pits [closed for sunlitcastiel]

Ashpaw had grown; not so much that he was a fearsome, towering warrior like Mudfoot or Leopardstar, but in the way his paws had gotten bigger, out of proportion to his body, and how his ears, shaggy and pricked, seemed to take up most of his head. Out of all the chaos of fluffy white fur and auburn-cream patches and four specks of black shone two fir green eyes, wide and kind and thoughtful.

He was sitting beside the apprentice den grooming himself, a desperate attempt at keeping his fur in check. Silentstorm's fur was never this wild. Perhaps it had come from his mother, whoever she was.

At the sound of pawsteps, the tom glanced up, mouth falling into a charming crooked smile. "Olivepaw!" He greeted, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest. He'd admired the she-cat fiercely as a kit, and now as an apprentice, he felt as though nothing had changed. In the apprentice den, he tried to sleep as far away as he could from her, in fear that he might say something strange in his sleep or snore too loudly. Anxiously, Ash gave his coat one last lick before meeting her eyes hopefully.

Olivepaw had been relaxing for most of the day and she was in the middle of grooming her sleek spotted fur when a voice called out to her. "Hey Ashpaw! How's it going?" she meowed, a cheerful smile playing on her muzzle. For some reason every time she talked to the calico tom, her heart began to race and she was suddenly conscious of every little thing she did or said. She was uncharacteristically worried she'd say something frog-brained and the feeling baffled her. She wasn't used to caring what others thought, especially not a younger tom, and she spent a lot of time trying to figure it out, to no avail. She had noticed that he seemed to try and sleep as far away as he could from her in the apprentices den, and thought she would never admit it, it kind of hurt her feelings. She told herself it was nothing and that that was just his choice of sleeping, but she still couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious. Did she say stupid things in her sleep? Did she smell bad? Shrugging inwardly as a way to try and dispel the thoughts, she gave her chest fur a couple of shy licks before meeting his green gaze with hers.

mobilee

"Oh!" Ashpaw blurted out stupidly after she replied, his mouth dry. Think of something smart to say, dear Starclan, please help me… he thought quickly, racking his brain for some witty line. What came out was: "I, er, I'm grooming myself!" Mouse-brain. Obviously. Well, now you've done it. She'll never talk to you again. Wishing he'd never called the she-cat over, he tried to cover it up by adding, "I was, er, just about to go hunting! Would you like…to come along?" The last part was said with anxiousness lacing through his voice. He couldn't believe he'd actually asked her that. Starclan knows what I'll do if she says no. The young tom's tail began to droop, eyes begin to dull. She was moons older than him. Why would she want to go out into the marshes with him?

Olivepaw laughed at his response, "I can see that. I was too." She meowed, sparkling green gaze lit up in amusement. "You're funny, Ashpaw. Ya know that?" She said with a playful smile. He always had the funniest things to say to her and he never failed to take her off guard. Everything he said seemed to be funny to her, and that was odd for her. She often found cats tried too hard to be funny, but she loved Ashpaw's humor. Whether he meant to do it or not, she found him hilarious. "Of course I'd like to go hunting with you, Ashpaw." She responded brightly, heading off towards the entrance to camp. Glancing behind her, she realized the tom wasn't following and he looked a bit.. sad. "Hey! Ya coming or not?" She called back, before padding to walk next to him. "You alright?" She asked, genuinely concerned for her tri-colored friend. She couldn't understand what made him look so dejected.

ooc: this is too cute i can't

She thinks I'm funny! A whole-hearted grin covered his face, and couldn't help but let out a purr as she agreed to hunt with him, as he wobbled on his feet and turned toward her. He was afraid to meet her eyes, but once he did, he found it hard—nearly impossible—to look away. "Yeah—I'm fine!" he blurted again, giving Olivepaw another comforting grin. As they walked side by side, he felt their flanks brush, and found himself holding his breath as they exited camp. Landing a glance behind them, he noted that no one was watching. Technically they had to have a warrior with them, but no one would scold them for going out. Olivepaw would be a warrior in a few moons, anyway.

