Fumbling Through the Woods {Mid}

[Foxpaw]

Tigergaze's sharp eyes zeroed in on his prey. A rabbit stood a few tail-lengths from him, nibbling on something in its paws. The large orange and black tom's muscles were tense, and he suddenly released them like a spring. The rabbit's eyes grew huge in terror and it darted off, Tigergaze following loudly and clumsily behind. He was never a good hunter. He like fighting, not hunting, and his frustration only grew as the rabbit got farther and farther away from him. He stopped and let out a frustrated hiss, panting, and clawed furiously at the ground. "Mouse-dung! Flea-brained, fox-hearted rabbit," he grumbled in frustration.

[Midnight]

Morningblaze trotted through LeafClan territory happily, enjoying the green-leaf warmth. She scented a Clanmate and rabbit and figured a fellow LeafClan cat had caught some prey for the Clan. After following the scent trail for a bit, Morningblaze learned that a Clanmate had actually missed the prey... Well, that's what it seemed like from her view. "Hey, you miss some prey?" Morningblaze asked as she approached the cat- a tom. Trying to distinguish the scent, Morningblaze figured out it was Tigergaze. "You're... Tigergaze, right? Sorry, I still haven't met all of the cats in LeafClan yet and it's hard with the scents kind of being the same except when you really get into their details... Every Clan has their own general scent, right?" She tried her best not to bore the tom with her blabbering.

[Foxpaw]

Tigergaze paused in surprise, nearly jumping out of his fur. The anger melted from from his expression, and he trotted over to her grinning goofily. He listened to her talk, nodding enthusiastically. She was pretty and nice. "Yeah, and you're Morningblaze right? You're new, I remember now," he said, eyes bright and almost exceedingly eager and friendly.

[Midnight]

"Yes!" Morningblaze answered. She looked at the tom and blinked in friendliness. The sun burst through the light leaves at the top of the tall trees in LeafClan territory and the sunlight sharpened the she-cat's ginger tabby fur. Her amber eyes seemed to become deeper in the sun, but the previous rogue moved forward a bit so the sun wasn't in her eyes. "How have you been, Tigergaze?" Morningblaze asked, her voice cheerful as usual.

[Foxpaw]

Tigergaze opened his mouth, then closed it as sun lit up the she-cats fur. "You're really pretty," he remarked cheerfully without thinking. The big tom then went on as if he hadn't just made a random comment. "Oh, besides never being able to catch a rabbit, I've been fine," he mewed shooting a glare towards the bushes where the rabbit disappeared before brightening again. "And you? How do ya like the clan?"

[Midnight]

Morningblaze purred at the compliment and was about to reply, but Tigergaze went on. "Well, I'm sorry about the rabbit, but the rest is good!" She waited for a few moments and answered his questions, "I'm good... I love living in LeafClan! There are some really nice cats," Morningblaze blinked, referencing that she was talking about Tigergaze. She nearly fell into a trance in his green eyes. They were amazing in Morningblaze's opinion.

[Foxpaw]

Tigergaze, being the thick cat he was, didn't really take the hint. "I'm glad everyone's treating you good," he mewed honestly as a flash of protectiveness shot through him. "They are all being nice right?" he asked, nose wrinkling and claws glittering in the sun. Tigergaze was quick to categorize cats as his friends, although few cats wanted to be friends with the tom that went from friendly to fierce in a snap. When he felt that they were being hurt in any ways, he got angry enough that he could hardly form sentences coherently. They were his to protect.

[Midnight]

Slightly becoming a bit scared from the tom's sudden fierceness, Morningblaze nodded, "Yes!" She answered. She figured some- like Pumpkinheart and Hollypaw- wouldn't be completely nice, but she hadn't really talked to them much, simply heard about them or walked by them at times. The she-cat was still fearing him a bit, but she purred, "It's okay, Tigergaze! I'm fine, I promise." Well, at least Morningblaze knew there was another cat that she could go to if she got into any argument or fight- not only her littermates, but Tigergaze seemed protective of her already, even though they were just barely friends.

[Foxpaw]

"Oh ok, that's great!" Tigergaze mewed, taking a complete 180. He visibly relaxed and smiled cheerfully. "We're friends right? Do you don't have to worry about any cat ever hurting you again. I take care of my friends," he nodded enthusiastically seemingly to himself. He didn't notice that she was frightened. If he did, he'd no doubt be horrified.

[Midnight]

"Of course we're friends!" Morningblaze answered, her fear leaving. She purred and padded up to stand alongside the tom. "I take care of my friends as well," She blinked at Tigergaze. "Should we walk around the territory? I haven't been out much- especially lately- and still don't know all of the territory.." She looked around. "I love LeafClan territory, though. It's so pretty!" Her amber eyes glittered in the sunlight and in happiness as they slowly covered each detail of the beautiful area surrounding the two warriors.

[Foxpaw]

"I'm really glad you joined LeafClan. You're too pretty to be in any other clan," he mewed, again not thinking before he spoke. He bounced around her, excitement showing on his face. "Sure! I'd love to walk with you! Maybe I can even show you some really nice places you've never seen before," he mewed hopefully. The sun made his dark orange pelt shine like fire and the black stripes seemed even more pronounced, making him look even more like his namesake.

[Midnight]

Morningblaze purred, "Tigergaze, you're so nice!" She looked happily at the tom and began to walk, though she stopped. "You lead!" The she-cat mewed. She watched as his pelt seemed to turn to fire and the black stripes on his pelt became more defined. Morningblaze's jaw dropped a bit and she gawked for a few moments at the tom before shaking herself and moving on.

[Foxpaw]

"Thanks," Tigergaze mewed as he happily raced off. Just like before, he was a bit clumsy and loud so he slowed down embarrassed. "Sorry..." he muttered.

[Midnight]

"Why?" Morningblaze asked as she caught up with Tigergaze. "What did you do to be sorry about?" The she-cat purred, "It doesn't look like you did anything to be sorry about.." She tipped her head to the side a bit, confused as to why the tom was apologizing.

[Foxpaw]

"You're just so graceful, and I'm so clumsy..." he muttered sheepishly. For once, he looked embarrassed. He was probably the least sneaky cat in the clan. It was one of the few things that made him feel embarrassed, and he looked down.