ELLE ME DIT, C'EST TA VIE // (garnetflame) ONLY

[lily ♫]

they'd done it, by starclan, they'd actually done it. it wasn't that she was confused or lost, really, but each pawstep away from vertigoclan just felt strange. afterall, she was leaving her only home (well, her real home, let's not get techical) behind. really, flamingarrow didn't have time to worry about the impending watery doom that would be taking over the pine forest. ever since the first group of cats had arrived at their doorstep, flamingarrow's instincts had kicked in and she'd been trying to organize all of the chaos. she'd hardly even had a moment to herself, but now, as the clans gathered within the caves, the bright ginger she-cat found herself on her own, finally able to steal away a few moments to rest both her body and her mind. a yawn escaped from her maw, slipping out like a crescendo-ed note, growing louder as it came to a close. emerald eyes water, she blinked rapidly to clear the moisture from collecting in the corners of her eyes and finally dissipating.

sure, she was exhausted, but most of it was mental. her head raced with the thoughts she hadn't had time to have lately, and she couldn't help but feel as if something had been missing. a smile spread slowly across her face as her emerald eyes softened as she spotted a silvery-white tom and his matching set of crimson eyes. her tail whipped about behind her as her paws carried her forward to meet him. "hello." she greeted him, her eyes meeting his as a smile remained spread across her pretty features. looking a bit sheepish, she looked down to her paws before returning her gaze. "i've been so busy lately, i'm sorry i haven't really gotten to talk to you!" she mewed apologetically, wincing a bit as she spoke, but smiling none the less. gesturing toward one of the many caves all around them, she raised a brow. "want to explore?" she asked, emerald lights sparkling as she paused for a moment and then turned toward one of the caves.

the cave floor beneath her feet was cool, not to mention a bit damp, but smooth nonetheless, rather contrary when compared to the rough pine forest floor that her rough paw pads were so incredibly used to. embracing the nice break from the usual prickly pine needles, flamingarrow let out a content sigh and glanced back to where garnetbone was catching up to her. "how have you been?" she asked, not waiting for him to answer. "physically, i'm fine. mentally, though, i'm so exhausted i could sleep for moons!" she cried jovially, shaking her head as she paused for a moment so that they could walk side by side. it just felt right, walking here with him, enjoying the time and letting her mind rest at ease at least for a little while. she paused once more, curiosity overcoming her, and she stared right at him, looking thoughtful. "what's kept you in the clans so long? all the troubles we've faced lately, and you've stuck with it." she asked, looking away as she continued. "you've got a lot of courage, garnetbone." she murmured quietly, a blush flaming across her already red cheeks.

[LYNX ♥]

at had all been relatively good fun for him, anyway, despite the moaning and groaning of the other travellers, as he quickly found clan cats weren't big fans of change and, evidently, they didn't experience it often. he was a bit sad to see his clanmates so distraught over hallowstar and falconflight's disappearances, supposedly leaving celestialclan high and dry, but he felt they were still getting on alright. they spent their time packed together, doing their best not to associate with others, but the more he kept an eye on them the more he noticed them branching out- hunting with others, training their apprentices in groups with cats of different clans, and gossiping outside of their exclusive group. he was happy for them, because his intuition was telling him celestialclan itself would have a hard time picking back up once a destination was reached.

it was a bit hard being around so many unhappy cats, and it made it difficult himself to be at all cheerful, but he still did his best and managed in his quiet way. still, he knew what- or who, rather- would lift him up the most, and yet she was a deputy with no time for the likes of him. it was sort of damaging, to see her bustling around without a care for him in her pretty little head. the first thought he had even had was to seek her out when he discovered his clan was fleeing from their territory, but to no end. flamingarrow, he was sure, hadn't given him a second thought. it was strange, since he thought their last meeting had gone so well, and garnetbone truly thought they had bonded a bit, and a friendship would have formed if not for her duties keeping her from him. now, sitting by himself in the cavern and peering out at the others with a slightly sullen scarlet gaze, he simply supposed it wasn't something that had meant much to her. her claim that other toms rarely looked her way must have been modesty, her being nice and giving a guy a chance thinking she wouldn't see him but for gatherings. that was sweet, he guessed.

