Winter Beauty in Greenleaf

[Carotius]

Tags: Glorilyss
OOC: I want their kitties! Pardon bad quality ;w;

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Dawn wasn't for a few hours. Right now, it was inky blackness that made up the colour of the sky, patterned by the little bulbs of cosmic light that we humans came to know as stars; these stars were mostly a beautiful white, though it was said that some were reddish, or even bluish, if one were to look closely. Who had time to look closely, though, when you were racing down the rocky slopes of your home, setting your seasoned paws on the soft grassy fields that was shared by all the wildcats living in the territories?

Anticipation coursing through his body, Thistlehawk stretched out his limbs fully before bringing them down in one motion, pushing and pulling himself forward in great bounds as he sprinted through the fields, his green eyes focused on the distant form of stone that was growing in size as he approached. His blue-grey fur was pressed flat by the force of the wind displaced by his airstreamed dash, ears flat against his head to block out its annoying howling. The TalonClan deputy's heart was hammering in his chest not just because of the exercise, but also because he was getting admittedly excited to meet his new acquaintance once more.

Lyra.

The name itself sent satisfying shivers down his spine, giving him an utmost feeling of pleasure as he recalled the coiling sensations in his stomach during the closing minutes of his first meeting with the ghostly white loner. It had been leaf-fall, then, but with the sudden flurry of time that whizzed by, it seemed as if it had only been a half-moon since he last saw her pretty blue eyes and those lynx points; not that he would let Brightfish know about it, though. If he had to decide between the two, there was no way he'd be able to do such a thing.

Slowing down as the scent of water hit his nose, the warrior plodded the rest of the way to the monolith sitting in the Pond of Truce, his whiskers twitching to sense any movement apart from his own. In a soft voice, he called out tentatively, ears pricked, 'Lyra? You here yet?"

[Glorilyss]

[ooc: AHH SO SORRY IT TOOK FOREVER UGH I APOLOGIZE HERE HAVE A REALLY LONG POST]

It had been a long, long time since leaf-fall.

The night had started out the same as the line of nights before it; a gentle melting of dusky twilight into the deeper tones of evening. The young cat had left her nest early that day, too keyed up and simultaneously muddled to stay still for too long. She'd crossed the distances between nest and pond, shimmering white-silver through the light of the rising moon and the fainter glow of starshine. The air around her was full of the sounds and scents of summer life: crickets cried out in crescendo, mice rustled through the shadows, and the scent of cat was very heavy on the air. Of course, that was to be expected; with the warmer weather came more loners, as if they had all been hiding in dens and refusing to return to the world until the heat came back. Lyra herself couldn't help wishing that it were leaf-fall again, though, if only for a glimpse of those haunting green eyes.

Of course, while Thistlehawk had told her to meet him at the Pond of Truce, he'd forgotten to tell her a particular time to be there. Uncertain of when he might want to see her again, she traveled often to the pond, staying there nearly incessantly at first and then gradually coming only for a while at night, or every other day or so. She'd watched the winter melt away, but she'd felt a little colder. He didn't come. With the sinking thought, Lyra felt wretched. When leafbare turned into newleaf, and newleaf crept toward greenleaf, she felt a little more removed from everything, a little more distant. Of course he wouldn't come. He was a Clan cat - he had duties. He had responsibilities. And he probably hadn't even liked her that much, anyways.

but she still came.

As Lyra ghosted through the grass toward the pond where the Clans met, she wondered why she even bothered. He wouldn't be here. He wasn't going to meet her. And yet.. oddly enough, she could swear that she smelled... No. It's a trick. That's not even really his scent.

but maybe it was.

She wasn't far from the bank of the pond now, and when a shadowed shape up ahead called her name, she stopped, her heart giving a painful little thud as it tried to decide whether to speed faster or simply give up altogether. A half-painful rush sizzled through her, making all of the hairs on her pelt stand up at once. Realizing that she looked utterly like a puffball and a fool, she did her best to smooth the fur down, then stepped forward, into clear view of the tom. The moon came out from behind a cloud, spilling down the sky into the pond and washing against the warrior. She felt her breath catch, and then she wondered why she should feel so strongly about a cat she'd met once and had been pining over for moons.

"Thistlehawk?" Her voice felt like a whisper, and then she flung herself forward. She had to be sure it was him, really him - his scent, his fur. "You came!" Was he fake? Was she imagining things? She paused a mouse-length from the tomcat, realizing that she looked like a creep. Just because she'd fallen tail over toes for someone didn't mean he felt the same way, she reminded herself. He might just be coming to tell her to never come again. She tried to stifle the sudden flare of alarm that popped up in her heart (and probably into those wide, blue eyes, too - she had a terrible poker face) at the thought. He wouldn't have come all this way just to tell her to get lost, right?

[Carotius]

Glorilyss
OOC: Reply is here! Sorry for lower quality of posts - my Internet had been down for ages, and I can only reply through mobile when at home ;n;

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Nothing changed at first, and it brought a twinge of worry and disappointment in the deputy's stomach. If Lyra didn't turn up today, then it was probable that they'd never see each other again, considering how much time of his had to be taken away with all the responsibilities that weighed heavy on his shoulders as second-in-command of TalonClan; strange unhappiness was all he could think of at the idea of that being true, to which he let out a soft whimper of hurt. He wanted to see those blue eyes again, those bright orbs of sight that danced and sparkled beneath the starlight, speaking of clumsy but innocent emotions seemingly appearing only for him.

