the expiration date of an apology [C]

"Flamestrike?"

The words alien to her tongue, and her voice hoarse. Hazeflight's blue eyes stared at the flaming cat before her. "Flamestrike?" she repeated, taking a cautious step towards him. Her paw spread wide, dispersing the sound of the footfall, not wanting to disturb the all too profound silence that hung in the air. The silence was her fault, she knew it, but Hazeflight had come to make amends. Amends that shouldn't need to be made, the bengal she-cat should not have allowed unspoken words and tension to build. She had been a terrible friend and mentor in life, isolating herself in her later years, and then leaving altogether. Hazeflight had missed so much. Now, in the eternal, she had a chance to fix things with her apprentice.

"I'm sorry, Flamestrike."

How long had Hazeflight been dead? Probably as long as she had lived she supposed, and only now she was approaching Flamestrike. Shameful. If it were not for Frostpaw making her truly face her past, to reflect on the good and bad, Hazeflight would more than likely have continued to mope and stare blankly inro the constant inky black of StarClan. Maybe she would have sat from afar, like the outcast she had been born as, and watch as other cats were content. Watch as they basked in the love and comfort she craved, while she wallowed in the isolation she earned. Frostpaw had given her an incentive, and Hazeflight had taken it.

Hazeflight waited, a beat passing between the two, before taking another tense forward. White spotted ears ticking backwards. How she longed to surge forward, and how the part that still wished to punish her kept the silver warrior rooted to the spot several fox-lengths from the tom she considered a son. 'It has been too long, but I'm here now." meowed Hazeflight taking another step forward, pointed tail twitching.

"I've come to make things right." She took a shaky breath, tears welling in Hazeflight's eyes yet Flamestrike had hardly moved, had not acknowledge her yet. Would he even acknowledge her? She expelled the air in her lungs with a trembling huff.

"Please..."

The slow blink of Flamestrike's stunning green gaze took an eternity. Utter disbelief crossed his maw as he took in the sight of Hazeflight's shimmering silvered pelt. For seasons, the mentor and apprentice pair had walked the stars without interaction. Admittedly, like the she-cat, he had become withdrawn in the weight of his own previous mistakes and fractured relationships. It was a circumstance he knew all too well, that had become reflected in his own life.

Like Hazeflight, his own heart had been reckless in the pursuit of love, a path that had broken apart kin and brought shame to the clan. Their stories were far too similar. As he stared at her, the stunning numbness melted away in the wake of familiar warmth. Since kithood, the molly had showed him love, compassion, and guidance. More than anything he had missed the light that her presence brought. Subtle tears touch the fringes of his eyelids.

"It's never too late, Hazeflight." His rough meow rasped lowly, tinged with a pained familarity. Flamestrike shook his coat to dispel the stupor and took a step forward to press his head into the nook between her shoulder and jawline. Given their size difference, one that had changed drastically over time as he went from a tiny kit to a long-limbed warrior, the tom had to bend forward to find the position. He did not mind the slight discomfort at all.

Oh, how he had missed Hazeflight. Being next to her now made him feel impossibly small, like he was experiencing kithood all over again. A contented sigh left his maw and the tom allowed his warrior-hardened exterior to melt away. There was no need to pretend to be anything other than himself with his mentor. After several long moments, he finally pulled back to meet her gaze, "I won't even ask what took you so long because stars know I have to answer the same question."

The sudden pressure of Flamestrike hugging her, almost sent her reeling backwards. How long had it been since she'd felt the touch of another of a cat, a cat she loved so much? There was a moment of hesitation, before she pressed her chin to his forhead, bundling the tom in a tight embrace. "Shhh," mewed Hazeflight, licking the tom's forehead. Tears pricked her eyes, but she closed them savouring the moment, who knew when Flamestrike would pull away? For now it was just mother and son. a purr rumbled in her throat, growing louder, and louder."Oh, Flamestrike." she mewed "I am so sorry."

For a moment Hazeflight pulled away, blue gaze looking over the tom, as she broke into a wide smile, "Thank you." She laughed, letting the tears fall, as she beheld the warrior before her. "There is so much I wish to tell you... That is if you will let me," Despite the height difference, despite everything that had transpired, he looked no bigger than a kit. The ginger tom's eyes full of warmth and hope, feelings she did not deserve. The silver molly stifled another sob, before drawing the tom back into another embrace. "You have nothing to answer for, do not take the blame for my actions." she mewed cradling him closer, afraid that at any moment she might awake and realise this was all a dream "Your family needs you still, much more than mine does."

She was content. Finally after moons upon moons of wonderless ambling. Hoping and hoping to feel something true and pure, finally, she felt content. Flamestrike had not hesitated, he had ran to her like that day on the moor, and she had reciprocated. It was hard to believe they had both been in StarClan so long, not when she cradled him like no time had past, not when he seemed like a kit. As stark as the circumstances were. she felt so young again, sure of herself and who she was as she held her son closer