4 Years, No Calls [closed]

Smokeface staed at his paws in the dark, the cold nipping mercilessly at his skin under his thick gray pelt. The tomcat looked up at the sky, wind blowing in his face, bringing his eyes to watering. We need to talk... he told jimself, thinking endlessly of what will happen to his kits now that he and Morningfog, ehh... Should I stay with her, for the kits? Live a lie? Or should I follow my heart and tell them we ate no longer mates... or maybe... is there another way to do this? A way withouth the ghostly reminder that I could have done something else?

Just as he was about to leave his spot and go get some sleep, a shuffle made him freeze in his place. "Uhh, I was just taking a breath, erm... Morningfog...?" he said at first thinking it was someone else. But there was no denying that she was there.

Morningfog lifted her head from the snow, she had been feeling restless, tired still but, unable to sleep. Watching her kits had caused many moons of sleep to be lost and her body was more than ready for sleep. Her mind? Not so much. Hearing Smokeface, she hesitated. "..yes?" she said quietly. The she-cat stood and looked at him from across the clearing. She slowly pushed through the snow to him, sitting a bit of the way away from him, not sure how to approach the tom anymore.

I'll add color later)

Smokeface was unsure of how to approach Morningfog. His body immediately stiffened as she sat by him, and he felt a pang of regret as an imminent silence settled between them. He coughed slightly to break it, trying to find an appropiate subject to talk about. "How have the kits been...?" he asked with hesitation and feeling unsure. The subject of their kits was something delicate in this state.

"Dawnpaw nerds support right now. She tried to get an apprentice who wouldn't be let back into ThunderClan into our clan. Fishstar said no and the apprentice died. Apparently she thought she had feelings for him. Other than that, everything has been fine. Shinykit is the only one missing now." The last part was full of sadness. It was her fault that her daughter ran away.

"Oh? I should talk to her. And listen up. It's my fault she left... who knows where she is... if she is still alive..." he said hoarsley, looking for the first time at Morningfog, his eyes tame with pain and regret. After more silence, he blinked, looking at his paws. "Whose kits were they...?"

She closed her eyes, "He wouldn't want me to say, that seemed to be his main concern while I was trying to sort everything out." She said, frustrated by that. "From what I've seen, I'm not the only one either." With a defeated huff, she shook her head.

Smokeface huffed, looking down at her with slightly pained eyes. He couldn't help but feel bad for Morningfog at the same time. She hsd been put through a lot with all of this, maybe even more than him. "And what do our kits know...?" he asked, comforting the she-cat with a gentle flick of his tail on her hunched back.

She stayed quiet for a minute. "What do you mean?" she asked but, she really wanted to ask if the latest litter counted in 'his kits' and 'their kits'. Perhaps 'Who do you mean?' was the better question...

"Have you told our kits who the true father of the other kits are? And have you told this mysterious stranger's kits that they are not my kits? I itend to care for them as my own." he meowed, remembering how Fogheart had taken him in as he son shortly after he was all alone. It was comforting thought.

Morningfog looked at him. "No one besides he and I know who the father is, and, I have never indicated that they are yours, they have only known me as a parent." she meowed. 'And I wouldn't give them up for all the stars in Silverpelt!' she thought with pride in her heart. Bouncepaw was going to be a medicine cat and the others were full of spirit when it came to their training. Yellowpaw had basically had all his training keeping her up in the nursery while he asked her everything on being an apprentice and a warrior. Ospreypaw was so diligent despite Fogheart's untimely passing, he could teach the clan a bit on how to move on, perhaps she had handled the flood of kits well... The last part of Smokeface's mew nearly made her smile. Nearly. She was relieved that the kits would have a father figure albeit, a bit late. It did not matter if he felt anything for her if her kits got the support they needed. "Thank you."

Smokeface sighted, feeling like he was on the brim of exploding with feelings. He recognized that thin line between cool talk snd true feelings all too well, and he turned to Morningfog so sudden he was almost sure he would scare her like that. But his eyes were calm, calm and collected, like the sky before a storm. "Morningfog, I still want to be your mate. I can't leave you like this. I need you. But I am afraid of the kits. Of how they will react to their wimpy father, too afraid to face true feeling..."

Morningfog looked at him with uncertainty, "You don't have to do that, you don't have to be my mate, I'm the one at fault." she paused, "If that is how you truly feel, I would be glad to have another chance." she said with a soft smile. Then she thought about the kits. "What do you think they'll say? 'No, you can't come back?.'? They aren't Fishstar no matter how much they think so. You've got nothing to worry about, they'll have to learn to deal with their quarrels. I can't see you disappear into the Leafbare cold like that again... Where did you go?"

Smokeface purred at her words, feeling her old spark of amusement that he so dearly loved at her. "I went, thinking. Bit beyond the two Thunderpaths that lead to Highstones. In the end, I found endless plains with brisk wind and little prey. That's how I always imagine life without you..." he said drily, but his eyes were lit alive with a spark of happiness.

Her eyes widened then, then she gave him a loving look. "You... you are such an idiot sometimes... In the peak of Leafbare... oh dear..." she chuckled. She nosed his shoulder and sighed. "Don't go doing that again, okay? At least, not in this weather if you can manage. I don't want to hear Fishstar change your name to Iceface anytime soon..." she purred.

"Iceface? Oh, but it doesn't suit me at all! I prefer Frozentail." he chuckled, looking up at the snow that began to fall gently from the night sky, seeming to blend in with the stars, as if they were but falling stars themselves. "Morningfog. I miss Shatteredpaw. And Silentkit. And Shinykit..." he said, thinking about their dead kit and their gone older kit. Squirelltuft had reminded him of them with her maybe too-sour words.