i have never known color like this morning reveals to me

This place was simple, though it was precious all the same; a lone tree amidst the flowers, entirely unremarkable if not for its location. Simple, too, was the reason for the warrior beneath its branches, though it was just as complicated as it was not - what was easy, what was not, it was all a bit of a confusing mess to sort through in her mind. The two things got jumbled up, sometimes, and this in particular was easy and hard all at once; but it was important and so she had every intention to see it through.

(Love was a winding path, each turn filled with confusions and concerns, but safe enough to travel in the company of another; or perhaps love was the safety and life was the path. That made a little more sense, but it was hard to come to any solid answers on her own. Perhaps that was why she felt so much more at ease in the presence of her love, why her thoughts felt so much clearer, as if she'd drawn a map to this winding path they traveled side by side. Perhaps she could work that into what she'd planned to say? No, it was too late for more alterations if she wanted to remember the words, wasn't it...?)

Zinnia's tail curled tightly around her side as she waited for her mate to arrive at the meeting place she'd set, willing herself to take a deep breath and focus, hard as it was for her to keep her attention focused in one place. She'd get this right the first time, she told herself, her carefully wrapped bundle held gently to the moor-grass with one paw. She didn't dare risk the breeze catching wind of it, small and welcome as any reprieve from the recent heat happened to be, because the wind would carry it away in whichever direction it chose.

She glanced skyward, where the first of the stars were starting to show themselves against the color-shifting twilight, and wished for the strength of her ancestors.

The day since she's returned from the Moonstone not as Olivestone, but as Olivestar, had been hectic as the Clan started to get used to the idea of her at its helm, and she'd spent the day directing things and giving speeches and trying to wrangle the idea into familiarity in her own head. She'd been glad to have been received well within her Clan, but she still needed her own time to get used to the idea that she was well, the leader. When Zinnia had asked her for some time alone, Olivestar was more than happy to oblige, a smile crossing her face at the prospect of it just being the two of them.

Truthfully, she had a question of her own for her mate, and that question sat at the forefront of her mind as she padded through the flower field, towards the lone tree that stood among the rolling hills of the moor that they called home. The sun sank below the horizon, turning the sky brilliant hues of orange and red, with even some rich purples and magenta tinging the clouds as the sky got progressively darker, the stars showing up in the twilight sky one by one. The tree was a stark contrast to the richly-painted sky, and through the smell of the flowers that gave the air here an almost perfume-y scent, Olivestar could still pick up the scent of her beloved, and then she saw her, sitting below the tree that she'd first confessed her feelings under.

With a smile, she purred a quick greeting, rubbing her cheek against Zinnia's before sitting down beside the silvery-pelted she-cat, her own gray striped pelt brushing against. For a few moments she was content to sit in silence, the flowers bobbing in the wind around them, before Olivestar broke the silence.
"You look as lovely as always, Zinnia. I'm glad to get to spend some time alone with you out here. Though, you had something to tell me?"

Zinnia nodded. "For moons now, I've been trying to match in extravagance the stone that you gave to me when you confessed. If only I could, I would sing down the stars themselves until I could find one to match your name... As it is, I hunted for feathers all across the territory, but no one could fit what I wanted to convey with it..." She nudged the bundle forward, revealing it at last to be an array of shining, colorful feathers. "So I set aside the best ones, until I had enough. I'd say, perhaps, that there was one here for every time you crossed my mind... But I'm almost certain there aren't enough feathers in the world for that."

The taller-growing flowers around them swayed lightly in the breeze as she continued. "As well, you've taken up the role of leader... And as I pledged my loyalty to Finchstar, and Ravenstar in turn, the time has come to pledge myself to you." A soft, breathless laugh escaped her. "This time, I don't think I need to ask if you wish for me to stay... I still feel a little bad for ever thinking it at all. I keep wanting to apologize to Raventail, but I think we might just be pretending it didn't happen."

At last, the time had come, but it seemed the words had fled her mind. She was on her own, her well-rehearsed speech merely a whisper of a thought on the breeze.

