Meeting Rabbits (Closed)

The air was silent other then for the sound of paws crunching on snow as Mottleheart strolled into the clearing, his ears perked. He tasted the air as he came to a stop, disappointed at the stale scent of ThunderClan. It seemed like ages since he had seen Rockpaw and now that he was a warrior, he had the freedom to truly leave camp when he wanted. The fact that it didn't seem like Rockpaw had been here either in forever was a disappointment to him, hoping for another chance meeting with him but perhaps he would have to wait for the next gathering to see his friend. Would Rockpaw still be Rockpaw when he saw him next, or would he have his warrior name as well? The idea of seeing his cross-Clan friend excited him as he moved to moved over to the large rock, sitting down at its base as he wrapped his tail around his paws. He was going to wait, to see if Rockpaw would show up or if he would be forced to try another day.

Rabbitpaw had been trying hard to get the vivid images of her father's death out of her mind. She felt that it wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been there, but she couldn't change that now. With a defeated look, she padded into Fourtrees, hoping to get some peace and quiet for a short time before she had to go back to her duties as medicine cat. Now that she was here, she took a quick look around, taking in the sights and sounds of a near empty gathering area. It was only a sight she had seen once before but she was already relaxing from the peace and quiet. However, she quickly found herself frozen just outside of the brush as her eyes fixated on Mottleheart. What was this cat doing here? "O-Oh, um... I-I'll just leave. Sorry for bothering you!" she told him nervously.

Mottleheart was on the verge of giving up, ready to head back to the camp when a scent caught his attention. For a second, his heart soared in hopes of it being Rockpaw but only found himself disappointed as he recognized the scent as SkyClan. He wasn't sure what he was expecting but when a young looking she-cat came padding out of the bushes only to freeze and apologize, he was left a bit confused on what to do. "You don't have to leave - you aren't bothering me," were the words that quickly came out of his mouth, wanting to say something before she disappeared into the bushes. It wasn't as if he had come here for solitude - he had come in hopes of seeing Rockpaw. While this she-cat wasn't who he was expecting, he supposed having company wouldn't be that bad. "What is your name?"

At the sound of his voice, Rabbitpaw cringed, trying to figure out if she should go back to say something or just leave. Leaving sounded nice but at the same time, the company would have also been pleasant. She had never met him before, so it was going to be a little weird but he was already talking to her. She might as well stay and at least talk to him a little bit. Turning back around, she padded back though the bushes until she was in the clearing again. She looked down at the ground, trying hard to keep eye contact but it wasn't working. "I'm Rabbitpaw, medicine cat of Skyclan. What is your name?" She asked sheepishly.

Mottleheart smiled softly as the she-cat decided to join him. He nodded when the cat conformed that she was indeed a SkyClan cat but was a bit surprise to learn that she was the medicine cat. After the attack on RiverClan, Mottleheart had been interested in being a medicine cat but once he became a proper apprentice, he simply realized his interest in the spot was simply a way in hopes of avoid fighting all together. He would never have been happy but he did respect the spot. "Mottleheart, warrior of WindClan," he said in a faint mimicry of what she had stated. He slightly flinched when he revealed his Clan - he knew that most of the Clans, at least RiverClan and SkyClan, seemed to look down on WindClan for Smokepelt's actions to that RiverClan apprentice all those moons ago. Hopefully the medicine cat wouldn't react badly to him revealing that he was a WindClan cat.

"Windclan?" Rabbitpaw remembered all of the rumors that had been floating around Skyclan about Windclan but she never really bothered with them. Besides, it was her duty as medicine cat to take care of cats not just in her own clan but others as well. She was above the clan feuds, and even if she wanted to stay completely loyal to Skyclan, she couldn't bring herself to ignore the needs of others. "How have you all be holding up?" she asked, her attitude nearly doing a 180 degree turn as her shyness evolved into curiosity and a little bit of concern. She hoped that they were all doing well and that the medicine cat of Windclan could handle it. If not, she wanted to try to offer her services, although she didn't want to try to defy Crowstar.

Mottleheart blinked when Rabbitpaw suddenly seemed curious - no hint of animosity coming from the medicine cat. He sighed in relief, knowing he could deal with a curious cat much more then a hateful one. Not that he thought Rabbitpaw would be trying to go for his throat or anything, just that he was at least expecting Rabbitpaw to be...Really, anything but curious on how WindClan was doing. "We are doing fine," he said with a flicker of his tail. "We haven't had any trouble from the other Clans even if there has been...Disagreements in the Clan, but nothing that we can't handle," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, wanting to show that he doubted his own words. WindClan was growing strong, there was no denying that and RiverClan would be in for a surprise if they tried any funny businesses. There was always that fight that had happened between Smokepelt and Falconstone but he felt it was wise not to mention it - he didn't want Rabbitpaw to get the idea that they were weak from infighting. Besides, he could only hope that the argument was already behind them and that they could get along enough to help WindClan grow even stronger.