his bitter musings were cut off abruptly and happily by a soft greeting, and his thoughtfully downcast gaze flicked upward and ignited with transparent feelings. while perhaps flamingarrow remained oblivious to his affections, anyone watching would surely see a one-sided affair going on there. "hi!" he purred with unnecessary enthusiasm, caring little. she looked scruffy with all the energy she had been exerting, but not haggard, she looked stunning in her line of work- it looked like it was exactly what she had needed to keep her busy. her apology went completely unneeded, despite his earlier misgivings, he waved it off with a forepaw and stood, delighted to have her before him like this, her fur shining scarlet in the deep shadows of this so-called camp. "anything." he agreed warmly, meaning it. explore, clean the elder's fur, go cliff-diving? sounds good. he eagerly leapt to follow of her lead, admiring how natural it seemed. he remembered instantly that of course, he was far her subordinate. not only a former rogue, something that earned him quite the reputation, but a lowly, simple warrior to her deputy. he grinned and pricked his ears for the sound of water dripping, and slick cave floors echoing with the sounds of ghosts, but he really only had eyes and ears for flamingarrow.

"I could've asked you the same, silly." he mewed, but was cut off, and instantly wondered if calling her silly was stupid. she spent hours racing through his thoughts, like a lovesick kit, but in reality they had only spent a few fleeting moments with one another. they were acting like old friends now, but it all seemed a bit like too much for where they actually were. how much did it take for she-cats to notice a guy these days? he laughed and bobbed his head, "I think it's quite the opposite for most. weary paws from walking and scouring for prey in this rocky wasteland, but no one seems to want to think much. I suppose it hurts to think about, though- leaving your home of countless moons." he meowed, but shrugged easily, "not me though, this is a natural sort of thing for me, so I'm fine. I've been fine, I'm happy to see you!" the albino added, averting his eyes from her charming emerald gaze.

"wh-" he thought about it a minute, realizing he hadn't even considered leaving for a moment, not this whole time. he grinned and shrugged again- something difficult to do while walking and answered slowly and honestly, "thank you, but I haven't thought of leaving until just now, when you mentioned it." it was true, he didn't have many friends here, besides she and fatesong, he felt alone in celestialclan, but perhaps clanlife with addictive. "can I tell you something? don't laugh, but sometimes I feel just as lonely in celestialclan as I did as, well, a loner. kind of defeats the whole purpose of joining a clan, huh?" he gave a vague half-smile but flicked his tail nonchalantly, as if he had confessed nothing that had been plaguing him for the moons he had been here at all, and walked on.

[lily ♫]

it was easy with him, everything, even the simplest of conversations. they could talk about anything, do anything together, even call upon each other when they needed help. she was still a bit ashamed that she'd practically ignored him for her duties, but she had a break now and she was spending it with him, happily, of course. as he'd answered her with 'anything,' she couldn't help but smile and think to herself how true it all was. as he answered her spiel with one of his own, she grinned as he said he was happy to see you. "i'm happy to see you too! it feels like it's been forever, and i can't help but think it's mostly my own fault." the ginger deputy replied, frowning slightly before she glanced over to him with her emerald eyes on his scarlet-hued ones. "you can come up to me anytime, you know that right? all i have to do is arrange a few patrols now and then and answer a few questions. deputies aren't always as busy or unapproachable as they seem!" she teased, a mischievous look glinting in her eyes.

flamingarrow gathered her thoughts, which were endless, watching him with careful ease as they walked deeper into the caves, the dampness not even bothering her as she had grown accustomed to the wet. she paused, turning to look at him head on. "you can tell me anything, though i can't always promise i won't laugh." she teased once more, headbutting him playfully as he continued. his words echoed some of her own thoughts, for she'd been lonely for moons since before his acquaintence had been made and their friendship had blossomed. "i know what you mean." she admitted quietly, resuming her leisurely pace as she took a deep breath before continuing. "i've always sort of felt alone." flamingarrow whispered, her pace slowing and her head turning away from where garnetbone walked beside her.

