On the Outside Looking In [Zinnia]

The morning was warm, though a crisp breeze ruffled Swiftpaw's short fur as she padded through the grasses that covered the moors. She found herself drawn to the fields today, flowers blooming every which way she turned. There was something idyllic, almost tranquil about it. In essence, it was about as far from her training sessions as Swiftpaw could get without ever leaving the territory. The flowers were splashes of bright cheerfulness and Swiftpaw found that she'd slowed to a walk from her brisk trot, content to take her time as she meandered through the flower field. Tawnyflare had wanted the morning to herself, and Swiftpaw was thinking that that had been one of her mentor's better ideas if it meant she could wander here, undisturbed, and drink in the beauty that was Windclan's territory. Shades of pink, purple, green... Blues and oranges and white flowers all blooming. Mother would have loved this. The thought came unbidden, and Swiftpaw forced it towards the back of her mind. She didn't want to tarnish such a place by thinking of what was lost to her. It was nice to have the moment to herself, to breathe. To be without the expectations of her mentor and simply enjoy the territory she had found herself in.

Pleasant weather and the early morning were things that tended to draw Zinnia out of camp, into the flower fields that were almost sacred to her. There was a hazy, dreamlike quality to this place at that time of day, one that reminded her of home and often lulled her to sleep. These naps rarely lasted all that long, and it couldn't have been more than a few hours before the combination of the cool breeze and approaching pawsteps woke her. She lifted her head slowly, glancing skyward to ensure that she hadn't misjudged the time, and nodded politely. "Swiftpaw. It's a lovely morning, isn't it?"

Swiftpaw blinked at the sudden movement of a pale she-cat up ahead, one of her clanmates, she realized. Swiftpaw came to a stop, offering the warrior- Zinnia? Did she remember the name right?- an apologetic look for intruding.  "I didn't see you there, sorry if I'm intruding." Her words were friendly enough, however, and Swiftpaw found herself smiling as she responded.

"It is, I didn't realize how nice the flower fields looked at this time, either." There was something captivating about the flowers in bloom that surrounded them, something peaceful. Swiftpaw could see the appeal in stealing moments to rest here among the flowers. "It's so much calmer than in camp." Much as she had grown to like the majority of her clanmates, it was nice to simply be out on her own, without the constant bustle of activity to interrupt the peace and quiet.