Creeping [Vines] up the [Sand]castle Walls (Lunar!)

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// ℓυиαя! Because I basically threw the Deputy-ship at you and then ran off for almost three weeks, I/we didn't really get to have this moment, like I wanted, so... surprise (again)! Here it is, now! This should take place the same night as the last Ceremonies, when Vineheart was named Deputy =)
I read that she walked off after her interaction with Russetpaw, correct? Let me know if I should fix anything, detail-wise.

He watched her.

Like fire that had settled into embers, only to take back into the air and blaze again, Sandstrike watched Vineheart step forward to claim her place as Deputy--watched her face a Clan she had learned to hide from for their eyes on her.

Watched her be fearless.

The cinnamon warrior held back, giving her space as others stepped forward to congratulate her. He hung back. He had time. Let the others say their piece, and then he would take his turn. He had time to spare for her. As he sat back, he felt a familiar presence approach him and take a quiet seat at his side, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd. "Ratstar," he greeted slyly without ever looking her way. The dappled leader nodded in return. The two never looked at one another, but each was naturally aware of the other.

"She'll do well," came the she-cat's calm voice. Sandstrike smirked in his crooked way, brow quirking.

"You sound like you doubted me." Silence then, but Ratstar's unspoken answer was clear as any word ever uttered: "Never."

The two sat this way until the crowd began to disperse, carrying Vineheart with it. Sandstrike had been watching her as Russetpaw had come forward to converse. He couldn't hear their conversation, but something about the way the two of them moved together held his interest. It was something he couldn't place, and he wasn't exactly comfortable with it... but he let it go, because now Vineheart was walking away.

And it was his turn.

Moving in precise timing with each other, no words necessary, both Sandstrike and Ratstar got to their paws at the same time and set off in their own directions--Ratstar to her den and Sandstrike to Vineheart. His long legs carried him after her easily, and he caught up with her at the edge of camp, approaching from behind. His cool, playful voice rolled out of his chest, his eyes blazing in the dark with the moonlight to ignite them. "So, can I only call you Deputy Vineheart now, or will Kitten still do?"

[ℓυиαя]

OOC: ACRO! I missed you c: How was travelling? Arrgh, just lost a 500+ post so here is attempt number 2. -mutters- Stupid Airport WIFI

How was it possible to be so cold? For the new deputy of Sunsetclan, it took everything in her to move her little legs away from the crowd, battling the harsh sound of her breathing in her ears. Everything else around her was muted - the sounds of celebrating cats, rustling as they moved around the clan, even the sound of her own paw steps on the hard ground was muffled. Large eyes roamed the ground both annoyed and hurt, her mind anxiously pacing the corridors of her head, banging loudly on bone walls.

Why had she said those things?

What gave her the right to talk to her like that?

Why her? What had she done?

"I simply can not wait to see her as a 'star' one day."

 "-a 'star' one day."

An empty threat? Perhaps. Hurtful? Definitely.
As far as Vineheart knew, she had never wronged Russetpaw, the verbal attack having been harsh and uncalled for. She knew that there would be trials and tribulations on accepting her new position but right after the ceremony the apprentice had made a beeline for her. The small tabby knew she shouldn't take Russetpaws words to heart but the look that had been her in eyes had shaken her. She had seen that look before. From a stange loner with mis-matched eyes. 

Stopping a good distance from her clan mates, Vineheart took a deep breath and shook out her fur, an action that caused her plumed tail to swish behind her. It would have looked graceful if not for the tense state of her petite frame. As her tail brushed the foreleg of another Vineheart stilled, her mind still too loud, surroundings still too muted to sense the identity of her company. A wall of defense surrounded her as Vineheart turned slowly, expecting to see the russet colored apprentice before her. When those dark golden eyes landed on a sandy colored tom, everything stilled, the surrounding noise swelling again, the dark words fading to mere background noise in her mind. How was it he was always in the right place at the right time? As he spoke, Vineheart concentrated hard on his words, using them as an anchor to pull herself out of the dark place in her mind, away from the harsh words of a skillfully sharp tongue. There would be time for that later. 