"That's good!" she mewed, not doubting his words for a moment. Sure there were always secrets between clans but she wasn't one to pry. "I mean... If you ever need help, though, I... I am always up to give my services," she told him shyly. "Word spreads around pretty quickly in the clans, so I know that Windclan was hurting for a while. I-I mean I'm sure you're great now!" She quickly tried to justify herself as she caught exactly what she was saying. Rabbitpaw certainly didn't want to downplay this tom's home clan, and she definitely didn't want to get in some kind of fight over it. "But... I know what it means to recover from something like that. I... I want to help." She hoped that she hadn't just embarrassed herself, but her offer was sincere, even if she didn't quite know physical pain. Instead, she knew emotional pain which could last just as long as (if not longer than) the physical.

Mottleheart frowned softly as he watched the she-cat trip over her own words over and over but soon smiled as he stiffed a laugh. It was rather adorable, the way she stuttered over herself as she tried to justify her misspeaking. He simply shook his head as he waved his tail at her. "Its fine, Rabbitpaw. And while I am warmed by the offer, it is not in my place to decide if we get help. While I am sure Beetlepaw would appreciate the help, its up for him and Ashstar to decide that." He was rather thankful that Rabbitpaw was offering help like she was, he didn't want to step on the toes of his own leader. It would be up for Crowstar and Ashstar to talk out trading herbs - or at least Beetlepaw and Rabbitpaw to do so. He didn't have a head for herbs and didn't want to make agreements he didn't understand mostly when he had no right to do so.

Beetlepaw? So there wasn't a full medicine cat in Windclan? Rabbitpaw felt like she should have known that already. However, part of her was kind of excited for that sort of news. She wanted to meet Beetlepaw at one point or another. Maybe at the next medicine cat gathering? At the same time, she was a little disappointed in Mottleheart's answer even though she knew that he was right. She couldn't just waltz over into Windclan and expect everyone to welcome her help. "Yeah, you're right. I-I'm sorry. I didn't meant to butt into it," she told him with a sheepish laugh, a little embarrassed by her mistake. When it grew quiet, she finally moved away from the bushes that bordered the clearing, taking in all the sights of Fourtrees. "So, uh... if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?" She asked, staring up into the treetops.

Mottleheart simply nodded as Rabbitpaw quickly apologized for being so forward on offering help, flickering his tail at her as a simple acknowledgement of that apology. As the silence filled the air, he also let his gaze scan the clearing. There was still the hope that Rockpaw would show up and...His gaze quickly snapped to look at the medicine cat as she questioned what he was doing here. "I was hoping that a friend of mine would show up," he answered shortly, tilting his head slightly as he watched the she-cat. "He is a ThunderClan cat so Fourtrees is the only place we can meet...But what about you? Why brings you here?"

Meeting a friend? That sounded nice, even though it was strange that a Windclan cat was friends with a Thunderclan cat. With a giggle to herself, she then realized that that couldn't have been as strange as her being friends with him-- Skyclan and Windclan. What a combo. As he asked her the same question, she paused for a moment, trying to think of a real reason as to why she was here. "I guess... I just needed a short break. I-It's funny because I don't even like being by myself. Plus, herbs are always short this time of year. This area sometimes has some good stuff in it," she mewed, faking a weak smile. "That and... well, my father's death has taken a much bigger toll that I thought. I know that as a clan, we need to move on knowing that the passed hunt with Starclan now, but it's just so... different." With a bit of surprise, she stopped, embarrassingly glancing at the tom. "O-Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to ramble."

Mottleheart's ears fell back as Rabbitpaw admitted that she had come to grieve her father's death before he shook her head at her apologize. "No, no need to apology. I...Never knew my parents, my mother died in kit-birth and my father was... always distract." he explained, leaving out the part of his father disowning him, blaming him for his mother's death. "The closest thing I have to my family is Ashstar...She is like a mother to me and I will be devastated when she looses her final life whenever that day comes. There is no weakness in grieving, Rabbitpaw, mostly if its family." He smiled softly at her. "If you do wish to be alone to grieve, I understand but...I suppose company never hurts."

Rabbitpaw sat quietly and listened to the warrior speak. It was weird but oddly calming to know that someone knew how she felt at some level. Sure, there were some in her clan that grieved over Antdrop's passing, but no one felt it like she did. Some used it to fuel their anger, others only moped. For the apprentice, it changed everything. She used it to try to help her get better as a medicine cat even though she had never truly been confident in her abilities to help her clan as she was supposed to. "N-No, I... It's nice to have the company. Thank you for sticking around even though I wasn't who you were expecting," she mewed gratefully. "I... don't normally have someone to talk to like this."

Mottleheart smiled softly back at Rabbitpaw but it faded slightly when she admitted that she didn't have anybody to talk to. Was she not close with her Clanmates? Mottleheart could understand that, when it came to his Clanmates he didn't have any...Friends, but there were still people he could talk to if need be. He shook his head, deciding not to delve into her personal life as he simply returned the smile to his face. "So, you are a medicine cat apprentice correct?" he said, feeling like a change of subject was needed. It seemed wise to skirt away from such a depressing topic of death and perhaps it would lighten Rabbitpaw's spirit. "Are you close to getting your full name?"