What It Meant To Live[Flutterpetal]

Flutterpetal missed being alive. It didn't take away from these warm, endlessly sunlit days with his brother and his dear friends. It didn't mean that he didn't appreciate every moment with those that he loved, more than he could ever possibly express to them over a thousand lifetimes. But still, he couldn't keep himself from glancing down to check on the forest, to check on those who survived him... to check on Murkyriver... to check on WindClan. He could not help but feel sorrowful when they suffered, and he could not help but feel grief when they died. He supposed he ought to have been happy when those he loved passed away, since being on the other side of the afterlife, he could then finally spend time with them again. Yet, he'd never truly been able to shake the flawed mortality of his brain, the sympathy that dragged him down to sorrow at any sign of sadness. Still, as always, the sadness never lasted for very long. How could it? How could the darkness linger, when the sun shone so brightly? Night always turned to day. Leaf-bare always turned to greenleaf. Darkness was only the absence of light, after all, and light would not be denied.

So it was with a warm smile on his face that Flutterpetal raced through the starry fields, never tiring, never faltering, when he heard of the passing of a friend. Sootstorm, deputy of WindClan. Oh, how he'd hoped that his friend would survive him, and that he'd be granted the humbling favor of being able to give him a life, like he'd given Smallstar and Leopardstar and Tigerstar. But it wasn't to be. He'd watched with increasing heaviness of heart as the stalwart tom's age got the better of him, as sickness and stress caught up to him and the illness finally took him away. But with death came life, and with sorrow came joy. That joy was what he would bring now. The soft inky-black tom ran at full speeds through the infinite plains that echoed WindClan's moors, hoping beyond hope that he would not take too long a time to meet his friend once again. He hadn't expected to be the first--not when Sootstorm had lived such a full life, had so many cats who loved him and waited for him to return--but he couldn't deny that it gave him a brief moment of pleasant surprise. His bright smile only widened.

He'd brought a gift--a bunch of small blue cornflowers, a pop of color against the dark shades of his pelt and vivid green of his glimmering eyes. As he opened his mouth, the blossoms fell to the ground, but he could no longer keep his voice from lifting in a warm cry of welcome. "Sootstorm!" Flutterpetal stopped just short of bowling the tom over, choosing instead to embrace him warmly, laying his head across the deputy's shoulder in an embrace. After all, spirits though they were, they could interact with each other solidly just as they could in life. The warrior closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the closeness. Stars, it had been ages since he and Sootstorm had seen each other. He'd never gotten to congratulate him on being named deputy, or on the birth of his kits, or console him at the loss of his mate, or any of the other myriad accomplishments and tragedies that he'd gone through. But, he was here now. They had eternity to catch up with each other. Though he felt tears beginning to gather in his eyes, he still hadn't stopped grinning. "It's so good to finally see you again," he purred. He managed to step back back then and gathered up the carefully chosen cornflowers. One small black paw nudged them forward. "Here! For you. They're nowhere near as good as the ones from the flower field, but I think it'll go well with your gray and white pelt."

Sootstorm held back laughter at the sight of tears in his friend's eyes. Had it really been that long since they last met each other? And he was here now, wasn't he? The former deputy stepped forward to accepth the cornflowers, taking them carefully and setting them down at his paws, where both he and Flutterpetal would be able to see it. "As far as I'm aware, any flower from a friend is as good as the ones from the flower field," He replied almost teasingly. In a softer voice, he added, "So... thank you, friend. I appreciate it."

When he had found out that Flutterpetal had died, the tom had been conflicted. There were so many things he had wanted to say to the tom, words of thanks and apprecition and compliments and so many other things he would never get to say. And yet, now that they were both here, he was at a loss for words. Now that he had all the time in the world with his friend, it no longer felt like he had to say anything. It was so easy, to slip back into the belief of "tommorrow". Just as he had when he was alive. Maybe it wasn't a trait of the living, then, but a trait of himself.

He had been fortunate in his life, he knew. Despite everything, he had had many friends, a loving mother, brother, mentor, two mates, many kits and plenty of apprentices. For most of his life, he has been blessed with good fortune, tinged with a bit of serendipity. "Did you enjoy your life, Flutterpetal?" What a strange question. Of course he had. "What was the best part? The part that really stood out to you?" He... wasn't sure he had one single answer.