Me and you, just how it should be

(ooc: set before the Asylum take over)

Wisteriabloom needed to talk to Shrikefrost. For too long now, her feelings for him had been growing, and she hated hiding things, especially secrets from the tom she loved. Now he was a warrior, they could be together. Forever. She thought dreamily, very out of character for the normally harsh-mannered she-cat. "Hey, Shrikefrost?" she asked, poking the sleeping warrior with a toe, trying to wake him gently. "I have something I need to talk to you about. Wanna go on a walk?" Hopefully he would take what she would say to him well. She had no idea how he felt towards her, but at least they had the base ground of being friends. If everything went well, their current friendship would blossom into so much more.

Shrikefrost was a light sleeper. At the first touch, his head snapped up. His eyes were blurry, but he knew Wisteriabloom’s scent and voice now. Something serious? That didn’t sound good, whatever it was. And he handled serious things with humor. Hopefully it wasn’t too serious; maybe he could still make a couple jokes about whatever it was without seeming offensive. The newly named warrior arched his back and groomed himself, though he gave an ear flick to acknowledge Wisteriabloom. “Sure, if it’s a walk to the river and we can fish or swim,” he said, and finally exited the den.

"To the river it is!" Wisteriabloom said, glad that Shrikefrost was willing to come with her.

As they walked, she made light conversation, nothing out of the ordinary. She had to prepare herself for what was to come. It didn't take long for them to reach a nice spot by the river, where fish could be seen darting around in the shadows but there was deeper parts nearby to swim in. It was beautiful here, in the shade of a large old willow tree. This would be the perfect place. More nervous than what was customary for the she-cat, she placed her fluffy tail of Shrikefrost's dark one and looked in the eyes. Taking a deep breath, she went straight into what she had planned to say. "Shrikefrost..." she started, trying to keep it together, "We've been friends for ages, but now I feel... something more." You can do this Wisteriabloom. "What I'm really trying to say is I love you. I want to be your mate, for us to be together forever." Hopefully he wouldn't be scared of the commitment of everything. If there was one thing she was, it was a full-on cat. She wanted all or nothing, not anything in-between. The question was just what would the outcome be.

Everything was peaceful for a while. Leaf-bare was coming soon, yes, and there was already a delicate sheen of frost outlining leaves and reeds, but the river was usable at the moment and that was what mattered. Shrikefrost had a breezy smile on his face as they walked and chatted. Life was going well right now - the missing kits were a mystery to him, and he knew Wisteriabloom mourned over Snakekit, but to him it was honestly just a factor of life. If he found them, of course he would save them, but he wouldn't lose any sleep if they stayed missing.

Wisteriabloom beckoned him to a tall willow tree and he followed, uncertain as to what she would do but willing anyway. Shrikefrost smiled a little at her, but he could tell she was nervous. He was never known to be particularly stoic, and his surprise was clear to see on his face. He... He did like her, and was often flirty with her, but tying himself to one cat for the rest of his life wasn't something he was particularly eager to try.

But telling her that would hurt her feelings. Whether it's the right decision or not, do I lose anything if we try to be together? His eyes searched hers. He uncharacteristically hesitated as he was thinking, trying to pick the right words. "Wisteriabloom... I- I don't know what to say, exactly, but we can... We can try, the whole mate thing, and maybe be together forever. I don't know what the future holds, but... Trying is enough, right now, for me."

Wisteriabloom panicked a little as Shrikefrost hesitated so much. In her head, she had this planned out perfectly, where he would excitedly say 'yes' and they would walk into the sunset together, tails intertwined. But of course cats didn't always did exactly what you expected. Technically, the younger tom had agreed. So that would be enough for her. "Thank you... If trying is enough for you then it is for me as well. I just hope we can make this work." She gently brushed his cheek with her muzzle, content just with being with the cat she loved.

"The sunset's beautiful isn't it," She said after a short period of silence. As the sun dipped behind the treelike and eventually the mountain line, it cast pinks and blues and oranges of every shade across the sky. They were reflected in the running water, bathing the two lovers in bright colours.

He tried not to think about how this was like every romance story he'd ever heard from the elders: beautiful sunset under a large willow tree next to the river, and instead focused on not making a sound of annoyance for Wisteriabloom's benefit. The small tom grunted in affirmation at her sentence - even if it felt cheesy, the sunset was one of the prettiest he'd seen before (not that he gave sunset observation much attention).

It was getting to nightfall. After a minute or two of watching the sunset, Shrikefrost beckoned to his mate with his tail. "Come on, let's go back home." He stayed at her shoulder as they walked back. Things didn't feel much different. He was still the same cat, just with a mate who he'd already been friends with. Neither talked much on the walk back, though it was a comfortable silence rather than an awkward one. He smiled a little at Wisteriabloom as he curled up into his nest, and thought he saw a smile on her face as well as they both went to sleep.