"Hurry up, slowpoke!" The young tom's prepubescent voice rang out, giggling as he cast a glance over his shoulder. He playfully stuck his tongue out at his slower companion before pouncing onto one of the fishing stones, boastfully puffing out his chest and grinning down at the smaller she-cat as she finally caught up to him.
"That's not fair, Darkpaw! You know my legs are shorter than yours!" Honeypaw huffed, squinting up at her taller friend. "You just wanted to race so you could get out of plucking Weaselwhisker's ticks!" The little she-cat's tail lashed briefly, eyeing the tom as he jumped down beside her.
"Come on Honey, you know I wouldn't make you get the elder's ticks all by yourself, I'm only teasing..." He said gently, quickly dropping his act as he lightly bumped her shoulder with his head. It was then that she she-cat dropped her act as well, splashing the tom and laughing as she took his former spot up on the stone. Darkpaw was surprised for a moment, but laughed as well, jumping up onto another stone. He didn't care that he was tricked, all he cared about was getting to fish with his friend.
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"So, how was your morning?" The tom asked, smiling down at his friend as he walked beside her. He'd gotten much better at keeping pace with her since their time as apprentices. "Got any big plans besides fishing with little ole' me?" The dark tabby's voice had a lightness to it that hadn't been audible in a long time. Shadows still clung to him, anyone could see that... but his spirits seemed to be lifting ever so slowly. He'd been working hard to get himself back into shape, doing some extra training, going on more patrols, things like that. His pelt was well-groomed and he was eating normally again. Things seemed to finally be looking up for Darktorrent. He was finally starting to feel better.
As the two cats finally reached their destination, Darktorrent dipped his head, respectfully gesturing with his tail, motioning for her to pick a fishing stone first. He didn't care if the stone he ended up getting was cold or wobbly, all he cared about was getting to fish with his friend.
H O N E Y W I S P
As the two of them walked together down to the fishing stones, she couldn’t help but reminisce about the last time they had been down here together, just the two of them. They were so young back then, still embarking on the beginning of their lives as they began to search for what mattered to them, how they wanted to keep going forward.
A part of her wondered if he thought about it, too.
Don’t be silly, Honeywisp. She reprimanded herself. Darktorrent was a great warrior. Once leader to his Clan. Loved and admired by his kits. Cherished by RiverClan as a whole. Why would he spend his spare time thinking about her? His time with her was in the past. Even if they were rekindling their friendship, she knew that her friend wanted to move forward and away from the things that had already ended for him. She needed to do the same. Stop living in the past.
Caught in her own self-deprecating thoughts, the plump little cat hadn’t realized that Darktorrent was speaking to her until she registered the sound of his voice in the most graceful delayed fashion. “Huh? Oh, uh, I’m doing fine!” She replied, misinterpreting his inquiry entirely and faking it along, hoping that she was somewhere close to what was said. “I’m really looking forward to fishing with you today! It’s been a while since we got to relax and not worry about anything.” Honeywisp laughed.
He looks like he’s doing really well. She noted, taking in the brightness in his eyes and the shine to his pelt that looked as though it had been carefully tended to, not to mention the rippling of his muscles as they regained their toned shape. Despite her better wishes, she couldn’t help but think about who had motivated him to get back on his feet. Was she pretty? She probably was. Even if she didn’t want to think about it, the image of his past mate, Sorrelember, flashed in her mind. The petite, richly-colored, stunning beauty that she was- something that Honeywisp knew she’d never be. There was no way she could ever even compare. Surely, she’s just as attractive-
Stop. Stop that. What was she getting worked up for? What point was there in getting jealous? She and Darktorrent were friends. They always had been and they always would be. Even as she realized feelings that she had never been able to rid herself of, Honeywisp understood that there was no hope in anything changing between them.
You need to let go. Stop living in the past. She told herself again.
Finally, they reached the finishing stones. Now she could concentrate on something else. When Darktorrent stopped to let her go ahead, Honeywisp sheepishly nodded in appreciation, taking the invitation to step ahead and pick a stone that would support her securely. It felt warm, having been toasted under the heat of the sun. As she peered into the water, the silver reflection of the scales of fish flashed her.
“It looks like the fish are enjoying the weather, too.” She noted airily, doing her best to keep her mood up and to enjoy the day. She wanted to focus on having a good time.