Star Bright (closed)

A sigh escaped the tom as he stared at the vast expanse of Silverpelt. Countless generations of Shadowclan's finest resided in the stars, and on a night like tonight they seemed to sparkle brighter than they ever had. It was oddly beautiful, but it also seemed like a sign to the warrior. What exactly that sign was he wasn't sure, though he would interpet it to his own benefit. Sablestrike's eyes searched the camp for a short period before landing on Harriertalon's dark pelt. A fine warrior. While she possessed no clan blood her loyalty to Shadowclan was undoubtable, and she had put her life on the line to protect her clan from the invading dogs. She had earned Sablestrike's attention very early on, but she had been quick to earn his respect too.

One last exhale and the warrior was in motion. "Harriertalon," Sablestrike greeted with a slight smile. "It's nice out, far too nice to spend our time in camp. I was planning on taking a bit of a walk. Would you mind accompanying me?" No mentions of sparring or hunting, hopefully the thought of a quick and simple outing would entice the she-cat.

Harriertalon sat near the camps entrance, taking a break from the non-stop rebuilding, her attention set on the stars. Not a single cloud was in their way tonight, making one star inparticular draw the most attention: it was bright, and felt out of place somehow. Maybe she just hadn't noticed it before.

It was a voice that she'd come to know during her time in ShadowClan that jolted her attention back to earth. She turned to face the warrior, a smile already forming. Though they hadn't had the time to truly get to know one another, she felt warmth towards him as one of the first cats to greet her when she came to ShadowClan. She looked up to him, as well. He was strong and seemingly fearless. Though his way of approaching cats could use some work. "It really is a wonderful night. I would love to join you." The thought of asking where they were going or why didn't even cross her mind.

With a nod, Sablestrike lead his clanmate through the thorn tunnel. He set a slow pace for the two, keeping their path to the dryer parts of the territory. It was impossible to remain dry in Shadowclan, but the closest they could stay to such an ungodly standard the more enjoyable their walk would be. Sablestrike was far from being the best conversationalist in his clan, but that wouldn't stop him from trying. It had taken him way too long to isolate Harriertalon, and he wouldn't squander this chance by staying silent the whole time. "So, how do you like being a warrior so far?" It was simple, perhaps too simple. For once in his life Sablestrike was envious of Leopardsun and her ability to converse so smoothly.

Harriertalon remained silent for a few heartbeats, fighting to control a laugh. He was trying his best, and she didn't want to discourage Sablestrike by laughing at him. As they kept a slow and steady pace, the molly unconsciously walked in a way that made the pairs pawsteps mirror each other. "Being a warrior has been... Busier than when I was an apprentice. Constant patrols and guarding, there's hardly time to just enjoy myself. But I don't mind, really. I'm happy to be here."

She looked up at the twinkling stars, thinking of what else to say to get him to talk more. "How's your time been as a warrior?" Well. Looked like she was just as bad at conversation.

"I'm happy you're here too." He hadn't meant to say that aloud, it had just slipped out of him. In an attempt to salvage his blunder, Sablestrike added "Having another capable warrior is reassuring. I know that if something happens you'll be there if I'm not, just like with the dogs. I appreciate that. From what I heard you handled yourself pretty well, too." He could go on, but doing so would probably result in more blunders.

"Me? I guess it's been pretty... Eventful." Becoming a warrior had given the tom much more freedom, and he had used that freedom to stir up trouble, albeit unintentionally. "I've definitely made mistakes, but I love being a warrior. It's given me a lot of opportunities, like having an apprentice." The warrior's face brightened as he continued, his tone growing lively. "Sunpaw is a fantastic apprentice, he's shattered every expectation I've set for him. Even when he was captured by the twolegs he kept up with his training, he's a natural hunter, and though I haven't had the chance to spar with him I'm sure he's a natural at that too. I'm really excited to see what kind of path he carves for himself." Sablestrike paused. "Sorry, guess I started rambling a bit." That had been rude, rattling on about his apprentice while Harriertalon hadn't received one yet.

Tipping his head back, Sablestrike drank in the sight above. Each star glittered with a certain brilliance, almost as if all of Starclan was listening in on their conversation. He was sure they had other things to do up there, but it was a strange thing to consider. "It really is beautiful out tonight. I wonder if we'll have more nights like these when Leaf-Bare ends." Sablestrike should have been counting the days until Leaf-Bare's end, he should be waiting eagerly for the prey to become more common than it was now; but if Leaf-Bare would bring nights like these that he could share with his clanmates then he would happily live in the cold.

