You Suck At Love (Elizabeth)

[Wolf]

εℓιzαвεтн.

Duskwish paced along the water, grumbling to herself about...well everything. Her whitish-grey tail lashed impatiently as she paced and scored her talon-like claws across the rocks. Sitting down, the warrior let out a frustrated hiss. Even after she had accomplished everything...well mostly everything that she wanted, why wasn't she happy yet? The familiar scent of Badgerfall wafted towards her with the breeze and she let out a low growl of exasperation. Perfect. She thought. The lovesick dove has found me...again. Standing up to shake out her prickling fur, the she-cat turned to face the trees and sat back down, wrapping her long tail over her paws and waited for him to appear. Copper eyes glaring out into the trees, she forced her gaze to soften and her ears pricked in a welcoming expression. "Hello Badgerfall," She purred, "I can scent you already, hurry over!" Duskwish inwardly shuddered at her drippingly sweet tone but kept her contented expression.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Badgerfall had been searching everywhere for Duskwish. Doesn't she know she can't just disappear like that? What if Starclan thought her time had come? No, it was always safer for cats to be in pairs. but never threes, he thought as he carried himself swiftly towards the beach. Starclan hates groups of threes. That's why there were six clans, not three. His body was practically shaking with nerves. What if something bad had happened while she had gone? He quickened as he picked up her scent. She was by the beach, exactly where he thought she would be.

She called out to him and he practically sprinted to get to his love. When he broke from the tree line, he spotted her dark form against the coast line, a gentle expression on her face almost asking him to lick her sweet face. "Duskwish! Why did you leave without saying anything? You know it's safer to be with me," he said with furrowed brows as he scented and checked her for any damages. "What if something had happened?"

Duskwish didn't seem hurt and Badgerfall dipped closer to her, aiming a gentle lick for her ears. He sat beside her and curled his darker black tail around her smoky body. "What were you doing out here?"

[Wolf]

She forced a loving purr to rumble from her throat and she dipped her head into his lick, nuzzling his chest with her nose. "I needed some peace and quiet, the bustle of the Clan drives me crazy sometimes. I'm okay, really." She soothed, holding back a growl of irritation as he fussed over her. "Nothing will happen, I'm sure I'm safe in our own territory." Duskwish reasoned. If she couldn't be away from him for even a few heartbeats, she'd surely go insane!
The smoky grey she-cat leaned against his large body, letting the warmth of her body mix with his. "You don't need to fuss." Duskwish let out a small sigh, rolling her eyes now that her face was out of view of her gullible and worrying mate.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Badgerfall purred back at his mate and continued washing her ears with loving swoops of his tongue. She was always very good at soothing him. Duskwish was just so confident that it was hard to not believe every word she said. "Yes, but still...," he said, pausing in his gentle care, "If something did happen, I wouldn't know what to do. You're my love. And I can't let you end up like-"

He stopped. He shouldn't say Meadowpaw. Mentioning the long dead apprentice seemed to make the entire clan on edge. He just couldn't help that the apprentice and her death was on his mind all of the time. "-my mother," he finished with a very sincere sadness in his voice to replace his nervous quiver. Maybe she wouldn't notice. And maybe she could comfort him about his disappeared mother.

but, it was true. Duskwish was beautiful and he loved her, everything about her. She was so strong and loving. Considering how little attraction he feels to toms or she-cats, Badgerfall doubted he would be able to find another mate if something wrong happened to her. He rested his chin on top of her head and breathed in her scent. She was just too perfect.

[Wolf]

"Oh love, you don't need to worry about that." She crooned. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not the same cat as your mother, I'm here for good." Duskwish promised, gritting her teeth as he nearly said Meadowpaw and forcing her ears to stay upright. That little brat had her death coming and she regretted nothing except letting this lovesick fool witness it. And now I'm stuck with him for life. The smokey cat thought to herself with an inward grunt.

