Oops Pardon Me![Foxflight/open]

[Tanglekit]

Ferncloud was laying next to her favorite bush in the clearing, just watching all of her clan-mates walk around the camp. She had finished and buried her prey next her her awhile ago and when she saw the boisterous clan life going on around her she blushed. She was so shy, as a kit she had been the more submissive of her and her brother and well it never seemed to changed. All she wanted to do was lay next to her bush and relax smelling the flowers that grew on it. She had never really looked for a tom in Thunderclan feeling to shy or unworthy, and as she watched other cats her age would fall in love and start a family and she would just remain by her bush blushing until the blood left her cheeks forever.

[Deleted]

His paws lead him carefully into the camp. Foxflight was holding a bunch of twigs and sticks to help with the fortifications. He'd noticed that they were damage naturally and would need some repairs. Nothing he couldn't handle and it was a good thing to keep his paws busy.

Foxflight kept his ears up to better see, but it was still hard to know where he was going. He lifted his tail up for any cat could see him trying to reach the nursery and other nests.

Finally, he was next to his goal and he laid the sticks out. Next, he began to take each gingerly into his mouth and weave them into the den walls. Soon, he was so preoccupied with his work, he knew nothing of what was going on around him.

[Tanglekit]

Ferncloud noticed a new scent mix into the bunch. It was Foxflight busy at work at the looks of it. She stole a few more glances at the tom before her cheeks flushed a deep hot red. He was a handsome tom in her mind but of course he would never look at her, she was to shy and small. Foxflight seemed more the type to fall in love with those opinionated strong-willed she-cats. But there was something about him that kept her eyes stealing peeks and looks. She could never approach him however because even thinking about it stole her words. In the scene of romance in her eyes she gave a sigh, perhaps too loud for her taste but she just continued to fantasize about how different her life would be if she was more like Coonstripe her brother.

[Deleted]

As busy as Foxflight was, he couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching him, studying him more than usual. Every now and then, he stole a glance to confront the cat, but he never got anyone in his grasp.

After about ten minutes of this he couldn't stand it anymore. Movement a few lengths away near a bush caught his attention. A sigh came from over there and he stared at the place. Ferncloud was there and looked rather moony eyed. He felt her gaze rake his pelt again and he put his tail up.

Foxflight turned his total attention to the quiet Ferncloud, noticing her clear eyes. "It's rude to stare at someone you know," he meowed at her and then continued to work with a puffed up pelt.

[Tanglekit]

Ferncloud shivered when she heard a voice confronting her. She had not meant to stare it was just she was looking in his general direction when she blanked out. "S-Sorry erm Sorry", she whimpered curling herself into a smaller ball. Of course it was rude to stare but she had not been trying to stare, it was just that she was bit of a day-dreamer and when she went into her dreams she didn't notice what was going on around her. She saw his pelt prickle and with a bit of irritation she licked her own pelt making it as flat as possible. She blushed a deep red after he spoke and she felt so embarrassed that he had caught her looking. She began to mutter to herself 'Stupid' 'Good for Nothing' 'Wimp'. She chanted these things to herself until the irritation left and she slipped back into her insecure state of being.

[Deleted]

Foxflight watched the she-cat out of the corner of his eye as he continued to work. He hadn't meant to be so harsh, but that was just how he was, upfront. The tom's ears lowered as he saw Ferncloud's face. Dangit! Stupid Foxflight, getting her all upset!

The warrior quickly finished weaving the branches into the nursery and padded towards Ferncloud hesitantly. As he approached, he just felt worse. His ears had caught the last of what she was muttering to herself and now she looked so fragile. He cursed quietly at himself as he came within a length of her.

"Erm...uh...Hey, I'm sorry for sounding like that Ferncloud. I really didn't mean it to be so harsh," he said sadly as his eyes finally met her vibrant ones. Foxflight really hadn't spoken to this she-cat on a first-hand basis like this before. He was quickly learning to like her eyes and fur. His was always so bright amongst Thunderclan. Of course red, orange, and white wasn't common on a cat, but it was less common to see his breed of cat among Thunderclan. Ferncloud's though was as fresh as a mint leaf and was easy on his eyes. All in all, she was beautiful in his book.

[Tanglekit]

Ferncloud looked up as the tom padded over giving his own apology. Her eyes quivered when they met his and she looked down quickly. "No No you are right staring is rude.", she sighed. When she leaned her head down to rest on her paws she too could not shake the feeling that someone was looking at her and when she turned up her head she saw that he was looking her over. Her ears and whiskers trembled with embarrassment as she watched him evaluate her. Of coarse he had found a flaw in her ungraceful unproportional body. She felt so angry, why couldn't she be beautiful like other she-cats. But little did she know of the toms underlying thoughts.

[Deleted]

He blinked at her response. The way she was holding herself made him question how she felt about herself. After a while, she looked back up into his amber eyes. Foxflight cocked his head, at her manner. Soon, she looked right back down. Now that he thought about it, Ferncloud held herself as if she was ashamed. The way she was scrunched up just verified that thought. This made no sense to the tom. If anything she should be showing off herself to others with pride.

