'Cause baby, you're a firework [p]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws

"Hazel-" Er, I guess she's demoted right now, huh, "-paw" Hawkbite would approach the she-cat, moving across the clearing with steady strides. It felt weird addressing a cat he'd never really interacted with before, especially a demoted one. He'd flex then roll his shoulders mid stride to push away the unease of the situation. Why am I so awkward around new cats, gahhh. The Commander held his normal stoic disposition as he took a seat about a tail length from the she-cat. He hid the gears turning in his head, fighting the urge to abort the entire mission he had planned.

"Fastest way to show off to the clan you're not so incompetent is to get active out there, so come with me to the territory, yeah? We'll catch some prey or something to bring back. Little steps." Hawkbite would suggest, not really giving her an option to back out of the order. She'd come or she'd be reported, it was really just that simple. So, Hawkbite would get to his paws and flick his tail to gesture for her to follow him out.

Unfortunately for the pair, the summer heat was in full motion. He could feel the sun heating up his dark tabby coat with every exposure to the sunlight he crossed through. Hawkbite tended to stick to the shadows anyway, but especially on days like this when he knew he could overheat fairly easily. He refused to have that happen today. Nope. Not today.

@Dark - Hazelstripe

[Dark]

Hazelstripepaw

The Collector: Inactive | Ultimate Predator: Inactive | Kitty Softpaws: (Perm)
___________

Having half a mind to tear the tongue out of the mouth that dared address her by her demoted name, Hazelstripe whirled on the offender, teeth bared in the beginning of a snarl before realizing that it was… Hawkbite.

Begrudgingly, she composed herself and offered the tom a curt smile and the slightest of nods of her head. He was the Commander of the enforcers, and getting on his bad side would do her no good, especially not while in her current situation.

He wanted to go out into the territory with her…? That was odd. She would admit it, previously she had her eye on the tom for – well, not so well-intentioned reasons, but they never really spoke before. Had Dawnstar sent him to punish her? Was he going to kill her out there and dump her body somewhere?

Nononono, that couldn’t be it. If Dawnstar wanted her dead, she’d have just done the deed herself. So what was this about? Was there something that Hawkbite wanted to see for himself? Honestly, the tricolored tabby had a hard time believing that he just wanted to go out with her out of the kindness of his heart. She’d seen him after all. He was always around Nightshiver and Mistlewhisker, and before her exile, Lynxshade. What reason would he want her too?

Not wanting to argue, the demoted warrior stood up and followed the tom out of the camp and into the territory. Stars above the heat was brutal. She couldn’t even imagine how hot it was for Hawkbite who had thicker fur than her and a darker pelt. Unnerved by the silence and uncertainty of not knowing what was going on, the she-cat spoke up. ”It’s pretty how, isn’t it? How're you feeling, big guy?” She asked, partially out of concern, but more so out of her own curiosity.

[ @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws

#HawkBingo24

Hawkbite's ears would twitch at the small talk the warrior was attempting to make. Honestly, he wasn't used to receiving odd compliments like that, but he wasn't going to complain. He could feel the ripple of excitement course through his fur and up his spine. He knew it was a lie, a majority of the clan was larger than he was, but that didn't stop the sensation. Nope. It was a sensation he'd nearly forgotten about. The one that made him tick. The last time he'd received it was when Dawnstar complimented his work ethic in his position.

He gave his ears a quick flick before he'd come up with a response. "It's a bit warm out, but I'll take that over being cold any day," Hawkbite replied before his sense of conversation manners kicked in. He should probably address her too, huh? He didn't take up small talk often, it was weird. He almost preferred she hadn't said anything. Oh, this thought process is dragging on now. She was sure to think he was rude after the moments of silence following his answer. "Ho- How about you? Feeling... okay?"

CRINGE.

Okay, so socializing wasn't his strong suit. He was a bit out of practice since every time he associated with a cat, it was work or training. There wasn't friendly chatter these days, except with Mistlewhisker. She'd been the only cat recently to get him talking. Oh, perhaps Nightshiver and the newest addition, Fishkit. Although, they likely wouldn't have been talking so frequently had Fishkit not come along. It was weird how relationships formed. Perhaps, that was why he decided to drag the pretty tabby out into the territory. To form some sort of... relationship? Bond with a clanmate? Ergh.

The sun was near setting at this point, thankfully taking some of the heat away. His train of thoughts was rudely interrupted as a loud BANG sounded through the territory. Hawkbite froze in place, his gaze shooting toward Hazelstripe in a frantic manner. The only thoughts in his head was the day his sister went missing -- or rather, died as he learned recently. The anxiety of those memories fueled his increased heartrate and his drive to suddenly protect his clanmate.