I'm happy you're here too. She had heard this sentence from Leopardsun many times before, but something about how the ebony tom said it felt... Different. That was, until he continued on. Slightly disappointed, she listened to his praise with a polite smile. "Thank you for your kind words. I hope it never comes to this, but should anything like that happen again, know that I have your back."


She understood that Sablestrike was blunt, stubborn, and stuck his nose where it didn't belong. However, his clanmates distain for him puzzled her: he was loyal to ShadowClan and just wanted the best for them. Sure, he went about it the wrong way, but his heart was in the right place. At least to her, anyway. And that stance was quickly beginning to solidify as she watched Sablestrike's usually stoic demeaner brighten as he talked about his apprentice, Sunpaw. She couldn't help but be enthralled by his enthusiasm: he was clearly proud of his apprentice and her once polite smile turned genuine. He stopped briefly, apologizing to her. "I don't mind. I liked seeing a different side of you!" One day, she hoped to be able to speak proudly of her apprentice once it was her turn.

His attention turned back to the stars. She didn't blame him for being so enthralled in their beauty: it had been a long and eventful Leaf-bare. There had been no time to take a moment to just... relax. Harriertalon purred. "I'm grateful that we finally are getting a chance to know one another better. Especially during a night like this." It hadn't occurred to her that looking up and walking at the same time wasn't a great idea, as one of her paws slipped on slick ground that could have easily been avoided had she been paying attention. She had to play this off quick before the embarrassment kicked in. "We could get a better look if we settled here for a bit, don't you think?" She sat down, her tail swishing beside her as an invitation for him to join her.

She... liked that? Sablestrike was unsure of what exactly he had done to deserve such words, but hearing them come from Harriertalon made the tom's fur stand on end. It was a weird feeling to experience, not bad, just different.

A deep purr ripped itself from Sablestrike's throat at that. "I'm grateful as well. It feels like I've been trying to get you alone for a while now, this just seemed like the perfect excuse to finally get off my tail and ask you out." Grateful. Sablestrike felt like he was just copying Harriertalon at this point, but there wasn't another word he wanted to use. It perfectly encapsulated his feelings in this moment. Grateful that she hadn't denied him this opportunity. "I-" A flash of movement alerted the tom, his head snapping toward Harriertalon just in time to see her recovering from... Whatever had just happened. Clearly he had missed whatever that was, but Harriertalon seemed unbothered by it. While stopping hadn't been in his itinerary, it seemed like a much better option than traversing the marsh while distracted. He had done that once, and it had ended in a painful side full of spines... And he couldn't deny the allure of being that close to her either. "An excellent idea, Harriertalon." Sablestrike took a seat next to her, just close enough that their pelts almost touched.

Sablestrike's attention didn't return to the sky however, it lingered on the she-cat. Another low rumble began, unbidden by the tom. "I'm glad to be sharing a night like this with you, Harriertalon. I know I've said it a couple of times now, but it's really beautiful out here. Like y-" Unlike last time, Sablestrike caught his blunder before it could fully leave his mouth. It didn't stop the embarrassment from setting in however. He could feel his pelt growing warm despite the cold. Clearing his throat, Sablestrike turned his gaze back to the sky, finishing with a simple "I'm glad you're here."

No, Harriertalon wouldn't let this one go this time. She felt heat radiating off the toms black pelt as his sentence broke off, a smirk growing. She was normally a passive she-cat, following what others did in order to make them comfortable in her presence. For once, Harriertalon would do the opposite. "Like me, you mean?"

She tilted her head to look at him, green eyes holding mischief. "Your gaze has been lingering a lot, lately. Did you want to talk to me that badly?" His gaze hadn't gone unnoticed, not in the slightest. Because she, too, was stealing glances at him without even thinking about it. "If it makes you feel any better, I also think you're beautiful." Cool. That was the cringiest thing she's probably ever said in her life, but who cared? It was just the two of them tonight. She purred.

