never let this go | lilypaw

[DUSKFOOT]

maybe if my heart stops beating

it won't hurt this much

and never will i have to answer

{ again to anyone }

The dawn border patrol was not exactly his favorite thing to do, but he did as he was told without question. The morning light drifted into the warriors' den, a cold light that reflected leaf-bare with great precision. A shiver ran down his spine as he stood up in his nest and stretched upwards into a graceful arch, fur rising and falling with the movement. The other cats were sleeping peacefully--a few of them grunting and mewling in their sleep as he dodged their tightly curled forms. He exhaled slowly once he reached the entrance to the den, passing through the covering and into the camp. Duskfoot shook off the sleep well enough and, as soon as the patrol was ready to go, he followed them out of camp. The other cats chattered among one another while the tom hung back. He was not one for a lot of conversation, though he did try on occasion. They marked and talked, marked and talked, his voice occasionally reaching their ears when he felt like interjecting. One reason he hated patrols: he was normally around cats he did not normally make effort to talk to.

By the time they reached camp, the sun was slowly rising into the sky. The chill was slowly ebbing away, though it was not hard to tell that they were in the throes of leaf-bare. His breath slowly rose past his nose. "Be sure and grab something to eat," The patrol leader suggested gruffly before disappearing to another area of the camp, leaving the other patrol cats to their own devices. Duskfoot took the suggestion to heart. His paws quietly thudded against the earth as he made his way to the fresh-kill pile. The scent of vole and rabbit were tantalizing. What do I want... After a moment of indecision, Duskfoot finally settled for a small rabbit that would satisfy him for a good portion of the day. He gripped it in his jaws and padded back out of camp, opting to eat by himself on a decently warm patch of grass. There was still a thin layer of frost on the ground. Just as he took a bite of his meal, a sound caught his attention. His ears perked up, bright blue eyes flicking away from the rabbit and towards the source of the sound. A young she-cat stood nearby. He blinked. "Is...there something I can help you with?" Duskfoot asked with faint hesitation. He was not sure when she showed up there.

[LILYPAW]

Catch some prey, bring it back to camp. Catch some prey, bring it back to camp. The she-cat cheerfully repeated the phrase over and over again as she bounded forward, the words all but ingrained in her mind from the many, many times they had been repeated by almost every cat in the clan. She had been an apprentice for only a short time, not even a moon, but already one of the first rules of clan life was likely forever imprinted on the back of her skull. Feed the clan first, and then yourself. And Lilypaw was doing just that, having left the Windclan camp even before many of the other apprentices had woken to go out and hunt. Not that it had been easy. The apprentice could almost faintly feel the last traces of the warmness that she had enjoyed curled up in her nest, the faint snores of the other occupants of the den seeming to drift through the air as if beckoning her to return to the safety and comfort of the apprentice den. But the illusion quickly vanished, snatched away by the cold grip of leaf-bare. As she climbed a small, grassy knoll Lilypaw became acutely aware of the biting chill that hung heavily in the morning air. With each step of her paws the hard ground crunched with frost, and her heavy breaths came out as puffs of white that lingered before vanishing into the crisp air.

At the crest of the hillock the apprentice paused, catching her breath as her bright olive eyes darted across the landscape, squinting slightly from the glittering of the frost as the morning sun’s rays caught the chilled moor. She wasn’t far from the camp; she didn’t dare thread out of easy reach without being accompanied by her mentor, but no other cats could be seen roaming the territory, and Lilypaw was convinced she was alone. Turning her head she started out towards the lake in the distance, the great body of water appearing almost black as the brightness of the growing day struggled to warm its frigid shores. And the she-cat could sympathize with the lake, ruffling her fur as she attempted to stave off the biting numbness that had begun to creep through her body. Putting the far off water to her backside Lilypaw scented the air, trying in vain to find some sign or any hint that prey was nearby. The apprentice was about to give up the search when she caught the slightest smell of vole, the preys scent carried to her by the slightest of gusts that rolled across the wakening grassland. Pinpointing its direction the she-cat turned and then bounded to the source of the scent, dropping into one of the hunting stances she had been taught as she neared. Trying her best to imitate what she had been shown, Lilypaw crawled through the rigid grass, feeling the frigid ground pressed against her stomach as her ears swiveled for any sound of the tiny creature.

