[Phoenix]

Bravebird

Over the past moon, he had slowly come to the realization that he genuinely enjoyed talking with Minnowsplash. It had subtly grown on him until one day, when he found himself actively looking for her around camp, he recognized the fact that he valued her friendship and company about as much as he did Russethawk’s. They could fall into conversation with the ease of an otter slipping into water – and it was pleasant conversation too. StarClan knew he loved the ruddy warrior like a brother, but sometimes their talks ended up more than a little one-sided. In Minnowsplash, he found a friend who was a little more like himself, a quiet conversationalist who was just as willing to sit in companionable silence as he was. It had not taken him long to become comfortable enough around her that he no longer that awkwardness, as if he was walking on thin ice and could easily fall through without even realizing it, that came with talking to strangers, and although he couldn’t know for sure, he liked to think that perhaps the same shift had happened for her as well. He still spent time with Russethawk, of course, just as they still hung out as a trio whenever possible, but now that he knew her, he found himself paying a little more attention to Minnowsplash just a little more. It wasn’t an unpleasant change.

As he poked his head out of their little shelter, the warrior imagined the yellow streaks of a sunny evening stretching across the sky instead of the ominous clouds that formed an unbroken layer from horizon to horizon. The air was thick the scent of oncoming rain, and he was quick on his feet as he strode hastily to the fresh-kill pile, not wanting to be caught in the middle of camp when the clouds split apart. Nosing through the fresh-kill pile, he found, to his pleasant surprise, he found a little tuft of fur in between all the scales, and making a satisfied noise, he carefully extracted the plump vole from the stack. It looked big enough to feed two. Bravebird would never turn down a good fish, but the frequency with which those appeared on the pile compared to the relatively rare mammal resulted in him considering the latter to be more of a delicacy.

Turning, the warrior ducked back into the reeds that would hopefully shelter them from the promised onslaught of rain, and it did not take him long to find a tawny colored she-cat sitting off to the side. Tail tip flicking, he padded toward her and carefully set the vole down at her paws. ”Last one,” He grinned, fairly confident in his belief that she enjoyed eating the small land creatures. ”Want to share? Looks like it’s going to rain, so I figured I’d save you the trip out.”

i'm gonna make this place your home

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[BlooRey DVD]

Minnowsplash,

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales, in comparison to what lies inside you
_{Ralph Waldo Emerson}

Most of the day had been dark and gloomy, clouds looming no matter when one looked. The feel of rain weighed heavily in the air, though it had gone unseen all day. Minnowsplash was thankful for that, for she'd been on patrol with her sister Quietstream and a couple other warriors around sunhigh. Nothing was worse than being soaked involuntarily. And she had experience with that; she stifled a small laugh, recalling her outing with Bravebird back in Newleaf. The one where she'd managed to fall into the pools of the Wooded Cove while trying to hunt non-swimming prey. Oh, how embarrassing that had been.

As evening slowly relinquished its hold to night, Minnowsplash lay in a comfortably quiet corner, grooming her long fur. Quietstream had gone off to try and cheer up Piketooth, who seemed to be eternally grouchy these days, and though Minnowsplash didn't mind being by herself? She could have gone with some company just then. Part way through flattening an unruly tuft of fur on her shoulder, StarClan answered her prayers in the form of two white paws stepping into her field of view as a vole plummeted from just beyond her line of sight to land at her paws.

Purring even before she lifted her eyes to meet his, Minnowsplash's tail flicked pleasantly behind her. With a beaming smile brought out by his grin, she lifted her haunches just enough so she could scoot back a pawful of mouselengths to make room for him in her little corner. "I'd l-love to share! Voles a-aren't all that common, b-but are a real treat when they d-do appear!" She mewed happily, tucking her hind legs beneath her to take up as little room as she possibly could. His comment on the pending storm had her green eyes flicking to the outside world momentarily before landing on him once more.

"A-As for the rain, I'll g-gladly much stay o-out of that. I think we b-both know what a kerfuffle it is when my p-pelt gets wet unexpectedly." Her voice held a teasing, knowing tone, her green eyes flicking to him. There was something in her gaze, something of an inside joke shared between the two RainClan warriors, and she had to stifle her laugh with her paw to keep from disturbing anyone who might be enjoying the quiet nearby.

