visigoth (c)

For all that had happened within Thunderclan during the past moon and a half, it was nothing short of a miracle that Murkyripple still found herself in allegiance to her Clan. Foreign felines of feral blood had flooded their territory, bringing with them a barrage of dogs which seemed keen on doing nothing but tearing clanmates apart. Tension of an ongoing trial hung in the air, and not to mention, the inane chaos that came with the previous gathering. The nocturnal warrior was still unsure of what she thought about it, but knew what she felt. Her emotions didn't control her like it did other cats, especially like her sister, but that didn't mean she was completely heartless. No, it was simply a byproduct of spending a significant amount of her time alone in the night, the entire forest at rest as she was left to ponder. To ponder herself, to ponder others, and to figure out her next steps.

The fact still remained: she was Nighstar's daughter. It had taken her several nights to decipher whether or not she held much respect for the tom, and the truth finally hit her: she did. Even if much of the forest didn't, there was still the fact that he was a leader. There was a base respect he was due in simply being accepted by the stars and given those nine lives. Part of her couldn't help but contemplate the time they had seen each other across the Thunderpath, staring at each other with some deep curiosity they both had to turn away from. Had their spirits known? Blood instinctively recognizing blood?

Before she knew it, her paws had carried her to Fourtrees. It was a sight she hadn't wanted to see, not yet, anyways. But living so close to the sacred location within the forest, it only made sense. Even if she hadn't ever arrived to the clearing outside of those blessed nights, it was still neutral ground, and so she had the same rights as any other cat to explore its secrets. If there even were any. Without any other cats there to crowd the space, it was certainly much larger than it had ever appeared otherwise. Murkyripple continued to glide through the clearing, now observing it in all of its glory. It still felt quite like home, all things considered, just perhaps akin to the sandy hollow.

However, as she explored, there was a scent that caught her nose. Blanketed beneath, she immediately detected the mooren scent, and couldn't help the way her eyes narrowed. But atop of it was something much... nicer. Kinder. As the shadows called to her, Murkyripple found herself instinctively slipping into them as she approached. Nothing more than a pair of slightly glowing orange eyes as she continued trekking further to the clearing, eyeing the Great Rock. Part of her felt a draw to it, wanting to one day find herself atop that very stone. Perhaps she would. Perhaps she wouldn't.

As the dark-pelted tom came into view, she kept her maw slightly parted to better decipher his scent. Unfortunately, it tinged her way of greeting. Speaking wasn't much of her forte, but the words simply left her tongue before her mind could filter them. "You smell nice. Like..." Murkyripple breathed out quietly, curiosity now seeming to illuminate her gaze rather than tension as she now studied the violet plants gathered around his paws. "Lavender."

Murkyripple stepped back as the poor onyx tom seemed to leap out of his pelt, and she held back a quiet chuckle of amusement at the action. When his gaze would finally lift to meet her own, it was a golden glow of the orange sun that blinked slowly towards him, hoping to soothe the vibrant green forest that stared right back at her. She kept her claws firmly sheathed, having no particular interest in desecrating the hallowed ground of neutrality, unlike a particular she-cat that came to mind. One that just so happened to find her home in the same place of the tom in front of her. It wasn't any fault of his own that his medicine cat had done such, but it was an unfortunate stain that it would be the first thing cats thought of upon scenting the Windclan moors.

However, in the way that he seemed to speak so joyfully in the flowers, whatever animosity that the molly had towards the moor-running clan seemed to be stifled. At least, when it came to this tom in particular. He was a perfect reminder that the actions of one cat did not dictate the personality of the Clan, a fact that the Thunderclan warrior herself also seemed to embody. The smile that he offered her way brought a nervous fluster through her paws, and Murkyripple looked down at the flowers to try and hide the way her whiskers twitched with that bashfulness as its warmth heated her cheeks.

"I think purple would look good on you, too."

