Heronstripe and Honeypaw (Talking and "Stuff")

[Amber]

Why exactly had her paws led her here? This place was so strange for her paws to take her. Memories of this place were coming into her mind, a few flashbacks here and there. Where exactly was she? And what were all of these memories she was recieving. She saw herself and two other cats, they looked like those two cats who had been claiming to be her sisters. But was that possible? Maybe, only time would tell. Honeypaw just couldn't grasp why they hated Heronstripe so much if they were her sisters. Shouldn't sisters be supportive of one another? She needed to stop thinking of things like this and focus on here and now. She was with Heronstripe right at this moment, and that was what she needed to stay on topic with. He was being so kind by being with her, helping her. Did she really deserve someone like him? A sigh finally breached through her somewhat calm shell as she realized she was pushing herself too hard to remember. She needed to let things occur naturally, and hope her memory would return soon.

"Heronstripe, where are we? This place looks so familiar, and I keep remembering being here a lot*." Honeypaw turned to her friend and sat down, taking in her surroundings. This was becoming aggrevating, not remembering. Maybe she should just hit her head again and that would cause her to remember everything. "I'm sorry you have to put up with me, I don't know why you wanted to come out here with me. I feel like I have so much pressure on me to remember my life." she added.

[hedgie]

It was no race to keep up with Honeypaw. Heronstripe had been lucky to have been graced with his long, strong legs so running was no problem for him. He kept his amber eyes aimed on her as the two made their way through Shadowclan territory. She again seemed to be thinking about something, but the silver tabby tom didn't know what. He just waited until their pace slowed down, just by a familiar landmark: The Burnt Sycamore. He watched as Honeypaw looked around the area and he repressed a chuckle. She looked so different than she had before. Well, his honey-colored companion only looked different because it was as if the world she was looking at was different. Not brand-new. Just...different. The same old places, but with different meaning.

He smiled kindlt as she turned to him to ask her now endless stream of questions. " It's no problem to me, Honeypaw.' He reassured her, padding closer. 'This old thing's the Burnt Sycamore. Basically...it's just a really old, really burnt up tree.' There was more of an explanation, but right now it didn't matter to him. "Listen...there is no pressure. Forget the pressure. Just let it go. Whatever Snaketail and Lizardeye and twistedclaw and your sisters want from you....It can't be all that important, can it? Just take your time, Honeypaw. There's no rush for you. I won't let there be any."

[Amber]

Honeypaw at first felt a little uncomfortable as Heronstripe came closer toward her. She didn't know what to think about this. Here she was with a tom she really liked, but she was acting like a scared kit. She shook off her unease, acting like it was dirt on her pelt, something that just needed to be rid of. She looked back to the Burnt Sycamore and nodded at Heronstripe's explanation, that would suffice. It was simple and to the point, exactly what she was hoping for. And then, he hit her with the hard stuff. How did he know what she was thinking about? This was getting a little creepy. He mentioned there was no pressure? Yeah right, she was up to her ears in pressure. All she could think about was how she wanted to remember everything and just let her life go back to its normal self, whatever that was. "You say that as if it is something I can do so easily." she murmered, but what the tom was saying was sinking in. What was wanted of her couldn't be that important, maybe she was just imagining things. She was suppose to try and stay positive, right?

"I'm glad I have at least you." Honeypaw added. And she felt a little bit of a weight lifted off her shoulders. She had someone here with her right now. Someone that she didn't realize how much she needed. Maybe this is why StarClan let her remember at least Heronstripe. What exactly had he meant by 'he wouldn't let there be any rush?' This was making her think once again. Honeypaw sighed, she needed to stop thinking. "Geez, is it just me or is cold?" she said softly, shivering a little. Maybe she was imagining the breeze that had rippled acrossed her pelt and sent her fur to its end, sticking out all over. Great, now she looked like some big fluffball. "I'm such a mousebrain." Honeypaw's voice was barely a whisper. She was imagining way too much lately, it was hard to tell what was a dream and what was reality. Blinking her eyes she looked at Heronstripe. "You said we could talk, what was on your mind?" she queried.

[hedgie]

He laughed, short and clipped. Not angry, not worried, not anything. He was laughing just to laugh, staying where he was. She seemed nervous and it wouldn't be right to push. She had all those cats pushing her to remember everything, as if she was only faking this problem. It wasn't a big problem, just a little bump along the way. He sat facing her, a soft smile playing across his face.

"You can do it....maybe not easily, but you can. Everyone's under pressure in some ways. I am, you are, so are your siblings and my brother. Every cat's got that weight on their shoulders, that urge to do what you can for the best of your Clan. I guess it's pressure that keeps us loyal, but it's also pressure that breaks some cats down." He rolled his shoulders in a gesture of general musing.