"So, can I only call you Deputy Vineheart now, or will Kitten still do?"

No matter how dark her thoughts, he always managed to bring a smile to her face, even if it was small. Taking a deep breath as those eyes lightened at his presence, Vineheart pushed Russetpaw to the back of her mind for later torment. While she had been worried about her, she had forgotten the support she had from others. A bad apple, that was all. "Just between you and I, I like kitten." The small smile never left her lips as she met his gaze. Another deep breath as her mind quietened once more. "Was this why you came to find me that morning a few moons ago?" She gestured around them with her tail and her expression changed to a inquiring one. She remembered he had come for her and had refused to tell her why. Was this the why?  She knew while it had been Ratstar that had announced her new title, that Sandstrike had been the force behind it. but why? Why her when surely he was much better suited to the role.

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Oh no! Your poor, lost post! D: Oh well, I like the one you made. Traveling was great! I probably wouldn't drive across the country again, but I am so glad we went for it! Saw some pretty great things along the way, but I'm glad to be back =)

As soon as she had turned and given him her eyes, he held them steadily and did not let them go. Not so easily--not so soon. Her molten gold against his pools of fire, swirling together with moonlight as their medium. And then there was her smile--the smile that would defy anything and everything just to exist.

"Just between you and I, I like Kitten."

Hah.

Of course she did. Sandstrike knew. The long-legged tom smirked impishly, maintaining his easy, playful expression while Vineheart went on.

"Was this why you came to find me that morning a few moons ago?"

...clever girl.

Sandstrike's whiskers drew back in mock surprise, his eyes dancing. "What?" he asked, tilting his head with feigned confusion. "You mean I can't just invite a Clanmate along on a special patrol without an ulterior motive?" No. No, of course you can't. The tom's facade melted away in the next moment, his expression resuming his usual look of mischievous knowing. Vineheart had asked the right question--she would have been made Deputy much sooner after that day... had it not been decided that she should be given time to recover, physically and mentally. A shadow crossed the tom's face then... but it was quickly forced aside.

He wouldn't be thinking about that, now.

"Her scars belong to you."

Not when there was something to celebrate.

"You should be the one who wears them."

"Tell me honestly, now," he began, voice low and calm. He quirked his brow and took a step closer to Vineheart, dipping his head slightly so that he could speak only to her. With this proximity, he could feel some kind of residual, nervous energy hanging in the air around the she-cat, but what it was from, he couldn't say. He would consider it a simple product of the night's happenings. "How do you feel about all of this?" Was she doubtful? Afraid? Happy? Confused?

Did she wish Ratstar had called any name that wasn't hers?

After a brief pause, the tom smirked and added playfully, "This isn't a test, I promise, so don't lie to me." And then, with his eyes, "I'll know it, if you do."

[ℓυиαя]

OOC: Sounds like it would have been a great experience but very exhausting c: If my posts are a little delayed it is because I am in the middle of moving halfway up the country and starting a new course. I'm just so into these threads between these two it's hard to leave it for too long! xD

Holding his warm gaze, Vineheart watched as his emotions played out across his face. It was something she was getting used to about him; the way his eyes danced in mock surprise, the way he feigned confusion. It was all so out there, so readable.

but somehow she got the feeling he felt very differently beneath the sly surface.

"You mean I can't just invite a Clanmate along on a special patrol without an ulterior motive?"

His humorous act coaxed another one of her small smiles but her reply came just as a shadow crossed his face. It was brief and she slowed briefly, a small frown pulling at the scars but she continued none the less. Soon. "Considering we had barely spoken a word to each other before hand? I think you were up to something."

Which he had just confirmed he had been.

That small smile let him know she was teasing, quietly yes, but it was there in her tone and her eyes. It was when he spoke next, up close and only to her that that smile faded and she took a deep breath. Eyes of gold seemed to grow darker as she became more serious, settling herself down and wrapping that warm tail of hers around her. That really was the question wasn't it? How did she feel?

Dark eyes dropped from him and ran along the ground as her mind picked up pace - searching for the words to describe the torrent of emotions she felt.

