An Exchange [HR]

DOEDANCER:

The speckled tom wandered about the surface with seemingly no thought in his head. After time and time again of being taught to pay attention to his surroundings, Doedancer just couldn't keep up. He tried so often to do it, but then a pretty bug would fly by and all his thoughts on safety would be whisked away. He'd wandered for some time without realizing and ended up ... somewhere in the hunting circle? Doedancer blinked, looking around and tail lightly tapping his back legs with interest. It wasn't that he'd never been here before, oh no he was here quite often, but the beauty seemed to have struck him for a moment. Blinded him even. Maybe a Cliffclan cat would visit him if he stayed here long enough!

CLOUDHEART:

Cloudheart drifted out of Cliffclan territory and into that of no cat's land. He wasn't really sure why his paws had led him out here... but they had. Perhaps the falling snow had him restless, or perhaps it was just his mind refusing to let him rest. He wasn't sure which it was, but he didn't dwell upon it too much regardless. A soft sigh slipped from the brawny tom's muzzle, his breath puffing out in the chilly morning air. He recognized where he was- the hunting circle. Why had his paws led him here of all places? He turned to take his leave, but then spotted the form of another feline up ahead. He was about to scuttle off before he could be noticed, but it dawned upon him suddenly... I know that cat.

DOEDANCER:

This may be the first time I've been able to appreciate snow. Doedancer wondered idly if frolicking would be silly kitten stuff. He really never came out in the winter, and when he did, it was usually just to ... hunt. Never something as simple as taking a walk outside. Enjoying the way the cold felt on his paws, Doedancer did just as he wondered about and frolicked.  He skipped and kicked up snow behind him, giggling with the way the sun's light made the snow sparkle in the air. It was dazzling, and definitely something that Doedancer wished he could somehow attach to his own pelt and never let it go. Surely he'd be the most beautiful in both clans that way. He laughed with pure glee, before the scent of a nearby Cliffclan cat startled him out of his thoughts and made him skid to a stop. Was it Dovebreeze? Warblebreeze? Any other Cliffclan cat he knows? He sniffed again, looking around frantically.  If one of the cats his age saw him.... oh stars, what would be WAY TOO EMBARRASSING!!!! Oh stars, especially if it was Rosepath, she would totally tell Embershine! ... Well... maybe? His nerves were calmed when his eyes spotted the flecks of red and orange against white, narrowing down the list quite a bit. Unless Rosepath was wearing snow like paint, it was probably that guy he met in the caves! "Heya!" he called out in greeting, skipping towards the form that was camouflaged remarkably better than his own.

CLOUDHEART:

Cloudheart stopped in his tracks, debating what it was that he should do. He could either turn and leave or he could actually have a conversation with the other. He didn’t trust Caveclan cats as far as he could throw them. But… if he was cautious, perhaps he could have some sort of conversation, with no risk of potential attachment seeing as how his meetings with this stranger would be few and far in between.  It seemed his decision would be made for him, as the other called out a friendly greeting and headed towards him with a skip in his step. Cloudheart swallowed the urge to turn and leave, instead giving a stoic bob of his head. ”Good afternoon. Doedancer, wasn’t it?”

DOEDANCER:

It was a bit embarrassing, now that Doedancer thought about it, to just run up to someone who you barely know (Especially after they caught you frolicking in the snow like a little kitten!) and expect them to be free to chat. Doedancer was still quite young, and it's not like he was always the brightest. So when the tom returned the greeting, Doedancer was shocked, a beautiful smile blooming onto his face. "Yes, sir! Doedancer! Your name was, uh... Cl-cloud..." Doedancer trailed off. It seemed to be becoming a habit of his to forget Cliffclan cat's names, he realized. Really, he must get better at that! He waited, ears and cheeks burning, for the older tom to finish his name.

