A Forbidden Dance (open)

[moonfire]

Icepaw gingerly padded out of the apprentice's den, her small pads delicately touching the cool snow on the ground as she tilted her head, testing the air to see how cold it was. Besides the thin sheet of winter snow covering the usual green grass of Windclan the air has a slightly warm tinge to it, rather than the usual stingy cold of the bitter leaf-bare. Sighing quietly to herself she stretched, letting her short, dagger-life claws dig into the somewhat hard soil. Oh how she missed the warm of green-leaf, she couldn't wait until the harsh winter months were over and done with. The one good thing about having longer fur was that it kept her warm in the winter. Also her stark, snow white coat offered for very good cover when it came to hunting in the dead of leaf-bare.

Yawning ever so slightly, Icepaw slowly made her way out of the camp and into the midst of Windclan's vast territory. She had no training today, so she figured that since it was a bit warmer out she would take the chance to have some alone time. Although she was a rather affectionate cat, she enjoyed being alone, it kept her from embarrassing herself and having to deal with her shyness. It was a rather beautiful day, the sun was shining down onto the moors and Icepaw tilted her head letting the warmth beat down onto it.

As she made her way through the forest she suddenly heard a rustling noise and pricked her ears in slight alarm. Icepaw was a rather jumpy cat, and it was very easy for her to get scared. She twisted her head hear and there trying to figure out what the source of the mysterious noise was. "I-is someone th-there?" her soft musical voice filled the air, a hint of fear laced in it.

[sanuye]

Ashblood had been patrolling the territory for a few hours now, making sure no outsider dared step across the borders. A fierce expression masked what usually was a face absent of any emotion. He wasn't sure what was wrong with him, perhaps he was having his man period, starting today. He grimaced at the thought. He did not like having to succumb to his body's cycles that made him appear weak. A strong tom would keep his cool at all times, not look pissy.

Winding his way around a clump of trees, he had been too lost in his thoughts to pay attention to where he was going, and his foreleg smacked into a fallen limb, making him growl in annoyance. He bared his fangs, silently cursing himself for making such a racket. It of course, echoed off the terrain, revealing his presence to all out there. Now he couldn't plan a surprise attack should a rival clan member try to encroach upon lands not welcome to them.

Shortly thereafter he heard hushed, but lyrical tones... and sounded fearful. His auricles darted back as he processed the new information. Sounded like a young she-cat. His ebon pupils narrowed as he panned his surroundings. Lo, and behold there was a fair femme standing at the edge of the forest, peering in. His small jaws abducted apart from each other, and a loud meow erupted in greeting. He made sure it was audible to her, and paused before he started advancing toward her.

[moonfire]

Icepaw sat there for a few seconds waiting to see if anyone would answer her. She was partly afraid that she was just hearing things, which made her feel as if she might be slightly insane...not a very good thing for an apprentice who was looking to become a warrior. Another part of her feared it was a fox, or perhaps a rouge who would try to tear her limb from limb. As an apprentice she knew the basics to defending herself, but for her age she was rather small so she wasn't exactly sure how she would fair against a cat who could be many moons older than herself. She hated how she always seemed so week, but she couldn't help the way she was. Maybe once she became a warrior she would be better.


Soon her fears were quenched as she heard a loud meow echo from in front of her. Hey ice blue eyes grew wide in slight fear as the meow reached her pricked ears, startling her for a moment. She scented the air quickly, making sure that it was another Windclan cat and not a trespasser from another clan. Even if it was a trespasser she wasn't sure if she would be able to make them leave, they most likely wouldn't see her as much of a threat.


A few seconds later a handsome grey tabby tom came into her vision and she backed away a step, a bit taken aback by his strong and big appearance. Tilting her heard to the side she looked at him with shy and somewhat curious pools of winter blue eyes. "Hello" she began in her quiet, musical toned voice, "My name is Icepaw...I know we are in the same clan, but I am unsure if I know you. Im sorry." She stopped speaking almost as soon as she started, worried that she had said something wrong.

