Moments in the woods

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Lilycloud tread slowly across the forest floor, her petite paws making hardly a sound as they hit the ground. She moved in near-ppvrfect silence, ears pricked for sounds of prey, or approaching cats. Although she had set off on this hunting party all by herself, she had a slight hope that she would be joined by a certain fluffy grey tomcat. 
At the thought of her former mentor, Lilycloud felt a soft warmth in her chest, and she let out the tiniest of happy purrs. She could not deny that she had taken a particular liking to Smokeshade.
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It wasn't a coincidence that Smokeshade did just so happen to encounter the blue-eyed feline. He'd spotted her leaving for a hunting patrol alone and knew that he had to join her. It took him a while to hype himself up for it though, but he didn't know why. He'd been around Lilycloud many times before and not felt nervous. Something had changed, that was clear. After a few moments had passed, Smokeshade decided that being in Lilycloud's company was worth the sudden anxiety, so the warrior headed out of camp and in the direction that he hoped the brown she-cat had taken. His pace was slightly hurried so he'd catch up but it had slowed by the time that the particular she-cat came into view, until they came to a complete stop.

Upon seeing her, Smokeshade froze, seeing her so peaceful and serene, and he was suddenly unsure of how to go about the situation. He wasn't a fan of this newfound uncertainty. He was, however, struck with the sudden realisation that Lilycloud was one of the most beautiful she-cats he'd ever saw. How had she became so strong and skilled with him realizing it? "Lilycloud," He mewed, softly, still remaining in one place. The large tom coughed, attempting to clear his throat, as if some obstruction was causing its uncharacteristic quietness, before he continued. "I saw you leave and thought I'd join you. If you're okay with that." hopefully, that didn't sound as creepy as it did in Smokeshade's head after he'd said it.

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Lilycloud glanced up as she heard the black pelted tomcat approach. Perhaps he was only out for a hunt, after all, she knew how restless Smokeshade could be. Despite that, she held on to the glow of warmth that his appearance was giving. She was suddenly caught off-guard by a soft skip in her heart at the thought that he wanted to associate with her. 
Quit it, she told herself. This is no time for weird...feelings. 
She willed herself to gaze up at the tom, who, although she was not that short, seemed to tower over her. Her eyes moved, almost as if they were unsure of where they desired to look, until they met his yellow-green irises. She had not paid it much mind before, but now, she noticed the small, thin scar that narrowly missed his eye. In a way, it almost seemed to frame their leaf-colored depths. 
"Hi Smokeshade," she said, her voice laced with an awkward purr. She nudged him in greeting, her forehead making soft contact with his overly fluffy shoulder. 
"Of course you can join me!" 

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Restless. He couldn't even deny it himself, he hated having nothing to do. Perhaps it was why mentorship had been so easy to him, there was never an excuse to not do anything. Every since he'd been a kit old enough to move around the camp freely, he'd craved having some kind of job, so why was it that he was now happy to just be in Lilycloud's company? He didn't even need to be hunting or patrolling, just so long as she was nearby. It was very new to him, perhaps even scary. Smokeshade had always been a little out of touch with his feelings so perhaps having them act up so intensely was their way of getting back at him.

He was perhaps taller than most of his clanmates, something he secretly enjoyed. Being large was useful, he thought: it gave him a higher vantage point and it meant that he could completely cover up a smaller cat by standing in front of them, keeping them safe from danger. He had a protective nature, though it didn't show up often, usually only presenting itself with cats he felt deeply for. Whether he knew it or not. In this case, Smokeshade certainly didn't. For such a skilled warrior, he could be so oblivious at times.

The warrior's ears perked up when she replied, releasing a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. It seemed he was more eager to hear her response than he'd thought, as though he was worried that she'd turn him away. A purr escaped from his throat when he felt a soft nudge at his shoulder, for some reason, Snokeshade felt inexplicitly pleased that she had initiated contact. It was a familiar greeting, used by friends and some overly friendly acquaintances, so he didn't know why he felt his heart pick up when it was Lilycloud doing it. "Great, I was wondering when I'd get to spend some more time with you," he mewed, his voice remaining miraculously stable given how his heart had decided to try out fluttering and not beating. "How are you holding up as a warrior? I can always talk to Milktail if you feel like it's too much? Not that you can't handle it, of course."


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Lilycloud felt her tail swish in pleasure when Smokeshade spoke. Truth be told, ever since she had become.a warrior, she had missed the long training sessions she shared with Smokeshade. 
"Me to..." she purred, "I was worried that as soon as I was a warrior, you would be done with me."
Despite the fact that she said this lightly, the worry had crossed her mind a few times. She knew that most of the time, cats did not stay very close to their mentor, and only regarded them as the cat who had trained them, and nothing more. Maybe she was thinking something crazy, but she desired something more than that. She wanted to keep seeing Smokeshade as a close companion, and maybe more.
She snapped back to the present at the sound of Smokeshade's voice. 
"Oh, being a warrior is good. Though I do miss training with you. What about your new apprentice, Flintpaw?"