Thistlehawk quickly established that he would leave for home if there was no movement whatsoever - he didn't need to be waiting out here for no reason, when he could be in his nest, planning patrols for the next day, or his apprentices' next training session, or dreaming about Lyra's airy but dewy scent... Wait, that bit was real. Blinking his green gems of eyes, the tom watched as a grey form made its appearance in front of him, wide blue oculars staring in apparent awe as he stared back in surprise and apprehension. She had white fur. This can't be her. He opened his mouth to say something in a bid to excuse himself, only to be stopped by the moonlight that practically bathed the feline in front of him.

No sooner had he recognised the stark white pelt of Lyra did said she-cat fling herself forward, her deep blue eyes scrutinising him from nose to tail tip, as if ensuring that he was, in fact, Thistlehawk the blue-grey tabby, not some other lookalike that could have been thrown in as a decoy. Her quiet voice uttered his name in a whisper, like it was scared of shattering the silence of the night that engulfed the space around them; her entire being looked frozen as she watched him, holding herself back from the tom she'd met last leaf-fall when the chill tickled their skins.

She had been waiting for him.

Overcome by a sudden wave of delight, Thistlehawk stepped forward and pushed his muzzle against hers, purring, "I'm so happy to see you.." His ears shot back up to an erect position when he realised what he was doing. Clearing his throat, he pulled back his head, flattening his ears against his head in embarrassment as he tried to form words. "I, uh.. uhm... I didn't mean to... I was just..."

[Glorilyss]

[ooc: also gonna be low quality because I suck]

When Thistlehawk had appeared at the edge of the pond, Lyra had hardly been able to express how thrilled she was that he had come. Sure, he had been late, but she was willing to overlook all of that in the flood of emotions that swished through her. Besides, she didn't want to spoil their meeting by starting it with a complaint. Surely he'd explain his long absence at some point, and for now she could just enjoy the darker scent of him filling her nostrils and wreathing around her. She felt like her head was filled with a cloud of scent and smoke, blurring the edges of her brain so that all she could experience were sharp, intense emotions and the purest contentment she'd felt in forever.

The warmth of the night throbbed around her, vibrant with life and the promising scent of growing things; it was a stark contrast to the time they had met many moons ago. Lyra felt the whisper of a breeze dancing over her fur as the tomcat stepped closer, and her nerves thrilled with something more potent than excitement when the tom pressed his muzzle to her own. She felt a bit as though her brain were short-circuiting, fizzing and popping with lazy delight while she tried to come up with a way to understand everything that was happening to her.

Too soon, Thistlehawk stepped back. She felt his removal like a layer of skin had been torn from her; acute, sharp bursts of distress blossomed in her belly, exploding in fireworks of dismay through her eyes and over her wrinkling nose. Don't," she murmured, trying to control the flood of disappointment through her veins as he all but apologized for his actions. Maybe he didn't even want to be here! The thought sent spears of alarm stabbing deep into her belly, and she ducked her head for a moment, desperate not to let him see it. "I'm really happy to see you, too," she added quickly on the tail of her first comment, finally lifting her face back up.

"I thought you didn't want to see me-" she started, in typical Lyra fashion: the first thing that popped into her head usually also popped out of her mouth. Youthful embarrassment colored her expression, and she stuttered, "Ah, I mean, I'm sure you were busy. I was just being a mousebrain..." She let her voice trail off into awkward silence. What would she do if he confessed that he didn't want to see her anymore. but she clung tightly to the thought of his first reaction upon seeing her. Maybe he would even ask her to come back to his Clan with her. Maybe they could stay together for the rest of their days, and not have to rely on chance encounters once every few seasons.

[Carotius]

Glorilyss
OOC: -squawk- This is so late QAQ 

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He had to admit feeling that rush of warmth flowing through his body at the contact of his muzzle against the loner's. The familiar dewy scent of the fields were heavy on Lyra's white pelt, much different from the dark musk that clung onto his own and his Clanmates. It was lighter and less dampening; it felt very similar to whenever he went on his daily runs in the morning, with the crisp air blowing against his face as he bolted through the territory, the scent fresh and open instead of TalonClan's cave-scent. 

Most of all, it gave him a very wonderful sense of happiness he'd never actually felt before.

So when a look of disappointment clouded Lyra's features right before she ducked her head, nothing less than guilt twisted the tabby's gut as he lowered his own head towards her, trying to listen to what she wanted to say. The guilt in his stomach only grew. I made you wait too long. I'm sorry! He opened his maw to say something, but closed it back. How could he apologise for something that was somewhat in his control? Deputy duties had kept him busy alongside his training with Crowpaw; Wolfstrike had earned his warrior name some time ago, which lessened some of the load that was on his shoulders.

Would seeking forgiveness even make up for the absence he had given her?

"Busy is one thing, Lyra. Safety is another," Thistlehawk murmured, raising his paler forepaw to touch her nose gently. "My leader appointed me as deputy since we last met, and things only get harder. If I were to leave camp every night in search of you, someone is likely to notice and might even follow me..." He gazed at her with soft emerald green eyes, tilting his head a little to get a better look at her face. "I don't want them to find out about you so soon."