And then it was there. Her eyes fell upon the small gray form of the vole scurrying among the grass, and with gentle steps she approached, taking her time as the vole was both upwind and unaware of the danger that lurked just a tail-length away. One heartbeat, another, and then Lilypaw pounced, claws outstretched as she watched the vole jump to its feet, attempting to escape. But the she-cat was too fast, and with a swipe of her paw she threw the creature into the air, finishing its life with a quick and easy bite. Proud that she had been able to catch prey on her own, the apprentice grabbed the lifeless body with her teeth, eager to return to the camp and show Sunshine and the rest of the clan the fresh-kill. Turning back in the direction she had come, Lilypaw leisurely padded forward, basking in the growing warmth of the rising sun across her pelt and taking her time. Soon enough the familiar scents of the Windclan camp washed over her, and the apprentice quickened her pace just slightly, the warmth and scent of the vole clasped between her jaws causing her mouth to water at the thought of being able to enjoy a nice piece of fresh-kill upon her return.

But the she-cat stopped short, for as she neared the entrance to the camp she spotted another cat emerging from inside, a rabbit held in the toms’ mouth as he headed over to a nearby patch of sun. Watching as he settled himself to eat, Lilypaw couldn’t help but wonder why the Windclan cat, for indeed he carried the scent of her clan, would want to eat outside of the camp all alone on such a chilly morning. Curiosity getting the better of her, the apprentice moved towards the tom with slow pawsteps, trying her best to remain silent as she approached the cat. But inexperience won out in the end, and as she took another step a slight crack rippled through the air, the silence shattered as if all of Starclan had suddenly roared down from the sky. Tenderly lifting her paw, Lilypaw spotted the frost encrusted twig, and was about to turn and flee back to the camp when she froze, the toms voice drifting towards her. Hesitantly, the apprentice lifted her gaze towards the tom, and saw that his clear blue eyes stared right back at her, obvious hesitation showing in his body as he looked on. Horrified that she had been so careless, and now fully aware that she had earned the mysterious tom’s full attention, Lilypaw carefully dropped the vole she held onto the ground, and shifting her paws uneasily, stared at the ground as she responded to his question. ”I…I was just curious about why you’re out here alone,” she mumbled, taking sudden interest in how a particular blade of grass sparkled in the sun between her paws, and wanting nothing more than to melt like the morning frost under the sun.

[DUSKFOOT]

[style=font-family: georgia; font-size: 30px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -2px]maybe if my heart stops beating[/style][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 10px; line-height: 0px]it won't hurt this much[/style][style=font-family: lucida calligraphy; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: 1px]and never will i have to answer[/style][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 12px; line-height: 0px]{ again to anyone }[/style]

[style=text-align: justify]
Loneliness was not something the tom felt often. He fared better on his own than in the presence of others, his quieter disposition usually rendering him invisible to the clan anyway. He did his part to support them and never considered leaving the clan life behind, but he was not outspoken and did not need their company to thrive. Still, Duskfoot wondered how he would cope by himself; no mewling kits in the nursery, no apprentices grumbling about changing the bedding for the elders, no warriors griping about thorns stuck in their paw pads while they hobbled into the medicine cat's den...it would be quiet. The noise was probably soothing, even if Duskfoot did not regularly partake in their conversations.

However, today seemed to be...different. He did not always take to eating alone outside of camp, but despite the cold it was a nice day so he figured why not? And now there was this young she-cat standing a short distance away from him, fresh-kill neatly held between her teeth and looking a bit stunned, perhaps bothered that the tom took notice of her presence. He wasn't upset, more curious and confused. She dropped her vole and began muttering something to him; naturally he inclined his ear. "You ought to speak up. It'll keep you from repeating yourself." He stated simply, rolling his head a bit to the side before actually answering her question. "In answer to your question, I'm out here alone because I like being alone." Because she was younger--though he was not sure how many moons they were apart--he tried to refrain from offering the normally biting remarks he might have made should she have been older. The way she carried herself was not exactly that of a cat who was confident and outgoing. Sarcastic as he could be, Duskfoot was not interested in tearing his own clanmate apart with vicious words if they were not entirely warranted.

His blue eyes watched her, studied her for a moment before glancing down at the rabbit nestled between his front paws. As much as he liked the solitude, it might be nice to at least invite her to join him. Then he wouldn't seem like such a recluse. If she said no that was fine too; he had already planned on eating alone. Duskfoot looked at her again. "There's plenty of sun left if you want to join me, though. I don't bite." He gave a moment's pause before adding with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Hard." Humor came in all different forms, but not everyone appreciated the less obvious or the aggressive. With a faint twitch of his tail, the tom took interest in his meal once again and allowed her to choose what she wanted to do without him coaxing her decision.