Foxflight's tail twitched in irratation as he thought over this. He leaned down for she could look him right in the eyes. "Ferncloud, are you scared of me? You're not using open body posture," he asked worriedly. It wouldn't be good if she was scared of him. The tom wasn't trying to act like that to anyone, let alone this she-cat.

[Tanglekit]

She hunched a little lower when the tom looked down at her like this. "I am not afraid.", she replied trying to use as bold a voice as she could conjure. "Why would you care if I was scared.", she whimpered trying to sit a little taller. Her back ached slightly at the strain of standing up straight for the first time in awhile. It felt good to be up straight and she could hear the relieved sigh building in her throat and before she had time to block it it was gone. Her eyebrows were burrowed in confusion. Why was this tom showing so much interest in her when there were probably much prettier she-cats for him to pursue if he was looking for that kind of thing. "Do I have something on my pelt or face?", she asked wondering if that was the reason for his interest in her.

[Deleted]

Foxflight's worried stare left as Ferncloud reacted to what he had said. She had responded and sat up straight without further prompting. At her sigh of relief, he smiled. "There we go," he purred.

At her sudden question, he cocked her head. What did she mean if there was something on her face or pelt? "Other than a pelt and whiskers? Then no. I just wanted to make sure you were alright if that's what your getting at. You really should sit like this more regularly, it makes you look beautiful, Ferncloud," he happily said.

[Tanglekit]

Ferncloud blushed when he began to purr. Why was it so satisfying to him for her to have good posture. When he began to look over her pelt trying to understand her question she became embarrassed once again. And then when the B word crossed his lipsher ears flciked back. "Now I might be shy but I most certainly don't like being lied to. It is nice of you to try and cheer me up but I am not Beautiful", she mewed softly.

[Deleted]

He noticed her blushing and he put his gaze right back onto her face so as not to make her feel uncomfortable. As soon as the rest of what he said left his mouth, her whole body tensed up. Foxflight looked at her in complete astonishment. Had he said anything wrong? The tom was pretty sure he hadn't, or had he?

Ferncloud's voice became bold and he blinked at her attitude change. Foxflight could see that she was still a bit shy, but he knew he had said something to set her off.

When he realized what she had said, a smile began to form. A laugh escaped him at what she had said. Foxflight's amber eyes began to tear up as he tried to compose himself.

"Ferncloud, do you really think that? Have you seen yourself lately? Granted, I've never truely had a conversation with you since now, but I knew who you were. Everyone knows who you are," he remarked. Foxflight then stood up to continue.

"You are beautiful Ferncloud. How can I prove this? Well, go look for yourself," he said and began to pad out of camp. When he got there, he looked back and waved his tail for her to follow. They were going to go to a pond, or at least a puddle from previous rains.

[Tanglekit]

Ferncloud followed submissively her tail drooping. Her head hung low and her whiskers even seemed to droop. Why was he so adamant that she realize her own beauty, she had seen herself in a puddle or a pond before, and all she had seen was this small awkward ugly little she-cat. But a part of her wanted to believe Foxflight. She wanted to be beautiful and admired. But that was impossible, she would never be something more than plain. All she had ever known was second glances and whispers and they had damaged her self esteem, but now as this tom led her on, she had a small flicker of hope that maybe she truly was beautiful.

[Deleted]

He smiled as she caught up to him. Foxflight then began to lead on with an upbeat attitude. As they entered the forest, he looked at Ferncloud and knew immediatly he had to prove this to her. If he didn't, she would be in a horrible state. She seemed like a sweet she-cat and he wished he could see inner self, but that was going to have to wait. First, he needed to build her self-esteem.

As the two continued towards a shallow pool of rain water left over from the last rains, he tried to figure out what had caught his attention about Ferncloud. He'd walked by her several times, been on patrol's, and hunting parties, and yet, she had never caught his attention before. Foxflight thought this over and came to a conclusion, it was the fact that she was not only acting shy, but pretending to not even be there. He had been scared for her well-being.

Foxflight weaved in between some bushes and stopped next to a pool of water. Fall had arranged leaves upon its surface, but one could still see the reflection coming off its surface.

He turned to look towards Ferncloud. "Now look and try to tell me your a hidious beast from the Dark Forest," he chimed.

[Tanglekit]

Ferncloud looked in the water and saw the same awkward she-cat that had always been there. But when she straightened her posture as Foxflight had suggested, she saw a different cat in the water. This she-cat looked pretty. She had soft gleaming fur that seemed clean as could be. Her eyes were bright and exhilarated and she looked gorgeous. But who was this beauty whose reflection was dominating the pool. When she realized it was her she gave a sigh of defeat. "What do you want from me?", she whispered not wanting to argue over the matter any more. "What do you want me to admit that I am pretty? Fine you win I am pretty.", she mewed in her soft voice. She was so easily convinced of things and most of the time she never believed in the cause. But for the first time Foxflight had broken through her harden shell of insecurities and gotten the message through that she was beautiful. She leaned over and gave the tom a lick on the shoulder, but them pulled herself back in shock. She could not believe what she had just done. This tom was making her say and do things that she would never have considered in her lifetime. What was he doing to her?