the sight of Cinderpaw and tilted his head, expression softening. "I guess I don't see how you could be a bad influence. You seem... super nice." The admission was somewhat quieter than the rest, and he cleared his throat, not minding her ramble in the least. "Yeah, he's.. fine, I guess. He's older than me, a lot older, so we don't hang out that much to be honest, but I'd like to more often. We just don't have tons in common, other than sharing the same set of parents."

Now that the thought of dusk had been planted in his mind, he was having a hard time shaking it in concern a clanmate might notice he was missing, or if he had trouble navigating his way back... "It's getting kind of late," he observed, somber. He imagined they both knew what that meant.

[TawnyNeedsACoffee]

Originally Posted by Dipper

Rearing back slightly at the sudden escalation of the tale, he blinked in surprise and said, "Oh, gosh.. uh, no wonder you'd be kind of nervous about meeting RiverClan cats after that. I'm glad it turned out fine, that sounds like it could've been dangerous. I..." he trailed off, laughing a little self-consciously, "I think I'm far from the nicest cat around, but at least I'm not going to start clawing and biting at anybody." In reality, he was more likely to withdraw himself and sulk.

"What, are they afraid you're going to teach Bayberrypaw to be a good conversationalist? Oh, the horror," he meowed, dramatic but monotone since he'd never been the best actor. With a smile crossing his muzzle, he took in the sight of Cinderpaw and tilted his head, expression softening. "I guess I don't see how you could be a bad influence. You seem... super nice." The admission was somewhat quieter than the rest, and he cleared his throat, not minding her ramble in the least. "Yeah, he's.. fine, I guess. He's older than me, a lot older, so we don't hang out that much to be honest, but I'd like to more often. We just don't have tons in common, other than sharing the same set of parents."

Now that the thought of dusk had been planted in his mind, he was having a hard time shaking it in concern a clanmate might notice he was missing, or if he had trouble navigating his way back... "It's getting kind of late," he observed, somber. He imagined they both knew what that meant.

CinderPaw laughed a little at his joke, she was enjoying chatting with FawnPaw but upon seeing the colour of the sky she gasped a little."O-oh! It's Dusk already...I guess I should head back now...". Saying that she looked a little sad that she had to say goodbye to the tom, although they weren't friends she was hoping they could become friends- then again the grey molly thought everyone was her friend without even having to talk to them."Thank you for chatting with me- it was really fun, Hopefully, we can see each other around again!".Saying this in a cheerful voice she got to her paws, stretching a little.

CinderPaw Turned around about to leave but she glanced over her shoulder and flashed a big smile."See you later FawnPaw!".Saying this she bolted towards the pines feeling very happy about today.

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by TawnyNeedsACoffee

CinderPaw laughed a little at his joke, she was enjoying chatting with FawnPaw but upon seeing the colour of the sky she gasped a little."O-oh! It's Dusk already...I guess I should head back now...". Saying that she looked a little sad that she had to say goodbye to the tom, although they weren't friends she was hoping they could become friends- then again the grey molly thought everyone was her friend without even having to talk to them."Thank you for chatting with me- it was really fun, Hopefully, we can see each other around again!".Saying this in a cheerful voice she got to her paws, stretching a little.

CinderPaw Turned around about to leave but she glanced over her shoulder and flashed a big smile."See you later FawnPaw!".Saying this she bolted towards the pines feeling very happy about today.

“I guess it’d be pretty hard to explain if a sundown patrol happened to catch us talking,” Fawnpaw said, frowning at the position of the sinking sun and wishing they’d have more time together. Their conversation was easy, interesting. He’d thoroughly enjoyed it, a weird thing to think about when he often preferred being alone. Sighing, he said, “I should head back too, but I… yeah, thank you— it was nice, having this discussion and getting to know you a little. That’d be good,” he agreed, the tiniest hints of a smile returning to his muzzle, “I’d like to see you again too.” Despite her cheer, Fawnpaw’s words were more downcast, facing the reality that meant going to camp, but there was no use dragging it out.

Turning away, his ears perked as she called to him, and Fawnpaw felt a comforting warmth at the words. “I’ll see you later,” he promised, reciprocating the notion that they would meet eventually in the future. Just hopefully not under violent circumstances… Although he shuddered at the thought, he quickly replaced it as he began to mentally map the route back to camp.