Solitary Company (Zeitung)

[ShiverCry]

Zeitung

Flamestep blinked his brilliant green eyes open as sunlight flooded into the warriors den. He stood up and stretched each muscle individually, and let out a massive yawn. He carefully groomed his fur before going out so he would look perfect. Padding outside, his ginger fur shined like flames, giving Flamestep a boost of confidence and his signature cocky smirk on his face.

The ginger and white tom already had a destination in mind. He stepped out of the camp and into SunsetClan territory, nodding politely to each cat he passed. Once out of the camp, he set off with determination in his step. He easily weaved around obstacles and leaped gracefully over them as well. Before long, he stood in front of the body of water that had Sunset Island floating on the horizon.

Flamestep slipped into the water like a ginger fish, and easily passed through it, moving his powerful legs back and forth to propel himself forward. His green gaze was fixated on the island up ahead, and he already planned out what he would do. First he'd probably hunt a bit, then he'd sun himself on this lucky sunny Leafbare day, and he would most likely take a couple dips into the water throughout the day. With a deep purr, Flamestep couldn't think of anything better. 

[Zeitung]

OOC: I'm so sorry for the wait. Eh. ;-;

Harestep had risen early that morning, though the reason for doing so was uncertain. Some certain she-cats had found out about his poor swimming ability, and decided to spend the morning teasing him about it. His aggravation hit a peak where he couldn't stand to be around them, and stormed off to the beach. 'This'll show them - I can swim!'

Long story short, he almost drowned. By some miracle, the tabby tom had made it to the island. Coughing and spluttering, he fell to the ground, surveying the bank. It was a good thing no one was watchi- Great. Another cat was swimming ward him, and he quickly stood up, trying to make it appear as if everything was okay. There was no way he was going to look like a fool in front of one of his clanmates.

[ShiverCry]

As Flamestep was swimming, he noticed a cat up ahead, also swimming. He widened his eyes in surprise as he saw the tom flailing in the water. Flamestep tried swimming faster so he could help the tom, but he made it to the shore before the ginger tom could reach him. Soon after, Flamestep reached the shore as well and shook the water off his fur before licking it smooth again. "Are you alright?" He asked the other tom, padding over to him. With a small grin, he added, "If you can't swim, it's generally not a good idea to do so."

[Zeitung]

Fur bristling, Harestep narrowed his eyes at the ginger tom before him. Glaring, he responded. "I'm fine, you mouse-brain. What's your problem?" He asked, obviously both annoyed and embarrassed. Hell, he had come out here to get away from the pieces of foxdung that made fun of his swimming skills, not to find another one. Rolling his eyes, Harestep realized that he should be more rational. Toning down the anger in he voice, he looked the tom in the eye. "Just... Don't you dare tell anyone about this."

[ShiverCry]

Flamestep felt a little taken aback by the tom's hospitality, but he didn't get upset because he completely understood. At his next comment, Flamestep laughed. "Of course. Your secret is safe with me." With a flick of his tail, the ginger tom gazed out across the water. It was now sunhigh, and the sun's reflection turned the water silver. "Beautiful Leafbare day, is it not?" He commented.

[Zeitung]

"...Good." He mumbled not sure how to respond to the tom's kind response. He seemed honest enough to keep a secret like that - something Harestep hadn't expected from the cat. While he was thinking, Harestep blocked out sound. He was brought back to reality by the tom's voice. "...ful Leafbare day, is it not?" He had said.

Piecing together the syllables that he had missed, he found that he agreed. The day was in fact, beautiful. "Yeah... It really is." His gaze was both soft and sharp at the same time, as though he was reminiscing in the conversation and beauty, but ready for an attack at any time, physical or verbal. "By the way, I'm Harestep. Yourself?" He asked, determined to get to know something about this cat. If he had found out something embarrassing about him, Harestep figured he could find out something worthwhile about the other cat.

[ShiverCry]

Flamestep glanced over to Harestep. "Flamestep," He smiled slightly at the similarity in their names, light dancing in his forest green eyes. "At your service." He added, tail flicking. "So what brings you here?" The ginger tom asked, laying down on the warm, sandy shore and placing one paw over the other. "As for myself, I came here to escape the confines of the camp, admire the wonderful day..." He trailed off, once again gazing out at the water.

[Zeitung]

Harestep snorted at the remark. He had to admit, he did appreciate that this tom which he now knew as Flamestep had a sense of humor. They had similar names, which was a little unusual. He wondered why he hadn't noticed a cat with this similarity before. At his question, Harestep responded. "I don't really know why I came here other than to get out of camp, moreso the cats that were aggravating me. Unfortunately, I have a habit of running off out of nowhere." He chuckled at the last bit, though most would wince due to how true it was.

[ShiverCry]

Flamestep laughed as well. "I could always give you swimming lessons." He teased. "It would certainly pass the time." The ginger tom padded into the water so that it was tugging at his underbelly fur, but also so he could still feel the ground beneath his paws. The water was warming up from sun-high, and it actually felt rather pleasant. Flamestep glanced over at Harestep, smiling a bit because he knew that the other tom probably thought he was crazy for going back into the water.

[Zeitung]

Harestep rolled his eyes. "I hate to say it, but I might actually have to bug you about that." He said, grinning. When the other tom waded into the water, Harestep blinked and pulled an odd face. "I honestly have absolutely no idea how you actually enjoy swimming. Not only is it dangerous, it feels disgusting." He would have finished there, but a rather embarrassing thought surfaced. "Er... We might have to start the swimming lessons today. I'm not exactly sure how I'll be able to get back to camp..." He flicked his tail nervously, avoiding eye contact.

[ShiverCry]

"It's not dangerous if you know how to swim, and once you get used to it, it feels nice." Flamestep countered. Then he gave Harestep a sidelong glance with a grin. Then he turned, padded out of the water, and began grooming his wet fur dry, even though most of it just slid off. "We better start now, then." He suggested, and jerked his head towards the water. "Go as deep as you feel comfortable, and then I'll start teaching you. You don't even need to go so deep that your paws leave the ground."

[Zeitung]

Harestep slowly inched into the water. Ew. He said, shaking his head at the other tom. Flamestep seemed quite confident in the water, so why not give it a try? He kept going until he was just behind Flamestep, and was relived to find that the ground was still more solid than sandy at this point. "Mm. What're we doing next?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

[ShiverCry]

Flamestep went to Harestep's side. "Next you're going to try and float in the water without touching the ground." He told the tom. "If you start to panic, just remember that there's ground right below you, and that you're fine. Now then, kick your paws off of the ground and start padding with your paws. Right paw, left paw, right paw, left paw. You need to have a rhythm." Flamestep explained. Then he did what he told Harestep to do as an example. He kicked off the ground so none of his paws were touching, and then systematically started paddling with his front and back paws. He set his clear green gaze on Harestep hopefully.

[Zeitung]

Harestep made the mistake of attempting to do what was being asked of him before Flamestep had finished speaking. After he had successfully dampened his fur, Harestep actually decided to listen to the tom before him. He kicked his feat off the ground as he had been instructed to, only to panic, and flail wildy before taking into consideration that the ground under him was still there. Giving a goofy grin to his 'instructor', Harestep laughed awkwardly. "Sorry. Can't seem to get a rhythm, it still feels weird for me."

[ShiverCry]

Flamestep shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "No need to apologize. I wasn't expecting you to get it on the first try." The ginger tom placed his feet back onto the ground. "Watch me carefully, and do it again." He instructed. Then he kicked off again, and instantly went back and forth between his right paw and his back paw, doing that rhythm with both his front and back paws.