[font=georgia] The moment stretched on into oblivion, crackling with tension and swamped with a thousand unsaid things. But then, just as soon as it had arrived, the second fractured and shattered, Lilypaw's exuberance overtaking it. Acornpaw turned to her with tears pricking his eyes, his breath suddenly feeling too warm against his fur. Anything he might have said stuck in his throat, choking him so that he simply could not draw in air. Here she was, the same beautiful and excited she-cat, still destined for things greater than he could possibly imagine.
And here he was, about to let her down. Acornpaw shuddered, her words barely registering in his ears. Could she not see how much he had changed? Could she not smell the fresh blood, hastily washed away, on his paws? Nausea overtook him for a brief second, his heart threatening to collapse within his chest. "A... walk maybe. A walk would be fine." He croaked, coughing and somehow managing a haphazard smile for her.