[eye to eye] fallingsnow

Locustflight relaxed a bit as he recognized the white cat that had witnessed his hunt. Despite his skill at rabbit hunting and his love for a good run, Locustflight let very few cats witness that he could actually move like the wind. It was easier to have the clan think him uselessly lazy than to have them harping on him about making the choice to conserve energy and not waste it on frivolous things like so many others did. Speed, while fun and useful, was a limited resource for Locustflight. His mentor used to compare him to the cheetahs of legend, cats that could run fast as the wind for a short while but then had to rest for quite a time afterwards. Either way, even Locustflight's own sisters gave him trouble about these cheetah-like tendencies because they thought it was silly and so Locustflight did much of his hunting out of sight of the clan or in areas where he new few of his clanmates bothered to travel. This witness though...it was Fallingsnow and he feared no judgment from her. Her sister Wolfheart might give him trouble sometimes but Fallingsnow never had.

So, picking up the rabbit, Locustflight made his way up the slope toward her. Long grasses tickled his belly and the bits of grass caught in his short fur from the tumble after the rabbit remained but the blue-eyed tom paid it no heed. Instead, he took the walk time to survey Fallingsnow. She looked lovely, shimmering in sunlight, her coat spotless and pristine, bi-colored eyes lit up in a way he had seen in few cats. There was a fire in Fallingsnow, despite her chilly name. It wasn't like the fire in Gingerstorm that hurt if you got too close. This fire was much kinder and since he'd gotten to know her more Locustflight had found himself wanting to be around it more and more.

'Great catch, Locustflight!'

Purring softly at her praise, Locustflight laid the prey near Fallingsnow and sat back on his haunches. The sun on his back felt wonderfully warm, bleaching his flame-point fur nearly white save for the slightly darker ginger markings along his face, paws and tail. "Thank you Fallingsnow." He touched his nose to the rabbit, nudging it lightly toward her. "Your welcome to it. We're a bit far from camp to bother with taking it back."

Content with his offer, the young tom let himself flop over on his side, sun cascading over his side like a warm blanket. The grass under his body was soft and fragrant, comfortable in a way the warrior's den often wasn't. Oh he would miss this when winter came again. Sighing in contentment the lanky tom let himself stretch luxuriously, long limbs and long frame sprawling lazily over the ground. His muscles hummed from the sprint and it felt good, a tingling under his skin that Locustflight had loved when he was an apprentice running practice sprints and solo hunts. It often energized him and got him to hunt for the rest of the day but today with the sun high and birdsong sweet on the air and Fallingsnow's good company...well there wasn't a Gingerstorm or Spottedstream lurking around to snap at him every five minutes. Rolling onto his back, Locustflight stretched his front paws over his head and sighed.

"What brings you out so far Fallingsnow?" Locustflight asked, settling comfortably on his back and tipping his head to look at his clanmate. "Not many do."

TAGGED · :✶:freya.
NOTES ·

Curling a bit to be oriented toward Fallingsnow, Locustflight let himself enjoy looking at her. He didn't often stare at his clanmates or get enchanted by traditionally "beautiful" she-cats but Fallingsnow was the exception. Most she-cats that the clan dubbed beautiful were lovely in their own way, fair of face or born with beautiful patterns decorating their pelts. They walked with grace or authority, held their heads high and spoke in loud voices. Locustflight never got suckered by their charms, in part because his sister Spottedstream it many of those characteristics. She had a distinctive pelt, bright eyes and a graceful walk that charmed many a tom and a fair share of she-cats. And maybe someday someone would come along that loved her properly and settled her down but right now Locustflight got a front row seat to the toxic side of such personalities. They were often bitter and jealous, judging others at all times and never taking a moment to relax.

Fallingsnow was different and not just because of her differently colored eyes. Certainly her eyes were lovely and when he was an apprentice they were the first thing he really noticed that made her stand out. But, they weren't the end all be all of Fallingsnow's beauty and he had heard often enough cats make snide comments about them. Locustflight thought them lovely and bright, especially now with her relaxing in the sun, chatting amiably. Still though, that wasn't all. She had a charming personality, a bit softer than Wolfheart in some ways which Locustflight found refreshing. Her snowy white pelt looked as soft as down feathers, not that he ended up cuddling with her often...as he would like. But whatever.