Sablestrike could feel his body begin to stiffen at Harriertalon's accusation. The tom was utterly speechless, his mind working furiously to find a way out of this situation without actually leaving. His thoughts lead to nowhere, quickly falling apart as her eyes fell on him. The only consistent thought was one word that began to repeat. Stars stars stars star-

Slowly, very slowly, Sablestrike turned to face her. That was a bad move. Being faced with that smirk had the tom's mind swirling worse than before. On instinct, the warrior nodded in affirmation. Sablestrike could feel himself getting lost in her eyes, at least until she spoke again. "You do?" He blurted. Being called beautiful was strange, why hadn't she picked a more macho word, like handsome, or striking? Still, the words earned a loud purr from the tom. Knowing that she felt more or less the same way lit a fire in Sablestrike's chest, and this time he decided to share in Harriertalon's boldness. "That does make me feel better. Charming such a gorgeous cat is quite the accomplishment." He was more sure of his words now, but stars were they embarrassing to say aloud. Perhaps his next move was too bold. Sablestrike bridged the gap between their pelts, pressing himself lightly into Harriertalon.

Relief washed over Harriertalon when Sablestrike purred in response to her calling him beautiful. She had meant to tease him by calling him a word that was not usually meant to describe a tom like Sablestrike, not that he wasn't handsome! But it was nice that he hadn't taken any offense to it. "I do-"

Sablestrike leaning in caught her by surprise, the tom visibly flustered just heartbeats before. However, she made no attempt to move away. His words earned a rumbling purr of her own. If Harriertalon hadn't known better, she would think both of their pelts were actually on fire.  This is so embarrassing... Green eyes tore away from gold, unable to maintain the eye contact without feeling like her head would explode.

To be honest, Harriertalon hadn't felt like this with anyone. They never made her nervous just being near them, never made her worry if her fur was a mess or not. Never made her search a crowd for one face in particular. None of them ever made her heart flutter just by name. Maybe this was going too fast, maybe it was just right. Who even cared at this point? "Did I... Charm you, too?"

A bit of disappointment flickered in the tom's eyes as Harriertalon turned. Not that he blamed her, this was far too embarrassing of a feat, and the extended eye contact definitely didn't help either. Part of the tom was glad she had been the one to look away first, knowing that it wouldn't be him. Not now, not when he had come this far. He had already started to compliment her in ways he would never compliment others, all that was left was to go for the kill.

Sablestrike wanted to do that, but it just seemed like such a big task, one that he wasn't ready for yet. Did I... Charm you, too? Of course she had. He didn't know exactly when she had enamored him, but her becoming a warrior had been the point where Sablestrike found it impossible to deny his attraction to her. Constantly seeing her in the warrior's den, on patrols, around camp, if she was within his sight it was guaranteed that Sablestrike would be staring at her. Despite how his body pleaded against it, Sablestrike peeled himself away from Harriertalon, positioning himself in front of her so that their eyes locked once more. He didn't think it would be possible to speak his mind freely while pressed up against her, and he probably wouldn't fare any better looking directly at her, but he needed to look her in the eyes for this next part.

"You did more than charm me, Harriertalon." It was hard to explain, but just being around her made him want to show off. It made him want to be a better cat, someone that could impress her not just with his words but with his actions. Any time she came around he would find himself standing straighter, or working harder. "You've mesmerized me to an absurd degree. It's getting to the point that I can't stop staring. You've made me fa- er, I, ah..." Sablestrike trailed off, the last bit of his confidence finally falling away. Maybe that was going too far. "I, uh, really like you." Even that seemed to be pushing it, but he was glad to have gotten it out. The embarrassment of what he was saying finally got to him, making his pelt unbearably hot. If not for the coldness of Leaf-Bare, Sablestrike was sure he would have melted long ago. Unable to hold her gaze any longer, the warrior turned his attention skyward.

Not moments after looking away did Sablestrike pull away from her. Her stomach dropped thinking he didn't like what she asked, only for it to be quelled as he stood in front of her. There they were again. Golden eyes searched her olive ones as the next heavy words left his tongue.

Not just a simple "I like you". This was a total confession. A heartfelt one filled with sincerity and a whole lot of embarrassment. She wanted to say something back, but the loudest purr escaped her chest and felt like it could have rattled the trees covered in pine needles right off their branches. Trying her best to quiet down, Harriertalon was finally able to return his words. "You have no idea how relieving it is to hear you say that, Sablestrike." She had definitely been afraid she was somehow reading this all wrong and putting him in an uncomfortable situation. She couldn't help herself. Her ebony furred head met his shoulder; a habit she found herself doing when overcome with positive emotion.

She would let his fumbling words slide, uncertain what he had been trying to say before switching up his words."I really like you, too." Though it was night, the stars felt as though they shined as bright as the sun. What a beautiful night it was indeed.