A Merry Stroll

[Yoko]

Sharp orange spears pierced the canopy overhead only to fall harmlessly on the moist ground. The rain had cleared up and in its place was a glorious sunset, resting weightlessly upon the swirling clouds. Tabby paws swept over the fallen acorns noislessly and prowled the frail dappled shadows around the Chestnut tree.

Snaketail stepped lightly, but stood to his full height as he glided beside his companion of the day. "Gentle Whiteheart" he had affectionately dubbed her at the beginning of their hunt, and was now in the habit of calling her that as he conversated in low tones with the pretty she-cat.

"Well I, of course, was not the least bit shocked by the news. Specklestar has always been a bit standoffish as our leader, but she's a rather cunning one, as you well know. Although it pains me to think of harming my own connections in ThunderClan, I always remind myself where my brothers' loyalties lie, and so I lay my own in the very same place. But enough about the war, I don't mean to depress you."

The smooth tabby leaned closer to Whiteheart and slowed his pace a bit.

"What's this about you seeing a tom?"

He looked at her with a teasing amber gaze, little flames of amusement jumping back and forth. He had no confirmation of this rumor and in fact no one had told him it, but he hoped to catch her a bit off-guard, maybe let something slip.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Whiteheart

It was a wonder to Whiteheart why Snaketail had chosen her to hunt with him. It seemed to be quite a sudden offer with nothing before really hinting toward it. There were probably several other she-cats for the amicable tom to decide to spend his time with, but even so, Whiteheart was rather glad for this time with him. Snaketail was not intimidating like his brothers, he was kind and friendly and easy to get along with. "Gentle Whiteheart", though she obviously wondered where such a nickname had come from and why, made her oddly happy every time she heard it. She had known the tom was charming, of course, but this seemed a bit more than that.

The day was pleasant, the sun was out and drying the muddy ShadowClan land after a long day of rain. Looking up at the red-and-orange sky, splattered with bright colors as if there was a great fire above them, she almost thought she could see a bit of the moon in the distance. Tonight was the night of the Gathering, she realized. She hadn't been chosen to go last time and she couldn't help but wonder if she would be able to attend this time around. Being picked was always an honor and she enjoyed seeing cats of other Clans rather than being surrounded by the same ShadowClan cats all of the time. Whiteheart was in a rather good mood, free from her spells of worry and occasional pensive moods. Things had been going well the past few weeks, and she had been able to forget about most of the things that made her uneasy.

That was, until Snaketail had started to talk about the upcoming war with ThunderClan. Whiteheart had been doing her best not to think about that- despite having to train her apprentice in combat every day, she did a remarkable job of not thinking about what that training would be used for- but it was impossible to avoid it when another cat was speaking to you about it. She gave simple nods to show she was listening and only spoke when asked something directly, much too polite to as for a change of subject. She could never be so rude when this cat was taking time out of his day to spend with her. She felt relief when Snaketail had stopped talking about the impending chance of battle, but it didn't last for long.

A... tom?

Whiteheart's pelt grew hot as Snaketail moved closer to her, and she could not look away from his firey, amused gaze. "Wh-what? N-no, I'm not seeing any tom..." she studdered, bright yellow eyes wide with shock. "W-why do you ask?" To think that he would assume she was with a tom... was there some sort of rumor going around? Or maybe he just thought so, but she hadn't been spending time around any particular tom that she remembered...

[Yoko]

A shiver ran down his spine as the shock gazed of the she-warrior startled him. Even he, a natural socialite, had not anticipated such an openly frightful reaction, and he found his own amused gaze shifting steadily to one of confusion. With a reaction so strong as that one, one might actually suppose that she was seeing a tom. But that could not possibly be so because, undoubtedly, Snaketail's information gathering system could not be so flawed as to miss any she-cat engaged in such activities. But if his system were so flawless, what other options did that leave?

He felt a small smile work onto his face as he decided that the simplest reason for such an simply honest reaction was that she feared her reputation was besmirched and he took the responsibility of informing her that it was not so.

"I am sorry to have shocked you, Gentle Whiteheart," he mewed in a tone of deep regret. "In my teasing, I tend to go a bit too far. Be assured, Dear Friend, that your reputation is as flawless as ever, and that my sudden asking had more to do with a tomly-curiousity than a suspicion of any such dirtyness on your part! Can I ever be forgiven for such a wrong?"

He looked up with rather sad and pleading amber eyes. His expression changes were so quick and perfectly conveying of emotions that one might think he honestly meant them, which in this case, he well did, but was being a bit extravagant in his apology's execution.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

What was he.... oh. Whiteheart flicked her ears back against her head, instantly regretting her overreaction at Snaketail's inquiry. Of course it had come as a complete shock, and she certainly wasn't seeing any tom at the moment, and she would have been horrified if such a rumor was going around... but from the sorry look in Snaketail's eyes, she instantly believed that it had been simple curiosity. Feeling ashamed, she did the first thing that came to mind: babble and apologize.

