A Calm After the Storm (Closed for Stormy)

Ashstorm walked into the camp the night that approached after the fight that her and her siblings had. The night was beautiful. A chilly breeze flew through the air and the stars shimmered like white dots in the sky. A near full moon that brought a bright light down. Her paws dragged on the ground that was filled with trampled on grass until she made it to the warrior's den. She turn her head and peered inside to see Copperfox and Primroselight sleeping inside. She quickly pulled her head back and sighed. She continued to walk passed the den. She felt really bad and did not want her siblings to be upset by her or them to yell and scream at each other again. She deserved to get yelled at, she was the one who had the bad judgement to join the argument.

Ashstorm strode into the trees, knowing that she should have an Asylum cat come with her, but did not really think they would care too much because the place she was going was not that far. She walked a little farther in than she remembered, but still close to the camp. She came to the place that she found during a patrol she had been on. She had found it during leaf-fall when the leaves on the trees were so thick it almost looked like there was a canopy when you were in it. It was filled with greenery, of course with some ash. Now all the leaves have fallen, leaving the ground covered with the brown cracked remains. All around it had been beautiful purple Corncockle plants. Most had already become shriveled up and broken, but a few were still slightly more normal, unusual for leaf-bare, but looked very nice. One was only a little shriveled and she needed to savor it before it fell dead like most of the others. So, she just looked at for a small while, thinking.

This place was very peaceful and calm, unlike her family. She sighed again, beginning to think angry thoughts about herself. Tearing herself apart for what happened that day. After she was done looking at it, she turned away and felt her fluffy tail lightly brush the delicate flower. Ashstorm walked over to one of the trees in this peaceful place she found. She looked at it, locking in in her eye. Then she hissed at the tree, started to stand on her back legs and scratched her tree. She kept hissing and yelling things that were not even words. Just saying things like "ah" and things like that. Wooden bark shavings flew off of the tree as her claws scratched the tree. This is how she was going to get her anger out. She hated yelling, so instead she decided to mindlessly start scratching this thing. She was pretty certain that all the other cats in Skyclan could not hear here, she was too far away and not yelling that loud. Her thoughts fueled her scratching.

Then, Ashstorm heard paw steps behind her. She did not know who or what was behind her but she hoped it was not one of the cats involved in the argument or they would know exactly what this was about. She set her paws down and quickly turned around. After she turned around, she realized that she was nearly nose to nose with Himbo Bob. She put her head down and took a few steps back. She gave him a shy smile. "Hi, Himbo Bob," she exclaimed. "I did not expect you to be here." She looked at him. Her eyes filled with sadness, happiness and anger, not realizing that she still looked mad from the fight before.

Himbo Bob had felt bad for Ashstorm after yesterday. Her family -- the cats she was supposed to depend on no matter what -- had practically raked her pelt with insults. So of course he'd done what any cat with a heart would've done; he'd stepped in abd defended her. If her own family would be so quick to snap at her, then he'd be the one to protect her. After all, she'd done no harm. It wasn't a crime to be friendly and understanding.

Looking back, he realized he may have been a bit... Too harsh. He hadn't meant to insult Prim....roselight? The flame point thought that's what Ashstorm had called her, anyways. Perhaps he'd try to make it up to her some day. So it was to his surprise when he saw Ashstorm slipping out of the camp entrance. One of the guards looked like he was going to follow her, but he stopped the cat just in time, saying he'd follow her. Dawnhawk had trusted him to watch over Ashstorm, and he didn't want one of the few nice cats here to be harmed in any way.

Following her, keeping his distance, he noticed her stop and gaze adoringly at a patch of purple corncockle flowers. Grinning like a fool as she walked away, he suddenly knew just how to cheer her up. Gathering together a small bouquet of the exquisite purple flowers, he carried off in pursuit of the molly. Himbob wasn't dense enough to not realize that if she was tearing up that tree that bad, she must've been angry. So he waited for a moment until she slowed before hesitantly approaching.

She must've heard him, for she stopped completely, and so he carried on approaching. Suddenly, the fluffy gray she-cat turned around, so close he could feel their whiskers touch and he backed away in a hurry. With a sheepish smile, he placed down the flowers in front of her, meeting her yellow gaze, "I, uh, saw you leave camp and wanted to make sure you were okay. Those are for you -- I saw you staring at the corncockle plants earlier and thought it might cheer you up " he explained, and then followed after an awkward moment of silence, "So, how are you feeling right now?"

Ashstorm looked down at the purple flowers.  Besides the few times she got comforted after the Asylum came and after her siblings fought, this was the nicest thing a cat did for her.  "Thank you," she responded to him bringing her flowers.  "Also, I sorry for, uh," she was about to bring up the uncomfortable moment that happened a few moments ago, but thankfully stopped herself.  She sighed.  "Sad, happy, angry, and hurt." She admitted in response to his question.  "I just did not think my siblings would do that."  She shook her head.  "Anyway, that was the past this is the present," She gave him a smile.  "What about you?  How are you feeling?"

"Oh, it's... You're fine." He mumbled hastily Ashstorm tried to apologize. "I think... I understand. My youngest brother, Himbo Blake, does not get along with us very well. He has a mean temper and goes by 'Just Blake'. I'm sorry you had to go through that." He mewed, the flame-pointed tom's words genuine.

Then the gray molly surprised him by asking how he was. "Oh! Uh, I'm fine! Thanks for askin'. If you're sad and angry, then... Is there anything I can do to cheer you up? You're the first FlyClanner to truly talk to me like a cat and not some horrid creature. I don't want you to be upset because your siblings were arguing about the Asylum."

Ashstorm smiled.  She felt like correcting him when he said flyclanner, but then quickly forgot about it when he continued.  When Himbo Bob told the story of his brother, she did not feel as alone as before.  "Just... talk to me," she responded to his question.  "You're the first cat to just talk to me and see if I was okay after the Asylum came.  Everyone else I seemed to talk to wants to try and make me think exactly like they do."  She thought for a moment about how long ago the last talk was that she had were the other cats talking to her did not mention the word "Asylum," or something about the Asylum.

"I'm sorry the cats in Skyclan are treating you like that.  You were probably just doing what those above you were telling you too.  No group should be judged because one part of it is bad."