A tiny voice inside her head told her that she should be glad to have such a loving mate, but she pushed it away immediately. No. Duskwish scolded herself. I didn't want this in the first place. but he might squeal like a mouse if I tell him the truth. Forcing her voice to sound friendly, she pulled away after a few long moments and looked over at him. "How about we go for a run? Maybe hunt while we're at it?" I'm just longing to sink my claws into some warm flesh again...

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

She always knows the right things to say, he thought, purring even as her comfortable warmth left his side. Badgerfall stood up and nodded at the mention of going for a run. "Yes, maybe that will help clear your head of the noisy clan," he said, hoping to say something that was as equally pleasing as what she had said about his mother.

He stepped away to gently shake his pelt in order to avoid showering her with his shedding fur. "We just need to be careful to go under any crossed trees, that's bad luck. Or eat any water voles without tails. Or anything without the correct amount of toes. Or... well...," he trailed off, mind whirling with all of the bad omens he had been warned about. Maybe he was getting a few of those wrong.

He shook his head, as if to rid himself of the superstitious thoughts that were clouding him. He began his way to the forest, saying, "Yeah... a run sounds good."

[Wolf]

Duskwish suppressed a growl of annoyance as he began to ramble on about his mouse brained superstitions. "You do worry too much dear." The she-cat forced a teasing note into her voice and flicked his cheek with her tail as she leaped to her paws, eager to put some space between her and this bothersome tom. The smokey grey warrior began speeding up, looking over her shoulder at him as she broke into a run. Her long claws scored marks in the dense undergrowth as she ran, enjoying the rush of the wind in her short fur. Yes, leave him behind! Her mind urged and she let out a yowl of exasperation, using the same tone as she would for a yowl of excitement.
Slowing down to a trot, Duskwish opened her jaws and allowed the scents of the forest to wash over her scent glands. In an instant, she dropped down into a hunter's crouch and prepared to stalk an unsuspecting crow pecking through the roots of a tree. Her tail hovered just above the leaves, weaving like a snake. Her haunches waggled a few heartbeats before the warrior queen made a mighty leap, bringing her unsheathed claws down on the back of the ebony feathered bird. Duskwish administered a quick bite to it's neck and sat up, satisfied with her kill.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

The black and white tome chased after his smokey mate, a grin on his face from the exhilaration of adrenaline pumping through his body. He felt free in that moment, the only thing going through his head being the ground beneath his feet and the beauty known as Duskwish's muscles rippling as she ran. He slowed when she slowed and hung back as she hunt. She caught a crow, and the words were begging to leap from his throat about how crows were probably a form of bad luck. but, he couldn't remember if it was healthy crows or just rotting crows or if that only effected you if your named was Crowsomething. Besides, he did "worry too much". So instead, he purred, "That was a beautiful catch."

Badgerfall felt like he was the luckiest tom in Sunsetclan. Duskwish was truly just so gorgeous with her smokey pelt that seemed to change shades every day and the power hidden beneath her fur. She was lovely and kind, saying the right things about his worrying and reminding him how no one could ever find out about the apprentice who shall not be named and her death as long as he kept quiet. And she was supportive, constantly reassuring him and teasing him. She had come a long way from the snappy apprentice that he began crushing on so many moons ago. And she had brought him so far from the scared little kit who lost his mother and the apprentice who worked himself to death. His heart just swelled at the mere mention of her name or glance of the purple sky after sunset. What would he ever do if she was injured? Or what if she didn't feel the same way and was planning to leave? Was that why she was at the beach?

He could only relax for so long before more worry began to set it.

"Hey, Duskwish?" he said, crouching beside her and the bird, appropriately waiting to be invited to eat. He wound his tail around hers, comforting himself with her solid presence. "Do you love me?"