ooc: cheer dat baby up xD p.s. sorry it's short this keyboard is annoying

[LYNX ♥]

he was so happy to see her at such ease around him but then, perhaps, she was just like this all of the time. it was hard to tell much about this engrossing female because all the time he spent with her were only mere stolen moments like this one. he didn't know how she interacted with others, how her clan regarded her, or what other toms were chasing her tail. he snorted at this, remembering flamingarrow's previous claims to be undesirable amongst her clanmates. he couldn't believe that, but it was true that deputies weren't supposed to have mates, thus suitors were a bit unnecessary. shaking his head at the irony of these thoughts, garnetbone cocked his head and trotted to catch up with her, his ear tips glowing pink, he was sure, to hear her return the cheer of being reunited. "it is your fault, you busy bee. but I'm willing to forgive and forget," he purred playfully, swinging his long, feathery tail from side to side. "after all, you're the big bad deputy. gotta keep everyone in line." he smiled, walking so near he could feel their pelts brushing as they moved in unison- sent chills down his spine, like he was hyperaware of her presense. he groaned dramatically and rolled his eyes as she went on about the pressure of being deputy. "oh hush! you don't scare me." he thought for a moment, and added, "but the rest of your clan sorta does," with a sheepish grin. with a more serious face, he meowed, "don't you think they'll get suspicious of you hanging around celestialclan guys?"

he held his breath when she related to him, about being lonely, and he felt at a total loss. his instincts were blaring in his ears, telling him to shut up, shut up, shut up! but he opened his mouth and told her, "I might regret saying this, but you don't have to be alone anymore if you don't want to flamingarrow." shyly, he entwined his tail with hers, then quickly undid it as if it never happened. he kept his eyes down, wondering what she would make of that, and inwardly kicking himself. he wasn't even entirely sure he knew what he meant by that.

[lily ♫]

her mischief remained present in her playful demeanor and within her emerald gaze as he declared that it was her fault. "oh good." the bright ginger female retorted, flashing a grin at him before bumping into him lightly. "you better stay in line, mister." flamingarrow added with a wink before returning to her regular distance from him, their pelts brushing lightly. it was an odd sensation, one that was quite familiar to her yet in a way completely new, and she couldn't help but feel so very close to him both physically and emotionally. at his metnion of her clan, she snorted. "oh, please. we're all just a bunch of dramatic furballs." the deputy said, shaking her head a bit as she let a few chuckles escape. "sure, we're pretty hardy and brave, but we don't necessarily try to intimidate." she explained before being caught off guard by his next comment. what did her clanmates think? carefully mulling it over in her head first, she shrugged. "it's not like i'm doing anything wrong being here with you." she replied, hoping she wasn't lying to herself. afterall, they were just friends, weren't they?

her mind began wandering, churning through her past thoughts and their stolen moments, subtly analyzing in a way she hadn't done so in moons. why, now, she couldn't even dare to imagine what the past few moons would have been like without him. her loneliness would have consumed her, and the unpleasant situations she might have found herself in were ones that she didn't really want to think about, so she didn't. instead, she felt closer to garnetbone than ever, and as he spoke, her heart nearly stopped. his tail entwined with hers, and she pressed lightly into his side. "why would you regret saying it?" she asked quietly, her emerald eyes glittering as her heart soared as she looked into his red-hued gaze, his silvery-white fur surrounding his handsome face as her own bright ginger fur did the same to hers.

[LYNX ♥]

why would you regret saying it? she asked, and it was not the reply he had been hoping for, but the reply he had expected would have been much worse, with a sudden rejection or heavy fall from their friendship. obviously she was cautious- it was her job, as a deputy, not to be an idiot. she couldn't just go around throwing her heart at every tom who swooned over her good looks and easygoing nature. he bit he lower lip, happy to find her applying slight pressure to him with her body- a good sign! he could play it off now. she got what he was implying, surely, and her reaction was neutral. perhaps she was giving him a chance to back off? he bit his lip and looked at her with a cheery grin. "I didn't want you to take it the wrong way," he answered, "aren't friends supposed to there for each other? we're kinda useless to each other if we're letting one another go lonely!" he meowed, feigning his enthusiasm a bit, now that he was thoroughly dejected by where that conversation had almost went. stupid!

he trotted ahead and let out a gasp when he stumbled a bit. being a relatively graceful tom, he did not fall, but he felt like he was soaked head to toe with icy water now. that was a shock! shivering, he backed up a step and looked closer to the trap he had fallen into. a stream! it was really quite beautiful- a small trickle of frigid water that ran quickly across the tunnel they were walking. it flowed smoothly over rocks, but there was no foliage of any kind and, strangest of all, he swore he saw the silvery flashes of minnows in there! and yet, crouching for a closer look, they were all white, like he! and there were only pale, empty groove where eyes ought to go. he snorted, a bit spooked, and sat up. he glanced over a flamingarrow and motioned with his tail, "c'mere, check out these things. they're kinda scary. no eyes! he pointed with a forepaw at the little school that flitted about before him. they didn't run into anything though, they were graceful as anyfish. "weird, huh?"