[OOC: Loved your post! <3 I haven't roleplayed animals in about a year so I'm a little rusty. I apologize. XD]
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[LILYPAW]

A million thoughts and beliefs coursed through Lilypaw’s mind, and none of them were particularly reassuring to the she-cat. After all, the tom had been happily going about his business and she had decided to interfere with her presence, unwarranted and probably quite rude. Would he hate her for interrupting his meal for simple curiosity? Was her question stupid and annoying? It probably was, and the apprentice expected at any moment to be met with hisses from the likely less than pleasant tom. Kneading the ground with her paws uneasily, her fur prickling uncomfortably, Lilypaw continued to watch as a single drop of water rolled down the blade of grass that was her current interest, the small orb of liquid shining like a star in the sunlight as it made its steady way down the green sky that it sat on, before disappearing into the hard earth, something she dearly wished could happen. The faintest of hopes began to grow in her heart that as soon as she looked up the tom would no longer be standing in front of Lilypaw, and would simply have vanished like a bad dream.

But these wishes were to no avail. The she-cat listened as the tom prompted her to speak up, the calico’s ears flattening against her head as her olive eyes flashed upwards back towards the tom, who had, of course, not moved a pawstep nor stopped paying attention to her in the slightest. ”Yes…”, Lilypaw began to reply, taking care to say her words to the tom rather than the ground in front of her, when she realized that she had no idea who this cat was or what his name could be. Raising her head fully, the apprentice stared at the white and black cat, not meeting his icy gaze but trying in vain to find a name for her clan mate, one she likely should have known. After all, the tom seemed very familiar for some reason, as if he had been pointed out to her before, or… Puzzled, the she-cat diverted her attention when the tom continued, answering her question by saying that he wished to be alone. Part of her simply wanted to turn tail and run, after all he did say he wanted to be by himself, and honestly, Lilypaw would have been more than happy herself to do so. But his answer only inflated her curiosity, now she felt like she really should have known this cat. Why would someone want to be alone? Lilypaw wasn’t exactly the most conversational or outgoing cat in the clan, but she couldn’t imagine purposely avoiding her friends and missing the warmth and comfort that filled the camp to, well, sit outside on the cold grass and eat with only the silence of the morning as a companion. It just seemed so, lonely, and the apprentice couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would choose this.

Her musings were interrupted as the tom’s voice reached her ears again, and Lilypaw became aware that she had once again reverted back to studying the way the fur moved on her paws as a stiff breeze rolled by, the frigid air biting at her. It wasn’t the cold though that startled the apprentice, who’s eyes immediately moved back to rest on the tom as he offered for Lilypaw to join him, adding that he didn’t bite, at least hard, as an afterthought. With that the tom returned to his meal, the she-cat feeling relief flood through her entire body as his gaze left, the tom centering his attention on the rabbit neatly placed on the ground before him. Her eyes wide with wonder, the apprentice stared at the tom, then at the camp entrance, then back at the tom, and finally at the vole that rested near her paws. This was her chance to run back to the safety of the camp, the warmness of the apprentice den, the comfort of her friends, and the chance to leave behind a cat she both didn’t know, and who had expressed interest in being without company. But he did offer, and the more Lilypaw thought about him, the more her curiosity expanded, and the more the tom’s offer grew in her mind. Poking at the vole with one of her paws, the calico she-cat cast one final glance at the camp entrance, and then made up her mind. Bending her head and picking up the fresh-kill between her teeth, Lilypaw padded over to the tom, making no effort now to hide her presence. She still watched the cat with uneasiness as she approached, and sat a good tail-length away from him, (she hadn’t forgotten about the bite remark, after all), but her affection for the cats of her clan outweighed the doubts she held, and decided that she couldn’t let the tom eat by himself, or at the very least she had to know why he wanted to be secluded.

Nestling herself as best as she could in the rigid grass and making sure to sit in a patch of sunlight to stave off as much of the cold as possible, Lilypaw once again dropped the vole in front of her, though she paid the fresh-kill little attention, instead centering her gaze once more on the tom who sat eating nearby. She watched for several heartbeats, already having doubts about whether it had been a good idea to accept his offer, but swallowing her fears the apprentice spoke, taking heed of his words earlier and not mumbling as best she could. ”But why would you want to be alone?”, she asked the tom, a little nervous about the question, but her curiosity was quite evident as the apprentice watched the tom with bright eyes. Folding her tail across her paws, Lilypaw waited for an answer, glancing at the vole beside her and wondering whether or not she should eat. Although warrior code aside, the she-cat was probably too nervous to even think about swallowing anything, only paying attention to the mysterious tom that had suddenly appeared in her life that morning.