Another BANG shot through the territory and in an instant, Hawkbite had dove towards Hazelstripe and pushed her down into the ground. The Commander stood protectively over her as he processed what was happening around them. The bangs continued to ring out -- thanks to the dynamite lines humans can get -- in rapid fire, sending his fur on end and his body pressed to the top of hers. He wasn't going to lose another clanmate like this. Nope. No way. He'd take the hit if he needed to, whatever it was that caused these noises.

Then, they stopped.

Hawkbite was hesitant to rise. He didn't trust this at all. It was clearly the work on the humans. Probably the same ones that drove them away from their camp. As the moment dragged on, Hawkbite would let out a breath. Apparently, he'd been holding it that entire time and his lungs were aching from it. "You're okay, right?" The Commander would speak in a gruff, hushed voice as his eyes darted to a light shooting up into the sky.

BANG!

The sky lit up in a bright dazzle of colors that spread out across the treetops. Hawkbite kept Hazelstripe pressed down, but not enough to obstruct her vision from anything. "What in the stars..." Hawkbite would whisper. The tom would ease up on his stance so Hazelstripe could move away if she pleased. He was too mesmerized by the brief lights in the sky to realize he'd lost focus of his task.

@Dark

[Dark]

Hazelstripepaw

The Collector: Inactive | Ultimate Predator: Inactive | Kitty Softpaws: (Perm)
___________

Honestly and truthfully, she hadn’t been expecting the tom to respond. But he did. She wasn’t a fan of small talk, but something about walking along with the Enforcer Commander in silence unnerved her. Of course, she ended up regretting her decision because he seemed not to be much of a conversationalist – a very awkward fellow. It was odd. Hazelstripepaw had imagined that the tom would be overflowing with confidence and charisma all the time. That wasn’t the case. He was… normal. A bit skittish seeming even. It was kinda… disappointing…

With this new revelation, she pondered on what she’d say, unsure of how to address him without coming across as a total asshole (a shocker, really). It didn’t help that there was nothing really she had to say. Sure she could address the “How are you feeling?” question, but… she was pissed. Very very pissed. There was no need for her to subject the tom to her angry ramblings.

As she was mulling over an answer, a loud bang snatched her out of her thoughts. What the hell was that!? Instinctively, the cream-colored tabby froze, eyes wide and ears pinned to her head. It was a very undignified look, but she didn’t care to worry about that right now. What was most important was making sure she was safe.

One moment she was crouched low to the ground, frozen in both surprise and fear, and then the next she found herself bowled over and staring at the fluffy pelt of the tom that accompanied her. To be honest, she wanted to bite him. She wanted to scratch, kick, and bite (in that order) for daring to put her in such a compromising position. She didn’t though. As the loud noises continued, she found herself subconsciously wrapping her slender limbs around the short-statured tom. Remaining silent, she closed her eyes tightly and breathed in his scent as she attempted to slow her racing heart. He felt… safe. It was an odd feeling, one that she didn’t get from many cats, but Hawkbite had gone out of his way to try to protect her when she had only been thinking of herself. She chided herself inwardly for the selfish feeling, but quickly got over it.

The two of them remained like this for some time before it stopped. After a couple of heartbeats, Hazelstripe finally loosed her grip on the tom’s muscled form and opened her eyes. They were okay. They were safe. With that over, she felt like she could once more breathe with ease, her racing heart starting to dimmer down from the thundering crescendo that resulted from the excessively loud noise.

”You’re okay, right?”

It was a silly, pointless question. Of course she was alright, how could she not be? She hadn’t been hurt or anything, and he had gone and shielded her from whatever it was that could have caused that noise. ”Yes,” She mewed in a uncharacteristically meek voice. Hazelstripe wasn’t used to this. This feeling of being protected – of someone caring about her well-being was so foreign to her that she wasn’t sure if it was genuine or if the dark-furred Commander had some sort of ulterior motive.

It didn’t take long for the tom to ease up on the pressure he put on her, but she remained still as another bang rang through the air. Hearing his exclamation of surprise, she followed his eyes to the colorful display in the sky. It was… Beautiful. Honestly, beautiful didn’t do it justice – it was astonishing. Suddenly she was feeling really giddy. Looking up at his face, she noticed how the colors reflected of his eyes.

BANG!

Another chorus of noise made its presence known as the sky once more lit up with a bounty of different colors. From where she lay, she could see some above them, but her eyes remained focused on that gorgeous green. For as long as she lived, she would not forget this moment. Against her best intentions, she was unable to prevent the whisper that escaped her. The whisper that changed everything for her.

”Beautiful.”

[ @SuspiciousMindz I wanna die. There was a typo in my last post]