Skating Around our Feelings [p]

[Deleted]

Cinderfeather

Age: 40 moons| Tags: trevni

I’d fall anywhere with you, I’m by your side

Cinderfeather sighed as she sat near the entrance of camp, a puff of white coming out of her maw as she did so. After Oaktalon had agreed to hanging out tonight, the she cat could barely focus on anything else. She couldn’t understand why she felt so excited to be able to hang out with the deputy, she never felt this way when she was hanging out with any of her other friends. ‘It’s proabably because he’s so busy,’ she thought as she fidgeted slightly in the snow. She was so excited to hang out with the deputy, that she didn’t even feel the cold.

The crunch of pawsteps in the snow caught the gray and white patched permanent queen’s attention, and when she looked over towards the source of the sound, her pale green eyes lit up. She stood up as she watched Oaktalon walk towards her, a small smile worming its way onto her face as she nodded to him in greeting. Then, a teasing expression formed on her face. “Took you long enough,” she said, bumping him with her shoulder playfully as she gave him a large smile. In all honesty, she had only been out there for about fifteen minutes.

“Mm, I take it you were doing so super special deputy stuff?” Cinderfeather asked before chuckling softly. “Aka the stuff Willowstar doesn’t want to do,” she added under her breath. Shaking her head slightly, she turned and started towards the entrance of camp, beckoning the brown tabby to follow her with her tail. “Come on, I’m gonna show you something that Ashtalon and I used to do,” she said as they exited camp. Her tail flicked back and forth happily as they walked, excitement clearly visible to whoever would have seen her.

“It’s pretty out here at night, isn’t it?” She asked as she looked over at Oaktalon with soft eyes. She felt more relaxed than she had been since she was a kit, and she had no idea why. She didn’t mind it though. In fact, she rather liked the feeling of peace that she got when she was with the tom. In fact, the only thing that bothered her was the way that she was starting to find it hard to look him in the eyes. Every time she did, her heart started to beat faster, and her paws started to fidget.

“I know a lot of cats hate leaf bare, but I enjoy it,” Cinderfeather said as the continued to walk through the forest. She smiled softly as she looked at the snow covered forest, in absolute awe at the way the snow seemed to glow in the moonlight. “I know that there’s a lot of hardships during leaf bare, but it’s absolutely beautiful out,” she said as she sighed happily, another puff of air coming out of her muzzle as she did so. Suddenly, she stopped and looked in front of her. “Oh! I didn’t realize we were already here!” She exclaimed before she grinned and bounded forwards. She didn’t stop when she reached the ice, in fact, she leapt onto it. Her claws dug into it as she stopped her sliding, and then she looked over at Oaktalon.

“Ever gone ice sliding before?”

word count: 556 words | notes: Cinder loves ice skating

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[trevni]

oaktalon

@silverfire12,

well, i believe this world is burning to the ground

Despite the ensuing storm his clan meeting would surely create – a small tornado in the hurricane that was already his relationship with Willowstar – Oaktalon carried himself with a certain amount of flourish and pride throughout that day. Cats whispered and gossiped about him – though that was nothing new, in Willowclan’s talkative environment – but the tom thought that he overheard positive remarks just as commonly as the negative ones. Unless I’m selectively hearing things, some cats definitely agree with what I’ve done today.

That was enough to make him hopeful, and hope was so hard to come by in the middle of a grim, icy leafbare that the tom would take all the positivity he could find.

He had to admit that there was another reason why he felt light on his feet, even if he hadn’t mentioned it aloud to anyone quite yet – his meeting with Cinderfeather was later tonight, and though he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the white-and-grey queen yet, he had to admit that there was a certain lightness felt around her that couldn’t quite be ignored.

There might be something there… But how do I know for certain? You can’t just bring that sort of thing up casually or hypothetically – if I’m reading too much into things, she’d probably be horrified, and I don’t need THAT sort of gossip spreading around camp. Too many cats here would enjoy the news of the deputy’s romantic advances getting rejected.

