Red Strings [closed]

The late evening air was filled with various different cries and chattering of local nightlife, resulting in a pleasant hum drumming up from deep within the lush territory. Sweeping beneath a low-hanging frond that brushed heavily upon her spine, Sunfish's steps were slow and purposeless as she made her way deeper into the territory. After a successful first day with Milkpaw, she had decided to venture out before it got too dark in search of another possible training session. Engrossed with catching sight of the faint flashes of light exuded by the busy fireflies, her paws deviated from the trail she had previously been passing upon and instead began a mindless pursuit. In fact, Sunfish was so caught up with the pointlessly amusing act of chasing after the fireflies that she didn't even catch sight of one of her Clanmates passing by- in fact, she only realized that another cat was there whenever she crashed right into them.

Every step sent a jolt of pain through Stormstrike's legs, and the smallest movement had the silver tom biting his lip to keep from hissing in pain. Not only had his hunt so far been unsuccessful, his muscles, a few already pulled or torn from his most recent battles, had been growing sorer every minute. The tall tom flicked his ears, sliding as softly and smoothly as he could through the reeds by the riverbank. The sooner he caught something, the sooner he'd be able to retire to the peace and quiet of the Warrior's Den. The stormy gray tom grunted quietly to himself. He hoped it would be peaceful, anyway. The irritable tom had already been forced to reduce two of the newest warriors to tears after they had arrived late to camp and awoken him.
The tabby quickened his pace, his head low as his body burned in protest. He was about to leave his riverbank and cut straight through Riverclan's territory when a nearby rustling in the bushes caught his attention. Without thought, the young tom rolled to the side and dropped into a hunting crouch. His eyes narrowed as a brown tabby... thing frolicked carelessly through the reeds, kicking up swarms of fireflies and alerting every mouse, Twoleg, and fish of her presence. Stormstrike huffed softly, disappointed. He had spent half the evening for nothing when he could've been relaxing with the others in camp, eating a fish and scaring apprentices. Good times, good times. The tom closed his eyes for a moment, smiling at the thought of frightened, half-grown kits and good food.
The warrior was about to turn tail and head back to camp when something heavy hit his side, sending him stumbling a few strides. "Ack!" He spat, his smooth gray fur ruffled as he turned angrily. The she-cat must've stumbled into him- his father was enough proof that Stormstrike was excellent at remaining unnoticed, after all.
"What in the name of-"
Yellow eyes met amber and the world seemed to slow. How had he never noticed her before? She was Sunfish, he knew, and had been assigned an apprentice recently. But now... he could see that she was much, much more than that. The she-cat was slender, lithe, and strong. Faint hints of brilliant orange were hidden in her soft-looking brown fur, streaked with tabby markings. Her chest was whiter than freshly-fallen snow, and her beautiful eyes... like two pools of light, holding intelligence and joy, glimmering with a playful, innocent light that Stormstrike's own could never possess.
She was pretty.

Pretty bad at hunting. "-Starclan was that?" The tom's voice changed immediately, and suddenly he was Sunfish's clanmate, teasing her lightheartedly. "Why, you're as clumsy as a fish," He mewed, nudging her jokingly. That certainly wasn't a lie- it wasn't her fault, of course. Not every cat was lucky enough to have Ivystar as a mentor. Still, Stormstrike could tell that with a bit of training she'd turn into a fine warrior. "I can give you a few pointers if you'd like..." Without waiting for a reply the tall tom sank into a hunting crouch, his summer-yellow eyes following a winking firefly a few foxlengths away. With expert form, the warrior crept closer to the bug, ears swiveling to follow Sunfish in case she got bored and walked away, like his siblings were apt to do whenever Stormstrike tried to give them pointers. Luckily, Sunfish was either interested enough or polite enough to remain in the vicinity, so Stormstrike turned his attention back to his quarry- the firefly. Once he was close enough, the stormy gray tom pounced and smoothly caught the firefly between his paws. "See?" He mewed, turning with one paw over the struggling bug. "Just like that."

The momentary flash of anger exuded by Stormstrike, however brief it was, startled Sunfish.

The two had melded together awkwardly as a result of their collision, but her immediately instinct to recoil and suspend any remaining contact quickly pulled the pair safely away from one another. Peering up into the grey tom's sharp eyes made her heart flutter much too intensely. Flushing wildly beneath her fur, the nearly overwhelming sense of embarrassment felt as though it was burning a hole right through her. Had she really become so engrossed with prancing around like a kit that she hadn't even been able to spot another cat? How mortifying! Despite the fact that they had undergone their training during a similar time frame, she barely knew the tom who was gazing down at her. Had they even spoken a single word to one another? The pointless little thought sent another flush of heated embarrassment seeping through her veins, even despite the change in the tom's demeanor.