Everything.

Honestly.

"I-" she stopped and seemed to form the words in her head before she spoke, eyes still on the ground. There was no point in telling something he wanted to hear. If it was anyone else, provided how she felt she would be honest yet confident, trusting yet modest. but with him? Don't lie to me. No not with him. Never with him.

When she finally spoke, she made herself meet his amber eyes with her own. "Scared." A single whispered word thrown out between the pair, one that hung in the air with both it's simplicity and the weight it carried. "Sandstrike, I-" more strength to her voice this time and though still quiet it was no longer a vulnerable whisper. "I accepted because... because I know you wouldn't have chosen me for nothing but.. I don't see it. All I see, is a young warrior who doesn't really have a plan, doesn't really know what she is doing half the time." 

A shaky breath. 

"Back then in the nest.. I was just.. surviving, doing what I could and without you that wouldn't have even been enough.." A small frown curved her features then, bringing back to the forefront the horrible scars that told of her close encounter. "How does that make me deserving when it is something every other cat would do? I mean.." her eyes dropped then and she looked out over the camp at the dispersing cats that she had known for her 20 moons. "Sunsetclan has always been my home and knowing that I can now help them even more is... great. I just never thought it would be like this. What if.. what if I'm not good enough? What if what I do, is never enough?" Doubt shone in those eyes as she met his again on her last words. 

As doubtful as she was, Vineheart still knew that she would put everything she could into her new role.

but what if, it was never enough?

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// I know! They're great =D And no worries about any delays! I understand if you're busy. Are you excited to be moving?

"Scared."

Her whispered confession traced through his ears like a soft breeze before a storm off the sea. It was gentle, and it was small... but it was powerful.

It was also an answer he had anticipated. The tom watched Vineheart steadily as she went on, his eyes enhanced by the night but calm in their glow. For every ounce of fear she felt, he would stand unafraid.

"I accepted because... because I know you wouldn't have chosen me for nothing but... I don't see it. All I see, is a young warrior who doesn't really have a plan, doesn't really know what she is doing half the time."

She made it sound like everyone else did know what they were doing. Did she think Sandstrike knew what he was doing? Or that Ratstar had known what she was doing when she had first become leader? That's all anyone could ever do--just survive. but it wasn't in the simple act of surviving that made someone great: it was in how they survived. A coward ran. A fool was thoughtless. Any cat less worthy survived only for themselves. but a warrior survived for others--for something greater.

They survived to send a message.

"I just never thought it would be like this. What if... what if I'm not good enough? What if what I do, is never enough?"

Her eyes on his again, and he smiled in his crooked way. She was saying all of the right things--not the "right" things that someone wanted to hear, but the right things that needed to be said. The tom was quiet, watching Vineheart as she watched him, his gaze thoughtful but his grin at ease. She was scared. She was scared, and that was okay. In the next moment, the cinnamon warrior pulled his eyes away from the tabby's and let them sweep across the quiet camp. "Take a walk with me," he stated coolly, swishing his tail to one side. His words implied a question, but his tone revealed Vineheart's lack of choice in the matter. Not a command... but also not a request. "And then maybe I'll let you in on why you're good enough."

It hurt him that she still didn't know it for herself.

[ℓυиαя]

OOC: Lel, this looks like a good length on my phone but the moment I post it its probably going to be about 20 words xD yeah moving was exciting, now just trying to settle in

Again and again, he continued to surprise her.

He could have taken offence that she was unsure of his decision

He could have just walked away and paid no heed to a problem of another

He could have lost faith in her

The last one scared her the most. After all, to lose faith in someone was to give up completely.

When he spoke and none of those came to pass, Vineheart let out a quiet breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. Was there ever an end to his understanding and trust?

Not one that she could see, which made the thought of losing it all the more devastating.

Unfurling herself from where she was seated, the young tabby followed the sandy tom, her much shorter legs having to work much faster to keep pace. It had been a long while since they had done this together: the last couple of months consisting of healing from the viscous attack, let alone normal clan life. As she hurried along beside him, she realized how much she had missed this one on one time with the respected warrior.

