Just a little hunting...and thinking.

[Seafeather]

Oakpelt

Oakpelt let the sounds of the hills seep into him. Ever rustle of every frond of creeping thing, every high whistle of the song bird, and the tinkling sounds that streams make. He liked the FrostClan border because it was quiet and FrostClan hardly ever patrolled it. Good thing CloudClan is always sleeping, otherwise we would try to take over. Oakpelt heard a rustle in the nearby cattail. He crouched low, waiting for the unseen creature to come about, and it did. One rabbit raced through the foliage, it's fluffy, white tail billowing behind. Oakpelt chased after it, the scent of the rabbit sending him into a frenzy. He caught the creature, killed it, and thanked StarClan for this rabbit.

Oakpelt was lonely. He thought to himself of finding a mate, but who?

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

Thicketheart padded through the territory, her russet tabby fur swaying gently in the breeze. She had formed a habit of sneaking out of camp and patrolling the borders, not because she feared trespassers, but so that she could memorize every rock and clump of brush. Thicketheart knew the clans' territory better than any cat, a fact she was extremely proud of. She closed her sightless amber eyes as she jumped over a rock in her path,and started humming softly to herself. Thicketheart understood why SnakeClan was so fascinated with song; merely humming to herself put ease to her strong and not always pleasant emotions. Besides that, it also helped her sense where she was going.

She stopped suddenly as she scented a rabbit. It wasn't too far away, so she sank into the hunter's crouch, then charged. Thicketheart was about three fox-tails away when she sensed another cat pounce on the rabbit. Unable to stop, she crashed into him, knocking both of them to the ground. Mouse-brain! she thought, berating herself for being so ignorant of her surroundings. "I'm sorry, Oakpelt," she mewed, quickly getting to her feet. "Did you want to be alone?" Thicketheart turned to walk away, her ears twitching with embarrassment.

[Seafeather]

Oakpelt

Oakpelt just sank his teeth into the rabbit and killed it when something hit him from the side. "Ouch!" He shouted.
"I'm sorry, Oakpelt," she mewed, quickly getting to her feet. "Did you want to be alone?" Oh, So it was Thicketheart. He admired the she-cat. He knew that she would sneek out of the camp and he understood why. She was a warrior, but she was always enclosed in the camp. Her blindness made other people think of weekness, but Oakpelt thought her strong. Her hearing is by far the best in the clan. She knows ways to survive that others with sight don't. And he admired her for that.

"It's okay Thicketheart. Would you like to share the rabbit with me? It's the least I could do since I was in your way." Oakpelt said with laughter. He waited for her to turn around to face him and answer his questions. And maybe...they could even be close friends.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

Thicketheart started as she heard Oakpelt's words. "It's okay Thicketheart. Would you like to share the rabbit with me? It's the least I could do since I was in your way." It was the last reply she would of imagined, even from Oakpelt. She turned slowly, leaves crunching loudly beneath her white paws. "Yes," she said, smiling tentatively. "Thanks. Rabbit's my favorite." Thicketheart took a small bit out of the rabbit, swallowed, then shifted into a more comfortable position. She raised her head to the sky, the fur on her throat rippling as she spoke. "How does the sky look today? When I was an apprentice, I used to love gazing at the sky on days like this...." Her voice trailed off dreamily.

[Seafeather]

Oakpelt

Oakpelt understood why she asked. And what she would want. When Oakpelt was a kit, and listen to the elder's stories, he would close his eyes and use only his imagination to picture what was going on. "The sky is and endless blue. Going on and on for ages. And clouds, fluffy white clouds like rabbit tails. The trees are a green like springtime, and the wild flowers are in bloom. Every shade of every color. Greens as dark as evergreens, pink as deep as rhubarb, blue like the color of sun on a white pelt." Oakpelt carried on, going deep into the descriptions. "And when you listen, you can hear the howls of StarClan through the trees." He paused for the wind to pick up, and just like he said it did.

"The prey is practically jumping under our feet. The springs are clear and blue like ice. And the rocks in the streams make "wooshing" sounds when you paw them." Oakpelt bit into the rabbit and glanced at Thicketheart. Her sightless eyes gazing up. Drinking in every word he said.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

Thicketheart closed her eyes as a wave of sadness hit her. She couldn't of asked for a better description. "They say that you can't miss what you've never experienced," Thicketheart began, turning to Oakpelt once again. Though she couldn't see him like most cats, simply knowing he was there had the same effect on her. "And that maybe, if I had been born blind instead of becoming blind, I wouldn't feel this painful longing...."

She paused, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Thicketheart had never really talked about this before, and she didn't know Oakpelt very well. But there was a sense of comradery and openness about him that made her continue. "But I'm glad I could see at one point in my life. Because, even though it hurts that I no longer can, it was nice while it lasted. I just wish that I had taken time to appreciate it. The glimmer of a fish's scales as it leaps out of the water. The clearness of a dewdrop as it falls from a leaf. The delicate colors on a flower petal as it slowly drifts to earth."

Thicketheart dug her claws into the earth, willing herself not to burst into tears.

[Seafeather]

Oakpelt

Oakpelt nodded. "I thank StarClan everyday for what I have, and what I don't." He got up and moved closer to Thicketheart to comfort her. She was about to cry, but she was the strongest she-cat Oakpelt had ever known. "It's okay to cry. I did when my mother died. I felt like I couldn't for a while, but about a moon after she died I was in this exact spot when I heard her say that it was okay to cry. And I did."

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Thicketheart

Thicketheart clenched her teeth, struggling not to cry. But when Oakpelt moved closer to her, she just couldn't hold it back any longer. Her shoulders shook with sobs. She hadn't cried this hard since the vigil after her warrior ceremony, where she had to sit alone, in the dark. When her sobs finally calmed, and she was finally aware of her surroundings once more, Thicketheart found that she had laid her head on Oakpelt's shoulder. She awkwardly pulled back, blinked, then got to her paws again. "Thanks, Oakpelt," she mewed softly, not exactly sure what she was thanking him for. "I better get to camp."

And Thicketheart quickly padded away.

[Seafeather]

Oakpelt

Oakpelt sighed as she left. She's wonderful. Everything I want in a she-cat. He thought. But then he asked himself, Am I ready for a mate? And a blind mate on top of that? It came almost as soon as he thought it. Yes. She is for you my son. Oakpelt shed a tear and went on his way. Taking the longer trek home than Thicketheart did. He didn't want any talk, at least, not yet anyway.


***I hope this is okay Sunrise! I really want him to have a mate. ^^ He's so lonely and CloudClan needs kits!***

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

***Yes, it's fine! ^^ Oakpelt can ask her anytime he wants!***

[Seafeather]

*** Aww!!!!! XD I love putting cats into love!!!!! XD lol! ***