She shivered, and he looked around the clearing. It was pretty warm out, in his mind at least, but then again...he had a thicker coat of fur than Honeypaw did. "If I said it was just you, would you be mad?" He asked. "I'm pretty comfortable, temperature-wise, but I have a bit more pelt than you do. I'm all fluff." He chuckled.

What did he want to talk about? Honestly...he couldn't remember.
Wait...he had it now, he remeber what was bugging him.

"Reedpaw." He sighed. "I don't know if you saw him as we were leaving, but he looks rather bogged down. You and I think we're stressed? He doesn't say much of it, but he feels he's not as good as some others...mostly me. He notices how...well, how proud Runningfrost seems to be of me, and Reedpaw's just left lying in my cloud of dust. And now he's got Nightpaw to deal with. I really don't know where he finds friends like that. I like Flintpaw and Dapplepaw...both great cats. But her? She seems like such a trouble-maker. I'm afraid she's going to get my little brother into all sorts of trouble, which won't get him any praise in our Uncle's eyes." He shrugged. "I'm probably worrying over nothing. He's a lot like our mother. A bit dramatic at times...not the best judgement-wise...sort of rebellious." Heronstripe smiled again. "That wasn't too much information for you was it? Here I am, rambling on about my problems and my worries. Isn't there anything bothering you, other than this memory loss?"

He didn't mention to her that her sister's looks and comments about him bothered him. He was trying not to care about all that. He hoped that with this new role as a warrior would come with enough tasks to take his roving mind off of his worries.

((I totally just made it sound like Reedpaw's a whiny little drama...king. XD But when you think about it, siblings as close as my two boys are...or used to be, notice things about each other that most others don't. Or maybe that's just my mind running away with me.))

[Amber]

Honeypaw couldn't keep her mind from wandering, and staring at Heronstripe wasn't helping. He mesmorized her, it must be his gaze, because something in his eyes just continued to draw her in. No, she needed to pay attention to what he was saying, and stop her mind from thinking about random moments. Even if they were memories, they were too vague. But one memory seemed to stick out now. It was that cat...her mentor...whatever his name was, he was with her, and there was those two cats again, her sisters? Focus, she needed to focus. She really must have hit her head hard to forget everything. Wait, there she went again, she needed to stop and just look at Heronstripe. He made a great point, that everyone was under pressure. It seemed to ease her mind a little, and she relaxed a little. He believed in her, that she would be able to do it. "I'm glad someone believes in me." she murmered. It was the truth, she was truely glad to have Heronstripe, the one cat she remembered to believe that she would succeed.

She shook her head. "No, of couse I wouldn't be mad. How could I get mad at you?" Honeypaw had a puzzled look on her face, maybe she was just exhausted from today, with all of the visitors and everything that had happened. Yes, that was her story, and she would stick with that one. She did manage a smile when he chuckled at his own joke. "You're right, you are a big furball. But that's why I like you." she purred.

And then, he went into overdrive with all the talking about Reedpaw. She felt her mind almost ready to explode. But as the conversation continued and he pointed out that Reedpaw was his brother, she faintly remembered the tom. But all these other cats he mentioned were a blur. All Honeypaw could do was nod. "Maybe you should talk to him, get his side of the story, it might not be as bad as you think, and from the sound of it your brother could be a good influence for this Nightpaw." she started. "Or just give him some space, like you said he's following in your shadow and he might feel better to get all of this rebellious nature out now instead of later." It was all Honeypaw could think of saying, it was probably the most vague answer in the world, but Heronstripe seemed to be really troubled by this and she wanted to help him any way she could. "No, I'm not bothered by anything, I just don't like seeing you bothered by all of this. I'll help you anyway I can. The good thing about this memory loss, other than remembering you, is that I don't remember any issues I might have." it was a failed attempt at humor and she knew it, but it still made her laugh.

[hedgie]

"Why wouldn't I believe in you?" He asked sincerly, amber eyes wide. He strtched out his toes to casually groom in between thewm whil they were out here, just talking, but he looked up as she started to speak again. His ears were constantly perked forward as she spoke, one or the other swiveling around to catch the sounds of the forest around them.

Heronstripe continued to listen atentively, watching Honeypaw with genuine interest. Occasionally his tail, ears or whiskers would twitch, but other than those occasional momvents and a few blinks here and there, he was almost perfectly still. a silver-striped staue, in a way.

