Closed Thread Hearts Defend the Heathlands (18FG)

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

An intrepid shape carved its way through the cloudy moors, grass slickened with heavy rain, yet the weather had lightened. A crack of thunder languished in the distance, the threat of the storm could return at any moment.

Cloudflare had taken it upon himself to do some hunting. A trip that had led to a fruitful outcome. He had ran down a small hare as it munched distractedly on New Leaf greens, ambushing the creature by getting just close enough that a small run was all that was needed for his fangs to successfully seek its neck.

The red tom had buried his cache, and when he looked up he realized with a familiar thump of his heart, that he was dreadfully near to the Thunderpath and the Shadowclan border where he had met the alluring Clovershine. It was all he could think about after his hunt, and he recalled the familiar scents as he drew closer to their previous meeting place.

There was a miniscule chance that she'd be there. Nearly impossible. What a coincidence if she was - but Cloudflare had to be certain. The feeling of curiosity wouldn't let him fall back to camp until he had satisfied such curiosities. Just one peek, be disappointed, and return home. He told himself, until his pawsteps brought him to the breach of the treeline on Windclan's side near Fourtrees.

Until he saw her, nearly a ghost between the subtle raindrops.

Stilled by her presence, he quite near forgot to call out a greeting, and simply stared, shaken by the knowledge that the she-cat was out here looking for him too. Here, of all places, at this very moment. Braving a drenched coat for the sheer impossibility of it all. Unable to form a sentence, he managed to wave the length of his tail in greeting.

Her gaze almost slipped off the thunderpath and back into the trees when she saw it. A tail, waving back and forth as if to grab her attention. Without even thinking, Clovershine trotted forwards, just to the edge of the treeline and quinted, trying to get a better look. 

Yes! That was for sure a familiar form. 

Of course with the rain getting a scent was impossible, but there was no doubt the cat on the other side of the thunderpath was the one she had been hoping to find. "Cloudflare?"

She spoke softly, barely louder than the rain itself, but he had to be close enough to hear her. There were no monsters on the path right now and everything else within the forest was still. 

Clovershine mimicked Cloudflare's actions by waving her tail in greeting. Not even the thought that her lovely fur was soaking wet, and most likely looked atrocious, crossed her mind. 

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

Cloudflare hadn't even paid attention to her outward appearance, or his own, for that matter. The rain was both a bane on their fur and a blessing in disguise. Scents were easily and quickly washed away in the new leaf storm, and overall he felt more at ease this time around. She wasn't some hostile attacker - and was confident that she would remain a pleasant companion.

 "Clovershine."

He confirmed outloud as she padded closer and uttered his name above the heavy rain droplets. His maw held the easy smile that she had seen before, and the glint of his copper gaze was bright and friendly despite the gloom converging above them.

"How are you?" To think that they both arrived at the same place, at the same time at the very first place that they first met under the circumstances, was almost flooring. It couldn't have been a coincidence.

"No chipmunks this time, I'm afraid. Just me."

Soft as his voice may have been, a warm timbur left his maw at the words of 'just me', hoping that she wouldn't be disappointed he didn't bring prey for her this time.

Or maybe she preferred it that way.

The rain was making Clovershine brave. She was closer to the thunderpath than the first time she and Cloudflare had met and her paws were itching to get even closer. 

I can't hear him well...she thought to herself. Just a bit closer won't hurt anything. 

Before she knew it, her paws were on the thunderpath, but she stopped and allowed her gaze to travel the rest of the distance. "I'm soaking wet, but other than that quite well!" Ignoring the tenseness in her injured leg, Clovershine did a little hop as she spoke. "How are you? Did you get lost again?"

She didn't even care there was no squirrel excuse this time, the current encounter was plenty of excitement as it was. 

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

His fur felt as if it were standing on end, a storm of electricity passing through despite the rumble of thunder being far off. As far as he was concerned he was at the heart of the storm. The weather was on their side, and despite his drenched pelt, his maw lifted in a confident sort of smile pleased that he had the pleasure of running into her again.