[OOC: Thanks! I'm a little out of practice too, so it's fine. x3 But I think your posts are great!]

[DUSKFOOT]

[style=font-family: georgia; font-size: 30px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -2px]maybe if my heart stops beating[/style][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 10px; line-height: 0px]it won't hurt this much[/style][style=font-family: lucida calligraphy; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: 1px]and never will i have to answer[/style][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 12px; line-height: 0px]{ again to anyone }[/style]

[style=text-align: justify]For some reason, Duskfoot was reminded of himself as he watched the young she-cat stare at the grass between her paws and offer short, quiet responses. He had not been like that since kit-hood; the quieter, more aloof aspect of his personality came out after losing Goosefeather. Many of the cats--the irrational ones, at least--decided to pin the blame on the tom's son instead of bad luck or in the wrong place at the wrong time. His death not only took a toll on the kittens and Hollytail, but the rest of the clan took a toll on them as well. This she-cat did not seem irritable as he did, though. More reserved, or shy. His ear flicked a couple of times. No matter what he tried to formulate in his mind as a sort of response, nothing was worth saying. Avoiding the company of his clan mates probably did more harm than good, and slowly the tom was realizing this as he stared at her. Any other cat would have known what to say, wouldn't they? As much as he no longer cared about the opinions of others, if he instilled a concern about himself within his own mind it was bothersome.

A small breeze pushed by; the tom's fur fluffed out enough to buffer against the chilly wind before it died away. His thoughts were a bit jumbled at the moment, unable to sort themselves out properly. Did she have an ulterior motive? Was she trying to nose into his personal life, or was she merely curious? It was difficult to tell and while Duskfoot felt he was decent at reading others he still knew very little. For a moment, he wondered if she would take his offer or if she would rather find comfort in the walls of the camp. While he enjoyed the safety of the clan camp, it was nice to escape every once in a while and enjoy what lay beyond the dens and cats moving about the clearing. Out here it felt open, a good place to think and then proceed to clear ones' mind before setting to work on whatever the clan needed him to do. As he ate, Duskfoot kept his ear inclined towards her, a brief twitch of a whisker indicating he took notice of her movements towards him. Wow. He was surprised she joined him. She sat a fair distance away but that was fine; he was not one to appreciate having his other cats encroach on his personal space.

For a heartbeat or two, the tom continued to eat and refrained from portraying his interested in the she-cat. It was not in his nature to be eager for the company of others and there was no need for him to do it now. As soon as he swallowed, he turned his head to catch her stare with his own. His eyes were calm, level, lacking any sort of noticeable emotion. No happiness at her presence but no anger that she was there, just a simple stare that said he was paying attention. His chin rose slightly at her question. "Same reason any cat might have the urge to be alone, I guess," He replied, not quite sure how to answer that. Why did he want to be alone? Was it that he enjoyed the sheer solitude? Or was it because, after moons of dealing with his clan mates, he was ready to pull away from any emotional ties that might have been created? Duskfoot did not like creating bonds with other cats anymore. He feared they would end up just like his father. He couldn't tell that to a she-cat he'd only seen maybe a few times in and out of camp.

"It's nice to escape the business of clan life sometimes. Your clan mates are always around and everything is usually done with others, so I like to find a few minutes in a day where I don't have to do that." It was not exactly a lie, but in the same token it was, and the tom actually felt the sting of regret prick at his heart. It nestled there like a thorn in a paw pad. Feeling genuinely curious, Duskfoot rolled a little to the side and allowed one half of his body to bask in the semi-warm sun. "I'm guessing you'd prefer to be around other cats all the time?" A bit quick to judge but her question made him wonder if she was the type to thrive off of having cats right next to her consistently. It wouldn't be a big deal; after all, most of the clan cats enjoyed the company. It was the reason they did not choose to be a loner or go rogue, or find the life of a kittypet. Thinking on this, he decided to add an additional question. Her curiosity now had Duskfoot curious. "And why does it bother you that I'm alone?"
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[LILYPAW]