While the silence was pleasant, Vineheart spoke anyway, her curious mind and social personality winning outobver the comfortable silence. What she spoke were thoughts that had crossed her mind in the short source of time since her new role. but he was the only one who could answer them.

"Did you never want to be deputy? I can't think of anyone better suited to the role.. and you and Ratstar are.. so in sync with each other."

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Yup, it was 20 words exactly. ;3

The pair drew themselves away from camp, their paws sifting expertly through the loose sands of SunsetClan's beach once the grass of camp had faded beneath them. Sandstrike knew Vineheart would speak first. He knew it was her way. He knew if he only waited, she would not disappoint him. She never had. Her question, however, was not quite one he had been expecting, and he couldn't help the playful laugh that trickled out of him and into the night. "Me? A Deputy?" His purr of amusement should have been enough of an answer, but the tom carried on. "All of that business... it's not for me, Kitten. And Ratstar knows better--she knows I can't be trusted," he laughed, flashing Vineheart a mischievous grin and flicking her impishly with his tail. There were plenty of reasons Sandstrike was not vying after a position of authority, not the least of which being that, with his temper, probably more than a couple of wars would have been started.

And, besides, he didn't need to wear a title to best serve his Clan, gain respect, or protect his leader. He could do, and had done, all of those things as a warrior--he'd never felt he needed more. but, yes, Vineheart was perfectly correct about one point: he and Ratstar were "in sync," as she put it. Probably more-so than any other two cats one could name.

but that's what happened when you lived your life for someone else, giving them all that you are and all that you have. Even if they could not, or would not, give anything in return.

but he didn't need to be thinking about that, now.

In those few moments, as the two walked along, Sandstrike's eyes had distanced themselves without his knowing, but he quickly brought himself back and re-assumed his typical expression of casual ease. The tom glanced back over his shoulder, and, upon seeing that they were sufficiently far from camp, he began, "Tell me: do you think you are Deputy now... based on the premise that you were attacked that day and survived?" he asked the tabby, his eyes now on her as they moved together across the sands.

[ℓυиαя]

At his purr of amusement, Vineheart narrowed her eyes at him softly in the light, trying to work out what he found so funny. Her golden eyes held a soft laughter, laughing along with him as he explained. 

"All of that business... it's not for me, Kitten."

but it was for her? A much more inexperienced warrior that carried none of the confidence Sandstrike did about these sort of things? Such things she didn't know. 

"And Ratstar knows better--she knows I can't be trusted."

Well wasn't he one of many sides? - a thought brought to life by his grin and flick of his tail. Flicking her own tail softly behind her, the long white and tabby fur danced in the soft wind that blew along the sands. The terrain in question pushed between her paws as she moved her legs faster to keep pace, little explosions of sand kicking up around her white socks. As for the trust thing? Well that may be true for her leader, but Vineheart had a strong sense of trust for Sandstrike. After all he had saved her life. Strange how everything worked out wasn't it?

There was that grin of his again, coupled with another of his laughs. Was he joking, or trying to make light of the situation? She guessed Ratstar would most likely know. As his grin faded and he seemed to focus on something far in the distance, Vineheart was left wondering why she felt a pang deep within. Brow furrowing, the influence of her scars on her once delicate face was once more made apparent. Thankfully those thoughts were soon interrupted with his next question.

"Tell me: do you think you are Deputy now... based on the premise that you were attacked that day and survived?"

Her initial response was to say yes, but on more thought she realized he didn't seem like the type to make such an important decision over such a simple, flat detail. She knew he also didn't choose her because he felt sorry for her. Never had she got pity from him - she had received too much of it from others. So she guessed.. "No, I mean, well kind of. I'm thinking it influenced your decision as that was actually one of the first times we spent time together." How romantic. "And I'm guessing because you asked the question, the answer is no, that is not the reason..."

Sometimes logic worked when all else failed. 

Keeping pace with him, Vineheart looked out into the darkness that they scuttled (hah) traversed through and wondered what he was going to say next. After all, he had brought her out here for a reason.

