|:| the cherry stripe on a tiger |:| {closed for jingle buns}

Tigerblaze sat on a low-hanging branch on the High Pine, one of the only ones possible to reach. His claws sunk into the dark bark, shoulder muscles tensing. His amber fur and black tabby stripes, though bright, rippled in the wind, making it difficult for one to notice him through the branches.

Swiping his tongue slowly around his muzzle, the tom thought about anything. His brother and Magpiepaw, Sunblaze, and his sister that he almost never saw.

Tigerblaze blinked towards the sunset, his yellow eyes narrowing against the brightness. It was so beautiful…

Cherrymist padded around the border, doing a last quck check on her way home from hunting. She sniffed around, noting a cat's scent as well as her own. After a few moments of raising her hackles, she realized it was Tigerblaze. She burried her prey, a thrust, at the roots of Highpine, scrambling in the tree alongside him, looking stark as he must have been admiring the sunset. Admiring something for how it looks is pointless. The only ones that can see you are the ones that cannot see you. she thought, words she had come up alone and repeated them every time she would've gladly thrown herself into a monster's path just to end her life.

"Hey, Tigerblaze. What's up?" she asked, her head tilted down to her paws.

Tigerblaze's tail twitched in surprise, but he almost immediately moved to the side to allow the she-cat a large space on the branch. He dipped his head to her, then paused midway, realizing she wouldn't be able to see. 
The light hit her in a way that made her fur shine beautifully, and he watched transfixed, before shaking out his russet pelt, glancing self-conciously down at his paws.
"Er—um…just, you know, looking out for intruders, I fed the clan and…" he trailed off, and instinct made him puff out his fur to appear larger than he already was, even though he knew Cherrrymist wouldn't see. "I, ah—what're you doing? I—I mean was doing? 'Cause you're sitting here right now, but I mean before…" he rambled, sinking his claws into the branch. Tiger was never like this. What was happening to him?

Cherrymist listened to the tom intently, and as he rambled she smiled sweetly. Tigerblaze was never flustered easily, so what had gotten into him? The she-cat stared into emptyness. "I've been hunting." she meowed simply, her smile not faltering.

"O-oh, that's nice."

Tigerblaze coughed, trying to think of something clever and witty to say, before letting out a rumbling purr at himself.
"Sorry," the tom grinned sheepishly, shifting slightly closer to Cherrymist and nudging her gently with his shoulder. "I—I'm acting like a piece of mouse dung, I know." the russet and black striped tom paused, before blurting, "You're pretty."
Cringing inwardly at himself, he was reminded of how much he sounded like Leafpaw. With a jolt of horror at this, he vowed not to be anything like his brother was about Magpieclaw.  

But then he looked over at Cherrymist again, and his former thoughts disappeared and the tips of his ears grew hot with embarrassment. He waited for what she would say, his heart in his stomach. 
She'll never like you now, you squirrel-brain!

Cherrymist stood stoned on the branch at his words, not feeling the need tl move, because she coudn't have seen him anyway. Her nostrils picked up the scrambled scents of the tom, and she smiled shyly, her paws straining on the wood, her claws digging in it.

"That's sweet... I think I like you too..." she barely muttered, now flustered herself. She tried to gather her thought better, almost trembling from excitement. This was the first cat that ever liked her, and Tigerblaze, despite what they said about being a handsome cat, was beautiful in his soul, too.

"Hey Tigerblaze get down!" Leafpaw yelled from below. He had been hunting and chortling silently without them noticing he decided to be mean and ruin their time. "You might alert the other clan!"

Tigerblaze's breathing basically stopped.

She likes me back!

He wanted to let out a purr desperately, but his throat was too dry. The tom swallowed, yellow eyes still wide with disbelief, before opening, closing, and finally opening his mouth.
"I—"
At Leafpaw's call he stood up surprised, the branch wobbling as he attempted to step closer to Cherrymist to protect her. 
Then he realized it was his brother's voice, and, his fur burning with humiliation once more, he dipped his head towards the beautiful white she.
"I, er—I'll see you later—um, bye—have fun, er hunting, or not, I mean you don't have to but—er, just have fun, ah—"
Tiger paused, taking a breath. "Er—bye, Cherrymist."
And he scrambled down the trunk.