flower friends {nectarflower}

Number of posts : 319

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Rosepaw was in one of her most favourite places in the entire world, and she had seen much of the world during her lost seasons. Best of all, she had company!

Nectarflower was the sweetest of names and Rosepaw knew the warrior it belonged to was every bit as sweet. She was hopeful they could become friends... for now, Rosepaw matched the other she-cat's pace in comfortable silence.

She breathed in the warm flower-scented air, finally unable to stop herself as the pair reached the fields and Rosepaw ran joyfully to the flowers, bounding on long-legs and large fluffy paws careful not to step on any. "It's so beautiful today!" she gasped, breathlessly gulping in more of the fresh lovely air.

It had been too long since she last ran and leaped for happiness. She angled her large sensitive tufted ears to Nectarflower, wispy tail flicking lightly with energy, rosy fur joyfully ruffled.

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Subject: Re: flower friends {nectarflower} Tue 18 Jul 2023 - 18:10

Nectarflower

Gender: Female
Rank: T2 Warrior

[OOC: Sorry it took so long to post!]

Nectarflower padded along beside Rosepaw, her green eyes darting to and fro as they approached the flower fields. She was younger and definitely not as well travelled as Rosepaw, so the upcoming fields were easily her favorite place to visit. She would often go here as an apprentice with Ferntwist, but it was nice to get to know another cat who enjoyed the flower fields just as much.

They walked in comfortable silence, though the moment the flower covered hills came into view, Rosepaw hared ahead. Nectarflower laughed brightly and tore after the other she-cat, the wind streaming through her fur. "Absolutely! There's nothing better than this view!" She purred. It was good to get to know another of her clanmates.

Already Nectarflower could tell that they would be good friends. Until Rosepaw, she had yet to meet another cat who enjoyed the same things like she did.

The tortoiseshell she-cat snatched up a pretty white flower and ran a circle around Rosepaw before stopping in front of her to place the flower right behind her ear. "It looks good on you!" She grinned before bounding away toward a clump of gorgeous, purple flowers. "Woah! Look at these!"

Number of posts : 319

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{OOC: no problem at all! <3}

The tortoiseshell-and-white warrior seemed as happy here as Rosepaw as they tore side-by-side across the coloured hills bright with flowers, the wind rushing through their fur. "Even after all I've seen, it's easily the best view!" the long-legged rosy-furred she-cat agreed while keeping pace, paws thrumming rhythmically over the lushly-covered earth.

"It's our first season seeing it like this! Can you believe this happens every year? Or that we'll ever be so old!" she laughed. Nectarflower was running circles around her, a pretty white flower clutched in her jaws. She placed it right behind the rosy-furred she-cat's large tufted ear and Rosepaw purred happily. She felt they understood each other well.

She bounded after the younger cat to see the flowers Nectarflower had found. "Oh, we should make each other flower wreaths!" she exclaimed joyfully. Nectarflower had found something gorgeous and purple, and in a rare moment, Rosepaw wasn't sure what the plant was. She picked one with a grin and placed it behind her new friend's ear this time. "Lovely! It brings out the blue-purple tone of your darkest colours." The tabby-tortoiseshell had stripes in her charcoal and ginger patches, and the closer Rosepaw saw it the more she loved its secretly elaborate pattern.

Rosepaw's eyes shone with emotion. The last time she had seen purple flowers as gorgeous as that was when she said farewell to her mentor. "Flutterpetal loved to come here, too," she remembered. "I think purple flowers were his favourite."

The recent grief was heavy, but it did not need to be bourn alone. Every WindClan cat felt pain of much loss. "I'm so sorry about Weaselfoot," she said gently. The sky was wide and clear blue over head. "Luckily there aren't any clouds so he can see how beautiful you are today," she mused. Rosepaw wondered how the stars reached the living~ perhaps today as the rays of sun that kissed Nectarflower's checks. The sun was just the same as a star, after all, the closest and brightest.