[[Acro.]]

ooc://  I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE
Also, "How romantic." Love it.

"No, I mean, well kind of."

There you go. Think about it.

"I'm thinking it influenced your decision as that was actually one of the first times we spent time together."

"One of" the first? Try "the" first. Sandstrike still wondered sometimes if the two would have ever begun talking, if he hadn't chosen hers from the short list of names for the assignment that day. He wondered what would be different, still, if he hadn't... if they'd never...

He didn't need to...

It could have been different for her.

"And I'm guessing because you asked the question, the answer is no, that is not the reason..."

Good.

Sandstrike smirked, taking his eyes off of Vineheart and fixing them forwards, watching as light from the moon played on the waves in the distance. He was pointedly quiet for the following few moments, solely because he liked it when he had the answers Vineheart wanted and she couldn't make him give them to her; it was always a joy not giving them to her. At least, not right away. "Do you remember," he began, voice casual if not leading. "Anything we talked about that day, on our way to the Nest?"

Everything about that day was important, and, if she could remember, he wondered if she could figure out why.

[ℓυиαя]

OOC: HA! Plaaaaaannnnnssss ;)

Time ticked by as Vineheart awaited the sandy toms response. It was something she had noticed he did quite often and she got the feeling he secretely enjoyed keeping her waiting.

How considerate.

When he finally chose to speak in answer to her, what he gave wasn't the straight up answer she had hoped for. Instead she was given a question which required her to cast her mind back moons ago.  Round tabby ears trained int he direction of the much larger tom though her eyes remained ahead, piercing the darkness before them.

"Do you remember anything we talked about that day, on our way to the Nest?"

Some of her memory from that day had faded along with the trauma and the days conversation drifted to her in snippets. She remembered asking him if she was bait to which is answer was: that she wasn't - although his answer hadn't been as straight up as that. She remembered asking him about his relationship to Ratstar, to which his answer had been : that the two were close and she trusted him more than any other cat. What did those things have to do with her becoming deputy.. Unless she was missing something due to the cloud that covered her mind of that day.

The conversation about her fur didn't give her any hints either.

No no... she was clearly looking in the wrong place. Maybe he was referencing to afterwards, in the Sunsetclan clearing.. She had come so far since then, healed so well that it felt like a life time ago. Not to mention, her mind had been hazy, barely there in the fog of pain and exhaustion. but there was something.. Golden eyes narrowed as a couple of things he had said came to mind..

"..need your strength for what comes next."

"Because you're worth it."

Small comments he had made seem so casual she hadn't picked up on them. Had he been hinting the entire time? Did his decision go so far back? A faint understanding shone in those eyes as she swung them around to look at him. "I remember.. bits and pieces. You knew then didn't you? You said.." a narrowing of her eyes again in thought. "That I would need my strength.. I thought you had just meant for healing, for getting better.. but you knew." As she spoke, she accidentally walked closer to him, close enough so that their pelts brushed before moving out again to where she had been.




 

[[Acro.]]

His smirk wanted badly to break out into a full-blown grin--he could feel her reaching into her thoughts, her memories, beside him--but he kept his expression in-check and maintained his look of ease. Let her struggle, and let her never know how much he enjoyed it when she did.

"You knew then didn't you?"

Oh, but didn't he ever.

"You said... that I would need my strength... I thought you had just meant for healing, for getting better... but you knew."

...he supposed that was close enough to the truth.

The cinnamon warrior smiled, his tail curling as their pelts brushed, his brow quirking for much of the same reason. "Would you believe me if I told you that I had made up my mind before stepping a paw into that nest?" he asked casually, like it was nothing. Like these sorts of things were normal. Maybe the better question was: do I still have credibility for making such an important decision so quickly?

Or, better: do you trust my judgment now, knowing this?

Or, better still: do you still trust me?

If her answer was 'yes' to any of these, then... well, let's just say Sandstrike wouldn't hold it against her for saying 'no.' Because 'no' was a rational response. 'No' made better sense. 'No' meant that Vineheart was a logical, reasonable she-cat who knew better than to continue trusting a cat who could not fully be trusted--a cat who lied compulsively and manipulated others and got into trouble.