'I was out hunting by myself when I smelled rabbit. I was following it's trail all the way to here. What about you? What brought you all the way here?'

"Gingerstorm was on a rant again this morning about something or other," Locustflight admitted with a yawn. "Thought it best to abandon camp while I could. No one really comes out here except for patrols so it's a nice place to hunt." Rolling onto his side facing Fallingsnow, Locustflight settled comfortably, his paws curled slightly toward his belly, only an inch or two of green grass between him and Fallingsnow.

Around cats he liked Locustflight was a sucker for proximity. Tactile affection and nearness were his most common ways of showing affection, in part because of his short pelt. During winter it behoved him to snuggle up with clanmates to keep warm...though there were few he did that with. Gingerstorm and Spottedstream were the most convenient because they were blood relatives and used to their brother's subconscious cuddling. Other cats in ThunderClan...well he wasn't that used to them or close enough to really be near too many. Some of the apprentices were alright and sometimes Wolfheart put up with it on particularly cold nights because cats blessed with long fur shouldn't be selfish with their warmth. Fallingsnow was probably the easiest for Locustflight to be around, in part because they were fairly good friends.

"You don't usually lay around with me...something on your mind today?" Locustflight asked, swiveling his ears toward the white she-cat, cheek pillowed on the soft meadow grass. "Wolfheart got her tail in a twist?" It was a common enough plague in his family though he seldom saw Wolfheart and Fallingsnow fuss or fight with one another.

TAGGED · :✶:freya.
NOTES · sorry it's kind of lame lol i got halfway down and forgot where i was going xD

When Fallingsnow mentioned Spottedstream walking ahead of Gingerstorm on the midnight patrol the light ginger tom wasn't surprised. He snorted quietly and took to grooming his paws. He loved his sisters, despite their snarking and snapping and deep down Locustflight knew they loved each other too. Spottedstream picked on Gingerstorm because she cared, the same way she picked on Locustflight. She wanted them to be ambitious and successful like she was, popular and respected. She was full of pride and dignity, holding her head high no matter where she went. In these ways, Gingerstorm was like her but more...wild. Like a wildfire, Gingerstorm blazed through everyone around her, alive with energy and an uncontrollable passion for anything that happened to catch her heart in that moment. Spottedstream, and others, struggled with this because it made Gingerstorm so hard to predict and keep up with. Her moods shifted with the tides and cleanliness certainly held no stock in her but she had the same stubborn, prideful streak that ran so strongly in Spottedstream. What made them the same drove them apart while Locustflight sat in the middle shaking his head when neither was looking. He did not have their prideful dignity and stubborn hearts...it took too much energy to be so unhappy all the time. Locustflight had no idea how they managed it without combusting.

Locustflight shared his mother Palefoot's quiet personality. She had never talked much and when she did it had been barely above a murmur, always watching and waiting which made her a fabulous sentry and tracker but not the most extroverted cat in camp. His father, Sunstreak...he'd talked enough for both of them. Even now Locustflight could remember his father's large golden personality that seemed to preceded him and linger even when he had been gone a while. Spottedstream got that out of the gene pool, and even Gingerstorm to an extent but Locustflight had always been content being in the background of everyone's lives. Their lives happened around him while his life slid past like a calm stream comfortably within its banks, no turbulant waters, no flash floods...well...maybe one rush...his blue eyes flicked to Fallingsnow grooming her gleaming pelt. Yeah...maybe a bit of a flash flood and maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

'So what do you have planned today?'

Ginger ears twitched at the question and for a moment Locustflight was a bit confused. What...what else did Fallingsnow expect him to do for the day? He'd done his hunting, camp was toxic with Spottedstream and Gingerstorm's constant competition and no one else was bothered with where the flame-point warrior spent his afternoons. They expected him to be lazily snoozing on a low branch or in a patch of sun and for the most part Locustflight didn't plan to disappoint. After all, he had a reputation to uphold but...watching Fallingsnow glimmer in the sun...he wanted to spend time with her which was an unusual urge for him. Still, he liked her company. She was soft where most she-cats were sharp, sharp where they were prone to softness. It intrigued him...we a comfort and set an itch under his skin that he wasn't sure how to scratch. The things he'd tried before hadn't worked so maybe it was time for something new.