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Subject: Re: flower friends {nectarflower} Tue 18 Jul 2023 - 22:01

Nectarflower

Gender: Female
Rank: T2 Warrior

Nectarflower looked back at Rosepaw, suddenly curious. What had happened on her journey anyway? She'd heard so little about the older she-cat and was embarrassed to admit that they'd hardly ever spoken before today. She must be an awful clanmate to not know such a large porion of her clan aside from the occasional pleasantries.

She shrugged the thoughts aside, however, and laughed softly. Her, old? It seemed like such a far away thought given that she'd only just become a warrior. Though, it did feel like she had aged seasons in the time since Weaselfoot's death. "I'll never be too old to come out here and enjoy the sights and smells." She meowed gently.

The flower fields reminded her of not just her friend Ferntwist, but the short-lived time she had spent together with Weaselfoot. It was a bittersweet feeling, but not one Nectarflower was entirely upset about.

The young she-cat purred softly at Rosepaw's suggestion, trying to maintain her cheerful mood. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!" She dipped her head slightly as Rosepaw lifted one of the purple flowers to her head and placed it behind her ear. Just like Rosepaw's - they were a matching pair now.

"Does it?" She peered down at her coat, thoughtful. It had never occurred to her that some colors did in fact look better when paired with other specific colors.

The mood shifted at the mention of Flutterpetal. Nectarflower looked toward Rosepaw, sympathetic to how she was feeling. Flutterpetal had been the other she-cats mentor...Nectarflower couldn't imagine losing Sootstorm. She opened her jaws, hesitant, but pushed through it. "I didn't get a chance to know Flutterpetal, but he sounded like a wonderful cat."

Nectarflower looked away, her chest tight. As Rosepaw spoke again, this time of Weaselfoot, it was impossible to ignore the grief that often threatened to overwhelm her. Regardless, she tried. "Th-Thank you." She lifted her head to the sky, pondering Rosepaw's words with tears brimming in her eyes.

Maybe Weaselfoot was keeping an eye on her - even now. Would he be disappointed to see how far she had fallen? Did he miss her too? Though it had been nearly a quater-moon ago, his death still felt fresh in her heart. Would this pain ever go away? Did Weaselfoot feel the same was as her - yearning for things to be different, wishing for...something, anything but this?

Finally, Nectarflower choked the words out, still trying to appear...at least a little okay. "I regret not getting to know him sooner." So many regrets. "If I had known he would be gone so soon..."

Nectarflower sighed. The only reason she had dragged herself out of her nest these past few days, the only reason she forced down prey that tasted like dirt...

She was afraid to even entertain the thought - as if speaking the words out loud would make them real. How could she do this without Weaselfoot? Nonetheless, she needed to confide in someone. Some cat who was partial to everything - who would have a positive outlook on this mess her life had become. "I..." She stopped, her gaze pinned to the sky, then continued. "I think I'm expecting."

Number of posts : 319

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Rosepaw caught Nectarflower's curious look. She was still so much an outsider, only a few moons ago she had found her way to WindClan.

There had been a lot to get used to, with Whisperear and Brackenwing in the elder's den, Batsong and Sparrowthorn in the medicine-cat's den, while Rosepaw tried to find her paws as a warrior apprentice and spent less time by their side than she hoped for. Then so many deaths, Owlshade a prisoner of war, and it felt like every time Rosepaw started to find her footing, the ground slipped away like sand. Shrikestorm stepped down and Batsong was soon to do so as well. Smallbean was a doddery seeming leader and Tigerdance a deputy she did not know. She knew her warrior ceremony got closer with each passing day and the panic was rising from deep in her chest like a steep slope suddenly blocking the path she was sprinting along. The only way was up, up, up, hoping her lungs, her heart, wouldn't give out.

She felt far too young for this and far too old at the same time. She could only hope Nectarflower was right, and they would never be too old to stop and smell the flowers. She shook her head with a laugh that came out so much freer than she felt. Of course, that was who she was, gladness constant as the wind blowing.

