Stop and smell the daisies (closed)

Scorchstar was gone and the leader's death had probably affected Daisyflame the most, though it wasn't something he'd brag about. Ever since his lover had passed that tragic evening, the warrior hadn't wanted to do anything, no matter how much his clanmates urged him to get up from his nest and get some fresh air. All he could wonder was; was this how his father had felt when his mother had being slaughtered? It must've, for he'd never felt such a heart wrenching amount of pain before in his life, even after Littlestar had passed.

Standing at the edge of the dark, sharp smelling path, the white and ginger warrior closed his eyes as a monster roared by, it's sunlit eyes bringing a short lived brightness to the dimly lit evening before disappearing into the night where it came from. Just one hit from a monster, that's all it would take, and then he could be reunited with Scorchstar. But... what kind of clanmate would he be to abandon his clan for his own sake? But then again, his father had done it, so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea...

Well, it wasn't like he was in a rush to make a decision, and standing as still as a rabbit frozen from fear, he didn't move a muscle as he stood at the edge of the path, contemplating what really mattered.

Ravenmist padded forward, the feeling of the ground against her paws numbed by grief and pain. The last cat close to her in the world, her father, her leader, her last best friend was gone. It had been so sudden, so unexpected, she had no time to prepare herself. Death was a part of any warrior's life, but, it seemed, it had been especially cruel to the blinded she-cat. What had she left to live for, if her father were gone, if everyone she had ever known and loved... Was gone?
The dark warrior neared the Thunderpath, stopping when she registered the hot ground under her paws, sitting, contemplating, tears rolling down her face, paying no notice to Daisyflame in her mourning. She wished she could leap onto the path, end the suffering that had ailed her so long, but she didn't have the courage to do it. So she sat there, frozen, like many other times in her life, caught between two sufferings, each as bad as the other.

Letting out a sigh, Daisyflame almost missed the fact that Ravenmist had joined him in his despair. The tom didn't really feel like talking at all and judging by the looks of it, she didn't seem to want to chat either. But, in the end, acknowledging her was the polite thing to do, even if part of him just wanted to be left alone. Not to mention, the she-cat was blind, so who knew if she was aware that he was even around. She was awfully close to where the monsters ran, which didn't bode well for a cat without sight, that was for sure.

"Hello Ravenmist," the large warrior began softly, as to not startle the dark pelted molly. Padding over to her, he stepped onto the stony path and ever so gently touched his nose against her's as a way of greeting. "It's Daisyflame," he mewed, taking a step back and noticing the tears streaming down the sides of her maw. He hated coming up with conclusions on other cats' emotions, but he could only think of one thing that would bring the she-cat here, that had happened of late, anyway.

"You're here because of Scorchstar's death, right?" Daisyflame asked, hating to bring the subject up, but something in him just had to.

Ravenmist pricked her ears at Daisyflame’s soft greeting, tail curling tighter around her paws, a sniff coming from her as she tried to slow her crying, knowing that another cat was watching. When he spoke further, in questioning, she turned her head away, ears pinning back again. Half of her wanted a cat to talk to, wanted to share her grief while it was fresh, but the other was afraid. Afraid of getting any closer to another cat. It had seemed like everyone she grew close to, everyone she befriended, died or left her life, forever.

Fear and hope battled each other for a moment, before she spoke, voice quivering. ”Y-yes. He was the only one I had left.” The silver-marked cat vaguely registered that she wasn’t making much sense, but didn’t truly care. She was glad to have someone to speak with, hopeful he would stay and sympathize, but fearful, fearful that if she befriended him, she would lose yet another cat close to her.

”Haven’t you thought of leaping onto the path? Ending the pain, seeing everyone you love again?” Her mew was low, soft, barely audible to the tom’s ears, but full of emotion, grief, pain, and a glimmer of humor, the desperate humor that shows up when one has so little left to laugh about.

Glad he hadn't spooked the younger she-cat, Daisyflame relaxed his somewhat tense shoulders. Listening as she spoke, he thought about her question. For a second, he had be contemplating the idea, but now that he thought about it, he realized how much of a selfish mousebrain he had been just moments ago. End his suffering and leave the rest of the clan to deal with the pain on their own? How cruel of an idea that was. If anything, he needed to stay around to help his clanmates down the right path, so they didn't end up as souless clan who'd never gotten over their beloved leader's death.