He watched her abandon the treeline and trod onto the ground of the Thunderpath. No monsters were seen or heard, so Cloudflare took that note to press further, leaving the scent of Windclan behind and heading to meet her. She might have paused, but he padded forward until they were nearly a fox length away from one another.

Giving her a little, excitable hop of his own, he gave a hearty purr above the sound of the rain dripping around them and splashing onto the pavement.

"I've been doing great! Enjoying the weather - more or less. Quite sopping wet myself, but hunting has been good today! Prey can't hear the drumming of my clumsy paws." Humor wet with a bit of self-negging commonplace among his old dame's language, the blazing ginger tom kept his eyes level and friendly towards the she-cat, trying to guage how she'd with him at a closer, more intimate distance.

Each paw step that brought Cloudflare closer caused Clovershine to feel as though a herd of mice were rushing through her stomach. The thrill of doing something so blatantly against her sister's wishes was almost overwhelming and if Clovershine could fly, she would be right now. 

A little laugh squeaked out at Cloudflare's joke and she ducked her head before giving her ears a quick flick to get the water off of them. A completely useless action considering the rain kept misting down. 

"I'm so glad to hear that hunting has gone well for you! I couldn't find anything out and about myself today" Clovershine turned blue eyes up to the sky, squinting against the moisture "most likely due to the weather." 

Despite her instincts telling her to either fight or turn tail and run away, Clovershine stayed put and instead glanced around at their surroundings. "It sounds a little crazy, but I wish there was a better spot to get out of this weather!" she meowed quickly, almost racing against her brain to get the words out. "I'd love some company today, but every other cat was too scared to get their paws wet." Shyly smirking at Cloudflare, Clovershine gulped at her silly joke.

Humor obviously wasn't a skill she her mastered and her nervous energy wasn't helping. 

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

Little could dampen the mood of the marbled ginger and white tomcat as he held the company and attention of one of the most interesting she-cats in the forest. Not even a drenched coat, or hers, was off putting enough to make him heed the soft inner monologue of warning in his head.

A thunderstorm was perhaps the best, most exciting times to cross paths with a "stranger", although Clovershine was hardly a stranger - or else, he wanted to get to know her better. Here, between the droplets of rain, he felt untouchable, and a mote too confident as his easy smile dripped with good humor.

"Well," He offered, a symbolic gesture with a wave of his paw. "You found me. Gotta count for something?" He couldn't help but wonder if there was a more fitting place for a rendezvous, at least one that wouldn't sop their coats so. Wanting to hear more of the she-cat's voice, he gave her an encouraging nod, peering through the rain as he stole a couple glances over his shoulders.

"Obviously everyone else's paws aren't as sophisticated as our own. I don't mind a little rain, especially if that means a storm bringing in pleasant surprises." With a soft wink that was as much blinking through the moisture built up on his whiskers, he head continued to work through any possible solution to their endeavor.

He voiced a somewhat risky thought out loud towards the she-cat, and stepped a bit closer at the suggestion. "We could get out off the Thunderpath... Either underneath a Shadowclan bush or perhaps a Windclan copse where we can be less wet. Or else I don't mind, as long as you get some company today." Smiling, he padded around her, a semi circle of leisure while his ears flicked great droplets off their sharpened tips.

It was almost like a herd of butterflies lived in her stomach now and every time Cloudflare spoke they all took off at once. Paired with the day she'd had yesterday and the fact that she shouldn't even be out here at all, Clovershine almost darted as Cloudflare moved around behind her flank with a smirk, but she composed herself. 

There's no way he'll miss that injury...

Even though Cloudflare had only seen her a pawful of times before, the large gash on her left shoulder was a blaring sign that some form of violence had happened. And recently at that. A sudden flash of memory leaped before Clovershine's eyes as she pictured Hickorystorm, injured and bleeding in the medicine cat's den. She should be there right now...but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to be in camp and what she needed more than anything else right now was a good distraction. 