Was it vain of him to worry about such things? Perhaps – but, in Willowclan, it was a realistic worry. He’d already heard murmurings from cats about when he and Ashtalon would pick heirs, or have kits of their own – some bold she-cats had even asked him openly about when he planned to choose a heir, and whether he was waiting for kits of his own before he’d decide. There had been a level of suggestiveness in the questions that had left him evading the question and excusing himself to do something that didn’t involve awkward, one-sided flirtations that he had no interest in reciprocating.

Most Willowclan she-cats would be glad to call me a mate, even if there was nothing there actually romantically, he thought, grimacing slightly. It would be a rise in status for most cats, and with the conflict between Willowstar and I… They’d be the talk of the Clan for a couple of days, at the very least.

He didn’t want that – some artificial, fake relationship meant to be a front to the Clan or a catalyst for juicy gossip. Willowstar was the cat that had kits that created drama, not Oaktalon. She could never be as interested in another cat as she is in herself, anyways. If she ever did have a public relationship, it would have been fake.

The tom had spent the day absorbed in such thoughts as he went about his usual duties – assigning patrols, getting news from cats about how well Ravenclan and Fireclan were sticking to their temporary borders, and far more. These days, it felt as thought Willowstar were always thinking of new, often menial, tasks to keep him occupied.

He didn’t realize how late he was until he noticed the darkening sky, and remembered his date (not that it was a date in that sense of the word, or at least he didn’t want to assume that at all) with Cinderfeather – hastily excusing himself from the warrior he’d been getting updates from, he shuffled from the warrior’s den, spotting Cinderfeather seated patiently by the camp entrance. Sheepishness wrote itself plainly across his features as he hurried over, tail twitching anxiously at the molly’s first words.

”Sorry, I was just—“ he uttered in a rush, only cutting off as the she-cat bumped his playfully with her shoulder. Her tone was teasing and light, rather than properly upset, and his paws prickled embarrassedly as he cleared his throat, taking a second to think before he uttered more nonsense. ”I mean, er, yes. Things are… busier than usual, with the Clans all in such close proximity.” And with WIllowstar always thinking of more I could be doing.

He couldn’t help but feel relieved as she turned away without pressing him too much, beckoning for him to follow as she left camp. Relax. This is just a friendly outing between friends who have purely friendly, platonic feelings for each other. Friendship.

He wished his stomach would listen to the sensible voice that kept repeating that. Instead, it felt like it was doing flips, and it was all he could do to keep up with the she-cat and keep a straight, neutral face. ”It is,” he agreed, meeting the she-cat’s gaze for a couple of heartbeats before quickening his stride and turning his attention back to the night. ”Leafbare is the hardest of the seasons – but there’s something beautiful about it, even if it is dangerous. Snow has no right being so pretty, with all the trouble it seems to cause. … Though I guess you could say the same about quite a few Willowclanners.”

He paused for a moment, wondering if that was too rude to be considered a funny joke – and one that was mostly true, to his disdain. He hadn’t even realized where his paws were leading him until he found himself staring at the solid, frozen surface of the lake. The moonlight gleamed vividly off the ice, giving the lake a strangely otherworldly feel.

Wow. He couldn’t quite put how he felt about the sight into words – nor the strangeness of seeing CInderfeather joyfully bound onto the lake without a care in the world, sliding forward before stopping herself and turning to face Oaktalon.

It looked decidedly graceful, and suddenly Oaktalon was acutely aware of his own large, clumsy paws and how ungraceful he often was by Willowclan standards. ”Oh—no, not really,” he replied honestly, feeling a touch apprehensive as he studied the ice between him and the she-cat. It looked thick enough to support any cat’s weight that night, but he couldn’t help the slight flutter of unease as he recalled other, warmer days where cats had fallen through the ice.

What are you, a mouse? Shaking his head, he tried to focus on the excitement on Cinderfeather’s face. She looked so carefree and happy that he almost forgot about his worries. “But I’m not going to let that stop me – what sort of deputy would I be if I cowered from trying anything new?” Straightening up, the tom took a moment to size the distance up before making a mighty spring. All he could do was hope he didn’t make a complete and utter ass of himself.

|zjzUeft (( -1 for inexperience and also because i’d like to see oak fall on his face, rip))

Landing heavily upon the ice, the large tom felt his paws slide out from under him abruptly, and the world turned upside down as he crashed onto his side with a grunt. ... Well, I definitely just made an ass out of myself. Smooth going, Oak. Despite the embarrassment that crawled over his pelt, he couldn't help the sheepish grin that rose to his muzzle as he rose to his paws -- only to falter and slide back onto his stomach as his paws slid apart once more. He could only imagine how ridiculous he looked.