A 'yes' answer, while foolish at face-value... was, admittedly, more impressive. More interesting. More... implicit.

Sandstrike's eyes danced with a knowing mischief, keeping straight ahead with Vineheart in his peripheral. He continued speaking, voice smooth and easy. "We had never spoken before that day, but when I asked you to come on an assignment with me, you agreed. When I told you we would be going alone, you were uneasy, but you still came along because you wanted to help me--help your Clan--even though you didn't know me. You didn't question it." Right off the bat, Sandstrike had known Vineheart was a "helper." And, in a time when the Clans were changing and peace was abundant... a helper was needed more than a fighter. "When you suspected you might be bait, you stopped and challenged me." He laughed quietly with the memory. "but even though you knew that that was the time you should question me and not follow blindly... you weighed the risks, and still committed yourself to the task, regardless of my answer. You said you'd do it, so you did." He had asked her if being bait meant he should find another cat... and she had told him no. A cat of her word. An honorable cat who could be trusted to keep her word, but not a cat so foolish that she didn't know when to challenge or question a situation. The tom grinned playfully, glancing over at his companion, his eyes laughing as she kept pace beside him, the two having nearly arrived at the waves. "And, perhaps most importantly... you never once asked me to slow down."

A lesser cat would have had to try much, much harder to earn Sandstrike's respect.

Vineheart had done it simply by walking beside him.

[ℓυиαя]

"Would you believe me if I told you that I had made up my mind before stepping a paw into that nest?"

Well...yes.

When it came to him? Yes she believed him. From what she had learned about the cinnamon warrior in the short space of time she had known him, Vineheart wasn't surprised. At all. In fact, of course he had already made up his mind. With him there was always some unknown plans that he himself only knew, that she only found out later. As backwards as it was, she didn't think that was going to change anytime soon, even with her new role. However, with the scope on her, she was surprised. How could someone only know her for a few mintues and already decide she was to be the next deputy of Sunsetclan? How could they think that about her, someone they had just met?

So did she believe him?

"I believe you because it's you, not because it's about me." She hoped that made sense like it did to her inside her mind. It was weird how that happened. If it didn't make sense, then he could have fun trying to decipher her words for a change. Flicking her ears to him softly, an action barely visible in the fading light. The much smaller tabby looked over the waves that suddenly loomed before them, his casual words filling her ears and colliding with the soft lap of the sea. His words helped remind her of the rest of the happenings of that fateful day, helped remind her of her life before the event and this news changed how it would move off from here.

One thing she was thankful for from all of it however was the cat at her side. The one with the cinnamon pelt and the sly humor. The one that constantly withheld information and made her guess, made her think so frustratingly. The one that was so much older and more experienced.

The one that just chose her to lead a clan she had only been part of for 20 moons.

As he stopped speaking, Vineheart turned her head to look at him, and those rounded ears of hers flicked again. This... these words made her uncomfortable. She never wanted the praise of others, she merely did what she could to help, did what made her her and though he wasn't outright saying anything, Vineheart didn't want this all focused on her. A silent appreciation suited her just fine.

"Thanks," she meowed, increasing her pace. "but I never ask anyone to slow down." A soft humor touched her tone and she sprung forward ahead of the larger tom, looking over her shoulder with a cheeky grin as she danced over the soft sands. A plumed tail flicked in his face as she raced further away, golden eyes twinkling to match the sands over which her paws flew.

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// "With him, there was always some unknown plans..."
Plaaaaannnsssss... >: |

"I believe you because it's you, not because it's about me."

Well... wasn't she certainly taking a lesson from his bag of tricks. Sandstrike was obviously rubbing off on her, if this is what Vineheart considered an acceptable reply...

"Thanks..."

He quirked his brow. Thanks? Really? Not that he didn't appreciate it, but... that was all she had to say, after everything he'd just--

"...but I never ask anyone to slow down."

