Devotion of the Heart:

It was late in the afternoon. Sunset was right around the corner. There was a peaceful atmosphere about and the day had gone by without much problems. It had been a good day but it was going to get much better.

Swiftstep entered the camp with the rest of the hunting patrol. He walked right past the prey pile with both of his catches still dangling from his jaws. He was going to eat and spend time with someone very important to him. He hadn't had much time to hang out with her lately but now that he found the time, he wasn't going to let even a minute go to waste.

The brown tom began scanning the clearing for any signs of a certain she-cat. His eyes darted from pelt to pelt, eager to spot the molly. He always felt a sense of calmness and happiness wash over him when he was around her. She helped him cope with all of his present and past hardships without even knowing. Swiftstep felt the connection between them. It had grown stronger over the past few moons. She was his light in the darkness surrounding him.  

A few moments had past during his search when the tom finally spotted the red-brown fur of Foxspirit among the chatting cats. He began to walk toward her, eyes shining with fondness. He finally made it to her side, softly nudging her side to get her attention. He dropped a rabbit at her paws and dropped his beside it. Afterwards, he verbally greeted her, "Hey there darlin'! How's it going?" Swiftstep sat plopped himself down and awaited her response but in the meanwhile, he gathered his rabbit closer to him.

OOC: Sorry for the short post!

Foxspirit was sitting in the warm green-leaf sunlight when Swiftstep came up to her. He was carrying two catches, and dropped one at her paws.  "Um-uh... I'm doing great!" She replied, somewhat startled by him calling her darling. She bent down and took a mouthful of the plump rabbit. "Thank you! This is really good," Foxspirit said once her mouth wasn't full anymore. "How have you been doing lately?" Since the flood... She added in her head.

OOC: It's all good! This post is also pretty short! XD

IC: Swiftstep grinned at her positive answer and by her satisfaction with the rabbit. The tom took a decent bite out of his rabbit before responding to her question, "It's been rather busy and slow but I'm doing fairly well." Swiftstep nudged her gently before opening his mouth to speak once again, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to hang out with you until today. I missed talking with you." His voice held sincerity as he gave her an apologetic look before he flashed her a grin. It was true that he missed conversing with Foxspirit. She made him feel more relaxed and content.

OOC: Confession time!

Foxspirit looked into Swiftsteps eyes. Does he feel the way I do..? Should she tell him? What if... what if he didn't feel the same way? "Swiftstep? Th-there's been something I've been meaning to tell you. Only one way to find out. She cleared her throat. I've been thinking I should maybe keep this to myself. You know, waiting until I know you better. I've been trying not to tell you because I'm scared of what you're going to say, but I'm tired of holding this inside my head." Foxspirit took a deep breath. "I've been spending all my time just thinking about you. I don't know what to do. I think..." She paused for a moment, "I think I'm fallin' for you."  What would he say?

"I think I'm fallin' for you."

To say that Swiftstep was speechless would be an understatement. Once Foxspirit had finished speaking, the tom had been at a loss for words and his mind buzzing with excited thoughts. Foxspirit was into him? She wanted to be more than friends? That made him feel warm and had his heart soaring. He desperately needed to reassure her that he felt the same way. He had felt so for quite a while but was nervous for her reply. Now, he felt like a coward for not having told her how he felt back then.

The tom shook away all the negative thoughts and focused on the task at hand, giving her his reply. He had been staring at her with a shocked expression for a hot minute and just now regained his composure. He hoped she hadn't been put off by his lack of response. She had just shocked him and that was all. "Darlin' I...I had felt the same way for a while but couldn't bring myself to tell you. I was afraid of what you'd think and say. I'm sorry for that and i'll always regret not telling you sooner. Foxspirit, I'm into you too. You hold a place in my heart and I'd love to spend every waking moment with you by my side." By now Swiftstep had the face of adoration for the warrior next to him, amber eyes sparkling with happiness. His heart leaped and soared in his chest at the intense emotions. He hadn't felt this happy in moons. The she-cat before him was the light to his darkness and he would never allow it to dissipate. Not on his watch!

OOC: Sorry for the late reply! I was on a backpacking trip, and packing to go to Japan

At Swiftsteps reply, Foxspirit's eyes grew wide. "R-realy?" She started, a feeling of joy rising in her chest. "You love me too? I-I don't know what to say!" Foxspirit was filled with a feeling she had not felt for moons. Not at this strength, at least. He loves me, he loves me! Swiftstep loves me! Her heart sang. She wanted to yowl it to the world, that she had someone to love. For the first time since her siblings had died... She placed her paw on his, looking into his amber eyes with her green ones, filled with tears of happiness."Thank you." Foxspirit had a family now. And no matter what, she would make sure she never lost it again.