"... In hindsight, perhaps a bit of caution would have been good, in this case," he joked weakly, whiskers twitching with amusement. "I'm not nearly as graceful as you appear to be -- which shouldn't really have been a surprise."

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[Deleted]

Cinderfeather

Age: 40 moons| Tags: trevni

I’d fall anywhere with you, I’m by your side

Cinderfeather wasn’t the kind of cat to laugh at others mistakes or misfortunes. In fact, she would often scold cats who would do so. She loathed cats who made fun of others. However, despite the fact that she hated how cats would laugh at others, the gray and white patched permanent queen was having a really hard time not laughing at the tom she had invited out onto the ice with her. Despite being the deputy of the clan, Oaktalon, as she was coming to learn, wasn’t exactly graceful. In fact, it seemed to be quite the opposite.

“H-here,” she said as she helped him up, voice quivering with barely restrained laughter. She couldn’t hold her laugher in for very long though, and soon she was giggling. “Y-you know you have to un-unsheathe you c-claws, right?” She asked through giggles. If this were any other cat, she probably wouldn’t be laughing, for fear of being seen as mean, but with Oaktalon, she felt more than comfortable giggling at how he couldn’t stand up on the ice. “I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting for you to jump on just like I did,” she said.

Looking the brown tabby tom over, Cinderfeather started making adjustments in her head. As funny as it was to see her best friend fail at simply standing on the ice, she knew that it would be better for the both of them for her to teach the deputy how to stand on the ice. Shaking her head, she pushed herself over to Oaktalon and started correcting his position with gentle paws. “Here, you need to lower yourself a bit closer to the ice,” she said as she gently pressed down on his shoulders and flank, ear twitching in amusement at the fact that she was basically training the deputy.

“You need to keep your legs a bit farther apart as well,” she said, gently moving the tom’s legs into position as well. Looking the tabby tom over, the gray and white patched she cat nodded and carefully backed up. Then, she burst out into laughter. The brown tabby tom looked more awkward than a tom kit talking to a she kit after he found out that girls were cute. ‘He does look cute that that...’ her mind supplied as she laughed. About two seconds after her mind had oh so helpfully said that, she stopped laughing.

“You know, what don’t you watch me?” Cinderfeather asked as she flicked her tail happily. Her cheeks and ears were burning due to the fact that she had thought Oaktalon was cute, but she quickly shook it off. He was a great friend- her best friend. So the thought was probably just due to the fact that he was the first tom she had been this close to that wasn’t Ashtalon. ‘You see him in a better light than you see Ashtalon,’ she thought as she turned around gracefully.

‘Friend. He’s a friend Cinderfeather,’ she thought as she slowly started moving, using her claws to propel herself forwards. After moons and moons of doing this with her brother, she was actually quite good. In fact, now that she was getting back into it, she decided to allow herself to relax and let her body do the work. With a smile, the she cat looked over at Oaktalon before smirking slightly. ‘I offered him a show, so I will give him a show!’ She thought as she picked up speed. She started going in a circle, tail whipping in a circle.

Suddenly, Cinderfeather reared up on her hind legs. She sheathed her back claws as she did so, allowing her to use the momentum she had built up in the circles she had been spinning to spin her around, making it seem like she was standing on her hind legs without a problem for a few heartbeats. She didn’t stay upright for long however, as she didn’t have the balance to stand up on her hind legs for more than a few seconds, but it was definitely enough to show off, which was her plan. She wanted to show the deputy what she could do.