The lighthearted words helped coaxed more of a reaction from Sunfish, the stricken sense of shame bleeding into a more reluctant sense of curiosity. "A-alright." She eventually mewed, settling into a more upright position as she gazed after Stormstrike. Lilytail had been a fine mentor who had trained her quite well in regards to the basics, but there wasn't any harm in accepting more help, right? After witnessing the tom bring down the unfortunate firefly with ease, the tabby's ears pricked slightly. She held her own as well as any RiverClanner when it came to the art of aquatic hunting, but land-based hunting was a new story entirely. The sense of apprehension, which had previously simmered down to a mute feeling of reluctance, flared heatedly once more. It would be mortifying to slip up before him once more! "My land-based hunting skills aren't nearly as outstanding," Sunfish plainly admitted, feeling a bit sheepish to admit such a thing to Stormstrike, "I don't think I could actually bring down such a small creature, unless purely by accident."

The tall warrior blinked, his whiskers twitching with faint pride. Sunfish certainly wasn't the cat he had expected to... well, it was a little early to tell. He had hardly spoken to her before tonight, after all. The tom cleared his throat, pushing away the strange tingling sensation that was spreading through him, leaving a confusing, odd, warm feeling in his chest. He wasn't bleeding, but it could be a new sickness he hadn't learned about. He'd have to talk to Goldeneye about it later.
Sunfish's stuttered agreement brought the tom back to Earth with a jolt. Excellent. She was clearly in need of hunting help. Stormstrike swallowed. He was just a friendly cat giving a clanmate a few hunting tips. Nothing more.
He hadn't ever thought he would be put in this situation. The thought of finding a... mate hadn't even crossed his mind. The gray tom swallowed again. "Excellent." The words felt dry in his mouth, and his fur was growing warm. He was sick. "Ivystar taught me three very important tips when it comes to dryland hunting." The tall warrior crouched down, his cream-colored belly fur brushing the ground. He sniffed around, ears twitching. Unfortunately, there were no mice, rabbits, or anything else nearby. Firefiles would have to do... "One- you've got to stay low to the ground. We don't have Windclanner's long legs, so we can't outrun our prey. Luckily, there's one thing we have that they don't:" He glanced up at her for a moment before facing forward again. Good- she was still paying attention. "Cover. Riverclan's territory is lucky enough to have many reeds and tall grass, especially near the riverbank. It's important that you're aware of possible places to hide while hunting." He nodded to the tall grass, forcing a smile despite the strange nervousness that was flooding his body. "Here- follow my lead."

The tom took a small step forward, his bushy tail low to the ground. "Two- you need to analyze the prey you're stalking. If it's a mouse or a shrew, make sure you stay downwind. If it's a hare or a rabbit, go slowly because they can be easily startled. It's always important to know what you're hunting before you try to catch it." He couldn't really demonstrate this well with the fireflies, but it was always good to know. He glanced at Sunfish once more before continuing, glad to see that she was still listening. "Finally, always strike quickly. If you hesitate, you're more likely to be noticed. It's always better to attack and have a chance than to take too long and lose your catch." That being said, the warrior leaped forward and caught a winking firefly under one paw, whiskers twitching with satisfaction. "These fireflies are relatively easy to catch, but they're good to practice with."

To be conversing with Stormstrike in such a casual manner felt alien. The lives they led, the circles that they existed in, were completely different from one another. With both Jaystar and Ivystar closely related to the tom, it couldn't really be considered a surprise that they rarely interacted- his status was one of utmost importance within the Clan, right? She was merely from the outside, looking in. Sunfish was painfully aware of the profound sense of embarrassment that still surged through her veins, although the breathless sensation that accompanied it was more or less a total stranger. Perhaps she merely still felt the residual sense of mortification and uncertainty about her place before Stormstrike much too strongly. It took a massive amount of willpower to refrain from caving into the urge of backing off in a ridiculous display of unwarranted submission- something that she had abandoned when she had initially begun her training.

Forcibly planting herself into the earth in front of Stormstrike witness his brief explanation, Sunfish's chin lifted slightly as she listened to his words. It was strange to witness a cat who could handle land-based hunting with such finesse- Lilytail hadn't cared much in terms of the perfection of the art, more so just knowing that her apprentice's could potentially catch something sufficed. Bending down in an attempt to mimic the tabby's more effortless form, the rush of disdain and apprehension made her fur prickle. She felt so cumbersome and awkward in this position, which only added to her plethora of emotions. She was a RiverClanner, not some forest-dwelling cretin! Tightly swallowing down the many emotions that welled up from deep within her, Sunfish began to slowly work her way through the undergrowth in search of a firefly, albeit somewhat jerky in her motions. Wide eyes drifting after the flashing light of a certain firefly, her haunches wriggled slightly at the urge to prematurely leap after the little insect.

Trying not to take much notice of Stormstrike's gaze, Sunfish steeled herself for a brief moment before eventually leaping after the little glowing creature. Easily trapping the firefly between her paws, the young tabby felt a flash of panic run through her being as she sat back on her haunches, clasping the angrily buzzing insect safely between her paws. "What do I do with it?!" The realization that under the pressure of preforming to Stormstrike's expectations resulted in a success paled in comparison to the fact that there was an angry little creature within her hold.