Open to Join Grounded Chills

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
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Leopardrose padded briskly through the forest, her paws crunching softly against the chilled leaves scattered across the ground. She had set out that morning intending to stretch her legs and perhaps bring back some fresh prey, but so far, the crisp air had been quiet save for the occasional rustle of branches. Her breath puffed in white clouds as she scented the air, catching the faint trace of another cat. After a sniff, it was clearly ThunderClan, but curious enough to make her ears flick curiously.

Following the scent trail, she caught sight of Spidertongue ahead, his dark pelt blending with the shadows of the Westforest. She hesitated a moment. She wasn't too familiar with the tom despite him being Greypebble's brother. With a small amount of resolve, and perhaps emboldened by the fact that it only seemed the two of them at the moment, she approached.

“Hello, Spidertongue.” Her tone was light but laced with curiosity as she neared the tom, making sure to make herself obvious so not to startle. “Any luck finding anything to eat - or are you just out for a stroll?” She offered a friendly smile, hoping to bridge the gap of unfamiliarity.

He halted his walk for that moment and turned his head to the feline that had approached him. Spidertongue's orange eyes took sight of who it is, 'Leopardrose?...must be the mentor of Coyotepaw. I think.', he thought. Only knew the warrior's name when the apprentice ceremony was held moons ago and her name was mentioned. "Taking a stroll I suppose" the tom would answer back. "The forest. I do like looking around. Oddly even, when it gets too cold at times." He hardly could smile back at the she-cat, and instead nodded back to her. A gesture he thinks is his only respective expression, whenever he would have time to chat with clanmates. "You are. Leopardrose, right?" The warrior would ask. Spidertongue hoped he had gotten her name correctly, and maybe, even see what brings her outside of camp too. 

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●──

Leopardrose blinked at Spidertongue’s response, her smile faltering for just a heartbeat when he hesitated over her name. Her aqua eyes flicked downward briefly as the question settled uncomfortably in her chest. Leopardrose, right? Did that mean she was forgettable? The thought pricked at her insecurities, but she pushed it away, forcing her whiskers to twitch with forced nonchalance.

“Yes, that’s me.” A small, slightly awkward laugh bounced from her maw.“I suppose I don’t leave much of a lasting impression.”She tried to keep her tone light, but the words felt sharper than intended, so she quickly followed with a change of subject. “The forest looks quite different this time of the year - and it'll get even whiter when the snow comes.” She glanced at the barren branches above, lingering on a chickadee that perched far too high to hunt.

Her tone softened as she tilted her head, genuinely curious now. “What kind of things do you like to look at? I can tell you one of my favorite things... but you first."

"Hmmm...one thing I often look at are the trees. Hoping to climb on one that's not so tall, yet this weather. It doesn't seem so safe to climb onto a few now." He would've wanted to do so anyways, risk it all and climb on any tree he sees, but the tom is convinced that will only make him get injured if he tried. His ear twitched as a chirp is heard coming from a tree that's probably where Leopardrose had looked at. "huh it looks as if there is a bird up there, it must be...a chickadee? Hm, those are the kinds I never knew would stick around." Tilting his head, Spidertongue looked up at the chickadee, seeing it preening the feathers on a branch, then the tom would watch it fly away. Leaving for the warrior's eyes to look back at Leopardrose. Blinked, he would offer to ask her the same question as she did. "Now, what are some things you like looking at Leopardrose?" the warrior would sit down with his short tail swishing. Eager to wait and hear her answer back.  

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
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Leopardrose followed Spidertongue’s gaze as the bird flitted away, her aqua eyes lingering on the now empty branch. His quiet fascination with the forest surprised her. She hadn’t expected someone so reserved to find such interest in little things.

When he turned his question back on her, she blinked and glanced upward again, a fond smile tugging at her lips. “Well... I think one of my favorite views is looking straight up at the sky and the trees when their branches are bare.” She paused, her eyes tracing the jagged shapes against the pale sky. Her shin tilted back all the way, staring straight above to make her point clear. “It’s almost eerie, the way they twist and reach out like claws. It’s as if they’re trying to gouge at the sky itself.”

She chuckled softly, shifting her paws against the chilled earth. “It makes me wonder if leafbare gives the forest its own kind of fight...like it’s not just the prey and predators struggling to survive.” Her words hung for a moment before she turned back to Spidertongue, offering a side swept smile to lighten the mood.

“Not the cheeriest of thoughts, I suppose, but there’s something captivating about it. At least its one of my favorite views in leafbare...” Her tail swept across the frosted ground as she tilted her head. “In newleaf it's different - and then there's greenleaf, and then when the leaves begin to turn...”

"Hm, I get it. The views up to the sky and the trees make sense. It's...an interesting thought I would hear from you." The tom didn't really have anything else to say after, but understood Leopardrose's interesting observation. His eyes only show more of what he feels while the rest of the expression is blank. Spidertongue then remembers, he was meant to go out by himself for a walk to the Westforest, yet the warrior has some second thoughts about going there alone. He gets up on their paws and turns his head in the direction of where he'll be going. "Leopardrose, would it be alright if you like to join me? I'm outside for a long walk until the sun goes down." It felt awkward to ask but he did want to get to know her more. Walk and talk that's all. If it's a no, then that is alright to him. 

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●──

Leopardrose slowly blinked, a bit surprised by Spidertongue's invitation. Her whiskers twitched in hesitation, and she flicked her tail thoughtfully. Walking with a Clanmate she didn’t know well wasn’t her usual way to spend time, but she had wanted to get to know the tom better - if only because he was Greypebble's sibling. The forest felt vast and still, and she wasn’t too eager to return to camp just yet, so maybe keeping him company would be preferable.

A small smile tugged at her lips as she stood, stretching her legs briefly before turning to him. “A long walk until sundown...? I suppose I can spare the time.” She teased lightly, her tone warm. “We can do some light hunting too and keep moving - Wherever you want. It'll be good to let Moosestar know what places are running better than others.”

She padded up beside him, falling into step easily as they started toward the Westforest. "Is there something about Westforest that draws you in...?"It felt almost alien to think this was a cat that she wasn't too familiar with, but Spidertongue was a cat who easily kept to himself and she envied him for that. He didn't seem to care what others thought about him.