Smother Me Softly [C]

Nightwind was growing accustomed to Sunnyskip practically relentlessly following him around lately. She was an entertaining warrior, albeit very naive, but he thought that it would pass in due time. The time came to hunt once more, and this time Sunnyskip had a place that she wanted to show him. He personally liked the Flower Fields, now able to hunt in them efficiently, but he was willing to cooperate with the far too happy warrior. He followed after her into the open moor. How was this new? As far as he could tell, Windclan's territory was nothing but open grassland and not much else. "What did you want to show me, exactly?" He asked her, though his tone was patient. He did a quick glance over himself while she wasn't paying attention, pleased to see that there weren't currently any white or gold strands making an appearance through his black fur that he was able to spot easily. The sun was getting warmer too, soaking into the blackness that was his new pelt for now. He knew he was going to hate greenleaf when it finally came, being both a darker cat and medium-haired on top of it. "Have you ever even been beyond Windclan's borders? I know you were newly named, but you never really... wandered as an apprentice?"

Sunnkyskip was practically bouncing on her paws as she padded out of camp with her newest friend. The black-furred tom had agreed to follow her to a different hunting spot, and the young warrior was positively thrilled. "Just a little further!" She responded to him. As they kept walking, he asked her a question, which she gleefully answered. "Nope! Well, unless you count the Gathering, I did go to that. Why would I need to go out of WindClan's borders when everyone I know and love and all my favorite things are here? That would be silly." She needed, a smile on her face as she looked over to Nightwind before stopping on a seemingly random slope. "We're here! What do you think?"

Her response wasn't one he could have ever made, not without lying. She was content to be in Windclan's borders, then he supposed he wouldn't encourage her to start wondering what was beyond it. He'd seen a lot by the time he was her age, with the fire having driven Skyclan from their home last greenleaf. They were very much like night and day. He shrugged, though he had a feeling they might continue this conversation later. Innocence never lasted.

"Ummm...." He looked around at the area, trying to spot some sort of difference between it and the rest of Windclan's territory. "You're going to have to point this one out to me. Why is this special?" His tone wasn't unking, but he didn't bother hiding his confusion. Was she pranking him? Was she about to grab a snake she stashed out of the grass and start whipping him with it? He adjusted his feet casually, ready to spring forward if it looked like that was going to be the case.

Sunnyskip grinned at the tom's confusion, and as he adjusted his stance slightly Sunnyskip suddenly darted to the side and disappeared. When the area was inspected, a small hole in the ground could be seen, smelling faintly of old rabbit scent. After a few heartbeats, a now slightly muddy Sunnyskip reappeared on a nearby slope, trotting back over to Nightwind. "That's why it's so special! There are tunnels all over the moor, but these ones are all pretty close to each other, and sturdy. Sometimes rabbits still make their dens here, and you can surprise them. What do you think? Pretty cool, isn't it?" She mewed, gesturing with her tail towards the tunnel entrance. "It's not quite as fun as running the moors, and it can be dangerous, especially if it's been raining lots, but it's cool. If you want, I can guide you through them?" She offered hopefully, paws kneading the ground.

Nightwind nearly leaped forward when Sunnyskip jumped and disappeared down a hole. Well... that was new... He didn't have to wait long before she popped out of another one and he stared at her curiously. She explained the tunnels to him, and his eyes widened. "Sunnyskip you're a genius!" He meowed loudly. He approached one of the rabbit holes and stared down into it. If she had just done it then he should be able to as well.

"Show me how to navigate these!" He confirmed. His tail tip twitched in excitement. This could prove invaluable. A way to move across the landscape unseen once he made the mental map in his head of where to go. He stood up straighter and moved away from the hole, allowing Sunnyskip to get ahead of him if she wanted.

Sunnkyskip grinned at Nightwind's enthusiastic response. "Well it wasn't really my idea, WindClan has been doing this for ages! We just keep them maintained and occasionally make new ones. Just... Don't tell anyone, like the other clans, okay? It's supposed to be a secret. But you're WindClan now, so you can know!" She mewed as the tom peered into the hole she had gone in. "Sure! So they're pretty narrow, and dark of course. You navigate with your whiskers and tail. You'll have to focus on listening, as that will tell you more than anything else while you're underground. If you hear rumbling, try to get out as soon as possible, the tunnel may be caving in. Umm... If it's raining, don't go in them. Never fight in the tunnels, it's really dangerous. Oh! And never go alone. Always have someone with you, whether they're above ground or int he tunnels as well." She instructed, trying to list off the basics she had learned as an apprentice. Once she finished, she turned and wriggled into the small hole, breathing in the scent of damp earth as she left the sunlit moor again. It was much cooler in the tunnels than it was above ground, and she stepped forward to give Nightwind room to follow her. "Let me know when you're inside the tunnel. I'll take you the way I went first, so we'll pop back out on the moor in just a little bit! We can go from there." She explained, waiting patiently for him to join her underground.

Her instructions were clear and made sense. Feel with his whiskers? Just like he did when he went to the Moonstone... But she didn't need to know anything about that. He nodded after she was done explaining the rules of being in tunnels. Absolutely no way was he telling other clans, not when rabbits were everywhere and he could potentially use them to crawl under borders and avoid patrols. This was too perfect.