[Wolf]

Duskwish froze at Badgerfall's question and she looked over at him, forcing herself to relax. "Oh Badgerfall, of course I do!" The she-cat pressed herself closer to him. "Why would you ever doubt that?" How can she-cats do this every day of their lives and never get tired of it? The warrior thought to herself before nodding at the bird. "Here, share this with me." She purred, her dark copper eyes gazing into his.
After a few moments, she let out a soft, rasping purr. "I'll always be here be here my love." Duskwish began to rasp her tongue over his ears in the way she had seen queens soothe their kits - a gentle, loving gesture that the cold hearted she-cat had never known herself. If she hadn't been raised the way she was, perhaps she and Badgerfall would've had a chance at being a healthy, loving pair of mates. but unfortunately, her heart had been frozen long ago and she felt nothing for the worrysome, warm hearted tom.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Badgerfall purred as she began to clean his ears. He took a bite of the prey she had caught and let her soothe him with her tongue. As he chewed his mouthful, he thought over her question. Why did he doubt her? She was always loving like this and always there (though the latter may have more to do with him than with her, admittedly).

but, there was one small thing that he saw all the other warrior couples do that he always wanted. Kits. He may not have had a normal family and he knows she didn't either, but that didn't mean they couldn't make a loving family, right? If his mother was here, she would probably talk about the curse he apparently had because of her "sins", but he conveniently shoved that to the back of his mind in favor of his growing desire for kits. As long as they didn't have three, assuming they did have kits, he should be fine; they should be fine.

He swallowed and sighed. He rolled onto his back and rearranged his tail and himself to stay pressed against her side so that he may still look up at his love. "Do you ever think about kits? I feel like we've been mates long enough and we're old enough to have our own family. We could raise them right," he said with hopeful green eyes turned up at her.

[Wolf]

Her shoulders tensed for a moment though she forced them to relax. "If you want kits, then so do I." She crooned, mentally screaming at herself. I don't want to sit in a nursery for 6 moons with crying kittens climbing all over me! What am I doing?! Copper eyes meeting green, she touched her nose to his. "We could raise a beautiful family." The moment they're on fresh-kill, he can raise the mewling brats by himself. She continued this internal debate as she took another bite of crow, chewing thoughtfully. "Yes, let's have kits." Duskwish concluded. This may be the only way to keep up her charade so Badgerfall would stay by her side and not cause more problems for her and the other warriors.

[εℓιzαвεтн.]

Badgerfall's eyes may have very well gleamed when she agreed. When he was an apprentice, he never thought about having a family, or really even a mate. but here he was, asking for his mate, the love of his life, to have kits with him. He licked her cheek, grinning up at her widely. Kits! He nuzzled his face under her chin, a purr ripping straight through him. "I love you so much," he said, pressing himself against Duskwish in his own happiness. How could have ever thought she didn't love him?

He rolled back over and leaped onto his feet. He shook his fur from the leaves before he took another bite of crow, savoring the taste even more now. Perhaps he was wrong about crows being bad omens; the crow had brought him his mate's approval of kits. Badgerfall was full of energy and excitement now. He wouldn't be able to actually see or touch or anything for some more moons but now they could have kits and that was just simply too exciting for him. What ever would he do until he could look at his own kits? The tom ducked back down to swipe his tongue along Duskwish's cheek again. It was taking everything in him to not bounce around like a new apprentice again. "What do you think they'll look like? How many would we have? What if we have all boys?"

[Wolf]

εℓιzαвεтн. oh my gosh I'm so sorry I forgot all about this !!!!

"I love you too." She forced a purr, gritting her teeth and rolling her eyes as he pressed himself against her, only to have to change her eyes to a bright and joyful look when Badgerfall suddenly jumped up. "Well we won't know until we see them, won't we?" Duskwish purred circling around him once and brushing her tail against his cheek and nose. Her dark orange eyes stared flirtatiously into his, her calm stature that would be startling to any other cat at a time like this. but of course to Badgerfall, this probably seemed extremely normal to him. At least, she hoped so.
"I hope we have at least one she-cat to keep the boys in line." Her smoky body shook as she forced a laugh at his excitement. Dread began to overcome her at the thought being trapped in the nursery for 6 long moons with kits she didn't even want. I have to do this or he might figure out... Duskwish thought, inwardly shuddering at the idea and pushing it away as much as she could.