"What's wrong with this?" he asked, swishing his tail to gesture toward the open meadow where birds sang in the trees and the tall grass swayed in a soft warm breeze. Rolling to his feet, the pale ginger tom cast a rare sly grin to Fallingsnow before leaping over the white she-cat and bounding out into the open meadow. His long supple frame vanished into the tall grasses with a passing whisper. Bounding toward the southern end of the meadow Locustflight wondered if Fallingsnow would take the bait and follow...he hoped she would otherwise this would probably look like he was crazy. Dropping low, Locustflight laid down in the tall grasses, ears perked and blue eyes skimming the swaying grasses in search of signs Fallingsnow was following.

TAGGED · :✶:freya.
NOTES · text here

Locustflight loved hiding out in tall grass. It was like a private sanctuary. No one could see in unless they came to you and when they did there was plenty of warning. Gingerstorm shared his enthusiasm but not the finesse for being quiet. Spottedstream could be quiet but she hated to get her paws dirty and often the ground was soft with moisture in these places. But today the sun was high, the air warm and the ground dry and plush with reeds and grasses. Being here, tucked away and secluded, Locustflight had always felt safe. Free to watch the clouds roll by or just lay with his head down and listen to the sound of wind through the grass, the scent of new life heavy in his nose. Now though, crouched in the miniature jungle, the light colored tom felt exhilarated. His paws tingled and his muscles itched for a good long full-body run through the grass but he kept himself still with his ears up. The anticipation skittered down his spine, waking up nerves and senses that slept more often than not in the ThunderClan warrior. Hunting and hunted, play and excitement. These things often slumbered in Locustflight, parts of his personality that he seldom fed or even acknowledged in part because he forgot they were there. His days, so often the same mundane schedule of listening to his sisters, hunting and napping...they didn't often wake up this seemingly ancient part of Locustflight that felt like it echoed back to LionClan and TigerClan. He felt wild for the first time since he'd been a kit and looked out of the nursery into the big wide world.

The soft whisper of moving grass had Locustflight up and moving. He didn't move quickly, mindful of Fallingsnow's breathing, ears straining to hear her characteristically light but brisk steps. Moving carefully and as quietly as he could, Locustflight did his best to stay just out of reach, circling and circling. Occasionally he glimpsed flickers of snowy white fur through the lush green and a zing like a miniature lightning strike would shoot through him making him dance a bit farther out of reach. Games and play had been nearly foreign to Locustflight, apart from Spottedstream's bossy games or Gingerstorm's rambunctious wrestling. This was...nothing like that. It didn't come close. His heart pounded in a way that felt good and his stomach did flips, a grin curled on the ginger tom's lips and he didn't feel the need to sprint away or fall lazily limp in a pool of sunlight until Fallingsnow got bored and went away. No. He wanted to do this, wanted to feel playful and energized when he wasn't hunting.

Was this how Gingerstorm felt all the time? This energy? No...if it was her eyes wouldn't darken so often and her tongue so heavily barbed. This energy...it would light up her eyes and make her truly glow. That was how both Spottedstream and Gingerstorm were in their rare moments of joy, they were captivating. Bright eyes, light steps, bubbling laughs and captivating light. Locustflight was perhaps not so bright as his sisters, his colors not so flashy and his energy not so vibrant but it was warm. This sort of happiness felt comfortable. It loosened his limbs and allowed him to move smoothly through the grace, circling his clanmate teasingly, flirting with danger by occasionally circling closer before darting away. He kept close enough that she wouldn't have to run to the point of wheezing, only two or three strides away, just barely screened by the tall grass. Finally the young tom decided to give up at the game and darted through the foliage toward the gleam of white that signified Fallingsnow's spotless pelt. When he was near enough, Locustflight's muscles bunched under his short pelt and the tom pounced at the she-cat. Sheathed paws outstretched, he reached out toward her, aiming to tumble her over and pin her.

TAGGED · :✶:freya.
NOTES · I set it up so he can hit or miss and you can powerplay if you need to.