Catching Up (CLOSED)

Falconwing padded towards the medicine cat’s den, shaking out her fur. After battling greencough for so long, she was eager to get back into normal life, and, most importantly, catch up with Mosspaw. She’d been around her daughter, but had been more concerned about surviving sickness than casual chatter. She hadn’t seen Flintfang around lately, but the brown tabby hoped she would get some answers through talking to her daughter. “Mosspaw?” She poked her head in, a smile on her face. “Do you wanna hang out?”

Mosspaw was staring down at the mess of berries scattered in front of her. She had gone to gather them early that morning and by the time she returned they were mixed together. A couple small piles had been started, but she was having a difficult time trying to focus and keep her mind on the task before her, with Pricklebush's absence and the quick meeting with Flintfang weighing heavily on her mind. A familiar voice and face peered into the medicine den, and she looked up to meet the sight of her mother's smile. She nodded in response, giving her a small smile back and waved her tail to welcome her in. Her mother had been very ill, Mosspaw checking on her constantly along with Leopardclaw, trying to help guide the she-cat through fighting the greencough that had tried so hard to claim her.

"Sure, mom! Come on in, let me finish sorting these berries and putting them away and then we can do whatever you want. Do you want to take a walk or anything?" Her focus renewed, she started quickly sorting the berries, pushing each one into it's pile quickly before wrapping them up and storing them away, turning to face her mother once again. "How are you feeling today? Is the fever still gone?"

Falconwing smiled as she stepped into the den. My sweet Mosspaw, so big now, a confident medicine cat. ”I’m feeling great, Mosspaw, thank you. Maybe we should just go to a quiet area, it seems like forever since we last talked alone!” She added the last part with a chuckle, though the tabby was a bit concerned by Flintfang’s absence from camp. She leaned to look outside of the medicine den, scanning to try and find a spot.

(OOC: Sorry I took so long to reply, life’s been busy with the start of school and whatnot.)

"That's great news," Mosspaw purred. "Yeah, sure! I know a small clearing not far from camp, you've been confined for a long time, I'm sure you'd like the chance to stretch your legs!" Mosspaw led the way out of the medicine den, and out of camp. She padded up the ravine slowly, looking back to check on the she-cat that had adopted her as a lone kit mewling in the snow. The last thing she wanted was for her to exert herself too much too soon, and get sick again.. The last couple moons had been terrifying, watching her mother fight for her life and treating her mostly on her own while Pricklebush was away. It wasn't long before they reached a small clearing, not very far away from the camp entrance but far enough to have the solitude that would be needed to explain Flintfang's absence... Oh stars, how was she going to go about that? Or Lilypaw's? She sat down, wrapping her tail over her paws tightly as she looked at Falconwing. She'd cross that river when it came time to.

"Have you settled back into the warrior den alright? Make sure that Beartooth isn't working you too hard, I'll talk to him myself if you need me too."

OOC: No worries!

Falconwing followed Mosspaw, the light shining off her short, thick fur. ”Ah, don’t you worry about that. I was more eager to get back than anyone else, and Beartooth is a good cat.” She stretched out, enjoying the soft grass under her paws. ”How have Lilypaw and Flintfang been? Shame my apprentice had to be delayed in her training, but I haven’t seen either around the medicine cat den lately. Then again, Flintfang’s hardly spoken to me since we got back from the flooding.” She spoke the last part with a slightly bitter tone, tail giving a single flick.

Mosspaw purred, happy to hear that her mother had been able to slip back into her duties with relative ease. "I'm glad to hear it! Just please make sure you take it easy, and come see Pricklebush or me immediately if your cough starts again..." She remained sitting as Falconwing stretched out, paws reaching over the lush greenleaf grass underpaw. Her ears swiveled back as Falconwing asked the questions she had been dreading. Tail wrapping even tighter, as if supporting her upright, she looked down at the ground, afraid to meet Falconwing's gaze. Her throat started to close as she tried to find the words to explain all that had happened during Falconwing's illness. "You... you got really sick almost as soon as we came home.... You missed a lot.... Lilypaw.... Has been missing for a couple moons now. I tried to follow her scent, but it was cut off by more rain and... I couldn't find her.... We've been waiting to see if maybe she'll come back.... Flintfang...."

Oh stars. Should she tell her mother the whole truth? Or merely part of it? She blinked as the tears welled up in her eyes, falling to the ground. "Flintfang... left. I'm not sure where he's going, or where he's been, I just know that he's gone and he's never coming back." That had been what he said in the clearing, after all. He was leaving, and she couldn't get him to stay. Once more, she had failed to convince him, and he was gone forever. "Maybe he went to look for Lilypaw beyond the territories." She knew this wasn't true, he had fallen in love with another she-cat and was leaving for a supposedly better life, without the confines of code and honor. Maybe it would soften the blows of their disappearances though. They weren't complete truths, but they weren't complete lies, either... She really did have no idea what Flintfang was doing, or even where he was now. There could have been no way for her to know.

Falconwing dipped her head, disappointment evident on her face. "Oh..." The tabby flicked her tail, gaze sliding back up to Mosspaw, tears beginning to swell in her own eyes. "Oh, StarClan, I hope they're both safe, wherever they are. I hope I'll get to see them again." Her mate, her daughter and apprentice... gone. She wouldn't know if they were well or suffering, alive or dead. She could only hope for news, or the appearance of a familiar face... someday. She moved closer, pressing her muzzle into Mosspaw's shoulder. "First my mother and father, then Beepaw, and now Flintfang and Lilypaw..." Her shoulders heaved, the usually cheerful she-cat, for the first time, exposed enough to face the losses in her life. "Promise me you'll never leave me, Mosspaw. If you can only promise me one thing in life, promise me that."

Mosspaw bit her tongue as her tears welled up once again watching her mother's disappointment and own tears rising. Her tail was pulled in closer to her paws as the weight of everything hit her again. She had thrown herself into duties, anything to forget about the two large, empty holes. This revealed them once more, and it was hard, especially hard after having just spoken to Flintfang a couple days before, when he revealed he would be leaving the forest. She would never see him again.... Falconwing moved closer, pressing her muzzle to Mosspaw's shoulder. The medicine cat apprentice's head naturally went to sit on top of her mother's, holding her close as the warrior's shoulder's heaved with her grief. Her own paws shook as she tried to keep a calm face, to be able to be there, and be supportive of her mother. After all, they still had each other, even if it wasn't as much as Falconwing might wish.

"Of course, mom. I'll always be here, no matter what."