Sharing Tongues [C]

Iceheart

Iceheart did not often spend time just relaxing anymore. Perhaps it was the nearly-a-year of constant apprehension and nerves, battling and tragedy--but relaxing in any capacity was difficult. It was only with certain cats that she found she was able to, and one of those cats was Honeylight. He had invited Iceheart to rest with her and share tongues. Sharing tongues was also a somewhat foreign activity to her, but she had agreed to anyway. And she was glad she did; it was nice.

She carefully groomed part of Honeylight’s fur that he gotten a bit twisted while he was out on patrol today. She asked, “How have things been for you, Honeylight?” Now that he was no longer her apprentice, they didn’t talk as much. He was still one of the cats that she talked to the most, of course, but unless they were assigned to a patrol together, there was no reason to check in every single day. It made it easy for socializing to slip through the cracks while they both were busy with their own responsibilities. “Have you given thought to your rite?”

Honeylight languidly stretched himself out, rumbling purrs escaping him as he basked in the late afternoon sunlight. The air was pleasant and smelled of pine, the sun chased away any chill from the leaffall air, and he was getting to spend time with one of his favorite cats, something that was increasingly becoming a rare treat as their respective duties pulled them apart.

“Good,” Honeylight purred. “It’s really nice to get to go out for air when I need it, instead of constantly harassing you, or Forest.” He giggled, leaning into her affection before turning to return it, lapping a spot on Iceheart’s shoulder to smooth the thick fur there. His own fur was constantly getting tangled or twisted up; he could be awfully clumsy. “I’ve given some thought to it, though I think I need to sharpen my skills a little more before I give it a real shot,” He admitted. “I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew.” He thought of Roseburn and Duskflight’s injuries with a slight wince. He hadn’t even been in a direct fight with a predator before, so he was hardly about to jump into one solo.

“Still, I’ve toyed with the thought of a badger,” He said thoughtfully. “Feels…fitting, I guess.” He looked at his former mentor through relaxed, half open eyes. Iceheart may not be his mentor anymore, but she was still the cat he looked to as his guidance and the steady force in his life. His own birth parents barely had anything to do with him, especially his mother. Iceheart and Forestbreeze were the closest things Honeylight had to a family, and he doubted anything could change how important they were to him. “How about you? Miss me hanging in your shadow yet?” He teased with a light, warm laugh.