You silly elder (closed)

"And I would have no one to blame for it but you." It was meant to be teasing but it had sounded condemning. He paused, rolling to his paws and shaking out his pelt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that. I hope you know that I really don't dislike you as much as it may seem. Being around so many others at camp is new and uncomfortable, but being around you doesn't make me feel like that." The feeling that he did have was like the one he had when he met Lightningstrike. It was a painful memory, but still a pleasant one in a way. He'd heard she'd died, as well as the unborn kits she'd been carrying. The father was unknown to the Clan at the river.

Echostrike paused, not quite sure what to say. But forgetting that the tom was blind, she just nodded and turned away. The way he had said it, it was weird. Staring out into the forest, she wondered about the possibilities of being attacked.

He was disheartened when she didn't respond. He was hoping for some kind of confirmation that she didn't hate him either, or that he wasn't as bothersome as he sometimes felt. "Come back. I still can't see, you know. There's no way I'll get back to camp without your help." Miles said, feeling more glum than he had been a few moments ago.

The change in Miles expression shocked her, why was he so down? "I don't hate you" she mewed, putting herself next to the tom once more.

He couldn't help but grow bitter. "Really? You've been acting like you do. Sometimes I feel like you're the blind one, when you can't even tell that I've been trying to be better to you. I was hoping we could be closer. Friends, even. I haven't had a friend in a very long time." He meowed. He hadn't meant to have such an exposing outburst, but how else would she know how he felt? How else we he know how he felt?

Hissing under her breath, she squinted her eyes at him. "I treat everyone the same, except enemies and Specklefur. I give the same output, why would I give a sly tom like you anything different. All you've been is sassy and rude even." well there was another outburst on her part. She couldn't help herself, he had a nasty tone to his voice, so she threw it right back at him.

Miles' face heated up, though he didn't know if it was anger or embarrassment. "I don't know, Echostrike. I don't know. I thought you knew about..." He trailed off, his ears swiveling back. "I thought maybe you'd treat me different because I guess I thought I could win you over. I was being sassy and rude because I just wanted your attention. I figured maybe you'd notice me a little more than all of those other dreadful toms at camp. Jealousy has made me a terrible person. I must only be driving you away from me." He mumbled, his realization striking him hard in the gut and leaving a hollow feeling. Miles was trembling a little. Spilling so much of his private thoughts had left him strangely weak.

Echostrike just looked at him in shock, silenced. Turning her head away, she was filled with confusion. No tom had ever had feelings for her because of her harsh attitude. He'd always acted like that, so why should she think suddenly it was different. "You have acted the same since the beginning, how was I supposed to know." her ears pinned against her head also, but felt the tom tremble a little. Peeking back at his face, she pushed herself a little closer to try to soothe the tom.

"You could at least tell me if you feel the same. I need to know if you don't, so I don't bother you anymore." The last thing he wanted was to be that clingy tom that bothered a she-cat until he drove her insane because he wouldn't back off. If Miles did that, Echostrike would probably kill him.

Echostrike opened and closed her mouth. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what her feelings were. Not wanting to completely dishearten the tom, she suggested something. "Give me time, I don't do feely stuff, so I don't know what i'm feeling." she muttered.

He was quiet. The only sounds he was picking up now was their breathing and the forest noises. "I understand." He said after a while. He was empty inside, but he wasn't going to let his pride take a blow. Maybe it just wasn't supposed to happen. Some voodoo-god business that these Clan cats referred to as 'StarClan' or something. The air was still cold and he was still hungry. "Let's head back, then. I imagine it must be late and you must be tired of herding around a muddled elder." Miles meowed, his voice plain and betraying nothing.

"Don't be so down, it wasn't a no." she gruffly said, but quickly started to lead the tom towards camp.

OOC: short because echo is tough