"I am pretty much fluff, aren't I?" He purred. Between him and Reedpaw, he had the bushier coat. but then again, his brother still had a bit of growing to do and his own coat hadn't filled out until about a moon and a half ago. It had been long, yes, but not at all fluffy. but why did he care about the state of his fur?

Right now, all that mattered was the conversation he was having with one of his best and closest friends. Away from her sister's odd loks and his brother's problems, the world seemed so much more at ease. He knew that tommorow would be much more different, and that tonight would either seem like the most exhilirating night of his life or the most boring. Who knew?

He perked up even more, interested as Honeypaw began to talk of his problems and worries. "Talking to him might help the two of us both, but reedpaw being a good influence? He's always been the rebellious type. You know, he likes sneaking out of camp and causing general mischief. Throw nightpaw into the mix and all we'll have is a whole load of trouble. Plus, he';s getting to that age when friendships become a little complicated....you know what I mean, right? He's got two she-cats that might be on his tail one day, and I don't think he'll know how to handle it." Heronstripe chuckled softly. He'd been akward around those of the opposite gender not that long ago, and sometimes he still was.

But not right now. Plus, he'd never been nervous around Honeypaw at all. Her siblings were another story entirely.

[Amber]

At Heronstripe's question the apprentice shrugged. She couldn't think of a reason. "I don't know. I just didn't know that someone had such faith in me. I don't even have that much faith in myself." Honeypaw murmered, glancing at the ground. As she became more relaxed, her tail twitched with amusement. And she couldn't help but release a purr. She was happy, something she didn't think she could be. Heronstripe brought a smile to her face, she really needed that. It did, however, creep her out a little that he was so still as he spoke. But it was better than being interrupted, she liked that, he listened. Now who couldn't love a tom that listened? Isn't that what all she-cat's dreamed of? And here she was with the perfect tom, in her eyes.

The purr that had been so quiet before was now roaring, and it soon turned into a chuckle. "You are the biggest fluffball I have ever seen. I couldn't imagine you without all that fur. You wouldn't look like yourself." And Honeypaw did like that he had long fur, it seemed to make him more handsome to her.

Once he began speaking of his brother, Honeypaw took it as her turn to listen. "You never know, cats can change. I think we all change in some sort of way. Beside the obvious growing, we develop once we grow older, so maybe he will grow out of this in time. Just don't push him too much, he might need help from his big brother in the future." Honeypaw wished she could be better at giving advice, especially to Heronstripe. "You can teach him how to handle things, isn't that what big brothers are for?" Her own question lingered in her mind for a few moments. She wondered if Heronstripe had personal experience with she-cat's chasing after him. "I don't think I could handle it myself if I had someone on my tail, I'm nervous enough as it is." Honeypaw admitted. "Would you mind if you had a she-cat that liked you?" she queried.

((Don't worry, she'll admit she likes him next post.))

[hedgie]

"I hate to sound like i'm repeating myself and asking basically the same question, but what reasons have you ever given me that would cause my faith in you to dwindle?" He purred, shoulders rolling in a shrug, a break in his statuesque ways. The silver tabbt tom blinked his wide amber eyes and twitched his whiskers, at a lack of words for just a second or two.

She was purring rather loudly. He was also purring, though his was less noticable above her roar, just a deep rumbling in his chest. He laughed along I don't really know where it came from. My parents weren't very fluffy themselves. My mother did have a thick coat, though. He shrugged one more time, then let himnself settle back down as the conversation rolled along.

Change? "I'm pretty sure there are some things that can't be changed. I mean, some cats can seem like they've changed the whole way...but there's always just some tiny thing that stays with them. Like, even if something changes in Nightpaw or Reedpaw, they're alwasy going to want to cause trouble or whatever it is they do. Like, no matter what we do, I'm still going to be fluffy, kind, and a good listener and you'll always be a sweet, caring she-cat. No matter what." He just let the words come out. It was just so easy to talk to Honeypaw, and he was grateful he'd found a cat he could really talk to and not feel uncomfortable about it.

"Would I mind?" He mewed, allowing confusion to play across his face like a mask. "It matters on the she-cat. Why? Do you know someone who does?"

[Amber]

Honeypaw opened her mouth to respond to Heronstripe, but soon realized she didn't have an answer. He was right, she shouldn't doubt him. "I'm sorry I keep bringing it up. I know you are right, but for some reason I just can't accept it. It's just me being mousebrained I guess." she murmered. It felt weird to her, having someone talking like this with her, she didn't remember ever having a connection like this before. But the moment he began to purr with her, she felt the connection grow. Maybe it was just her, but there had to be something there. This moment was perfect, and they were all alone, not that she minded being alone. It wasn't hard to talk with him, he was so easy-going, a lot* like she was, maybe that is why she was feeling such a connection with Heronstripe at this moment.

