Love Likely [C]

Wolfblaze was... more distressed than normal. She felt so awkward around Kestrelswoop as of late, and she knew why, though she didn't really want to admit it. She was in love, that was clear. There, she thought it, finally. She loved spending time with him though, and that was more fun than wallowing in her anxieties. Besides, if he was her friend, then he wouldn't care! Right? With a sigh, she looked for Kestrelswoop, scanning the camp for him. Once she spotted him, she made her way over, as quick as she usually did.

"Hey Kestrelswoop, do you... wanna hang out? We can go out in the territory and maybe just do stuff." Her tone was certainly more bashful than usual. Maybe it was just the sun beating down upon the camp, but her skin under her heavy fur was heating up just thinking about hanging out with him. She had never felt so awkward in her life, she was so used to just experiencing life and letting her whims take her places, but now she had to actually think about her feelings! It was all so weird.

He was at a loss, which was somewhat of a rarity for someone like him. Many things were contributing to his anxious demeanor but there were two main ones. Lately, he noticed the peculiar way Wolfblaze had been acting around him and it was slowly starting to bother him more and more. She had never been like that with him before and the tom was starting to worry that he had done or said something wrong. He scoured his more recent memories but nothing gave him a definitive answer. He wasn't going to push her for answers but he just couldn't help but worry. For now, he was going to keep a closer watch on his best friend to hopefully find out what was wrong. On another paw, he was well aware of the other thing that was making his head spin, and it was probably what worried him the most.

The more time he spent close to Wolfblaze, the more his heart ached and yearned for... something that he wasn't sure how to provide it with. Every look he directed at her lingered on just a second or two longer than before. At first, he wasn't sure what he was feeling nor why he was feeling them but as time progressed and he gave them more thought, it began to piece together into a clearer picture. He, Kestrelswoop, loved Wolfblaze. This discovery, weirdly enough, left him feeling more... relaxed. There was finally something that made sense and wasn't completely leaving his mind exhausted. However, despite how much lighter he felt, it still wasn't enough to stop the new rush of issues that were presenting themselves in his mind. What is Wolf didn't feel the same as he did? Would she reject him fully, stop being his friend if he let these feelings known? He was... frightened to lose his closest friend. She meant so much to him, much more than she probably realized. All of this is the reason why he felt a warm happiness as well as a whole lot of nervousness as said she-cat approached him.

"Hang out? Always Wolfblaze." He left out the 'especially with you' that was on the tip of his tongue. "Um yeah. Territory s-sounds good to me." he managed out with a soft stutter as he offered her a shy smile. She seemed more bashful than normal and honestly, he was feeling just as similar right then. Oh StarClan give him strength...

"Uhh, ok! Yes, go, that is what we'll do!" She couldn't help but stutter as well as she spoke. Stars, Wolfblaze didn't know she could even be this awkward! With a small flick of her tail, she beckoned Kestrelswoop to follow her out of camp. She thought that maybe they could go hunting? Or at least do something that would separate them? She also desperately didn't want to appear weird or... unusual. Wolfblaze simply shook her head and kept walking, at least for a little while. Soon she'd have to say something. Yet she was also afraid of just blurting out something embarrassing! Her tail lashed back and forth as she kept walking.

Finally, she looked over at Kestrelswoop. "I.. uh, shoot this is hard." Her paws shuffled back and forth, she hadn't exactly invited him out with the intention of telling him what she felt, but she would probably say something dumb anyway. "Ok, I like you, as in like... more than a friend? And I wasn't sure how to tell you! But now I'm just saying it cause it's driving me crazy! Like, I am not used to this! But I do like you!" With a noise akin to a screech, she stood as if she needed to run off then and there. She had NOT prepared to say that, but she did anyway because who really thinks about their decisions anymore? And if Kestrelswoop completely denied her, so be it! She would just... chase him around or something, because yeah why not! Yep, that's what she'd do! Being denied just meant he'd get raced back to camp or something! Oh, Wolfblaze really felt like she was going to lose her mind.

His nervousness calmed just enough for him to have actual cognitive thoughts again as he followed Wolf out of the camp at her beckon, paws speeding up just a tad so he could walk side by side with her and not just trail behind like a lost kit. As soon as he felt himself regain some of his confidence back, the brown and white tom shot her a rather soft, reassuring smile. He brushed his shoulder with hers as they began their outing.

It felt like some significant amount of time had passed since either of them had said anything. Kestrelswoop had been deep in thought and Wolfblaze appeared to be in a similar situation. The silence wasn't awkward or uncomfortable but he still felt like he should be saying something, anything would suffice. Sadly, he didn't really know what. Fortunately, Wolfblaze stepped up and was the one to break the silence.

At this point in his life, he shouldn't even be surprised at how effective Wolfblaze was at leaving him utterly speechless. She... liked him? Like liked him? She felt the same as he felt with her? Was this a daydream sent by StarClan to torment him or was this the real deal? He was nearly tempted to bite a paw to see if he would awaken but the screech-like noise that came out of Wolfblaze did the trick. He snapped back to reality and his green gaze widened at her panicked stance. It seemed like she was about to bolt but Kestrel was determined to stop her. She needed to hear that her feelings were mutual. He needed to be brave like she was.