Ashpaw gave the she-cat a sideways glance out of the corner of his eye, and once again blurted: "I think you're really pretty." And then he stopped, and forced his paws to keep moving. The tips of his ears burned, and the black mark resembling a feather on his forehead creased. Starclan, I'm a mouse-brain.

(ik, omg their personalities work so well together cx)

Olivepaw smiled in relief as he seemed to brighten up. "Okay!" She laughed softly as they padded side by side and into the territory. Sure her father might be angry they were out alone without a warrior, but at the moment she wasn't even worried about it. "Don't worry. If anyone ca-" She froze mid-sentence. Ashpaw had caught her off guard, and she wasn't sure how to respond. Tell him the truth! You think he's handsome! A small voice in her head practically laughed at her. I-I do not! She retorted back to it before realizing she was literally arguing with herself. She stopped in her tracks so she could face him, a serious look in her eyes. Then a thought occurred to her. Did he thin that because she was the Leopardstar's daughter, or did he really think that because of who she really was? She knew she was the leader's daughter, so she expected toms to joke around and say they liked her, when really they didn't. They just liked her leader blood, so she had to be sure. "That's not a funny joke." She responded, voice shaking uncharacteristically. She honestly hoped he really did think she was pretty. Now that she was in this situation, she was pretty sure she loved this tri-colored tom before her, and the last thing she wanted was for him to laugh in her face the moment she told him she thought he was handsome too. "Please don't joke about something like this if it is not really true." She said in almost a whisper. She wasn't used to this feeling. This feeling of terror and worry. She was a bubbly cat. A happy-go-lucky she-cat. Not a fearful one. How could one sentence send her spiraling into a panic? Finally she subconsciously held her breath as she waited for him to respond.

As Olivepaw's voice shook, Ashpaw froze in his pawsteps and turned to stare blankly at her. Anxiety and confusion coursed through the tom, and his wide green eyes met her matching ones. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

"I—I wasn't joking," he said quietly, scuffing his paws into the soft ground. His ears felt as though they were on fire. Why would I joke about something like that? Louder, Ashpaw added: "I would never joke about anything like that. I think you're pretty," he said again, gaining more confidence. "Actually—I know you're pretty. Any cat in all the clans would know it. But that's not what I meant…" desperate for her to smile again, he continued on. "You…you have a pretty voice and I like hearing it because everything you say is beautiful." Ashpaw looked down, then glanced up and nervously touched his tail to hers. His heart was beating double what it had before, it seemed, and his breath got caught in his throat as he waited for her answer.

At Ashpaw's response, she felt dizzy. She was almost a hundred percent sure she was going to pass out, when she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "O-oh." She stammered, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "I-I Think the same about you, Ashpaw.. You can make me laugh like nobody else can, and evertime.. Everytime you talk to me, I get this.. these butterflies in my belly." She laughed, realizing how stupid that sounded as soon as the words left her mouth. Well I can't stop now.. She thought, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you. You don't treat me like the leader's daughter. You treat me like I'm.. well, me. And I appreciate that." She purred softly as she spilled all of her thoughts and feelings to the tom in front of her. It was terrifying and exciting all at the same time, and her heart was still racing, but there was also this feeling inside her that she couldn't describe. It was like all the emotions she'd ever felt all wrapped up in one. How could that even be possible? What did it even mean? Pushing the buzzing thoughts to the back of her mind, she wait with bated breath for Ashpaw to respond.

ooc: I'm so sorry omg

As Olivepaw spoke, Ashpaw involuntarily felt his face light up—I must look like a love-struck mousebrain, he found himself thinking, but could do nothing to quell the enormous grin that overcame his features. The apprentice let out a rumbling purr that came from deep in his throat and, gaining a little more confidence, leaned forward so that the tips of their fur brushed lightly. 

"I feel the same way." he replied, tilting his head to the side. "I can't believe anyone would treat you like…like that." Trying to make himself clear, he stuttered, "The—the leader's daughter, I mean. Just that." Letting out another hopeful purr, he met her gaze, continuing on: "I like you, Olivepaw. You're an amazing she-cat. I'd…I'd to grow old with you, too."

He was sure his heart would barrel out of his chest any moment now, and his breath came and went in shaky waves, but one thing swirled through his mind: Will she reject me?