Stars... was this always what it was like talking to other cats? Her whiskers twitched again as she couldn't help her own smile. Her mind quickly ushered away those feelings, coming up with reasons such as, He's just being polite, or, He's just stating a fact. Nothing to attempt to reveal the idea that he actually meant what he said to be a compliment for her in particular.

As the tom seemed to straighten with realization, she learned his name. Flutterpetal. Murkyripple had never seen a tom be given such a fitting name, especially given the way that he seemed to be very much akin to a butterfly amidst the flower patch they both now admired. She confirmed his question with a dip of her head, another slow blink hoping to ease his nerves. The tortoiseshell kept her head tilted slightly, allowing her to attempt to lessen whatever threatening posture she naturally embodied. Living as Thunderclan's near-permanent sentry of the night had that effect on the way she stood. But from the gentle thrumming within her own chest, she found herself wanting to flip off every single one of those instincts, attempting to pull the kindness that she reserved for her brother. Something about the tom in front of her made her want to extend that kindness... such as extending her name.

"Murkyripple. Daughter of Mottlestar and Nightstar." She didn't know why she offered that information. But her orange gaze immediately threw itself down to the flowers below as soon as she had said it, as if feeling ashamed. Was she ashamed of her lineage? No. The whole forest practically knew who she was at this point. So what did it matter? She simply volunteered the information. Mimicry provided her some sort of comfort, and so she gently wrapped her feathered tail tightly around her, the gesture an attempt to self-soothe the persistent beating she felt in her chest. It wasn't the beating of a war drum that she recognized upon seeing an intruder at the border. This was a much softer, sweeter song. "Tell me more... about the flowers. Please?" Something about the way he lit up when talking about them... she liked it. Wanted to see more of it, as if it were a ray of sunshine cast into the pool of her shadows, bringing the calming scent of flowers along with it.

"You look happy when talking about them, Flutterpetal. That happiness... it looks good on you." Murkyripple further clarified. By her ancestors, was she really talking about him again? First how he smelled - now how he looked? What would be next, that his voice sounded soft as well? She had to check her maw was tightly closed to make sure that hadn't happened. It was to her relief that the thought hadn't slipped out. Perhaps her visit to fourtrees wasn't to be so bad after all.

The tortoiseshell subconsciously braced herself as he spoke of the actions of his clan's medicine cat, ready to face the ridicule and support behi-wait. He didn't agree? Surprise lined her features as she regarded that sentiment, truly analyzing and delving into his words. His beliefs that it wasn't the bloodline that made the cat, and that they could pledge their allegiance, but the sire or mother didn't force them down a path. It was still theirs to choose. She found herself unfurling her feather-textured tail slightly, warming up to his company. Her head tilted just slightly in a manner that gave a whisper of that which her mother often did when listening intently, but in this case, it was of her thinking. "It... means much to me to hear such. I agree... we are all just cats." The Thunderclan warrior ultimately nodded her agreement.

But her words paused the moment he began to talk about the flowers once more, and Murkyripple found herself drawn in further and further. The way his eyes seemed to sparkle like leaves that had fresh rain upon them, capturing pockets of the sun to shimmer as he spoke was nearly burned into her memory from the flame of his passion for the topic. She found herself nodding intently, truly listening. It certainly made sense that his name had hailed from his affinity for the flora, and she found herself attempting to match cats to each of the flowers he gave as an example. Mottlestar as a rose, as her name was Mottlerose. Simple and all around... Curlyfluff. While Flutterpetal may not have been all that aware of what he spoke, it was more than safe to say that the tortoiseshell heard every word. More than heard it, she practically memorized what he had to say, as if taking every one of his kind words to heart.

That only extended as he regarded the patch of flowers before them. As she listened reverently, her gaze would follow the movement of his paws. As the stems were twirled about, tucked together, she found herself weaving a story into the pattern he wove. Flowers that found themselves closed off, much as a warrior who took a patrol, always on their lonesome. Hard to notice as they clustered in the safety of the shadow behind something much greater, much as Murkyripple hid behind her lineage. She found her head slightly bobbing to the pattern that he made as well, almost lulled into a trance of the comforting movement. Her multicolored tail had fully unfurled, once more resting behind her, the tip flicking with a semblance of... joy? Comfort? Her orange gaze glanced up just once, nearly snagging on the green in front of her as he mentioned the flower that had seemed to tug his affinity. A larger smile flashed upon her face, a gentle huff of air as it was accompanied with a bashful giggle. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she found herself in the flowers, taking his favoritism as a compliment.