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He missed them too, but training Flintpaw was a good substitute, and when he had something to do, there was not much time to think about anything else. In other words, Smokeshade missed them, he just didn't realise it. "Me done with you? Surely it should be the other way round, the apprentice no longer having orders barked at them all the time," he huffed in amusement. He'd stayed on good terms with his mentor but not being made to do apprentice duties anymore was liberating, especially because he was now entitled to get his own apprentices to do them. Although, thinking about it, he reckoned that given the soonest appropriate time, Lilycloud would likely be given an apprentice. She was a bit young, having only been recently made an warrior herself, but with kits galore in Mistclan currently, they'd probably run out of warriors to give them to.

His whiskers twitched when she spoke of Flintpaw, remembering the time when his mentor had been given a new apprentice after him. It had been a strange experience to watch all the lessons he'd gone through be repeated with someone else. He turned his mind back to the current conversation, "She's a stubborn one, and for her age, very mature," It was easy to train those kind of apprentices, they actually listened. Smokeshade knew he was lucky to be given the well-behaved apprentices, he dreaded the time when Bearstar saw him as experienced enough to give him a troublesome youngster to guide. It reminded him vaguely of the irritating exchange Fireburst and he had had at the Mistclan border with a rouge. For a warrior older than him, he was surprised to see a cat acting so irrationally stubborn and hostile, he'd never expected to be the grown-up in that situation when he was technically the youngest there. "I do miss training you, though. Flintpaw is a model apprentice but, just between us, I prefer the time we spent together."

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Lilycloud was pleasantly surprised by how much Smokeshade seemed to miss her. 
Is that bad? I shouldn't enjoy that he misses me...
She had no idea why it made her feel so good. But, she could not deny that it warmed her heart. maybe it was just nice to know that he still cared about the quiet little she-cat that he had trained for so many moons. She knew that she would always hold a very special place in her heart for the serious, proud warrior of MistClan that taught her how to serve her clan. Without thinking, she took a tiny paw step closer to him, and nuzzled his soft shoulder in a friendly way. 
"Well, I guess since we're both warriors, we just get to bark orders at one another," she purred good-naturedly. 
She twitched her ears in amusement at his description of Flintpaw's stubborn nature. It sounded to her as if BearStar had seen the patient, kind way he had trained her, and saw that he deserved another apprentice who could heed his advice. 
Suddenly, a shock coursed through her heart when she heard the words he spoke next. 
"Y-you preferred training me?" her voice choked, coming to a squeak, "I loved our time together too Smokeshade. I hope it doesn't have to end."
WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!! her mind was screaming at her, but she was not listening. 

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He hadn't noticed the tiny step closer until he felt a soft nuzzling on his shoulder. The fluffy warrior was surprised to see Lilycloud acting so openly with him but he very much enjoyed it. It gave him the confidence to perhaps return the affectionate gesture later on, for now, he let out a soft purr, his tail flicking slightly as a way to release him pent-up emotions. The conversation was flowing as smoothly as a stream, and Smokeshade felt like he could share his true thoughts with the petite she-cat, which he did, not realising that he'd caused quite a shock to Lilycloud until she spoke.

Her usually calm voice, which he'd heard literally only a few seconds ago, was now high-pitched and squeaky. Smokeshade stopped walking to turn and look at her, suddenly concerned and, for a moment, wondering if she'd swallowed a fly and was choking. "Lilycloud?" It became clear that that wasn't the case and for a brief moment he was relieved that she was physically alright, the next moment it felt like he was choking.

She loved their time together? He wasn't going to deny that he preferred her company to practically any one else's, but he just assumed that was because they got on so well. Maybe there was something more to it? Smokeshade had always hoped to ignore all feelings until they went away because it was just easier to deal with them like that, or rather, not deal with them. Now, it looked like he was going to come face to face with the feelings that he'd been denying when it came to his brown-furred friend. "Why would it end? I doesn't have to, if we don't want it to." He replied softly, not really understanding why he was saying what he saying either, but it appeared that his heart was controlling him at present.

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"I mean..if you decide to do something else, or lose interest in us, or..." The she-cat realized that she was beginning to jumble her words, and probably sounded like a babbling kit.
"I don't know why it would end," she purred, "I just hope it never does."
At this point, she had no idea what she was doing. She had not planned to tell Smokeshade this. She did not even know what it was that she was telling him. The words she spoke just felt...right. 
"I guess what I'm trying...and failing...to say is that you have been the best.." at first, she was going to say mentor. However, that no longer seemed to fit. Sure he was the best mentor she could have hoped for, but now, it had stretched beyond that. Clanmate? that was a bit more accurate. After all, they were of the same rank now. However, she still felt as if it could go even further. 
"..friend I could ever hope to have."