''When the Sun turns to Ash ... '' <3

Sitting by the river, laying idly and enjoying the sight of calmly flowing water and the fish energetically splashing in the distance. Calm and at ease, all seemed right in the world for Ashpaw. The sun setting slightly setting in the sky, the blue hues changing to purples and pink shades. These colors reflected on Ashpaw's beautiful silky, blue-grey pelt.

"I ought to come to the river more often." She blissfully sighs, lowering her head and lapping up a quick drink of water. But she ended up staring at her own reflection, angling her head different ways to look at herself. Yet .. she felt indifferent, Ashpaw couldn't understand why but she never liked her appearance. She felt plain and boring. Very dull, easy to forget even.

Since birth she's felt awkward about herself, never seeing how there was any appeal about herself. Her skills were sub par, never really interacted with a lot of the Clan, stood out a bit more than most.

One would say she felt ... subconscious about herself in all regards. Even as a daughter, aware that she wasn't biologically a daughter to her guardian, she even felt less in comparison of her sibling-- who's now even a Warrior! She just didn't feel ... particular or unique within the Clan, or any sort of use to anyone.

Being left in her thoughts like this was both peaceful yet ... alarming when she put thought into it. Sighing defeatedly, she lays her head gently atop of her paws, ears folded back while her saddened eyes follow the dancing fish in the water. Seeing her from a distance, almost looked pitiful.

Sunpaw was always silent.

It was something he'd grown to accept. He was mute. The sun was bright. The river was filled with water. It was a simple fact, not an insult or a hidden barb. But yet, at times, he longed to be normal, to meow loudly and tell stories to his fellow clanmates. To trade witticisms with Sleetpaw, and compliment dear Ashpaw, who always seemed to unfortunately bear the brunt of his brother's foolishness. He admired her no nonsense attitude, and perhaps if he could speak, he too would have had his own mind. But at times, he felt that the only way he could remain relevant or be noticed was to get up to mischief with his brother. He was hardly a noticeable cat, just another golden brown tabby with a white underbelly.

Usually, he let these emotions remain hidden, lodged somewhere that he couldn't accidentally stumble across them. These emotions were useless, like apprentices who complained about their position in the clan. This was just the hand that life played him, so he tried to work through them. And by work through them, Sunpaw would head down to the river and hunt fish. He'd take out his frustration on the scaled aquatic beasts, scooping them up and battering them with his claws.

But today, she was there.

Sitting by the river, Ashpaw looked stunning. Her grey fur taking on a lighter hue as the sun reflected off the waters. Surrounded by a thousand shimmers, she looked ethereal like she'd descended from StarClan.

He didn't know what to do, so he stumbled out of the reeds to approach her with a friendly -tt-. Sleetpaw wasn't here now to catch her attention, maybe, he could be the star of the show, for once.

"Tt!"

OOC: //is totally not gushing with the feels right now//

Ashpaw's ears flicked partially, hearing an oh-so-familiar sound from a cat she grew rather fond of. Her face perked back into a gentle smile she's familiar for wearing, turning her head to see the tom in the flesh.

"Sunpaw!" The name rolled off of her tongue fondly, her silky tail swaying gently as a sign of happiness of such a sight to see. He looked charming in such warm colors of the sun, which was very fitting for his name.

"Why not sit with me? I could use some of your company, sitting by the river can be a little bit lonely at times." She suggested, a small giggle escaping her throat, scooting over to give a kneaded spot of grass by the river. Needless to say, she enjoyed seeing him and talking to him when the she-cat was able.

Though he didn't say a word to her, his actions spoke for him. Dipping his head as a yes, he bounded over the little gap that was between them eagerly, nearly slipping on moss in his haste to accept her invitation. He sat as close to her as he dared, just enough to scent her. She was always smelling fresh, clean like morning dew that clung to the flowers by the ponds that were scattered throughout their territory. For a second, he felt self-conscious, when was the last time he'd groomed himself thoroughly? But it was too late now, he just had to roll with it. He could do that? Right?

Tilting his head to the side, his ears twitched as to ask what she was doing out here. He pointed to the fish to ask, was she out here hunting?

She didn't seem like it, but he didn't quite get why some cat would be out here if it wasn't to catch fish. He wasn't really the romantic sort, unable to notice the simple beauty in just looking out into the river that glistened in the sun.

ooc: ur giving me a case of the feels. ash is 2 cute

"Oh, me?" She raised her non-existent brow at the golden colored tom.

"Oh .. I just came out here to think. The quiet atmosphere just helps me think a bit clearer than I would in a loud area like the Camp," She explained, looking fondly towards the water, how the light shines and the water looks almost mystical.

"And the breeze by the river feels wonderful, in my opinion. It helps me relax, to put it in a more simple explanation." She tried to summarize it as effectively as possible, not wanting to ramble or chatter off Sunpaw's ears or feeling too bothersome with her run-ons.

"What about you? Were you coming out here to hunt?" She asked, not wanting to pry but she did express that she was genuinely curious of his progitive by the river.

As she spoke lyrically of the tranquility of the river, Sunpaw frowned and tried to see what she meant but to him, the River represented a life source, food. He couldn't really embrace the breeze by the river calmly when he spotted silver dots moving just under the surface. His short-attention span was too quickly captured by the moving fish, but he tried his best to get her.

The breeze was nice, he guessed.

Nodding at her question, he admitted that he was here to fish but he shrugged and butted her shoulder with his head before placing his muzzle over his forepaws. It was his way of saying that he didn't mind listening to her, he could always hunt later. He liked to hear her speak, she was always so clear in her words. He never had to second guess what she really meant, he hated puzzling over what cats really meant since some tonal nuances did go over his head. Having to grown up speaking through his body, he wasn't as familiar with such things.

