Chilling[C]

Fennelbreeze

Fennelbreeze had been laying near the warrior's den, her thoughts swirled around the recent conflicts of Shadowclan and Riverclan against their own home in frustration. Just when her mood was at its low, a rarity in which she usually never had—the muffled sound of a familiar voice rang out to her, and her eyes snapped open in surprise. She rose to sit up, her ears perked in attention as she spun her head around to meet Sootstorm's gleaming green eyes.

"Sootstorm," She greeted him, a smile replacing the frown left just earlier on her maw, "Oh! I'd like that, yeah. Thank you." The molly purred out in thanks, leaning down again to help him divide the rabbit into equal quantities for them to share. "Seems like it's been a successful hunting patrol, hm? Did you catch anything else?"

Fennelbreeze

"Three rabbits? That's really impressive!" Fennelbreeze widened her eyes in surprise, nodding along happily to Sooststorm's words. She was glad for the tom that he earned such luck with hunting; and for all of its worth, it'll help their clan in recovering from past combats. Though, as soon as the tom mention his upcoming kits, she felt her heart sink a little. There was a brief moment where her smile faltered, the reminder that Sootstorm was with Ferntwist and not—well, available. Not that she wasn't happy for him. If anything, it was largely the opposite. She'd much rather him be content spending time with Ferntwist as his mate and sharing a family with the she-cat rather than being unhappy. Even if her personal feelings would be discarded, she wouldn't allow herself to interfere with his happiness.

"Greenleaf is a very abundant season. I hope you'll continue to have many, many more lucky catches like today. Your future kits need it." She smiled, humming quietly. "And no, unfortunately, I don't have much to share. I will tell you if I have anything going on, though!" She continued to listen to him talk, her gaze softening at the sight of him being so excited with the prospect of becoming a father. The joy in his eyes as Sootstorm talked about naming his kits was undeniable, and she masked the subtle sting in her heart with an approving nod. "Acornkit sounds very cute. I think that'd be a great name for a kit."

Fennelbreeze

The amount of attentiveness that Sootstorm had to spare for her was something Fennelbreeze did not expect. It was rare any cat noticed—if they even did at all, an occasional slip-up of emotion coming from her side. She figured not many would care for that level of detail. Yet with him, it seemed like the opposite. Perhaps it could've just been a moment of kindness or empathy, yet still, the she-cat felt moved from the not-so-little question.

"Well... It would be hard not to, with all recent things considered." Fennelbreeze smiled sadly, continuing to lie. She couldn't just casually bring up the fact that she adored him in a way that was not proper in the current moment. Plus, with all the heavy events happening in recent times, she was grateful for the excuse that it brought her to mask her main concern. "Shadowclan raided our clan, and Riverclan won the skirmish at the Gorge. I'm afraid they may try to challenge our clan again after what happened at the previous moon's Gathering. I don't mean to push the entire blame on Batsong, but—cats have died on the patrol out. I just hope that won't be us next time, Sootstorm." She could feel her eyes grow vulnerable to tears, but she blinked them away before any could fall.

Fennelbreeze

The moment Sootstorm had leaned in and given her a lick on the cheek, Fennelbreeze could feel her cheeks flush with heat. Of course, there were not many visible signs that he'd be able to notice given her appearance—but the most noticeable sign must've been that her ears were heating up red. Calm yourself, Fennelbreeze. He's doing this just to comfort you.

The she-cat forced herself to let out a small laughter, nodding in agreement. "Um, of course. Right." She smiled. The tom probably won't ever know now, or ever, but she liked this. Just enjoying the moment with each other in peace, simply chatting with one another as... friends. At least, that's what she thought the both of them would want for now. "Thank you, Sootstorm."