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[sanuye]

He stopped making his way toward her once he noticed she had backed up a few steps. Tail twitched as he listened to her words. He could practically feel how tense her body was just by looking her over for a few seconds. He pulled his gaze away from her not wanting to intimidate her too much. Well, there was only so much he could do, as his size had already intimidated her enough. He sighed. Then a miniscule smile crept upon his maw. Most she-cats were taken with him, whether they wanted to admit to it or not. They liked the idea that someone that big and strong would protect them. And protect them he did, but he usually didn't let them get as close to him as they would have liked.

He shook his head at the thoughts that were appearing in his brain monologue. This fae was too young to be even thought of as more than a child. Her mind had not yet been corrupted by the sexual lust brought upon by puberty... His pupils widened as he took more of her in. "Eh," he breathed. So, he had miscalculated her age. She seemed to have just come into puberty not long before. No matter, she was still too young for this aged male.

He slowly made his way towards her once more. Movements were slow and cautious, he didn't want to spook her. His pale yellow eyes locked with hers of icey hues and he admired them, for a moment, before dismissing the thought. He brought himself to a sit a couple yards away from her, keeping his distance as to respect her personal bubble.

"Aye. I was not aware of you before now either. But I am usually patrolling the territory, for the majority of the time. I could have easily missed you, as I barely hang around the den or where young ones gather... Now that I know your name, it is time for me to give you mine... I go by Ashblood. It's nice to meet you."

[moonfire]

Icepaw sat down on her haunches and slowly wrapped her long tail around her paws, the black as night tip soon being hidden underneath the rest of her snow white body. Besides her paws, ears, and tail tip Icepaw was as white as the winter snow, making her stand out among her clan mates but also making it easier for her to blend in when hunting during leaf-bare. She kept her eyes on the big tom, barely blinking as she took in his figure all at once. She noticed he was well beyond her age just by looking at him, she was one of the few apprentices in the clan right now, and even then she was younger than the rest by a few moons. His ebony colored eyes were enough to show his age, for when she was able to hold his gaze, even if it was only for a few seconds, she could tell that they contained many things seen over the moons.

She noticed the slight twitch up his jaw as he smiled, and wondered to herself if anything she had said seemed humorous. Maybe he found her amusing, since she was so small and weak compared to one such as himself. She could tell he was a protector, and she wondered exactly how old he was. I bet he is a very good addition to the clan. She thought to herself. I wonder if he has a mate...as soon as that thought entered her head she twitched her whiskers and dismissed it. She could feel her ears growing hot, and she wondered how she could have even thought of such a thing. She was far to young, in a few days she would be eight moons old yes, but that was too young to even be thinking about cats and their mates.

After a while longer she couldn't bare to keep staring at him like a fool, even if she was still wary of his presence. So instead she turned her gaze to the sky as she listened to his deep strong voice fill the air in such a short response. Is that all he was going to say? She knew that most older warriors had no interest in sharing tongues with one as young as her, they thought of her as innocent and immature. They had no idea of the things that went on in her head though, and she was actually quite mature for her age.

Her eyes slid back to hid face when her ears picked up the movements of him making his way towards her. This time she stayed where she was, not wanting to let him intimidate her any more than he already did. What kind of warrior would she make, after all, if she got frightened every time a cat larger than her drew near? She dug her claws in the ground as he locked his eyes with her, trying to keep herself from showing cowardice and looking away. Most cats appreciated it more when you were able to keep eye contact with them. Her ears twitched slightly as he sat down a few feet away. She was occupied fully with this mysterious tom at the moment, but she also wanted to keep herself alert in case any other unexpected guests decided to arrive.

His voice was actually rather calming, and although she wouldn't admit it she enjoyed listening to him speak and was happy that he decided to not dismiss her like most of the others did. His answer didn't surprise her, as most warriors were always to busy with their duties to notice a small apprentice like her. "Most cats don't notice me, seeing as how I am not only an apprentice but very small. It's strange that I have never noticed you before, not to sound rude but you have a rather...strong presence." She balked at her use of words but decided to continue anyway "It is very nice to meet you too."