She sat down beside Nectarflower, picking the most beautiful purples for her flower crown. Some were light and others dark, alternating like the stripes of the tabby-tortoiseshell's colourful markings. "Wonderful! ...and yes, it absolutely does!" she echoed with a purr, ignoring how it shook.

"There are many cats in WindClan I don't~" she shallowed, "~or didn't~ know. I was lucky to at least know Flutterpetal even if just for a short time." Thinking of it like that, she was less sad and more... grateful. "There was a time I thought I lost everyone and everywhere I loved," her soft, light laugh defied her words. "Anything is better than that." She had come such a long way from that despair. As much grief as she felt now, she knew it could get darker. Right now, she could still see the light, so that's where she looked.

Nectarflower's grief was so raw and heart-breaking, Rosepaw pressed against her gently in comfort. "It's not easy, is it?" she admitted softly. She was sympathetic to the other cat's regret, since she had only known WindClan a short time before the war. If she had known war was coming, would she have done anything differently? She truly did not know, she felt so lost inside her own unsafe home.

Nectarflower's gaze was still pinned to the blue, blue sky. It was as if her words were even more for Weaselfoot than for Rosepaw. But she broke away from embracing her friend. "Expecting... kits!" She looked her in the eye with joy brimming in her own golden gaze.

A grin all over her face, words tumbled out of Rosepaw's mouth. "You're eating well? Thank goodness. It can't be easy, but please keep it up. Drinking, too, in this heat." Rosepaw knew, grief would wring you dry. "You're grooming?" she nodded, "Very pretty. I'm sure Weaselfoot is proud of how you keep looking after yourself. Do everything he would do to look after you, and your kits. They are half of him as well." She fussed over the possibly expecting queen, but Nectarflower looked healthy, thankfully. Rosepaw knew very little about pregnancy, but she had looked after her own body when it had needed care and she was grieving and alone.

"Sparrowthorn will know for sure, and if you are expecting, take care of you all," she reassured. "Sootstorm will be here for you, too, and he has experience as a parent. You'll do this with everyone's support. We'll get through this together ~ all of WindClan."

Rosepaw nuzzled her new friend comfortingly. "It's wonderful if you are, Nectarflower," she whispered in awe.

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Subject: Re: flower friends {nectarflower} Mon 24 Jul 2023 - 12:19

Nectarflower

Gender: Female
Rank: T2 Warrior

Nectarflower sighed. She wasn't sure how to respond to the majority of Rosepaw's words, still trying to wrap her head around the trials that plagued her and Windclan as of late. Distantly, she plucked white and off-red flowers from the peaty soil, putting her weaving skills to use to craft the perfect flower wreath for Rosepaw.

It was just like back when she was a kit, and she would make those silly little 'bundles of joy' to give to her struggling clanmates. To this day, she still wasn't sure if Ferntwist had been humoring her or if the older she-cat actually found some comfort in her gift. She lifted her gaze from her work, though, as Rosepaw spoke of her time away from Windclan - before Nectarflower had known her.

Sympathy swirled in Nectarflower's chest, and she tipped her head to the side, wondering what it must have been like not knowing if she would ever see her home again. It must have been terrifying. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. We're all glad you're home now though, you won't have to worry about losing everything ever again."

Despite the sincerity behind her own words, Nectarflower knew that she could never believe they were true. Weaselfoot's death proved to her that what she loved and held dear could be ripped away from her at any moment. All she could do was try to protect her clan and family - hopefully, that would be enough.

With a deep breath, she leaned into Rosepaw's side, soaking up the comfort she offered. "It's not..." She appreciated the older she-cat's company though. Rosepaw was kind and despite not knowing her very well, Nectarflower felt that she could tell her anything...maybe even...

She lifted her head to the sky, unable to stop herself from spilling her innermost fears and worries. Four words, seemingly inconsequential were almost enough to bring the young warrior's life crashing down. She wasn't ready for the responsibility of kits - especially since they would never know the comfort of their father's embrace.