The gray colored she-cat smiled fondly towards Sunpaw's gesture, giving a solid nod in agreement.

"Thanks .. I don't mean to ramble, but .. I guess I do it as a result. I don't know why honestly, I guess it just happens--" Catching herself, giving a sheepish giggle, noticing she was about to do that blasted habit of going on, and on about such trivial things.

"Hehe, sorry ... " She murmured softly.

"It's a random thought ... " She started, blinking a few times and making sure what she was about to say was correct, "But it's really nice spending time with you like this, in a quiet place with just us ... no one to  disturb us or anything." Ashpaw could swear she felt her face heating up slightly and her heart pounding like a drum in her chest when she uttered these words.

But this was the point with no return, she tried to be as clear with no hiccups or hesitation in her voice. She was honest with Sunpaw about this, or at least tried to be.

At her rather cute ramblings, Sunpaw purred warmly to indicate that he didn't mind at all. Every time that she'd giggle, he felt a slight trill of delight run through him, her twinkling laughter warming his heart in ways he wasn't too familiar with. This wasn't like when his siblings laughed, this was different and left him feeling completely out of sorts.

Then she continued to speak and he couldn't help nod in agreement at her every word.

And it hit him.

He liked her.

She was clever and witty. Ashpaw could speak with words as sharp as a claw one moment, and next moment, she could be caring and wise. She never tried to lead him to danger, always willing to back him up. He still remember when they were kits, wandering through ThunderClan together, and he didn't feel scared at all with her.

Of course he couldn't say this all now, or ever really considering the fact he was mute. Also he didn't know if she like liked him or she was just liking him as a friend. But, he knew his own heart, he wasn't going to be like his brother, dancing around Shellpaw but never doing more than that. So he took a chance.

Leaning forward, he licked her cheek affectionately, ready to pass it off as just a friendly gesture if she reacted badly. He liked her, but also he valued her greatly as a friend. If she just meant they were good friends, he'd live with that. He liked her too much to lose her over his feelings.

Those pale green eyes shot open wide and round, so pure and innocent looking. This sudden warm sensation on her cheek was sudden, and a tad unexpected to the silky furred cat. But she would be lying if she said it didn't feel nice, feeling this strange .. fluttery sensation building up in her stomach when it had happened the way it did. She .. she enjoyed it, she enjoyed his company and seeing such a goofy smile on his face. Even hearing that noise, despite his inability to speak.

Ashpaw had feelings for this tom.

Her tail curled up slightly, finding some subtle way to fidget with how awestruck she was.

"I .. I, um ... " Ashpaw mumbled, looking so flustered and dumbfounded. Ashpaw had been caught off guard by this charming tom and she didn't know how to react or what to say. What could she even say?

Obviously, she couldn't leave Sunpaw hanging like this as the blushing mess she currently was ... acting on what built up inside of her, she shut her eyes flustered as before, leaning into Sunpaw and leaving a loving lick upon his cheek hoping for that response to be enough. Opening her maw to nervously speak.

"I .. like you too, Sunpaw." She whispered, seeming so shy and small. The contrast to her more cool-headed demeanour.

Unconsciously, he'd been holding his breath, yellow eyes looking for any signs of rejection. In the moment, it was all dandy, he felt confident and happy in his decision but with every second that she didn't react, his heart dropped like a stone within him. He couldn't even backtrack, shout his apologies for stepping too far and ruining their friendship.

Then she began to stutter out an answer. His ears pricked up more, as if straining to hear every sound in vain hopes he'd get the answer he was hoping for. He didn't need her to say that she liked him back, he'd settle for her giggling and saying that she thought of him as a good friend. He could live with that.

But then she almost whispered out five magic words.

She liked him.

She liked him.

Perhaps the right thing to do was jump with joy, yowl his happiness to the skies but he was still holding his breath. Exhaling deeply, he looked visibly relieved, the tenseness in his body dropping as his eyes twinkled with undeniable fondness. The tightness in his chest gone, Sunpaw purred warmly like a motor as he shuffled over to press himself against her, pelt to pelt.

'Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for liking me back.' He thought.

(If this is past the time limit of a week, just lemme' know, 'Chu!)

Ashpaw's throat vibrated softly a gentle purring like noise, expression her content feeling his warmed and the soothing smell of his fur.

Her head tilting forwards to nuzzle into his neck, inching closer to feel his body's heat and his comforting scent that filled her nose to her delight. This has been a wonderful day to both her and her beloved tom, Sunpaw.

Focusing on him, she continues to let his presence overwhelm her and forget about the world that surrounded the duo.

"Thank you too, Sunpaw." She muttered the four words with genuine appreciation, as she didn't except for these butterfly-like feelings to be reciprocated by whom she liked, and it felt amazing to finally act upon those feelings with him. Her purring continued, and he probably heard them by now. But she would rather him hear these noises to ensure she felt happy.

OOC: One week is fine, it's when its over a month that we get a little picky.

He heard her, and Sunpaw matched her in deep purrs that gently thrummed their bodies together in sync. Laying next to her and looking out into the sparkling waters, it was a magical moment in time that he'd never forget. One day, they'd tell their kits about how they'd become mates and he'd bring them here to show them, this was their moment. The place where the most beautiful, clever she-cat of RiverClan had fallen for the silly mute, it was a miracle.

With each touch he made a promise to himself.

Tails intertwined, he promised to never let her face the world alone.

Muzzle on her head, he promised to guide her and let himself be guided by her.

Paw crossed over hers, he promised to next stray from her side. To StarClan and beyond, she'd be the only one for him, she was the moon to his sun.