Stopping her spinning, the gray and while patched she cat unsheathed her claws yet again and propelled herself forwards. Pale green eyes focusing on the brown tabby prince, the permanent queen smirked. She continued to race towards Oaktalon with no hesitation. When she decided that she was close enough, she bunched her muscles underneath her and leapt. She let out a whoop of joy as she soared over the deputy. Keeping her claws unsheathed, she landed behind him gracefully, barely stumbling as she turned around and looked at him with a cheeky smile.

“So, you ready to try that?”

word count: 807 words | notes: Cinderfeather the showoff

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-25

[trevni]

oaktalon

@silverfire12

well, i believe this world is burning to the ground

He supposed he deserved the laughter in this instance, even as his pelt burned in embarrassment. It was hard to be mad at the she-cat for laughing, even if he hadn’t exactly wanted to make that impression upon her. His own whiskers twitched sharply as he rose to his paws again, this time unsheathing his claws and hooking them sharply into the ice. In hindsight, that had been obvious, and might have saved him a bit of ridiculousness. ”I, uh—I know now, I guess,” he conceded, ears twitching sheepishly as he braced himself, convinced he might lose his balance again at a moment’s notice. ”I do tend to jump into things, though – it just didn’t work very well in this instance. … Or in most of them, I guess.”

He'd always been the one to get into trouble as an apprentice, often going for what his heart told him was right and only realizing the consequences when they fully hit him. He liked to think being deputy had matured him and taught him to have at least a little bit of forethought, but he knew that he still acted rashly a lot of the time. Even now, his paws worked impatiently to figure out how this ice sliding worked, even as Cinderfeather came over and started adjusting the way he was positioned with a gentle touch.

He stiffened, trying not to look weird or flustered as the she-cat shifted him around. The look on his face as he tried to concentrate on anything else was likely more than a little ridiculous, but he forced himself to stare over her shoulder at one of the distant trees rather than acknowledging the warmth in his pelt at how close they currently were.

The she-cat burst into laughter again as she stepped back to observe him, and Oaktalon could only imagine how ridiculous he looked, fur fluffed and legs stiff and claws dug into the ice like he was clinging on for dear life. The thought brought a smile to his face, though he tried to look stern, huffing playfully at the she-cat. ”If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to make a fool out of me, Cinderfeather,” he mewed, snorting softly at the idea.

”Why don’t you watch me?” Oaktalon perked up at that, studying Cinderfeather for a heartbeat – perhaps a few moments too long, before he averted his gaze. ”I’m sure you’ll look better than I will – uh, doing this, I mean.” Clearing his throat, he decided it was probably better to shut his damn mouth than it was to actually keep saying stupid things.

He wouldn’t have been able to say much anyways, in honesty – watching the she-cat twirl and spin so effortlessly took his breath away, and he hardly even cared that he was staring for once. Cinderfeather moved with a grace and beauty that certainly accentuated her -feather suffix, and the tom allowed himself to be fully lost in the moment. It was impossible to ignore the warmth and admiration that blossomed in his chest as he watched his friend show off so effortlessly – in that moment, she was undeniably beautiful, and even the caution in his head couldn’t tell him otherwise.

When she rushed towards him, he braced himself, uncertain just how things would transpire. He couldn’t help but gasp in surprise as the she-cat sprang right over him, landing as nimbly and gracefully as ever behind him with a sound of exhilaration. Scrambling around to face her, Oaktalon by contrast nearly ended up falling again, tail lashing unceremoniously as he regained his balance.

”I—wow.” He was lost for words for a couple of moments, staring at the she-cat with an expression too complex for even him to really grasp what he was feeling. ”… That was amazing,” he managed after a moment, admiration clear in his tone. ”You’re a very talented cat, Cinderfeather.” The idea of him being able to move and twirl so gracefully was a laughable one, but, despite his misgivings, the idea of trying to learn was an exciting one.

”… I might want to start a bit simpler than that, just so I don’t look completely graceless beside you,” he purred, whiskers twitching. ”But maybe I can manage something a little easier than simply standing her looking like a deer caught in the path of a monster, if you promise to teach me how. … And not to laugh too much when I inevitably mess it up.”