"N-no! I'm sorry, I really didn't think- It's not your fault. It just surprised me, that's all." She looked at him worriedly, hoping he wouldn't take offense to her so extreme reaction.

[/justify]
((Ack, short, but it's a post. x_e))

[Yoko]

Snaketail sighed in relief. "Oh, good. You know, I simply could not bear it if you were angry at me for such a little thing. I really must learn to bite my tongue before it says anything so careless."

And so he glided on through the swamp, guiding his lovely walking companion around the deeper mud wells with his tail, and saying softly thinks like, "look out for that rock" or "wow that stick looked a bit snake-like, watch out for it". And as the sun sank lower, he inched closer to her side.

"You know, I don't believe that there's an inch of this swamp that's been unexplored. I mean there are many pathways that aren't often taken, but none are undiscovered. Have you ever taken that route where you can only really move on the low, or broken tree branches? Have you? It leads to this one spot of the swamp that's absolutely divine. Let's go there, shall we?"

All this, he said in that usual graceful way that prevents other cats from interrupting him. His tail gently prodding Whiteheart's side, the wispy long strands of fur on his tail persuading, Let us go, it'll be fun. We must go now, please.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

After that admittedly awkward moment between the two cats, a silence fell over them as they continued to walk through ShadowClan's territory. Unlike how it had been moments before, the atmosphere was light, comfortable even, if it wasn't for her nervousness and the fact that every time Snaketail touched his tail to her fur, Whiteheart's pelt would heat up with embarrassment. He was such a chivalrous tom, and so thoughtful too. Whiteheart still found herself wondering why he was being so kind to her of all cats. She certainly didn't deserve it, though of course she didn't mind it. She liked it a lot, in fact. He called her 'Gentle Whiteheart' and she didn't remember him ever using such a nickname on any other Clan mate of theirs. When Snaketail moved closer to her, Whiteheart stuttered a bit and grew flushed once more, but tried her best to hide it.

"O-oh? No, I don't think I've ever been that way... I-I guess we can go, sure." In truth it was not just Snaketail's gentle touch on her fur that had her agreeing- although her flustered appearance could suggest that- she was also rather curious as to what place the tom knew in ShadowClan territory that could be so fascinating. Obviously ShadowClan's wasn't the most attractive of territories, with all the marsh and barren land... Whiteheart followed close to her companion, somehow afraid that she might possibly get lost- as silly an idea as that was, seeing as she was in her own territory. Still, it was natural for the soft she-cat to be so cautious. "A-are you sure you know where you're going, Snaketail?"

[Yoko]

Snaketail let a small mrrow of laughter rumble in his throat. How lovely it was when Whiteheart's tongue tripped over words! How adorably precious was every stutter tumbling from her mouth. In response he replied calm and confident, "But of course, Dear Whiteheart, I wouldn't dream of leading you astray."

Although even he acknowledged that that was precisely what he was doing. We won't be lost per se...Merely out of the view or too watchful eyes...

"And besides, if we got lost there is far worse company we could have than each other. Who better to be out in the night with than you, my sensible, and lovely, companion. Between two cats of our intelligence and good sense, we have nothing o fear on our own territory, right?"

And so the miniature journey began, first by weaving through the sparse bushes of the swamp, then by veering by a few deep puddles. All the time, the sun sinking lower and lower, until the ground was black and the sky was violet with a thin layer of red. Snaketail was still rather enjoying Whiteheart's company, and although he said less, he still brought up a few fresh pieces of gossip, Oakstorm and Shrewfang's apparent falling out, Heronstripe and Honeyfur's newfound closeness...All the while, he was taking in Whiteheart's scent, distinct and sweet but still very ShadowClan. What a rare little blossom in the swamps...And the darker the night, the sweeter the smell. Proof that she rightfully belonged in the shadows.

"You ought to have been named Whiteflower, smelling as sweet as you do," he mewed without a hint of a mumble or stutter and with an odd sense of sincerity. "I'm sorry, you must be weary coming all this way," he mewed, pressing closer to her as they walked, amber eyes ahead. "We're almost back to camp, I promise."

He walked a few more steps and came to a sudden halt. "Stop!"

