private indigo + violet // doepath

[sunshinespot]

It's been a little over a week, now. Jitterbug was a kind, even if a bit weird, fellow and after a few encounters with them, Sunshinespot finally gathered enough blossoms to share with Doepath. They're of varying colors and shapes compared to the ones he'd been incorporating into their nest, and to the best of his knowledge... they're not poisonous. He figures neither himself nor Doepath will be eating random flowers any time soon, so admittedly he isn't too worried about it.

Nonetheless, he trots ahead of the she-cat, his bushel of flowers hidden in the territory. The spot he shows her is rich with the colors of the changing seasons - leaves of golds and ochres, branches bare and shaking with the wind. His excitement is hardly hidden as he noses his way beneath a dying bush to pull out flowers that - for all intents and purposes - do not look as if they belong. They're vivid in their cool tones, brazen against the warmth that surrounds them in leaf fall. Regardless, Sunshinepath paws them to his friend.

"Just don't ask where I got them," he chirps, his tail lazily thumping against the ground. "I'd tell ya if y'did. But then I'd have t'find a new flower spot," Sunshinespot holds to his lazy grin, just a bit wider whilst he waits for her reaction.

@doepath ࿔ ​

 

[doepath ࿔]

Following after him would be simple enough without, but the comfort of securely holding the end of his tail between her teeth makes the trip less thought consuming. The most difficult part is focusing on the awkward limping steps she must make to keep in pace with him... He practically vibrates with excitement while she struggles to keep herself up-right, golden eyes blinking blindly at the back of his head as he leads them further into the territory.

The foliage pulls at her pelt, some of the decaying leaves abandoning their homes to wrap into the warmth of her coat as they pass (she'd need to groom her fur again). It's a peaceful day... and one spent with a beloved friend is always an added bonus. She hums softly as he slows, releasing his tail from the gentle grip of her teeth as his figure blends with autumn. He shuffles around there in the trembling leaves for a moment before appearing again, a kaleidoscope of colors adorning his maw where he holds a vibrant bouquet.

They're shoved towards her feet, a fractured ankle held up and away out of subconscious fear rather than sincere disgust with herself, following the bright array of colors as a giddy smile spreads across her features. Immediately, her belly twists with overwhelming warmth, pressing forward abruptly to smack the top of her head under his chin with a solid 'thunk' of contact. Her purr is blaringly loud where it rumbles from her chest, overjoyed by the simple gift, "You sneaky squirrel.... These're gorgeous... I love the colors!" She tilts her head to rub her cheek along his jawline, pulling away as she greedily searches for his tail with her own, wrapping around it tightly. "How am I supposed to top this?!"

please dont leave me ➺ in the dark

• DOEPATH
  thirteen month old warrior of thunderclan
  she/her fawn sepia with low white and yellow eyes

​

 

[sunshinespot]

Though maybe blinded by his own excitement, Sunshinespot is careful in his pathing. He finds a way through the undergrowth where no twisted roots will trip their uneven paws, no low hanging branches to slap into scarred faces. One would think he's practiced this route thrice over to ensure that it'd be safe for his friend... maybe he did. The fact of the matter is that he is slow, continuing to ensure that nothing has cropped up since his last walk through. Though the season has shifted, he revels in the sparse sunlight warming their pelts. His pause is followed by the gentle drop of his tail. The tom looks briefly over his shoulder at her, a promise to return lighting his eyes, before he dives to find his gift.

In returning it, he does not recoil with the way she reacts. Sunshinespot hardly sees it, himself, his face crinkled with glee as she looks upon it with wide, shining golden eyes. His maw opens to explain himself but before he can, his jaw is clicked shut by her motion. His purr could rattle the rest of the leaves out of the trees, he thinks, and he clutches a paw around her shoulders.

"Yeah, I-" he tries to start, but he laughs a little, simply too happy to keep any sense of composure. "Well, I thought with leaf-fall, all'a the colors would just... y'know, they'd be all mucky. And the flowers I always getcha are, uh..., yellows, 'nd stuff," his lingering forepaw plucks such a leaf from her fur, holding it out as an example before letting it flutter away. "So I... I went 'nd got different ones! 'm glad y'like 'em, Doe..." He holds her for moments longer, looking down at the bouquet for a few long moments before speaking again. As he does, he does not pull away, nor does he part himself from his own nonchalance.

