Lost [ReedxRowan] Found

[Whiskers]

Rowanheart was used to feeling old-- it was happening more and more lately, as, well, he grew older and the stresses of being a council member weighed heavily on his shoulders. It was something he liked to pretend wasn't happening, though aging was something unavoidable. But today...today Rowanheart didn't feel tired or old. He felt like a young tom again, one with too many ambitious dreams for his own good. And it was Reedfoot's doing.

The young she-cat-- for she was at least ten moons younger than him and in Rowanheart's head, that made her young-- inspired liveliness in him, brought back the excitement of his youth. He had asked her to hunt. Him! Rowanheart! Father and council member and senior warrior, and surprisingly, she had accepted, telling him she was assigned to a patrol, but would meet him in the forest later. Rowanheart purred, thinking back on it. He was genuinely proud of himself, of not only thinking up the idea on his own, but actually going through with it (okay, he had some light encouragement from Finchpaw).

"But don't just talk about Starclan or Miststar," Finchpaw said, daintily crushing herbs into a sweet-smelling poultice. "Talk about other stuff."

"Hmph. Like what?"

"Normal things. Get to know her."

And Rowanheart had to begrudgingly admit, his son was right. He'd never admit he went to his son for advice, nor would he ever say aloud how helpful Finchpaw was. He was so much like his mother. Whoever ended up his mate would be a lucky she-cat indeed.

But anyway, that's what Rowanheart would concentrate on. He would try to avoid all talk of his council duties, unless Reedfoot sincerely wanted to discuss it.

Now, all he had to do was wait.

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[Pyro]

She was late. Horribly late.

Reedfoot sped through the trees like a demon possessed. She was not a cat to be late to anything, perhaps not even her own death. However, she had gotten tied up at camp when Falconpaw came to Miststar's den. Reedfoot had been there herself to make a report and had been waiting for Miststar's return when the apprentice had bounded up with news of two of the clan's 'problems', Otterclaw and Frostpaw. she of course had been happy for any reason to enforce Miststar's new regime on her brother who she refused to believe had no hope left. She couldn't give up on her brother. If she gave up on her own kin, what was to stop her from giving up on all StarClan-starved sinners? It was a precedent she would not make.

So she had sent the apprentice off to be among those privileged with first pick from the pile as a reward and promised to tell Miststar of his findings. It had been agonizing waiting for her leader to get back and she was shocked to find herself so anxious to hunt with Rowanheart. Yes, the tom was noble and it would be nice to get the chance to talk with him again...but why she was so worked up she couldn't say.

As his scent filled her nose she began to slow down, pacing toward him at a walk when she was close enough. Reedfoot smiled apologetically with a dip of her head. "I'm sorry I'm so late...But I couldn't leave certain duties unresolved." She laughed awkwardly, glancing off to the side. "Soo....Anything new happen with...uh you?"

[Whiskers]

Rowanheart had started to worry about Reedfoot not showing all sorts of doubts running through his nervous, way-too-old-for-this brain. He never thought that Reedfoot would be so cruel as to stand him up for real or anything...but there were still thoughts, like she probably got out of it somehow. Traded patrols with someone. Who would want to hunt with me anyway?

But then she showed up, and it was a mini miracle made just for Rowanheart. He nearly hopped up and down and praised the great, Almighty Starclan for showing him mercy and giving him a little bit of happiness. But since he would look ridiculous doing so, he curbed his enthusiasm and just smiled...okay he beamed. He couldn't help himself.

At the same time, he was panicking a little bit. If she had failed to show up, at least he wouldn't have to worry about this little outing. He could have gone to camp disappointed, surely, but at least he would not have messed things up, as they wouldn't have even started yet. Now, however, he knew that there were certain expectations he would have to meet, and he could easily misstep and scare Reedfoot off. But he was overthinking this whole thing, wasn't he? This wasn't anything serious. It was hunting with a friend. A friend. A beautiful she-cat friend who was young and faithful and serious and full of passion.

Yeah...friend.

Her reasons for being late were perfectly acceptable. He only half-listened, still stuck on the holy Starclan she showed up? Oh wait what do I do now part of this whole day. He tuned in at the last minute, and luckily his smile had returned to a normal-sized one, so he didn't look like a freak. After she was done, he decided to just stop thinking and putting pressure on himself. It really wouldn't help things at all.

"Don't worry about it; with the state Fogclan is in, your time is of the essence. But I'm glad you managed to get away for a while. We all need breaks," he said and instantly felt better as he talked, realizing the words came out easily and he wasn't forcing things at all. "And no, just the usual. I'm still getting used to council duties, of course. I'll admit, it's all...harder than I expected."

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[Pyro]

Well this was going well. Rowanheart seemed a bit distracted as she talked, and the she-cat began to grow nervous. Did he really want to be spending time with her, or did he have better things to do? Her worries were put to rest as Rowanheart began to show more interest. The awkwardness was slowly melting away, although there was still an edge to the whole situation...As far as Reedfoot knew, this was the first time either of them had done something for themselves for a while.

"It's still a bit hard for me too." She padded closer. "But I suppose it can only get better as we get more used to our new jobs...And just think, the more used to them we get, the better we can work, and the better we work, the more souls we can save, and the more souls we save...well...what better way to serve StarClan?"

Reedfoot looked away. Rowanheart was an older cat, and one who to her knowledge, was well versed in StarClan. His son was a medicine cat apprentice after all...And his other son a fine, devoted warrior. She didn't need to tell him all that. He probably already knew it...Not too mention she probably seemed like a babbler. But what else could they talk about? Him! His sons maybe?

