ice skating * { rabbitnose + orioleflash }

rabbitnose
when I wake you up you're so cranky, but you're happy
you're happy, you make me happy.

It was the most delightful afternoon, surely one of the best in days on end. While this particular leaf-bare hadn't been too harsh on the clans, and no one had yet felt its full smite, some still did yearn for the weather to be a little more kind to the cats. The tom in particular, as he found himself far from camp, was relishing the sunny afternoon, for while it was cold as one could hope for in the middle of winter, the snow was no longer falling and instead the pearly carpet covering the moor glittered rather beautifully-- a sight he always loved to see. Still, sight-seeing wasn't exactly Rabbitnose's forte, and his paws were itching to do something, though he could never be sure quite what it was he wanted to do.

Of course, he had set out from camp with a goal in mind, but that was long gone by now (he was simply hopeless at retaining a thought for longer than a few heartbeats). So now the task at paw was to find himself something to do, and while his paws trodded through the fluffy terrtain, his mind trodded through possible outcomes to any adventure, though he never followed a train of thought for long, he managed to become quite distracted in his own mind, and didn't see it coming when he landed flat upon his stomach. Rabbitnose carefully sat up, though this in itself was quite a struggle, as he had wandered across the lakeshore onto the frozen body of water.

Absently, he then recalled feeling icy moisture seeping up through his pads, but had brushed it off as melting snow and little more. He regretted that now as he fought to stand, shakily, upright upon the thick ice before the idea struck him. Like a light igniting his olivine gaze, Rabbitnose felt enlightened by the memory of kits dancing across the camp's pond in his mind's eye. Of course! Ice was made for playing upon, wasn't it?

With a start, he made as though stepping across eggshells- for being light on his paws was a skill gradually acquired by all ZephyrClan cats in order to stalk silently through the tall grass after pray. After a few moments of slipping wildly about, fighting hard to gain footing where there was none, the tabby tom found himself gradually gaining back the use of his paws upon the unbearably slippery surface and, in an instant, was running. Fast, of course, as moons of hunting hares had taught him to be, he had no trouble at all darting across the lake toward invisible playthings, laughing gleefully as he went. He then locked his joints tightly, thus allowing his lithe frame to slide easily over the ice, slowly coming to a halt far from where he had began, and his thick fur quite windblown. The warrior couldn't contain his joy, and let out a whoop before setting off again, perilously dashing across the lake.

However suddenly, he felt a haunting presence behind him and, clawing for a grip on the ice, attempted in vain to keep from crying out when a terrifyingly sizeable jay dove through the sky, it's little deadly talons outstretched, surely aiming for the tom's vulnerable eyeballs as he gazed upward, petrified by the blue demon. Instinctively, he turned tail and scampered in the other direction, his paws clambering in place as he went no where until something finally caught, and he was off like a bullet. He sped away from the feathered offender and toward the shore, though he suddenly recognized two clanmates, not far off and, forgetting all about the bird-- far gone by now-- shouted out to them.

"Hi girls!" He yowled, sliding toward them as he tried to stop himself to no avail. When he realized that it was the pretty little fireball Orioleflash skidding toward him, he couldn't help but let out a guffaw at her lack of dignity, but cut himself off and winced when she, quite predictably, fell. With now practiced control, Rabbitnose skidded smoothly to where she lay and peered down at her, unable to keep the grin from his face. "You just gotta go with the flow," He purred, flicking his tail before looking up at Otterpelt. "Hey! What's up?"