It's Nice To Be Alive [c]

Flutterpetal inhaled the morning air with so much enthusiasm that he may have almost snorted a bug. Thankfully, he didn't. The slight coolness on the breeze following the golden light of dawn was so refreshing that it made him sigh aloud. Mornings like this, days like this on WindClan territory... these, if nothing else, were proof that StarClan existed. How could random chance make scenery so heart-breakingly gorgeous? The way that the beams of the slowly rising sun spilled across the territory, like so much golden water over a previously moonlight-parched field, was heavenly. It was so pretty that he could stand here forever.

But he couldn't, of course. Patrols weren't meant for standing. They were meant for running. How else could one properly enjoy the beauty of the world? When he ran through the grass, looking all around him at the splashing colors of dawn breaking over the moors, everything seemed all right. The spectre of death was banished by the sun's glow. Nothing was wrong in the world, and all cats were his friends, and everything would be fine. As Flutterpetal ran along his normal morning patrol route, two daisies borne in his jaws as his companions, he found that the tawny sunlight reminded him of the tom he'd met at the most recent Gathering. Honeylight, his name had been. If he didn't already have the most wonderful brother in the world, Flutterpetal may have thought they were siblings separated at birth. Their personalities had clicked almost instantly, and he still wondered about how to make the beautiful crown of flowers that had adorned his head.

Perhaps it was because they crossed each other's minds at the exact same time, or perhaps it was random chance, but the stars aligned that morning. On the tiny strip of land by the Thunderpath, the one small area of the forest that bordered the marshes and the moors, Flutterpetal dug his paws into the earth in order to stop his running. The momentum made the daisies fall out of his mouth. The very golden form that he had been pondering as he flew across the territory was right there, on the other side of the border, calling out to him! "Honeylight!" he purred happily. Hurriedly he snatched up the daisies that had fallen, before trotting over as close to the border as he could justify. His green eyes were alight with not only the rays of dawn, but the joy of seeing a friend. "How have you been? And oh, what flowers are those? They look so nice!"

Flutterpetal edged even closer to the Thunderpath, still not crossing it, but enough that the strange black ground of it pressed lightly against his paw pads. He wanted to be close to Honeylight, to smell the flowers that were on the other side of the border, to breathe together and learn more about him... but the small voice of restraint at the back of his head reminded him that borders were not to be crossed. So he made himself sit back down, holding the daisies carefully under his paw so that they would not blow away in the light breeze. "Ah, I love azaleas!" he said warmly, looking carefully at the light purple blossoms by the tom's large golden paws. "These are daisies. There are smaller and larger varieties in WindClan, but I like these little ones the best. I see them all over the place, not just in the flower field!"

His soft black tail swayed behind him as a purr rumbled through his chest. Talking with another cat about flowers was absolutely delightful. Many other cats seemed to like him, but he got the sense that his bright energy could sometimes be too much. For Honeylight to be just as outwardly bright as him... it made him feel like they could communicate on the same level. "WindClan has been doing fine," Flutterpetal responded, light green eyes shining. "Last moon was a little bit difficult, but this moon seems much better so far. I like how the weather's cooling down. How about you, and ShadowClan? I heard that you were flooded a little while ago. Has everyone been able to gather their nests again? WindClan cats don't sleep in dens, but I know most others do. Did you get to rebuild those?"