Still, she spoke, and though they weren't the ones she'd whispered to herself time and again in an effort to somehow perfect them, the words came easily:

"Olivestar, I've found a home and a place here with you. To remain by your side is an honor I strive to somehow be worthy of with each day that passes; and I will follow you as we walk along the winding path of life in times of peace and war alike, into battle if that is what must be done. With the stars as my witness, I pledge myself to you; and so you have my loyalty and my heart, as does the whole of WindClan, for as long as you wish."

The bundle of feathers that Zinnia presented Olivestar looked beautiful in the dying light, and she immediately pawed them closer to her so that she could keep them close to her. "They're beautiful, I'll be sure to keep these close."

As the words flowed forth from her love's mouth, Olivestar found herself smiling as Zinnia ended up pledging her allegiance to her, and chuckled a little as she admitted her little stumble with Raventail, back at the beginning of his leadership.
"It's no question, but I'll answer it anyway. Of course I want you to stay around, and I actually have a question for you. I hope this isn't too much to ask, but I was wondering if you'd like to become my deputy."

Zinnia had just said, in no uncertain terms, that she would do nearly anything Olivestar asked of her; and that still rang true. But that, that felt a step too far - a step too far out of her place, a step too far into responsibilities, take your pick for why it wouldn't work. She could think of a thousand different reeasons, she was sure.

She was a warrior, she was WindClan; as much a moor-runner as any cat she shared a camp with. But was she the sort of cat to take on the duties of a deputy? She still bore the name her mother gave her, refusing to shed it for a warrior's oft-changing titles as fascinating as they were, and she had no intention of changing that decision. She was Zinnia, as she had always been, ever-changing and ever-constant all at once.

With a start, she realized she'd been staring blankly for more than a few short moments. "I... Me? I would follow you anywhere, do anything, yet I couldn't possibly do something like that - but why?"

Truthfully, Olivestar had been somewhat expecting this sort of reaction, but she'd wanted to ask nonetheless. She cocked her head a little to the side and with a gaze full of love and understanding, listened to her mate.
"Why? Well, why not? You're just as much as a WindClan warrior as our Clanmates, and you've proven yourself time and time again as a wonderful cat to have around. The qualities that make you a good mate - kindness, understanding, maturity - are all qualities that make you a good warrior, and I think you'd do great as WindClan's deputy. If you need more time to think about it, I won't be offended."

"I can't keep track of my own thoughts, let alone a conversation," Zinnia argued. "Besides that, I might be as much WindClan as anyone - but you know the other clans won't see it that way. I don't have the name or the air of a warrior, after all, and they'll see it as a poor decision on your part, to choose someone they see as an outsider. I don't want you to face that sort of judgment. And, to be honest, the idea of responsibility... Warrior is a title I can embrace. The title of deputy - the responsibility of it, the implications it brings - feels like stepping out of line, somehow..."

She looked down at her paws, and wondered if they were the sort of paws a deputy possessed. Wondered what it was that Olivestar saw, to make her worthy of the name; even if she was pushing it aside. Her voice was soft when she spoke again, "I follow different stars, though they all reside in the same sky - they'll see that and little else. Not to mention that I'm your mate, and they're sure to have something to say about that. I'm sorry to refuse you anything, but this... This is something I don't think I can give you."

"Honestly, the other Clans can go chase their own tails for all I care." Olivestar chuckled, an air of seriousness creeping into her tone. "This matter is strictly WindClan business, and I will stand by my decisions regardless of their thoughts on it. They can judge all they want, and besides, I didn't come into power by worrying about how the other Clans will judge me and my actions."

She then flicked her tail, an idea coming to her.
"How about this? We do a little "game" of sorts, where everyone gets to spend a day taking on the responsibilities of deputy, and you can test it out, see if you like it."

"...I'll concede to that," Zinnia agreed, nodding as she thought it over. It made sense. "A competition to see who's best suited isn't a bad idea. I'll agree to this on one condition: it's a shame that Morningdove isn't able to participate, so I'd like to split mine with her. She can hold a little power, if only for a day, whether or not she can do anything with it... I think she deserves that, at least."

A small laugh bubbled forth from Olivestar's maw, and she nodded. "I can agree to that."

By now, the sun was all the way below the horizon, and the only evidence that it was still there were a few streaks of pink. The gray she-cat sat in silence for a few moments before she turned back to Zinnia. "Thanks, by the way, for agreeing to at least give it a try."

She then ran her cheek against her mate's. "I love you."