Concrete Rose [Hyacinth]

Ata's nose wrinkled in disgust at the acrid stench of the thunderpath, reluctantly padding beside the strange gray stone and sticking to the undergrowth as best she could while she just as reluctantly marked the border. It separated Thunderclan from Shadowclan, and she didn't want to be anywhere near the marsh-dwelling clan's border even in broad daylight. There was still the chance of a patrol happening by, however unlikely she thought it should be, and she wanted to take no chance of being recognized as having participated in the attack on their camp.

Of course, she also had to hold up appearances to her clanmates and play her part of outsider turned loyal Thunderclanner. So Ata tried to hurry as best she could, hoping she could get away from the overwhelmingly noxious scent of thunderpath combined with Shadowclan as quickly as she could. The stench alone was enough to make it difficult to scent other cats nearby... And she dearly hoped that she wouldn't pay for that while she was here.

Slowly, Hyacinth trekked through the underbrush. Remaining undetected in Clan territory had always been difficult, but it became even worse since ShadowClan and WindClan were now on high alert. A grimace crossed her face as monsters occasionally crossed the thunderpath, sending the terrible scent flying up her nose each time. Since Klaus’ announcement, she’d deliberately been avoiding camp, and when she was there, she made sure to stay on the opposite side of it. Sometimes that even meant moving her nest, but she didn’t care. He’d broken her trust; her heart. The foxheart deserved it.

Just as she was going through the recent events in her head, she heard pawsteps crunching in the snow nearby. Dropping into a low crouch, Hyacinth scanned the area before finally landing eyes on her daughter. In a hushed voice, she called out, ”Hello?” If she wasn’t alone, Hyacinth didn’t want to give away that they were related or knew each other in any way. If she was, then hopefully… They could speak to one another, at least for a little while. Hyacinth knew she wouldn’t be able to stay long regardless. Despite that, seeing her daughter was a bright ray of sunshine after a long string of dark, cloudy days, even if the reason she was gone upset her greatly.

A soft 'hello?' made Ata turn, and a grin quickly formed on her face as she recognized her mother's scent. It was most definitely not supposed to be near clan borders, but what the clan didn't know wouldn't hurt them. She glanced around, but it seemed her patrolmates were far enough away... For the moment, at least. "Mom, I missed you." She purred quietly, slipping through the undergrowth toward her. "They're calling me Featherpaw now. Achlys and Achelois are here and got the same stupid names, too. But they're safe."

Hyacinth’s gaze softened as Atalante came forward, and she welcomed her with a gentle smile. Nuzzling her affectionately, Hyacinth mewed, ”I’ve missed you too, Ata.” Hyacinth fought the urge to recoil slightly at her new name. ”You’ll always be my Ata. Don’t forget where you came from, love. I’m glad your siblings are safe, too.” Hyacinth purred, leaning into Atalante’s embrace. Clearing her throat, she asked quietly, ”How is Waterlily?” Hyacinth didn’t boame this she-cat for what Klaus had done- she was just as much a victim, if not more. Though there was no direct connection, Hyacinth almost felt as if she had a stake with these kits, too. They were, after all, going to become part of the Order someday.

"I'll never forget." Ata promised, pressing against her mother, "I miss you and Ana, and Aoife." She added. Ata didn't think she'd ever truly get used to clan life if she was being honest, and right now she didn't want to. She was here on Klaus' orders and nothing more.

"She seems alright... It's looking like it might be a large litter. The clan treats her well and they don't know about the father. She doesn't know about me, either." She responded, keeping her voice quiet. "I met dad a while ago, he said you were attacking Windclan? Is everyone alright?"

occ; i somehow completely forgot this topic existed ;; so sorry about that

Nodding at Atalante’s confirmation that she wouldn’t ever forget her roots, Hyacinth pressed against her daughter, soaking in this moment. It would likely be a long while before they could do this again. ”I’ve missed you too, little duck.” She mewed, shifting around beneath the weight of her pelt. ”That’s all good news. I hope it all goes well, and the kits are born safely. If there are any issues, the Order will take care of it.” Hyacinth said confidently.

”We did attack WindClan, yes. Everyone’s alright, a little beat up but on the mend. I’ve claimed the barn for the Order as well, so we’ve had extra territory to hunt on. It could’ve gone worse.” With a sigh, Hyacinth shook her head. ”Things will get better, eventually. Leafbare can’t last too much longer, after all. Hunting will become easier, herbs will thrive in the warm weather. Soon, I hope.”