Her tail against his face transformed his smirk into an all-out grin of mischief, his eyes suddenly engulfed by a flame of play that she had just ignited. There it was--there she was; she was more than just a simple "thanks," and he--they both--knew it. He watched her for a moment or two (really, just giving her a head-start), waiting until she was more than a few tail-lengths ahead of him in the sand, her swishing steps muffled by the low rumble of waves nearby. Purring a low, lazy purr, the tom took off after Vineheart, his long legs carrying him effortlessly across the loose grains. He trailed behind her for a few strides more than necessary, taking in this image of her--light, spirited, free--before overtaking her. He matched her pace, glancing over toward her before pulling ahead easily and creating more distance between them. This lead did not last, however, because as soon as he was far enough ahead, Sandstrike made a lunging stride off to one side and let his paws land with an explosive splash into the cold surf, the water drawing away before rising back up to meet him, never passing his ankles. He whirled around to face a potentially still-incoming Vineheart, tail waving happily--playfully--from side to side above the salty water. "Watch that pelt, now," he jibed with a smirk. "I don't imagine it takes well to this water."

Bait.

A challenge.

He dared her--dared her--to play.

[ℓυиαя]

As she ran, the breeze caught her fur, stroking it and running it through it's fingers. Golden eyes twinkled as she watched him overtake her, and streak away, only making her spur herself further with a soft 'mrrow'. This is what he did to her: made her feel alive. More alive than she had ever felt before in her short life.

Sandstrike

As he slowed before her leaping into the water with the enthusiasm of a young kit, Vineheart bounded towards the waters edge. It was as she was about to leap in and match his enthusiasm when he spoke, her ears flicking to face in his direction.

"Watch that pelt, now, I don't imagine it takes well to this water."

Was that so?

Pinning him with a cunning look, Vineheart padded closer to the waves which lapped at the shores. Quick as lightning, a short tabby leg, dressed in a white sock, shot out and batted icy water in his direction, her eyes never leaving his as she watched the water arc towards him. "Oh, I don't mind a little water, Sandstrike." A small smirk as her playful side bared itself to him. He had seen a lot of her hadn't he. Kindness, courage, hurt, fear. but Vineheart was naturally an emotional cat, so this was her most precious part. Here she was the most vulnerable, when she was having fun, letting go. Leaping into the water and landing with all four paws in the dark liquid, Vineheart spun in a circle before bouncing over towards him. White paws flicked up water and her long pelt which was dragging in the waters splattered water all around her as she moved. Anyone standing around wouldn't be dry for long.

Closer to him now, Vineheart stared up at the taller tom with a happy grin, her tail floating on top of the water and moving with the currents. "I'll just have to recruit you to help me out with it later, wont I?" 

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// ...adorable D8

The tom pinned his ears down and squinted his eyes as Vineheart threw a paw's worth of water his way, her words jibing him as his had done to her.

"Oh, I don't mind a little water, Sandstrike."

Oh?

And then she was in the surf, each splash of the sea an echo meant to prove him wrong. "A little bit of salty water?" it mocked, laughing at his challenge. "Mere kit's play!" He purred as he watched her dance, her mirth (literally) showering over him as tangy droplets from the sea. And then she was there, boldly in front of him, her eyes meeting his defiantly. Playfully. He quirked his brow down at her, a crooked grin tugging at the edges of his muzzle, some residual water drops from her antics clinging to his fur and whiskers.

"I'll just have to recruit you to help me out with it later, wont I?"

...oh?

The tom's tail waved curiously behind him, hovering safely above the brine of the sea. "Don't assume just because you're Deputy now that I can be so easily recruited," he replied, whiskers twitching impishly. He had always been true to his Clan, but... not always in the ways he was asked. Really, only Ratstar could ever order him around, and it was less "ordering" and more of... her just knowing him enough to know not to order him... even though he would listen. Only she could get away with that.

but Vineheart could certainly try her paw at it, if she was up to the challenge.

Smirking, the tom moved quickly in that next instant, lunging around Vineheart as he tried to grab her tail, floating so invitingly against the sea.