Dryleaf slowly crept forward, barely making a sound. On the other side of the cattails was a water vole, nibbling silently on a dry weed. Before she could pounce, a black bird over head cawed a warning and send the brown creature burrowin under ground. Hissing in annoyance, Dryleaf jumped for the black bird, snagging a few feathers as it flew away.
"Those will be good for the den." Sandtail mewed, sitting on a flat rock, twitching his ear in humor. Dryleaf narrowed her eyes and huffed. Sandtail hopped down and licked her shoulder.
"Come on, lets see if we can catch a few frogs." He mewed, a little to cheery.
Sandtail jumped across the rock and ran into the swampy mud. A funny sucking sound came from his paws as he jumped for the fleeing frogs. Dryleaf laughed and jumped in the mud. It's brown musky smell made her want to gag, but jumping at scared frogs was to much fun. Sandtail's flat muzzle was covered in mud and sticking to his muscular frame. Dryleaf flicked a wad of mud in his face and purred. Sandtail play-hissed and lunged for her. He pushed her head under the mud and quickly pulled her up. Mud weighed her ears down and made them lie flat to her face. Dryleaf gathered a wad of mud and smeared it across Sandtail's face. He smiled and licked her nose. A muddy bull-frog hobbled by and Drylead killed it with a quick nip to the neck. Purring, Sandtail slugged out of the mud, shaking his muddy head, purpousely splashing Dryleaf.
"Glugh, I feel sticky!" Dryleaf wailed, dropping the frog. Sandtail rolled his eyes and jumped into the stream. Swirls of black mud covered the stream, making it look like black water.
"Oohh!," Sandtail shivered. "it's cold!" he screeched, dipping his head in the icy water. Dryleaf splashed in the water, it's icy grip shoked the air from her. Slowly, she dropped her head in the water, washing the nasty smelling muck off her mouth. Sandtail hopped out of the streams grasp and put the frog in their fresh kill pile. Dryleaf shook off and licked her soaked legs, Sandtail doing the same.
"So why where you so mean to me?" Dryleaf asked in between licks.
"I-I don't know..." he trailed off,looking to the trees. Dryleaf sensed unease wafting from his pelt, so she dropped the subject. When she finished grooming herself, she walked to the den and curled inside. Sandtail's warmth still lingered, and Dryleaf noticed that his sweet smell made her light headed. Am I falling for him! The thought struck her like lightning and made her dizzy. No, he's just a friend. She said to herself. A friend who groomed her when she was dirty, fed her when she was hungry, and lifted her spirits when she felt down.
The more and more times she thought of how good a friend he was, the more times he sounded more like a mate. Dryleaf growled at the thought, Sandtail was a friend not someone she planed to have kits with. Sandtail poked his head into the den and wrapped around her. His warmth made her melt on the inside, but the warmth quickly turned to ice as she realized they cuddled as they slept.
No!
Dryleaf growled. Just a friend! She hurried out of the den to get fresh air. The morning air was warm and obscure under the beech trees. A sparkling shape appeared. Skythorn was staring at her with his big green eyes. His ginger and white pelt glimmered. And with a blink of the eye, he was gone. Dryleaf looked at the den,where a confused Sandtail lay. Dryleaf silently padded to the den, Sandtail licked her shoulder.
"Sandtail, do you see me as a friend?" she asked, laying her head on her paws.
"Yes," he replied, continueing to groom. "Maybe more."
