I'll Make a Warrior Out of You [Tagged]

[Rogue]

Heron

The sun was just starting to grace the horizon when Ashfrost pushed his way out of the warrior den, his long fur matted down on his left side, the side that he often slept on.  The grey-spotted warrior took a deep breath of the frigid leafbare air, suddenly not minding the cold as much as he had before.  It had been a little over a week since he and Echopaw had spoken in the medicine cat's den, and he had finally started to recover.  The greencough had slowly turned to whitecough, and a few days ago had finally disappeared.  He had been discharged from the medicine cat's den and sent back to the warrior's den, with strict orders to rest for at least one more day.  Now, he was feeling back to normal.

Glancing around camp, Ashfrost spotted Echopaw's blue-striped pelt over by the fresh-kill pile, and he tried to ignore how his heart sped up.  He still wasn't able to puzzle out the odd bundle of feelings that settled in the pit of his stomach every time he saw her or thought about her, and part of him didn't really want to.  It wouldn't be a good thing for either of them.  Echopaw had to focus on her training and becoming a warrior, and he needed to focus on following Thrushstar's advice and bettering himself.  So why did he keep putting himself in situations just to be near her?

Padding over to the young she-cat, Ashfrost paused beside her and then slowly touched her shoulder with the tip of his tail.  "Echopaw," he said softly, trying to get her attention.

[Heron]

Echopaw decided to take her breakfast as soon as she could, certain that she wouldn't need Ashfrost's permission. In fact, he was still stick - and that made Echopaw's desire to eat lesser than normal; still, though, she ate. When she finished off her mouse rather quickly, she kept near the fresh-kill pile in case someone tried to be greedy. It was another one of their duties as clan cats to make sure everyone was getting a fair share. As she lay and allowed her stomach to settle, she stood and leaned over to try to pick something for the queens. Unfortunately, just as she had sight on what she wanted to pick, someone grabbed her attention with a tail brush.

She turned, and stared. Ashfrost?! Her ears pricked forward and she studied him carefully. He looked three times the cat than she last saw him as; hunched over, coughing, and sickly. She'd avoided him since then, certain he was going to die, and now he was standing before her. She stepped forward and reached up, rubbing her muzzle against his eagerly. If someone were to see them from across camp, surely they'd think Echopaw was delighted to see her mentor back on his feet. but for Echopaw, her emotions were rising steadily. Rejoice. Happiness. Relief. Confusion. And..something else, unidentifiable to her just as it always was. Affection.

She pulled away and her tail twitched playfully. "How do you feel? Are you going to be alright?" She asked carefully.

[Rogue]

(Heron)

The feel of Echopaw's muzzle against his sent a rush of warmth throughout his body. He had been worried that the young she-cat wouldn't be happy to see him. Her avoidance of him over the last few days, while understandable, had saddened him. The grey-spotted warrior smothered the rumbling purr that rose in his chest and licked the top of the blue-striped she-cat's head affectionately, ignoring the other cats in the Clan who were probably watching. She was all that mattered to him in that moment.

"I'm okay," he reassured her, flashing her one of his rare smiles that he only reserved for her. "It's going to take a lot more than greencough to kill me." Ashfrost glanced down at the fresh-kill pile, his stomach tightening hungrily. He usually skipped breakfast and left the fresh-kill for the other cats who needed it, but he was still getting his strength back. He chose the scrawniest mouse he could and settled down beside Echopaw to eat, the feel of her soft pelt against his a familiar comfort.