✦Careful curiosity✦【Closed】

❒ There was a soothing gentleness in the air that evening. It wasn't as cold as previous days—a clear indicator that the last remnants of leaf-bare were on their way out of the forest. Young Forestkit breathed in the scents as he surveyed the camp's clearing from a somewhat concealed place nearby. He had recently accepted that his father was no longer coming back to him after moons of waiting and waiting. However, instead of feeling lost or devastated, he felt... lighter. He couldn't really explain it but all the pressure that had been crushing his chest had vanished. This didn't mean that he wouldn't have bad days or that he could finally sleep soundly in his late mother's nursery nest. Now, he could at least use the time he used to dedicate to his vigil for more productive reasons.

❒ Gentle amber eyes observed the warriors and apprentices go about their day, ears twitching every which way as he struggled with taking in all the simultaneous conversations happening all around. He wanted to learn as much as he could but it was quite hard when he didn't know where to even put his focus on. His apprenticeship seemed to be right around the corner and he didn't want to fall behind. Despite this, the kit made no move to approach one of his clanmates. First, he had to psych himself up to do so, after all. He still wasn't very good at initiating conversations but he'll get there... hopefully.

❒ Seeing a large figure approach surprised the young tom. He quickly masked the surprise so as to not seem so inattentive—being startled so easily would certainly be detrimental to his future image. Anyway, he had never met this warrior before but like most, he'd spotted her around camp whenever he wasn't resting or daydreaming.

❒ The kit sat up straight as he watched the she-cat settle down right in front of him. Did she need something? Forestkit was surely about to find out.

❒ With a tilted head, Forestkit listened to the molly speak. Ah. So she was introducing herself? Forest was more than happy to converse with her—his social skills were a big priority. "Hello. Nice to meet you, Marshmallow. I'm Forestkit and no, I-I don't believe we've met before..." he answered with a gentle smile and a tiny shake of his head. Before she could speak again he quickly added, "I-I like your eyes. Very pretty." There was a clear sincerity in his tone. He loved things that were unique.

❒ There was something off. He didn't know exactly what it was but it was starting to bother him. Marshmallow seemed friendly enough so he didn't want to think it had anything to do with her... Although, the way she kept looking elsewhere made him a bit cautious. What was she looking at?

❒ Forestkit was forced to shake it off when the warrior began to speak again. "Oh! T-Thank you!" he purred at her compliment. However, moments later, his joy dulled at Marsh's question. "U-Um, not really..." he said with a tiny shake of his head. He opened his maw to speak again but before he could say anything else, he noticed the she-cat looking behind her for a few beats. Once she turned back, he could clearly see her confusion. The kit's puzzlement and wariness grew every second—he was starting to think that maybe she wasn't the biggest fan of eavesdroppers.

❒ The kitten fluffed up his fur a tad as he peeked around Marshmallow to see if there was something behind her that was bothering her. He couldn't really spot anything. The kit bit his lip then turned his attention back to the black-and-white cat. "A-Are you alright? Is... Is something wrong?" he questioned with a worried tilt of his head. He felt a bit nervous asking since he didn't want to insult her accidentally but he needed to ask due to her odd behavior.

❒ Forestkit returned the smile with some caution. Things still didn't feel right but he didn't want to push Marshmallow. She was probably tired and his nagging wasn't going to help her much. "A-Alright," he meowed gently. "I can only imagine how much hard work comes with being a warrior," he breathed as his head began to supply him with future scenarios and the likes. He was actually quite excited to eventually do the same things as Marshmallow was doing. It would be an honor to serve his clan in whatever ways he could.

❒ At the sudden change of topic, the kit tilted his head but once again, said nothing. If she no longer wanted to speak of that, he was going to respect her decision. It was polite to do so, after all.

❒ His eyes widened as he finally registered what she had said. Friends? She... she wanted to be friends with him? He felt his face heat up in a bashful manner but he paid it no mind. "O-Oh! I-If you wish," he replied with a shy smile. The kit eyed her upturned paw curiously. He then watched her face for any hint of a lie but didn't really pick up on anything. Actually, he couldn't really tell what she was expressing—a peculiar thing but he decided on filing it away for later.

❒ After a few moments, the kit placed his smaller paw on hers and offered her a lopsided smile. "T-Thank you. I-It's always been a bit hard for me to make... friends. I a-appreciate you wanting to get to know me," he said with sincerity. It felt... good having someone else in his corner. Meeting others and making friends wasn't as scary as he had initially thought.