A spark of nerves and sensations swooped through Sleetswan’s belly, it was warm, it was prickly, and it was uncertain. The Riverclan tom wasn’t certain what this was, this new feeling that possessed him. This new feeling that bubbled up inside of his chest, and pulsed outward and trailed through his body, whenever he caught the gaze of Morningsun. The two of them had a blossoming friendship, still in the early stages, and yet this somehow felt different to any other friendship Sleetswan had ever formed with anyone before. Something was different, the way butterfly wing beats brushed against his ribcage told him so, but he didn’t know exactly what they were trying to convey.
Though Sleetswan did know one thing, Morningsun was special to him, more so than any of his other friends and that wasn’t to be cruel, it’s just that he didn’t feel exactly with them as he did with Morningsun. She was on his mind no matter where he went, no matter what he did, no matter if he was sleeping. She had become the epicenter of his entire world, and nothing and no one could compare to her. Sleetswan was confused, he’d never experienced such intense emotions before, he didn’t know what to make of them- but he decided that if he acted upon them then perhaps all would become clear to him in time.
That or he could get off his sorry fluffy behind and slink his way over to his brother and ask him about what he was feeling. Surely his brother must have felt this way for someone before...?
At any rate, Sleetswan knew that he wanted to do something special for Morningsun, and though he didn’t know it now, this action on this particular day would sow the seeds of their relationship towards a more romantic direction. For it had slipped the tom’s very mind that it was Valentine’s Day in the clans, and oblivious as he was, unfortunately for him, or perhaps fortunately for he was clueless, he had asked Morningsun to come with him to his favorite place in their territory. It was an island, just a few feet shy of the shore, and it was a short and effortless swim to get to, and it was nothing short of serene there.
Within the middle of the island, there was a large lagoon, filled with lush emerald, green shrubs, tall and swaying palm trees, and inside the lagoon, clear as crystal, was a cavern of colorful coral, shimmering rocks, and an array of fish. Surrounding the lagoon was an outcrop of stone walls, and there was only one way in, that Sleetswan had discovered and kept secret, it was a place only he knew of, and he intended to keep it that way.
It was his secret get away; he had found it only days after the devastating news of his mother’s murder. He had run away to lament and came across a hidden hole in the stone outcrop of this island. At the time he didn’t care much if he lived or died, and so he braved the unknown darkness, and slipped into the small cave, only to see it was filled with breathtaking cavern walls and rocks that seemingly glowed, and a small pool pure blue water, and he could see that the water was trickling from somewhere deeper in the cave. Which meant it must come from somewhere outside, and he followed it, only to discover this hidden grotto with the lagoon within it.
The beauty of the lagoon around him gave him the strength to continue on, for it showed him beauty still existed even in the bleakest of times. He knew deep down that he should come clean about this place, for it had an abundance of prey, but it was just so precious and near and dear to him, that the thought of it being uncovered made him feel as though it would tear him asunder. This was his spot of solace, and he couldn’t stand anyone else being here, that is...
Not until Morningsun.
The off-white tom with emerald-green eyes turned to the beautiful she-cat and he gave her the softest of smiles, something that hardly anyone witnessed from him, and it was all for Morningsun.
“Here we are, Morningsun. This is my favorite place in the entire territory, it’s my secret place. I... I didn’t think I’d ever show anyone, but well-”
His pelt prickled with warmth as he nervously shuffled his paws, he didn’t ever talk this much, not even towards his family or friends, but again this was Morningsun.
She was special.
“I felt like I could share it with you, because you’re really important to me. I’ve not shown anyone else this place, not anyone in the clan, not even my family, or Copperstar.”
Something warm settled deep into Sleetswan's chest as he stared at the beautiful golden-molly as she promised she'd never speak a word of this place to anyone else. The weight of the promise flowed through him and assured him of the bonds of trust between them.
"I came across this place as an apprentice." Sleetswan explained, his voice dipping down into something somber. His voice was laced with intervals of heart ache seeping between them. "I found this after my mother passed, I didn't want to accept her passing into Starclan, I ran off and was desperate to hide away, and somehow I ended up here." He paused as his words hung heavy in the air, and though there was sorrow shimmering in his green eyes, a soft smile graced his maw. "Though I've learned how to keep going on, in spite of her death. I know she's watching me from the stars, and I hope she's proud of me. I know I'm not that special, but I like to think that I'm a good warrior at the very least. I mean, I try, you know?"
The more Morningsun spent time with the usually stoic tom, the more Sleetswan seemed willing to speak. It was highly unusual for the tom, not even his own family could get more than a few words out of him at a time.
And yet, Morningsun was able to coax out Sleetsawn's inner voice with ease.
☀️
Each time spent with the off- white feline meant quite a lot towards the molly, something about him just made her stomach turn with butterflies and she found her gaze searching for the tom anytime she had the chance to do so. Parts of her wished she had the courage to just come out to him and confess her feelings towards him but anytime she had the chance to do so she just second guessed herself and kept it to herself as she didn't want to ruin the relationship they had then.
Who knew he'd have the same feelings as she did, the difference was the fact that he didn't fully understand, besides he had always been so serious about things in the past anyways, so it was always hard to tell what the tom was thinking anyways. Letting out a soft sigh she had sat alone besides the warrior dens as a way to keep herself preoccupied over the fact that today was valentines day and she was indeed alone once more.
That was until the tom had came and asked her to come with him somewhere. It left her rather speechless, was he going to ask her out or was he even aware what day this was? Nearly bouncing alongside the tom as he lead her to his secret spot a soft purr coming from him as he listened to him chatter along. When they had arrived she was left rather speechless her golden hues widened at the sight before her.
"Oh my... Sleetswan this is stunning! How did you find this place?" She gasped softly her gaze shifting towards the tom a wide smile crossed her face as she studied the other. "Thank you for trusting me with this... I promise I won't tell anyone of this place I promise!" She chirped softly her ears perked slightly.