CLOUDHEART:

A smile quickly spread across the younger feline’s face. Cloudheart could never quite understand cats who could be made happily so easy. Cloudheart was mostly a stranger to this CaveClanner, yet Doedander acted as if he were someone famous like Newtstar himself. It was mind boggling and honestly… he was a little bit jealous. ”Heart.” he provided his suffix for the other as he groped for an answer in the depths of his mind. Not only was he easily pleased, but he was clearly easily embarrassed as well. He made his way past the other, heading for a small pool of water for a drink.

DOEDANCER:

"Cloudheart!"  Doedancer felt a bit embarrassed having to be told what the other's name was, but it was so hard remembering Cliffclan names when he only saw them once in a blue moon!! He felt even more embarrassed when the white-and-ginger tom walked past him to get a drink. "Oh, uh," Doedancer spun around and followed the other tom. "How've you been? Is Cliffclan doing better now?" His voice was cheery despite knowingly talking about a subject that haunted many clanmates and Cliffclan members alike.  

CLOUDHEART:

The awkwardness emanating from the CaveClan cat was practically palpable. Cloudheart choked down his irritation as he rose his head away from the water once more. The desire to make a snappy response about CliffClan’s well-being not being apart of his business was strong… but he refrained. One thing he’d learned from Doedancer, aside from hunting in the caves, was that he was an innocent soul… or seemed to be at least.  ”Yes, we’ve made great gains in rebuilding camp and getting back to normal.” he chosen diplomacy as he settled his bulky frame down by the water, hoping that his seemingly at ease state would make the other less awkward. Even if he put up a facade, Cloudheart was still far from at ease though.

DOEDANCER:

Doedancer stayed as thoughtless as before, continuing on despite Cloudheart's very-obvious discomfort. "Oh good!" Doedancer purred, sitting close to where the tom stood to drink. He brought a paw up to brush down some hairs that he felt were out of place as he continued."I was worried. I have friends in your clan, you know?" He laughed suddenly, moving his paw around in the air to motion... something. Why was talking to older cats so hard?! They were so weird... "I mean-! You have friends there too, obviously, heh, but, still!"

CLOUDHEART:

Friends in his clan, huh… How irritating. The ginger and white tom’s tattered ears flicked briefly, but he said nothing in regards to that. Doedancer went on to babble that he had friends too, obviously. Not really. He chose not to share those thoughts though, not wanting to make the conversation awkward.  ”Have things been calm in CaveClan?” in all honesty he didn’t really give a shit, but he owed it to Doedancer to be nice. The other tom had been kind enough to teach him how to hunt within the caves… so he would do his best not to let his dislike for outsiders show.

DOEDANCER:

"Oh! Yes! Caveclan has been, uh, pretty calm!" he mewed, though Doedancer had his own personal worried as of late. The clan was rather quiet. In fact, it's been so relaxingly quiet, it's crazy! "We haven't had any issues with waking up the bear either, thankfully, poor girl needs her rest and all that!"

CLOUDHEART:

"Ah yes... the bear..." he echoed, sounding a bit distant. "I'm sure that it must grow tedious, having to be quiet all the time. Unless there are places within the caverns where you can talk freely, without concern of interrupting her slumber?" he asked, actually beginning to feel rather curious about the way this conversation was headed. Bears truly were enigmas to him, as he didn't see them too often... Not that he particularly wanted to.

DOEDANCER:

"Oh, well! It's not all the time!" Doedancer noted, looking at his reflection in the small puddle Cloudheart had been drinking from. He started to paw at his fur, moving it into place. "Just Snow Season! We don't have to be whispering all the time, just not yelling!" he purred, grinning at himself in the puddle. "I mean she's our protector and all that, so we just stay quiet to be polite. I'm sure we've gotten loud without bugging her before!"

CLOUDHEART:

Doedancer assured him that it wasn't all the time and one of Cloudheart's ears twitched slightly with irritation. "I figured as much... but I was referring to having to be quiet all hours of the day during the winter moons." Doedancer very clearly revered the beast... It was hard for him to wrap his head around the concept of trusting something so much. "I don't understand how you trust her so easily. What if she decides she doesn't want to share her space or she fails to fatten up enough one winter? She could wipe CaveClan out with ease." Morbid, but... he was asking with genuine curiosity, not cruelty.