"Y'now... I was thinkin' 'bout Gentlestorm, 'nd how he... er, keeps askin' if we're mates," his tail effortlessly flicks to her haunches, then rests gently atop hers, "'nd I was thinkin', while gettin' these... why not? I mean - I like you a lot -" this time he does pause, does think about the words falling from his scarred lips. He thinks of her in tears when he had to leave, of what they shared that moment. If allowed, he holds her closer, "I love you, in fact. I have for a while now," Do you remember? Or is it a bad memory? "It's okay if y'don't wanna be. I like us as friends, too... Either way, 'm gonna keep gettin' y'flowers," a laugh leaves him, "If Gentlestorm's gonna keep sendin' me out on herb hunts, I might as well find somethin' nice for us, too. Y'know?"
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[doepath ࿔]

The clack of his teeth earns a tiny, sympathetic wince, not having intended to butt into him with such force. She doesn't hear his teeth fall out of his mouth... nor a hushed whine of pain.... instead, a thunderstorm rumbles in his chest with such vigor she thinks that she might be able to smell the tumult of his affection on the breeze too. Squeezing her eyes half-closed in a squinted grin, her vision falls back to the delicate petals... in shades she didn't think she'd ever seen in blooms before. Where had he gotten these from? Lashes lift as his touch draws her nearer, tangling the curls of his pelt into the ruff of her own with an intoxicating warmth. It rivals the green-leaf sun....

Daffodil-stare flutters over the trailing leaf that flies away as soon as his grip on it lessens, "This is very thoughtful," the she-cat replies, honey-dripping fondness in her tone, "I'm just..." Her claws knead the grass to expel some of her bottled up energy, "I'm speechless!"

A good time to run out of things to say- Sunshinespot seems to gather his thoughts before diving into his next thought. Her ears flick at the mention of Gentlestorm and she opens her mouth to tell him not to pay it any mind- he's already answered, has answered for the both of them (even if it hurt to hear, even if it stings to be brought up over and over). Gentlestorm would just have to accept it (and so would she...)

"Why not?"

Her maw hangs open, stunned by the change in narrative when she'd sworn this subject put to bed a moon ago. Her heart clenches in her chest, a stuttering thing that begs on hopefulness- Really? The wording isn't important... the fact he stumbles over himself to find a (hopefully) more romantic way to put it. I like you isn't exactly the proposal she'd expected... he had to like her, didn't he? They were... they were best friends! Inseparable even.

The silence makes her skin crawl impatiently, demanding something more that she can't identify. This was what she wanted to hear... wasn't it? Suddenly her stomach twists, nauseated by the nosedive of emotions that trickle down her back like sap. She can remember the next part... the gentle glide of her tongue over his fur in the smallest hours of the morning, trying to stifle her sobs to keep from waking her clan-mates. The soft hushes of reassurance... a sorrowful good-bye. Panic flutters wildly in her belly, making it hard to choke back the wave of sickness that spreads- This couldn't be another good-bye. Please don't leave, she wants to say, "Sunshine-" She doesn't get to ask him to stop, to beg him not to say it if it means he's leaving her again.

"I love you."

It burns, hot, hot, hot like fire in her chest, like the burn of asphalt against her skin after being dragged as an unwilling toy. Tears well fearfully in her eyes, waiting expectantly for him to admit this is just a title affixed to a dying love. But it never comes...