[/b]His name was not very appealing, but strangely it fit him rather well.[/blockquote][/size]

[sanuye]

He smiled at her dialogue, and paused for a moment in order to think how to best respond to her words. "Well, I can blend into the wood work when I want to, and most of the time that's the case..." His lips upturned into a sly crooked smile. He had the urge to wink at her, but decided against it. He didn't want to seem like a creep... And normally he wasn't. But this she-cat was.. intriguing to say the least. His gaze rolled over her bodice, noticing her small stature and attractive color.

Shaking his head rather abruptly, he tried to shake off what evils was running through his mind. He was just not himself today. But for many moons now he was all about business, and never really had anyone to be a tom around. He had not been a friend, or something more than that in a long time. He was what amounted to be a security guard, and for the longest time that had sated him. But now, he was just lonely.

He eyed her cooly in the casual position he was in, fighting to not betray his thoughts on the surface. She seemed.. impressed by him, and that made him smile. He secretly liked to make an impression on another cat, even if he didn't acknowledge it openly or celebrate it like a hellion. He more or less kept his feelings to himself. He didn't deem it appropriate to make himself vulnerable. A good warrior just couldn't afford to do that.

His bass tones rang out once more. "Icepaw... I am just curious, but who are you apprenticing with?" He paused, wondering if that was an appropriate thing to say. Probably made him more nosy than was called for but he wanted to know more about her, and that was a good conversation starter. He wasn't much of a talker, so that was all he could come up with. He cursed himself silently once more for not being more educated on such topics. He was almost sorry he wasn't the social butterfly. But alas, he had more important things to deal with than blabbing gossip to the other cats of the clan.

[moonfire]

Icepaw couldn't help but think about how lonely someone must be when all they did was worry about blending in with others. She herself didn't have many friends, many thought of her as somewhat weird because of her shy nature. The thing was, Icepaw desperately wanted to have friends, most specifically a best friend, someone who she knew she could always go to when she needed to share tongues or when she was feeling sad and depressed. Just because she was shy didn't mean that she didn't enjoy talking, contrary to popular belief she was actually a rather affectionate cat who enjoyed the company of others. When it came to talking to just one cat she usually took it very well.


Icepaw noticed his eyes trailing over her body and felt her heart quicken a beat, she knew it was wrong but she rather enjoyed this tom taking notice of her. She felt her ears growing hot once more and she lowered her head slightly, keeping her gaze off of him as she spoke once more, attempting to distract herself from any dangerous thoughts. "I sometimes have a hard time fitting in with the rest of the apprentices...they think I am different because I am always quiet. I can't help but be shy though, for some reason I always doubt myself."Icepaw felt like she had almost said too much but for some odd reason she felt confident in talking with Ashblood, like he wouldn't judge her to harshly for things that she said.


She knew he was much older than him, but that fact didn't matter at all to her. What she saw in front of her was a very handsome and intriguing tom who was easy to talk to and who could potentially become a good friend to her, and that was enough to keep her here. She finally turned her gaze back to his, making sure that they didn't reveal too much of her thoughts. She wasn't a cat that let her true emotions show easily, only her shyness and her caution. To her those too qualities weren't as bad as everyone made them, she would rather be shy and slow to judge rather than be open and reveal everything about herself. Icepaw was always afraid she would end up trusting the wrong cat.


His next question caught her a bit off guard, for she had actually just been assigned her new mentor the day before, and she had almost completely forgot about it. "Oh..my mentor is Skyfire, although I don't think she likes me much. She is quiet like me, I think that's why Fallingstar assigned me as her apprentice."

[/b]Icepaw wondered why Ashblood didn't know this, apprentices were usually assigned in front of the entire clan so that everyone would know about it. She wondered if he had been on a patrol when the ceremony had happened.

"Have you ever had an apprentice?" she asked a bit shyly, figuring that if he was going to ask her questions it would be okay for her to do the same.
[/blockquote][/size]

[sanuye]

He listened to her intently, his auricles darting this way and that periodically as he was half listening to all that went on around them. It ranged from the twitter of a squirrel to the calling of a crow, among other things. He was always on guard, to protect anyone around him, and to be ready to fight anything that might try to harm the clan. It was hard trying to turn his awareness off. When he first learned to be super aware, it would make him lose sleep at night and made him crazy during the day, because he wasn't sure how to deal with it. But as time went on he got used to it and now he barely complains about it anymore, or notices it. It's as if his senses go on autopilot and run in the background.