Lilypaw didn’t make any sort of motion towards the vole; she had firmly decided that she wouldn’t dare risk breaking the warrior code, especially after only just becoming an apprentice. At least that’s how she justified being frozen in fear to herself. In truth, the apprentice was having serious regrets at choosing to join the tom’s company. Not that she didn’t like him or find him repulsive or something dreadful like that; Lilypaw actually felt drawn to him out of wonder and curiosity. It was just that, well, she held almost no recollection of ever seeing him in the Windclan camp, aside from watching his tan and black body slink in and out between patrols, and yet somehow the tom’s presence tugged at the back of her mind, as if she should have known his name, or at least something about him. It troubled her, not in the way that she was afraid of him, but she couldn’t help but ponder whether there was a good reason as to why he decided to eat in seclusion, and that maybe his offer of company was simply offered in generosity, and not sincerity. Her presence could have been nothing but a bother to the tom, and even as she stared at the cat Lilypaw couldn’t help but flick her eyes between his hunched form and the entrance to the camp beyond. If she moved while he was distracted, then perhaps with enough speed and stealth she could…

Suddenly the tom lifted his head, his gaze moving away from the rabbit clutched in his paws and coming to rest on Lilypaw. Startled, the calico she-cat hastily dropped her eyes, pretending to paw at the vole next to her to try and hide the fact that she had simply been staring straight at him. But even though she felt embarrassed that he had noticed her interest, the apprentice couldn’t help but feel somewhat reassured. In the brief moment that her soft green eyes had met his piercing blue ones Lilypaw had found no trace of anger or resentment at her being there, and while they didn’t show any sign that he was necessarily pleased that she had accepted his offer, it at least told the she-cat that he didn’t hate the fact that she sat near him, and all thoughts of fleeing to the camp finally died away. Instead, her ears perked up at the tom as she listened to what he had to say, her eyes rising back up to meet his. Same reason as any cat? Lilypaw tilted her head, staring uncertainly back at the tom as she tossed his words back and forth through her mind. The calico never really had a desire to be alone, or at the very least never had a reason to be, and it was hard for her to comprehend exactly what could make a cat seek such distance from his own clan mates. Sure, there were times when she would be too nervous or embarrassed and would go out exploring or hunt to escape the camp for some time, but with this tom it seemed, different, to Lilypaw. It seemed like he was used to being alone, and that cat was more a stranger than silence.

But soon the tom began to meow again, and Lilypaw listened intently and with keen curiosity. Well, the apprentice couldn’t deny that what he said was true. Clan life was certainly wonderful, and Lilypaw would want nothing other than to be a part of Windclan, and she dreaded the thought of a world without those she knew and cared for. But there were times when the business of the camp, when the wounded cats of a border skirmish filled the clearing with the sight and stench of blood, or when the constant howling of the grassland gave way to the dreadful sounds of sickness, that Lilypaw wanted nothing more than to escape for just a few moments. To just walk about the moors, to feel the brush of the grass against her pelt, to hear the sigh of the wind through her ears, and to smell the soothing scents that wafted through the air, such things were indeed sometimes best enjoyed alone. Satisfied, the she-cat watched as the tom rolled onto his side, exposing some of his fur to the warming rays of the sun after his meal. A stiff gust of wind rolled across them, the slight warmth of the day momentarily blocked out by the wall of ice that suddenly surrounded the pair, Lilypaw shivering as the thought of lying in the sun suddenly became that much more appealing.

However, before the apprentice could curl up, the tom’s question reached her ears, and she paused for a moment, thinking of an answer. Lilypaw supposed that it was somewhat true, although she wasn’t the most outgoing cat in Windclan, it certainly brought comfort to her life having others around, and she had a need for companionship just as much as the next cat over. Feeling a bit more confident in the tom’s presence now, Lilypaw didn’t have to force herself not to stare at her paws, instead looking out across the grassland, her tail gently swaying behind her in the wind. ”I guess…I guess there are times when I like to be alone. But my friends are important to me, and I could never think of leaving them or having to live without them.” To Lilypaw the world was a beautiful place, full of so many wonders and brightness that even a hundred moons couldn’t reveal it all. But as much as she enjoyed experiencing all of it, in the apprentices’ mind it was just that much better to face life beside another. Her mother and father, her brother and the others kits and apprentices, they were as much a part of her life as her paws and tail.