With a soft purr, Clovershine turned her head to look at Cloudflare, now on the opposite side of her, as he flicked rain drops off the tips of his ears. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his lopsided smile and she turned to face him better, boldly leaning forward to whisper in his ear. 

"I know a good place, follow me!"

Turning back towards ShadowClan territory, Clovershine walked as quickly as she could off the thunderpath and into a thicker clump of trees at the very edge of the territory. There was a small clump of bushes that she liked to take naps in sometimes on sunny days and she looked over her shoulder to make sure that her companion was following close behind. Ducking into an opening where the branches made a decently covered cove, Clovershine shook her fur as best she could, fluffing it up against the chill, and smiled widely, blue eyes alight. 

"Here we are!"

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

He felt as if he could parade around Clovershine all day, despite the weather, but when he circled around her to accompany his playful banter, his eyes were drawn to her shoulder. Momentarily shaken, and all too curious, he forced himself to silence his questions for now. Excitement only amplified when the she-cat drew in close, and words lapsed on his tongue at her forward invitation.

His body wanted nothing more than to do just that; follow, but a deeper part of him was a bit disconcerted about willingly following deeper into Shadowclan territory. Most likely irrational fears, but still - she just invited him out of the rain, and he wanted to continue their conversation. With only the slightest bit of hesitance, he moved himself forward at a brisk trot, abandoning the Thunderpath and stepping into Shadowclan territory proper.

The tomcat was uncharacistically quiet until they breached her cozy sanctum, shaking off the collected droplets that still clung onto his pelt before doing so. Only when he was inside and saw the she-cat eyes brightly turning towards him did he feel free to speak once again, a tone just loud enough to hear. Being underneath the foliage did a good job at dampening the rain storm.

"I gotta admit, this is more than a little exciting..." He never so brazenly stepped so deep into Shadowclan land, even if they still technically were on the outskirts. Slowly, his drying frame leaned back onto his haunches, sitting there face to face with Clovershine. The blink of his copper eyes were kind as they were directed once more to her shoulder, and concern made him ask the inevitable. "What happened?"

With Cloudflare's attention so close, Clovershine couldn't help but duck her head slightly. The memories from the day before come rushing back in a way that wasn't welcome and a small shiver rippled through her pelt. Hopefully he'll think it's just from the cold. 

Lifting her blue eyes to meet his, Clovershine put on a brave smile and shrugged slightly, ignoring the tightness of the healing wound. "Oh this? It's n-nothing really" she cursed the stutter in her voice. 

"Just a little hawk attack is all."

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

Cloudflare watched earnestly as she took a moment to get comfortable before she hinted of the severity of her plight. If Clovershine wasn't going to be so adamantly concerned, then the tomcat sure would be for her sake. Copper eyes rounding into widened suns, his mouth fell slack. "Just a little..." His voice trailed off, giving the she-cat some space before his whisper grew with intensity. "Hawk attack?!"

The edges of his ears flattened against his head without thinking, yet concern colored his eyes with such vibrancy. "How could you mention that so casually? You could have been so much worse off - you could have died!" He had to stop himself, reeling his emotions before they overwhelmed him. Afterwards, he exhaled long, and hung his head. "I'm sorry... that must have been a terrible, nightmarish experience. If you didn't make it... I don't know what I might have done. I'm just glad you're safe now."

He peeked up at her, hoping he wouldn't receive her ire more than he deserved. Just calm down, Cloudflare. This isn't your dame. Far from it.

Clovershine couldn't help it. At Cloudflare's outburst the she-cat reacted as if she was consoling a young kit and immediately put her nose to his shoulder in comfort. Breathing in his WindClan scent snapped her back to her senses and she pulled away quickly, her tail flicking in embarrassment. 

Golly, Clovershine! Pull yourself together...he may not even care that much..

There was a possibility that Cloudflare could simply be talking to her as much as he had for a chance to gather information about ShadowClan, but Clovershine couldn't help but feel that simply wasn't the case. The way he looked at her was too much like a cat who cared...like they were from the same clan and not from completely different sides. She gave her shoulder a quick look, keeping her blue eyes away from his and looking towards the ground. 

