alone together {private}

[chaton]

Surprisingly enough, there was room for both of them. Leafbreeze held a content smile as Flintspirit settled into his own spot. She perked her ears as he spoke again. Quite simple. Simple was nice, though. Especially in Flintspirit's case, for part of his charm was being easy to understand and relate to. As he flipped her own question towards her though... she dipped her head, having to think for a moment.

"Hmm... to describe me..." She glanced up at Flintspirit, a smirk present as she spoke again. "Well, for one, I suppose I'm quite fond of caring for younger cats. Doesn't matter where they come from. If they need it, I will help them." She followed with a shrug. It wasn't anything mindblowing or special, but it was the truth. "Don't think that I'm a pushover, though. I will fight a cat who crosses me. You included. Not that I believe you would hurt anything." Flintspirit may be a large cat, but the dad energy he radiated was far too great to believe he could do much wrong. It also made his presence within this cramped den tolerable. "On a lighter note, I quite enjoy flower picking. Such a calming activity..." She meowed lightly, pausing briefly to check and make sure Flintspirit was the only cat around for this next and final fact.

"Oh, one more thing actually!"

A sly laugh escaped Leafbreeze as she leaned up quite dramatically to just barely be in range of Flintspirit's ear, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Now, don't tell anyone I told you... but my father was actually Windclan's deputy, Brindle... something. It's a long story that I wouldn't quite know how to explain, my mum never explained why everything happened the way that it did." A sigh escaped Leafbreeze as she leaned back, heart racing. She'd never told anyone about that before... it was certainly an experience! She needed a moment, though. Spilling secrets like that took quite a bit out of the she-cat.

@RedHead

[RedHead]

Flintspirit listened quietly as Leafbreeze spoke, tail-tip twitching in thought as he took in her words. She seemed quite similar to him on some levels, but there were also those differences between them as well. Such as the fact that Flintspirit knew he could be a bit of a pushover sometimes. He hated fighting, and would only participate in it if it was absolutely necessary. A peacemaker, as many had called him. Talking things out was his much more preferred way of "fighting" in a sense.
"Well, clearly you're not someone to mess with, so I will be sure to keep my guard up around you. I would rather not be clobbered and beaten, thank you very much." The tom joked with a twinkle in his eye. Though at her last statement, the tom leaned in close, eyes wide as she was sharing this secret. A smile spread across his face at the revelation though, and he pulled back, tilting his head with a smile. "Ah so you're half Windclan, huh? That's quite impressive, really. I myself find half-clan cats to be some of the most loyal and trustworthy ones." The tom meowed with a bright smile, tail curling up against the back wall. "As for my heritage... well... I'm half-loner. My mom was a loner, dad was a Thunderclan cat. So I would say that I do have a bit of that adventuring spirit in me, wanting to be able to go where I please. Though I will say now, adventuring alone is hard, and it makes you kinda crazy. You don't know how much I've started talking to myself lately." Flintspirit let out a sheepish laugh, giving a shrug of his shoulders.

@chaton

[chaton]

Leafbreeze listened with curiosity, finding herself interested in learning about another cat's past for once. Heritage didn't matter to her, and she still didn't understand cats who put so much emphasis in their beliefs surrounding it. That wss unimportant to think about in the moment, though. Back to Flintspirit. "Being alone isn't ideal. In all honesty, none of what you've said is all too surprising. I've been facing much of that myself these past few moons." A nonchalant shrug followed her words, soon resting her gaze on her own paws. "But that's changed in this moment. You're here, and quite honestly your company is very much appreciated." Leafbreeze took on a softer expression as she turned to face Flintspirit yet again. "I felt as if I went another moon without having any good chats, I'd have gone crazy." A soft laugh escaped her, though her mind blanked on what else to say. She'd been awfully open with Flintspirit despite them only recently meeting... perhaps that wasn't a bad thing, though.

Some time passed again... it felt like these pauses between conversations kept getting longer and longer. It seemed neither cat had the words to say what was on their mind -- or so Leafbreeze assumed. Taking a moment to look out of the den's entrance, the she-cat could see the sun quickly setting. It must've been later than she assumed. "Well... uhm... it looks like it's... getting late?" Her ears flattened back as she witnessed how badly she was stumbling over her words. This was no way to speak... "I'll stay and talk for a bit more, but... it's probably smart if I make my way back soon. Not sure how much you'd appreciate sharing a den with someone you just met, after all." Her meow was overwhelmingly neutral as she made her way out of the den, turning back to rest her paws on the entrance, peeking her head in. There was still a bit more she wanted to say to Flintspirit, sure, but the reality was that she didn't wish to leave yet... being alone was painfully boring. Having another cat there, no matter who it may be, was a simple, yet wonderful comfort. So... just maybe... by some miracle... Flintspirit would want her to stay around.

