Comfort and Closure (closed)

With all that had happened and been happening lately, Daisyflame had somehow been able to drag Scorchstar out of his den for a much needed walk through the territory. For the past moon or so, StagClan had been a nuisance to ShadowClan; somehow managing to drive them out of their home, stripping Scorchstar of one of his lives, and taking a few other lives along the way. It had been a lot to process for the tom, and he wasn't even the leader. How Scorchstar managed to somewhat keep it together was a pure mystery. Unfortunately, the dark, fluffy tom had been looking worse for wear as of late, which was worrying, seeing as though Daisyflame wasn't used to seeing him so down.

Padding alongside his best friend at a moderately slow pace, the two toms' pelts brushed against each other's in a comforting sort of way. If only times could've always been like this. Just him and Scorchstar. No other cat to bother them, no other worries in the world besides getting food in their bellies... what a wonderful life it would be. Sadly, neither of them would ever be granted such a dream, for life was too cruel, in a mysterious sort of way. If only they could run away, just the two of them. Run away from their problems, from the worries of the world... how amazing the feeling of freedom would be. While against the code, it was certainly a tantalizing thought, though he knew very well such a fantasy as that would never come true.

Ridding his head of such ridiculous thoughts, Daisyflame turned his gaze to Scorchstar, unsure of what to really say. The silence was appreciated, but it had been long enough without any words, which made his pelt start to itch with anticipation.

"I..." he began softly, hoping not to say anything out of turn. "I'm glad it's all over," Daisyflame put simply. 'Well, the StagClan thing anyway...' he should've added, but didn't, seeing as though the leader probably wasn't in the mood for him blabbering on.

Scorchstar stared down at his paws as he walked along beside his best friend, one of the only cats he found he could truly trust. While his bout of depression and self-loathing had passed for the most part, and while he could now once again appreciate and acknowledge his Clanmates' undying loyalty when they had chose to follow him as opposed to Burntstag, he still felt so incredibly fragile. Mentally, that is. Like the smallest thing going wrong could cause him to snap at the ones he cares most about again. He regretted having done that the day he took back ShadowClan's territory, of course. Yet ... he still couldn't help but feel paranoid, like any of his Clanmates will try to back-stab him again like how Burntstag had. But he knew one cat who would never do such a thing. While he trusted Poppyheart, Thornbriar, and many of his warriors well enough, he found he could safely put the most of his trust into Littlestar's son, the cat who had always stuck by his side through thick and thin.

He looked up at his best friend's words, and he frowned sadly. He wasn't sure if Daisyflame was just trying to make him -- and possibly even himself -- feel better, or if he was honestly that easy to fool. He doubted the latter of the two options was true. He sighed softly and shook his head. "The war may be over, Daisyflame ... but the scars caused by Burntstag's betrayal will never go away." While the majority of his Clanmates chose to follow him, a small pawful of them chose to follow Burntstag instead. Two of those cats were his own kin. Asterspark and Silentpaw ... who were now called Sans and Silent Snows. He had had to banish his own beloved son from ShadowClan, and he also had to force his beautiful daughter into lifelong retirement. It broke his heart having to punish his kits this way -- one of which he may not even be able to see again. But he knew he couldn't be lenient on any cat who betrayed him and ShadowClan in favor of Burntstag's backwards ideals. That wouldn't have been fair to the other cats who hadn't developed as close a bond to him.

Scorchstar suddenly stopped walking. All of his Clanmates had been hurt by Burntstag's betrayal to ShadowClan. Yet ... no other living cat but Thornbriar knew of the harsh effects the aftermath had had on him. Thornbriar, when she had found out what he had done in light of what had happened to his beloved Clan, dealt with the situation in a way that had been tough for him to swallow. She had never been the mushy-feely type of cat to sugarcoat things when tough love was obviously the answer. In fact, even if situations did call for a sugarcoating, she never held back in telling other cats exactly what was on her mind.

He appreciated it, of course. But ... he also knew he needed closure. He had lost so much in a matter of a few weeks. Many other cats did as well, of course, but ... he still needed someone to talk to. He needed someone to listen to what he wanted to tell them. He needed to talk about what he had done. "Daisyflame. I ... I need to tell you something. You must promise never to tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you. I ... I need to tell someone about this, and I trust you the most out of any other cat right now."

The silence between the two of them seemed deafening, and Daisyflame prayed that Scorchstar's silence was the cause of him thinking deeply and not that he'd said something wrong. Soon enough though, the leader spoke and he couldn't help but find himself somewhat embarrassed. He'd been a mousebrain to say something so dull, and simply nodded his head in agreement to the leader's words. The two toms kept on walking, until Scorchstar stopped in his tracks.

Turning to look over his shoulder and then turn himself so that he faced his best friend, Daisyflame cocked his head to the side, his gaze full curiosity, though his heart was filled with worry. What could the leader have to share that seemed to be such a secretive matter? Well, whatever the reason was, he was glad that Scorchstar found himself trustworthy enough to tell him.

"Of course. I'll never tell a soul," the large tom mewed confidently, giving a reassuring nod as he faced the dark pelted leader.