"N-no, I haven't," he mewed. It was somewhat of a lie, which he didn't like it having to be so, but in the end, it was nothing more than a little white lie that wouldn't hurt any-cat, right? "Well, actually, that's a lie, " the tom confessed, his ears growing hot with embarrassment as he shuffled his paws back and forth. "But even so, my fate isn't for me to decide, no matter how much I want to see my lost family and clanmates again. If I left for the sake of my own emotions, I would be abandoning the clan I love and care for, and I can't risk leaving them, especially at a time like this," Daisyflame finished strongly, giving his fluffy ginger and white pelt a shake. "And you shouldn't think about it either. Your clanmates need you."

Ravenmist gave another hard laugh. ”Really? Me, a blind cat? Yeah, they really needed me when the flood came, or when they went to fight the foxes and I stayed in camp. Some help I was.” Her tail flicked, frustration sparking her pelt. ”And besides, everyone I care about dies. Only reason I don’t jump is because I’m too afraid to. Like with everything.” She bent her head, voice mildly bitter. ”You’re a strong warrior. A whole warrior. You have something to live for.”

"Don't say that," Daisyflame mewed, brushing his pelt against her's. He hated seeing his clanmates down, especially when it was because of something they couldn't control. "SkyClan's leader isn't even half the size of a warrior, but he still managed to become their leader and serve them just like any other cat," he mewed, assuming that was the case. Well, he'd been a leader this long, so he must have been doing something right.

"You have something to live for; your clan. If not them, then live for me," the large warrior mewed, turning his gaze to the dark pelted she-cat. She couldn't see his faint smile, but it was there, for what had been the first time in a long while.

Ravenmist’s tense shoulders began to droop as Daisyflame spoke, and her tail started to straighten. His meow was deep, calming. So much like Hollowpaw’s. At least, Hollowpaw’s voice had seemed deep at the time. They had both been so young. The dark she-cat leaned into Daisyflame, breath shaky but tears slowing. ”But what if I lose you, too? I-I’m not sure if I could handle something happening to another cat close to me.” Her tail-tip twitched, as her paws shuffled. ”And besides, you wouldn’t want to be burdened with a cat like me.” But... It’s not healthy to be isolated, that much I’ve learned. What if he’s willing to, despite everything? How could I turn down an offer of friendship?

Her concern was something he'd struggled with for the longest time as well, but he'd just recently found the answer, one in which he was positive was the truth. "Then life will move on. You'll find another cat to share your feelings with, to be friends with, and everything will be fine," he mewed, praying to StarClan that he was saying the right things. "And you don't know who I like and don't like being around," Daisyflame pointed out.

Ravenmist sighed, turning her head towards him, ears angled. ”I suppose you have a point. Thank you.” She sat for a moment, leaning against Daisyflame, breath evening. ”Do you really mean it? Are you sure you want to befriend me?” Her mew had an incredulous note to it, almost as if she couldn’t believe it herself. For the first time since I was an apprentice, a cat I’m comfortable around, and who seems to be comfortable with me. A cat who took the time to talk to a silly, grieving blind cat.

Sure, Scorchstar was that, but he had always been busy, and, though she had loved her father, when she grew out of kithood it had become more of a business partnership, a sense of duty, than a true friendship. She sat there for a moment, quiet, waiting for a response from the flame and white tom.

"Of course I'm sure" Daisyflame purred as their pelts pressed against one another. The blind she-cat had lived a life that he didn't and wouldn't understand, but he hoped to be able to support her, no matter what he was able to relate to or not. "Ravenmist, you're a fighter, a survivor. And to me, that makes a cat one to be respected," he mewed, giving the top of her head a lick of affirmation.

Sitting next to Ravenmist, a monster raced by, spewing hot, stinky air towards the pair as they sat against the warm, black, path. "We should probably get going before anyone gets too worried," the large tom spoke, standing up and giving his pelt a shake. Leaning over ever so slightly so that their pelts brushed against each other, he didn't want to leave her side, just in case.