Slamming into him might have hurt, a lot, but Falcon was grateful when Paladin changed his mind. Now something else happened, that blew Falcon's mind.
"Oh, sometimes bigger is better, but Paladin, please don't call me 'Majesty'... your the royal cat, not me. I'm fine with just being called Falcon." He meowed, adding that last part afterwords.
"Everyone I knew from birth is royal." Paladin meowed sheepishly. "If everyone's royal when what's the big deal about me being royal?" There were so many more people he knew that were royal than those that weren't. Such was the life of a shut in.
Ah, that could explain something. But how old was he? He had so many questions like a kit! Falcon blinked his lavender eyes, and tilted his head towards the roof. "Well, you see Paladin. Your father, Elixor, is the leader of the Tribe we call home. Thus, you are part of the Royal Bloodline. Me? Well, I work under your fathers law, I'm not related to him, so I can not be a Royal." There, that explanation seemed to fit. He just hoped Paladin understood.
Now then, Falcon was grinning, either because this was an amusing situation, or because Paladin's near kit like behavior was contagious. He was going with the second option.
"But you're so much more different than us, and we're so many. Shouldn't uniqueness be celebrated?" Paladin meowed, shaking his head. He wasn't anything really that special. So many others were his kind of supposedly special.
"But everyone is special in there own little way. It's just that... Royals are treated differently for there even more so." Did that make sense? Falcon supposed it did. Either way, it was hard explaining such a thing to one who was Royal. At least Paladin wasn't a snot nosed brat who thought he was the best thing in the world. Falcon had had enough of those types.
"But everyone I've known for all my life is treated the same." Paladin meowed, "I've never seen what other way there is." He was seriously confused what the difference was between royals and everyone else. In his life, until recently, he had only known royals.
"...Well Paladin, those who've you have met were probably high ranking as well. You see, the lower ranks must look high up to the Higher ranks, it's just the way it goes." He meowed, now that sounded reasonable enough. Wanting to help reassure that was the way, he gently brushed his tail against Paladin's leg, to show that everything would be OK in a sense.
"No one's ever looked up to me." Paladin meowed, shaking his head. "No one should either, there are way more many royals than people not." That was his view of the world. But really he did have a point. Over half the anti-clans had royal blood in them to some degree or the other. Not that he knew.
"Well, I don't have an answer for once..." he said, looking away. He hoped he didn't sound rude, but a thought crossed his mind.
"Paladin, how old are you?" He asked, wanting to change the subject.
"Thirteen moons… Though I don't really get the idea behind a moon. I know what it theoretically is, but yah." Paladin meowed. There were some things that you couldn't be told. You had to see to really know what it was.
That slightly shocked Falcon even more. Sure, he was weird, but he was really only Thirteen moons? "Hey Paladin... have you ever been outside of these tunnels?" He asked wondering why he knew so little for one of the age such as himself.
"I caught a brief glimpse of it once, but the light was blinding. It was all…" Paladin looked behind his shoulder, biting his lip. It was too quiet. He lived in a different place. And the silence of this place unnerved him. Typically he didn't stay away for so long from the Oasis. But Falcon got him all tied up. "Blinding." He repeated.
Falcon could relate to this, being in a dark place for a long time always did such a thing to you. "Oh its blinding alright, but only for a few moments. Once the brightness vanishes from your eyes, its beautiful. So many colors, so many sounds, the cool breeze ruffling your fur..." Falcon, in truth, could go on and on about the world outside, but tunnels were OK to.
Paladin's eyes grew wider as the list went on. "But I'm happy in these tunnels." Paladin meowed, his voice a little squeaky.
Falcon game a warm smile, Paladin could do what he willed after all. "I never said you had to go outside." His meow carried the faintest tints of a chuckle, but still, he tried to behave himself.
"I know I don't have to." Paladin meowed, looking around nervously. "Wait.. What was that thing you just did?"
"What I just did?" Falcon asked to himself, the only thing he had done was talk and chuckle. Was that what Paladin meant? Chuckling? "Er, you mean chuckling?" He responded, tilting his head to one side. Why did Paladin seem so jumpy all of a sudden? It wasn't Falcon, was it?
"Yah, that." Paladin meowed, eyes wide and completely confused by what Falcon had just did. He'd heard something like it before, but never like this.
"Its a form of laughter." That seemed simple enough to understand. At least, the smokey colored tom hoped it was. His lavender eyes glinted with a warm glow, sure, Paladin was very weird, weird enough Falcon felt like dying over having to explain so many simple things. But, this was Elixor's son, so, Falcon thought he'd at least try and get closer.
"That's even less something I've heard." Paladin meowed, looking back into Falcon's eyes. He remembered that look from his mother when he was a kit, and that was only faintly. He's never seen that from a tom before. He found himself with his mouth wide open and gaping.