[lone]

Originally Posted by xeno

While his clanmates whined and bellyached over stiff joints and numb paws, young Sunblaze found himself eagerly counting the days till the river . "It's dangerous," they warned him. "You'll fall through and drown!" Of course, Sunblaze would go ahead and do it anyway. There was no way he'd miss out on a once-a-season opportunity just because some dusty old senior was too yellowbellied to do it themselves. He'd done it plenty of times over and hadn't fallen through yet. What were the odds today was the day of all days he'd meet his untimely death at the bottom of a river? That was, if it had even frozen over yet. It wasn't quite leaf-bare yet, but occasionally it got cold enough during leaf-fall to create a thin layer of ice that was just barely thick enough to stand on. He was supposed to be hunting, but he thought it wouldn't hurt to drop by and check. They wouldn't mind, right? A few moments of fun wouldn't starve anyone.

Sunblaze reached the riverbank and, much to his disappointment, found that it was steadily flowing like always. Guess today isn't my day. he thought glumly, kicking a pebble into the water that made a satisfying plink and sunk. Maybe Starclan was trying to tell him to focus more on his duties. He was getting ready to turn back when a distressed yelp caught his attention from further down the river. It wasn't very loud, but whoever it was didn't sound very happy. Without giving it a second thought, Sunblaze bounded towards the mystery cat. What if they are hurt? What if a rogue got them? Or a giant fish bit off their paw?!

Whoever the cat was, they weren't very far away. He found them quickly. Maybe even too quickly, as he nearly barreled headfirst into them, but was able to skid to a stop just whisker-lengths away. It was a quite pretty black she-cat, who- to his relief- seemed only to be quite wet and disgruntled. Flustered, he wheeled backwards and landed flat on his rear. "A-are you okay? You aren't hurt are you? You aren't bleeding.. anywhere? Do you need some help? I can help if you need help. I-If you need help, of course." Sunblaze blurted out words faster than even he could keep up with. He wasn't sure if he was genuinely concerned or just embarrassed anymore.

The fast approach of another cat drew Nightsky's attention. She would've attempted to clean herself up a little, but at the moment, she was much too cold - and tired - to worry about something like that. She'd have to hope it was only another she-cat; preferably someone who would help her dry off and get back to her usual, flawless self. That mindset was shattered once she saw Sunblaze approach. Unable to move quickly enough, Nightsky prepared herself for him to crash into her, but was pleasantly surprised when he managed to stop; almost in front of her face. She put on a playful smirk, stretching her head forward until the distance between them was almost closed before pulling away. He looked like he got easily flustered.

Oh, this'll be interesting.

"You can relax, darling," She mewed, finding a place that was semi-warm to sit, curling her sopping tail around herself. She was far from at her best right now, but Nightsky could work under these conditions. After all, she was good at this sort of thing. Especially because Sunblaze already seemed so nervous, it would only make her work easier. She recognized him; she'd seen him around the clearing before. He was a few moons younger than her, but not a newly-made warrior, as far as she knew. She didn't remember training with him, but then again, Nightsky didn't remember much of her apprenticeship. A few hard days here and there, a lot of working out the type of cat she wanted to be, and, as she fondly remembered, a lot of sleeping.

"I'm not hurt, but I appreciate the hero act. It's very sweet of you; very attractive," She purred, her voice dropping into a soft, sweet tone that had proven effective in the past. Everyone was different; some cats preferred physical flirtation, others verbal, and Nightsky usually tried a mixture of both until she learned what worked. It all depended on how desperate a tom could get for attention.

"You're Sunblaze, aren't you? I think I've seen you around. Are you more into nicknames, or do you prefer your own name?" She asked, her tail twitching back and forth even as she spoke. She was still wet, but at least she was entertained. This would give her something to do in-between trying to clean the water off and (hopefully) avoiding freezing. Perhaps Sunblaze would be interested in keeping her warm.