Hunting, For Real This Time (Pandya)

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Stoatpaw was glad Lilypaw had agreed to talk. He wasn't comfortable with having her upset at him. Careful not to wake anyone, he followed her outside, sitting down next to her.
"It's okay, I can understand that. It was kind of the same for me - I didn't expect it and wasn't sure how to react. but you should know I meant what I said back there: I really do like you. Maybe even in a similar way you do, I don't know, I've never had a crush on someone before. It's just - I've never thought about having a mate. To me, that was always off somewhere in the future. but I never meant to hurt you with any of that. Where were you all this time, anyways? Everyone was worried", he said, talking quick to get it all out. Once he had started, it was suprisingly simple.

[Fiction]

Lilypaw nodded understandingly at his words. "I know, even I shouldn't really be thinking about it, but," she paused and smiled a half hearted smile, "you were too important for me to ignore."

"Where were you all this time, anyways? Everyone was worried."

"I was...at the hawk perch." she said slowly, knowing that Stoatpaw would have memories there. "Ever since we became friends there, that's been my resting place. In that hollow."

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Stoatpaw felt strangely moved by Lilypaw's confessions. That weird, warm feeling he sometimes got around her was back again, making him nervous and happy at the same time. He found himself almost quivering with anticipation for some reason.
"Of course", he said, looking at her warmly. "I should have known." After a short moment of silence, that didn't really feel awkward to him, he went on, "So, are we okay? I didn't ruin everything, did I? Here's an idea: How about we wait a few moons until we make any kind of next move or 'take a next step'? We're still very young, it might help us to get to know each other even better. We can be open about our feelings, but also try to understand them better and build more trust and then, if we feel comfortable with it, we can any kind of commitement. make We're still friends, so we can still spend tons of time together."

[Fiction]

Lilypaw nodded. "Sounds reasonable." An awkward moment passed, then Lilypaw grinned. "Friends?" she asked, already knowing the answer. She was happy that they had already gotten this drama behind them. She still had feelings for Stoatpaw, but she was able to brush them aside, now that she had told him already. And who knows, when they are warriors, anything could happen. The she cat apprentice nodded happily at her friend's reply and slipped back into the apprentice den. She curled up in her nest and dreamed not of the future, but of the present.

[Deleted]

Stoatpaw blinked at her affectionatly, feeling warm appreciation for her seep through him. "Of course", he said. "Always." And he meant it. He couldn't imagine a time in which they wouldn't be close anymore. It might have only been a short time since they had gotten so close, but he wouldn't have wanted to miss her in his life for anything. It felt wonderful to know he had her back, and without any of the strangeness and awkwardness that had been between them since their...their what? Their fight? Their argument? He wasn't sure, but didn't care enough to think about it. Still with a warm feeling in his chest, he followed her inside, murmured a sleepy "Good night", and curled into his own nest.