[closed] Bright Eyes

A golden sun shimmered down across the glistening tree-tops of the forest, illuminating the fall leaves like fire catching from bough to bough to create a bright, clear morning. It was warm for a leaf-fall day, but the days had become cold and would be growing colder still as the season went on. The nights were noticeably more chilly as of the last few: Houndheart was no longer in the cuddle pile of the apprentices' den, and Dacepaw missed him.

The first night, when he was taking his vigil, she'd struggled to sleep. He'd been there for her from her first night in ThunderClan. If she could've only seen him where he was standing watch, she was sure she would have felt better. She said his name in her prayer like always and eventually found sleep.

The second night was easier. At least then Dacepw knew he was safe and warm inside the warriors' den, and if he was uncomfortable then it was because he didn't feel at home there yet rather than because he had to stay up guarding camp all night.

The nights after, Houndheart's absence disturbed Dacepaw a little less. Still, she missed waking up to her face in his shoulders. This golden morning had been no different. Thre tortoiseshell couldn't take it anymore. I bet Houndheart would take me out of camp! the tortoiseshell thought brightly as she left the apprentices den after grooming herself. She quickly scanned the camp to find Houndheart in the clearing. She bounded towards him, purring like a thunderstorm as usual, "Houndheart! Hi! Good morning!"

As suspected, the rest did not come easy. A storm afflicted his mind and troubled his heart. But once he had slipped into an uneasy rest, his long limbs writhed and thrashed about, stirring up the new nest in several spots. It was a surprise none of his clanmates had awoken him or complained. Perhaps his unpleasant reputation preceded him these days. When he awoke, his ears and pads were hot and his breathing labored. The previous days frustrations seemed to have not dissipated and he quickly gathered his legs underneath him. Within moments, he was shouldering through the entrance to the warrior's den, stalking into the middle of camp with an obvious dark cloud handing over his flattened ears. Houndheart, despite his new warrior name, was about as satisfied as he had been his entire life. Which was about as content as a fish was in a tree.

Already, he had missed morning patrol assignments, and no cat had bothered to wake him. There was no direction for the new warrior and he cared for none of it. The sour mood was interrupted by an unabashed cheer. Raucous purring invaded his over-sized eardrums. His head snapped up to meet the bright gaze of Dacepaw. He had been prepared to snap at the first cat that attempted to speak to him. But this was not just any cat. This was Dacepaw. For a moment, Houndheart found himself blinking slowly. It helped to cast away some of the bitterness clinging at the edges of his soul, just enough, "Just couldn't wait to see Thunderclan's newest warrior in action, huh? I'm sure you all miss me already in the apprentice's den. I'd be shocked if you didn't."

What many cats saw as a clear and explicit warning sign or threat Dacepaw saw only as the familiar expression of her dearest friend, a typical display of his discontentment. From Dacepaw's perspective, which was quite plainly colored by Houndheart's lessons, lots of cats bothered him because they just didn't know how to act around him! The new warrior's pale gaze snapped to her and she remained oblivious to the hostile aura radiating off of him, slowly lessening, as she finished her approach to stop in front of him with her tail high. Dacepaw met his blank stare with a disarming, beaming smile. For her, watching the bitterness die out of his face whenever she arrived was a routine part of being his friend. It never went away, but she never expected it to. He had been through many difficult things. That's what she'd been told, anyways, and why would she doubt it?

The tom greeted her then, his boastful speech earning only more adoration from Dacepaw. She nodded emphatically.  As he guessed she and Duskpaw missed him, the tortoiseshell she-cat somewhat dramatically sighed and leaned forward, letting her shoulder bump Houndheart's for just a moment as she complained, "I do miss you, it's the worst! It's boring without you." She immediately drew back again, eyes wide with wonder and hope as she suggested, "I was thinking maybe you could take me out of camp now, since you're a warrior. I mean, not right now. But. Well, kind of right now, actually! If you wanna?" Dacepaw's round eyes looked hopefully into Houndheart's.