[/blockquote]

[lily ♫]

she frowned at him, confused, blinking her emerald eyes as she realized what he must have really meant by what he said. "oh." she started, shaking her head lightly. "of course!" flamingarrow replied, a smile returning to grace her features though her heart wasn't all the way into it. 'of course that's all he meant.' she thought to herself as they continued down the natural corridor that the cave's many wide tunnels formed. her ears had pricked at the quiet trickling of water, but it wasn't until the silvery white tom had nearly fallen in that she'd noticed the stream spread out before them. "careful!" she called quietly, rushing forward a few steps to help steady him by setting her tail gently down on his shoulder. "i can't lose you now, can i?" she meowed, her eyes dancing as she pressed lightly into his side in what she hoped wasn't a too friendly manner.

remaining close to him, she too looked down at the water, but hadn't had the chance to identify the little flashes of light beneath the water's surface until he pointed them out. "woah! now that's something you don't see every day!" she cried, blinking her wide emerald eyes at them. looking at him, she dipped her head in a nod. "definitely." she agreed, and pondered upon whether or not the small fish were edible, but half-frowned at the thought. "they're so peaceful i'd feel as if i was breaking a code of some sort by fishing them out. let's just leave them alone, ok?" she told him, cocking her head to the side as she uttered the last question and meeting his crimson gaze once more.

[LYNX ♥]

he twitched his tail, searching her beautiful gaze for some betrayal of how she felt, but in the gloom of the tunnel all of flamingarrow's secrets remained firmly hidden from him, and he looked away, disappointed by her ready agreement. it was a quick save, though, and he applauded himself on that. at least he hadn't really ruined anything by blurting something stupid. at least there was that.

with his paws sodden and her presence next to him once more, he felt a blush rise in his face, thoroughly embarrassed by his misstep. that was alright though, apparently, because he was thrilled by her reaction to his discovery. she was at least as enthused as he was, and that made garnetbone purr softly. it was neat, being in such an unknown area. of course, he had been this way before in his wandering days, but never took the time to see the sights- it seemed an activity much better suited for company anyway, he thought when he looked at his companion and smiled. though the vague light wasn't much, it made her look like a ghost. or rather, an angel on fire. biting his lower lip, garnetbone managed to refrain from making more stupid comments in order to keep his feelings disguised. he hated that, though. inwardly frowning, he simply wished he could blurt it out- get it off his chest.

instead, he just grinned and nodded in agreement. "I didn't even think of catching them, I'd probably get a curse. I'm rotten at fishing anyway." he chuckled , and twitched his whiskers with good nature, despite his slightly deflated mood. a thought occured to him, and he said it immediately without thinking, "I can relate to them, really. I'd feel horrible killing them. they're freaks of nature, so am I." he laughed it off, but the thought was a bit haunting, and he knew he'd be having nightmares of swimming. after all, with his poor eyesight and blinding white pelt- he might as well been kin of the strange underwater creatures.

[lily ♫]

she chuckled lightly, tailtip curling with contentment despite her confused feelings. garnetbone's rimson gaze remained locked on her and she felt the heat rising in her bright ginger cheeks as he looked away, biting gently at his own lip. she too tried looking away, allowing herself to silently comment in her mind how genuinely attractive he was. before she knew it, he was looking at her again, and her cheeks absolutely flamed. "stoppit!" she giggled, shoving into him playfully. "i swear, you're looking at me as if i've just died and been replaced with the prettiest she-cat that ever lived!" flamingarrow teased, doubting her own beauty in a joking manner, of course. she'd never looked down upon herself, but she also wasn't one to brag; it wasn't as if she strutted about trying to attract attention. in fact, she almost did the opposite, rather trying to avoid too much unwanted attention from others, despite their gender. shaking herself lightly, her emerald eyes stayed low, watching the silvery fish swim to and fro.