Nectarflower dropped her head, tearing her gaze from the endlessly blue sky to gauge Rosepaw's reaction. As expected, the she-cat was ecstatic, but Nectarflower hadn't expected...this. She leaned back as words tumbled from Rosepaw's mouth. It was sweet that she was concerned for her health and even sweeter that she wanted to be there for her...but she wasn't ready!

Kits deserved the love of both of their parents and Weaselfoot was dead! How was she supposed to take care of kits all by herself!? Rosepaw's words went in one ear and out the other, too overwhelming and too much for Nectarflower to process.

"They...they won't have a father." Nectarflower's own father had never been a part of her life and she had seen how the stress of that had taken its toll on her mother. She didn't want that for herself or the kits she was so scared she might be carrying. Eyes wide, she leaned closer to Rosepaw, fur bristling with fear. "I always knew I would have kits someday, but I didn't want it to happen like this!"

She lashed her tail, both angry and frightened. "I wanted to wait until things with the other clans calmed down. I wanted to share these moments with someone, but that someone is gone!" Her words came out almost pleadingly, though for what, she wasn't sure. "I know everyone will be there for me...but it's not the same."

Nectarflower knew she was being dramatic. She knew that she didn't deserve to whine about this when so many cats were going through things so much worse that her, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't fair to take her frustrations out on Rosepaw, but she had to get it own somehow, otherwise she feared she would explode.

Number of posts : 319

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Rosepaw watched as Nectarflower carefully picked white and red flowers and wove the stalks with practiced paws. It was soothing to watch.

Despite the sincerity of her words, Rosepaw could see in her eyes that she couldn't believe it. Rosepaw didn't believe it, either, and it saddened her because she had believed it once. She said nothing about it as the other she-cat leaned into the comfort she had offered, and simply sat beside Nectarflower.

Until Rosepaw's joy at the possibility of Nectarflower expecting kits tumbled gracelessly out, and the other she-cat leaned back, visibly overwhelmed.

Rosepaw pulled her paws comfortably under her chest, having completed the flower crown for her new friend, and pulled back her too-big emotions as well. She went quiet and let Nectarflower speak her worries.

Rosepaw hummed in sympathy. "None of us wanted any of it to happen like this," she agreed with emotion. She smoothed Nectarflower's fur a little, gently. "I know, it's not the same."

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Subject: Re: flower friends {nectarflower} Tue 8 Aug 2023 - 19:59

Nectarflower

Gender: Female
Rank: T2 Warrior

Nectarflower glanced over at Rosepaw, suddenly apologetic for her outburst. It wasn't fair of her to take out her feelings on the other she-cat when she had done absolutely nothing wrong. With a steadying breath, the young warrior allowed Rosepaw to smooth down her prickled fur and, with shaky paws, finished the flower crown for Rosepaw.

"Y-You're right. I'm sorry I yelled." Nectarflower nuzzled Rosepaw comfortingly, wanting to make sure that the older she-cat knew that she wasn't upset with her. "I'll still have you and Sootstorm and...that's enough." Heart aching, Nectarflower lifted the finished flower crown and placed it atop Rosepaw's head. She eyed Rosepaw for a moment, then took a deep breath to ready herself.

"Would you...consider helping me when my kits come? You don't have to do a lot, but just help me make sure that they know they're loved?" It was a lot to ask, she knew, but it would be difficult raising kits alone. She had seen her mother do it and, looking back, it had certainly affected her.

If she had a friend like Rosepaw looking out for her and the kits, Nectarflower knew that everything would turn out okay. Things wouldn't be perfect, but when were they ever? She would just have to take things one step at a time.

» Friends for my little flower baboos
» flower friends {marigoldkit}
» look what the cat dragged in [Nectarflower: Now open to WC]
» Mother, help! [Nectarflower]
» Nectarflower's Retirement Ceremony