@RedHead

[RedHead]

"It's really not." Flintspirit agreed, ears flattening. He hated being alone, it was... one of the worst things he'd experienced in his life. Being physically alone was terrible, but being emotionally and mentally alone was what he had not been able to handle the most. His family, friends, those he trusted, they just gradually kept disappearing, and Flintspirit was starting to get overwhelmed. Sad. Exhausted. It was why he was holding on so tight to Doepaw, why he thought of her all the time. She was still here. Still alive, still remembered him, as far as he hoped at least.
Turning to face Leafbreeze, Flintspirit smiled, nodding a little. "Same with me. It's been... hard being alone. Harder than I thought. It makes the brain do weird things, makes... a cat act differently if they'd been alone for too long." Flintspirit knew he already said a couple things he would probably regret when he thought about it later. But no time like the present... right?
Though as Leafbreeze mentioned leaving, it seemed every nerve in Flintspirit's body went on end. He didn't want to be left alone, not right now. Not after he'd finally found someone friendly to talk to. "NO PLEASE don't leave." He realized his sentence started out loud, and he tried to quickly quiet it, and he sat there for a moment, mouth snapped shut after his sudden outburst. "I mean... um... I'd be glad if you did stay. You see I just... I don't want to be left alone again... and um...." Flintspirit knew he probably sounded ridiculously desperate but... that's what he was at this point. "Just for tonight at least? I'll sleep up in the tree if you want the den, I'll be perfectly fine up there, I've done it before." His words were coming out a bit too eager and rushed, green eyes wide as he focused them on Leafbreeze. He just... didn't want to be alone. Any friendly company was great at this point. "We can keep talking you know... just kinda... about anything really. I'll tell you anything you want to know. Secrets, past, thoughts, confessions, anything. It could be fun!" His pleading green eyes remained on the she-cat as he awaited her response.

@chaton

[chaton]

Leafbreeze was quite startled by Flintspirit's sudden change of tone at her comment on heading back. Normally, she'd have run off if another cat ever spoke to her in that manner, but it'd just been so long since she'd met a friendly presence... it was hard to leave. She looked around her, taking in the surroundings, then back to Flintspirit. With a sigh, she slowly climbed back into the den, curling up with no intention of moving.

"Um... you uh... don't have to leave... either. I suppose... we can share this den... and um..." The she-cat was embarrassed at her inability to properly express what she wanted to say. Why had this situation made it so difficult? Ugh. She quickly buried her face into her paws, a bit too self-conscious to let her expression be seen. "I... don't mind your presence. So... yeah. Stay in here and I guess we can just... talk a bit before we sleep." Leafbreeze attempted to appear calm, but it was quite obvious, even with her tone change, that hiding your face generally meant you were not so calm. Oh well. Flintspirit seemed not to care too much that she was a complete mess in these sorts of situations... it was nice to not be judged. In fact, that realisation in itself was quite calming for her as she soon returned to looking up at Flintspirit, crooked smile and all. "Uh... if we're sharing, as per your suggestion... I can go first." An uneasy meow escaped Leafbreeze as she held a paw against her face, falling into thought. Hopefully she'd word this in a way that wouldn't scare Flintspirit off. The last thing she needed right now was to be alone. "Well... I didn't approach you initially just because I recognised you... it was more based on rumours I had heard about you, actually. I was told you were quite the sweet cat, and... well... I um... don't think those rumours were wrong." Leafbreeze laughed nervously, flicking her tail dismissively as if what she said had no meaning at all. Taking a pause to yawn, she rested her head on her paws, tilting her gaze up expectantly at Flintspirit. She was oddly eager to hear some more about him.

@RedHead

[RedHead]

Flintspirit was still feeling a little weird about the fact he'd practically yelled at her to stay.... but it seemed she didn't take much offense, or deem him creepy, based on his reaction. That was good. He' been expecting the worst, so her simple surprise and embarrassment was the best response he could've hoped for.