she snorted, helpless to do anything but grin and nod at him. "i've only fished a handful of times and i can definitely assure you that i didn't catch anything except a cold, but that was one time!" was her reply as her eyes flashed with amusement and her ivory whiskers twitched as her smile extended into an even larger grin before his change in demeanor caught her off guard. she eyed him quizzically, looking a bit confused and then frowning at his words. her next actions were careful as she approached him head on, a tentative smile hiding in her red tabby maw as she peered at him shyly with her emerald orbs. "and if you're a freak of nature, i can't help but call myself one." as she spoke, she grew closer, less than a few inches from his own face, poised just right for a nose touch, but flamingarrow felt as though she was in no position to start it, and took the chance to search his eyes thoughtfully. "i really like you, garnetbone." she whispered quietly, not breaking their eye contact, nor allowing herself to become anymore apprehensive than she had been earlier. as she told him, it was like a weight lifted right from her chest, and a small smile splayed right across her pretty face as she waited for what he might say in reply.

[LYNX ♥]

he gave a soft, musical laugh at the repeated returned glances that the she-cat was giving him, taking delight in the awkward contact simply because it made him feel so giddy. while garnetbone was truly a full grown cat, he felt like the silliest youth with the silliest crush, and the up-and-down roller coaster sensation of analyzing every word that passed between them was an excitement that made his heart pound. another laugh lept from his mouth when she began to get defensive, and he shook his head, meowing before he could stop himself, "you wouldn't need replacing!" and even gosh, winked! the big white tom was a bit shocked at his own gall but it was so fun. flirting! who knew! he grinned and splashed her lightly before darting a few steps away, shaking his head merrily.

"yeah but you were hunting magical fish, like these. look, they see without eyes! you can't kill something magic." he meowed from the other side of the little brook, scolding her playfully as if she were a naughty kit. he twitched his tail, surprised by how fast his spirits had shot up- it was impossible to be upset around her. maybe it was just that adorable grin she was always bearing, looking at him with a deep gaze that was so sweet and so full of mystery. all he wanted to do was make her laugh. it was truly a feeling. he purred invoulentarily and twitched his long, feathery tail with contentment, shaking his head when she tried to throw herself in the same group as he and the blind fish. "I can't say you look like a normal cat, because you're far more lovely, but compared to me with red eyeballs and these fish with no eyeballs? I say you redeem yourself from freak-hood." he meowed warmly, surprised to see her suddenly just before him, her fiery orange features peering up at him with emotion filling her beautiful olivine gaze. I really like you, garnetbone. the first thing that registered was his name falling off of her tongue like honey- he wished she would say it again and again, but then what she was getting at dawned on him, and against his will his scarlet eye opened wide, disbelieving. "really?" he asked stupidly, then laughed softly. "gosh. that's good to hear." he lightly bumped his cold nose to hers and grinned, twitching an ear shyly. "I really like you too flamingarrow." the tom added, a bit delayed, but he couldn't help but think of how weak that sounded. he felt so much more than 'really like'.

"I'm glad though." he released his breath as though he had been holding it, "I think you're so smart and sweet and beautiful. you wouldn't believe how nice it is to hear that from ya." he meowed simply, content now he had some sort of affirmation of her feelings.

[lily ♫]

as he winked, she smirked a bit triumphantly, her blush flaring up behind her fur once more as she reveled in the feelings that she had so quickly formed for him. was it meant to be like this? stumbling upon each one day and letting it build up, not chasing mindlessly after one another like she had with chasmriver? shaking those empty thoughts from her mind, she focused her emerald lights upon his silvery-white pelt once more, the smile gracing her pretty features making a reappearance. "it's my story that makes me a freak." flamingarrow admitted, flashing a grin at him before they both grew a bit more serious. she almost looked surprised as he asked her if she really did like him. "of course! i haven't ever lied to you, garnetbone!" she meowed a bit irritably, but still in good humor.

when he touched his nose to hers, the wet sensation caused shivers to travel down her spine and she chuckled softly, watching him as carefully as he had watched her for the last few moons. she bit shyly at her lip as he responded, wanting desperately to tackle him to the ground and wrestle like mad until their laughter echoed through the caves and a patrol was sent to see what all the ruckus about. at that thought, she laughed with pure glee; it was then that his compliments began streaming in, and she couldn't help but curl her tail up as her grin spread and she drew nearer to him, pressing her ginger bodice into his side, nuzzling into his shoulder and wanting to stay there like that for the rest of their lives. "it is nice." she purred.