And before them, the darkness which had shrouded the entire ground before was smoother and glossier than it had been anywhere else. Snaketail kicked a rock into it and sure enough, it splashed. A rare sight, here the mud was thin enough to be water, and deep water at that.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

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[atrb=background,http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj298/yellowstar11193/Tables/Whiteheart2.png] As the two cats ventured on in their exploration of the swamps, the night continually became darker and the ever-present shadows grew around them. Their home, which was usually silent during the daytime, was now alive with the sounds of crickets and fogs and bats. The distant howling of some Twoleg dog had the pale she-cat tensing up for a short moment, reliving the encounter with the dog on ShadowClan's territory less than a moon ago, before she realized how far off it was and that there was no way it could make it here. She also had Snaketail here, who she was sure would protect her if it came down to it. He would, right...? He was so kind, and he seemed to like her after all... of course he would, yes. Between the two companions things were quiet, occasional small conversations were had about mostly gossip, which Whiteheart didn't know too much about and always felt guilty when she participated. Surely other cats didn't like to be talked about, even if everyone did know about Oakstorm and Shewfang's bickering or young romances between new warriors? At Snaketail's comment about her name and her scent, Whiteheart became embarrassed all over again, her pelt heating up with a sudden intensity. She forced herself to remain quiet that time though, only allowing a quick, mumbled reply of "Th-thank you, I guess, but the name wouldn't really suit me, I-I mean I'm not that pretty..." which she considered to be a much better reaction than the times before. Back to camp? Snaketail's latter words echoed in her mind, causing a look of confusion to come over her face. It was true she was becoming tired, in fact her paws had started to feel sore quite a while ago but she'd kept quiet because she hadn't wanted Snaketail to feel responsible for her. But hadn't he said he was taking her to a secret part of their territory? ...W-well okay, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, she thought as Snaketail pressed closer to her once more and she felt herself leaning on him a bit. Such a sweet, caring tom... but she did really want to see whatever it was that had the tom so excited earlier... Then suddenly they came to a stop, and in front of them stretched what appeared to be noting more than a pool of mud. But when Snaketail kicked a pebble into the mud and it disappeared with a 'plop', he proved that was not just it. "...Where are we? And what's going on?" Whiteheart observed the strange area with an obviously confused look. Then at last she turned to Snaketail, her eyes wide. "I-I don't understand, is this the place you wanted to show me? It just looks like mud..." Oh, hopefully she hadn't said something wrong! New table, yeah!

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[Yoko]

Disappointed amber eyes skipped over the surface of the blackened mud. He glanced briefly around ahead. Had he passed it? Rarely did he come here, it was such a special place. But he didn't think he had gone past it either. Poor Whiteheart, she was already beginning to worry. He brushed her flank with his tail.

"Shhhh, nothing to worry about Whiteheart. Camp is that way," he mewed smoothly, pointing with a forepaw. "And the place I intend to show you is....ahhhh this way."

He smiled and padded lightly along to the place he had missed. It had been hidden in the dark shadows, even ShadowClan eyes could fail sometimes. A small tree, leaning forward so heavily it seemed to be broken, but in fact it was quite in tact, firmly planed with a trunk in the ground.

"Step aboard," Snaketail mewed, hopping up the base of the trunk and slowly inching his easy up the diagonal wood. "It'll hold us fine."

He did a testing little bounce to prove it, the tree bending ever so slightly and tossing Snaketail lightly upward. He kept his eyes on her, watching in case she needed any help. They were so close now and he was genuinely excited for her to see the place, but not enough to forget her safety.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Had that really been it? The special place that Snaketail wanted to show her had been nothing but a pool of mud! Oh StarClan, now she felt terrible! It seemed to be just mud... but had she hurt Snaketail's feelings? A worried look came over her face as she turned her head to glance at the tom, praying she hadn't done anything foolish. He was so kind to her... but the tone in his voice was comforting, not angry, and he even brushed her flank again. So was it okay...? Whiteheart simply nodded, staying quiet as she tried to keep herself from doing anything more mousebrained.

She let Snaketail lead her through the swamps once more, wondering if they were going back to camp this time. If that had been all he wanted to show her, then Whiteheart would guess so, unless they were going to start hunting. The night was nice, and the sounds of frogs still hung in the air. However they stopped at a strange looking tree, and it took Whiteheart a moment or two to realize the reason why they'd stopped. Her eyes widened as she watched Snaketail climb onto the trunk, balancing skillfully on the slanted tree trunk, and she could not resist calling out, "Oh, be careful!"

But Snaketail was fine, and the trunk only wobbled a bit underneath his weight. At his request for her to join him, and uncertain look came over her face. Surely the trunk wouldn't be able to hold the two of them, but maybe this was really what he wanted to show her.... "O-okay, just... I hope it's not dangerous..." she said quietly, padding up toward the tree trunk and swallowing the uneasiness that always welled up in her much too quickly.

She put one paw on the tree trunk, then another, then more until all four feet were on the unsteady piece of wood. The trunk shook under her weight, and she slid her claws out to grasp it as much as she could, keeping her eyes locked on Snaketail's yet knowing she was silly to be so worried, since the drop to the ground was a tail-length or so at best. Still, she was an easily frightened she-cat. "So what now?" she simply asked, hoping this was worth it.