Aspirin Cures Headache, Aspen Cures Heartache

This was the same exact spot by the river where Flurryshine realized just how much she had loved Hillfire. And Hillfire had loved her just as much. Enough to have kits with her in fact. She winced as her unborn children squirmed and kicked inside her; it wouldn't be long now before they would be able to see their mother, their home, their territory, their world.

...Everything but their father.

Hillfire had been banished from RiverClan. She didn't even know exactly what Jaystar had been talking about when he and Scorchclaw suddenly returned after following Hillfire, Lichenmask, and a few other cats, but those other cats weren't with them anymore. There was some kind of talk about eradicating cats in the Clans with tainted blood and letting the pure live to rebuild what remained of the Clans. It made her heart ache at the thought that Hillfire had followed this ideal, because she knew that she herself was not a pure RiverClan cat. If Hillfire really went through with these plans to drive out those with tainted blood, would that mean he would've had to drive her away? Would he hate her if he found out? It's not like she was aware of her true heritage until about a moon ago with Coldpaw told her and her other sisters, but... it still hurt to know that he would've stopped at nothing to do away with his own mate and unborn children.

But despite all of that, she still loved him. She always would love him. But now he was gone. She couldn't remember the last time she had been without a crush or a mate, and it killed her to be all alone. She wanted to move on. She needed to move on. She needed to feel loved and valued and cherished.

Tears mingled with the river water as she began to cry.

The river was near, he could hear it's familiar rushing noises. He needed to be alone, away from all of his family. His kits were taken care of, they still hadn't opened their eyes. He just needed to go to the river, the place where he learned all that he knew. The place where he caught his first piece of prey. A place where memories could come back to life. He knew he hadn't been mates with Blazesong all that long, but she had loved him, and he had loved her. The pain he felt was as if his heart had cracked, and the kits were all that remained. They would share the same fate as he had, no mother.

As he approached, he heard noises. Crying, he knew the sound all too well at this point. He knew it was a cat from Riverclan by the scent. As he got closer, he discerned the white pelt as Flurryshine's. Aspenstrike knew well the views Hillfire, her mate, had held against non-pure bloods. He didn't know his bloodline, except for it was Riverclan. He felt sure he wasn't completely Riverclan blood though. Even if he was pure, those views made him sick. He'd defend every single non-pure blood Riverclanner, they were still from his clan. He assumed it was about Hillfire. She had lost her mate, he had been exiled. He had lost his mate, she had died. He couldn't watch anyone suffer his pain alone. He padded closer to her, making himself known quite quickly. He spoke, trying not to alarm her, as the wind was blowing in his direction, not hers.

"Hi Flurryshine." The brown tabby tom padded closer, about a tails length away he sat down. He blinked slowly, watching the current of the river. "Your mate's gone, mine's dead. What a coincidence." His attempt at humor fell flat, leaving himself just feeling worse inside. "Do you need someone to talk to? W-we seem to be going through the same horrible, horrible fate..." He wrapped his tail around his paws, as if securing himself to the ground. His gaze stayed on the steady current of the river, something that never changed.

Even if Flurryshine couldn't scent the approaching cat, she could still hear his pawsteps crunching against the pebbles by the shoreline. She looked up at Aspenstrike as he addressed her by name, then she looked back down at her paws as he spoke, listening silently. At the invite of closure, she let out a soft, shaky sigh. "...I think I would normally say no, but... I don't really want to be alone with my thoughts right now. I'm... sorry about your mate. And about your kits. I'm... I'm expecting Hillfire's, but they will never be able to see their father. Do... Do you have any kits as well?" She wanted to try and find an icebreaker so they could have an actual conversation, so that neither of them would sit next to one another in awkward, sorrowful silence.

He continued watching the river, it kept him rooted to the present. "The three kits I had with-" He trailed off, unable to say her name. "-her. Sleekkit, Sunkit, and Sootkit. Thanks for being sorry about it. It won't bring her back but... it's good to know others care. I'm sorry that your mate has been exiled, I personally can't say I ever quite liked him but... I know he meant a lot to you. I'm sure your kits will be wonderful. My kits will never have a mother, like me, and your kits will never know a father." He looked up at Flurryshine, wondering why she had ever loved Hillfire. She was too good for him, he hated cats for their purity of blood. She must not have known, there must've been some other redeeming qualities in him. He quietly meowed "Perhaps I-i could... help in taking care of your kits. It'd be hard taking care of them alone, even with k-kin to help."  He moved slightly closer to her, allowing himself to hear and see her slightly better. "My kits, they're a-all I have left of her. T-they might like playing with yours, once they're born. I'm sure you'll b-be an excellent mother to yours." His stutter only got worse when he was nervous. He didn't know why he felt nervous though. Perhaps it was because he was talking about his dead mate? His kits? Maybe it was because he was talking to Flurryshine? He didn't know...

Her eyes grew misty again, and she tried blinking her tears away. She looked up at Aspenstrike, looking him in green eyes through green eyes, a very small smile playing her muzzle. "I... I've always wanted to be a mother. I'd be more than happy to help you raise your beautiful kits, Aspenstrike. Th-That might help me take my mind off of... my loss. Likewise, if you want to help me raise my own, perhaps... perhaps then they both can still have a mother and a father, even if just adopted." Those eyes. Those gentle leaf-green pools of emotion seemed to draw her in somehow. She loved Hillfire for his skills -- he was a very impressive cat in his own right despite his narcissism and twisted ideals -- but Aspenstrike seemed much more sensitive than the banished tom. His mate must've feel like a true queen of queens with the love and attention he had given her. Hillfire may have given her the same thing, but... it's too late to test that theory out now. If only she could find someone else to love him. Someone like Hillfire. ...Or Aspenstrike.

ooc: im dying rn this is TOO CUTE FOR ME (also that topic title tho, my goodness)
ic:

Aspenstrike looked back at Flurryshine, smiling about the fact that she was smiling. The way she acted, he knew she could be a bit of a drama queen, but she was more than that. She was about to have kits, he wanted them to know a father. He also wanted to be with Flurryshine. He wasn't sure what attracted him to her. He'd always seen her in camp and been slightly jealous he had to admit. She was beautiful and despite your initial thoughts of it's a shallow drama queen, he now saw that she wasn't just that. She wanted to be with someone. He wanted to be with someone. It was perfect right? Maybe, only if she agreed. "Perhaps they can, we-we're both grieving. Someone to help with that is better than dealing with it alone. M-my kits, I'm sure they would love to be with you as their mother. I can only hope that I'd be a good father to yours, even if they're not my own."

(OOC: It was all because I kept pronouncing Aspenstrike as Aspirinstrike in my head, that's how I got the idea XD)

Flurryshine's smile grew a bit bigger. "I-I'd like that very much, Aspenstrike. And... I just know you'd be a good father. Perhaps... an even better one than Hillfire. He was very talented as a warrior, yes, but... thinking about it now, he doesn't seem to be a fatherly type. You, on the other paw, are modest and sensitive. My kits would love having you as a father."

The next thing happened, and she didn't really know how. She was just drawin to the mottled warrior, and she couldn't pull herself away. She shifted herself closer and closer to Aspenstrike until finally her shoulder was resting against his, and her bushy tail was resting on his equally fluffy one. His fur was so soft and warm, and his scent was so comforting. She only knew him for a little bit, but... it felt as though she was able to move on after all. A purr rose in her throat, and she closed her eyes, leaning her head against the crevice of the side of his neck.