The raindrops pitter pattering soothed her heart enough to continue past the shrieking of the hawk inside her mind. 

"Well...thankfully it could have been much worse. I had...help." She wasn't going to mention Hickorystorm's injury. That would just be stupid to give away such a huge weakness within the clan right now. But she could at least tell her side to make sure Cloudflare knew she was alright. Looking up again, she gave him a small smile. 

"We ended up taking the rude thing in the end. It just clipped my shoulder is all! But thank you for your concern. I really do appreciate it." Brushing him with her tail, Clovershine smirked slightly. 

"Although, I'm not really sure what I've done to earn your concern in the first place, Cloudflare."

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

His anxieties were quelled instantly at her touch. Unable to think of anything else at the present moment he just gapped, silent as his wide copper eyes turned to regard her closeness. Her tenderness. Something about it...Something close, a medicine he desperately needed. Maybe not so much as a warrior, but a part of him wanted to return the gesture despite the obvious stink of another clan on her.

At her reassurance that she wasn't alone during the attack and that clearly she had the help of her clan, Cloudflare gave a small, but sincere nod. "Even with help, a hawk is no joke. Starclan, at least there's one less of them in the skies. I'm sure you were very brave." If only he could be there, in impossible circumstances. Just another dim cloud in his mind that echoed the weathering storm pattering around their little sanctuary.

"I don't really understand it either, Clovershine." His mew was soft, barely a note above the heavy, yet somehow distant thud of raindrops. "It's like... you've been on my mind. Since we first met. It's hard to describe..." As much as words have done a decent job in expressing his emotions, he felt a little out of his league, and slowly, ever so slowly, he leaned into her. For comfort. For strength.

Enveloped in the scent of WindClan, Clovershine completely lost herself in this moment with Cloudflare. She had never met someone so caring, so dangerous, all at the same time. It made her want to run away while also never wanting to leave his side. 

"Clouflare..." She whispered softly against his fur, heart racing. "I want your strength with me always...as crazy as that sounds...I wish that we could always be together."

It had to be the trauma speaking, the fear that she'd felt in losing not only a piece of herself to a hawk, but a piece of her clan as well. This moment...she wanted it to last forever. But she couldn't bring herself to leave her clan...it would never work, and her sister would never accept Cloudflare into ShadowClan. But what could she do? 

Suddenly, a thought entered into her mind and her heart raced in excitement. Eyes glittering, Clovershine moved back from the WindClan warrior just enough to look up into his warm gaze. Could it actually work? 

"What if...a part of you could stay with me, maybe even a few parts of you"  she smiled shyly, hoping he would catch her hint. "Do you think...you'd be willing to help me with that dream of a family, Cloudflare?"

Holding her breath, Clovershine allowed the stillness to wrap around the question she had just spoken into existence. 

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

Cloudflare was keen to wait out the storm alongside Clovershine, allowing the sounds and scents to wash over him, keeping him focused in the moment. He was far from his clan, and he knew there was no possible way that realistically this would work, but in this moment, it was perfect.

"I know. Something I wish too." He mumbled into her fur, allowing his eyes to flutter to a half shut state, enjoying her closeness. It was impossible to imagine a life where they could enjoy each others company without having to look over their shoulders; fear and anxiety driving them apart, yet the tom willed her wish to come true. Somehow. Perhaps they could visit again... meet at a designated spot and -

His eyes opened wide. Blinked. Again. Inserted a second to breathe as it seemed he had forgotten to in this moment. The sheer implication of the she-cats word brought him to a standstill and his entire body froze as if it had fallen under the shadow of some sky predator. "I-I don't know what to say..." He began, swallowing his anxiety like some unprepared apprentice. "Except that I-I'm honored you'd even - Of course I'd do anything to make that dream come true, Clovershine."

A part of him ultimately suspected that he would never get the full honor of being claimed as a sire, and in their case, it was necessary, but as long as Clovershine was happy it didn't matter.