Lost in the shyness that came from her own compliment in turn, she had hardly the time to react before she felt the crown placed upon her head. In instinct, her ears flexed back and her head dipped, but it was as if a king had just crowned his queen. She looked up towards it as best she could, refusing to so much as touch the circlet that she had been honored with. That steady beating in her chest had quickened to a point she could no longer ignore, wondering if Flutterpetal before her could see the way her heart was hammering. Her maw had parted in surprise, only closing once she had a moment to get over her shock. Without even realizing it, there was a lone tear that had beaded in the corner of Murkyripple's scarred eye. That very tear loosened itself, falling upon the ground between them.

Even if the gesture had been hasty, there was a meaning behind it that was much more than the tom before her likely even knew. For ever since the reveal, the shadow-favoring warrior had found herself in a persistent turmoil. She felt she was regarded as a monster, the result of sin, of evil. That the way she moved throughout Thunderclan's territory was not fit for one of the cats that smelled like bracken and oak, but instead meant for those that carried the scent of marsh and carrion. Her sisters words burned in her ears, almost ready to threaten another tear, but it was Flutterpetal's gentle voice that once more played in her mind to chase that thought away. "This... you-I..." She didn't know what to say. Stars, what was a feline to say when someone had been given a gift that meant more than could be articulated? It was as if that very flower crown told her story.

"It was easy to think of myself as a monster after that gathering. To... question much. My clan... I have always found a friend in the shadows. They were quiet, and kept me company during the night. I... I patrol Thunderclan alone, always alone, during the nighttime." She didn't know why she was opening up to the tom. Perhaps, with that night-kissed pelt that smelled of the sweetest flowers, an intrinsic part of her recognized that same friendship that she did with the shade. "I worry- worried that I did not have a place in this forest because of my sire. Of being born a daughter between two mighty leaders who should not have been. Perhaps I am wrong." It was a conclusion that meeting Flutterpetal had given her. An alternative to consider, rather than always being an outcast. "The flowers are vast. They have their own stories, much as we all do. Even the thorns are part of a beautiful picture, even the flowers with wilted petals still have value. You- you have a gift. You told my story in this crown." Another tear fell, still unnoticed by the star-struck molly. "I will treasure this. With every part of my being." She declared, her voice hardly a whisper. Finally, she pulled her eyes away from the crown, looking down and seeing the dampness that now soaked her paws.

Ah.

"... Forgive me. You are- this gesture means more than I have words for. But... I feel it. A nice feeling."

Out of a deeply-burning shame, Murkyripple had kept her gaze towards the ground. The anxieties and pressures that came from her lineage had waited for her moment of vulnerability, to strike and sink their claws into her shoulders like a vicious beast, attempting to scar her in the same manner that her mother now bore matching scars around her shoulders. Just as that weight was ready to drag her back down and away to the darkness, the cold stealing the warmth she had been given, it would seem that ray of light would not release the Thunderclan warrior or give up on her just yet.

Undiluted shock thrust the calico's gaze upwards as Flutterpetal dared take a step closer to her. A beam of sunshine, coming to cast away the darkness. That unspoken bond that had been unintentionally formed between the two of them was only strengthened, solidified by the brush of his nose against her own. Its permanence marked by the shock that seemed to zip between the two of them, forcing the molly who smelled of bracken and oak to bring her head back suddenly. It certainly was not in offense that she moved her head away, but simply another cascading wave of surprise. For such an unmovable warrior, a steady and constant figure, it was a first for her to truly felt seen in such a capacity. That was the difference that had struck her so deeply. In being ever-present, Murkyripple had faded into the shadows of life. The background noise, unintentionally or intentionally ignored, as there were lives and events that screamed for attention. Few looked to the shadows when there was light directly in front of them to enjoy instead.