RainClan, She-Cat, 27 Moons

_{~400 words Phoenix Teehee~}

[Phoenix]

Bravebird

Much to his delight, she accepted his offer with a warm purr that had him smiling even more, and after she shifted slightly to make room for him, he settled down beside her, white fur brushing ever so slightly against her own. ”Fish are nice,” He mewed agreeably, tail tip flicking thoughtfully while he politely waited for her to take the first bite. ”But there’s just something so good about a plump vole.” As he chewed his own piece, Bravebird found himself musing idly that perhaps the meat was simply juicier than fish; it had that unique earthy flavor that did not usually make an appearance in their meals, and he made a noise of appreciation, silently thanking whoever had managed to catch this particular creature.

He was not ready for her words, which seemed to come out of nowhere. The pale warrior had just swallowed another piece of the vole when laughter bubbled up in his throat, and the collision of the two resulted in a half-chuckle that ended in a choked off noise as his food suddenly stuck in his throat. Blue eyes watering, he sat up slightly and found himself coughing uncontrollably for a few moments before he felt the meat finally slid the rest of the way down with a disconcerting awareness. Note to self: do not eat and laugh at the same time. Not only would be a rather embarrassing way to end up in StarClan, but he could never do that to Minnowsplash; the last thing she needed was the metaphorical blood of a friend on her paws. ”I’m alright,” He hastened to reassure her, for he didn’t need to be a genius to know that his reaction had likely caused alarm and concern. Shaking his head, he settled back down, and, now free of any risk of prey-induced death, allowed himself to laugh quietly as he hadn’t back then.

Hoping to lighten the mood before either of them could dwell too long on what had just happened, Bravebird gently nudged her with his tail and glanced over with bright eyes and a warm smile. ”Do you remember, then, how you couldn’t seem to stop splashing me by accident?” He tempered his words with a warm purr. ”By the end of the day, I was almost as wet as you, and I didn’t even go for a swim.” A brief pause. ”Sometimes it seemed like everything that could go wrong that day went wrong,” He recalled fondly, time allowing him to view what had been altogether rather embarrassing afternoon through rose-colored lenses. After a moment, he amended his statement. ”Well, almost everything. I certainly didn’t mind getting to spend time with you.”

i'm gonna make this place your home

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[BlooRey DVD]

Minnowsplash,

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales, in comparison to what lies inside you
_{Ralph Waldo Emerson}

Oh StarClan help them, now she'd somehow managed to nearly kill him. Ears lying flat against her skull, Minnowsplash rose in a half-sit, worriedly fretting over the white-furred tom as he coughed. Her lush tail draped over his back as she touched her paw to his in what she hoped to be a comforting gesture; it was all she could do to prevent herself from flopping to the ground and hiding her muzzle beneath both her paws. Even when his deep rumble returned to reassure her, Minnowsplash seemed hesitant, remaining close to him until he settled down more comfortably.

Scooting back to her spot, she shook her head in something akin to disbelief. "Great StarClan above, we really are quite the kerfuffle." She mumbled to herself, laughing alongside him as he finally managed it. A gentle green gaze flicked up to him as he spoke again, reminiscing about a previously attempted hunting endeavor together. This time she did slide to the ground, her chin thumping lightly against it as she groaned. Though her fore paws momentarily covered her eyes, her mouth twisted into the cheesiest of smiles. Everything about that day had been a complete disaster. But at the same time?

She wouldn't have changed a moment.

"I d-don't know how it hap-pened!" She mewed honestly. "I-It was like, e-every time I m-motioned to something, y-you were right there a-and-" She stopped suddenly, eyes going wide as her head popped up all of a sudden. "And s-stars ab-bove, I slapped you in the f-face with a wet t-tail. I could have s-sworn you'd been to m-my left, but then you were r-right there!" She made a sound caught somewhere between embarrassment and a gasp, ears pressing forward like she had the most important thing on the planet to say. "The mouse!" She exclaimed, probably a little more loudly than necessary.

Someone nearby stirred, grumbling something about the Clan's youth, but she was too focused on Bravebird to care much about it. "D-Do you remember the m-mouse? I-It ran straight by us, r-right under our paws and a-all we could do was.. Was stare?" Her tail flicked almost excitedly behind her, trembling with unheard laughter. "A-And when we realized w-what it was, we both t-tried to go after it at the same time, b-but you were qu-quicker so I ended up just c-crashing straight into you?" She devolved into a fit of giggles again, recalling the tumbling mass of fur and limbs they had become as a result of her clumsiness.

RainClan, She-Cat, 27 Moons

_{~410 words Phoenix They are so cute}