Atalante pressed against her mother, grateful for her presence. She had Achlys and Achelois in Thunderclan with her, but it wasn't the same as being able to go to a parent for comfort. "I'm glad everyone's okay." It was a relief to hear, Atalante hadn't realized just how worried she'd been after Klaus had informed her of the plan to attack Windclan. "Extra territory is good, especially with this harsh weather." She mewed, "Hunting here has been... difficult, actually. There's so many raccoons..." She and Starlingflare had fought four of the buggers just trying to catch one piece of prey. "I suppose we get a lot of nest-lining out of them. I'm not sure wearing them would go over well." She added, whiskers twitching.

”I am, as well. I don’t know if we can stand to lose anyone else.” Slightly alarm was evident in the molly’s pointed features when she mentioned hunting being difficult, and the predators that plagued their territory. ”Before you were born, your father and Tarot eliminated as many predators as they could to keep our camp safe. They tend to stay further from us now. You and your siblings grew up being used to that, so I understand if it’s a difficult adjustment. Perhaps we can help out here and there… I guess I’ll talk to… Anastasia about it.” She was going to mentioned speaking to Klaus about it, but they still weren’t exactly on speaking terms. So, her daughter and Overseer of the Hunters would have to do.

Ata listened as her mother spoke, ears pricked as she mentioned what Klaus and Tarot had done. "That makes sense... I barely ran into predators when hunting around our own camp." And oh, how she missed it. She missed the friendly competition between herself and her littermates, she missed Ana's warmth and her brothers tagging along with them. Ata noticed her mother's slight hesitation as she spoke Anastasia's name, and wondered if she'd been meaning to talk to Klaus but was having second thoughts. Maybe she didn't want to talk to him, after what he'd revealed. "I wonder if we could organize something like that in the clan, too. The mentor they gave me is aggressive enough for it, though I think poor Starlingflare is just sick of finding raccoons everywhere instead of prey." Her whiskers twitched in amusement before it quickly left her face. "Mom... Are you okay? With... This, I mean." She hadn't been there when Klaus had come clean to the rest of the order, and the thought of her parents not being happy with each other was a strange one.

Hyacinth simply nodded at her daughter’s observation, making sure to stay as close to her as she could, as if she was afraid to lose her. She nodded along as the she-cat spoke, murmuring quietly, ”If you think that would be beneficial, then yes. I can’t see why the Clan would be opposed to it, it’s a very strategic move. In the meantime, I’ll try to keep them at bay, and see if Anastasia can help, too.” Her face immediately changed when she asked about whether or not she was okay with the situation.

A deep sigh came from her maw and she looked down at her paws. ”What choice is there, really?” Her tone was one of mixed feelings of sadness, frustration, and a twinge of anger. ”I know you’re not kits anymore, but I’ve never felt as if I had a say in anything when it came to you and your siblings. That didn’t change as you got older… If anything, it only got worse. And now, since we’ve been told about Waterlily… I’ve clearly got no control over my own mate, either, if you could even call him that. So… No, I’m not alright with it. But the fact of the matter is that I’ve got no choice.” Tears pricked at her eyes, and she continued to stare down at her paws. A wispy cloud came from her paw as she sighed once again, yet she cleared her throat and looked up to her daughter. ”It doesn’t matter, though. What’s done is done, it cannot be changed. I’ve got you, your siblings, and you’re all safe. That’s what matters.”

Atalante purred her thanks at Hyacinth's offer, the sound dying away as Hyacinth reacted to her question. Gently, she pressed against her mother as she spoke. She... didn't know what to say, truthfully. Klaus had been a mousebrain, but none of this was Hyacinth's fault. "I'm sorry mom." She mewed softly. "I miss you, I miss my siblings. Dad... I don't know anymore. It wasn't right, what he did."

Leaning into her daughter’s embrace, Hyacinth nuzzled the top of her head affectionately. ”None of it is your fault. You’re doing the best you can with what you’re given, and that’s admirable.” Another deep sigh from the calico-tabby she-cat signified her exhaustion. ”I’ve got to get back soon. You better get going as well. I can’t imagine ThunderClan would be too happy to hear that their newest apprentice was snuggling up to a rogue, hmm?” She teased lovingly, pressing into her daughter one final time. ”Stay vigilant. I love you, little duck.”

"Thanks, mom." Atalante was content to lean into her mothers side, feeling almost like a kit again as Hyacinth nuzzled the top of her head. All too soon the moment ended, and her mother spoke. The fluffy tortoiseshell knew that her mother was right, and reluctantly pulled back to glance up at her. "Alright... I'll see you soon. Tell my siblings I say 'hello'?" She asked, "Love you, mom. Stay safe." She added, determinedly ignoring the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat and turning perhaps a tad too quickly away from her mother. They couldn't be seen talking, and she'd have to roll in some dirt before rejoining her clanmates, but that would never stop Atalante from caring about her family.