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[Deleted]

Cinderfeather

Age: 40 moons| Tags: trevni

I’d fall anywhere with you, I’m by your side

Cinderfeather liked to think that she was a rather level headed cat. She liked to think that she was able to take whatever life threw at her in a somewhat calm manner. However, none of that calmness or level headedness seemed to translate to now, as she froze up when Oaktalon complimented her. ‘I- how do I respond to that?!’ She thought as she looked at the brown tabby tom with wide eyes. ‘Come on, respond you idiot!’ She thought as she scrambled to figure out why her face felt like it was heating up and why her pelt was prickling with some form of embarrassment.

“A-ah, thanks!” She stuttered out, forcing herself to appear calm. That was something she knew she was good at at least. “I’m definitely not as talented as you are though,” she said without thinking. ‘IDIOT! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!’ She thought as she lashed her tail behind her in a mixture of annoyance at herself and pride at being complimented by the deputy. “I-I mean, you’re the deputy! That takes a lot of talent,” she said. “You’re a good hunter, a great fighter, a great organizer, and an amazing listener!” She exclaimed.

‘All traits that I love,’ Cinderfeather thought. She quickly shook that thought out of her head though, purposely avoiding thinking about how handsome the tom looked in the moonlight. “Well, I wouldn’t call it being graceless...” she started, latching onto the change of topic. “It’s just... being a beginner,” she said as she gave the brown tabby tom a small smile. “You can’t be amazing at everything right away,” she said as she nudged him gently with her shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll be great soon,” she said with a small smile before she subconsciously started to lean in to muzzle him.

She managed to pull back before it was really obvious what she was doing. “I can’t promise I won’t laugh if you fall on your face though,” she said with a small giggle. She absolutely loved the fact that she could tease the deputy. “After all, what kind I friend would I be if I didn’t laugh when you fall on your face?” She teased, ignoring the twinge of hurt that she felt when she called him her friend. ‘He’s a friend. That’s all he’ll ever be.’

Shaking off the sadness, Cinderfeather brought her focus back to Oaktalon and the ice dancing. “So, you’re going to want to start very simple,” she said, forcing herself to focus on the ice dancing. “Moving is the first thing to focus on,” she said with as smile. “It’s a bit different then walking or running, it’s sorta like swimming,” she said. “You’re going to want to lean slightly to one side, and with both legs on the side you’re not leaning on, you’ll want to kick off,” she said as she gave a smile.

“It’ll look like this,” she said as she carefully leaned to the left and then pushed off with her right legs. She went forwards a little bit as she placed her right paws back down. “Then, you’re going to want to do the same, but with your other two legs,” she said. Leaning to the right, she pushed off of the ice with her left legs. “You steer with your tail,” she explained as she slowly turned around, using her tail to steer herself back to the brown tabby deputy with a kind smile on her face.

“You ready to try? I’ll be right here ready to help steady you,” Cinderfeather said softly as she gazed at the tom with a soft expression. It felt like all her worries had melted away in the rather short time she had been out of camp. All her worries about how she would most likely have to train more quote on quote defective kits vanished while she was out here. All the fears about what Willowstar would do if she learned that she didn’t support the queen vanished in the wind as they enjoyed themselves on the ice.

Being with Oaktalon just made everything so much better.

word count: 709 words | notes

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[trevni]

oaktalon

@silverfire12,

well, i believe this world is burning to the ground

Bemused, Oaktalon tilted his head at the she-cat’s response, somehow both amused and confused at the resulting outburst. The rush of warmth at such high praise enveloped him for a moment, but the tom was quick to push the pleasant feelings away, offering a sheepish grin and an embarrassed shrug. ”All that flattery won’t get you anywhere, you know,” he teased, sure to keep his tone light-hearted instead of admonishing. ”I’m no Willowstar, after all.”

He paused for a moment, before adding in quickly, ”And you’re more talented than you think. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Perhaps he should have kept that to himself. Clearing his throat, he made an intent effort to listen to Cinderfeather, trying to ignore the pounding in his chest and the fluttering in his belly. ”If I fall on my face again, you have every right to laugh at me. I won’t blame you,” he breathed out softly, breath hanging like cool, crystallized fog in the air.

