how i pine for you (yet i don't know who) // open

[łorałeí]

the shade of the pine trees created an odd absence of light, casting shadows here and there as pieces of light broke through, creating tiny patches of sun. it had a flickering effect, but rosedapple's eyes were used to the transition of dark and light, and the musk of the pine and the humidity of the marsh behind her created the air that she was so fond of. 

what was it like, living in the clearer air? did thunderclan even have anything close to the beauty of shadowclan? 'they probably hate getting their paws wet,' she sneered at the thought, relishing at the hypothetical discomfort of her rival clan. there were tales of them trying to swim, though, the sensible part of her mind reminded her, and the shadowclan femme shrugged. what did it matter to her, anyway?

the tallest of all the pines waited ahead of her, and she raised her neck up, rolling her eyes back and her head up to catch a glimpse of the top of the skyward pine. rumor had it that the eldest of all the clan's elders, lichensky, had climbed to the top of the skyward pine, and she had been given the name -sky because of it. 'given her age, the pine must have been not much taller than me,' rosedapple thought to herself, purring in amusement, whiskers twitching, as she paused to stand there, still craning to see the top. how small she felt in comparison to the natural life around her. how small indeed.

[{ indigo }]

the crisp afternoon air seemed to make the tom's fur stand on end, and stiffened his skin uncomfortably. he supposed it was just his instinct to fluff up to fend off the cold kicking in, but he sure did feel silly with his tail looking so puffy, sticking straight out the end of his rump like this. but, with a shiver, he supposed he ought to appreciate any fur at all. the shadowclan tom certainly did not appreciate the cold. his sleek plush pelt was much more adapted to keeping cool in the steamy heat of summer. he supposed it was a fair trade. his long-furred counterparts were plenty cozy now, but come green-leaf they would be suffering far more than he could imagine. it seemed as though the heat multiplied in the damp, sheltered shadowclan territory during those times, accumulating in the swamps with no openings in the tree cover to escape through- he relished those times, and allowed those warm thoughts to heat up his shivering flesh now.

well, at least there's no snow! he thought to himself, feeling rather chipper in spite of the season. the patched tom thought he ought to take advantage of the rare iceless time in the pine forest, and took to a brisk trot. he lept over one enormous puddle rather gracefully, and with that head start was able to launch himself into a nearby larch tree. its needles were much softer than the firs and spruces that dappled the territory, and he particularly favored climbing up their fat trunks and lingering among the long branches, often flying from tree to tree this way. creekfrost was a skilled climber, and the height did not bother him. for this reason he was practically known for bringing home at least one squirrel per hunting trip. of course, that was easier said than done. and while he certainly did look now, the forest seemed as still as a grave.

so he carefully moved along, enjoying the territory from a different perspective once in a while. from up here he felt like a bird or a squirrel himself, and quite liked the feeling. however, the tree cover here was growing quite thick, and the branches were too slender and undergrown to support his height anymore, so the tom finally made his way back down to the earth, his paws squelching in the mud as he lunded with a light thud. but of course it seemed he had chosen a perfect spot to land, because a sweet, floral clanmate's scent greeted his happy nose. "rosy!" he called into the cool air, his voice ringing back at him through the pine forest. he lifted his slightly parted maw and trotted toward the scent until he spied her pretty pattern pelt ahead.

"hey sugartail!" he purred, bounding up to her so he could snap playfully at the tip of her tail and roughly draw his tongue over one of her ear. the warrior plopped down next to her and relaxed his shoulders when he realized how tense he was from climbing. "whatcha been up to hun?"

[łorałeí]

her ears perked up at the tenor voice she heard from behind, a voice shaping syllables that mimicked her name. she chuckled to herself, shaking her head and glancing over her shoulder to find the gray and white form approaching.

"hey.." rosedapple paused, thinking for a moment. "patch...face?" urgh, that was rubbish! why couldn't she be clever when it mattered? the she-cat groaned inwardly.

the bengal femme whipped her tail away from creekfrost, her pale hued eyes glittering with mischief. "easy there, boy. rose teased, voice somewhat husky until she promptly cleared her throat.

what had she been up to? 'talking to myself, sneering, the usual?' she smiled sweetly at him. oh, wouldn't he like to know? wait, yes, technically, he did, that is why he ask-

"nothing much, yet. just strolling all by my lonesome self, hoping a handsome tom or two would show up.." her pout was comical, and rosedapple inwardly reeled at her own words. 'hussy!

[{ indigo }]

he laughed rather musically, throwing his head back to add throatiness to the chuckle. "you goof," he purred with all his good nature warming his deep voice as he gently flicked her ear with his tailtip,"that surely ought to have been my warrior name. i'm not sure creekfrost entirely suits my patchy face." he laughed again, and took a few long bounds to the base of the enormous pine which loomed over the two cats almost ominously. but creekfrost was completely unaware as he launched himself into the lowest bows of the tree, his tough pawpads unflinching amongst the fragrance needles.

"my, this is wonderful angle for you! from up here you look like a silky red flower my dear!" he cooed affectionately, flopping down onto his belly so that his limbs dangled toward the ground and his tail twitched this way and that as he contentedly breathed in the musky, nearly overwhelming scent of the pine.

he laughed again at her reply, though this chuckle not nearly so hearty with his stomach firmly pressed against the branch, constricting him slightly. slight, he flicked an ear appreciatively. "why then i think you're in luck young lady!" he told her in a silly, booming voice, almost mocking of himself. he blinked and stopped short, his features taking on a quizzical expression. "well, maybe not that lucky. i'm not about to conjure another fella to steal my lady but at least you got one dashing guy one here who is more than willing to shower you in attention." creekfrost purred while he absently used a claw to pick away at some dried sap near him.

[łorałeí]

starclan, he was an odd soul, rosedapple thought to herself as he laughed at her. "oh hush," she crooned quietly, shooting him an amused sideways glance before creekfrost went bounding up to the pine and leapt up.

her cheeks warmed as his silly compliment, and she raised her pale eyes skyward, squinting up at the bright near-white gray sky. "you look like a gray and white ghost." the bengal murmured, shaking her head at him as a smile graced her auburn features.

"that's me, the lucky lady." the she-cat repeated him, scrunching up her nose, amused yet again. "that would be quite impressive!" rosedapple exclaimed, nodding slowly, a tad bit mockingly. "oh? who might that fellow be? oh - you?" she teased, approaching the tree and unsheathing her claws. the femme began climbing, running up vertically and leaping onto a branch across from creekfrost, and grinned at him. "that sounds nice." she purred, genuinely pleased.

[{ indigo }]

he blinked as he spied a pine cone, a bit too far out on the branch for him to reach by stretching alone, although he certainly tried. while he kept an eye on the she-cat below, he edged a bit closer to it, and the branch upon which he rested shook wildly. he paused, discreetly, and grinned sheepishly down at rose.

at her remark he laughed drily and flicked a pine needle down at her with a sneer, "jeez thanks i love when pretty girls tell me i look dead." creekfrost flicked his tailtip absently and looked again at the pinecone- he wanted it. he edged at it again, and the dancing of his weak little branch sent a shower of needles down to the ground below, but with a desperate lunge he grasped at the object of his struggle and latched onto it- right before he fell.

thankfully his completely feline instincts kicked in and he twisted to land on his paws. of course, he crushed his prize in a process and gave a yelp of dismay. "dang!" he said simply, then laughed. "sorry, i got a lil distracted." the patched warrior bounded over to the she-cat and set about washing her ears enthusiastically. "whatcha wanna do today?" creekfrost asked between licks.