an offering of friendship [c]

Leopardpaw cautiously approached the fresh-kill pile shortly after returning from a hunting patrol. A cursory glance revealed that she didn't need to worry, as she retrieved the large frog she'd caught earlier that day and sought out her target. Echopaw was- gruff, if she was honest. But he was still one of her denmates, and she wanted to at least try and have a positive relationship with most of her Clanmates, especially the ones she had to share a den with. Even when it was challenging. Besides, Echopaw was just kind of a loner and a bit blunt, really - sharing a den with him didn't compare to, say, Snakepaw.

She just hoped he didn't hate frogs or something. Did anyone dislike frogs? She had a hard time imagining it, but she couldn't be sure.

"Hey, Echopaw," she greeted. Good, good, she was off to a good start. "I, uh- I brought you some prey..." After a moment, the spotted apprentice realized just how poorly thought out this whole plan was. She had no way of knowing if he was even hungry or not, did she? Well, she'd already brought the frog to him, so it was too late to back out now. Might as well double down, if she'd already committed to it. "I caught it myself a little while ago, so it's fresh off the marsh...? Um, if you don't like frogs, I-"

She trailed off. For the moon's sake, she had no clue what she was doing. She was trying so hard to make a positive impression that she was pretty sure she'd just thrown herself into the metaphorical deep marsh. It wasn't like she could go back out to catch him something else.

Maybe she could just... Pretend Vixenpaw needed her for something? A quick glance around camp revealed her sister's absence, and she didn't see anyone else she could use for a quick escape. Instead she silently awaited judgment, praying for some form of mercy.

Echopaw couldn't help the slight twitch in his tail as Leopardpaw approached him. He didn't really want to be bothered right now, but when did he ever? So he kept his slight irritation to himself for the most part. "Hi." He responded, trying to remain as polite as he could. Maybe she was just telling him that Marshmallow wanted him or something. Quickly the hope of a simple conversation was dashed, but at least she was offering him food, and one he liked too, so he wasn't going to turn her away yet.

"Thanks. I like frogs." He said to her, his green eyes slightly shining as he looked up at her instead of their usual dull look. He didn't say much else, but he pulled in his paws and tail, trying to take up less room. Basically a silent invitation to sit.

The moon must have been shining on her that night, as Echopaw accepted the frog, and didn't hate them or anything. Unless he was really good at lying, but she wasn't in the habit of doubting others. Hoping that she hadn't severely misjudged this interaction, given that he hadn't told her to get lost or something and seemed to be indicating she should do something, Leopardpaw sat nearby- giving a bit of distance, still. It would be rude to crowd someone if they usually kept to themselves, right? "That's good," she said quietly. "Not sure what I would have done if you didn't."

Run out of camp and throw myself into the deep marsh, maybe.

She hadn't really thought it through past bringing him the frog, so she sat quietly. Reflecting in part on how she clearly needed to make better plans, and ideally make sure they consisted of more than one step. Well, maybe that wasn't fair- this plan had, in fact, had two steps. Step one: catch a frog. Step two: give Echopaw the frog. The problem was in the lack of a follow-up, or any clear conclusion. At least so far it seemed like her thoughtlessly-executed plan hadn't been a complete waste of time and effort.

Echopaw paused on his frog for a moment, green eyes turning to Leopardpaw. He didn't really know what to say, and it seemed that she didn't either. His eyes studied her form for a moment taking in her pattern, and little details that he could take in. "So.." He trailed off. He didn't like using his words. He wasn't good with speaking either. "What now?" He asked her, unsure of what to do. While he didn't like company too much, he wasn't going to be rude when she didn't give him a reason to be.

Once again, Leopardpaw hadn't thought things through. With some difficulty, she resisted the urge to either run in the opposite direction or bury her face in the mud. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "But I just thought... We live together, y'know? I want us to get along. That was what made me think this was a good idea in the first place. ...I'm glad I did, though."

An idea occurred to her. A long shot, maybe, but... "You kind of spend a lot of time just... Sitting around quietly, right? We could... Both do that? I mean, if you're okay with it..."

Truthfully, she rarely kept quiet or still, but she was committed to being Echopaw's friend at this point. She wasn't sure when, exactly, but at some point when she refused to abandon her mission it had become an actual goal, beyond just a peace offering. Anyway, she was sure she could manage to keep still and not talk, at least for a little while. Maybe it was because she didn't understand him, and things she didn't understand were the things that best kept her attention.

Echopaw nodded. "Well.. I appreciate you trying.. And the frog." He really did appreciate the frog. It was one of his favorite pieces of prey. "I don't mind you joining me if you ever see me sitting on my own." While he was fond of his quiet moments, it wouldn't be too bad with someone else right? As long as they didn't try to annoy him or talk to loudly.

The speckled tom adjusted himself to appear a little more open with his body language. He would at least attempt to reach out to her right? Since she did so with him? "Frogs.. are actually my favorite to eat." He told her. That was a good conversation starter right? Stars he wasn't good at this.

It took a moment before Leopardpaw actually processed the other apprentice's words, once she stopped internally berating herself.

"I don't mind you joining me if you ever see me sitting on my own."

In other words, mission success; but it felt like something else. In that moment, she chose to call it friendship.

"Guess I got lucky, then," she admitted. "...They're my favorite, too. That's why I brought one over, since I thought... I couldn't imagine someone not at least liking them."