Nightwind went down the hole and used his whiskers to feel his way around as she had instructed. "Okay I'm in." He called to Sunnyskip, listening to his voice echo the slightest bit. His ears swiveled this way and that way, taking in as many sounds as he could. This was the polar opposite of sprinting across tree limbs... which was why it would be the perfect cover if anyone began to suspect that he was a Skyclanner at one point in time.

Sunnkyskip felt the tom's breath on her tail, and as he needed he was there she flicked his nose with the tip of her tail lightly. "Great! Now, just follow me. Feel how the tunnel around you moves. Be careful with your paws, there are some roots around. Watch your ears, too. You're a bit taller than me." She warned as she padded slowly thought the tunnel, ignoring a branch off to the right about halfway through. Keeping against the left side, it wasn't long before a bright beam of light could be seen, and with a few more heartbeats she emerged back out onto the moor where she had just a few minutes earlier. Stepping out of the way and turning to look for Nightwind to emerge behind her, she shook the loose dirt out of her pelt."How was it? What do you think?" She asked, waiting for his familiar dark face to appear from the darkness.

Nightwind followed after his guide, being very careful to listen for rumbling. The tunnels made him paranoid. Even the slightest rumble and he would be pushing Sunnyskip forward like a wheelbarrow to get them both out of the tunnels. He was more relieved than he'd like to admit once he was out of them, but he made sure to show none of that on his face. If Sunnyskip wasn't afraid.. why should he be?

"That was... an interesting experience." He shook the dirt off of his pelt and tried to casually let his eyes go over it. It didn't look like there was any white or gold strands showing... so that was at least one positive.

"Take me through another one. I want to get used to do this and do this by myself." Some of those tunnels felt fairly cramped though... How did she know where to go? Was it all just practice and memory?

Nightwind appeared out of the darkness, stepping out if the tunnel and shaking the dirt out of his fur. Sunnyskip admired the way that his black fur glinted in the sunlight, her pelt was not nearly as breathtaking. He claimed it was an interesting experience, which was more than enough for her. Shifting from side to side with a giddy grin on her face, she enthusiastically nodded. "I can do that! We'll go back in here, and instead of going straight we'll turn. It'll bring us to the bottom of that hill over there!" She mewed, gesturing with her tail towards a different hill to their left.

Flicking Nightwind's nose with her tail as she passed him, she disappeared back into the tunnel, pausing to make sure she didn't leave him behind. She had grown up with these tunnels, but even she didn't know all of them - he could easily get lost if they lost each other. Her whiskers felt the open space as they reached the other route in the tunnel, and she turned, keeping her left whiskers against the tunnel wall. This tunnel was longer, and as they walked through it Sunnyskip suddenly had the urge to say something. All the time they had spent together that made her feel so close to the tom, and she admired him. To her, he was one of her closest friends, and she adored him for always joining her and helping her. Feeling the sudden urge to say it out loud, she readily indulged in it. "Thanks for being my friend, Nightwind. You're so smart and brave, and I love you. You're amazing."

Nightwind tried his best to visually follow the path they would be taking through the tunnels. He nodded... and blinked in confusion when her tail flicked him on the nose. O- ...Okay???? Chalking it up to her just being the playful furball that she was, Nightwind followed her into the tunnel. Darkness engulfed him again and he used his whiskers to feel around him. His ears were straining to listen for rumbling noises as paranoia prickled at the back of his neck and down his spine. This would definitely take time to get used to...

Some of his fear was distracted by her voice when she began to talk. Her voice echoed softly in the earthy tunnel and... did he hear her correctly? A lot of compliments, which brought a smirk to his face and helped to chase away some of his doubt about the tunnels. The last bit... she... loved him? Nightwind thought about that for a moment. Windclan members liking him was a major bonus to keeping a good foothold in the clan...

But a mate and kits would secure him even more...

Did he have any genuine interest in the young she-cat? Not particularly. She was nice, she meant well... but she lacked true grit or a cunning mind, as far as he could tell. Probably because she had never needed those things. Windclan was an easy-going and peaceful clan. The only cat that he knew so far that had that going for them was Shrikesong, and he already made that tom his friendly/useful acquaintance at least.

Still... her innocence and optimistic outlook on life might make her easier to persuade to his advantage in the future. It didn't take him long to answer her back, having made his decision in the matter of a heartbeat.

"I really like you too, Sunnyskip. You've always been very nice to me... a lot of cats in my life haven't been." At least he hadn't lied to her. Not yet. He followed her to the left when she turned, assuming she still knew where they were going. "Thank you for inviting me to go out on adventures with you. It means a lot to feel included."

Sunnyskip frowned as she continued through the tunnel. "I'm really sorry to hear that... Even if you don't like someone, that's no reason to be mean or cruel." She brightened as the tom continued, smiling in the darkness as they made their way through the tunnel. "You're welcome! I love sharing my adventures with you. I'll be happy to bring you along any time you'd like!" She purred as a pinprick of light began to peek into the tunnel. Heading for it, she took a deep breath. "I don't know how or why all those cats weren't nice to you... But I'm glad that you've escaped them. I'm glad you're here to share these adventures with me."