DOEDANCER:

"Oh." Doedancer grinned sheepishly as he was corrected, playing with his  cheeks to distract from his embarrassment.  "Well, she protected us from the lion! And, uh, well, Cliffclan at one point," the younger tom pointed out, unsure if the moment was a sore spot for the older  tom. "But, um... I dunno! I guess that could happen. That's why we're always told stories about her power I guess. Maybe I could catch something for her!"

CLOUDHEART:

Mmm yes… Protected them from CliffClan… was it so wise to bring up past tension in the presence of a stranger? Despite the tension slowly creeping into his muscles, Cloudheart did his best to keep his expression and his tone of voice neutral. ”At least you don’t underestimate her.” Cloudheart agreed with a nod, before tilting his head to the side slightly. ”I know you’re adept at hunting in the caves… but do you hunt much on the surface?”

DOEDANCER:

"Are you kidding?!" Doedancer snorted, bouncing up and tilting his head at the older tom. "She fought off the lion that it took us a FIRE to kill!! She's crazy cool!" He paused at the question, eyes wide.  "Uhhhh.. well... I mean I got some tips from Miragedancer and Dovebreeze but uhh. I haven't gotten to use them much yet."  He laughed, embarrassed.  "So, uh... no, heh."

CLOUDHEART:

The ginger and white tom cringed slightly as Doedancer once again exploded with excitement, reminding him that she'd fought off a lion with ease. Eck. He was way too passionate about this topic for Cloudheart's social skills (or lack of, rather) to handle. Best to move on.  "Well, I'm not the greatest of hunters, but I'm decent enough. You showed me how to hunt in the caves... so if you're interested, I can give you some tips on hunting on the surface." A favor was a favor... and Cloudheart felt that he owed the CaveClan tom for his lessons.

DOEDANCER:

The cream tom didn't seem to understand Cloudheart's inability to pick up social cues, as he was the same in another way. Doedancer wasn't the best at understanding when others wanted him to leave or shut up, after all. "I'd love that!" The tom's eyes sparkled with glee as Cloudheart suggested he give some tips. Maybe next time Dovebreeze found him out in the wild, he could actually show off, instead of wiping out as hard as he did. Besides, it'd be good to learn should they ever need to hunt on the surface!

CLOUDHEART:

Doedancer's delight was almost enough to make Cloudheart smile in response. Almost, but not quite. Instead, the clouded tom just dipped his head in response and turned, leading away. "We'll stay in neutral territory, of course." He glanced back over his shoulder at the smaller feline, tilting his head to the side slightly in thought. "How much time do you have? If we are lucky, this could be a brief hunt."That way I don't expend my scarce social skills all at once either, and on a CaveClan cat no less.

DOEDANCER:

"That's what I expected," Doedancer nodded at Cloudheart's rule, a small purr rising in his throat. "Neutral's good for me, sir!" He paused, thinking to himself before looking up at the sun.  "As long as it's before sundown, I'm okay!" he decided, looking back to the ginger-and-white tom. He held his tail high, excited. "Let's go then! Get you out of the snow before you start to blend in!"

CLOUDHEART:

"Sir?" Cloudheart echoed, before he could stop himself. His whiskers twitched with amusement and he had to choke back a laugh as he turned away. He definitely hadn't been called sir very often... other than by one apprentice. An apprentice he preferred not to think of, due to the guilt that he felt towards her. "You can just call me Cloudheart." he added as he turned and began to lead the way.

DOEDANCER:

"Oh. Okay! Cloudheart it is!" Doedancer's grin could rival the shine of the sun off the snow in this moment.  Hunting on the surface was hard when all you've known are the caves, so Doedancer is quite pleased to learn. He'd remember Cloudheart's name, for certain!