As she mentioned that he didn't have to leave the den, Flintspirit debated doing so anyways, but decided it should be fine. It wasn't that weird right? Plus if he got uncomfortable, he could always just go up in the tree during the night. It's not like he was confined to the den upon agreeing on sleeping in it.

As Leafbreeze explained why she'd approached him though, Flintspirit's ears flicked up in surprise. "There's rumors about that?" He meowed, bewildered. "Maybe that's why no one takes me seriously." He was half joking, but it was also a little true. Narrowing his eyes, Flintspirit gave a playful roll of his eyes. "And here I was thinking I could use my size to intimidate cats who I don't want to get into scuffles with. But instead it seems I'm just looked at like a soft fluffy cotton ball." He snickered, shaking his head. He wasn't really mad, rumors were bound to be spread of course. It was just hilarious to him that he had gotten the reputation of being "sweet."
Tilting his head, Flintspirit then thought of something he could ask. Or confess. Either one would continue the conversation and make it interesting. "You know your "oh so powerful" leader of Riverclan?" Flintspirit asked, a grin growing across his maw as he mentioned Lionstar. "I've always called him 'goldfish' inside my head. I wanted to one day say it to his face but... well.... I never got the chance."

@chaton

[chaton]

Leafbreeze had been somewhat frazzled by all that had just happen. Had Flintspirit really wanted her to stay thay badly. More confusingly, did they both gloss over that whole interaction in favour for more conversation. It was clear how much being alone changed the standards a cat had for being around others. Bringing her focus back to Flintspirit, her ears suddenly perked as there was mention of her former leader. "Goldfish?" She meowed rhetorically, "That's the strangest nickname I've heard yet! It suits him well, though. I'll be sure to say it to his face for you if I ever happen to run into him." She chuckled, only half-jokingly. It would be funny to see how Lionstar might react to the name.

A noticeable pause had followed Leafbreeze's previous statement. It had been her turn to share... but exhaustion was getting the better of her. Not yet used to the fact that she was sharing a den, she rolled onto to her side in hopes of finding a more comfortable resting position, only to be greeted by the fluff of Flintspirit. "Oh. Uhm... might've forgotten there was actually another cat here. Though... this is oddly comfortable. Would you care if I... just... stayed here?" Leafbreeze was only half-awake at this point. Even if he did object, she might fall asleep before she could move. But hopefully he wouldn't, right? It wasn't all that abnormal to snuggle up with another cat, especially on colder nights. All would be fine... hopefully.

Though her sudden trip into the fluff-world had briefly distracted her mind, Leafbreeze hadn't forgotten about the topic at paw. "When I was a bit younger, around the time I first became a warrior... I really wanted to be a medicine cat." Her meow fell to a whisper, now close enough to Flintspirit that she didn't feel the need to raise her voice. "Instead of doing, y'know, normal warrior things, I spent my first few moons carefully observing everything the medicine cat did. It was a bit embarrassing, honestly... by the time I got an apprentice, I had to re-learn so many basic moves in my own right." A lazy tail flick followed her statement. The she-cat felt largely content with the situation now, which was a nice change of pace from the nervousness that clouded her previously. Leafbreeze had never truly realised how much she disliked being alone. She was somewhat scared of being on her own when the sun rose again... it was going to be strange spending time without Flintspirit after how things had gone during this evening.

@RedHead

[RedHead]

"I'll hold you to that." Flintspirit chuckled, a yawn of his own coming out of his mouth as he stretched out his muscles a bit. Flintspirit figured it would probably never happen, no offense to her, but Leafbreeze didn't seem the type to be able to say that to Lionstar's face. Flintspirit himself hadn't ever either, so maybe he couldn't judge. He was in the same boat here.

Though as she suddenly leaned against him, Flintspirit glanced down in surprise, before laughing a bit at her explanation. "Yeah, that's alright. I'm not bothered." It was true. He himself was more of a physical touch kind of cat, he would give those small pokes and brushes to his friends and family, and hugs were a big thing he enjoyed. Both giving and receiving them.

Her next statement caused his ears to perk up. This was interesting information. "Huh, that's actually pretty adorable." He snickered, though quickly corrected himself. "That you wanted to be a medicine cat. Not the fact that you forgot your warrior stuff. An obsession that leads to that might've not been the healthiest." He chuckled, narrowing his eyes slightly with a playful gleam in them.

@chaton