He only jokes about tending to the medicine cat's patrols... Like there are infinite moons ahead of them if she just reaches out and takes it. She can take this one... can hold it between her teeth and not let go this time. The fawn draws in a single, shaky breath to steady herself, wills herself not to weep and ruin what beautiful moment he has imagined for them, "You're more than my friend," she blurts out, "I meant it... I meant it." That mournful sunrise... she'd meant it, even if she hadn't known the meaning then. "I love you too... I've loved you... Please be mine. Say you're mine..."

please dont leave me ➺ in the dark

• DOEPATH
  fourteen month old warrior of thunderclan
  she/her fawn sepia with low white and yellow eyes

​

 

[sunshinespot]

He does not think of the terror he could inflict with his pause; thinks even less how she must struggle with the silence he presses between them, determined to set his mind right. She's patient with him, always has been, and as he parses through his thoughts, the clearer ones rise without issue. He thinks of their continued mornings of tangled limbs, the excitement he feels when arriving home and seeing her, or being plucked from the crowd together. It's never anything morose or sorrowful, hardly has their relationship been anything close to it. Even as he thinks of that morning, of the tears he kissed away, the proclamations of love they shared overpowered the sadness that had plagued them.

"I love you," he says, just as her voice stirs in her throat, the tone pleading behind fear. He'd say it again, if not for the precise trail of thought he needed to share first. It's easy to love her, he thinks. He isn't sure if that means she is easy to love or she makes it easy, but he cares little for the distinction. All he cares is that she knows, and that he will hold to his love for her regardless of what defines them. Friendship, mates - he'll forever be by her side, should she have him.

Her golden eyes glisten with tears and he melts. He sinks his weight lower, hunching his shoulders in order to comfortably press his cheek into hers, "Aww, Doe, don' cry now. I didn't want that outta ya..." he holds to his rumbling purrs, his softened voice. It takes her a moment to collect her breath in her lungs once more, but once she does - her intent is made immediately clear. It is as if the final wall between them had fallen... Sunshinespot knows not much will be different between them, but he stirs a grin wider than before, his heart swelling beneath his curled fur. The warmth of the sun cannot compare to the warmth burning between them - if not for her fragile limbs, he would've tackled her then and there. Leaves would've splashed upwards and fallen with grace. He almost fears holding her too tightly, in fact, but he risks a slightly tighter embrace, looping their plumed tails together.

"Yours... forever more," he says simply, easily. "Even if th' flowers stop growing, or th' sun sets for its final time... When we join th' stars, too, Doe. If that's what y'want of me, that's what I'll do."

Sunshinespot lingers for a moment, before a new chuckle leaves his maw. "So... y'gonna tell Gentlestorm? If I tell'm, he'll have my tail for a late night meal," he chitters next to her ear. "Or worse, he'll have me stop nesting with y'... Which'd kinda suck, y'know, with leafbare right aroun' th'corner. I was gettin' real used t'stealing yer warmth."
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[doepath ࿔]

They are a tightly knotted pair, tangled in their mutual devotion... and though a blazing ember glimmers in the recesses of her mind, she doesn't feel the need to enflame it.

Pressing her cheek against his, rubbing it with vicious excitement, she hums with elation to hear his promise. To stake her claim into the curly locks of fur and parade it as decidedly hers and no one else's. She could loom over him like a slavering dog, dripping with intent to keep, protect, withhold him from those that might try to take a bite. Could stick to him like his own shadow, desperate to keep his light in sight for fear of it winking out completely. The hunger with which she regards him is unfamiliar and uncomfortable, somewhere far from the forefront of her thoughts... Possessive... starved.

The mention of Gentlestorm is enough to pull a feigned sigh of exasperation from between her grinning lips. She isn't so sure the old medicine cat would be steamed enough to actually brawl Sunshinespot for warming her nest in a more... official capacity (especially since he'd been pretty insistent on shoving them towards this conclusion for moons) but... It would probably be easier to swallow coming from her. "Stop nesting with me? Ha," the fawn she-cat shakes her head, "He'd never! But it would be nice not to have your cold toes buried in my fur in the middle of the night." It's just a friendly, teasing thing, but her tail curls with his in amusement just to be sure he understands. "Besides... He owes me a favor." He doesn't... not really... She'd have patched his wounds no matter what... as he'd done for her too many times already. He didn't owe her anything... and she'd never dream to ask him for more than he's already given.

"Should we... commemorate the moment? We can share a bird or something... is that romantic?"

please dont leave me ➺ in the dark

• DOEPATH
  thirteen month old warrior of thunderclan
  she/her fawn sepia with low white and yellow eyes

​