"I wouldn't want you any other way. You look perfect just the way you are." she mewed glancing at him. Honeypaw didn't feel embarrassed at all saying this, she was speaking the truth. "I don't remember anything about my parents, but I guess that is natural for now." Her thoughts were now focusing on trying to remember her past, but nothing was coming through. "Sorry again, I'm not going to mention my memory anymore. We've talked enough about it."

She listened to Heronstripe as he spoke, carefully taking in each word. She thought about it all, and actually agreed with him to a certain extent. Honeypaw was about to reply when he mentioned something about her. He thought she was a caring and sweet? That struck her more than anything, of course he had hit his description dead on. But he really thought of her like that? Now she was feeling embarrassed.

And then the question Honeypaw didn't expect to come out of his mind happened. He just had to ask. Her paws shuffled nervously, it was as if she had lost control of her motions. She was no longer purring, it was caught in her throat. "I-I.." she began, the words just weren't coming out. She could lie and say that she didn't know of anyone, but then she would be lying not only to herself, but to Heronstripe also. "Yes, I do know someone." Honeypaw finally managed to say. "Me." and there it was, she had finally admitted it and her eyes immediately went to the ground. "Sorry for springing that on you like that, I just didn't know how else to say it. And I understand if you don't like me like I like you."

[hedgie]

"You like me?"

Heronstripe looked at Honeypaw, amber eyes widening in shock. The silver tabby tom became entirely still for a few seconds, before he nervously ran a paw over his muzzle, cleaning his face in a nervous attempt to stall for time. He finally settled his paw on the ground and blinked at her a few times.

"I'm shocked. but it's not bad, oh no. I'm just...Wow." He replied at a loss for words. "I'm surprised, that's all. Confused, too. I mean...I'm not that special and you are. You're fantastic and kind and sweet and amazing and I'm just plain ol' Heronstripe." He flicked his whiskers, another nervous motion, and took another steadying breath.

"I know I'm sounding like the biggest idiot in the world, but I like you, too. A Lot."

[Amber]

Geez did she had to scream it at the tom of course she liked him, why wouldn't she like such a handsome tom? She was caught in her thoughts for several long moments, wishing she really hadn't said that. Great, now she had gone and made a complete and total food of herself. That's what she gets for putting her emotions up. Honeypaw just couldn't bring herself to looking up from the very interesting spot on the ground, she couldn't look him in the eye, or even look at any of him. No, not right now, not unless she had another meltdown and this time forgot her own name. Wait, what was her name again?

Lovely, now she had gotten him speechless. Mousebrain, she was a mousebrain. "Wait, back up a minute. You are too special, you have to be. If all of this really happened to me and someone isn't pulling some sort of prank then why are you the only one I remember? It's because you ARE special. You are special to me." Honeypaw couldn't stand there and let him say things about himself like that. And then he started going on about her. She didn't think she deserved that, she wasn't like that at all. "Your wrong your not plain, and that's why I like you. You are much more than you think you are." she hissed angrily now glaring at Heronstripe. Putting himself down was going to stop here and now.

"And you don't sound like the biggest idiot, I just did. Obviously your are the second biggest idiot in the world." she couldn't help but slightly smile at that. Honeypaw had now settled down and realized that she wasn't staring at her paws anymore, she was staring at him. "Wait, you like me?" it had suddenly hit her just what Heronstripe had said and the smile soon grew wider. "Someone likes me?" she whispered looking at the sky. Never did she think this was possible.

[hedgie]

Things were silent for much longer than he would've liked them to be. Then again, the moment they were in was one of those moments that classifies as awkward. Awkward, sweet, confusing and tense all at once and the emotions were so mixed, Heronstripe couldn't tell which one stood out more. He shook his head to clear it, settling his eyes on Honeypaw. Why wouldn't she look at him? Had he scared her now? Fear shot through him at that thought. Had he frightened her? That would be horrible!

Listening, he nodded slowly. 'Well...I guess that might have some significance. Maybe I am special, if only to you." Heronstripe shrugged. "It's good to know I'm important to you. You're important to me, you know? I mean, I have no reason to offer you as to why you are, but I can just feel that you mean something different to me than any other cat ever has or will." He felt kind of stupid, just spilling out these mushy words. Despite any fear he felt, he meant them

Sometime you just knew.

"Yes, I like you, Silly Honeypaw. Ah, the world's two biggest idiots together at last. What will the world do now?' He purred, hoping to break the awkwardness of their earlier moment.