Her advice was welcomed, though it was a little weird to imagine swimming atop the ice. Thankfully, watching the way she moved was a little clearer – and not just because it was oddly nice to watch her glide so effortlessly. Stop staring. Weirdo. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat, prepared to try. He met Cinderfeather’s gaze, stilling at the softness held within and finding himself uncharacteristically lost for words.

He nodded along, swallowing his nerves as he shifted to emulate what she’d done. Leaning over on the ice felt precarious, but the tom forced himself to commit, claws shifting to anchor him the few times he nearly lost his balance. Falling in front of the she-cat again was not something he was looking forward to.

He was certain he looked ridiculous doing so, but he actually managed to push off and slide a couple of tail-lengths without completely wiping out. Not so hard after all, he thought, feeling a touch smug as he shifted to push off with even more strength the next time.

Not the brightest move. The increased momentum left him wobblier than before, and he had to writhe and shift around and stop himself short to avoid toppling over. Smooth as ever. Silently cursing, Oaktalon waited until he was firmly balanced again, glancing over at Cinderfeather with a frown and an awkward twitch of his ears. ”… Sorry. I don’t think I’m quite as natural at this as you.”

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[Deleted]

Cinderfeather

Age: 40 moons| Tags: trevni

I’d fall anywhere with you, I’m by your side

Cinderfeather had to fight from sighing in relief as Oaktalon just moved on, paying no mind to her comment. At least, not the way she had feared he would. She couldn’t help but giggle however when he mentioned how he wasn’t Willowstar. “Obviously,” she said before chuckling to herself “You’re actually doing something other than sitting on your ass and grooming yourself,” she said with a grin. With the fact that it was so cold out, the gray and white patched she cat was quite confident that they wouldn’t be overheard, so she was quite comfortable saying that.

Her ear tips heated up and her heart skipped a beat when he complimented her back. “A-ah, I’m not that talented,” she said, giving her head a small shake to clear it. From all the compliments she had ever received, Oaktalon complimenting her felt the best. It made her heart pound and it caused a heat to blossom in her chest. It felt like she had been lying on a nice, warm, sunny rock. “But thanks,” she added after a second. A part of her wanted to tell him that he was more talented than he thought, but she figured he’d inexplicably return the compliment and they’d get stuck in a loop.

When Oaktalon told her she had every right to laugh at him if he fell on his face, Cinderfeather snorted. “Yes, your highness. I am so grateful for this opportunity,” she said, whiskers quivering with barely restrained laughter as she gave him an exaggerated bow. She smiled as she righted herself, giving the tom a kind look. “You’ll do fine,” she said as she shifted her weight, about to slide forwards to lick his forehead (like she did to all her loved ones to reassure them), but she stopped herself before she moved.

The she cat grinned as she watched him wobbly slide forwards a few tail lengths, pride swelling up inside her. “That’s great! You’re doing great, Oaktalon!” She exclaimed as she looked at him with a soft expression. ‘He really is amazing,’ she thought. ‘Despite being a beginner, he’s got this beauty about him. He’s got a sort of grace to him.’ She paused as she watched his writhing and twisting. ‘He almost fell on his face,’ she thought, a grin forming on her face as her whiskers twitched in amusement.

“Actually, you’re doing okay,” Cinderfeather said. “I was worse than you the first time I tried it,” she said, chuckling as she remembered the many bumps and bruises she obtained. “I was definitely not a natural,” she said before flicking her tail and starting towards the brown tabby tom effortlessly. She stopped right in front of him, a smile on her face. “The only reason I seem like a natural is because I’ve been doing this for seasons,” she said. Giving the tom an encouraging smile, she gently lay her tail over her back for a second.

“Just try again, alright?” She said as she removed her tail. “I’ll stay right next to you in case you fall,” she said. ‘In both ways,’ she thought. She’d be with him if he fell. She’d be there for when he was going through hard times and falling. She’d fall with him if need be. ‘With everything he’s going through, he will need a support system, and I want to be part of it,’ she thought. “However, natural or not, once you get it down, it’s quite relaxing,” she said

“You ready to try again?”

word count: 605 words | notes: If you wanna do that cliche thing wear two people crushing on each other trip and one ends up pinning the other by accident, go ahead.

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