"W-Wolfblaze! Calm down. Please don't leave." There was a slight desperation in his voice but he still managed to say it with a somewhat solid voice. He needed her to realize before it was too late that he was being serious and was not messing with her. "Oh Stars, Wolfblaze. I like you more than a friend too. It's been driving me mad that I wasn't able to identify my feelings for you until very recently. I guess... I guess I was scared of you breaking our friendship and... well... probably leave me in the dust if I let my feelings be known. You've been my best friend for quite a while now and I just can't see a future without you in it. You helped me come out of my shell, focus on fun and excitement for once in my life instead of just work. When I say that you're always on my mind, I really mean it. I just can't get you out and honestly, I really don't want to. Just thinking of you makes me smile. I-I was so stupid to not realize it sooner. I should've not been so cowardly and should've told you before. You lift of my spirits and I always look forward to hanging out with you each day, even if it's just for a moment. Wolfblaze, I love you." The tom took a deep breath as he finished, eyes shining bright with warmth and fondness. A tiny bit of anxiety reared it's head as he awaited her response but he quickly brushed it away. There was no need to worry anymore. He was going to be brave, for Wolfblaze.

Instead of running through the undergrowth of the territory to howl with happiness, like she might've wanted to do just a little bit, Wolfblaze ran at Kestrelswoop, slowing down at the last moment to headbutt him in the chest, not enough force to actually hurt him. She stayed like that for a moment silently, relieved. He likes me back... He said he loves me... Finally, she withdrew her head, looking at him softly. "Yeah... I'm pretty sure I love you too. I love that you're modest about stuff, and humble, yet still so skilled. You've always been so wonderful to me, and I guess I was just... afraid that you wouldn't want to be with someone like me. I thought I might be too much for you to actually love. Somehow I'm always on your mind though, yet you're always on mine... guess it just works?" It only took her a moment to look away, searching for something to give him.

Wolfblaze quickly began rooting around for a flower in the undergrowth... or a rock, or feather, or anything! Not to break the silence, but because Kestrelswoop deserved something nice. Eventually, she found a somewhat spiky-looking one. It was... weirdly pretty, but not really a conventional flower... Ah well! She snapped it off its stem quickly, rushing back to Kestrelswoop. "I've found something pretty for you!" Smiling widely, she set it down in front of him. "Not quite as handsome as you, but for some reason, I can't find any actual flowers. Yes, I found that for you to call you handsome it was a whole setup thing... ah whatever. Anyway... yeah! Pretty stuff for you!" Her tail thumped gently against the ground as she sat, smiling. For a moment she thought she might've been dreaming, but nope! All real!

Relief caused his shoulders to visibly sag and he bashfully grinned at the she-cat. For a moment, he was caught off guard by her sudden movements but laughed as he felt her headbutt his chest. He savored the warmth that was spreading though him as she lingered there for just a few moments longer. He felt a pout tugging at his mouth as she withdrew but the warmth stayed as he looked her in the eyes, ears very much appreciating what she was saying. "Oh Wolfblaze. You're perfect to me. No matter what you think of yourself, I only see someone that I will love to be with until my very last breath. It will more than work. It's us, ya silly." he rumbled as he smiled gently and butted his head with hers for a second. He pulled away and his eyes trailed her movements as she appeared to be searching for something. He cocked his head to one side, mind attempting to figure it out. It was cute the way she rushed around, one of many things he loved about her.

It didn't take her long to return and he felt his face heat up with what she presented to him. He very much cherishes the gifts she gives him and always looks forward to receiving more. However, it wasn't all about getting something, he usually gave her something as well. It felt just as good as getting a gift when he watched her expression when he gave her something in return. "Setup or no, I love it Wolfblaze. A pretty gift from such a pretty she-cat makes me so happy. Wait here. Lemme go get ya something. It's only fair." the tom said with a nudge and a wink as he scampered off, intently searching for something to give her as a gift. It had to be a really nice one.

After some time searching the area, he managed to find a real nice looking feather. It looked like an owl's feather but he wasn't too sure. It was in a surprisingly pristine condition and he was very grateful for that. He rushed back to where he'd left Wolf and gently placed the feather down by her paws. When he looked back up, he grinned at her and nuzzled her cheek with his. "Here ya are. Sorry it took me a bit longer than expected to find something for you but it was worth it. Found it in such a nice condition and couldn't help but bring it to you." Gosh, he was so sappy. At this point, he didn't care. All this gift exchanging felt nice. It was one of the few times he let his softer side come out. It was like a breath of fresh air.

"You're perfect, you know that?" Wolfblaze could only say that when Kestrelswoop returned with a feather, a wonderful one at that. She was so happy she could possibly leap out of her pelt. With a good shake, she picked the feather up gently, happy to place it in her nest when they returned. "So... maybe we should head back? I know that we can't have been out for long but, eh, who cares? Unless you wanna stay out here longer, that is!" She purred this, bumping Kestrelswoop's shoulder in a familiar manner, staying near him for longer than she had before. She liked being near him. If she didn't, well, that'd be awkward!

"I think we should head back to camp. I want to decorate my nest with the newest gift you've given me." he purred after a few minutes of silence while he relished the nearness of the she-cat beside him. Times like this had been harder to come by before but hopefully now that they have expressed their feelings to each other, all this could happen much more often. Just thinking about the future he'd have with Wolfblaze made him awfully giddy.

The brown and white tom picked up his gift and softly nudged Wolfblaze toward the direction of the camp. "Onward we go!" he said, words coming out a bit muffled since he was gently holding Wolf's present in his jaws. The warrior snorted and shook his head at his somewhat random jovial exclamation and began to lead them back, a slight skip in his steps.