But not Flutterpetal. He seemed to look to the shadows himself, peering into them without fear. Finding the beauty that somehow hid within, as if a well-kept secret by the forest that only he seemed to know about. His words, whether intentional or not, found themselves tucked neatly right within her heart. Those words... the spoken truth that she wasn't broken, not the monster that she felt she had been depicted as... it was a ray of light. Of hope, that only seemed to grow the longer she spent time around the moor-dwelling tom. She couldn't help but tip her head back towards the ground. Not in shame, or to allow the tears still slipping down her cheeks to fall easier, but to act as a bow. A queen bowing to her king. The Thunderclan warrior failed to realize that this was the deepest bow she had ever given, as even her mother and other leaders were simply greeted with a slight nod of respect. But this was a true sign of reverence, of a gratitude that she only knew how to show instead of even contemplating how to speak.

Furthermore, there was a low rumble that came from her chest. Momentarily, it startled the molly, and she had to quickly assess whether there was somehow another earthquake that had come to once more bring the forest to its paws. But once that heartbeat had passed, Murkyripple felt its origins. She was purring. When was the last time such an undiluted signal of joy had come from her? It had to have been when she was a kit, the sound used purely to beg her mother for sustenance that would allow her to become the warrior she now was. Instead of a plea for comfort, it now radiated out of her as a symbol of a contentment that existed all on its own. Symbolized by the crown of lavender that now adorned her head, she could feel its warmth throughout her body.

Whatever forces in the stars had compelled her to Fourtrees, Murkyripple couldn't help but send a silent blink of gratitude to them. It had to have been fate that she came to the land of four great oaks that she often found no reason to tread, only to be met with a cat on a no doubt similar journey. One from a Clan that had started her path to destruction, that had been quick to build resentment within her heart for cats that existed on the terrain of moor and grass. That hurt had been touched with a strong paw, there was no doubt about that, but it was a paw that had care. A paw that left flowers blossoming in its wake, even where the shadows fell. Where hidden treasures seemed to lurk, those paws knew exactly where to find them. Undisturbed, but... lonely. No doubt did those steps recognize that loneliness, and by a miracle, they had a very remedy for it.

It was those thoughts that led Murkyripple to take the step forward this time. She had been so keen to hide in the comfort of her darkness that sometimes, she forgot the warmth that light often brought with it. With little hesitance aside from what was due to ensure the crown stayed steady atop her head, she briefly pressed her forehead against his own. "Thank you." Words spoken on a small whisper, one that would only pass between the two of them. That purr seemed to only continue to rumble in her throat as she took the smallest step back, and her tail gently found its way around her paws. "Do you think... I could see you at the gathering?" Even if she wished to never leave, to simply let go of it all and enjoy the happiness that she had found, the expectations of Clan life never fully pulled away from the she-cat's mind. At some point, they would have to part ways and return home. That realization set an unhappy weight in her stomach, the rules that forbade close relations between cats of other clans nagging and threatening to pull away her joy. Furthermore, the fact of Windclan's position also rushed to her senses, her whiskers twitching to attempt to dismiss the depressing thought. "I understand if you do not wish to go, but... I would enjoy seeing you again." Instead, she acknowledged it with her words. Murkyripple spoke the truth as she purred it out. It was so unfamiliar to her, to speak with such a jovial and warm voice, but she welcomed the change.

Even as she hinted at their next meeting, there was the underlying goodbye that came along with it. Thoughts of how she could say her departure never could quite come together in a way that displayed her wish to never leave, but acknowledge the way duties would inevitably pull them both apart. So in the end... Murkyripple opted to not say anything. Instead, focus on the hope of their next meeting. After all, if she could count on seeing him again... it would not make it a good-bye. It would simply make it a "until next time." That was an idea she could swallow much easier, much more comfortably.