"So how are your sons? You must be proud of Firestorm." The last was said with a smile that reached her eyes. Rowanheart was lucky to have kits...and accomplished ones at that.

[Whiskers]

Rowanheart relaxed a little, his nerves leaving him, bit by bit, as they got deeper into the conversation. It felt natural and...nice. If he just didn't think about the fact that Reedfoot was younger than him, or that one of her eyes was a darker, deeper green than the other. He had never noticed that before. It was the most adorable thing and for a heartbeat, he couldn't help but stare at it and compare it to the other one, which looked like a leaf reflected in sunlight. A soft smile held him in place and the world around him slowed.

But then Zoe's eyes came out of nowhere, bright blue and blinding. They were icicles, they were the sky, they were the shallow waters of every passing river and puddle. They filled his mind and his smile, stilled in happiness, subtly dropped, as he remembered Zoe. And that was never a good sign.

He dropped his eyes down to recollect his thoughts and reassert the presence of the beautiful Reedfoot, a cat whom he cared about deeply. Yet he could feel her anyway, in the back of his mind, a whisper too close, a touch too far.

The mention of Firestorm helped ease him out of his sudden funk. Pride flooded him, a welcome feeling that Rowanheart wore handsomely on his pelt.

"My sons? They're good. They won't talk to each other, but they're good. Firestorm is bouncing off the walls of course, being a warrior is everything he's ever wanted. I can't help but feel like he isn't ready sometimes...that he has so much more to learn. But under Miststar, I'm sure he'll manage to do just that."

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[Pyro]

Under Miststar, yes, everything would be fine under her. Reedfoot only wished she could be as confident about her brother's faith's revival under Miststar. She hadn't noted any progress. If anything he was getting- no. This was her day. No more thoughts about Otterclaw.

So Rowanheart's sons weren't speaking? Reedfoot couldn't help but wonder if it was because of a certain white she-cat...no No thoughts of her either. For once, she wanted her thoughts to be clear of the troubles hateful nonbelievers brought. Temporarily of course. She couldn't forget her duty, but there was no harm in a break just so long as she returned to them with even more drive than before.

She was with a nice tom, and damn it, she was going to have fun and be fun if it killed her.

"It must be nice to have kits...even if they're growing up so fast." Kits. If only she had the time. But she had more important thing to worry about than her own desires. A break with Rowanheart was one thing--they'd be hunting and at least a little productive...but raising kits? And when there was still so much taint in FogClan? That would have to wait. She certainly admired Rowanheart's perseverance and steadfastness in managing to raise his own and alone to boot.

[Whiskers]

Rowanheart began to move from where they were sitting, motioning silently for her to follow as they talked-- they were, after all, supposed to be hunting. Of course, he didn't plan much on hunting, he just didn't want to be caught by one of his fellow warriors sitting around and talking. Though all he wanted was to relax and have a nice time with Reedfoot, he still had to, at least, appear like he was on duty, and so he need to act like he was being productive to the clan at all times. If he appeared to slack off, he'd lose any respect he had.

Besides, a nice walk and talk was relaxing enough and took off some of the pressure even. He felt more natural, strolling through the home he loved so much, taking in the beautiful Starclan-blessed trees and bushes, flowers and even weeds. The sun was shining generously as well, making everything glow with a halo of sunshine, including Reedfoot. It was as though she was bathed in sunlight, and as he felt his own fur warm, he had no idea if it was because of the sun at all, or something else (someone else).

But...did he detect some wistful thinking on Reedfoot's part? He glanced at the younger she-cat, rolling around the thought in his mind. It made sense that a young, lovely she-cat like Reedfoot might want kits...Zoe had wanted him since day one...and it was a shame that she didn't have any. He was shocked that she didn't already have a mate. How had no one noticed her before?

"Yes...without my sons, I don't know what I would do...have you ever thought about kits, Reedfoot? I'm surprised you don't already have any."

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[Pyro]

Reedfoot got up and followed Rowanheart as he moved to begin the hunt. She'd been so focused on forgetting her duties, she'd forgotten they're purpose for being out was to...preform a duty. The sh-cat shook her head. It was silly to think that in leafbare complete breaks could be taken. she would enjoy her time with Rowanheart, but she couldn't let herself grow too distracted.

"Yes...without my sons, I don't know what I would do...have you ever thought about kits, Reedfoot? I'm surprised you don't already have any."

Think about kits? The she-cat glanced off to the side. What was he a mind reader? "I do...but..." But...well. Even if she felt the clan was safe enough from the taint of sin...she still needed a mate. And there were no toms in FogClan that really caught her eye. Well...Maybe Rowanheart. But he had enough to worry about. She couldn't bother him about silly things like...she giggled nervously, surprising herself. "I don't have a mate. As much as I'd like kits...and I'm not sure if I could raise them...not when the clan's still...Well. I admire you for being able to take care of Finchpaw and Firestorm so well."

Reedfoot sniffed the air, hoping for the slightest whiff of prey to take her away from the situation before she started to babble. Luckily a bird, one of the few that stayed for leafbare, caught her attention. "I've got this one."

Without waiting for Rowanheart to answer, she dropped into a crouch, stalking forward lightly but quickly. She tensed as the bird began to flap around, presumably with nerves. She kept still for what seemed like ages until it settled down, focusing on scavenging it's own meal. the she-cat moved slower now, moving gently and with care until she was within pouncing distance. Her leg muscles bunched, and with a quick prayer to StarClan she pounced, catching the bird in her grip and pinning in to the ground, finally killing it with a swift bite.

ooc: Awkwardly placed hunting scene....yaaaaaay. not