Lost for a moment in thought, her attention snapped back towards the tom when Lilypaw caught his next question. Sharply turning her gaze away from the gray sky and back towards the cat beside her, the she-cat sprang to her paws, the tom’s inquiry catching her completely off guard. ”I…I just…but…I mean…”, she stammered, eyes wide as she tried to answer. Honestly, Lilypaw didn’t know if she had an answer. Yes, she cared deeply for all the cats of Windclan, but the tom hadn’t been in any danger or didn’t appear hurt or in pain; he simply wanted to eat his fresh-kill outside the bustle of the camp as far as the calico could see. And yet simple curiosity didn’t seem like it either. He had answered her question about why he was alone, why hadn’t Lilypaw just walked away after that, especially if she felt so nervous around him? Sighing and giving her chest a few nervous licks, the apprentice faced the tom, ears flattened. ”I just noticed that you were by yourself, and that I don’t see you that much with the other warriors”, she mewed, her words honest. Though, as an afterthought, she gave the tom a questioning look, and added, ”and for some reason you seem familiar to me, but I don’t ever remember meeting you.”

[DUSKFOOT]

[style=font-family: georgia; font-size: 30px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -2px]maybe if my heart stops beating[/style][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 10px; line-height: 0px]it won't hurt this much[/style][style=font-family: lucida calligraphy; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: 1px]and never will i have to answer[/style][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 12px; line-height: 0px]{ again to anyone }[/style]

He was completely unaware of how anxious the young apprentice was, how she was torn between staying and taking off towards camp without looking back. It would not have phased him much either way considering his previous companion had been nothing but the wind and the chill. Loneliness rarely had the opportunity to seep in. Having her nearby was a bit soothing though. She was not overly talkative and did not ask so many questions that he felt his head would burst from the irritation. He seemed to have decent luck running across cats who knew how to avoid being overly obnoxious. Her inquiries did ruffle his fur a bit but it was more that he was a private cat, not because she was curious. Duskfoot simply liked to pin it on other felines to cover up for how much he kept to himself. These were the moments when he realized how much distance had been created between himself and the rest of the clan. A rift had been formed. It would be difficult to alter that now. Though her questions did make the tom feel a bit on edge, he still rolled onto his side to portray how calm he wanted to feel.

Blue eyes still watched her intently, more studious than penetrating, waiting to see what answer she would give. She had been rather quiet this whole time and he silently wondered if his questions would be left hanging or if she would give a decent response. She did not seem to be very chatty so it could go either way. Duskfoot licked at his chest as he waited, in no rush what-so-ever. There would be another hunting patrol sometime after sun high and there was the chance of joining border patrol at sundown, but the rest of the day was open. When she finally gave him an answer, the tom tilted his head a bit to the side. Did she think that his lack of socializing was because he had plans of leaving? Windclan was his home and would remain so until his last breath. His paw curled and uncurled in thought, his eyes shifting their focus from her face to the grass lying beneath him. It was growing a bit warmer now, though it was mostly due to him lying directly in the sunlight. He could take a nap here. "Well, it's good to know you have a deep rooted loyalty for our clan," He finally replied, flicking his gaze back up to her again. "But don't mistake my need to be alone for me having an intention to leave this life behind. Windclan is my home and always will be." His tone was level, and calm, expression placid. Was he offended by any possible accusations? A little, but the tone of her voice did not seem judgmental or accusatory.

Surprised at her sudden movements, Duskfoot drew his head back as she leaped up from her spot in the sun and looked at him with some sort of panic stricken look on her face. What did he say? It was just a simple question that he thought had a simple answer. Maybe not. He did not move from his spot, merely tilted his head upward to look at her. His tail tip twitched. "You really need to calm down," The tom suggested. "It was just a question. I'm not going to claw your eyes out or anything." Irritable as he could be, that would wind up being a pointless gesture that would solve nothing. Why was she so jumpy anyway? She acted like she had fleas in her pelt.

Finally, the answer. He replied with a muttered, "Ah," at first before continuing on a few heartbeats later. "So now you're stalking me? I'm not sure if I should be flattered or concerned." Of course he was only kidding, but would she take it as a joke? Her antsy movements left him uncertain. Instead of continuing the joke, Duskfoot shook his head and glanced over at the camp entrance. He looked wistful. "I just don't keep many friends," He explained, rolling a shoulder to show his nonchalance. "I spend time with the other warriors of course, just not all the time. They are nice but I'm not close to most of them." Hopefully she would be satisfied with the answer and not pry further, but who knew? He mentally prepared himself for either scenario. A low hum rose in his throat as he tried to think of where the she-cat might know him--outside of the fact that they were clan mates--and nothing immediately came to mind. She did not fully spark any memories in his mind so he was a bit useless. "Well, I'm Duskfoot, if it helps any. Who are you?"