He gave her an empathetic gaze as he listened to her. She sounded lonely, like him. He was quiet like her, but not for the same reasons. He just didn't find much that went through his mind to be worth saying out loud. It would probably worry the clan to death if he did. And he was about protecting his clan and keeping it strong, not weakening it. He smiled weakly. "You should never doubt yourself. A cat's first instinct is the best guess you can possibly have. To second guess yourself puts you at a disadvantage. You lose out on the important things..."

He lowered himself to the ground, and tucked his forelimbs underneath him as well as his hind limbs, his whipchord tucking itself gently around his flank. The tip of it gently tapped the ground a few times before going still. He was there for the announcement, but he had forgotten what had gone on. During the meeting, his mind was on territory security still and he had found it hard to pay attention. Though he weakly remembered the whole thing and nodded in response. "Oh that is right. I remember now... Forgive me for forgetting about your little ceremony. And as far as Skyfire goes... She seems to be quiet but she certainly has a bite to her." He chuckled at his own comment, and then wondered her reaction. Then he cocked his head thoughtfully at the question following. "No, I can't say I have.. Though I'll need an apprentice soon if I want to be in the running for Deputy..." He winked at her and then awaited her reaction.

[moonfire]

Icepaw was oddly calm, even knowing that at any moment something could come out of nowhere and attack them. She had faith that she could defend herself if needed, and to her Ashblood could probably take on a few enemies at once, he was rather muscular. She heard very quiet noises of many different animals scuttling through the forest, and if she was out for a training session in hunting it would be the perfect time to hunt, but she had off from training today so she didn't really want to. Maybe later on her way back to camp she would try and catch some prey for the clan. After all, the clan always came first, so she should do her best to provide for them whenever possible.

She tried her best to be a good apprentice, but she always worried that she would be nothing but a disappointment. She turned her gaze back to him as he began to speak, his voice bringing her out of her bad thoughts. His words were wise and gave her hope. If a warrior such as him thought that she had no reason to doubt herself, than others surely thought the same. Maybe she had been looking into things way to far, and people didn't think she was odd, rather they stayed away because they thought that was what she wanted. Still, she couldn't change her shy way, her shyness was as much a part of her as her tail was. She wouldn't be the same cat without it. And if others cats couldn't accept her for who she was than that was their loss, not hers.

"Yes, you're right Ashblood." his name rolled off of her tongue easily, and she decided that her theory was right. Although it wasn't a pretty name, it fit him very well. "It is just hard sometimes, to figure out what the important things are, and what the...not so important things are. We tend to lose sight of what truly is worth it, and what isn't worth our time at all." She didn't know where that had came from, but she knew she had been thinking about it for a while. Icepaw just found it hard to put her thoughts into words sometimes.

She watched as Ashblood lay on the ground, and a few seconds after she copied the motion, tucking her tiny limbs underneath her fluffy white body. Her long tail wrapped around her body then, the black tip becoming visible again. She unsheathed her claws for a moment, digging them into the hard soil, before sheathing them again as she lay her head against the ground. Her eyes looked upward at Ashblood, and she tried her best to figure out what kind of cat he was. It was hard to tell what any cat was just by looking at them. Sure, she could tell he was a strong warrior who took his duties very seriously, and she even thought he seemed a bit lonely. Besides that, she wasn't sure what to think.

Icepaw's ears twitched in slight irritation when she heard Ashblood give Skyfire somewhat of a compliment. To any other cat, it would have looked like an ordinary twitching of the ears, but in reality she was suddenly irritated and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because she had never received anything like a compliment from any cat before, especially a tom. She wished for once that she was older...she was far to young for a tom cat like Ashblood to even notice her. After all, he was old enough to be her father.

She shook these thoughts away from her head and turned her attention back to what Ashblood was saying. So...he wanted to be the deputy. She should have figured that much, he would make a good deputy. Her eyes grew wide as he winked at her, and she felt her ears grow very hot. Icepaw burried her head into her pelt for a moment, trying to hide her face. Something like that caused her to be even more shy than usual. After a few moments she lifted her head up and mumbled. "You would make a very good deputy."